CINCINNATI — There is no doubt. Not after another All-Star game MVP. Not when player after player and manager after manager rained down compliments on him. Not after he took Zack Greinke deep on the fourth pitch of the game — the pitcher who hadn’t allowed a run in over a month.
Mike Trout is the best player in baseball. He is the reigning American League Most Valuable Player. He has won two straight All-Star game MVP awards. He has no peers, showing it again in the A.L.’s 6-3 win Tuesday night.
“He’s just special,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s just special. He can do anything that anybody can do on a baseball field.”
And on the compliments went. There was no shortage of them. Just pick where to look.
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“This is a tremendous talent,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He can run, good defender, good hitter, power. He’s got the whole game.”
“He’s going to be standing there, I think, with the guys we saw tonight.”
That would be the littany of greats that stepped on the field before the game. The Reds brought out the best four players in their history as part of Major League Baseball’s “Franchise Four” campaign. Then came out the four greatest living players: Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Hank Aaron, and Johnny Bench.
It’s likely that Trout will one day be in that group. He’s just 23 and already has three top-2 MVP award finishes. At an age when players are trying to find a footing in the majors, he is the standard.
Mike Trout led off his first ASG with a single, second with a double, third with a triple and fourth with a homer. The natural ASG cycle.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 15, 2015
“It’s just an incredible honor to be a part of the the All-Star game and win the MVP twice,” he said. “It’s something special for sure.”
Just like Trout himself. Baseball’s best player proved it again.
THIS IS HOW YOU START AN ALL-STAR GAME. TROUT! https://t.co/1z41WHgaB6
— Baseball Memes (@MLBMeme) July 15, 2015
Mike Vorkunov may be reached at mvorkunov@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Vorkunov. Find NJ.com Mets on Facebook.
