May 22, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) tags second on his way to third after hitting a triple in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

I remember listening to Tim Kurkjian one time on Baseball Tonight many years ago, and he told a story of a player who either needed only a double or single to get the fourth leg of the cycle in his upcoming at bat. The player got a base hit, reached the bag he needed to complete the cycle, but had an open opportunity to safely advance to the next base, but did not do so because that player wouldn’t have had the cycle. He said from then on, he was done with the cycle, and I believe that story influenced me to think about what the cycle was as well.

Michael Engel wrote about Mike Trout‘s most recent newsworthy offensive performance, which happened to be the cycle, and you can read about it here. Plenty of history, and plenty of good names behind the athletes that have scored a cycle for the record books, but I struggle to get on board with why a cycle is celebrated.

It appears to me that the feat of the cycle — the single, the double, the triple, and the home run — is celebrated because of the randomness of getting all four types of hits in box score being attained by the player. This is not to say that getting four hits at the major league level isn’t difficult. It is, and I mean, if anything should be celebrated about Mike Trout’s cycle it should be his 80 speed (“elite” speed in scouting terms) in getting his single and triple, and then taking this pitch out of the park just right of center field:

Looking at Trout’s face, it makes me think even he’s impressed with himself there.

I believe Trout’s night was impressive because he had four hits and ten total bases (in addition to the other qualities he exhibited that I mentioned). That’s doing work for your team. Hitting for the cycle is cool, but I believe it’s been hyped too much over the years. It makes me wonder how much people are talking about Jose Bautista‘s four hit night yesterday where he had ten total bases as well, but in the form of two homers and two singles. I can understand why you might be impressed more with Trout’s showing of speed, but I believe I’m just as impressed (maybe even a little more) with the night Joey Bats had.

I don’t expect the masses to fire up the blogs less when a cycle happens, but I hope they fire it up more when a hitter has a big night that doesn’t involve the cycle, because those should be celebrated, too.

May 21, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) reacts after being doused with water after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium. Trout hit for the cycle in the 12-0 victory. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After a mortal performance in April, Mike Trout has been returning to the form that made him a popular choice as 2012′s American League MVP (but eventual runner up).

He punctuated a hot month of May on Tuesday night by hitting for the cycle in the Los Angeles Angels 12-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. He had five RBI in the win.

Here’s how it happened:

• First inning: Trout strikes out looking on three pitches from Mariners starter Aaron Harang.
• Third inning: Trout hits a one out single to first.
• Fourth inning: The second pitch of the at bat is ripped to right center and Trout gets a triple.
• Sixth inning: Trout doubles into the left field corner with the bases loaded.
• Eighth inning: With one out, Trout homers to center field off of Lucas Luetge.

It was Trout’s first three hit game of the year (and obviously his first four hit game as well). Trout scuffled a bit to start the year, carrying a mere .261/.333/.432 line with him into May. Entering Tuesday night’s game, though, Trout had a .308/.410/.662 line in May, and his outburst against the Mariners upped that line to .343/.434/.757 this month and he’s now sporting a .293/.373/.558 slash line this season.

Trout, at 21 years and 287 days old, is the fifth youngest player to hit for the cycle. Only Mel Ott (20 years, 75 days in 1929), Cliff Heathcote (20 years, 140 days in 1918), Arky Vaughan (21 years, 107 days in 1933), and Cesar Cedeno (21 years, 159 days in 1972) were younger.

Mike Trout’s my new poster boy for why sportswriters need to attend classes on what matters and what doesn’t. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

But then came the revealing of the 2012 award winners, which for the first time ever was full of especially grand pageantry. What we got were a couple of winners who are virtually indefensible to the savvy fan. First off, David Price took home the AL Cy Young narrowly over Justin Verlander without actually ever being better than him at anything. Then we have Miguel Cabrera just crushing Mike Trout in the AL MVP voting despite only topping him in one aspect of the game, and narrowly at that. Maybe we’re not quite as advanced as I was starting to think.

Price edged Verlander by a mere four points in the AL Cy Young voting, but I can’t help but wonder what happened here. Per WAR, which old school fans love mocking mercilessly despite its value, Verlander destroyed Price 6.8 to 5.1. In fact, Felix Hernandez was even a full win above Price. I’m not trying to diminish the great season Price had, because it was great, but Verlander topped him in strikeouts per nine innings, walks per nine innings, and FIP while contributing an extra 27 1/3 innings to his team. His ERA was a mere 0.08 points higher than Price’s, so the only reason a voter might have leaned toward Price would be pitcher wins, or as I like to call them, the devil. Those three extra wins must have been enough to sway the stubborn.

Over on the MVP side of things, Mike Trout had a historically impressive season. We don’t often get a chance to see 10-WAR years, and we never get the chance to see them out of 20-year-olds. Trout’s incredible season saw him lap the field when it came to defense and baserunning, and his offensive performance nearly matched Miguel Cabrera’s even if the latter won the traditional triple crown. Why is the triple crown so revered? Is it just due to rarity? If you’re going to judge a player solely based on three categories, you could do a lot better than using home runs, batting average, and RBI. Trout trailed Cabrera narrowly in wOBA, which takes external factors such as home park into consideration. He equaled him in wRC+, had a higher walk rate, and even slugged at nearly the same rate. And, as I mentioned before, he was the better player in every other facet of the game. How does that not appeal to old school voters? I’m not sure; honestly the rejection of modern statistics may have played a role.

Sure, awards aren’t even that important of a topic when you really get down to it. This is kind of like arguing about whether or not a certain actor should have taken home an Oscar or not; if you enjoyed the performance and know it to be better based on defensible criteria, the actual winning of the award is mostly irrelevant. However, this season’s award voting is telling in that it shows that we still have a long way to go in baseball. While many general managers and even tons of fans are starting to see the importance of evaluating players on a wider set of skills and statistics with depth, so many writers and big voices in the industry are still lagging behind. By and large, these are intelligent people we’re talking about, and a little more openness would go a long way in changing things.

If Brian’s writing strikes your fancy, read his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @vaughanbasepct.

There was a body of opinion out there that the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout should win MVP, but I never thought he was going for anything besides runner-up, which is where he landed. Trout, the fabulous rookie outfielder had a tremendous debut season, but Cabrera had a better one and, most importantly, a more meaningful one. (more…)

It’s always a treat when young talent reveals itself and Trout is young. At 21 he became the youngest AL rookie of the year winner in history after playing most of the season at age 20. His all-around season was phenomenally impressive. Trout batted .326 with 30 home runs and 83 RBIs, stole 49 bases, scored 129 runs, and recorded an on-base percentage of .399. That will win you rookie of the year notice every time. He also showed talent in the outfield and some believed he would win a Gold Glove award for his fielding, but he did not. (more…)

Author: Jason Evans

The 2012 Los Angeles Angels came into  the season with World Series aspirations and champagne bottle popping dreams. When you sign two of the biggest free agents of the off-season in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson with a brand spanking new television deal giving the team more revenue this wasn’t all that off base. In actuality, the Angels finished a couple of games short of their goal of making the playoffs.

The Angels came into the season with some questions. Is Kendrys Morales healthy and can he make it a full season after missing almost two years after a broken leg? Who’s the closer going to be? Where does Mark Trumbo fit? How awesome is the rotation going to be?

Despite Trout’s historic season, the Angels couldn’t get around Texas and into the playoffs. Image: Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

Well the start wasn’t exactly the best. The Angels were 6-14 on April 27 and after their walk off loss released Bobby Abreu and called up Mike Trout.  The Angels took off after that.  It took them a month but they finally crawled over .500. Mike Trout came up and did things on a baseball field that few of us had ever seen before. Whether you think he’s the MVP or not, he was the first person to have 30 home runs, over 40 steals and over 120 runs in the same season. Of course Trout wasn’t the only factor. It took Pujols a month to hit a home run, but he finished at .285 with 30 homers and 105 RBI.

Part of their problem early on was Mark Trumbo at third and Vernon Wells in the outfield. Trumbo looked uncomfortable and Wells was ineffective. When Wells injured his thumb, they had the ability to move Trumbo to the outfield and put Alberto Callaspo at third who is better defensively.  Kendrys Morales proved he could stay healthy for a season and hit 22 homeruns as the team’s main left handed source of power.

The pitching rotation on the other hand was shaky. Jered Weaver proved why he’s a top five pitcher in the major leagues, winning 20 for the first time in his career and pitching a no-hitter.  He went 10-1 in the first half with a ridiculous 1.96 ERA. Everyone else had trouble. C.J. Wilson was very inconsistent and is getting off-season elbow surgery to remove some bone chips. Dan Haren had a back issue that hampered him. Ervin Santana was also inconsistent. The Angels needed to make a move and did so acquiring Zack Greinke. Greinke went 6-2 and looked very comfortable down the stretch. The bullpen started shaky then improved with the acquisiton of Ernesto Frieri who didn’t give up a run for two months and then struggled the rest of the way.

Looking towards 2013 there are plenty of things to like. Mike Trout for a full season is one of them. Albert Pujols will probably have a similar if not better season than 2012, but also be more comfortable in his second year. Weaver and a healthy Wilson can be a strong 1-2 combo at the top of the rotation.

For all the good things, there are question marks. Haren and Santana’s options are going to be declined and Greinke is going to be a free agent. The Rangers will go hard after Greinke and the Angels can’t afford to lose him. If they don’t they are going to have to fill holes via trade because the free agent market appears to be pretty shallow. The bullpen needs some overhauling. They need a lefty to go with Scott Downs. Jason Isringhausen will probably retire and LaTroy Hawkins may or may not be brought back. They have to decide whether or not Frieri will be the closer moving forward of they have to go and get one.

There are questions in management too. It appears that there is some disconnect between GM Jerry Dipoto and manager Mike Scioscia. Arte Moreno came out and said both would be back next year, however if the Angels stumble out of the gate like last year could it cost Scioscia his spot?

The hitting has some questions too. Torii Hunter is a free agent. As I talked about in a post on halohangout, Hunter’s good numbers in 2012 were deceiving so will he be brought back? Who’s the real Mark Trumbo. Is it the guy who had a monster first half, or the guy who only hit .227 in the second half? I think they could use an upgrade at third from Alberto Callaspo, would it be Kaleb Cowart or someone from outside the organization?

The Angels have all the components to win in 2013. They almost made the playoffs in 2012 and the team may be a few tweaks away from winning the whole thing. I fully expect the Angels to be a contender in 2013, however, work needs to be done in order for that to happen and certain players will need to step up to the challenge. If the right things are done, it could be a very fun summer in SoCal.

For all your Angels coverage, be sure to visit Halo Hangout.

Sep 25, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits a double during the tenth inning against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

No one is talking about the American League Rookie of the Year race and this is a gross injustice that needs to be rectified. All I’ve been hearing about lately is the AL MVP. Mike Trout, Miguel Cabrera, blah blah blah. Everyone seems to be taking for granted that just because Mike Trout is getting some (largely undeserved) MVP buzz, that this automatically makes him the undisputed AL Rookie of the Year, end of discussion. End of discussion? There needs to be a discussion! There is no such thing as a sure things in sports (or sports writing). There must always be two options, and we must consider both options and give them equal weight because that is what’s fair and right (and controversial). In this spirit, I present to you the Oakland Athletics’s Yoenis Cespedes (American League Rookie of the Year).

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September 16, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) takes off for second base on a hit and run play against the Kansas City Royals during the second inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

There is an American League MVP debate currently raging out there. And it’s exhausting. There are two major favorites for the award and two popular stances to take. Everyone is digging in their heels and trying to scream longer and louder than the other side. I used to sort of enjoy this kind of clusterF baseball argument, but like most men, I have grown older and my blood has cooled, my patience has lessened and my soul has become tired. And really, I can hardly fathom how this is even a debate.

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Midway through August in 2011, Miguel Cabrera and Detroit Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon were standing around the batting cage when McClendon challenged his superstar slugger. “You act that guy in Boston (Adrian Gonzalez) is better than you,” McClendon remarked, referring to a significant edge in the batting race between Gonzalez, who was leading, and Cabrera who was in a pack roughly 10 points behind the leader in average.

Cabrera, as the story goes, responded “You don’t think I can win the batting title? (expletive) it, I’m gonna win the (expletive) batting title.” And he did.

September 18, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) hits a grand slam home run during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

I don’t know if McClendon made a similar challenge to Cabrera this year, but if he did, it looks like the goals are much loftier. Entering play on Wednesday, Cabrera is not only the favorite to repeat as batting champ, but he has a legitimate shot at a triple crown; something that has been done by anyone since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. Shockingly enough, there are many who think that even if he does win the triple crown, he still shouldn’t be the MVP of the league.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2003, Cabrera has been a rising star. Since coming over to the Tigers prior to the 2008 season, however, Cabrera has placed in the top-five of the MVP balloting three times, including a controversial runner-up finish to Josh Hamilton in 2010. In separate seasons, Cabrera has lead the league in batting (2011), home runs (2008), and RBI (2010). This year, he’s looking to lead the league in all three categories at once.

Cabrera leads the league in hitting by six points over Mike Trout, he’s second in homers, two behind Hamilton, and leads Hamilton by six in RBI. Not only that, but Cabrera is also leading the league in slugging, OPS, and total bases.

Yet, despite a season that, in any other year, would be more than good enough to be a run-away winner of the MVP award, Cabrera doesn’t even seem to be the favorite this year.

Trout has been the talk of baseball since he was recalled by the Angels on April 21. He’s played outstanding defense in the outfield, he’s leading the league in stolen bases, and his offensive numbers have been great across the board. In fact, Trout is not only second to Cabrera in batting, but second in OPS as well.

The main argument for Trout over Cabrera is centered on the overwhelming advantage Trout holds in defensive and baserunning value. Cabrera’s defense was cited in 2010 as well, when he was a poor defensive first baseman while Hamilton displayed above average defense in the outfield. This year, Cabrera is playing a more difficult position at third base, and he’s done so at much better-than-expected levels. He’s still not good, at least according to defensive metrics, but he’s clearly been better than the dumpster fire most pundits were predicting.

Trout is an outstanding lead-off man, but one with an inflated .380 batting average on balls in play. By contrast, Cabrera’s BABIP is a much more reasonable .335. Cabrera has more RBI than anyone else, but he’s also grounded into more double plays than anyone else. Part of that is that he has had the second-most potential double-play situations in the league.

Comparing Cabrera to Trout is difficult because they are two completely different players in terms of style. Trout is a rare combination of speed and power, while Cabrera’s value lies completely as an offensive force. But while it’s not fair to hold stolen base totals against Cabrera, it’s also not fair to marginalize Cabrera’s advantages as a pure hitter.

It’s not just that Cabrera is first in OPS and Trout is second. It’s that Cabrera is a full 54 points ahead of Trout in that category. The difference between Cabrera and Trout is greater than the difference between Trout and the seventh-place hitter, Robinson Cano. And while Trout’s time in the minor league certainly hurt him in counting stats, it’s equally impressive that Cabrera’s lead over second-place Adrian Beltre in total bases is larger than the difference between second and Derek Jeter, who is 12th in the league.

Cabrera isn’t simply leading the league, he’s lapping the field.

Mike Trout has had an amazing rookie season, the likes of which we have never seen before. But Cabrera is having yet another monster campaign in a string of monster campaigns and he just might win the triple crown.

Cabrera has been the best hitter in baseball for a few years now, and there appears to be nothing he cannot accomplish at the plate. If he’s set his mind on winning a triple crown, I wouldn’t be against him. And if that’s not enough to be named the most valuable player, they may as well stop handing out the award.

You hear it talked about every year, though usually a few months later than this: that signature moment. In college football, it isn’t enough anymore to just put up dominant numbers when vying for a Heisman Trophy, you also need to make that one play that stands out to the voters as the moment that defines your greatness. Desmond Howards’s punt return or Reggie Bush’s unbelievable run through a whole team of defenders; that’s the Heisman moment the voters look for.

Trout’s catch left a mark on anyone who saw it. image: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

It usually isn’t a prerequisite of an MVP campaign, but this season in the American League, that Heisman moment may wind up making the deciding the race. Mike Trout has the numbers, sure, but he also has authored a play that remains burned into the retinas of the voters. Earlier this season, Trout made a catch we’ve seen replayed a thousand times now when he leapt over the wall in Baltimore to rob a home run.

Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera has finished in the top five of the MVP balloting in each of the past two years and figures to do so again in 2012. He’s leading the league in batting average, just as he did a year ago, he’s first also in slugging, total bases and OPS. Cabrera is fifth in home runs, four behind the league leader, and tied for the lead in RBI.

For all of his greatness this season, however, Cabrera didn’t have that signature moments for voters to point to as the day he locked up the MVP award. That moment would have happened on Sunday in Cleveland, if not for a blown save by Detroit’s closer, Jose Valverde, in a game the Tigers lost 7-6.

The Tigers had staked Rick Porcello to a 3-0 lead before Cleveland began chipping away. Detroit’s defense didn’t help, especially in the fifth inning, when the Tigers had four consecutive would-be double-play grounders and failed to turn any of them. Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected while arguing tow safe calls at first base in that inning, one that allowed Cleveland to take the lead. The very next inning, first base umpire Brian Knight missed a call that cost the Tigers another run. The first two plays were questionable, but the call in the sixth was clearly missed.

Cabrera lifted the team onto his back on Sunday, but the celebration was short-lived. Image: David Richard-US PRESSWIRE

The White Sox had already won, the Tigers had struggled against Cleveland all year long, and this game felt like one Detroit had no shot at winning. The players were all griping at the umpires, the manager had already been tossed, every possible break had gone the Indians’ way. In the seventh, the Tigers saw Joe Smith on the hill and knew that with Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez due next, it was probably now or never. The Tigers put the first two runners on base and Cabrera provided his Heisman moment by launching a three-run bomb to left-center field.

That blast should have changed the season, or the very least this game. With one mighty swing, Cabrera wiped away the controversial calls, wiped away the injuries suffered by Alex Avila and Austin Jackson, wiped away the defensive blunders. Of course, it didn’t work out that way. Valverde and the Indians lineup didn’t cooperate with that storyline.

And so Cabrera remains without a signature moment and seems destined for another runner-up finish in the balloting.

Unless, of course, he wins the triple crown.