![]() The two played off each other nicely, with DiMaggio's detached, almost regal persona a stark contrast to Williams free-wheeling and occasionally bombastic personality. ![]() DiMaggio broke into the majors three years before Williams, but the New York-versus-Boston rivalry fueled the debate, and it gained an inexorable momentum in 1941 when DiMaggio hit safely in 56 consecutive games to win the MVP award over Williams, the first player in 11 years to bat. Pre-World War II, New York's Joe DiMaggio and Boston's Ted Williams set the standard for breathless comparisons of young ballplayers. At some point in the future, it's a virtual certainly that the 2001 pairing of Albert Pujols and Ichiro Suzuki will join them in Cooperstown. The list includes Frank Robinson and Luis Aparicio (1956), Tom Seaver and Rod Carew (1967), and Andre Dawson and Eddie Murray (1977). Since the inception of dual AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards in 1949, three winning tandems have gone on to make the Hall of Fame. You can tell your grandkids, 'I played against those guys. I want to see them develop because they both have the fire and they both play the game right. They'll always be linked, unless, God forbid, one of them has an injury. "What they're doing at their ages is mind-boggling. He just flies down to first base, and then you look at the stopwatch and you're like, 'Oh my God, 3.9. He runs out everything hard, goes into the bag hard, runs into the wall hard, does everything hard. "Harper has that Pete Rose hardness about him. "It's fun to watch them play the game and see all that talent packed into two bodies," Giambi says. The look in his eyes and the enthusiasm in his voice make it clear he has bought into the Harper-Trout dynamic. Giambi has been around long enough to cut through the clutter and distinguish between hype and reality. But Trout and Harper do it in a way that impresses fans, scouts, front-office people, opposing managers, teammates, beat writers and veteran players who are conditioned to be skeptical about the Next Big Thing.Ĭleveland DH Jason Giambi signed his first professional contract with the Oakland A's in July 1992 when Trout was 11 months old and Sheri Harper was entering her final trimester with Bryce. It's not easy being a budding superstar these days, with wall-to-wall expectations borne of so much media coverage and the pressure to produce for everybody's fantasy league team. ![]() So much for the theory that the new, bulked-up Millville Meteor (that's one of his nicknames since he went to high school in Millville, N.J.) might have lost a step. But Angels manager Mike Scioscia immediately downplayed the story, and Trout put the debate to rest in an early spring game against Oakland, stretching a single into a double, advancing to third on a grounder to shortstop, beating out an infield hit and stealing a base. Trout was the focus of a mini-drama early in camp when he showed up weighing 241 pounds, or 10 to 15 more pounds than he weighed last season. Inspired by veteran teammate Jayson Werth, he also has a nice-looking beard for a 20-year-old. He looks stronger, more authoritative and ever-so-slightly more like a young Larry Walker. Harper seems more relaxed in the box and more comfortable taking the outside pitch to the opposite field. The signs of change and growth are subtle, yet readily apparent. The quest for greatness has no "pause" button, even when the games mean little and everyone starts fresh on Opening Day. 383 in the Cactus League for the Los Angeles Angels. Trout, cheery new pitchman for the Subway sandwich chain, is batting. 431 in the Grapefruit League with the Washington Nationals. Harper, fresh off a hard winter of preparation in his Dick's Sporting Goods garb, is hitting. ![]() If things play out according to plan, we'll be writing, talking and obsessing over them as a dual entity for at least the next 15 years. The Harper segment began more promisingly, with an eye-opening throw from left field and a double over Matt Kemp's head in full view of Vin Scully, Mom, Dad and 54,240 other enthralled patrons at Dodger Stadium.Įleven months, two Rookie of the Year Awards and 430,000 combined Twitter followers since they arrived in the major leagues for good on the same day, baseball's designated wunderkinds are ready to pick up the storyline where it left off in October. The Trout portion of the program unfolded in nondescript fashion, with an 0-for-4 afternoon in Cleveland. History will duly note that the first installment of the Mike Trout and Bryce Harper Show aired live on April 28, 2012. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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