There once was a time where Bryce Harper was considered the next big thing in baseball, but has that all changed due to Mike Trout. Trout and Harper are in the infancy of their careers and approaching their primes, but many believe the two potential Hall of Famers' levels of talent aren’t even close.
ESPN Breaks Down Trout V. Harper
The USA Today’s Steve Gardner wrote a story about the two dueling superstars before the 2013 season, but remained neutral and didn’t even choose who he would prefer. A year later it seems Rob Neyer thinks it is time to reflect on the greatness of Trout while appreciating Harper for what he is.
Trout entered this season with 21 WAR. This season he's on pace for (gulp) roughly 15 WAR, which is ridiculous because a) his WAR is skewed by some silly defensive numbers, and b) you know, it's just ridiculous because no single player is worth 15 extra wins. That leaves him with 29 WAR after his Age 22 season (he turns 23 in August).
In Harper's first two seasons, he's averaged around 5 WAR per 162 games. Which is really good! Let's assume that Harper comes back at full strength in early July, and does what he's done before. He's actually at 0 WAR so far this season -- he hasn't hit much, and his fielding numbers don't help -- but if we add the three second-half WAR to the 8 he's already got, Harper's all the way up to ... yeah: 11.
29 to 11.
The jury is out on who will develop into the better player for the entirety of their careers, but at this point the nod has to go to Trout considering the tear he has been on.
In two full years in the MLB, he has finished second in the American League MVP vote twice and named to two All-Star games. Harper’s stats haven’t been as flashy as Trouts, but he is also one year younger and battling injuries in 2014. Harper has so much more upside and room to grow that it could push him ahead of Trout in the coming years, but for now the advantage lies with Trout.
These two will be compared for the entirety of their careers much like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony or Dan Marino and John Elway. Enjoy the ride while it exists because a couple of talented players like these two don’t come around everyday.
Read Rob Neyer's article on the Trout, Harper battle
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