Mike Trout and Bryce Harper are two of the most mesmerizing baseball players to come along in decades. But through no fault of his own, Trout never seems to get the same amount of publicity as Harper. Trout plays on the West Coast, and is generally less flashy than Harper.
Last night, after most of the East Coast was asleep, Trout demonstrated why many analysts think he's better than his NL counterpart by becoming the youngest player in AL history to complete the cycle.
Third Inning: Infield Single
After barely making contact with this pitch at the end of his bat, a hustling Trout beat the toss to first when the ball managed to find an opening in the infield.
Fourth Inning: Triple
This play is a double for 97 percent of major league baseball players, but Trout's elite speed enabled him to leg out three bases.
Sixth Inning: Double
A bases-clearing rip down into the left field corner netted Trout three RBI and allowed him to basically walk to second base. It also set up a chance at history.
Eight Inning: Home Run
Okay, this home run is the epitome of why Trout is going to be a special player. Everyone in the ballpark knows he needs a home run for the cycle. The Mariners were losing 11-0 and didn't want this 21-year-old kid adding insult to injury. So they threw him a low fastball on the inside half of the plate. Trout took the pitch off his shoe-tops and drove it over the right-centerfield wall to complete the cycle.
What Buster Olney fails to mention is this is Trout's first FULL major league season.
