Fun Fact for March 24, 2022
countdouglas
Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭✭✭
It has now been
2727 DAYS
since October 5, 2014, the date that Mike Trout played in the final postseason game of his career.
2727 DAYS
since Mike Trout struck out swinging for the final out for the second consecutive night. You can see the frustration and pain and feelings of utter failure in his face.
It's been
2727 DAYS
since Mike Trout made a promise to himself, and the world, that he would never experience that pain of failing in the postseason ever again, and through hard work and dedication, he has kept that promise.
For those who say, "Well, he's a HOFer if he never plays another game." Yeah, you're just enablers. Mike Trout knows he can just coast through the rest of his career like a high school senior with a month to go to graduation and enough credits to his name.
For those who say, "It's not his fault. Look at the team he's on." Just more excuses. He chooses to be there and play for an owner that doesn't care about winning.
Arte's philosophy is, "We finish fourth with Mike, we finish fourth without Mike, and frankly, I'm fine finishing fourth with him again and again as long as I'm stacking the Benjis!"
It's not the roster. Trout is "The best player in baseball", but let me ask you this. Game on the line, pressure situation, and you have to have a hit, who do you want at the plate? You'd definitely pick Showtime and Rendon over Trout, and if you were honest, probably Walsh, Upton, and Fletcher, too. 55 year old Pujols, when he was still there, was more likely to come through in the clutch than Mike. That's 5 or 6 guys, just on his own team. You can go through every other roster and find multiple players you'd rather see up there when you really need a player to come through. Betts, Soto, Cruz, Harper, J.D., Devers, Verdugo, heck even Kike, Springer, Guerrero, Altuve, Correa, Bregman, Rizzo, Freeman, Acuña, Soler and his 3 World Series homeruns, etc, etc, etc... even Zack Greinke, for crying out loud had 2 hits in the 2021 World Series. Mike is 1 for 12 lifetime in the postseason.
For those that complain about the Angels pitching, I say a better defensive outfielder alleviates a lot of that. If you really watch the games, you notice it. Trout plays too deep and a lot of balls dink and dunk in for hits that other players would catch, and the runners that are on constantly take the extra base.
This is from an online article from the Orange County Register in 2020.
A jump rate in the 1st percentile makes him a certified slug out there. Sure, he has speed to compensate somewhat, once he gets moving, but that's just unacceptable for a centerfielder. He makes Nelson Cruz Look like an adequate fielder.
And this is from a recent ESPN article soon after Maddon suggested they were thinking about moving Trout to a corner spot. If you watch the games, the dugout shots often reveal Maddon's displeasure at Trout's fielding. Of course, when approached about moving, Mike said no.
I guess they're suggesting that ranking 15th is "close" to winning a gold glove? My favorite part of the excerpt is at the end, when Mike says "Natural". Now, when you hear the name Mike Trout and Natural in the same sentence, maybe Roy Hobbs comes to mind for you. For me, I had to lol, because the name Bump Bailey comes to mind for me. He's the character in the movie that was committing frequent miscues in the outfield, eventually running full speed into the wall, and meeting his early demise.
I'm not even going to get deep into his propensity to strike out when the game is on the line, or the fact that oftentimes, he just stands there and takes strike three looking. Just know that those who say a strikeout is like any other out are the ones carrying water for Mike. If he just flails away, swinging hard and missing just for show, well, they say, at least he tried, and it's the same as a pop out or a fly ball, and at least it wasn't a double play. If he just stands there and takes it, he's absolved completely. He can make one of his patented stupid looking faces, shake his head in disagreement, mutter to himself as he walks back to the dugout, knowing that his failure in the clutch will be washed away by the analytic guys.
The guy that is known for being the best at getting on base, can't seem to get on base when it matters most. That "strikeout is the same as any other out" crap might be true for a .240 weak hitting shortstop. But shorten up, make contact, and at least try to put the ball in play, man. Just ask Jorge Orta what can happen. A slow roller leads to 13 runs, an entire roster meltdown, and a city full of bitter, broken hearts. You could be that guy, Mike, or you can stand there and take strike three and think about what could have been on your slow walk back to the dugout.
It's been
2727 DAYS
of the biggest con happening in plain sight.
.
It's been
2727 DAYS
since October 5, 2014. You really should expect more from "greatness".
Comments
Definitely a fun and thought provoking post.
However, Mike Trout is a pretty solid player. Even the attempts to knock him still end up making him shine.
That last chart - starts as Mickey, then Kingman - the totals support a conclusion that mile trout starts out as a top 10 player and settles to more of a top 50 status.
I have none of his cards and I’m not a fanboy. No blame and no excuses. He’s not been clutch and it’s probably time to move off center* - I agree - but you’ve deconstructed him into components rather than look at the whole player.
You are right that he’s not the best player in baseball anymore - a tough title to hold honestly for a long time - and I also agree that his Cooperstown is nowhere near cemented. That said, another 7-10 seasons at 25-30 HR per and he will make it. And if for 5 of them he maintains current production he’s probably first ballot.
*This should be balanced more by lineup needs and matchups. He may not be elite but he’s not a total liability either; sliding to right for a light hitting CF doesn’t always make the team better. It can but Peter Bourjois (sp?) was all glove no stick and they were better with Juan Rivera out there and a lesser D…
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@countdougIas
See above. Again, I thought your post was very solid. A fun debate…
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I am absolutely impressed that Trout has managed to avoid a playoff game since 2014! That is amazing but I don’t really blame him, it’s a team sport
IF Arte Moreno was to defer to the TB Rays front office with this team.... they would be in the playoffs very quickly I surmise.... Moreno can't be equated with efficient as an owner with his track record.... The Rays would squeeze every ounce of value out of the Angels and kick it in gear. IMO.
Good read, Countdouglas. You put a lot of work into it. Thanks. I don't have any opinion one way or the other about Trout but your post makes me think
about another very highly regarded baseball player. For the last couple of days I've been thinking about that player along the same lines as what you write about Trout.....Strange coincidence!........ Anyway, for the player I have in mind, the number would roughly be 5,110. As in 5,110 days. I've been scratching my head over this for days now and I can't come up with any good explanations. Or at least any that I'm comfortable with. Can anyone here guess what player I'm thinking about? I think I'll do a follow-up thread about it. Anyway, I enjoyed reading your post, Countdouglas.
P.S. And, if you consider the entire length of the lifetime career of the player that I have in mind, his failure is much more devastating than anything you say about Trout..... MUCH MORE.🤔
OMG! Another all time great baseball player just popped into my mind.....For him, the number of days is roughly 6,205! Any guesses who he might be?......Trout has a long way to go to beat that record!.......
And another one......for this particular all time great the number is roughly 6,935! Maybe even over 7,000 days!...Hey, Trout is a piker compared to this guy!.......And,.the three that I've mentioned?.... Everybody has heard of them....EVERYBODY!..... you wouldn't even have to be a baseball fan to have heard of all three of them. Household names. Trout is in good company. Very good company.
Answer?.....Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and......drum roll.....Ty Cobb!
Also fun fact 38 years ago today....
No clue, whatsoever. None. T.V. show cast? I watch very little T.V. As in practically never......just the NFL. I find television to be the most useless and annoying aspect of modern life. Yuk!
The Breakfast Club…one of the best films ever made. Encapsulates typical high schoolers lives better than any film made - before or since.
The setting? Saturday detention…
…and, BOY, can I relate.
😂😂😂
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I'll look for the film, Wheaty. Thanks for the tip. American Graffiti is one of my favorite films.....I can relate to that one.....kinda dates me...........I love old movies..... Good ones that is!...Thanks!
Right back atcha!
I love American Graffiti - Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfus and Harrison Ford as Bob Falfa (I think this was supposed to be “loosely based” on George Lucas?) riding with a young, sassy Mackenzie Phillips sitting shotgun.
Great movie about cruising in high school.
I’ll be re-watching that next week.
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Dazed and Confused gives AG a run for best cruising movie....all right all right.
I was always partial to Hollywood Knights. Young Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Wuhl and the one armed violinist.
but those were before the supersized expanding playoffs.
Good point, Alfonz......it didn't occur to me.....I'm losing it! Big Time! 😒
My thought was that these guys perhaps put up the big numbers because even though they were great hitters, it helped them that so much of their careers were spent playing on mediocre or downright bad teams. The pitchers didn't have to pitch around them so much or worry because the rest of the line-up wasn't all that good and it didn't matter, for instance,...... if Ted Williams hits 3 doubles in a game with nobody on base.....so what?....he'll end up stranded at second base when the inning is over.....no big deal!.....Whatever.
Pre 1961 only 2 of the 16 teams made playoffs(World Series) - 12.5%
1961 to 1968 on 2 of 20 teams - 10%
2021 season 10 of the 30 teams made the playoffs - 33.333%
.....
Even though my kids have never seen this movie, and probably couldn't relate, I was still able to get some mileage out of teaching one of them a classic line/joke from the movie. So my daughter, when she was younger, would jokingly just say "Two hits!" and we would both laugh.
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hydrant has neither seen nor even heard of the breakfast club. wowza weeza.
Hall & Ringwald were also stellar in sixteen candles
why am i under the impression that fire hydrant's first date with the lovely mrs went something like this
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Boston finished second most years during Wiliams' prime and he led the league almost every year in IBB and regular BB, and by a large margin. So they were good and they pitched around him.
Yes, Galaxy Invader 406......You got that right......You naied it....I admit it......The Lovely Future Mrs. Hydrant,17 years old at the time, .....you never saw a more pretty girl in Your life...love at first sight!....and my favorite little girl cousin, rolled onto the ranch one late afternoon unexpected. They had a traffic sign post that they had exapproiated from the California Department of Transportation. They had modified it......it read " Ozone Road Right"....and ....."Pair-A- Dice Ranch Left." I dug the hole, put the sign in place at the fork in the road, and then it was off to Bob's Big Boy for dinner. I had a cheese burger and fries and she ordered the chicken basket.....After dinner, she got into my '63 Fairlane and sat in the back seat. The first thing that I ever remember saying to her was, "You can sit up here in the front seat."...... Her reply, the first thing that I ever remember her saying to me?....." I DON'T THINK SO!".....yea, that first date was a bust......but.....the next time she came for a visit?........ She never left the ranch!.....Oooh La La!!!!!.....Her parents were not happy....but....she's still here right now! ...Oh, Well..........4 strong Hydrant boys, 4 Wonderful and beautiful Hydrant Daughters- In-Law.. and 13 Little Hydrant grandchildren later?......#14 is due in two weeks!!....it turned out o.k.,.......I'm the happiest man on Earth!....... It's all because of...,THE LOVELY MRS. HYDRANT! 👸
I liked the Wolfman Jack DJ character scenes the best.
2800 Days, now.
Maybe Trouty will change his number for us.