What I've been saying:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2016/09/30/mike-trout-al-mvp-chances/91314092/
there is literally no rational reason for not voting for trout this year btw.
I think that's a bit of an overstatement when you're looking at two guys separated by one WAR on Baseball Reference (if you take the halfway average with the other WAR, it's 1.3). Betts closes the gap defensively, though, and I'm not the person to make the argument for him there.
― clemenza, Saturday, 1 October 2016 14:13 (seven years ago) link
My prediction--prediction--for A.L. MVP:
1. Trout2. Betts3. Altuve4. Ortiz5. Donaldson6. Machado7. Cano8. Cabrera9. Beltre
The 10th spot will either be Kluber in there somewhere, or Edwin.
― clemenza, Monday, 3 October 2016 00:43 (seven years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtyC4-zXYAArB45.jpg
-- joey votto
― mookieproof, Monday, 3 October 2016 21:26 (seven years ago) link
Always number one in our hearts, Joey.
― Andy K, Monday, 3 October 2016 21:29 (seven years ago) link
<3
― k3vin k., Monday, 3 October 2016 21:31 (seven years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C8LHQBXVoAEzy7F.jpg:small
― mookieproof, Thursday, 30 March 2017 14:44 (seven years ago) link
Trout is insanely talented, and that’s his foundation. But to be this good and stay this good, players also need to be able to adjust. They need to see weaknesses and work to eliminate them. Trout’s done that! He used to have a high-fastball problem. Been addressed. Relatedly, he used to have a strikeout problem. Been addressed. A couple years back he didn’t do enough on the bases. Been addressed. He used to run below-average arm ratings in the outfield. Been addressed. He’s so good.
Yet I’m a professional digger, in a sense. I’m always on the hunt for unknown strengths or weaknesses, and I’ve stumbled upon something I didn’t realize. There is an area where Mike Trout was bad. Last season, I mean. Who could’ve known? Even the best have their blemishes.
For the Angels team-preview segmenton Effectively Wild some time back, Ben and I talked with Pedro Moura. We did talk about other Angels players — there are other Angels players — but we had to talk about Trout for at least a few minutes. One of the things Moura mentioned is that Trout is still kind of figuring his way out when it comes to starting at-bats. When he first came up, he watched the first pitch almost every single time. As he’s gotten older, he’s become more willing to swing early.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/i-found-a-statistic-where-mike-trout-is-bad/
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 30 March 2017 14:48 (seven years ago) link
Legitimately think he might be the best player of all time, barring future injuries/performance drop off.
― Handsome Bookor, Thursday, 30 March 2017 15:37 (seven years ago) link
if he keeps this up for three more years the conversation would definitely start.
― frogbs, Thursday, 30 March 2017 15:41 (seven years ago) link
in terms of raw ability it's got to be either he or bonds. in terms of production relative to his peers, still got a while to go
― k3vin k., Thursday, 30 March 2017 15:55 (seven years ago) link
i throw Mays in with those two.
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 30 March 2017 15:58 (seven years ago) link
even the all time greats from previous eras are in a tough spot comparing to today's players in terms of raw ability. strength, speed, conditioning, nutritional regimens for the average player are just so far above what they were several decades ago
― k3vin k., Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:00 (seven years ago) link
going back to relative to his peers, here is a list of players trout, in his age-25 season, is likely to pass on the career WAR leaderboard this year:
sandy koufaxbernie williamsdavid wrightjoe mauerjustin verlandertorii hunterorlando cepedajason giambikirby puckettmark teixierajohan santanamickey cochranefred mcgriffenos slaughterjeff kentdavid ortizbill dickeylouis aparicojohnny damon
― k3vin k., Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:08 (seven years ago) link
comparing players across too many generations just kind of gets silly. it's hard to imagine how trout would do in the 30 and 40s, riding around in buses without air conditioning, playing in heavy wool uniforms, getting routinely beaned by gritty pitchers named "bean", etc
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:10 (seven years ago) link
xpost probably cano too
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:12 (seven years ago) link
xxxp that's true. IMO I think today's players would kick the asses of the 1950's all-star team. mostly because the majority of them are dead, ha ha. but seriously.
from 1989 to 2004, Bonds had one duffer of a season, in 1999 when he hurt his elbow (cuz of all the steroids! say the tabloids). even then he still slugged over 600 and put up 3.3 WAR. granted he wasn't transcendent every one of those years, but his peak with SF is beyond anything that Trout's done, even though I guess it's possible for Trout to kick it up another level, he's still so young. if he puts up 3 or 4 more 9-10 WAR seasons I think a lot of people will be saying just that. then again the conversation started with Pujols too, and we all know how that turned out.
― frogbs, Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:13 (seven years ago) link
if you ignore era context, today's regulars are better athletes than yesteryear's greats, no doubt. xxp
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:14 (seven years ago) link
...merely an all time great at his position and first ballot HOFer lol xp
― ein Sexmonster (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:45 (seven years ago) link
well, yeah. Pujols is that great. But it seems like "three more seasons like this and he's in the conversation for the best ever" and his sudden decline coincided with each other.
― frogbs, Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:46 (seven years ago) link
I'm also just being glib. Baseball! ^_^
― ein Sexmonster (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Thursday, 30 March 2017 16:53 (seven years ago) link
even the all time greats from previous eras are in a tough spot comparing to today's players in terms of raw ability.
Agree with the things you list after that, but wouldn't raw ability, because it's the most subjective/amorphous/unquantifiable of all those, be the least affected by era? Basically it exists in the realm of legend. To read about Bo Jackson the baseball player, his raw ability dwarfed every player before or since.
― clemenza, Friday, 31 March 2017 00:16 (seven years ago) link
maybe "raw ability" is too subjective. by that meant what i listed afterward: strength, speed, conditioning, etc (most importantly, coaching, year-round training) and how that translates to absolute ability
― k3vin k., Friday, 31 March 2017 00:39 (seven years ago) link
did it again. absolute ability = baseball skills
― k3vin k., Friday, 31 March 2017 00:41 (seven years ago) link
anyone see the Trout doc on MLBN?
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/7417714/v1251990383/mike-trout-millville-to-mvp
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 11 April 2017 17:41 (seven years ago) link
no but i will now
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 11 April 2017 18:48 (seven years ago) link
i'm going to guess it's pretty boring
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 11 April 2017 18:49 (seven years ago) link
trout apparently got the neck gene from his dad
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 11 April 2017 18:59 (seven years ago) link
Dishes, laundry -- very difficult challenges he was forced to overcome.
― Andy K, Wednesday, 12 April 2017 02:59 (seven years ago) link
somewhere in the swamps of jersey
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 12 April 2017 03:02 (seven years ago) link
already has regained his rightful place atop fWAR leaderboard
― k3vin k., Thursday, 13 April 2017 22:06 (seven years ago) link
a spot that should be called the Trout position henceforth.
― Van Horn Street, Friday, 14 April 2017 03:39 (seven years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C99gAnvU0AA6Sw8.jpg
― mookieproof, Friday, 21 April 2017 19:48 (seven years ago) link
byron buxton's career bWAR: 1.9
mike trout's career bWAR by the time he was byron buxton's current age: 28.7
― mookieproof, Monday, 24 April 2017 19:05 (seven years ago) link
mike trout's bWAR through 20 games this season: 1.9
― k3vin k., Monday, 24 April 2017 19:10 (seven years ago) link
on pace for 15 WAR? nice
― frogbs, Monday, 24 April 2017 19:20 (seven years ago) link
@jjcoop36Angels bWAR position players update: Mike Trout 2.7 bWAR. Rest of Angels position players combined -0.3 bWAR.
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 16 May 2017 14:38 (six years ago) link
somehow the angels are a .500 team
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 16 May 2017 14:54 (six years ago) link
carrying the team on his neck
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 16 May 2017 15:10 (six years ago) link
honestly not sure he's planning on slowing down this season. 2-2 with a HR, a double, and 2 walks today. up to 224 wRC+
― k3vin k., Sunday, 21 May 2017 18:54 (six years ago) link
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-preposterous-mike-trout/
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 24 May 2017 15:13 (six years ago) link
i don't see the point of starting a thread for the other Angels, but i missed that CJ Cron was optioned to AAA.
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2017/5/23/15679836/mike-trout-angels-offense
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 May 2017 19:48 (six years ago) link
it's amazing they're a .500 team with that roster
― k3vin k., Wednesday, 24 May 2017 19:51 (six years ago) link
surely the Scioscia Era is in its dusk
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 May 2017 20:02 (six years ago) link
sprained his thumb stealing second today. i've had that kind of injury before and it does not go away easily. hoping he's not out too long
― k3vin k., Monday, 29 May 2017 02:19 (six years ago) link
The only old timer baseball analysis I can get behind is that diving into a base hands-first is dumb
― Karl Malone, Monday, 29 May 2017 03:48 (six years ago) link
sounds like he's going to be out 5-8 weeks. god dammit
― k3vin k., Monday, 29 May 2017 23:50 (six years ago) link
daaaamn
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Tuesday, 30 May 2017 06:54 (six years ago) link
sheeit
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 30 May 2017 12:07 (six years ago) link
(Thumb): Trout had surgery to repair a torn UCL and a dorsal capsule in his left thumb but is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and is lining up to return prior to the All-Star break. (Updated June 13, 2017)
― k3vin k., Thursday, 22 June 2017 15:21 (six years ago) link
*punches the air*
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 22 June 2017 17:10 (six years ago) link