Trout Porn!

[Angelsjunky]

It seems we haven't had much Trout Porn this year, so here's something to feast your eyes with.

 

Check out this list.

 

That's a list of all 282 players with at least 500 PA through age 21 in major league history through age 21 by WAR (It doesn't matter what you set the minimum PA at, the top of the list would be the same).

 

Here's the top 10:

19.3 Mel Ott

16.1 Mike Trout

16.0 Ty Cobb

15.0 Al Kaline

14.4 Ken Griffey Jr

14.3 Rogers Hornsby

14.2 Jimmie Foxx

13.8 Ted Williams

13.3 Alex Rodriguez

13.1 Sherry Magee

 

With the exception of Magee - and Griffey and A-Rod so far - those are all Hall of Famers, many of them inner circle Hall of Famers. Griffey will certainly get in and A-Rod's numbers are among the best in the game and will only possibly be barred due to steroids. Even Magee had a career WAR of 64.2, more than many Hall of Famers.

 

And the next ten? It includes: Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Eddie Matthews, Andruw Jones, Cesar Cedeno, Joe Jackson, John McGraw, Arky Vaughn, Vada Pinson, and Johnny Bench.

 

In other words, the top 20 are almost all legit Hall of Famers, with a few "Hall of Very Good" players like Cedeno, Pinson, and Magee.

 

Let us also note that Trout still has 72 games to accumulate 3.3 WAR to pass Mel Ott, which is very do-able (although not a done deal).

 

We all know Trout's great, but its easy to forget just how great: So far in his career - about halfway through his age 21 season - he's been the best player in major league history.

 

Think about that. And the exciting thing is that, despite a possible down-tick in his defense (which may even out over time), he's showing some signs of getting better. Compare his triple-slash numbers from 2012 to 2013:

 

2012: .326/.399/.564

2013: .320/.399/.560

 

Almost exactly the same. But there are a couple of reasons to think that he's actually improved at the plate this year. Compare his BABIP:

 

2012: .383

2013: .357

 

This is primarily due to his reduced HR this year. He hit 30 last year in 139 games vs. 15 in 89 games. But note that his ISO (isolated slugging, or SLG - BA) is almost exactly the same: .240 in 2012 to .238 in 2013, mainly due to his much increased doubles (he already has two more than last year).

 

Now look at his BB% and K%:

 

2012: 10.5 BB%, 21.8 K%

2013: 11.1 BB%, 16.7 K%

 

If you remember, his K% went way down around the same time he stopped hitting a ton of HR. Compare the last few months:

 

May: 127 PA, 8 HR, 14 walks, 25 Strikeouts

June: 127 PA, 3 HR, 15 walks, 14 Strikeouts

July: 34 PA, 2 HR, 4 walks, 5 Strikeouts

 

While July is a very small sample size, it seems that his HR rate is going back up but his walks and strikeouts are staying the same.

 

One more thing. Much has been made about the fact that Trout gets better each time he faces a pitcher within a game. Check this out:

 

vs. SP, 1st time: .265/.315/.446

vs. SP, 2nd time: .360/.416/.720

vs. SP, 3rd time: .380/.419/.620

vs. SP, 4th time: .429/.467/.714

 

The point being, we have a rare talent on our hands, folks. Trout continues to make micro-adjustments to maintain a very high level of play and, perhaps, improve his game over time. We shall see. But the best news is that he seems to be able to maintain the performance level from last year; whether he'll get better remains to be seen.

[jshep]

One of these days, one of these threads is actually going to be fish porn.

[CanadianHalo]

I was very disappointed when I opened this thread...

[wopphil]

I am shocked at how consistent he has been, and how he has been (quietly) able to repeat what he did last year, more or less.

 

I honestly don't think a $200,000,000 contract is out of the question.  The Angels must lock him up for life, and he is young enough that a 12-14 year contract isn't necessarily unreasonable.  Its funny, for all the hype that Stephen Strasburg has gotten, is there any doubt the Nationals would have drafted Trout No. 1 if they could go back in time?  And just how crazy would Trout's college numbers have been if he had just last month completed his fourth year?   

[Wallerrrr]

i want blanton porn

[Biergott]

Money shot...should this be in the GC?

 

[Angelsjunky]

I am shocked at how consistent he has been, and how he has been (quietly) able to repeat what he did last year, more or less.

 

I honestly don't think a $200,000,000 contract is out of the question.  The Angels must lock him up for life, and he is young enough that a 12-14 year contract isn't necessarily unreasonable.  Its funny, for all the hype that Stephen Strasburg has gotten, is there any doubt the Nationals would have drafted Trout No. 1 if they could go back in time?  And just how crazy would Trout's college numbers have been if he had just last month completed his fourth year?   

 

Even the Angels, I believe, had Trout #2 after Strasburg on their list. Speaking of Strasburg, I worry he's going to be Mark Prior #2. Like Prior, he's a true #1 talent - someone who could be an all-time great, even. But I'm worried.

 

Back to Trout, still think the 10 year, $200 million option is best for both. It gives Trout great security and the chance to earn a second big payday starting at age 32, but it also gives the Angels his best years for a pretty good price and they get to avoid free agency.

[AngelsWin.com]

By Jonathan Northrop, AngelsWin.com Columnist - 

It seems we haven't had much Trout Porn this year, so here's something to feast your eyes with.

Check out this list.

That's a list of all 282 players with at least 500 PA through age 21 in major league history through age 21 by WAR (It doesn't matter what you set the minimum PA at, the top of the list would be the same).

Here's the top 10:

19.3 Mel Ott

16.1 Mike Trout

16.0 Ty Cobb

15.0 Al Kaline

14.4 Ken Griffey Jr

14.3 Rogers Hornsby

14.2 Jimmie Foxx

13.8 Ted Williams

13.3 Alex Rodriguez

13.1 Sherry Magee

With the exception of Magee - and Griffey and A-Rod so far - those are all Hall of Famers, many of them inner circle Hall of Famers. Griffey will certainly get in and A-Rod's numbers are among the best in the game and will only possibly be barred due to steroids. Even Magee had a career WAR of 64.2, more than many Hall of Famers.

And the next ten? It includes: Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Eddie Matthews, Andruw Jones, Cesar Cedeno, Joe Jackson, John McGraw, Arky Vaughn, Vada Pinson, and Johnny Bench.

In other words, the top 20 are almost all legit Hall of Famers, with a few "Hall of Very Good" players like Cedeno, Pinson, and Magee.

Let us also note that Trout still has 72 games to accumulate 3.3 WAR to pass Mel Ott, which is very do-able (although not a done deal).

We all know Trout's great, but its easy to forget just how great: So far in his career - about halfway through his age 21 season - he's been the best player in major league history.

Think about that. And the exciting thing is that, despite a possible down-tick in his defense (which may even out over time), he's showing some signs of getting better. Compare his triple-slash numbers from 2012 to 2013:

2012: .326/.399/.564

2013: .320/.399/.560

Almost exactly the same. But there are a couple of reasons to think that he's actually improved at the plate this year. Compare his BABIP:

2012: .383

2013: .357

This is primarily due to his reduced HR this year. He hit 30 last year in 139 games vs. 15 in 89 games. But note that his ISO (isolated slugging, or SLG - BA) is almost exactly the same: .240 in 2012 to .238 in 2013, mainly due to his much increased doubles (he already has two more than last year).

Now look at his BB% and K%:

2012: 10.5 BB%, 21.8 K%

2013: 11.1 BB%, 16.7 K%

If you remember, his K% went way down around the same time he stopped hitting a ton of HR. Compare the last few months:

May: 127 PA, 8 HR, 14 walks, 25 Strikeouts

June: 127 PA, 3 HR, 15 walks, 14 Strikeouts

July: 34 PA, 2 HR, 4 walks, 5 Strikeouts

While July is a very small sample size, it seems that his HR rate is going back up but his walks and strikeouts are staying the same.

One more thing. Much has been made about the fact that Trout gets better each time he faces a pitcher within a game. Check this out:

vs. SP, 1st time: .265/.315/.446

vs. SP, 2nd time: .360/.416/.720

vs. SP, 3rd time: .380/.419/.620

vs. SP, 4th time: .429/.467/.714

The point being, we have a rare talent on our hands, folks. Trout continues to make micro-adjustments to maintain a very high level of play and, perhaps, improve his game over time. We shall see. But the best news is that he seems to be able to maintain the performance level from last year; whether he'll get better remains to be seen.

View the full article

[Jimmag]

Sherry Magee 83 career home runs

 

Played during the "Dead-Ball Era" 1905-1914

 

 

I do not know many men named Sherry.

[Angelsjunky]

It could also be that, like A-Rod, Trout requires a new standard for long-term contracts. But let's hope they figure it out soon rather than when he hits free agency at age 26 because if he's as good or better then as he is now, the bidding will be through the roof. He'd likely be the first $300 million player.

[Spirit]

Money shot...should this be in the GC?

 

 

 

Lock it!

[Wallerrrr]

lol

[tdawg87]

AJ, you owe me 1 pair of pants.

[gotbeer]

I am shocked at how consistent he has been, and how he has been (quietly) able to repeat what he did last year, more or less.

 

I honestly don't think a $200,000,000 contract is out of the question.  The Angels must lock him up for life, and he is young enough that a 12-14 year contract isn't necessarily unreasonable.  Its funny, for all the hype that Stephen Strasburg has gotten, is there any doubt the Nationals would have drafted Trout No. 1 if they could go back in time?  And just how crazy would Trout's college numbers have been if he had just last month completed his fourth year?   

 

If you could go back in time, I think 26 other teams would have drafted Trout.  

[Angel Oracle]

Has anyone ever finished top 5 in league MVP voting in each of their first 2 full seasons? 

Right now, only M-Cab, Davis, and Scherzer are truly ahead of Trout.

[Angel Dog and Beer]

I was very disappointed when I opened this thread...

 

I was hoping he was featured in ESPN mag's body issue.

[Angel Oracle]

Even the Angels, I believe, had Trout #2 after Strasburg on their list. Speaking of Strasburg, I worry he's going to be Mark Prior #2. Like Prior, he's a true #1 talent - someone who could be an all-time great, even. But I'm worried.

 

Back to Trout, still think the 10 year, $200 million option is best for both. It gives Trout great security and the chance to earn a second big payday starting at age 32, but it also gives the Angels his best years for a pretty good price and they get to avoid free agency.

Agreed, as long as the salary is staggered enough to account for the Hamilton and Pujols salaries.

[Stradling]

If you offered him ten years $175 million he would jump at it. No agent would let him walk away from that offer this early in his career. The injury risk over the next four years or even the risk of a drop off in performance would be too great to not accept that deal.

[Jay]

that Mel Ott dude was really good

[Docwaukee]

AJ, you owe me 1 pair of pants.

you can make those your 'trout pants'. 

[tdawg87]

Just don't look at them under a blacklight.

[wopphil]

If you offered him ten years $175 million he would jump at it. No agent would let him walk away from that offer this early in his career. The injury risk over the next four years or even the risk of a drop off in performance would be too great to not accept that deal.

 

I agree.  No way he turns that down.  I actually think it makes sense to try to get him to a longer deal though.  Something like 12-13 years, so you have him until he is 33 or so.  Maybe 13/200.

[eaterfan]

Let's not forget that the agent has a horse in this race. How sure are you if you are Mike Trout's agent that he isn't hiring Boras in 3 years? 5% of 0 is 0.

[CaliAngel]

lol @ "swoop in"

[Bruce Nye]

I just pray we don't see Trout in pinstripes some day.