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November 12, 2012 Page 1 of 38

Clips (November 12, 2012)

November 12, 2012 Page 2 of 38

Today’s Clips Contents

From the Times (Page 3) High-priced pitching confronts Angels' Dipoto at GM meetings Angels may have to turn to free-agent market to fill pitching void

From the Orange County Register (Page 6) Fulfilling a fantasy and feeding the hungry, all thanks to Angels' groundskeepers Scout saw Trout's potential , join Angels minor league staff

From ESPN.com (Page 12) Source: Dodgers chasing Restocking the Angels' rotation

From Angels.com (Page 14) Trout transcends in rookie season unlike any other

From MLB.com (Page 18) AL has deep Rookie of the Year field The Week Ahead: And the winners are ...

From SportsIllustrated.com (Page 22) AL MVP debate highlights top storylines for awards week

From USA Today (Page 24) Trout vs. Harper: Which rookie has the higher ceiling?

From Sports on Earth (Page 27) No Rookie Mistakes

From Examiner.com (Page 33) Utah farm teams highlight development challenge faced by GM

From Beisbol Por Gotas (Page 35) Trout vs Cabrera, atracción entre premios-2012

November 12, 2012 Page 3 of 38

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

High-priced pitching confronts Angels' Dipoto at GM meetings

One report has seeking a six-year, $150-million deal. Jerry Dipoto is looking for at least two starters but says the market will settle out over time.

By Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times

November 10, 2012

Jerry Dipoto said this week's general managers meetings were "like a setup," a chance to meet agents and GMs in the casual atmosphere of an Indian Wells resort and lay the groundwork for potential free-agent signings and trades, not to consummate deals.

"We tried to digest as much information as we could," the Angels GM said.

Some of that information might be hard to stomach. One report said Zack Greinke, the Angels' top winter target, is seeking a six-year, $150-million deal. Another said pitcher Anibal Sanchez, a quality right-hander but part of a not-so-appealing group of second-tier free-agent starters, wants six years and $90 million.

Dipoto, who would like to acquire at least two front-line starting , was neither scared off by nor overly concerned about what might be perceived as a sudden spike in the market.

"You're always going to get inflated expectations at the start of the off-season, not just for free agents but in the market," Dipoto said. "Nobody comes in and low-balls you. We're watching the landscape and will see how things unfold."

Dipoto met with , Greinke's agent, this week but would not say much about negotiations with the right-hander who went 6-2 with a 3.53 earned- average in 13 starts for the Angels after being acquired from Milwaukee for three prospects July 27.

"I'm not going to give you a progress report," Dipoto said. "The market doesn't run like that," he added, snapping his fingers.

Case closed?

With rejecting the ' qualifying offer Friday and the reportedly not that interested in the relief , might the Angels aggressively pursue Soriano?

Don't on it.

Yankees President Randy Levine said agent believes he can command a deal in the four-year, $60-million range for Soriano, who went 2-1 with a 2.26 ERA and November 12, 2012 Page 4 of 38

42 saves. Dipoto considers that kind of long-term investment in the volatile relief market to be extremely risky.

"You're never really looking for big-ticket items in the ," Dipoto said. "You're looking for guys who can handle the role."

Dipoto did not pursue closers such as , and last winter, going into the season with Jordan Walden as before acquiring , who went 4-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 23 saves, from San Diego in early May.

"With starting pitchers, you have track records, and you have a good idea what you're going to get out of position players," Dipoto said in October. But spending lavishly on relievers "is akin to going to and throwing it down on -zero green."

Short hops

The Angels hired Tim Bogar to manage double-A Arkansas and former All-Star Mike Hampton as pitching . Bobby Scales has been hired as director of player development, and Michael Noboa as coordinator of Latin American operations.

Angels may have to turn to free-agent market to fill pitching void

Several teams have pitchers they may be willing to part with, but Angels General Jerry Dipoto might lack the chips to deal in order to fill three rotation spots.

By Mike DiGiovanna, Los Angeles Times

November 9, 2012

Atlanta has a surplus of starting pitchers and might be willing to part with Tommy Hanson, Julio Teheran or Randall Delgado. Arizona is reportedly willing to trade , the former UCLA star who was the third pick in the 2011 draft.

Tampa Bay (, ), Cleveland (Justin Masterson), the (R.A. Dickey) and () also have pitching assets that might interest the Angels, but Jerry Dipoto may lack the chips required to deal for such starters.

A commitment to start Peter Bourjos, long coveted by others, probably removes the speedy center fielder as potential trade bait, and with three rotation spots to fill, the Angels are not about to trade hard-throwing 24-year-old .

There is no surplus of , unless you consider overpaid, underachieving Vernon Wells a tradable commodity, or middle beyond Erick Aybar and . November 12, 2012 Page 5 of 38

There isn't much power beyond , Kendrys Morales and , who will fill the middle of the order, and the Angels used three top prospects — and pitchers and Arial Pena — to acquire pitcher Zack Greinke in July.

There is little high-end talent in the system above double A, and isn't going anywhere.

So where does that leave Dipoto in his search to fill rotation voids left by Greinke and , who are free agents, and , who was traded to Kansas City? Probably in the free-agent market.

"Trades are very rarely connect one dot," Dipoto said at the general managers' meetings in Indian Wells. "You're not typically trading A for B — there's usually more than one name. There are a variety of ways to make trades. I can't say I've spent a whole lot of time thinking through it, because I don't know that that's Plan A."

Plan A is to go full bore for Greinke and add another pitcher to a rotation that consists of , C.J. Wilson, Jerome Williams and Richards. But Dipoto seems reluctant to break up his core to do so.

"We like our position-player club," Dipoto said. "If at all possible, we'd like to keep that club together. Any time you add through a trade, you have to take away."

Improving the bullpen is also a priority, and that pursuit could take the Angels to Japan. Dipoto confirmed he's interested in free-agent closer Kyuji Fujikawa.

Fujikawa, 32, was 3-3 with a 1.24 earned-run average and 41 saves for the Hanshin Tigers last season and would like to play on the West Coast. The right-hander mixes a 93-mph with a split-finger fastball and .

"There's an attraction there for the player and for us," Dipoto said. "We've seen him against major league hitters. There's no question about his ability. He's a talented guy."

Etc.

The Angels signed reliever Mitch Stetter, 32, to a minor league deal. The left-hander appeared in 132 games for Milwaukee from 2007-2011, going 8-2 with a 4.08 ERA. … Trout is the first Angels rookie and 17th player in franchise history to win a , given to the top offensive producers at each position.

November 12, 2012 Page 6 of 38

FROM THE ORAN GE COUNTY REGISTER

Fulfilling a fantasy and feeding the hungry, all thanks to Angels' groundskeepers

Angels groundskeepers will open for their annual canned food drive, allowing fans on the field to , pitch and field in exchange for a donation of food or money.

By MARCIA C. SMITH COLUMNIST THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – Barney Lopas has taken care of the field at Angel Stadium so long that this workplace - after maintaining it for 81 Angels baseball home games, converting it into a CIF football field and grooming it for exhibition ballgames - sometimes can become just that: a workplace.

The Angels' head groundskeeper and his crew meticulously care for this major league ballpark year-round. They mow and water its Bermuda rye blend. They seed its worn patches. They rake its warning track and infield dirt. They chalk its lines.

But every November, months after ends, Lopas can't help but be reminded of how special this diamond of baseball history remains.

That's when hundreds of baseball enthusiasts make a pilgrimage, some driving long distances or flying in from far-flung hometowns, for an opportunity simply to step on the same field where Albert Pujols and Mike Trout come to work, where once took the mound and where the Angels won their 2002 .

The Angels groundskeepers will open the field for their 12th annual Thanksgiving Holiday Canned Food Drive this Friday through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weather permitting, trading donations of non-perishable food and money for the chance to hit, pitch and field at the major league ballpark.

Lopas knows how far people come for this experience, one man last year making the flight from North Dakota to be on the stage of "The Show."

They wait in line for several hours, with bats in gloved hands, helmets on and nerves on end, for the chance to take an at-bat from the same box where Angels stars Torii Hunter and Mark Trumbo swung this past season.

For a donation of three canned and non-perishable food items or $2, anyone can step to the plate to take a 60 mph fastball from a pitching machine. A few people want just one pitch but many, determined to connect for a legitimate hit or the rare , lug in the 60 cans or put up the $40 to take the maximum 20 pitches.

Nobody bunts. November 12, 2012 Page 7 of 38

There are plenty of humbling swings from weekend warriors who unspool their bodies with all their might, whip around and hear the crack – not of the bat but their backs. There are many foul tips and panicked shouts of "Heads up!"

There are men and women and teen-age batting cage dwellers who nail impressive line drives and arcing fly balls. There are mid-life batters who haven't swung since high school and return to reclaim a youthful baseball moment on the field they usually see only from the stands.

"It's fun to see everyone from Little Leaguer to wanna-be ballplayers to grandparents take their swings," Lopas said. "We had two home runs last year."

Last year, the event drew nearly 800 people and raised more than $21,000 for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to feed families during the holiday season. Every dollar feeds about three people, Lopas said.

You can bring your glove and, for a $25 donation, spend 15 minutes in the outfield, shagging balls and running down flies like Trout or, in seasons past, and .

You can step into the left-field bullpen and, for a donation of two cans or $2, make a pitch that will get clocked by radar. This is the same place where Angels All-Star closers Troy Percival and Jordan Walden have thrown 100 mph.

Or you can take a tour of the visitor's clubhouse for a $10 contribution.

Everyone signs waivers before taking the field, just in case someone gets beaned, throws out an arm, pulls a hamstring while running down a popup or turns an ankle trying to swing out of his cleats.

Medical personnel will also be present.

Hardly anyone complains about the wait, which is less on Friday and as long as four hours during the weekend rush.

"What's a couple hours? I'm been waiting 40 years for this," one man told Lopas last year.

Lopas has seen men as old as four Trouts swing bats for the first time in decades. He has watched rec-league players return three days in a row to take 20 more pitches in hopes of hitting a home run.

He knows how special this place, his workplace, is every time he sees the awe, the glee, the gaping expression and the wondrous eyes of visitors who pause the second they step onto the field.

They touch the soft, dewy grass. They scrub the dirt with their sneakers. They look around at the empty stands that seat more than 44,000 people during Angels games. November 12, 2012 Page 8 of 38

They spin around to take in the majesty of this baseball palace as though it were the center of the Grand Canyon.

Then comes the first pitch, fast and furious, interrupting the reverie. And baseball begins.

For the youngsters daunted by the pitching machine parked in front of the mound, the Angels groundskeepers will bring out a tee. Lopas, who's used to pitching batting practice to his son, will even take the mound to hurl participants something to hit.

"When someone gets a hit, they light up," Lopas said. "Being on the field is their dream come true."

The Angels ballpark, Lopas realizes, is a beautiful place to be thankful.

Scout saw Trout's potential

By JEFF FLETCHER / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Back in the 1980s, when Greg Morhardt was just another minor leaguer on his way to soon becoming an ex-minor leaguer, he crossed paths with players such as , , Mark McGwire and .

Decades later, when Morhardt became an area scout, he recalled those future major league stars as he watched a muscular teenager from New Jersey.

"Gee whiz," Morhardt recalled thinking, "Mike Trout is 16 or 17 and he's really better than all of them."

Back then, it may have seemed like hyperbole when Morhardt filed glowing, almost unbelievable reports, on Trout. Today, it makes sense.

Trout is a virtual lock to be selected the AL Rookie of the Year on Monday. He's also got a shot to win the AL MVP Award, which will be announced Thursday. Trout could join and as the only players to win the Rookie of the Year and the MVP in the same season.

Trout is the underdog in the MVP race because won baseball's first Crown in 45 years. Trout supporters would say his season was just as historic. He was the first rookie to combine 30 homers and 40 stolen bases. He led the majors with 129 runs.

"The home run power you expected to come because he has the frame and the quickness and the strength," Morhardt said, "but you thought maybe it would be a year or two later."

As high as expectations were for Trout, they weren't this high. November 12, 2012 Page 9 of 38

"None of us thought he'd be as good as he'd be last year, at 20 years old," former Angels scouting director said. "You could dream about it when he was 27 or 30. Even then, we'd have been told we were crazy."

That's because in the spring of 2009, when teams were assembling their lists and preparing for the draft, none of them thought Trout would do what he's done. Good thing, too. Or the Angels wouldn't have been able to get him with the 25th pick, after 21 other teams said, "No, thanks," including the and twice.

"He definitely moved a lot quicker and turned out to be a hell of a ballplayer a lot quicker than people were anticipating," said scouting director John Barr, who picked sixth. "I think we all look back now and think, 'Geez, we wish he was higher on our boards.'"

The Angels had Trout at No. 2 on their board, behind only .

"And even that may have been a little low," Bane said.

Although Strasburg was baseball's consensus No. 1 pick, a once-in-a-generation talent who has lived up to the billing so far in his major-league career, there was at least one voice in the Angels' draft room who dissented.

"I didn't think there was a better player than Mikey," said Morhardt, who now works as a national crosschecker. "I'll put him against anybody. Sometimes you have to jump out there a little bit. I didn't think there was a better amateur player in the country. At some point he's going to have a chance to be a Hall of Fame baseball player."

Morhardt, who lives in Connecticut, was tipped off to Trout in the spring of 2008, during the 's junior year of high school. Morhardt immediately recognized the last name, and wondered if Trout was related to Jeff Trout, Morhardt's former minor-league teammate. He found out that was Mike Trout's father.

Morhardt began following Trout, and he invited him to play on an Angels-sponsored team in a couple of scouting showcases that summer. The more he saw of Trout, the more he fell in love with the kid.

During one of the first workouts, Morhardt watched Trout hit in an indoor batting cage at Yankee Stadium and impress immediately: "Within a few swings you could just see that this kid was a lot better than everybody else."

Trout's speed was eye-popping. Bane said right-handed hitters never run under four seconds from the box to first base, but Trout was consistently 3.9. He also had the muscular build of a football player, and the strength translated to power.

"There are a lot of kids that are strong, and a lot that are fast, but most kids don't have that combination," Morhardt said. "It's very rare." November 12, 2012 Page 10 of 38

Beyond his raw tools, Trout showed a special understanding of the game.

"He had a very unique ability to concentrate," Morhardt said. "He saw everything that was going on around him. When he'd slide into a base and the ball would squirt away, he'd know exactly the speed of the ball and where it was going. He was able to read other weaknesses of athletes and take advantage. Mike didn't have a deficiency at all."

The final piece to the scouting puzzle was filled in when Bane went out to dinner with Trout and his parents before the draft.

"You knew you were going to get as good a player as you could because the family was so good," said Bane, who now works as a special assistant for the . "They did things the way you want to see them done."

Once Bane was sold on Trout, all that was left for the Angels was to hope that Trout would make it past those other 21 teams on draft day. Fortunately for the Angels, a couple factors dropped Trout on other teams' lists.

First, he was from New Jersey. Because of the weather in the northeast, the high school baseball season is short, so scouts have less opportunity to see the players.

"Guys there have a very short scouting window because of the weather," said Oakland A's scouting director Eric Kubota, who nearly took Trout with the 13th pick. "If you happened to go in and he had a bad day, which all guys do, you might not have had the opportunity to get in and see him again. In Florida and California and , you have plenty of time. It's a lot harder when they are up in the northeast."

Morhardt counted on this. In fact, once the Angels had seen all they needed to see, Morhardt joked to Trout's father: "I hope Mike doesn't get a hit the rest of the year."

There was also a concern with Trout because of the way he wrapped his top hand around the bat. Some scouts thought he would become a dead-pull hitter. Morhardt said that question was answered when he asked Trout, during a workout the previous summer, to hit some balls the other way. Trout proceeded to hit five or six line drives into right.

"They weren't sure if his swing was going to play," Morhardt said. "I think it was looking too much at the negative, which wasn't really a negative. The positive is he's faster than everyone, stronger than everyone, and when he hits it, he hits it harder than everyone."

Trout stood out on draft day simply by showing up. The 2009 draft was the first to be televised, but only Trout accepted the invitation to attend at the MLB Network's Secaucus, N.J., studios. Most of the other top players had been advised by their agents not to be there, Bane said.

"Mike showed his character by showing up," Bane said. "That should have showed something right there." November 12, 2012 Page 11 of 38

Trout was still sitting there in the studio, waiting to be picked, when the Angels had back- to-back selections, Nos. 24 and 25, so they knew they'd not only get Trout, but Randall Grichuk, a high school outfielder from Texas.

Although first-round picks can often linger into August before they sign, Bane got a call from Jeff Trout a week after the draft telling him his son was ready to sign: "Get him out of here," Jeff said. "He's driving me crazy at the house."

A couple weeks later, Trout signed for $1.215 million, the suggested slot value for the 25th pick.

"Obviously, it was one of the biggest bargains of all time," Bane said. "But I don't think Mike is going to have to worry about money much."

Not if he keeps churning out seasons like 2012. Trout is one of the game's most exciting stars already and, believe it or not, Morhardt thinks he can do even better. He said Trout actually will expose pitchers' weaknesses, once he knows them, more than they will expose his.

That's not usually how it works, but Morhardt said there's nothing typical about Trout.

"When you have a guy that athletic and strong and who has those instincts, you break the mold of the normal process," Morhardt said. "Every once in a while, you run into a guy like Mike. Mike is up there with the greats of all time at this young age."

Tim Bogar, Mike Hampton join Angels minor league staff

November 9th, 2012, 5:19 pm by JEFF FLETCHER, OCREGISTER.COM

The Angels named Tim Bogar manager of their Double-A Arkansas affiliate, one of several new baseball operations job assignments announced today. Bogar had been on the Boston Red Sox major league staff the past five seasons, including serving as bench coach in 2012.

Former major league pitcher Mike Hampton will join Bogar as the pitching coach at Double-A. This will be the first coaching job for Hampton, who retired in 2011.

The Angels also announced the hiring of Bobby Scales, director of player development; Carlos Gomez, international scouting director; Michael Noboa, coordinator of Latin American operations; Pete Harnish, special assignment pitching instructor; and Brett Crane, minor league equipment manager.

The Angels announced the promotion of to minor league pitching coordinator; Paul Sorrento to minor league hitting coordinator; Mike Micucci to minor league field coordinator, Nate Horowitz to coordinator of scouting and Jonathan Strangio to coordinator of baseball operations. November 12, 2012 Page 12 of 38

FROM ESPN.COM

Source: Dodgers chasing Torii Hunter

By Mark Saxon ESPNLosAngeles.com

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers have approached free agent outfielder Torii Hunter about a two-year contract, according to a major league source.

The Dodgers' thinking is to use Hunter as an insurance policy as Carl Crawford's recovery from elbow surgery crosses into early next season, but they also have made it clear to other teams that they would consider trading . Hunter also has been pursued by the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, , and one other team. The Yankees have talked to Hunter's agent about a one-year contract.

Hunter, 37, is a nine-time Gold Glove winner coming off one of his finest seasons. He batted .313 with 16 home runs and 92 RBIs for the , who did not extend a qualifying offer to him. Because of that, any team that signs Hunter would not have to surrender a draft pick.

Hunter, who's spent the last five seasons with the Angels, is close friends with Dodgers center fielder and owns a home in Newport Coast, Calif.

Restocking the Angels' rotation

By Hudson Belinsky, Halos Daily Special to ESPN.com

Entering 2012, the Angels’ rotation looked like it would be a winning weapon. At the top, Jered Weaver was coming off a -caliber season, and Dan Haren and Ervin Santana were poised to repeat their solid campaigns. Jerry Dipoto has inked C.J. Wilson to a long-term deal to give the Angels a very strong four-man crew. Jerome Williams or Garrett Richards would be the fifth starter, and both seemed like they would be pretty decent in such a role.

Santana imploded, came on strong, imploded again, then came on strong to finish. His final body of work was well below average, and the Angels had little interest in bringing him back at a $13 million salary. Haren struggled to stay healthy, and he wasn’t able to command the strike zone like he had in 2011. The Angels opted to decline Haren’s $15.5 million option, making him a free agent after two-plus years wearing Halo red.

Weaver had another fantastic season. Wilson was great for a while, then regressed into the mid-rotation arm that he is. Williams and Richards put together underwhelming performances, but in June the Angels turned prospects Johnny Hellweg, Ariel Pena and November 12, 2012 Page 13 of 38

Jean Segura into two months of Zack Greinke. Greinke’s arrival encouraged championship expectations; the rotation was supposed to be stable and healthy down the stretch. It wasn’t.

With the end of the season came a world of uncertainty. Weaver and Wilson are the only locks to return, and the Angels have 60 percent of a rotation to fill this winter. Who are some of their better options to restock the staff?

1. Zach Greinke. Greinke is the prize of this offseason. He’s been viewed as an ace ever since his incredible 2009 season with the Royals, in which he posted a 2.33 FIP across just under 230 . He’s clearly the best pitcher available on the free agent market, and the Angels have a good amount of money coming off the books, with Haren, Santana and Torii Hunter all off the payroll.

However, while the Angels will aggressively pursue Greinke, but there are several other viable options on the market. Over at Halos Daily, we’ve taken a few different looks at how some of the top arms might fit in SoCal, especially how it relates to Greinke’s value this winter.

2. Anibal Sanchez. Andrew Karcher examined Sanchez, finding that “[he] and his agent will probably bide their time before signing somewhere… letting Greinke set the market and create a bidding war for [Sanchez’s] services.” Sanchez might be a good option as a fallback option if Greinke is out of reach; he isn’t Greinke, but he’s a very consistent, viable piece that any rotation would love to have. If the Angels can’t nab Greinke, Sanchez is a clear fit.

3. Hiroki Kuroda. Kuroda could also be a good fit for the Halos. He isn’t young, so it looks like he’s content with a short-term deal without a huge commitment. Regardless of whether the Angels have paid Greinke funny money, Kuroda could be a fit and could make the rotation one of the best in baseball, much like it looked like he would when he originally signed with the Yankees prior to 2012.

At Halos Daily, Jesse Crall points out that Kuroda is “someone whose xFIP is always around 3.50, someone who keeps his ground-ball rate around 50 percent, someone who strikes out just enough batters to succeed, and someone whose fastball has the same low 90’s velocity it did when he broke in with the Dodgers.” Kuroda is the same pitcher that's been above-average for several years now, and he might decide that he wants to go back to SoCal, but that he also looks better in red.

4. Brandon McCarthy. The next attractive option is McCarthy. Whispers that his personal connection is a bit too strong might be true, but money talks, and McCarthy might be willing to leave Oakland given the right situation and a mansion with the proper square footage. The A’s rotation is also pretty deep, so they may decide that getting into a bidding war for McCarthy isn’t worth their time and resources.

McCarthy hasn’t stayed healthy for a long stretch of time, and 2012 wasn't an amazing season for him. His rate took a dip and he walked a few more batters than he had in 2011. But his stuff was the same, and assuming a clean bill of health, there’s no November 12, 2012 Page 14 of 38

reason to assume he can’t return to being the No. 2 starter he looked like in 2011. Halos Daily’s Nathan Aderhold thinks “McCarthy can [probably] be had for something around two years and $20 million, which would likely leave $12-$15 million or so on the table to sign another pitcher like Hiroki Kuroda or Shaun Marcum.”

5. Shaun Marcum. Another solid option, Marcum could stabilize the middle of the Angels’ rotation. He’ll probably be looking for some long-term security, and the Angels could roll the dice and give him a three-year deal.

Marcum has been consistent throughout his time in the majors, but elbow soreness sidelined him for over two months in 2012. He returned strong (at least in terms of peripherals), but he turns 31 in December, so his clock is ticking.

Marcum could wait out the offseason for the highest and last bidder, and he may end up settling for an expensive one-year deal that he can use to prove his worth for potential employers in a year. Given that Marcum had the highest strikeout rate of his career in 2012, the Angels would be well advised to jump on such a deal.

The Angels need to fill three spots. Greinke is the flashy name, and one Greinke might mean more than one Sanchez and one Marcum combined if you need him in Game 1 of the postseason, but the Angels are trying to get back to the playoffs first. Rotational depth is a need, and with the club having locked up so much talent long-term last season, they might be best to invest a lot of short-term money in guys who can fill spots for them and perform well, even if they aren’t elite.

FROM ANGELS.COM

Trout transcends in rookie season unlike any other

Angels center fielder's 2012 campaign stands apart from all-time greats

By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com

There is no doubt about Mike Trout as Rookie of the Year. The only question is whether he's the Rookie of All Time.

"I've been in the game 30-something years, and I've never seen anyone like him," said Oakland general manager , the 2012 Major League Executive of the Year. "He's just a phenomenal talent. I shouldn't go overboard with the superlatives, since he's with another club. But I love watching him play. He's from the '60s: Mickey, Whitey and Mike Trout. He looks like a 'Boys Life' cover." November 12, 2012 Page 15 of 38

Taking into account rhapsodies by Beane and scouts, along with all measurable factors from the computer mavens, the extraordinary center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim stands apart.

Trout's selection as 2012 American League Rookie of the Year has been a foregone conclusion since he was named AL Player of the Month in July, in the midst of four consecutive Rookie of the Month selections from May through August. The official announcement of the AL Rookie of the Year Award, as voted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, will be televised live Monday at 6 p.m. ET on MLB Network.

Headed by Trout and Rangers starter , this might be remembered someday as the greatest rookie class the league has ever produced. Future stars emerged in abundance: Yoenis Cespedes, and Ryan Cook of the AL West champion Athletics; Will Middlebrooks of the Red Sox; the Orioles' ; the Rays' ; the Mariners' Jesus Montero; White Sox relievers Addison Reed and Nate Jones, and Royals reliever Kelvin Herrera.

It is indicative of Trout's greatness that he dwarfs such a bountiful collection of talent.

"He's so good," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said, "he could play any position on the field he wanted to play."

Major League Baseball's Rookie of the Year Award was inaugurated, fittingly, in the debut season of the man whose name now graces the trophy. There never has been a greater all-around athlete than .

In 1947, the multi-sport legend smashed through baseball's racial barrier for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was rewarded as the sport's first Rookie of the Year. Two years later, the award was expanded to include the best freshman in each league.

In all the years since Robinson's arrival changed society, no Rookie of the Year has authored a season superior, statistically, to the one Trout gave the Angels in 2012.

After leading the league in hitting most of the season, Trout, at .326, finished second to Detroit's Miguel Cabrera, the winner.

He ranked third in the AL in on-base percentage (.399), third in slugging (.564) and second on OPS (.963). He led the Majors in runs scored (129) and steals (49), getting caught just five times for a 90.7 success rate.

A first-round Draft pick (No. 25 overall) by the Angels in 2009 out of Millville (N.J.) High School, Trout was the first player in history to combine a .320-plus average with 30 or more homers and 45 or more steals. He's also the first to score at least 125 runs with 30 or more homers and 45 or more steals.

Trout dominated the metrics evaluations, including the controversial WAR ( player), according to Baseball-Reference.com. His 10.7 overall WAR is the November 12, 2012 Page 16 of 38

best in the Majors in a decade, since Barry Bonds' 11.6 in 2002. Trout also ranked first in offensive WAR (8.6) and offensive win percentage (.786).

He was at his best against the best. Consider these numbers Trout put together against the Mariners' great Felix Hernandez: 9-for-17 (.529) with a double, triple, home run and eight RBIs for a 1.409 OPS.

Denied a Rawlings Gold Glove -- AL voters favoring 's Adam Jones in center field -- Trout was the choice for the inaugural Wilson Defensive Player of the Year in the AL based on statistical metrics. He stole four potential home runs and was credited with 23 runs saved by Fangraphs.

Trout did all of this as the youngest player in the league.

There have been two comparable seasons by 20-year-old position players in the modern era: Detroit's Al Kaline in 1955 and Seattle's in 1996. Neither player, however, was in his rookie year.

Kaline won the AL batting title with a .340 average in his second season, producing 27 homers and 102 RBIs. He'd played a full season at 19 in 1954.

Rodriguez also was a batting champion in his 20-year-old season, hitting .358 with 36 homers and 123 RBIs. He had 142 at-bats - 12 more than the current threshold for rookie eligibility - in 1995.

Kaline's 8.0 WAR in '55 was fourth in the Majors, behind (9.2), (8.8) and (8.4). Rodriguez's 9.2 WAR in '96 trailed teammate Ken Griffey Jr. (9.5) and Barry Bonds (9.4). A-Rod turned 21 that season on July 27; Trout turned 21 this season on Aug. 7.

Among Rookies of the Year playing center field in the modern era, Fred Lynn with the 1975 Red Sox came closest to Trout in total performance.

The AL MVP, Lynn hit .331 with 21 homers and 105 RBIs, scoring 103 runs and stealing 10 bases. Leading the AL in slugging (.566) and OPS (.967), he claimed a Gold Glove.

The 2001 season produced a pair of dominant Rookies of the Year in the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and the Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki, a veteran of nine seasons in the Japanese Pacific League.

Pujols' offensive numbers -- .329/.403/.610 -- hold up against Trout's. But Pujols, moving from third to first to the outfield, was not yet the accomplished defender he would become at first base. He stole one base.

Ichiro led the Majors with 56 steals and was the AL batting champion at .350. He had a .381 OBP, but his .457 slugging mark was not in Trout's league. Defensively, Ichiro, playing right field, was on Trout's level. November 12, 2012 Page 17 of 38

Evaluating their rookie seasons as total players, Trout holds the edge over both Pujols and Ichiro. The Angels' wunderkind is a better defender and baserunner than the 2001 Pujols with significantly more power production than Ichiro. For those valuing WAR, Pujols graded at 6.3 in 2001, Ichiro at 7.5 -- both well below Trout's 10.7, the best ever by a position player 23 years old or younger.

The most recent center fielder with a higher WAR than Trout was the incomparable Willie Mays' 10.9 at his peak in 1965. Mickey Mantle had a career-best WAR of 11.1 in 1957 at 25.

Widely considered the greatest player of the modern all-inclusive era starting in 1947, Mays was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1951 as the New York Giants' center fielder. His slash line was .274/.356/.472.

Mays, 20 that year, played 121 games. He had 20 homers and 68 RBIs, stealing seven bases in 11 attempts.

Mantle had a better season at 20 than Mays but not Trout. The Mick in 1952 hit .311 with 23 homers and 87 RBIs.

With A-Rod at shortstop, Trout would be the center fielder on the all-time team of 20- year-old talents, between and . Williams, in 1939, hit .327 with 31 homers and 145 RBIs. Ott, 20 in 1929 for the Giants, hit .328 with 42 homers and 152 RBIs.

Williams would have been the Rookie of the Year in 1939, but Ott was in his third season in 1929.

A of notable pitchers have claimed Rookie of the Year honors with far-reaching impact: with the 1949 Dodgers, (1967 Mets), Mark "Bird" Fidrych (1975 Tigers), (1981 Dodgers), (1984 Mets) and (1995 Dodgers).

If Trout finishes as AL MVP runner-up to Cabrera, as expected, it will do nothing to diminish what was arguably the greatest season by a rookie since Robinson won the first award now bearing his name, changing the game -- and society -- in the process.

November 12, 2012 Page 18 of 38

FROM MLB.COM

AL has deep Rookie of the Year field

Cespedes, Darvish and Montero would normally be strong contenders

By Paul Hagen / MLB.com

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish are finalists for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. In any other year, they would be anxiously awaiting Monday night's announcement of the results from the Baseball Writers' Association of America voting to see if they won.

Except that this isn't any other year. This is the year that Angels outfielder Mike Trout is expected to blow all other candidates out of the water. Or as Braves special assistant put it: "They're blown out of the water, because no rookie has ever had as good a year [as Trout]. Rainbow had as good a year as anybody could possibly have."

In the bigger picture, though, this highlights how much good young talent came into the AL this season, with rookies such as Trout, Cespedes, Darvish and Mariners Jesus Montero all making an impact.

"I think the last couple years have been really special in terms of the young players that we've infused into this game," said Rays executive vice president of baseball operations . "There are a number of young, really exciting players like Trout and [the Nationals' Bryce] Harper who have come into this game and are extremely well- rounded baseball players. Not necessarily just big power hitters. But guys who are extremely well-rounded and have stepped up and delivered pretty immediately.

"Most young guys, there's a learning curve and it takes some time for them to get to the point of being a good Major League player. But there have been a lot of guys the last couple years that have kind of hit the ground running and been above-average players from Jump Street."

Added Orioles executive VP of baseball operations : "They're all very talented, and the good news is those players came into the American League. Cespedes and Darvish could have signed with anybody, and they came into the American League. So that's good for us."

Fregosi said there's a good reason that so many younger players are making their mark. As salaries for the top players continue to rise, teams attempt to balance their payrolls with less expensive talent. Clubs are more willing to give unproven players an opportunity, instead of the old formula of advancing them one level at a time.

"A lot of guys had great years because more rookies had opportunities to play than they usually do," Fregosi said. "Because everybody's searching for inexpensive talent, so more guys are getting an opportunity to play on the Major League level." November 12, 2012 Page 19 of 38

What impressed Royals senior adviser Mike Arbuckle most about Cespedes (.292, 23 homers and 82 RBIs in 129 games, with an .861 OPS) was how quickly he was able to make adjustments.

"That makes you think he's probably going to continue to get better, because he obviously has aptitude," Arbuckle said. "So you're looking and you're saying, 'This guy's improving now, but let him get to a point where he's learning the league and what have you and he's got a chance to be a really good player.

"I saw him make steady improvement as the year went on. I thought in he could be pitched to. He had holes. He overswung a lot. But as the year went, he eliminated some of those holes. He started understanding that he needed to use the whole field. And he's got power to all fields, so he doesn't need to pull everything. And he really made strides over time and became a much more dangerous hitter, aside from a guy who could just hit the ball out of the park. He could hurt you by just making hard contact."

Duquette agrees. "Cespedes had a terrific year and helped turn Oakland around. He's a really gifted player. He could be Rookie of the Year any year Mike Trout's not in the league."

Darvish won 16 games for Texas with a 3.90 ERA. He pitched 191 1/3 innings, while allowing just 156 hits.

"In Spring Training, he looked like he was just feeling his way. But once he got a grasp of things, he became the guy you're going to want to run out there in big games," Arbuckle said. "The biggest thing he has is pitchability. He's got good stuff. But he can pitch with that good stuff. That's the thing for me. He's got good feel when he's on the mound. He has a sense of what he needs to do to get a hitter out."

Added Fregosi: "He'll get even better as he gets used to pitching in the United States. He has great stuff. The biggest transition is the size of the baseball. The ball is the U.S. is bigger."

Montero is seen as primarily an offensive player, but a good one who may eventually end up as a . He batted .260 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs in 135 games, but those numbers could jump dramatically in the future since the Mariners have announced that they're bringing the fences in at Safeco Field for the 2013 season.

"I think that will definitely make a difference," Arbuckle said. "He can hit. He was going to put up some impressive home run and RBI numbers anyway, and after they make that park smaller, his numbers will really start to stand out. No question. He's a confident kid, and when you watch him go about it, he's got that sense that the good ones have that, 'Yeah, I belong here. I'm a pretty good player.'"

November 12, 2012 Page 20 of 38

The Week Ahead: And the winners are ...

BBWAA awards highlight the days ahead while Hot Stove chatter continues

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

There's nothing going on this week in baseball, is there? It's the offseason, after all. As soon as the Giants' victory parade through San Francisco ended, hardball hounds didn't have anything to bark about until Spring Training, right?

Please.

Monday began a significant week on the calendar of America's Pastime -- one fans have been arguing and discussing for months. It's the week when the Baseball Writers' Association of America award winners will be revealed, when the most serious individual hardware is being brought out on a daily basis.

Monday: American League and Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Awards In the AL, this is a foregone conclusion. Everybody knows it'll be Angels outfielder Mike Trout, and the only question is if he'll win unanimously over co-finalists Yu Darvish of Texas and Yoenis Cespedes of Oakland. Nothing against Darvish, who arrived from Japan and lived up to the hype with 16 wins, or Cespedes, who galvanized the AL West- winning A's in his first season after defecting from Cuba, but Trout had a historic season. More on that below, in the MVP category.

In the NL, the finalists are Arizona pitcher , Reds and Nationals outfielder . This one packs plenty of intrigue, with Harper having put forth his body of work (.270/.340/.477, 22 homers, 18 stolen bases, 98 runs) at the age of 19. Miley (16-11, 3.33 ERA, 144 ) and Frazier (19 homers, 67 RBIs, .829 OPS) have a lot to be proud of, too, but the conversation on this particular award will be centered around Harper, win or lose.

Tuesday: AL and NL Managers of the Year This is always a difficult decision. Do you go with the skipper of the best team, even if that team has a winning record every year, or do you go with the guy who got the most out of the talent he had? Both cases are well-represented in both leagues.

In the AL, the finalists are Orioles manager , A's skipper Bob Melvin and rookie White Sox skipper . Ventura's team had a fine year but didn't fare well down the stretch, which means it looks like it'll be between Showalter, whose team shocked baseball by making the postseason, and Melvin, whose club shocked baseball by winning the AL West.

In the NL, it'll come down to Washington's , San Francisco's Bruce Bochy and Cincinnati's . All three led his team to a division title. Arguments can be -- and have been -- made for each of them. November 12, 2012 Page 21 of 38

Wednesday: AL and NL Cy Young Awards In the AL, you've got Detroit's (17-8, 2.64 ERA, league-leading 239 strikeouts in a league-leading 238 1/3 innings) trying to repeat his Cy feat that also netted him the AL MVP a year ago. He's the sentimental favorite, but fellow finalists Jered Weaver of the Angels (20-5, 2.81 ERA) and of the Rays (20-5, 2.56 ERA, 205 strikeouts) weren't messing around.

"A lot of people have really good years, but Price is the type of pitcher who is going to have good years for many years to come, just because of his work ethic," Tampa Bay teammate James Shields said. "He has this competitive nature to him. He wants to outwork everybody. He wants to pitch better than everybody and he's shown that."

In the NL, the finalists are very close in numbers. There's veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey of the Mets (20-6, 2.63 ERA, 230 strikeouts); last year's Cy winner, Dodgers lefty (14-9, 2.53 ERA, 229 strikeouts); and Washington's lefty up-and- comer, Gio Gonzalez (21-8, 2.89 ERA, 207 strikeouts).

A win by Dickey would cap off an incredible story of perseverance and rejuvenation at the age of 38.

"I don't really know, because I don't know the minds of the people who vote," Dickey said. "As long as I don't know that, it would be tough for me to speculate on my chances, because everyone has different criteria, it seems. I'm one of three. I've got a 33-percent shot."

Thursday: AL and NL Most Valuable Player Awards The NL MVP race seems a bit quirky, somewhat of a mixed bag. It could be Milwaukee's , who won it last year and delivered similar numbers in 2012 (.319 average, .987 OPS, 41 homers, 112 RBIs), or it could be Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen (.327 average, 31 homers, 96 RBIs, 20 steals, 107 runs, .953 OPS). Then again, it could be St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina (.315 average, 22 homers, 76 RBIs, Gold Glove defense) or Padres Chase Headley (.286 average, 31 homers, league-leading 115 RBIs).

Or it might be the guy most pundits seem to think it will be: , the catcher and backbone of the World Series-champion Giants. Posey won the NL batting title with a .336 average, added 24 homers and 103 RBIs, put up an OPS of .957, and put down the fingers for a great pitching staff. His selection would be no surprise at all.

Which brings us to the AL MVP, which people have been debating for months. Let's get one thing out of the way first: there's no debate about the fine seasons that were put together by finalists Robinson Cano of the Yankees and teammates Adrian Beltre and . But there's also no debate when it comes to the fact that none of those three will win it.

The AL MVP race is down to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera (.330 average, 44 homers, 139 RBIs) and 20-year-old rookie wunderkind Trout, and it's a classic case of old-school stats vs. new-school stats, with Cabrera dominating the traditional power November 12, 2012 Page 22 of 38

numbers and batting average and Trout winning in defense, baserunning and newer metrics such as Wins Above Replacement (WAR) while hitting .326 with a .963 OPS, belting 30 homers, scoring 129 runs, stealing 49 bases and driving in 83.

This is the one everyone's waiting for, and it's finally going down this week.

"There's nothing we can do, [Trout] and me," Cabrera said late in the year. "We've both got a great year. We can't control [the voting]. We go out there and play hard, win some games.

"We'll let [the writers] decide what's going to happen."

But don't think for a second that these are the only happenings this week as we march toward Thanksgiving, which gets us closer to the annual early-December Winter Meetings, this time in Nashville, Tenn.

Starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend will be the fourth World Baseball Classic qualifier, held in New Taipei City, Taiwan. There, teams from Chinese Taipei, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand will battle to see who will represent the region when the tournament begins in March.

And then there's the unknown.

Free-agent signings and trades could happen this week. Will Josh Hamilton or Zack Greinke go, or will the best hitter and best pitcher on the market let the winter chill settle in a bit before deciding where they'll haul their gloves and bats next February?

Maybe we'll get some answers this week to go along with all those awards.

FROM SPORTSILLUSTRATED.COM

AL MVP debate highlights top storylines for awards week

By Joe Lemire

Baseball kicks off its award week today -- the list of finalists and announcement times can be found on the BBWAA's website -- and it features many of the game's boldest-face names in Miguel Cabrera, Buster Posey, Justin Verlander, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. Here's a primer with some context to consider for this superlative awards week.

Most hotly contested race: American League MVP (of course)

The Cabrera-vs.-Trout debate ignited a passion and at times a firestorm amongst most every baseball fan and writer. It has been as polarizing as any discussion in the game, on par with major changes in the schedule, such as the merits of the new one-game wild-card playoff game. November 12, 2012 Page 23 of 38

The difference in opinion for the award has incorrectly been portrayed as old-school stats boosting Triple Crown-winning Cabrera against supporting the all-around play of Wins Above Replacement leader Trout, but that of course is not quite right. Trout has plenty of old-school stats in his corner -- he led the league in runs and steals while ranking in the top three in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and triples -- and certainly there is little sabermetric love lost for Cabrera, who finished in the top five in WAR on both of the popular leaderboards, FanGraphs.com and Baseball-Reference.com.

The frame of the debate really ought to be best offensive player against best all-around player. No one produced more than Cabrera when standing in the batter's box, and no one produced more when standing (or running) anywhere on the field than Trout, whose baserunning and fielding were exemplary in addition to his offense.

It'd be simpler if only this were the NFL, which awards both an MVP and an Offensive Player of the Year, and both players could go home with hardware. And it'd be simpler if only Cabrera and Trout had enjoyed these transcendent seasons in different years. The MVP standards in most years are lower than what either of these men accomplished in 2012.

Absent the luxury of a split-award, the vote here would be for Trout, but the expectation is that Cabrera, fresh off his historic Triple Crown season, will be the winner. Both are deserving, but only one can win.

(Almost) oldest first-time winner: R.A. Dickey, Mets

If Dickey wins the National League Cy Young -- he led the league in innings, complete games, and strikeouts while ranking second in ERA, making him the favorite -- he will be the oldest first-time winner of a Cy Young in either league since the 1950s.

Dickey pitched all season as a 37-year-old before turning 38 in late October, and he would be only the third first-time winner who was at least 36 in the award's history: was 36 when he won in 1957 and was 39 when he won two years later.

The caveat, of course, is that the Cy Young was only incorporated as an award in 1956, so it didn't exist for most of Wynn's or Spahn's career, or those of the legendary pitchers from the game's first half-century, many of whom may well have won the award at an advanced age if only it had been around.

Best context for Verlander's run:

Though the Rays' David Price and the Angels' Jered Weaver both had excellent years, the American League Cy Young ought to belong to Verlander for the second straight season, which would make him the AL's first repeat winner since Pedro Martinez in 1999 and 2000. What really sets Verlander apart is this: He is the first pitcher in big league history to lead the majors in innings, strikeouts and adjusted ERA (ERA+) in consecutive years. In 2011 he threw 251 innings with 250 strikeouts and a 172 ERA+; in '12 he threw 238 1/3 innings with 239 strikeouts and a 160 ERA+. November 12, 2012 Page 24 of 38

Rarest MVP position:

If Posey wins the NL MVP award, he'll be the first Senior Circuit catcher to do so since a three-year reign for the position four decades ago when won in 1970 and '72 while won in '71. In the meantime, all seven other positions on the diamond have each had at least two different winners. (For comparison's sake, three AL have won the award since an NL catcher did: in 2009, Ivan Rodriguez in 1999 and in 1976.) Posey won't be entirely alone on the ballot box either -- count on Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina snagging a first-place vote or two.

Most lofty expectations:

Trout will win AL Rookie of the Year. Bryce Harper may win NL Rookie of the Year. If one indulges the considerable hype of the game's consensus two top offensive prospects of the past couple years -- insert disclaimer here about how Trout is 21 years old and Harper is now 20 -- consider the rarefied company they could keep.

The Rookie of the Year honors, first incepted in 1947 and first awarded to both leagues in 1949, are no sure predictor of successful big league careers. For every , there's a .

But there are four seasons that stand above the rest. There have been three years in which both recipients were eventual Hall of Famers -- and in 1956; Tom Seaver and in 1967; and in 1977 -- and a fourth year in which both are slam-dunk future Hall of Famers, when Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki both won in 2001. Perhaps we'll look back at 2012 as the fifth such year.

FROM USA TODAY

Trout vs. Harper: Which rookie has the higher ceiling?

Steve Gardner and Nicholas Minnix, USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX – November really isn't prime fantasy baseball season, but don't tell that to the attendees at the 18th annual First Pitch Arizona fantasy symposium. The main drawing card was a chance to see baseball – and in particular, the Rising Stars Game – but one of the new twists at this year's event was the debut of a Five-Year Draft.

The idea, proposed and moderated by BaseballHQ.com founder Ron Shandler, was to have a panel of 12 fantasy experts conduct a draft in which each player had to be owned for the next five years. November 12, 2012 Page 25 of 38

The unique format forced the panelists to take both current and future production into account – which made for some interesting twists and turns as the draft unfolded.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun turns 29 on Saturday, but his "advanced" age didn't seem to be a deterrent to him going with the first overall pick. Not surprisingly, 2012 AL MVP front-runners Mike Trout (age 21) and Miguel Cabrera (age 29) were second and third off the board.

With many of the participants opting for the security of players in their peak years, the proceedings didn't look a whole lot different than a typical 2013 mixed-league draft … until the latter stages of the first round.

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was snapped up with the ninth pick (and a case can be made that the 20-year-old should have gone much earlier -- see below). shortstop , 22, went 10th overall.

At age 32 and coming off his worst season in the majors, Los Angeles Angels Albert Pujols fell to the first pick of the second round.

The first pitchers selected -- Stephen Strasburg and Clayton Kershaw, both 24 – were snapped up with back-to-back picks in the middle of the second round.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the draft came in Round 4, when a pair of minor leaguers who've never played a day in the majors were taken consecutively. Texas Rangers shortstop Jurickson Profar, 19, was the 43rd overall selection and lightning-fast outfielder Billy Hamilton, 22, of the went 44th. In fact, the Reds speedster was the first Hamilton taken in the Five-Year Draft – three spots ahead of free- agent slugger Josh Hamilton, who seems very likely to get at least a five-year deal on the open market.

Which Hamilton will be more valuable by the time 2017 arrives? Like the Five-Year Draft itself, the question provides the basis for some interesting discussion over the Hot Stove season.

-- Steve Gardner

The case for Harper

In this "league," it's important to emphasize that you're making a commitment to these players for the entire period. Still, most people seem so preoccupied with what has happened most recently.

Taking Braun first, I get. Mike Trout, who went second, I get ... but I wouldn't get. No way. I'd have taken Bryce Harper instead of Trout, and I think those who passed on Harper will regret it – even though Trout is coming off one of the five greatest seasons in the history of the game. Here's why:

Pedigree November 12, 2012 Page 26 of 38

Trout was an elite prospect with unquestionable All-Star potential, but Harper was tabbed as a once-in-a-lifetime prospect. Whose upside would you rather have?

Acumen

Trout is a bright youngster. He largely struggled in his initial exposure to major league pitching, which came in 2011, his age-19 season. Failure had been scarce for him. He learned from that disappointment, however, and by May of 2012, he'd clearly demonstrated that he had nothing to prove in the minor leagues.

Harper's baseball intellect is rare. He applies lessons cultivated from previous experiences incredibly quickly. He debuted on the same date in 2012 that the Angels called up Trout. Harper didn't succeed right away in his age-19 season, but he adapted relatively rapidly and didn't require a demotion. He has already faced adversity at multiple levels and has conquered it on each occasion - swiftly. Perhaps contrary to perception, he's extremely receptive to instruction and absorbs knowledge like a paper towel does water.

Expected production

Trout's 2012 numbers are practically certain to regress in 2013, and, as panel moderator Ron Shandler stressed to attendees, this past campaign was extremely likely to be the Halo's career year. (A "99% chance," Shandler said.) Although evaluators agreed that Trout was capable of production fairly close to that level at his peak, he hadn't yet produced in the minors at the pace he did once he reached the majors this year and wasn't considered likely to do so yet.

Trout's monumental season in a sense overshadowed Harper's thoroughly impressive 2012 campaign, which is a little surprising when one considers that Harper received so much attention for things besides his statistics. The Nats' ultimate foundation didn't make history, but he didn't do anything ... unexpected.

Injury risk

Trout's play in the outfield is super-heroic but is seemingly close to abandon. He's been watching too much highlight footage of Torii Hunter.

Harper plays with similar energy but is a little more under control. Each player may have a sense of indestructibility, but Harper doesn't appear to be as willing to test his threshold for pain so often.

November 12, 2012 Page 27 of 38

FROM SPORTS ON EARTH

No Rookie Mistakes

By Joe Posnanski

First, a little history. The thing that makes the Rookie of the Year fundamentally different from the other awards, I think, is that, like wine* and REM albums, there are good years and bad.

*So I’m told. I don’t know wine.

This is somewhat true of other awards, of course. But only somewhat true. There is always a league MVP ... and year-to-year, decade after decade, the MVPs’ production will be fairly comparable. Oh, sure, there will be outliers on both sides, like a Barry Bonds in 2001 or a in 1992 (huh?). But in general, the award winners all fit into a fairly small array. And over the years, the MVP numbers can look awfully similar.

Examples:

2011: Ryan Braun: .319, 41 homers, 112 RBIs, 108 runs 2006: , .321, 34 homers, 130 RBIs, 97 runs 1993: Frank Thomas, .317, 41 homers, 128 RBIs, 106 runs 1985: , .324, 35 homers, 145 RBIs, 107 runs 1972: , .308, 37 homers, 113 RBIs, 90 runs 1962: Mickey Mantle, .321, 30 homers, 89 RBIs, 96 runs 1957: , .322, 44 homers, 132 RBIs, 118 runs

And so on. Sure, there are various sizes and shapes of MVPs. Occasionally a high- average speedster like Ichiro or will win. Occasionally a shortstop without huge numbers who exemplifies leadership, like or , will win. But most of the time your MVP will look like a .300-plus hitter with a lot of homers and a lot of RBIs.

Cy Young Award winners look even more similar. There has been a shift in thinking the last few years -- more on that when we get to the Cy later in the week -- but in general we get Cy Young winners who look very much like other Cy Young winners.

Justin Verlander, 2011, 24-5, 2.40 ERA , 2002, 24-15, 2.32 ERA , 1986, 24-4, 2.48 ERA Dwight Gooden, 1985, 24-4, 1.53 ERA , 1980, 24-9, 2.34 ERA , 1971, 24-8, 1.82 ERA Denny McLain, 1969, 24-9, 2.80 ERA , 1952, 24-7, 2.48 ERA November 12, 2012 Page 28 of 38

And those are just the 24-win seasons.

But Rookie of the Year? Well, a Rookie of the Year season can look like anything. It’s Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates. One year you will get a or a , another you will get a or a . Sometimes, the rookie is a fun and goofy home run hitter who kind of came out of nowhere, like Bob Hamelin or Super . Sometimes he is a wonderful pitching phenomenon who creates a whole baseball mania, like or Fernando Valenzuela or Dwight Gooden or Hideo Nomo. Sometimes he looks like a can’t-miss superstar, like Hanley Ramirez or or Mark McGwire or . Sometimes he’s just the best guy in an uninspiring crop, like or or .

Part of this is because there are not a lot of rookies to choose from in any given year. Since 1970 there have never been more than six first-year players who got 500 plate appearances and never more than seven first-year players who qualified for the ERA title. There are some second- and third-year players who are still technically “rookies,” and some relievers who are good Rookie of the Year candidates, but the point is that the field is very limited.

But there’s something else: The Rookie of the Year Award is kind of schizophrenic. The reason we usually care about it is because of the future -- the Rookie of the Year is someone we expect will become a big star. It’s like American Idol, only the voters aren’t picking the award based on promise or potential. The award is voted entirely based on the past -- the season that the rookies had. So in 1989, for instance, the voters certainly understood that Ken Griffey Jr. was much more likely to become a superstar than reliever . But Olson had the better year by the numbers. He had a 1.69 ERA and 20 saves. Griffey hit .264 with 16 homers. WAR actually had their values being very close (Olson led 3.1 to 2.9) but the voters determined that Olson had the best rookie season, and so 26 of them voted him Rookie of the Year.*

*Well, looking back, I’d say that neither Olson nor Griffey had the best season. The best year was had by a rookie pitcher named Kevin Brown. But he finished sixth in the voting. It was a sign. For Brown’s entire career, voters would express disdain for him; he probably should have won two or three Cy Youngs, but instead won zero.

Because of this system, you will look back at Rookie of the Year balloting and see that won over ; Gary Mathews won over ; won over Al Kaline, won over . But in those cases, the winner had better years than the player who would become the bigger star. There have been some years, though, when the voters just blew it:

2009: Chris Coughlan over Andrew McCutchen WAR suggests that McCutchen (2.2) was a lot better than Coughlan (0.9) that year. Add this to the fact that he has become one of the game’s best players, while Coughlan has not, and, well, this was just a miss. McCutchen, even then, was just so much more dynamic a player than Coughlan -- more power, better speed, a much better defender. But Coughlan hit .321 and had more at-bats. November 12, 2012 Page 29 of 38

2008: over Votto had the higher batting average, on-base percentage and , and hit one more homer, and yet Soto won the Rookie of the Year Award in a landslide. Soto got off to a massive start, which undoubtedly affected the voting. Votto was the better hitter then. He’s obviously the better hitter now.

2004: over Zack Greinke Crosby hit .239 but bashed 22 homers. Greinke went 8-11. Greinke was probably better anyway. He certainly wound up the better long-term choice.

1992: Pat Listach over I have to say: I’m not exactly sure how this one happened. Lofton had the better on-base percentage and slugging percentage, he scored three more runs, hit four more homers and -- here’s the big thing -- while Listach stole an impressive 54 bases, Lofton stole 66 (and was caught six fewer times). Here were similar players, and Lofton was A LOT better than Listach. This just seems bizarre. And it wasn’t particularly close -- Listach got 20 of the 28 votes. Lofton would also go on to a 65 WAR career, which is borderline Hall of Fame, while Listach was never a full-time player again.

1986: over Barry Bonds There was no such thing as WAR in 1986 ... but if there had been, people would have been surprised to see that Bonds -- even hitting .223 -- had a higher WAR (3.3) than Worrell (2.4), who went 9-10 with 36 saves and a 2.08 ERA for the Cardinals. See, Bonds walked enough to get his OBP into the respectable .330 range, he hit 16 homers, he stole 36 bases, and he played a stellar center field. Bonds, incidentally, finished sixth in the balloting. But he finished first among rookies in WAR. So, yeah, chalk one up for the stat.*

*WAR doesn’t always name the player with the brightest future, though. In 1983 Darryl Strawberry won the Rookie of the Year, though several other players, including Mel Hall, Gary Redus, Billy Doran, Jose Deleon and Craig McMurtry finished with higher WAR. Strawberry ended up with the best career of the bunch (though Doran had a terrific career too).

1978: over Smith’s WAR (3.0) was higher than Horner’s (2.0), but mainly because Horner only played half a season. He hit 23 homers in 323 at-bats, which wowed people more than Ozzie’s defensive pyrotechnics.

1977: Eddie Murray over Well, the writers got the future right -- Murray, obviously went on to the better career. But Page had a significantly better year (5.8 WAR) than Murray (2.9 WAR). Page hit 24 points better, his OBP was more than 70 points higher and he outslugged Murray by 50 points -- it wasn’t even close. But Murray won (I suspect because he hit more homers and drove in more runs) and, of course, Murray went on to a Hall of Fame career, while Page’s career sadly disintegrated, much of it through no fault of his own. November 12, 2012 Page 30 of 38

1964: over Here comes a tangent: One of the more fascinating stories of the 1960s and early 1970s was how unappreciated Joe Morgan was as a young player. When the Reds made the blockbuster traded to get Morgan before the 1972 season, many people thought that they had lost their minds. They had traded away , who had hit 39, 34 and 38 homers the previous three seasons. They had also traded away , a local boy and pal of , who had won Gold Gloves at second base the previous two seasons.

Morgan, meanwhile, had a lifetime .263 average, no renown as a defender and a reputation (an unfair one, as it turned out) as a malcontent.

Well, it seems to me that had Morgan won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1964 -- and he should have won it -- the reputation might have been different. And, absolutely, he should have won it. Look at the baseline numbers:

Jim Lefebvre: .250/.337/.369 Joe Morgan: .271/.373/.418

Morgan had more hits, doubles, triples, homers, stolen bases and walks than Lefebvre (who, it should be said, had a really good year). In fact, Morgan led the league in walks. Morgan scored 100 runs. Lefebvre played a better second base -- at least by the numbers of the time (Lefebvre made a startling 24 errors; but Morgan made 27) -- but really it seems almost impossible to look at the two seasons and pick Lefebvre. But the voters did -- undoubtedly pushed by the fact that Lefebvre was playing for the Dodgers, who would win the World Series.

What happens if Morgan wins Rookie of the Year? The next year he made the All-Star team. The year after that he stole 29 bases (second in the league) and in a pitcher-heavy year finished in the Top 10 in walks and triples. He was only 25, so at that point he might have been viewed as a superstar.

But, he wasn’t. He got hurt in 1968, and then had a hidden gem of a year in 1969, when he hit only .236 but walked 110 times, hit 15 homers and stole 49 bases. The next two years were like that too -- low averages, lots of walks, good power (much of it dampened by the Astrodome) and improving defense, and few paid much attention. But the Reds’ GM, Bob Howsam, was paying attention. And he made the trade.

And then, his first year in Cincinnati, voila, Morgan was the best player in baseball -- .292 average, led the league in on-base percentage, 16 homers, 58 stolen bases, league- leading 122 runs -- and would be for the next five seasons. Did it really happen that suddenly? Sure, some of it might be attributed to his friendship with Pete Rose, his playing in a better lineup, his enjoyment of being part of the . But Joe Morgan was , in many ways, already a great player in Houston. And I think not winning the Rookie of the Year Award played a role in people missing that.

Obviously, this was a special year for rookie phenoms. Two rookies 20 or younger -- Mike Trout and Bryce Harper -- got 500 plate appearances. Just that -- just two 20-year- old rookies getting to bat 500 times in the same season -- has only happened six times in November 12, 2012 Page 31 of 38

modern baseball history. It is a rare thing for a 20-year-old rookie (much less a 19-year- old) to play every day in the big leagues.

The previous seasons include:

1915: at 20 hit .313 with 15 triples and went to the Hall of Fame as one of the greatest hitters ever; Whitey Witt hit .245 and went on to a 10-year, moderately successful career.

1940: Frankie Gustine at 20 hit .281 and went on to a 12-year career; Bob Kennedy at 19 hit .252 with three homers; he would play 16 years in the big leagues even though he lost three years to World War II.

1954: Hank Aaron at 20 hit .280 with 13 homers; he went on to be one of the greatest players in baseball history. Al Kaline at 19 hit .276 and he too went on to Hall of Fame greatness.

1963: at 20 hit .228 with 12 homers, and he had a 17-year career; Rusty Staub at 19 hit .224 and finished his long career with 2,716 hits and 292 homers.

2010: Starlin Castro at 20 hit an even .300 and he has made the last two All-Star teams; at 20 hit .277 with 18 homers and made the All-Star team.

So just having two every-day players that young is rare. But when you add in quality of play, this season is unprecedented. There has never been a season where two players, so young, played so well. Start with Harper, who will surely win the National League Rookie of the Year. Harper, of course, was probably the most hyped high school player since . He was on the cover of when he was 16 years old with the headline “Baseball’s Chosen One.”

Harper, at first, made a huge impact with his attitude -- one of the most memorable moments of the season was when purposely plunked Harper, and Harper responded by stealing home. Well, lots of people didn’t like Harper’s in-your-face style. “He plays like me,” Pete Rose says, with pride in his voice, and yes, there’s a bit of Charlie Hustle in Harper. But for much of the year, his value was in his attitude. He struggled otherwise.

Then, the last month of the season, the guy offered a glimpse of what he might do in this game. The last 34 games, he hit .341 and slugged .690. He scored 31 runs in those 34 games. He was a force of nature. And he did not turn 20 until the season ended.

Of course, while Harper’s future seems pretty close to limitless, well, limitless is about how good Mike Trout is right now. Let’s use WAR again. There have been 12 players in baseball history, 20 or younger, who have posted a 5.0 WAR or better. The list is filled, almost exclusively, with Hall of Famers (HOF) or Will Be Hall of Famers (WB). Two of them are Harper and Trout.

Look: November 12, 2012 Page 32 of 38

1. Mike Trout, 10.7 2. Alex Rodriguez (WB), 9.2 3. Al Kaline (HOF), 8.0 4. Mel Ott (HOF), 7.3 5. Ted Williams (HOF), 6.6 6. (HOF), 6.6 7. Jason Heyward, 6.3 8. , 6.3 9. Mickey Mantle (HOF), 6.3 10. Frank Robinson (HOF), 6.2 11. Bryce Harper, 5.0 12. Ken Griffey Jr. (WB), 5.0

You will see Harper there, squeezed in between Frank Robinson and Ken Griffey Jr. Not a bad place to be. But you will notice Mike Trout on top ... by a lot.

Before Trout, the last rookie to have a 30-homer, 30- season was ... nobody, because it never happened. Before Trout, the last rookie to lead the league in stolen bases and runs scored was ... nobody again. His season was one of a kind, rarer even than a Triple Crown. Though we’ll get into that later in the week.

One more Mike Trout chart. Look at the greatest-ever rookie seasons (bold indicates league leader):

Mike Trout (age 20): .326, 30 homers, 49 stolen bases, 129 runs, 171 OPS+ Albert Pujols (age 21): .329, 47 doubles, 37 homers, 130 RBIs, 112 runs Mark McGwire (age 23): .289, 49 homers, .617 slugging, 118 RBIs, 97 runs Fred Lynn (age 23): .331, 47 doubles, 21 homers, .566 slugging, 103 runs (age 25): .323, 217 hits, 43 doubles, 32 homers, 109 runs Dick Allen (age 22): .318, 13 triples, 29 homers, 91 RBIs, 125 runs Joe DiMaggio (age 21): .323, 44 doubles, 15 triples, 29 homers, 125 RBIs, 132 runs Ted Williams (age 20): .327, 44 doubles, 31 homers, 145 RBIs, 344 total bases

There were other rookies who had good years. Oakland’s Yoenis Cespedes had a terrific season -- good enough to probably win the Rookie of the Year Award the last two or three years -- and he’s a blast to watch play. Yu Darvish was all but unhittable in his first eight starts and in his last six starts ... it was the stuff in the middle that was tough, but there’s still a huge future there. Arizona's Wade Miley had an excellent year (16-11, 3.33 ERA) -- he will probably get some votes. And Kansas City’s 22-year-old Salvadore Perez -- though not technically a rookie, I guess -- might be the best defensive catcher in the American League right now, and his bat has come along way faster than anyone expected.

But over time, 2012 will likely live on as the year that Mike Trout and Bryce Harper entered the stage. Mantle and Mays? Aaron and Clemente? Brett and Schmidt? That’s the beauty of rookies. It’s all possible.

November 12, 2012 Page 33 of 38

FROM EXAMINER.COM

Utah farm teams highlight development challenge faced by GM Jerry DiPoto

By Anita Y. Tsuchiya

Something odd happened to the roster in June of the 2012 season. Out of five starting pitchers, only two had come up through the Angels’ player development system: Matt Shoemaker and Eddie McKiernan. The balance of the starting rotation was filled out with free agent pick-ups for the season, namely Dave Pauley, Greg Smith and .

The lack of Bees pitching prospects was even more glaring in 2011. After signing Jerome Williams in mid-June, all five starters for the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliate were veteran free agents: Williams , Matt Palmer, Ryan Ketchner, Bear Bay and Eric Junge. Four out of the five, Ketchner, Bay, Williams and Junge, had been signed out of the independent leagues.

In fact, the last pitcher, starter or reliever, to come up through the farm system and stick on the Angels MLB roster full-time for more than a couple of seasons, was Jered Weaver in 2006.

While most of the media spotlight is focused on General Manager (GM) Jerry Dipoto’s attempts to bolster the major league club, his farm system is in serious need of rebuilding. The Zach Greinke deal cost the Angels farm system of some of its most talented Double- A prospects: Jean Segura, Johhny Hellweg and Ariel Pena. And while Ernesto Frieri was outstanding this season, he came at the cost of an MLB-ready Alexi Amarista and promising Advanced-A prospect Donn Roach.

Acquiring Albert Pujols and C. J. Wilson during last year’s winter meetings impacted not only the Angels’ payroll, but their future player development plans as well. The Angels gave up their first two draft picks, and their signing bonuses. The result was the Angels’ first pick didn’t come until the third round of the 2012 draft, and their signing bonus pool was the smallest in all of the MLB.

The inability of the Angels to restock their farm system with top talent comes at a time when their prospect pool is perhaps at its shallowest depth in a decade. The preceding seasons in Salt Lake forewarned of the problem Dipoto faces at present during the annual GM meetings in Indian Wells, California. With few pitching prospects left in his farm system, Dipoto will have to shop among MLB free agents.

The current state of the Angels’ farm system is a far cry from the unforgettable 2002 season, in which the Angels won the World Series with an exceptional group of “homegrown” sophomores and rookies, most notably , , Francisco Rodriguez and Chone Figgins. All had come from the farm system and in fact, began the season playing for the Triple-A affiliate Salt Lake Bees. November 12, 2012 Page 34 of 38

In 2007, when was hired to replace as the Angels’ GM, the Angels organization had just been named as having the top farm system in the minor leagues by the magazine Minor League News.

Trouble started brewing in the Angels' player development program a couple years later. In 2009 the Angels fired their international scouting director, Clay Daniels, after they learned he was skimming signing bonuses of Latino players. That pretty much wiped out the Angels' presence in the Caribbean and Latin America for the next couple of years.

Next, Reagins didn’t renew scouting director Eddie Bane for the 2011 season. The friction between the two was well-known, and Bane said the firing was due to personality conflicts rather than job performance.

In 2011, two minor league team managers left the organization in the midst of the season. Tom Gamboa, manager of the Adv-A Inland Empire 66ers and Bill Mosiello, manager of Double-A . In September of 2011, Reagins stepped down as GM and in October, Jerry Dipoto was hired.

With the recent resignation of Tom Kotchman after 29 years with the organization, it’s readily apparent that minor league staff shake-ups are on the horizon. In fact, it appears the wave of change has begun, with the recent naming of several key positions within scouting and player development:

Jonathan Strangio, Coordinator of Baseball Operations Nate Horowitz, Coordinator of Scouting Carlos Gomez, International Scouting Director Michael Noboa, Coordinator of Latin American Operations Bobby Scales, Director of Player Development Mike Micucci, Minor League Field Coordinator Paul Sorrento, Minor League Hitting Coordinator Jim Gott, Minor League Pitching Coordinator Pete Harnish, Special Assignment Pitching Instructor Tim Bogar, Manager, Double-A affiliate Arkansas Travelers Mike Hampton, Pitching Coach, Double-A affiliate Arkansas Travelers

Aside from Gott, who coached the Rookie affiliate AZL Angels last season, and Micucci, who managed Arkansas last season, all of these names are new to the organization. There seems little doubt that when the Angels announce the remaining minor league staff for 2013, many more new names and faces will be on the list.

November 12, 2012 Page 35 of 38

FROM BEISBOL POR GOTAS

Trout vs Cabrera, atracción entre premios-2012

By Manolo Hernández Douen

Uno disfrutó de la mejor temporada para un novato desde el debut de Ichiro Suzuki en 2001.

El otro deleitó al planeta beisbolero al ganar la primera Triple Corona del ataque desde 1967.

Los dos se enfrentan ahora al disputar el premio que ha generado la mayor expectativa entre todos los que concede anualmente la Asociación de Cronistas Especializados en Béisbol (BBWAA por sus siglas en inglés).

Por supuesto son Mike Trout y el venezolano Miguel Cabrera, principales candidatos al Jugador Más Valioso de la Liga Americana.

Trout y Cabrera encabezan el grupo de finalistas junto al segunda base dominicano Robinson Canó (Yankees de Nueva York), y el antesalista quisqueyano Adrián Beltré y Josh Hamilton (ambos de los Rangers de Texas) al iniciarse una era en el sistema de presentar estos galardones, los más importantes premios individuales que se entregan anualmente en el Béisbol de Lujo.

Por primera vez se introdujo el sistema de presentar a los finalistas de cada premio, definidos por los peloteros que sumaron la mayor cantidad de puntos por los votos de la BBWAA. Y por primera vez son televisados (MLB Network) en vivo los resultados de cada galardón.

Los Más Valiosos de cada Liga cierran la semana de galardones el jueves 15 de noviembre.

Trout hizo estragos entre los noveles de las Ligas Mayores con una temporada excepcionalmente buena, pese a iniciarla en las menores.

Tal fue el dominio que tuvo sobre sus colegas de la Americana que ganó el Novato del Mes en cuatro etapas consecutivas (mayo-junio-julio-agosto).

El jardinero central de los Angelinos de Los Angeles en Anaheim encabezó al Joven Circuito tanto en carreras anotadas (129) como en bases robadas (49), aparte de pegar 30 jonrones e impulsar 83 carreras en 139 juegos, cantidad enorme si se toma en cuenta que usualmente figura en la parte superior de la alineación. Su promedio de .326 quedó apenas a cuatro puntos del campeón bate Cabrera.

Y eso sin incluir el hecho de que robó extrabases a granel a sus oponentes con su tremendo desempeño en los jardines.

November 12, 2012 Page 36 of 38

No cabe la menor duda de que Trout superará ampliamente a sus dos oponentes en el premio Novato del Año de la Liga Americana, aún cuando el jardinero cubano Yoenis Céspedes –Novel del Mes de la Liga Americana en septiembre- y el abridor japonés Yu Darvish disfrutaron de temporadas brillantes con Atléticos de Oakland y Rangers, respectivamente.

Su rendimiento inyectó un extraordinario impulso de energía a los Angelinos, que casi, casi, casi reaccionan a la hora buena para avanzar a la postemporada.

Ese casi, casi, casi, empero, marca una enorme diferencia a la hora de definir el otro premio al que opta Trout, el Jugador Más Valioso.

Porque con su brillante temporada, Cabrera, el primer Triplecoronado de la ofensiva de las Grandes Ligas desde con los Medias Rojas de Boston en 1967, guió a los Tigres de Detroit hacia la postemporada.

La campaña de .330, con 44 jonrones y 139 carreras impulsadas de Cabrera le ha permitido ganar una serie de galardones, especialmente el del Jugador Más Sobresaliente de las Ligas Mayores en voto de los propios peloteros.

Sin quitarle nada a la contienda de Trout, Cabrera logrará en el 2012 lo que no pudo hacer el inmortal Ted Williams las dos veces que ganó la Triple Corona: ser Jugador Más Valioso. En efecto, Williams ganó el JMV tanto en 1946 como en 1949 y no lo logró en 1942 y 1947, los años en las que fue triplecoronado.

De no haber sido por Cabrera, los Tigres hubieran sucumbido sorpresivamente a manos de los Medias Blancas de Chicago, que bajo la dirección de Robin Ventura mantuvieron las riendas del Centro de la Liga Americana a lo largo de casi toda la temporada.

Si Cabrera gana este galardón, sería el primer venezolano que lo logra en las Grandes Ligas y redondearía una trifecta de paisanos con y , que obtuvieron el JMV en la Serie de Campeonato de la Liga Nacional y la Serie Mundial, respectivamente.

Al comenzar los premios del 2012, el Novato del Año se constituirá en uno de los desenlaces más contundentes de la historia con Trout en la Liga Americana, pero a la vez marcará uno de los votos más difíciles entre todos los premios en la Nacional.

Todd Frazier, Bryce Harper y Wade Miley son los finalistas para el premio del Viejo Circuito, cuyo resultado dependerá de cómo los votantes evalúan un lanzador sobre jugadores de posición.

Frazier tiene ventaja sobre Harper, pese a la enorme publicidad que ha rodeado a este último desde que firmó su primer contrato, ya que en apenas 422 turnos con los Rojos de Cincinnati sumó más impulsadas (67) e hilvanó mejor promedio (.273) que el guardabosque de los Nacionales de Washington (59 remolcadas y .279) en casi 200 turnos más, y el primero defendió cinco posiciones diferentes. November 12, 2012 Page 37 of 38

Sin embargo, la temporada tan brillante de Miley (16-11, 3.33) como abridor para unos Diamondbacks de Arizona que apenas jugaron para .500 es demasiado impresionante como para que no gane el Novato del Año, de acuerdo a nuestro punto de vista.

Ganar el Mánager del Año siempre ha sido por poder hacer más con menos y este año no será la excepción.

Bob Melvin (Atléticos), Buck Showalter (Orioles de Baltimore) y Ventura son los finalistas de la Americana. El hecho de que el primero guió a Oakland hacia una corona divisional con un equipo de muy bajo presupuesto sobre los trabucos de los Rangers y los Angelinos es una carta de presentación enorme para la que sería su segundo título Mánager del Año y primero en el Joven Circuito. Lo obtuvo previamente con los Diamondbacks en el 2007 en la Nacional.

Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy y Davey Johnson son los candidatos en la Nacional, un premio que pudiera ser obtenido por el tercero de los mencionados ya que de Washington se esperaba mucho menos –especialmente por competir en una División Este caracterizada por trabucos de la talla de los Filis de Filadelfia y los Bravos de Atlanta-, de lo que se calculaba que pudieran lograr los Rojos y los Gigantes de San Francisco, respectivamente.

David Price, Justin Verlander y Jered Weaver, en la Americana, y R.A. Dickey, Gio González y Clayton Kershaw, en la Nacional, son los finalistas del Cy Young, entre los que aparecen los ganadores del año pasado (Verlander y Kershaw), cuyas credenciales palidecen frente a los de los demás candidatos.

Verlander (17-8, 2.64) tuvo otro año estelar con los Tigres, pero las temporadas de Price y Weaver, cada uno con 20-5, fueron monstruosas. Weaver tiró un sin hits-ni carreras, aunque los hechos de que Price lo superó en ponches (205-142) y efectividad (2.56-2.64) lo hacen candidato más meritorio y por eso el zurdo de los Rays de Tampa Bay debería ser el ganador.

Kershaw (14-9, 2.53) tuvo buen año con los Dodgers de Los Angeles, pese a una lesión de cadera, pero González (21-8, 2.89) encabezó las Grandes Ligas en victorias con los Nacionales y Dickey disfrutó de un año excepcional con los Mets de Nueva York al redondear 20-6, 2.73 y 230 ponches.

González fue vital en la clasificación de los Nacionales hacia la postemporada, pero Dickey redondeó sus lauros aún cuando no lanzó para un contendor, aparte de lograr mejores números en efectividad y ponches que su colega de ascendencia cubana.

A juicio de este humilde servidor, el Cy Young del Viejo Circuito es el premio más difícil de todos los que concederá la BBWAA en el 2012. Cualquiera que lo gane entre González y Dickey no restará méritos a la gran campaña de su rival. Ojalá terminasen empatados.

November 12, 2012 Page 38 of 38

Finalmente, la gran temporada de Buster Posey con los Gigantes lo dirigirá al premio Jugador Más Valioso de la Liga Nacional en un grupo de finalistas bastante sólido con Ryan Braun (Cerveceros de Milwaukee), Bruce Headley (Padres de San Diego), el boricua Yadier Molina (Cardenales de San Luis) y Andrew McCutchen (Piratas de Pittsburgh).

Posey, campeón de bateo en la Liga Nacional con .336 y primer pelotero de un equipo de la Bahía (Gigantes o Atléticos) con 100 ó más impulsadas desde 2006, también pegó 24 jonrones en un parque que no se caracteriza por ser propenso a bambinazos en condiciones “normales” de juego.

El hecho de que sus Gigantes fueron los únicos campeones divisionales entre los otros candidatos representados en esta lista es otro detalle a favor de Posey, aunque es importante destacar que hace pocos días los propios peloteros seleccionaron a McCutchen (.327, líder de la Nacional con 194 hits, y de paso obtuvo 20 bases robadas, 96 impulsadas y el Guante de Oro) como el Más Sobresaliente del Viejo Circuito.

Cada quién tiene derecho a su opinión en un mundo de tantas nuevas estadísticas, pero los arriba mencionados son nuestros candidatos. ¿Cuáles son los suyos?

Hasta pronto y, por favor, nunca pierdan la esperanza.