On Monday night, Washington Nationals’ slugger Bryce Harper hit his 150th career home run. The dinger came after 24 years and 295 days on earth. Coincidentally, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim star Mike Trout hit his 150th career bomb at the exact same age last year.
The debate between Harper and Trout is an ageless one which will only grow each year. At one point, they were number one and two overall prospects. They will forever be associated with one another because of their incredible talent and tremendous ceilings. This home run further adds to the lure.
Many will concede that Trout is the better player when compared to Harper. It’s easy to accept considering the number of MVP nods and runner-up nominations he has received. If not for a Miguel Cabrera Triple Crown and a few other years where someone barely outshined Trout, the young Angels’ outfielder could have an even fuller mantel.
As if this coincidence wasn’t eerie enough, Harper smashed number 150 on Trout’s 26th birthday. Trout still has a 39 home run lead on Harper, but he has played one more season. This still shouldn’t take away from the fact that Harper is on pace to catch Trout one way or another.
It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Harper and Trout win MVPs in the same season. This year could be it. Trout will need to play his usual great brand of baseball down the stretch in order to pass potential favorite, Jose Altuve.
One other step in the Harper versus Trout rivalry everyone wants to see is these two playing against each other in the World Series. The Angels need to get much better before this is even a possibility. Instead, MLB fans may have to settle with Harper signing in the American League in 2018 just to add a few more games with these two stars in the same stadium.
Tim Boyle is a Staff Writer for Outside Pitch MLB covering the Washington Nationals. Follow Tim on Twitter.
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