Take your pick
Here’s everyone’s favorite game: you get to be the GM of your favorite team. You get to choose two young players from the same team to start your club with. Your choices are Mike Trout/Mark Trumbo or Bryce Harper/Stephen Strasburg. Your decision will set up your franchise for the next five years. Pick wisely.
In recent years games have been decided more so by the pitchers than the hitters, as pitchers’ numbers have been better. Strasburg is obviously a front of the line pitcher and would be the ace on almost every team. He will get a lot of strikeouts, go deep into games and have a very good ERA. His numbers so far this season: 2.76 ERA, 11-4 record, 151 K’s (117.1 IP), 1.12 WHIP. Those numbers are good enough to make him a top 10 pitcher in the league this season, and he’s only 24!
Bryce Harper coming into this season was the best known player to have never played a game in the majors. Since being called up he has become the every day starter in left field for the Nationals and is having a very solid season. His rookie campaign, like most players, has been a trying season for him. He blazed through the minors in just over a season. He has hit a few roadblocks this season but his potential if fully reached could make him a special player to watch for many years. His numbers so far this season: .249 AVG, 10 HR, 32 RBI, .328 OBP, .408 SLG, .736 OPS. Remember he’s only 19 so he will bounce back better next season. What were you doing when you were 19?
Mike Trout is having one of the best seasons, not only for a rookie but for anyone, in all of baseball. As a Rangers fan having him on the Angels roster for the foreseeable future really worries me for the future of their match-ups. He brings it all: gold glove caliber defense, speed on the bags, patience at the plate, hits for average, can hit for power. He is the leading candidate right now for the AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP awards. His numbers this season are some of the best a rookie has ever had: .344 AVG, 21 HR, 65 RBI, .406 OBP, .599 SLG, 1.005 OPS. He just recently turned 21 and already he is one of the more fun players to watch play.
Mark Trumbo is the least known of these four but he likely will be the biggest power hitter out of them. He is the best young power hitter behind only maybe Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton. Having him on the same team as Albert Pujols will allow him to learn from one of the greatest hitters this game has ever seen. Teams have put a premium on power hitters in recent years after the post-steroid drought. He will play and put up his numbers with teams putting less emphasis on defensive abilities. His numbers so far this season: .288 AVG, 29 HR, 73 RBI, .343 OBP, .568 SLG, .911 OPS. The Angels will be a very formidable team offensively for the foreseeable future. His numbers will only get better over the next few seasons as he improves on his plate discipline.
Both the Angels and Nationals futures look bright with these young duos. Who would you rather your team have? Let us know in the comments.
-Brian Boynton
Three Up, Three Down 