Angels CF Mike Trout at last night's MLB All-Star Game "stood out as the emerging face" of the league, becoming the first player in history to win back-to-back ASG MVP awards, according to Larry Fine of REUTERS. Trout led off the game "with a home run and blazed around the bases to score another run in the AL's 6-3 victory." Top young players including Nationals RF Bryce Harper, Dodgers CF Joc Pederson and Astros 2B Jose Altuve "were also in the starting lineups, but it was Trout who stole the show" (REUTERS, 7/15). USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale writes Trout turned the Midsummer Classic "into his personal showcase." Trout became the first player since Joe Morgan in '77 to homer leading off the ASG and "only the fourth in all time." He donated his bat to the Baseball HOF "immediately after the game." Trout later in the game "grounded into what appeared to be a routine double play in the fifth inning, but beat it out, and then scored the go-ahead run" (USATODAY.com, 7/15). In Cincinnati, C. Trent Rosecrans writes in an All-Star Game that honored Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays as the four greatest living players, it is "not out of the question to mention Trout in the same breath ... even at such a young age" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/15).
CLASS OF HIS OWN: FOXSPORTS.com's Ken Rosenthal writes in MLB currently, there is Trout "and there is everyone else." Rosenthal: "Remember all the hand-wringing last season about who would replace Derek Jeter as the face of baseball, if such a player could possibly even exist? Such a player exists, all right. And he’s better than Jeter ever was" (FOXSPORTS.com, 7/15). YAHOO SPORTS' Tim Brown writes Trout is "simply better than everyone else." There had been only four other players to win the ASG MVP twice, and Trout "just keeps showing up and winning them, playing a game that seems to follow him." Brown: "They invite the best, they line the field, they invite people to come watch and broadcast it to the world, and the best among them is Mike Trout. Again" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/15). ESPN.com's Jayson Stark writes, "It's now, officially, Mike Trout's sport" (ESPN.com, 7/15).
OTHERS SHARE IN THE ASG SPOTLIGHT: SPORTS ON EARTH's Will Leitch writes the ASG was "perfectly fine," not quite "matching the drama of the Home Run Derby the night before, but also full of fun itself, from Trout's home run to lead off the game" to Mets P Jacob deGrom's 10-pitch strike-out-the-side sixth inning (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 7/15). After deGrom struck out the side, Fox’ Joe Buck said, “'Hi, I’m Jacob deGrom, and I have the chance with my stuff to just dominate baseball for years to come.' ... Remember deGrom, he’s filthy” (“MLB All-Star Game,” Fox, 7/14). The N.Y. Daily News' John Harper wrote on Twitter, "Wow. Did deGrom did just raise his national profile a bit? 10 pitches, 9 strikes, 3 K's. and Joe Buck was hyperventilating over him" (TWITTER.com, 7/14). In DC, Barry Svrluga writes if not for Trout, the game "might be remembered" for deGrom striking out the side, or for Reds P Aroldis Chapman "punching out all three men he faced, jacking the radar gun up to an almost inconceivable 103 mph" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/15). ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian noted no player "had any chance” against deGrom, but they "had a better chance against him then they did against” Chapman. In terms of how good he was, Kurkjian said Chapman was “ridiculous” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 7/15). USA Today's Ted Berg tweeted, "What if they just replace the whole All-Star Game with seeing how far Aroldis Chapman can throw stuff?" (TWITTER.com, 7/14).
YOUTH OF THE NATION: In Columbus, Rob Oller writes some of the "fresh faces who assembled" for the ASG included deGrom, Blue Jays 3B Josh Donaldson, Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado and 2B DJ LeMahieu. There is "no waiting" for Trout and Nationals RF Bryce Harper, who "already have moved to the front of the line." However, other young players are "not too far behind." Orioles 3B Manny Machado "looks like a kid to keep an eye on," and Pirates P Gerrit Cole is "developing some nasty stuff" (
COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 7/15). CBSSPORTS.com's Jon Heyman wrote the present "seems very much secure with some future all-time greats on a couple of the youngest rosters in All-Star Game history" (
CBSSPORTS.com, 7/14). Fox' Frank Thomas said, “There is a lot of young talent coming up that is doing well ... so Major League Baseball is going to be very exciting for many years to come” (
“MLB on Fox Pregame,” Fox, 7/14). MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred prior to the game said of the league's young stars, "We have a huge opportunity to move the sport forward with them, and I think they have that same sense that that's what we want to do” (
"Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 7/14).
LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE: In DC, Thomas Boswell writes the game, "noted for its youth, will probably be remembered someday for its majesty, too." Boswell: "Someday, no matter how highly we think of them now, we will say the names Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale and Madison Bumgarner with much different and more respectful, or in baseball terms, reverential inflection" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/15). MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince wrote MLB should "always pause to appreciate the past," as they did last night with the Franchise Four promo. But with a "terrific crop of 25-and-under talent pervading the leaderboards and one 23-year-old in particular enlivening our imaginations, the present looks mighty nice, too" (MLB.com, 7/14).
