Mike Trout is not of this Earth

[sneakypower]

just 77 games in, and he's already reached 6 WAR

 

he's slugging .606

he leads all of baseball in wOBA

he leads all of baseball in runs

he leads all of baseball in steals

(he's also missed 22 games of the season)

 

he made this catch:

 

 

 

oh, and he hasn't reached drinking age yet

[mookie]

Number one pick in fantasy drafts next season, or at least, that is where I will take him.

 

Seriously though, this kid just drips special sauce. I am a member of the Mike Trout fan club.

[erik316wttn]

Who do you guys think will have the higher career WAR when it's all said and done... Harper or Trout?

[javy knows my name]

 

he made this catch:

 

 

 

 

I could watch this for hours.

[Bryants Disco Ball]

I know some people here were saying a month or so ago that they would rather have Castro than Trout. Do any still feel that way?

[pitchcs]

I know some people here were saying a month or so ago that they would rather have Castro than Trout. Do any still feel that way?

 

Oh yes, I remember this. Ridiculousness at its finest.

[UMFan83]

I was in LA for work on Monday and went out of my way to go to an Angels game because I had to see Trout. He's actually kind of made me cheer for the Angels lately.

 

I should say that I managed to snag him on my fantasy team when he came up so I love him even more than most. He's single handedly saved my season.

[Splendid Splinter]

He's awesome. I saw him like 6 times in AA last year. That's when I became a fan of his. I picked him up in my keeper league then and traded Hanley Ramirez so I could keep Trout. Worked out pretty good.

 

Plus he's a great kid. I talked to him a couple times before the game and got his autograph. I wish my silver marker didn't crap out on me that day as it doesn't look that great.

 

[attachment=0]Mike Trout.jpg[/attachment]

[Little Slide Rooter]

I know some people here were saying a month or so ago that they would rather have Castro than Trout. Do any still feel that way?

 

Oh yes, I remember this. Ridiculousness at its finest.

 

If you were to ask some peope on this board about a month ago if they'd rather have Castro or Tris Speaker in his prime, they'd pick Castro. Some probably still would.

[Sammy Sofa]

I know some people here were saying a month or so ago that they would rather have Castro than Trout. Do any still feel that way?

 

Oh yes, I remember this. Ridiculousness at its finest.

 

If you were to ask some peope on this board about a month ago if they'd rather have Castro or Tris Speaker in his prime, they'd pick Castro. Some probably still would.

 

Slow down with those stones, Mr. Glass House.

[UMFan83]

haha good one Edited July 26, 2012 by UMFan83

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I know some people here were saying a month or so ago that they would rather have Castro than Trout. Do any still feel that way?

 

Oh yes, I remember this. Ridiculousness at its finest.

 

If you were to ask some peope on this board about a month ago if they'd rather have Castro or Tris Speaker in his prime, they'd pick Castro. Some probably still would.

You are so random and weird.

[El Duderino]

I'd take Starlin over Speaker, but not Arky Vaughan.

[Gilby]

All of that is easy to say now that Starlin is struggling and Trout has a BABIP over .400. I would've been one of those who would've thought about taking Starlin over Trout. Right now, I wouldn't, though I still think Castro puts up some nasty numbers in his prime at a more premium position.

 

A few months ago, Starlin was playing awesome D (still is), hitting for avg, and showing an improvement in power (still is), but the only thing he wasn't doing was walking. Meanwhile, in an extremely small sample and at the age of 19, Trout struggled in the major leagues in 2011. While that didn't mean much because of age and sample, that still was all we had to judge him in the MLB, so Starlin was much safer. So, while very few would do it now, it was far from crazy to take him over Trout a few months ago.

[sneakypower]

I know some people here were saying a month or so ago that they would rather have Castro than Trout. Do any still feel that way?

at the point of that discussion, his career line was .260/.323/.455 and since then, he's produced a .435 babip-fueled .389/.442/.658 line, so it's safe to say that's a harder argument to make these days

 

with the benefit of full hindsight, you're remarkably insightful it seems

[imb]

ive watched a lot of angels games thanks to mlb.tv and he is really amazing. he doesnt seem to swing too hard, he makes great contact, he almost literally flies when he runs the bases or is chasing a fly ball. Sometimes it's shocking to see. He looks like a super fast free safety in the outfield.

[UMFan83]

Who would you say had the best offensive rookie season in MLB history? Without really doing a search I'd assume Fred Lynn or Ichiro because they won the MVP along with ROY but its possible if not probable that someone had a better season but wasn't given the award.

 

Anyways...

 

Fred Lynn 1975:

605 PA - .331/.401/.566/.967 162 OPS+, 21 HR, 105 RBI, 10SB-5CS, 103 R, 47 2B, 7.1 WAR

 

Ichiro 2001:

738 PA - .350/.381/.457/.838 126 OPS+, 8 HR, 69 RBI, 56SB-14CS, 127 R, 34 2B, 7.5 WAR

 

Trout 2012:

351 PA - .356/.413/.606/1.019 183 OPS+, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 31SB-3CS, 74 R, 20 2B, 6.2 WAR

 

Trout 2012 with Lynn's PA:

605 PA .356/.413/.606/1.019 183 OPS+, 28 HR, 85 RBI, 54SB-5CS, 128 R, 35 2B, 10.7 WAR

 

Trout 2012 with Ichiro's PA (more realistic because they both led off):

738 PA - .356/.413/.606/1.019 183 OPS+, 34 HR, 103 RBI, 65SB-6CS, 156 R, 42 2B, 13.0 WAR

 

156 runs scored would be the most in a season since 1936. The thing that just really sends my awe to another level is that not only can he produce just a shade under Pujols in his prime as a 20 year old rookie, but he also just happens to lead the league in SB and is stealing at a 92% clip.

[Clem Fandango]

I think Trout is on pace to have the greatest rookie season ever. Maybe even one of the best MVP seasons ever (in the non-Bonds category) if he keeps it up. but when talking about greatest rookie seasons of all time, I know Lynn's OPS+ outranks Pujols' but Pujols' rookie year was pretty amazing...

 

676 PA - .329/.403/.610/1.013 157 OPS+, 37HR, 130 RBI, 112R, 47 2B, 6.3 bWAR, 7.7 fWAR

[UMFan83]

I think Trout is on pace to have the greatest rookie season ever. Maybe even one of the best MVP seasons ever (in the non-Bonds category) if he keeps it up. but when talking about greatest rookie seasons of all time, I know Lynn's OPS+ outranks Pujols' but Pujols' rookie year was pretty amazing...

 

676 PA - .329/.403/.610/1.013 157 OPS+, 37HR, 130 RBI, 112R, 47 2B, 6.3 bWAR, 7.7 fWAR

 

It's amazing how similar that looks to Trout's season so far. Less HR and RBI, but more runs and (i'm assuming) more SB. That probably has to do with the fact that the Angels have him leading off instead of middle of the order.

[Clem Fandango]

Before Pujols, I do believe Mike Piazza held the distinction of one of the greatest rookie seasons of all time, as well. playing catcher certainly helped that distinction

 

602 PA - .318/.370/.561/.932 152 OPS+, 35 HR, 112 RBI, 81 R, 24 2B, 6.8 bWAR, 7.6 fWAR

 

McGuire also managed a 164 OPS+ his rookie year, but only compiled a 5.4 fWAR and a 4.8 bWAR

[bukie]

The best first year players, by OPS+, post-integration (min 100 games played):

 

1. Fred Lynn, 1975, 162

2. Albert Pujols, 2001, 157

3. Ryan Braun, 2007, 154

4. Mitchell Page, 1977, 154

5. Alvin Davis, 1984, 147

6. Frank Robinson, 1956, 143

7. Gil McDougald, 1951, 142

8. Dwight Smith, 1989, 141

9. Mike Hargrove, 1941, 140

10. Jeff Bagwell, 1991, 139

 

Got to figure Trout is going to slide in that list somewhere at this point.

 

Oh, and including pre-WWII, the best first year was 1939 Ted Williams.

 

EDIT: Piazza/McGwire don't make the list because their rookie years weren't technically their first years.

[Clem Fandango]

Oh, and including pre-WWII, the best first year was 1939 Ted Williams.

 

I know just by eyeballing it this is true and glaringly obvious, but if we're going by WAR and OPS+, Fred Lynn and Williams are fairly equal

 

Lynn - 162 OPS+, 7.1 bWAR, 7.3 fWAR

Williams - 160 OPS+, 6.6 bWAR, 7.9 fWAR

[Splendid Splinter]

Shoeless Joe Jackson- 1911

 

 

It starts and ends with him IMO if you're talking offense only and include the deadball era.

Edited July 26, 2012 by Splendid Splinter

[Clem Fandango]

EDIT: Piazza/McGwire don't make the list because their rookie years weren't technically their first years.

 

Also, going by this standard, Fred Lynn doesn't belong on the list, because he played 15 games in '74

[bukie]

EDIT: Piazza/McGwire don't make the list because their rookie years weren't technically their first years.

 

Also, going by this standard, Fred Lynn doesn't belong on the list, because he played 15 games in '74

Lynn I had the numbers in the thread before I ran the BR report. The others came from the BR report, where there's no way to single out "rookie" years.