Harper vs. Trout; Who's More Important?

By: Mike Wagenman

Two of the best young players in the major leagues are, without a doubt, Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Mike Trout of the Angels.  They are 19 and 20, respectively, and arguably have more potential than almost any prospect in the past decade.  While Harper’s every at-bat is national news, Trout is somehow flying under the radar out in California and seems undeservingly overshadowed.  Arguing over who is the better player between the two is like splitting hairs, and it is much too early on in their careers.  However, I posed the question “who is more important to the success of his respective team?” on Twitter a few days back, and got some mixed responses.  Here is a closer look.

Since being called up on April 28^th and debuting against the Dodgers, Harper is hitting .280 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and a .361 on-base percentage.  All very stellar numbers for a rookie indeed.  However, the Nationals were 14-6 before Harper was added to the major league roster and are just 27-24 since.  Although it is still early, the Nats’ record does not indicate extreme benefit from Harper’s presence.  Some benefit, yes.  Harper also seems to be in the midst of a rookie slump; it looks as though opposing pitchers are figuring him out, as evident by his 0-7 with five strikeouts performance in a 14-inning loss to the Yankees.  He is hitting just .186 with an on-base percentage of .255 and 14 strikeouts in his past 11 games.  In those 11 games, Harper has not hit a home run and has only driven in one run. 

With Michael Morse and Ryan Zimmerman limited by injury, Adam LaRoche coming back down to earth, and the role players playing average at best, Washington has been counting on their 19-year-old outfielder to put the team on his shoulders and make his teammates better.  It is a tall task for anyone, let alone a rookie.  It is also no secret that the Nationals are driven by their pitching, with a league best 2.97 ERA and .220 batting average against.  Judging by the numbers and trends, it seems that the Nationals pitching is more beneficial than Harper.

On the flip side of the coin in Los Angeles/Anaheim, the Angels’ rookie has done nothing short of carrying his team.  Trout is leading the American League with a .338 batting average.  In just 51 games at the big league level, compared to around 70 for most other regular starters, Trout is first in stolen bases (21), sixth in OPS (.931), third in on-base percentage (.399), as told by Jake Dal Porto of Bustasports.  He is the leadoff man for the Angels, and is a true catalyst at the top of the lineup.  Opposing pitchers and catchers have been concerned about Trout on the bases, usually leading to mistakes, hits, and runs for the Angels. 

The Angels were a lowly 6-14 before Trout was called up, but are 32-19 since and have gained five games on the division leading Rangers.  While Harper is still a work-in-progress in the outfield, Trout is a legitimate Gold Glove candidate in the outfield.  He has just one error, and uses his speed to cover an incredible amount of ground.  He has made driving, running, and jumping catches all season long, saving runs for his team.  Trout’s constant presence on the bases has lead to a higher batting average for his teammates like Torii Hunter, Albert Pujols, Kendrys Morales, and Mark Trumbo, most of who were struggling to start the year.  Trout has proven to be a game-changer, and a guy that drives the Angel offense.

Although Bryce Harper has an infinite amount of talent and potential, it is clear that Mike Trout has done far more for his team.  Yet, somehow he still does not get the recognition he deserves.  His speed, hitting, and defense change games for Los Angeles.  Tune in to watch Harper and the Nationals take on the Rockies at 8:40 PM ET and Trout and the Angels take on the Orioles at 7:05 PM ET.

Sources: ESPN, Bustasports, SweetSpot Network

MLB Fantasy Team - With A Twist

By: Corey Donetz

I'm a lover of the game of baseball, and a fantasy draft enthusiast. All of this led to the idea of crafting a Major League Baseball team entirely out of players 23 years of age or younger. The team I constructed includes players only 23 or younger (to date). I used a mixture of stats (hard stats and sabermetrics) and the all important eye-test.

First off, we'll get to the position players. The majority of the players are right-handed, with the exception of the first basemen and two outfielders.

(Name/Age/Team/Handedness)

Designated Hitter:

Jesus Montero (22) Seattle Mariners (R) 

Montero is off to a slow start in his first full year, but like the rest of these players he's very young and has an extremely high ceiling of potential. He has played a lot of DH, but can also play first base and catcher.

Catcher:

Salvador Perez (22) Kansas City Royals (R)

Wilin Rosario (23) Colorado Rockies (R)

Perez was injured prior to the start of the season, but he is no doubt a professional hitter. In limited time due to getting hurt, Perez has shown how good of a hitter he is. Even at the young age of 22, he is already one of the best offensive catchers in the league. 

First Base:

Eric Hosmer (22) Kansas City Royals (L)

Freddie Freeman (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Freeman's numbers are better than Hosmer's numbers so far this season, but I believe that Hosmer is the better player and he will turn it around this year. Both players are very well-rounded, but their offense is their meat and potatoes.

Second Base:

Brett Lawrie (22) Toronto Blue Jays (R)

The Jays struck gold when acquiring Lawrie from the Brewers, and although he is very hot-headed, there is no doubting his skills on the field. He can hit for average, and has some pop in his bat. Lawrie has played mostly 3B with Toronto, but he can also play other spots in the infield including second base.

Third Base:

Will Middlebrooks (23) Boston Red Sox (R) 

Mike Moustakas (23) Kansas City Royals (R)

Moustakas has show spurts of how good he can be, but has been consistently inconsistent. Middlebrooks is among the leaders in almost every offensive category among rookies, and has a very respectable glove at the hot corner.

Shortstop:

Starlin Castro (22) Chicago Cubs (R)

Elvis Andrus (23) Texas Rangers (R)

Starlin Castro is an amazing talent, a career .300 hitter, and is arguably the best shortstop in baseball (top 3 in my opinion). Andrus is no slouch either, but when put on a team with Castro he'd have to be the second option. 

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The outfield gets a little tricky. My heart wants me to start Jason Heyward, but his defense of late has been lackluster, and has been very inconsistent at the plate. However, he and Harper can be switched pretty easily at this point and time. 

Left Field:

Bryce Harper (19) Washington Nationals (L) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Harper has tremendous arm strength, is hitting just under .300 since being called up to the big leagues and has an OBP of .372. At the incredibly young age of 19, you really can't ask much more than that. The power numbers will increase as he plays more.

Center Field:

Mike Trout (20) Los Angeles Angels (R) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Mike Trout has speed that is rarely possessed by anybody to play baseball. He can cover a lot of ground in the outfield, hit for average, steal bases, and has pop in his bat as well. If Trout can stay healthy he has the ability to be one of the most complete players to ever play.

Right Field:

Giancarlo Stanton (22) Miami Marlins (R) 

Jason Heyward (22) Atlanta Braves (L)

Power. Stanton has a lot of it. He hits homeruns that only a few can even try to mimic. His average in 2012 is just under .300; if he can keep his average up, while still having the same power numbers, it could be very scary for opponents. He also has a canon in the outfield to go with the offense.

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Now for the pitching. There were two starting pitchers that got cut from the rotation and moved to the bullpen. Those two are Rick Porcello and Chris Sale. Porcello has struggled and would be the long relief option, while on the contrary, Chris Sale has been outstanding for the White Sox as a starter this year. Sale has great stuff and saw time in the pen before becoming a starter for the Sox this season. With lack of lefty options for the bullpen, Sale could bring a lot to this team in a set-up man role.

Starting Pitcher:

Stephen Strasburg (23) Washington Nationals (R)

Madison Bumgarner (22) San Francisco Giants (L)

Jarrod Parker (23) Oakland Athletics (R)

Matt Moore (22) Tampa Bay Rays (L)

Michael Pineda (23) New York Yankees (R)

For all of these pitchers the main key is staying healthy. Strasburg and Pineda have both already encountered major injuries. Strasburg has recovered and returned with great stuff, Pineda will try and do the same once he is healthy again. 

 Closer:

Addison Reed (23) White Sox (R) 

Relief Pitcher:

Rick Porcello (23) Detroit Tigers (R)

Julio Teheren (21) Atlanta Braves (R)

Drew Smyly (22) Tigers (L)

Kelvin Herrera (22) (R)

Chris Sale (23) White Sox (L)

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Lineup:

1. Mike Trout CF (R)

2. Starlin Castro SS (R)

3. Bryce Harper LF (L)

4. Giancarlo Stanton RF (R)

5. Jesus Montero DH (R)

6. Eric Hosmer 1B (L)

7. Will Middlebrooks 3B (R)

8. Salvador Perez C (R)

9. Brett Lawrie 2B (R)

SP: Stephen Stasburg (R)

With the lack of lefties Harper and Hosmer were split up to balance the lineup. The lineup has decent speed throughout, with a lot in the top. Lawrie at the bottom helps turn the lineup over well, an of course the power in the middle of the lineup.

For a team of players all 23 and younger, this would certainly be a team to be reckoned with.

Follow me on Twitter: @TheFutureIs_Now

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*Photo Credits: ESPN.com

Sources: 

ESPN.com

FanGraphs.com

BaseballReference.com

MLB.com

Affiliates of MLB.com

Twitter.com

Angels' Top Fish Ascends To Majors

By: Corey Donetz

Mike Trout has officially been called up to the major leagues. Trout has dominated every level of the minor leagues, and will now get a shot to perform at the big league level.

The 19-year-old New Jersey native, who has spent the majority of 2011 in double-A, has skipped triple-A to replace the injured Peter Bourjos in the Angels' outfield. The 6’1’’ phenom hit .324 while hitting nine homeruns, 11 triples, 12 doubles, and stealing 28 bases in 75 games in double-A will get the starting nod in centerfield for the Angels tonight against the Seattle Mariners.

Trout was drafted 25^th overall in the 2009 amateur draft, which was certainly a steal for Los Angeles. He is widely regarded as the top prospect in the minor leagues (some say Bryce Harper is), but most people wouldn’t have expected him to make it to the major’s so soon. Harper is just over a year younger then Trout, as Trout will turn 20 in 30 days, while Harper wont turn 19 until October.  Trout and Harper have similar playing styles since Harper made the switch to play in the outfield. Harper is believed to have a little more power, but Trout provides more range in the outfield, and is thought to be more matured as a player on and off the field.

At the young age of 19, Trout is the first teenager to reach the MLB level since Justin Upton of Arizona in 2007. It is unclear how much time Trout will get in the major leagues, with a lot of that depending on Bourjos’ health, but it is definitely good for him to get his feet wet. If Trout performs anywhere near as well as he did in the minors, it will be hard to send him back down regardless of Bourjos’ health. Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have youth around the outfield with Torii Hunter, Vernon Wells, and Bobby Abreu, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Angels front office handles Trout. There is only one thing that I know for sure, and that is that Trout can certainly play at a high level, and is certainly fun to watch. Stay tuned.