Mike Trout and Bryce Harper have been linked together since they both joined the MLB. The two stars were meant to take over the league together, and in a way, they have done just that.
They both excel in their own ways, and both will be in Cooperstown when all is said and done. But MLB analyst Rob Parker made some headlines recently, saying that he would take the career of the Philadelphia Phillies star over that of Trout
“I think Trout’s the better player, but I would take Bryce Harper’s career. I just think what he’s been able to do — the MVPs, the big hits, the big moments — right now, he’s the pulse. And I think he’s back into that conversation with being a face of baseball.”
Per Rob Parker via MLB Now
On the surface, this seems insane, but when you break things down, it makes some sense. Trout is the better overall player, but Harper has seen team success and put up numbers when it matters most.
Who has had the better career: Bryce Harper or Mike Trout?
"I think Trout is the better player…but I would take Bryce Harper's career." – @RobParkerFS1 #MLBNow | #MLBNowShowdown pic.twitter.com/ED6vB2ShzJ
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) October 17, 2023
Both have multiple MVP awards, All-Star appearances, etc. But Harper has taken his team to a World Series, and he has been one of the more clutch players in recent playoff memory.
Sadly we haven’t been able to find out how good Trout could be in the postseason. The Angels have made the playoffs one time since Trout joined the team all those years ago, and they were swept out by the Kansas City Royals.
In the three games that he did play, Trout only hit .083 with one hit. The hit did go for a home run, but other than that, he didn’t do much else to help his club out. To be fair, Trout was pretty young when he was in the playoffs, so it’s not a fair sample size.
The Angels have fundamentally destroyed what could have been one of the best careers in history, because of their ineptitude on the field. They have failed Trout over the years, and it’s a shame that we have never gotten to see him perform on the biggest stage.
He is still a future Hall-of-Famer, but his lack of postseason success will always be used against him. It’s not his fault entirely that the Halos haven’t been to the postseason, but he does take some of the blame.
Trout has had some durability issues over his career, and it has hurt the team. So, I agree with Parker here. Trout is the better player, but he would likely trade some of his success for the chance that Harper has had to win a World Series and play postseason baseball.
