Trout, Harper spice up teams’ playoff prospects
A few months ago, the Los Angeles Angels were believed to possess the best player in baseball. But then Albert Pujols slipped into a slump, and his new team flat-out stunk for the first seven weeks of the season.
It's a marathon, though, and the Angels caught a second wind and started to win. The return of Pujols' power is only part of the reason for their revival. More than anything else, the arrival of Mike Trout triggered the turnaround.
One day, Trout will be included in the debate over the best player in baseball, and that day might come soon. The movie "Magic Mike" is about male strippers - and, no, I have not seen it - but the title fits the Angels' 20-year-old rookie.
Bryce Harper, the Washington Nationals' 19-year-old from Las Vegas, attracts more media hype and deserves most of it. Yet when I watch both rookies hit, run the bases and play the outfield, and throw out a hometown bias for Harper, Trout appears even more talented.
The Angels, who once burned eyeballs and betting tickets, are no longer dead money and arguably a better investment than Facebook stock. It's mostly due to Trout.
"I'm not knocking Bryce, because I think he's going to be amazing. But the big edge Bryce was supposed to have is power, and it's not much of an edge," said Dave Cokin, a Las Vegas handicapper and ESPN Radio host. "It's not a slam dunk, but at this point Trout might actually be a better long-range prospect. They both are tremendous. Trout is just ridiculous."
Harper and Trout each debuted in the majors on April 28, so they have a similar number of at-bats for a fair statistical comparison.
Trout, 20, is batting .348 with 10 home runs, 15 doubles, three triples and 38 RBIs. Harper is hitting .283 with eight homers, 15 doubles, four triples and 25 RBIs. Trout has 26 stolen bases in 29 attempts, while Harper is 8-for-11.
Both are high-energy players, but Trout makes it look more natural. It's a mystery how 24 players were picked before the Angels hooked Trout in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Cokin said he expects the Angels to be a playoff team, a bet that was dubious on May 21, when they were 18-25 and eight games behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West. But he's not predicting manager Mike Scioscia will lead a long postseason run.
Jered Weaver (9-1, 2.13 ERA) and C.J. Wilson (9-4, 2.33) are carrying the rotation, and Wilson is one of my favorite pitchers to bet. After that, it's Dan Haren (6-8), Ervin Santana (4-9) and hide your eyes.
"The Angels' pitching stinks. They have Weaver and Wilson, and that's it now. Santana is completely unreliable. There are too many weaknesses with that team," Cokin said. "I think the pitching is their problem, and Scioscia's stubbornness. The one thing with Scioscia that I've had trouble with is he's too much of a control freak. It's not like he's a bad manager, but I think he needs to sit back and let them play."
Scioscia was not playing Mark Trumbo every day in April. When that changed, Trumbo took off, and he now leads the team in homers (20) and RBIs (55). Trout, Trumbo and Pujols form a fearsome threesome.
The bullpen was a debacle before closer Ernesto Frieri was picked up from San Diego in early May. Frieri has not allowed a run in 25 1/3 innings.
The Angels (46-37) are underdogs to reach their regular-season win total of 93, the number posted at the LVH sports book in late March, but they should come close. Cokin makes the case they still are not in the Rangers' class.
"Texas is clearly a better baseball team," he said. "There is nobody close to the Rangers. The Yankees are in the mix, assuming they get everybody healthy. Beyond the Rangers and probably the Yankees, it's really wide open. It's going to be fun."
The Rangers (50-33) are on pace to threaten the 100-win mark. The Yankees, doing fine in the bullpen without injured closer Mariano Rivera, will get stronger when CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte return to the rotation.
Tampa Bay is hanging tough without third baseman Evan Longoria, who tore a hamstring on April 30. Don't count out the Boston Red Sox, who have been riddled by injuries but are capable of making a run when Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford come back.
A dark horse to take seriously is the Chicago White Sox, who recently stole third baseman Kevin Youkilis in a trade with the Red Sox. In mid-May, the White Sox were getting 25-1 odds to win the AL, and the odds are down to 12-1.
The National League is a mess of mostly mediocre teams. The Nationals (48-32) sit on top, so Harper, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft, has a better shot at the World Series than Trout and the Angels.
■ BOTTOM LINES - With baseball being a daily drill that most of us handicap overnight, it's easier to post plays on Twitter than in the newspaper. I opened an account Wednesday, so feel free to follow me @mattyoumans247, and I'll try to post only the winners.
The Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen main event of UFC 148 on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden is creating strong betting interest. Silva, a minus-250 favorite at MGM Resorts, should win a competitive fight against a live 'dog. I won't advise laying the high price, but I will hope the judges don't make a controversial decision.
Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM, 98.9 FM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.
