In a meeting of the Angels' new coaching staff the other day, the talk was about the presentation of information to players and the integration of analysis. The first example discussed was something that happened with the best player on the planet.
A couple of years ago, Mike Trout approached Dino Ebel, who, at that time, was a longtime coach with the Angels. Trout's question to Ebel was, boiled down: How can I get better defensively?
Even posing the question reflected so much about Trout. The drive to get better. The deep humility. Even after MVP awards and big money and industry acclaim, the understanding of the constant challenges the game of baseball presents. The deep trust in Ebel and others on the Angels' staff in an era when many of his peers prefer their personal coaches, to the degree that they'll stiff-arm team instruction.
Ebel and others on the Angels' staff presented Trout with feedback about his defense, with suggestions for improvements on specific elements of how he played center field. And Trout got better. Trout always seems to get better.
It's as if a lot of his year-to-year statistics are constructed on the side of a pyramid, climbing relentlessly.
Here's his slugging percentage:
2013: .557
2014: .561
2015: .590
2016: .550
2017: .629
2018: .628
2019: .645
Here's his rate of swinging at pitches outside the strike zone:
2015: 24.7%
2016: 23.5%
2017: 20.9%
2018: 19.8%
2019: 19.1%
Here's how he has fared in wRC+:
2012: 167
2013: 176
2014: 167
2015: 171
2016: 170
2017: 180
2018: 190
2019: 180
Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, LeBron James and some of the elite athletes Trout -- an avid sports fan -- admires could tell him that, yes, Father Time is undefeated. There will be a time when Trout begins a descent down the other side of his career pyramid. But given his competitive curiosity and his need to know how he can get better, it figures that his wane could be extraordinary in comparison to that of others, as he passes the standards of legends.
This is Trout's current legacy neighborhood, in career WAR:
Joe DiMaggio: 78.1
Reggie Jackson: 74.0
Frank Thomas: 73.9
Larry Walker: 72.7
Trout: 72.5
Derek Jeter: 72.4
Trout is still 28.
Here are the top 10 center fielders in baseball, based on the input of folks throughout the industry.
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Of course.
2. Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
Last winter, Bellinger went on a mission to learn about his swing, learn how to make corrections in the middle of games, in the middle of at-bats, and his improvement was exceptional. He cut his strikeouts from 151 in 2018 to 108 last season, and his walks increased from 69 to 95. Tony Gwynn Jr., who knows more about hitting than a lot of his peers from following around his dad at Jack Murphy Stadium as a teenager, believed Bellinger's most effective change, at the micro level, was in his enhanced ability to hit with two strikes, to be the kind of threat he hadn't been before when backed into a corner.
To wit:
2018: A .611 OPS, 8 homers, 35 walks.
2019: A .752 OPS, 15 homers, 38 walks.
What's next is a chase for consistency, all the way through the postseason. Bellinger's OPS dropped more than 200 points in the second half of last season, and once again, there was October disappointment: The Nationals limited him to one extra-base hit in 21 plate appearances, with seven strikeouts, in the division series.
But that's a small sample, and in the big picture, Bellinger is, at 25, one of the game's best power hitters, an excellent baserunner and an elite defender. He burns for more.
3. George Springer, Houston Astros
Springer missed more than a month due to injuries last season -- a hamstring, a concussion -- and without that bad luck, he probably would have competed with Jorge Soler for the AL home run title and had his fourth consecutive season scoring more than 100 runs. His adjusted OPS+ of 150 was the highest of his career, and he finished seventh in the voting for AL MVP. He'll be a free agent in the fall, unless the Astros lock him up before then.
4. Ramon Laureano, Oakland A's
One of the nicknames included for him on Baseball Reference is Laser, of course. According to this metric, no other outfielder had greater impact throwing the ball in 2019. Laureano has been remarkably consistent as an offensive player in the majors, posting a .288 average in each of his first two seasons, and an adjusted OPS+ of 129 and then 128.
5. Whit Merrifield, Kansas City Royals
There has been a lot of trade interest in Merrifield from contenders who love his versatility, athleticism and durability. Merrifield led the AL in games (162), hits (206) and triples (10), with 41 doubles and 16 homers, and he is playing under an incredibly team-friendly contract. Merrifield was in line to make $5 million this year, $6.75 million next year and $2.75 million in 2022, with escalators built into the deal.
Merrifield's production-per-dollar value makes him almost unmovable because it would be difficult to structure a deal that would properly compensate the Royals in an era when teams reflexively cling to the type of prospects who would be required by Kansas City.
6. Lorenzo Cain, Milwaukee Brewers
Some of his underlying metrics took a big dip last season. He ranked 142nd in average exit velocity, and his adjusted OPS+ was 81, after his on-base percentage fell 70 points from .395 in 2018 to .325 in 2019. He had 41 extra-base hits in 623 plate appearances for his lowest slugging percentage since 2013. Cain won his first Gold Glove last season, and some of his tracking metrics indicate that he is still an excellent fly-chaser. He ranked second among center fielders in defensive runs saved. He's about to enter the third year of a five-year deal, and the Brewers need a bounce-back offensive season from him.
7. Starling Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
Marte can hit (.845 OPS last season with 23 home runs), he can run (25 steals in 2019), and he has a lot of experience in center and left. Some of his defensive metrics dipped significantly last season: Among outfielders with at least 900 innings, only three fared worse in defensive runs saved.
8. Victor Robles, Washington Nationals
Just about every time the Nationals have been linked to some big-name trade target the past few years, such as J.T. Realmuto or Chris Sale, the other team proposes Robles in return -- and you can understand why. Although his growth as a hitter has been slow and steady, he is already a dominant defender at a premium position. How often is Robles asked about? "A lot!!" Washington GM Mike Rizzo texted, with double exclamation points. Robles generated the most defensive runs saved among all outfielders in 2019, with 24.
9. Jackie Bradley Jr., Boston Red Sox
Some rival executives were surprised by Boston's decision to tender him a contract, especially at a time when the Red Sox are working to reduce payroll. But he's a good outfielder who plays the weird angles of Fenway Park as well as anyone ever has, and he has shown signs in the past of being a better offensive player, such as in the 2018 postseason. Bradley Jr. will be eligible for free agency in the fall.
10. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
He's 26, and we still aren't exactly sure what he is as a player. Buxton arrived in spring training last season in peak condition, and he did more damage at the plate, racking up 30 doubles, 4 triples and 10 homers in 87 games -- and then he got hurt. Buxton is like the Carson Wentz of Major League Baseball: He oozes talent, the greatness appears regularly ... and he has a tough time staying on the field. At the very least, Buxton gives the Twins a shutdown defender.
Best of the rest
Kevin Kiermaier, Tampa Bay Rays: He continues to be an elite defender, though his offense probably hasn't progressed the way the Rays expected.
Harrison Bader, St. Louis Cardinals: Bader batted .205 last season, with 117 strikeouts in 128 games, but he played an important role for the Cardinals because he's so good defensively.
Oscar Mercado, Cleveland Indians: He really settled the Indians' center-field situation after being promoted to the big leagues in June.
Aaron Hicks, New York Yankees: When healthy, Hicks is elite with his production relative to others at the position, but he had Tommy John surgery after the 2019 season.
Brandon Nimmo, New York Mets: His 2019 season was affected by injuries, yet in the end, he finished with a .375 on-base percentage, which is why he's at least part of the Mets' center-field solution.