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★★★
Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are amazing, and now that Harper has started to hit that ceiling we all knew was there, they are arguably the two best players in baseball. They’re also just 22 and 23 years old, respectively, so barring the unforeseen, we’re going to get to watch their fantastic play for seasons and seasons to come. Harper and Trout themselves can appreciate this fact as much as we do.
Harper recently said that Trout is “the best player in baseball, and I don’t think anybody can argue with that.” Trout didn’t necessarily try to argue it, but he threw compliments back Harper’s way, saying that what the Nats’ outfielder is doing is “unbelievable” and “special,” and also that he knew Harper was capable of all of this -- the two are forever linked thanks to their minor league careers, and their participation on the same Arizona Fall League team prior to their respective permanent call-ups to the bigs.
Trout is doing his normal amazing thing, batting .297/.386/.543 for a 163 OPS+, right around his career mark of 166. Harper, though, is tied for the major league lead in homers, with 18, leading in on-base and slugging percentage, walks and total bases, with an OPS+ of 227. He is doing all of this while younger than the latest phenom to reach the majors, Kris Bryant. They’re both incredible, and now that Harper seems to have finally arrived, maybe we’ll all just be able to appreciate that instead of arguing about his right to be in the conversation instead.
- Madison Bumgarner vs. Carlos Gomez, in an unwritten rules showdown. Who ya got?
- Juan Uribe was traded to the Braves, and his first jersey is missing a letter. C’mon, Atlanta, get it together.
- Speaking of that deal, Uribe wanted to be traded so he could get more playing time, something he was only going to see less and less of on the Dodgers with Hector Olivera on the way.
- Evan Longoria seems to be back to being awesome, and the Rays need him to keep it up for them to have a chance in the East.
- The last time Thor showed up in New York, we got a massive expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a result of his actions. This time, we just get a six-man Mets rotation. On the plus side, both have Thor, so the latter’s not for nothing.
- The Cardinals will be without first baseman Matt Adams for 3-4 months thanks to a quad tear. With Ryan Howard hitting, maybe the St. Louis native is a match for the Cards’ needs.
- An in-depth look at how stolen signs are communicated from second base, starring the Padres and Wil Myers.
- Adam Jones got caught swearing on live television after the Orioles game.
- Scott Kazmir’s Wednesday start ended early with a shoulder injury, and that could be bad news for the 2015 A’s and whatever they thought they would get by dealing him eventually.
- Michael Pineda is one small change away from improving his repertoire.
- The Red Sox don’t have an off-day Thursday, so they’re calling up top pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez for a spot start and his major league debut in order to simulate one for the rest of the rotation. This could be Rodriguez’s audition for a long-term role, too, since the Sox are debating demoting Joe Kelly to Triple-A.
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