Trout Deserving of Attention

        When the season started in April, barely anyone outside of LA knew the name Mike Trout. That is hardly the case now. Mike Trout has captivated the nation with his fantastic play since being recalled to the show in April. He is bidding to become the first player since Ichiro in 2001 to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Some believe he should, others believe he shouldn't. I believe he should. But, we need to go back to what the definition of an MVP is in order to understand why I feel this way. MVP is most valuable player. This means take away the player from the team and the team is a shadow of who they really are. Since his recall to the bigs on April 28, the Angels are 42-24. Before his call-up, they were 6-14. Trout doesn't do just one thing, he does it all. Not only does he lead the AL in batting average (.341 at the All-Star break) he also has a rookie-leading 12 home runs and leads the AL with 30 stolen bases. He should get as much credit as anyone for Albert Pujols' improving numbers. His presence in the lineup and on the basepaths takes a lot of pressure off Pujols at the plate. He revived a beyond-struggling Angels’ offense, which was, before his call-up, described as "dead" by manager Mike Scioscia. By far, he has been the MVP of team. Albert Pujols might have been the biggest off-season pickup, but he's not even the best player on his own team this year. That honor goes to Trout. Now, to be fair, he is a rookie. As time goes on, pitchers will get a better feel for how to get him out. Also, he needs to show he can put up consistent impressive numbers. But, time will give us the answer for that. For now, just marvel at the fact that a rookie can be doing these things. Appreciate what he's doing, because it’s almost unprecedented. This doesn't look like a fluke. This guy should be around for a long time.