MLB: Most Interesting Man in Baseball – Part III
By Jim Turvey
1 Mike Trout vs. 5 Trea Turner
Trout versus Turner presents an interesting case. Not to make this deeper than it needs to be, but where you come down on who is more interesting says a lot about how you react to the world around you. It’s time for your baseball horoscope.
If you find Turner more interesting, you are someone who lives in the now. You are always looking for the next big thing (hey that’s the name of Turner’s character). You are likely at the cutting edge of whatever profession you are in, as you are likely to take the risks to go out on a limb for a client who hasn’t quite proven him/herself but has shown flashes. This need for future edification can have drawbacks (overlooking that amazing talent once it actually blossoms), but you will never be behind the eight ball. You are at the leading edge of all trends and never feel outside the loop.
If you find Trout more interesting, you are more likely to observe life in a historical perspective. You are someone who weighs in-the-moment activity as simply a vehicle for how it will be remembered 100, 200, 300 years down the line. When it is all said and done, will Trout go down as one of the 10 greatest players of all time? One of the top three?!
This is the side of the spectrum where I fall. I was a history major in college, and I have had an obsession with placing people and events in their True Historical Context for as long as I can remember. It just has always been of the utmost importance for me. However, I am not choosing Trout simply because of this personal bias.
In a sense, Trout has just as much “potential” or “ceiling” as Turner, just Trout’s ceiling and potential are in a historical context, and that’s what gives him the edge here. The best parts about Turner can be covered by Trout. Every fun question about Turner can also be asked about Trout, if you just put the words in baseball history at the end of them. When you add in the fact that Trout is the very epitome of realized potential, and the decision becomes very clear. Trout moves on.