Mike Trout In Major League Baseball

In a racially segregated America that dictated a separate game for white and black fans, there necessarily developed two distinct baseball cultures. During this separation, baseball was not complete. The majority of Americans rode with the flow of the mainstream, following its course intently, with only an occasional excursion to see the flow of the parallel stream. "Thus, for a half-century, white Americans sat watching major league baseball, only vaguely aware of the shadowy world of black baseball that existed beyond the scope of their vision"(Riley, J. 1996). To most white baseball observers, black ballplayers were as unreal as the shadows on Plato's wall. In this world of reflected images there existed exceptionally talented players whose ability was unsurpassed anywhere.

Throughout his professional career, Jackie Robinson, received criticism for being the first “black” player to play the game. Not only did Jackie Robinson manage to live up to the criticism, he also changed the face of America’s greatest past time forever. With his entrance into the MLB he opened the path for great black players like Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Ozzie Smith just to name a few. In crossing the color-barrier in baseball Robinson not only strived as a great player on the field, but also a inspiration to the black community of the field with his humility, and willingness to move forward in a time where blacks were not considered “equal”.

Some well known superstars in the MLB include Donaldson, Josh; Goldschmidt, Paul; Arrieta, Jake; and Kershaw,

Roberto Clemente has done what none has ever done on and off the diamond. Clemente showcase incredible fielding abilities; he was swift afoot and possessed a powerful throwing arm (one of the best in the game, ever). From remote spots in the outfield, Clemente often threw

Baseball statistics are meant to be a representation of a player’s talent. Since baseball’s inception around the mid-19th century, statistics have been used to interpret the talent level of any given player, however, the statistics that have been traditionally used to define talent are often times misleading. At a fundamental level, baseball, like any game, is about winning. To win games, teams have to score runs; to score runs, players have to get on base any way they can. All the while, the pitcher and the defense are supposed to prevent runs from scoring. As simplistic as this view sounds, the statistics being used to evaluate individual players were extremely flawed. In an attempt to develop more

The game of baseball evolved immensely during the 1900’s. There were new rules and rule changes, new teams in new states, and then there was Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson was a true legend from the day he was born in 1919. Baseball had it all in the first half of the 1900’s, fans filled the stadiums day after day, even during the war times. There was a big-name player on almost every team, children and adults admired these professional baseball players. The only thing professional baseball didn’t have during these times were African American players. Learning about the hardships that he had to overcome as a young boy, and the accomplishments he made from his college days at UCLA, to becoming the first African American professional baseball player, Jackie made it known that he was an American hero.

He hit 600 home runs (5th most all time), won 10 gold gloves, and made 13 All Star Games. In almost 150 years baseball history, only the great Willie Mays can match Ken Griffey Jr. in these statistical categories. However, despite these extraordinary stats, Ken Griffey Jr. may be the ultimate “What Could Have Been” player. An incredibly promising career was derailed in the latter half by chronic injuries that robbed him of hundreds of games. If not for these injuries, Griffey was well on his way to becoming the Home Run King (Stark, 2010) and possibly the greatest player ever. Despite these setbacks, Griffey is still revered as one of the greatest and most popular MLB players ever. The savior of baseball in Seattle and the lone star to

Yadier Molina is and always will be one of the greatest catcher to ever play the game of baseball. With Yadi coming into the league at such a young age, he has had more of an opportunity to prove himself and the stats and awards he has won can really back it up. Not just is he one of the greatest to play the game at that position, he is one of the best “on the field managers” as they say as far as controlling the tempo of the game and how it is played. With all of the accomplishments Molina has had in his career, it proves why he is one of the best to ever play the game at the catching position.

Kershaw has achieved what many pitchers dream about many times. In 2011, Kershaw produced a appealing record of 21-5 with an Era of 2.28 and 248 strikeouts made it an easy selection to award Kershaw his First Cy Young Award. Kershaw, had achieved a triple crown, leading pitchers in wins, strikeouts and Era in 2011 to go along with a gold glove award. Clayton Kershaw is the youngest, three time CY-Young award winner, and first NL pitcher to win the MVP award since “Bob Gibson” in 68. Kershaw from 2011 to 2014 has had the lowest earned run average in baseball for four straight years. Kershaw is destined for the Hall Of Fame, as a batter, Clayton Kershaw had a higher on-base percentage as a batter [2.35] than opposing hitters against him [.231].Kershaw is a five time all-star from [2011-2015.] Kershaw has thrown two no hitters in his career, but has never made it to the World Series unlike Justin

In 1994, an 18-year-old kid from Miami named Alex Rodriguez broke into spring camp with the Seattle Mariners in an attempt to make the team. After almost immediately stepping into a Major League baseball field he became a household name. Within two years, he was an All-Star. Within five, a regular 40-homer player. By the turn of the century, many were already putting him into the Hall of Fame discussion.

Mike Trout has always had self-discipline since he was a kid, that's why he has always had such an impeccable work ethic. He has worked since little league to be the best he could become at the game. He would hit in the cages and take ground balls 5 days a week for two hours in the gym during the winter. He has already made some of the most iconic plays in baseball history. He always says “I pride myself on defense”, which is why he has already won a Golden Glove Award. He was drafted late in the first round which shows if you work hard at something you can achieve it. When he was drafted he came in and made an immediate impact on his team.

“His superb tools on defense, particularly his arm, have been a well-know fact in the big leagues for 10 years. But his bat is also a major force now” (Eshoff, Ryan Para 1). Yadier Molina is well known for his stunning arm, wonderful skills in baseball, and his leadership for the team. Yadier Molina is the catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Yadier had an average life growing up playing baseball just like any other little boy, he has accomplished tons of things and has become famous for those things; he also helps the charities in his hometown community and around the world.

After being selected in the Major League draft directly out of high school, and without playing a single game at the minor league level, Kaline became a member of the Detroit Tigers at age 18, appearing in a few dozen games during his first year. But Kaline’s breakout year came a season later in 1955, when he became the youngest winner of the batting crown, dethroning another Tiger legend who had previously held that accolade: the Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb. Throughout his twenty-two year tenure as a Detroit Tiger’s player, where he spent every season of his career, Al Kaline achieved both personal and team honors. While not considered the best at any one category, Kaline was lauded by one of his managers for the way he excelled in all-around ability,

Although he doesn't jump out in most traditional metrics, Jason Heyward has been among the most valuable players in the game according to WAR over the past two seasons. Most wins above replacement for position players over past 2 seasons:

Jeter has proven the scouting report to be truthful, becoming and MLB All-Star 13 times. He has been named All-Star game MVP once as well as American League MVP once, coincidently in the same year, 2000. Also, Jeter has won the Gold Glove 5 times and has won the American League Silver Slugger award 5 times. Possibly the most important statistic of Jeter’s on the field career is that he and his team have won 5 World Series Championships together over the span