We all know who Bryce Harper is – the guy will literally run into a wall for attention and then blame it on playing stupid hard. And we all know that Miguel Cabrera is crushing high-AAA pitching on a daily basis. There is another guy, though, that should be garnering way more attention than he currently is – Mike Trout.
Last night, Mike Trout did his best pre-Kim Basinger-gun-shot-wound-to-the-abdomen Roy Hobbs impression and hit for the cycle. No big deal, right? Actually, it’s kind of a big deal. Mike Trout became the youngest American League player to do so, besting Alex Rodriguez by less than a month. And any time anyone bests Alex Rodriguez at anything, the world applauds. Overall, Trout is the sixth-youngest player to hit for the cycle, and one of only three to do so while collecting at least 5 RBIs and a stolen base. Current ESPN projections have him at the following: .293 AVG, 32 HR, 32 SB, 112 R, and 122 RBI. What those numbers do not show are how great he is in the outfield. Although he plays left field, which limits his ability to cover more area (vs. playing in center field), Trout still finds the time to make high-flying, acrobatic plays – all with a smile on his face. Which also happens to be the best part of his home run last night. Needing a home run in his last at-bat to hit for the cycle, Trout clubbed a low pitch over the right-center wall for the first cycle of his career. Then, he just grinned ear to ear. How do you not love this guy?
(ESPN, Baseball Reference, YouTube, MLB)
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