Lloyd-Trout Engagement Announcement

Anaheim Angels outfielder Mike Trout, the "pride of the Anaheim Angels outfield", has accepted a marriage proposal from 44-year old M.J. Lloyd of New Orleans. The two have known each other since Trout's senior year at Millville High School in New Jersey when Lloyd showed up to the school's prom with a cardboard cutout of Trout glued to his bare chest.

"It was a match made at my Uncle Murray's house," said Lloyd at the time. "That's where I had the cutout made and Murray did the gluing in the driveway before the limo came."

The two drifted apart after Trout was selected in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Angels and Lloyd began his career as an Applebees hostess impersonating an Elvis impersonator, coining the phrase "thank you, thank you very much for coming."

Trout would become one of the top players in baseball, while also becoming one of the country's most eligible bachelors, finishing first in his living room for five consecutive weeks on the reality TV show Watching 'The Bachelor'.

Little did Trout know, but his old flame was also watching Trout's television, from a Japanese maple, on the reality show Watching Mike Trout Watch Things. The two have been inseparable ever since.

"His eyes were so bloodshot, I had him come inside and I picked all of the leaves out of his ears. Then I realized how much I had missed him," said Trout. "Also, he had a fun size Butterfinger in his beard, so, he asked me to share a meal, and his life."

The pair hasn't yet set a date for the wedding, though Lloyd has suggested February of 2015, after his team's two decade-long wiffle ball season finally commences. Lloyd is his team's all-time leader in outfield fall downs with 117 and hangons (66), including a league-record 28 Hang On I Think I Was Stung By Somethings.

Pastor Irving Fleisch

is expected to preside over the wedding.

Bill Ballou Doesn't Value Mike Trout

After Miguel Cabrera crushed Mike Trout in 2012 AL MVP voting, it was clear that Trout wouldn't stand a chance at winning an MVP unless his Angels were playoff bound. And while Trout got better in 2013, the Angels got worse. Trout led all of baseball in Wins Above Replacement by a healthy margin again, general awesomeness and questions about whether his neck is a neck or just more shoulder. But he was doomed to finish second in AL MVP voting behind Cabrera for a second straight year. And finish second he did.

Trout trailed Cabrera by over 100 points (385-282) in 2013, which was a bigger margin than 2012 (362-281) when Cabrera won the frigging Triple Crown. So what changed this year? Well, Trout cut his 21.8 K% to 19.0% while raising his 10.5 BB% to 15.4% and raked an impressive .323/.432/.557 slash. Cabrera hit .348/.442/.636 in 64 fewer plate appearances while playing a very different version of third base than Manny Machado played. I could further detail how Trout was the much more valuable player than Cabrera but the Tigers made the playoffs and the Angels did not. And isn't that the definition of value? How well the rest of your teammates play or how your team's roster was constructed by people independent of you? That's how the BBWAA slides the numbers on their abacuses.

Trout not winning the MVP was a foregone conclusion. By how much, now that's where it was going to get interesting. And, holy shit, Bill Ballou hates Mike Trout. Mr. Ballou was lucky enough to be given an AL MVP vote by the BBWAA for his work at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, which I've been told is not a publication about Morse code and baby antelopes. Ballou, a member of the Boston chapter, had an interesting MVP ballot. Trout was listed on all 30 AL MVP ballots but managed to only reach seventh (7th!) on Ballou's punch card. Ballou (quick google search says he is not, indeed, Salvador Dali's pet ocelot) had Chris Davis, Cabrera, Josh Donaldson, Robinson Cano, Adrian Beltre and Dustin Pedroia ahead of Trout. Trout's 10.4 fWAR (Fangraphs Wins Above Replacement) was two full wins more valuable than NL MVP Andrew McCutchen's 8.2 fWAR and some bigger math number than Donaldson's second best AL mark of 7.7 fWAR.

Ballou wasn't the only offender. Trout also received three third place votes and one fourth and one fifth place vote. Ballou was just the most egregious relunctator to the Trout MVP party this year. His reasoning echos that of others of his ilk. From a Sep 22 article...

If the award were Player of the Year, Mike Trout probably would be the winner. As an all-around player, Trout's abilities are
unsurpassed. He is both sides of the offense-defense equation. However, how valuable could he have been for a team
that is going to finish well out of contention? The Angels could have missed the playoffs without him

How valuable could he be for a team that didn't make the playoffs? Oh, 10 full wins valuable. His value counts regardless of whether the rest of his team is any good. Gas is going to cost the same whether you put it into a Cadillac or a lawn mower. There is a value for it. Unfortunately for Trout, the Angels have been less Escalade than John Deere for the past two seasons. If you wanted to get seriously literal about the term Most Valuable Player, Trout would win in a landslide considering he made less than half a million compared to the $21 million Cabrera made. But that would be giving voters way too much to consider.

Ultimately, it's all going to be on Trout to make the players around him better. He'll never win those individual awards unless his teammates step it up. Jerks.

2013 BBA Award Ballot

“Recently I made a chair. When I was finished, I thought it was a good chair. I submitted it to the Indiana Fine Woodworking Association who felt it merited consideration for an award. It’s been a real whirlwind.” - Ron Swanson

I imagine this is how Mike Trout feels around award season. But then the BBWAA gives his award to Miguel Cabrera because the Tigers' back deck didn't collapse when it rained like the Angels' season did. See, in this metaphor baseball is woodworking or... Just go ask Ken Tremendous what point I was trying to make. He writes gooder words than me.

Around this time last year, I submitted my ballot for the BBA (Baseball Bloggers Alliance) and resisted the temptation to vote Mike Trout for every award including Homecoming Queen and best rapper since Biggie. Trout did take home the BBA's Stan Musial for best player and Willie Mays for best rookie. Of course, Miguel Cabrera and his Triple Crown trounced Trout in the BBWAA's voting despite the youngster's historic season. One year later, does Mike Trout face the same fate? You betcha.

AL Stan Musial (top player)
1. Mike Trout
Trout followed the greatest season ever by a 20-year-old with the greatest season ever by a 21-year-old. He improved his walk rate and decreased his strikeout rate and set a new record for the amount of times I just say "Mike Trout" to random people in a year by 250. I have the first recognized case of Trout Tourette. Anyway, Trout led baseball in fWAR again by more than two wins. This year he beat out Andrew McCutchen 10.4 to 8.2 and was the best player in baseball despite an underwhelming defensive season according to advanced metrics.
2. Miggy Cabrera
He's the best hitter in baseball when healthy. And the Tigers make the playoffs. And Topps still prints RBI numbers. So, all of the BBWAA's old school criteria is met. Hand that man another MVP.
3. Josh Donaldson
.301/.384/.499 with good defense and baserunning that did not resemble a sleepy puppy. That gets you a 7.7 fWAR and a top five MVP vote.
4. Chris Davis
5. Evan Longoria
6. Robinson Cano
7. Manny Machado
8. Max Scherzer
9. Felix Hernandez
10. Adrian Beltre

NL Stan Musial
1. Andrew McCutchen
Cutch was second to Trout in fWAR and has a similar skill set. Cutch also has the luxury of not having to get his dress shirts with a customized neck size. Shoulders. Shoulders is Mike Trout's neck size.
2. Yadier Molina
Molina missed time but he's probably being underrated by Wins Above Replacement for his defense. Points deducted for only finishing third in the Molina family pie eating contest. Bengie came in first and second.
3. Clayton Kershaw
4. Carlos Gomez
CarGo 2.0 now with less injuries!
5. Paul Goldschmidt
6. Matt Carpenter
7. Adam Wainwright
8. Joey Votto
9. Troy Tulowitzki
10. Matt Harvey

AL Walter Johnson
1. Max Scherzer
21 wins and a 2.74 FIP. He has something for everyone.
2. Felix Hernandez
3. Yu Darvish
4. Anibal Sanchez
5. Chris Sale

NL Walter Johnson
1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Adam Wainwright
3. Matt Harvey
4. Cliff Lee
5. Jose Fernandez

AL Willie Mays (top rookie)
1. Wil Myers
2. Jose Iglesias
3. Brad Miller

NL Willie Mays
1. Jose Fernandez
2. Yasiel Puig
3. Julio Teheran
3B. Shelby Miller
3C. Gerrit Cole
And that's without Hyun-Jin Ryu. The NL was loaded with rookies.

AL Connie Mack (top manager)
I more or less throw some names into a hat and pick three. Is this Jim Riggleman's year?!?!
1. Joe Maddon
I don't put his name in the hat because he's awesome.
2. John Farrell
3. Terry Francona

NL Connie Mack
1. Clint Hurdle
Hahaha. I really don't put much thought into these. Nor should I.
2. Mike Matheny?
3. Don Mattingly?

AL Goose Gossage (top reliever)
1. Koji Uehara
2. Greg Holland
3. Drew Smyly

NL Goose Gossage
1. Craig Kembrel
2. Kenley Jansen
3. Trevor Rosenthal

Trout Jersey Sells Big on eBay, MTD is Beside Himself

Poor MJ. Mike Trout's offseason for him has been the equivalent to that one Christmas where his parents promised him a new ride and surprised him with a one month bus pass. Next stop, the bar.

First, Trout got snubbed in the Gold Glove Award voting (Adam Jones? Really?). Luckily, the BBWAA got something right and unanimously voted Trout as the Rookie of the Year. Then they undid all that good in the MVP vote. Furniture, mirrors, stoneware, nothing was safe. Many hours of therapy, along with the viewing of this video, had Mr. Lloyd almost back to normal. Almost.

At Least Tigers Fans Are Faithful

If there is one thing that you can't say about Tigers fans, it's that they support their players. Even when details like defensive ability and baserunning are presented in front of them.

It's rather endearing that they show up to the game with crowns on carrying banners with sayings on them like the one in the picture above. It's also, well, slightly annoying to be honest. And that's even if I leave WAR out of the equation.

Mike Trout Had An Eventful Day

On Tuesday, the Angels announced they will send baseball wunderkind Mike Trout to play in the Arizona Fall League after their season concludes. This wasn't surprising news as many of the game's top prospects extend their season by playing in the AFL but Trout's destination added to the anticipation. Trout will be roaming the same Scottsdale Scorpions outfield as fellow phenom Bryce Harper giving the defending AFL champions the top two prospects in baseball. While the news is exciting, it was Trout's play on Tuesday night that left me breathing into a paper bag.

Trout got one of his occasional starts against Seattle Mariners southpaw Anthony Vasquez and made the most of it. In the second inning, Trout crushed a 3-2 changeup 408 feet for a solo home run and followed that up by hitting an outside curve out of the park for a three-run home run in the fourth inning. His next plate appearance wasn't nearly as dramatic as he drew a bases-loaded walk for his fifth RBI of the night.

Since being recalled from Double-A, Trout has only been able to rack up 25 plate appearances and Angels fans are clamoring for more. Albeit a very small sample size, Trout is hitting .409/.480/1.000 with four home runs during his second tour of the majors. Unfortunately for Trout, Vernon Wells is hitting .400/.471/.700 over the same stretch in an attempt to dissuade management from euthanizing him.

Of course, Trout's hot hitting could force the Angels hand as they desperately need an offensive spark down the stretch. The Angels remain 3.5 games behind the Rangers with about a month to go. If Trout stays hot and can somehow carry the Angels to the postseason, his name will likely be one of the first removed from AFL participation.

Either way, I have a fever and there's only one cure for it. More Mike Trout.

Promoted: The Angels Call Up Mike Trout

Baseball fans will no longer have to wait until Sunday's Futures Game to watch top prospect Mike Trout roam an outfield. After incumbent center fielder Peter Bourjos injured his hamstring turning a double into a triple, the Angels decided to call up Trout from double-A Arkansas. As both an Angels and prospects fan, I can't even begin to describe how excited I am. It's somewhere between "wheeeee!" and "had to be checked into a mental institute." But today isn't about me and the last few shreds of sanity I have left, it's about a 19-year-old kid who is better at baseball than anything you do. Nobody is really impressed with your Excel skills anyway.

Trout's prospect ranking ranges anywhere from #1 overall (Keith Law, Jonathan Mayo) to #2 (Baseball America). The Angels made Trout the 25th pick in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft and the New Jersey native wasted no time raking right away in rookie ball. Trout, who won't turn 20 until August, began this year at double-A and has backed up all of his believers. Trout is hitting .330/.422/.544 with 9 home runs, 12 doubles, 11 triples and 28 stolen bases. While he isn't as polished on defense as Bourjos in center, Trout does match him in speed and figures to be a plus defender.

The Angels aren't expecting to place Bourjos on the disabled list so it's unclear what the Angels will do with Trout after the All Star break. Of course if he hits like the reincarnation of Mickey Mantle, it won't be much of a decision. But it is hard to expect that kind of immediate impact from anyone, let alone a teenager. I've been know to dabble in delusion from time to time and since I'm blinded with excitement, I fully expect Trout to hit and stick in the Majors. Mike Scioscia loves the kid (let's face it, who doesn't?) and won't let him go if there is a chance Trout can help the Angels win the West. If he is sent down, it would likely be to the taxi squad triple-A Salt Lake team.

Trout will wear #27, last worn by fan favorite and future Hall of Famer Vlad Guerrero. It's fitting in a passing of the torch sense. But, you know, no pressure kid.

Check back this weekend for more Trout coverage. Unless he hits a home run in his first at bat. I'll probably spontaneously combust under those circumstances.

Mike Trout Is Changing His Phone Number

Future Hall of Famer and current Angels prospect Mike Trout caught his first dose of pranking on Monday. While some of the details are being kept under wraps, it appears that Trout broke an unwritten rule during the morning meetings and was punished accordingly.

After the top of the first inning of Monday’s game between the Angels and A’s, Trout’s phone number was splashed all over the scoreboard at Tempe Diablo Stadium with an invitation.

“Fans call Angels’ Mike Trout directly with your baseball questions,” said the message which was repeated several times throughout the game.

Unfortunately, I don't know any of the 2,822 attendees so I wasn't privy to Trout's digits. And I had some hard hitting questions for him like "Why are you so awesome?" and "Do they still make panzarottis in New Jersey?"

Trout apparently crossed a "no speaking unless spoken to" rule during a bout of Mike Scioscia team building exercises. It seems the offended party was staff ace Jered Weaver...

“Weave got him good,” Angels outfielder Peter Bourjos said, Trout admonishing from across the room not to give away too much — “Outfielders stick together,” Trout pleaded.

The 19-year-old Trout probably won't crack the big league roster unless he gets a cup of coffee in September. So the real rookie hazing won't get super ridiculous until next March.

Side note: Baseball Prospectus 2011 Almanac has Mickey Mantle listed as one of Trout's comparables. So, he's got that going for him.

Vernon Wells Is An Upgrade From Juan Rivera, Right?

Yesterday I took a look at Mike Napoli vs Vernon Wells as hitters. And while this isn't becoming an Angels blog, it does seem like I have an awful lot to write about them lately. I think the guys over at the Orange County Register are egging me on though. Dan Woike recently wondered "Was Angels' Juan Rivera That Bad?" I'm not sure what his answer was because I'm allergic to slideshows but it did get me thinking.

How much better is Wells compared to Rivera? It's a little easier to compare the two since they're both 32-year-old outfielders. And Wells has a clear advantage in Wins Above Replacement because Rivera has the mobility of a wounded pylon (except for his outlying 2009 season). Click image to embiggen.



In terms of overall value, Wells is clearly the superior player even with him, hopefully, moving to left field. But in pure hitting terms, you might as well flip a coin. Yes, I am still using wOBA and, as always, click to enlarge.



These aren't especially comforting graphs for Angels fans. Now, I'm not saying Rivera is close to the player that Wells is because he isn't. I'd much rather have Wells than Rivera in a vacuum but we can't ignore the Wells contract.

Could the Angels have suffered through a Bobby Abreu/Juan Rivera left field and found better production from a Manny Ramirez or Johnny Damon designated hitter? If we turn a blind eye to defense for this experiment, I think the answer is yes. Plus that assortment of players could have just been a place holder until Mike Trout arrives.

Of course, this has just become a "could have, should have" exercise for me at this point. Actual results may vary.

My Obligatory Vernon Wells Trade Post

Angels fans were promised a "big splash" by General Manager Tony Reagins and, dammit, he delivered. By now, thousands of words have been written about the Angels decision to send Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera to Toronto for Vernon Wells and his bloated $80+ million contract. The trade, as you should know, has been universally crushed from the Angels point of view except for the frighteningly optimistic James of True Grich.

As the resident Angels fan, I feel obligated to post something about the trade even though I don't think I have much to add. I'd love to be optimistic and I do like Wells but I'm afraid advanced metrics and the Internet have ruined by ability to be a "die hard" fan anymore. It's almost sad in a way.

The starved for offense Angels traded for a center fielder who hit 31 home runs, 44 doubles and a .273/.331/.515 line in 2010. Twelve-year-old me would have been ecstatic about this trade. Instead, I immediately began trying to figure out how much of Wells' contract Toronto would have to eat for the deal to make sense. If they ate $30M + the $10M or so saved from Rivera and Napoli, then Wells would just have to be a 2.5 WAR player each of the four years of the remaining contract. That is providing Wells will move to a corner outfield spot and not cost the Angels runs by playing center. That was my rough estimate anyway.

Of course, the Blue Jays only sent $5 million back to Anaheim and the trade looks like a financial disaster for the Angels. But as a fan, I kept digging through Fangraphs and scouring Twitter to find a silver lining. Much like quicksand though, the harder I tried, the worse it got. I could ramble on about his splits or declining defense or what $75 million could have bought but it's all rather depressing.

It's hard to imagine this is the same Tony Reagins who orchestrated the heist of Dan Haren last season. But what's done is done now. No amount of analysis or whining will reverse this deal. Unless you have a time machine, do you have a time machine? No? Well, then, all Angels fans can do is continue to support the team and root for Wells to prove the pundits wrong or at least less wrong. That hasn't exactly worked with that Gary Matthews Jr signing but at least the Angels are only paying him $10 million for one more season.

The Mike Trout era can't get here fast enough.

AL West Year In Review

Off Base will take a look back at the 2010 season season with our own brand of science nonsense. Today we'll look at the AL West because the Angels owe me $120 after watching them all year on MLB.tv.

1. Texas Rangers
Highlights: The Rangers made it all the way to the World Series after winning the West with a 90-72 record. They lost, of course, because I purchased a Cliff Lee voodoo doll from the French Quarter. Josh Hamilton put together what should be an MVP season. C.J. Wilson ended up being a star both on the mound and on Twitter @str8edgeracer. Nolan Ryan's giant head and finance group bought the Rangers which means much more of his buddy, George W. Bush. There is a good chance the Rangers will declare war on Cuba for relief pitchers.

Lowlights: Ron Washington forgot he had Neftali Feliz once he got into the World Series. Which could mean either the onset of Alzheimer's disease or the dreaded poor bullpen management syndrome. Nelson Cruz took more trips to the DL than your sister takes to the free clinic which doomed my fantasy baseball team.

Hot Stove Outlook: Re-signing Cliff Lee is priority number one. They have a good chance I think too. He recently bought cowboy boots. If that ain't science, I don't know what is. They declined Vlad Guerrero's $9 million option but will probably try to bring the old man with no knees back on the cheap.

2. Oakland A's
Highlights: The A's managed to finish second in the West with a .500 record. Dallas Braden threw a perfect game. A Dallas Braden "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt was made. Umm, their young starters pitched better this year?

Lowlights: Average home attendance was 137. There wasn't a single player who hit 20 home runs. Nobody sent me a "Get Off My Mound" T-shirt.

Hot Stove Outlook: It is now completely impossible to guess what Billy Beane might do anymore. In fact, I think he only watches soccer now.

3. Los Angels Angels
Highlights: Jered Weaver led the league in strikeouts and became the ace I hoped he'd become. Peter Bourjos got called up and played some amazing center field. Mike Trout is now the top prospect in baseball. Also, Mike Trout. Mike Trout.

Lowlights: Kendry Morales continued his hot hitting from 2009 but broke his leg celebrating a walk-off grand slam. The Angels finished 10 games out of first with an 80-82 record. The Brandon Wood third base experiment finished the season with a .146/.174/.208 line. I cried a little after each one of his plate appearances. The bullpen.

Hot Stove Outlook: The Angels figure to open up Arte Moreno's checkbook and bid on the likes of Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano. I really want to see a Crawford, Torii Hunter and Peter Bourjos outfield.

4. Seattle Mariners
Highlights: None. Okay fine, Felix Hernandez was brilliant and will probably win the Cy Young.

Lowlights: Chone Figgins was a bust and has a fat contract. They finished with the second worst record in baseball at 61-101. The M's finished last in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage. It was a reverse triple crown slash line as a team.

Hot Stove Outlook: Overspend on a player after a career year. Pray Justin Smoak develops into the prospect everybody thought he would be. Spend a lot of time trying to figure out who to draft with the second pick in next year's draft.

MVP Mike Trout And The Future Of The Angels

Occasionally, I write a post that's pretty much just for me. Sometimes it's necessary to shake loose writers block, sometimes it's to vent about a baseball issue that's bothering me, sometimes it's simply to ramble on about Mike Trout. Well, today you get the perfect storm of all three. Mike Trout was named the MVP of his low A league today so we're going to start with him.

Trout hit 6 home runs and .362/.454/.526 with 45 stolen bases as an 18-year-old at Cedar Rapids. Even with his absurd .420 BABIP, that's a damn impressive stat line for a kid that young. During the Future's Game at the All Star break, scouts were talking (on Twitter) about Trout having 80 speed while being built like a linebacker. Trout was promoted to high A and has struggled a bit. The BABIP tumbled to a slightly more realistic .344 and he's got a couple of home runs to go with a .294/.368/.405 line. Still enough to be the top prospect in the minors as a freshly turned 19-year-old, isn't that right Keith Law...

Ben S (NJ)

Who's the top prospect remaining in the minors?

Klaw (1:52 PM)

Mike Trout.

See?

Trout gives Angels fans something to be excited about in an otherwise disappointing season. My beloved Halos have struggled this season and an early season-ending injury to Kendry Morales and mid season-ending injury to Joel Pinero certainly didn't help. The Angels are 10 games back in the AL West and 2 games under .500. I'm guessing the team .319 OBP is a problem but I'm sure they'll finish with a winning record despite a negative run differential yet again. But that's probably fodder for another post.

Jered Weaver is having an ace caliber season leading the league in strikeouts with a sustainable 3.31 FIP and a 3.03 WPA. Ervin Santana is back to his inconsistent self posting a 4.51 FIP and a 1.89 WPA. I'm still cautiously optimistic that Santana can at least be a decent to good mid-rotation starter. The crown jewel of the Angels season was a pre-deadline deal that landed the Halos Dan Haren over the next several seasons at a below market price. With Pinero returning, the rotation should be solid next year.

The bullpen, ugh. Scot Shields and Brian Fuentes should be departing so right there you get some solid addition by subtraction. I have hope for Kevin Jepsen and recently transitioned Jordan Walden. I'm more skeptical about Fransisco Rodriguez Part Two but, as I previously mentioned, I'm no scout. The bullpen should be more effective next season despite what Fernando Rodney has to say about it.

The infield seems to be more or less set with Kendry Morales returning to his slugging role at first base. Howie Kendrick will man second and hopefully become that batting average title contender that he appeared to be in the minors. Erick Aybar will handle short and probably leadoff with his glistening .322 OBP but he plays "Scioscia Ball" so, um, there. Third base will be manned by some sort of Alberto Callaspo/Brandon Wood combo. *wipes away tears* Mike Napoli is no world class receiver behind the plate but he can at least provide some pop. Jeff Mathis and his .220 OBP should be jettisoned to 1902. Hank Conger is on his way up from Triple A but I doubt Scioscia will be a big fan of his receiving skills.

If you made it this far, you're in for a treat. The outfield future of the Angels gets me excited in a way that your sister used to. The Halos called up next-to-top-prospect Peter Bourjos to man center while moving Torii Hunter to right field. Hunter is having a fine season with 18 homers and a .290/.369/.482 line. Is he worth $18 million per season? I don't know but he is a hell of an ambassador for the Angels. The Angels plan on pursuing Carl Crawford in the offseason and wisely put his locker next to Hunter's for the All Star Game.

Allow me to wildly speculate on the Angels hot stove spending. Arte Moreno has no problem opening up the check book when he feels it's deserved and to land Crawford, he might have to write a blank check. Putting Carl Crawford next to Peter Bourjos in center and across the field from Torii Hunter in right, you have the best defensive outfield in baseball. With Trout getting a cup of coffee as a 20-year-old next season, the Halos outfield situation makes me almost schoolgirl giddy.

So fellow Angels fans, there is hope for next season. It also doesn't hurt that the only real competition in the West is a pretty good Texas Rangers team. The A's just keep spinning their wheels and nobody knows what's going on in Seattle. Or maybe I just wrote 700 words to get me through the last month of the regular season.

He's Coming... Domonic Brown Edition

The number one prospect in the minors was called up by the Phillies today after Shane Victorino hit the disabled list. Dom Brown will make his major league debut in right field for the Phils tonight. Brown was selected in the 20th round in 2006 due to either his move from Florida to Atlanta or his commitment to attend the University of Miami where he would also play wide receiver. But that would be the Phillies gain as the 22-year-old moved quickly through their system. Between AA and AAA this year, Bron has 20 home runs and a .327/.391/.589 slash line.

As much as prospects debuting in the bigs excites me, this graduation is even more special for me. Brown's move the the majors means there is a new top prospect in the minors. Any guesses? Should be obvious. Keith Law tweeted today that Mike Trout will be taking over those honors. Mike Trout is already my favorite player in the history of baseball but, um, no pressure kid.

UPDATE: In Brown's first at bat he hit an RBI double off of the wall.

Futures Game, Chun Chen and the 9,107th-best Fun Runner in Anaheim

Derwood is headed to Anaheim with his Jorge Posada batting practice shirt and 17 pens. Stay with Offbase over the next three days for All-Star coverage from a career .180 hitter.


ANAHEIM - A lot to get to after day one of the all-star festivities wrapped up from Angel Stadium. I thought the Futures Game, a team of some of the top American minor leaguers against a team of the foreign minor leaguers, was an excellent idea from its inception in 1999 when Alfonso Soriano was the MVP in the World's 7-0 victory over the USA. I also thought it was excellent idea for the Yankees to trade Soriano for Alex Rodriguez after the 2003 season. Both dreams came true, and the Futures Game is alive and well with the 12th installment taking place Sunday afternoon.

Hometown boys make good

MTD has been cheating on Chase Utley while the Philly second baseman spends time on the DL. Some called it puppy love, but now MTD is seeing Angels' prospect Mike Trout. The Anaheim faithful love the kid, too, and after pinch-running in the first, he had an infield single, reached on an error and later had a hustle double in the eighth off Mets' prospect Jeurys Familia. Trout was over-shadowed by another Anaheim product, catcher Hank Conger, who snuck a three-run home run into the first row of seats in right field in the fifth inning, and picked up MVP honors.



Should've been you, Eric

Conger had a big home run, but KC minor leaguer Eric Hosmer was the best hitter on the field Sunday. Hosmer, who is having a huge season for the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A Advanced Carolina League (.349/.424/.540), went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs hitting in between Trout and Conger.

No runs for you

After US starter Jeremy Hellickson gave up a run in the second on an fielder's choice RBI by Wilin Rosario (Colorado Rockies), nine pitchers combined to hold the World team to eight hits (seven singles) in seven scoreless innings of work. That was like the time in RBI Baseball when Jack Clark took me deep for a two-run home run in the first, then Fernando Valuenzela, John Franco and Steve Bedrosian shut the Cards down the rest of the way. I poured Diet Coke on myself in celebration.

Chun Chen!

Best name in baseball. During the late innings, the PA announcer at Angel Stadium started calling him Chun-Hsiu Chen, which I guess is his real name. But I can't accept that. He'll always be Chun Chen to me.

Chun Chen?

Chen used a red catcher's mitt. I also can't accept that.


Around the ballpark...

* The PA announcer started the top of the first with: "Leading off for the World, the second baseman, No. 13, Brett Lawrie." That's a lot of pressure to put on Brett Lawrie.

* NIKE, some floundering shoe company, sponsored a 5K & Fun Run early Sunday morning. Each runner received a number, but this guy was the only one that wore his during the Futures Game.



No. 9,197 in your programs, No. 9,197 in your hearts.

* It got worse for the Red Gloved Menace. In the sixth, Chen's battery mate on the mound was Boston minor leaguer Stolmy Pimentel, who also wore a red glove. It was the first time in Futures Game history that a Chun and a Stolmy each used a red glove and a Derwood in section 426, row D, seat 8 choked on sunflower seeds simultaneously.



Fransisco Peguero's girlfriend always brings a book to the Giants prospect's games, so they agreed that Francisco can bring his unicycle when she wants to go shoe shopping.



Not actually Brian Downing. I asked.

The Meteoric Rise Of Mike Trout

*In full disclosure, I am a big Angels fan*

With the MLB All Star Futures Game tomorrow night, I wanted to take a look at Mike Trout. Trout has been the hot name among prospects this year and I can't really remember a time that a player climbed the rankings so quickly.

The Stats. In Trout's first full year at Low Class A Cedar Rapids, he's put together an impressive .362/.454/.526 slash line. He leads the league in Batting Average, On Base Percentage, stolen bases (45) and hits (113). Impressive stats. Oh yeah, he will also be the youngest player at the Futures Game at just 18-years-old. Earlier today Jonathan Mayo reported (via Twitter) that after the Futures Game, Trout will be promoted to High Class A Rancho Cucamongo.

The Rise In Ranking. It's hard not to respect the prospect work Kevin Goldstein does at Baseball Prospectus. In Goldstein's Future Shock column coming into this season, he had Trout ranked 53rd out of his top 101. On July 1st, Goldstein came out with a Future Shock that listed his top 11 prospects left in the minors after all the recent promotions. Phillies' outfielder Domonic Brown moved from 24th to first and Mike Trout moved to second. To completely rip off KG...

Why He's Here: It's not just the ridiculous .367/.449/.543 line at Low-A Cedar Rapids, as it's hard to find a scout who isn't downright giddy after watching him. He can hit, he's a plus-plus runner, he's going to hit for way more power down the road, his approach is good, and he's a fine center fielder. What more do you want? How about a max-effort player who runs out every ground ball and does it with a smile on his face? One scout gave him the highest compliment one can get from a talent evaluator: "I'd pay to watch him play."

Keith Law, ESPN's snarky prospect guru, has also moved Trout into his top 3 prospects. He had this to say in his most recent Klaw Chat...

Kevin (NJ)

Great job on being ahead of the curve on Mike Trout. What is his power upside?

Klaw (2:10 PM)

20-25 home runs, conservatively.

and

Dave (FL)

How do you have Brown rated higher than Trout?

Klaw (2:12 PM)

Among other reasons, Brown could play in the majors tonight, while Trout is at least a year away.

Pretty high praise from some pretty smart guys.

My Level of Excitement. Being an Angels fan who has seen a few prospects deliver (Kendry Morales, Jered Weaver) and some bust (Brandon Wood *that hurts to type*, Dallas McPherson), I'd say my excitement for Trout is about 9 out of 10 Strasburgs. The stats he's putting up at 18-years-old are pretty ridiculous. The power is coming. Scouts and coaches rave about him. I tend to get carried away with prospects but I'm pretty sure this kid is the reincarnation of Mickey Mantle. Trout was born 4 years and 6 days before Mantle passed but I'm working on a theory.

Mike Trout: Steal Of 2009 MLB Draft?

Mike Trout was drafted 25th overall in the 2009 draft by the Angels. The high schooler was touted for his athleticism, speed and ability to field center field. As an Angels fan, I was happy with the pick. Trout, in his first full season at class A Cedar Rapids, has 6 home runs and 30 stolen base while hitting .366/.444/.546. Did I mention he won't turn 19 until August?

Anyway, Keith Law made Angels fans very happy today in his ESPN chat.



But wait, it gets better.



Just one year removed from last year's draft, Keith Law would move Trout ahead of Ackley who was, at the time, the no doubt about it second pick overall. While Trout is a special talent, it just goes to show you that anything can happen in the MLB draft. So many different opinions, so many different projections, so many different philosophies. Should be fun tonight. Unfortunately, in a year that the Angels have three first round picks, the talent pool is pretty much the same from 4-44.