I seriously don't understand the lack of hype about Trout. He doesn't have Harper's power, but he has everything else including speed and defense -- something Harper doesn't really have.Originally Posted by westofyou
I would take Trout straight-up given a choice between the two.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
Harper is a plus runner. Trout is just a plus plus runner. Trout has the defense. Harper will get there, at least at his position.
The lack of hype with Trout is more due to the fact we didn't know his name at 15 and well, chicks dig the long ball. Trout was the #2 and #3 prospect in all of baseball each of the last two seasons. He certainly got his due. He just didn't get what Harper got. And to be honest, he probably shouldn't have. Look at Harper at 19 and compare it to what Trout did at 19. Now Trout is having an age 20 season for the history books, but that .410 BABIP probably won't hold up and he is going to fall off some. Harper is sporting a .312 BABIP right now, certainly something sustainable and is having the best season in the history of the game for someone at age 19.
Jeff Sullivan laments the injustice associated with baseball players named after fish..
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2010/3...seball-players
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
Staphylococcus Jones. This thread's awesome.I won't feel better about this until I see a Timothy Labrador or Staphylococcus Jones, but even those would be only a start.
Well there have been rumors of the Nats seeking veteran catching depth and a veteran reliever in the past couple of weeks and with Erik Komatsu being returned to them they appear to have a lot of depth at OF. How about Navarro and Bill Bray to the Nats for Harper? It would give the Reds the lefty bat they are rumored to be seeking and would fill in the LF hole as Harper and Hi-C/Ludwick could platoon. If the Nats needed the Reds to take on some salary and needed to dump Lannan in the deal, I could see adding Lannan and Ludwick to the swap but I could understand if this would be too much for the Reds to give up. Navarro would be a lot to give up with Corky being off limits, I think the Reds should consider this if the Nats call.
Absolutely don't want to give up Navarro. The Reds need depth at C desperately as Hanigan has no power and Mesoraco is hitting under .200. Bray is just too valuable from the left side, too. Letting him go would pretty much staple Chapman's arm to the bullpen for the next four seasons. Pass.
“Every level he goes to, he is going to compete. They will know who he is at every level he goes to.” -- ED on EDLC
I think people are getting too caught up at the whole "look what he's doing at age 19" type stuff. The difference between 19 and 20 is negligible, especially since from player to player, development is never identical.
Harper is a great player, and has a tremendous bat. For all we know, though, at 20 years old he could drop off the face of the earth. Certainly it's not likely, but there's no guarantee what he's doing will continue going forward. There's no guarantee of Trout, either, and certainly you're right that BABIP will probably take a bit of a dip.
All I'm saying is that guys like Mike Trout don't come along very often that have his power, speed, baserunning and defense. The value he'll provide, likely, for years to come in center will (IMHO), exceed that of Harper. I think both are exceptional players, but I don't think Harper or Trout's first 100 plate appearances should be the reason too much for the hype. If it is, then people are focusing too much on the stats and not enough on the tools. When examining the tools, that more than the stats are why I think Trout is not getting enough attention.
"No matter how good you are, you're going to lose one-third of your games. No matter how bad you are you're going to win one-third of your games. It's the other third that makes the difference." ~Tommy Lasorda
Some part of it is probably the west coast thing, the "look what Trout did tonight" goes on while many of us are sleeping.
"Reality tells us there are no guarantees. Except that some day Jon Lester will be on that list of 100-game winners." - Peter Gammons
Harper has had a hype head start. I don't really see it as an issue worth lamenting.
Harper is having a historic age 19 year. It's newsworthy.
"This isn’t stats vs scouts - this is stats and scouts working together, building an organization that blends the best of both worlds. This is the blueprint for how a baseball organization should be run. And, whether the baseball men of the 20th century like it or not, this is where baseball is going."---Dave Cameron, U.S.S. Mariner
This is amazing. I hope he continues this and becomes what everyone thinks he will.
This is the time. The real Reds organization is back.
Just a quick note Brutus, but I dont think its quite fair to compare their defense against one another quite yet.. Harper was drafted as a catcher after all, and hasn't really had a ton of time in the OF if I'm not mistaken..
Both are fun players to watch. Just be glad we have the opportunity to witness these 2(plus Joey Votto) play the game with grace and skill.
"I hate to advocate chemicals, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone... But they've always worked for me."
-Hunter S. Thompson
168 games after last night. In his entire life.
Harper, after last night: .307/.390/.553
Amazing!
I envy the Nationals for having Harper and Davey Johnson.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
http://dalmady.blogspot.com
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