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Showing results for tags 'Mike Trout'.
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"The New Testament: An Oral History of Mike Trout's Greatest Moments To Date" by Ben Reiter on si.com -
For some reason (probably because the Angels are a west-coast, American League team), I had heard about the wonder-boy Mike Trout for a long time before actually getting to see him, but now that I've been seeing him play more, I'm wondering if there's anything this near-superhuman specimen can't do. Trout is a true five-skill player: 1) hits for average 2) hits for power 3) baserunning skills and speed 4) fielding abilities and 5) throwing abilities. He really can do it all, but I didn't realize he was as fast as he is until he scored from second base on Prince Fielder's single to left field during this year's All-Star Game, shown in a video here: Bryce Harper on Mike Trout I also ran across this article: "Mike Trout Thinks He Can Beat Mike Vick in a 50-Yard Sprint" on csnphilly.com Trout has explosive quickness - the same type that Mickey Mantle and Jack Ham had (Ham was said to be able to run from 0 to 10 yards faster than any other Steeler). There's a *huge* difference between someone who can hit their top speed on their fifth stride, and someone who can run a fast 100-meters: Invariably, the explosive runner bursts out ahead, and then the 100-meter sprinter will pass them. For example, take the suicide race in basketball where you begin at the baseline and run four intervals as fast as you can: 1. Run to the foul line, and back to the baseline (15 feet each way) 2. Run to mid-court, and back to the baseline (47 feet each way) 3. Run to the other foul line, and back to the baseline (79 feet each way) 4. Run to the other baseline, and back to the original starting point (94 feet each way) Total: 8 accelerations, 7 turns, 470 feet of running. Note that 3 of the 8 accelerations, and 2 of the 7 turns, come in the first 30 feet. If Mike Trout ran a suicide against Usain Bolt (*), what would happen is that Trout would burst ahead, and would go baseline-foul line-baseline and then head towards mid-court, accelerating three times in a matter of just a couple seconds and changing directions twice in that short duration. By the time Trout passed the foul line the second time (on his way to mid-court), Bolt would probably still be back at the baseline, just getting ready to make his turn. And as the intervals get longer-and-longer, at some point, Bolt would blow by Trout like he was driving a motorcycle and win easily. But for those first few turns, and first few seconds, Trout would be way ahead of Bolt, and that's because he's so explosive that he hits his top speed very, very quickly, and I'm certain that he also has the ability to stop and turn around on a dime as well; it's just that his top speed isn't nearly as fast as Bolt's. I'm very familiar with this type of explosive quickness, and I'd bet money the paragraph I just typed above would be true. Trout's body type (invariably huge thighs and incredibly strong adductors) is conducive to stopping and starting and turning around, running 10-yard intervals like a cat, and being able to do this type of thing as well as anyone in the world. Trout has the ability to reach his top speed very, very quickly, but his top speed isn't as fast as a sprinter's - it's the difference between torque and horsepower, between acceleration and velocity. Trout accelerates incredibly; he just isn't able to *keep* accelerating like Bolt is, and so Bolt has a much greater velocity. (*) I purposely picked Usain Bolt because he's the *fastest* person to ever live; but he's not the *quickest* person to ever live. If Trout ran the 100 meter sprint against Bolt, it would be like a housecat running it against a cheetah: The housecat would burst out in front for the first "x" yards, and then at some point early on in the race, the cheetah would look like a blur passing the housecat.
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If anyone has any comparables, please post them here; I've never seen anything like this that I remember: "Mike Trout Shows Off Insane Athleticism To Beat Tag At Third" by Nina Mandell on ftw.usatoday.com
