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Trout vs. Harper. With both superstars at very young ages and expected to be a big part of MVP arguments over the next decade-plus, the Mike Trout vs. Bryce Harper discussion is present-day baseball's version of Mays vs. Mantle or Bird vs. Magic or maybe even Great Taste vs. Less Filling. There's just one problem with this debate: It's missing a name. When we talk about young, über-talented phenom hitters dominating baseball, there's a third player in baseball's holy trinity, and his name is Manny Machado. Machado has posted impressive stats dating back to 2013, but his true breakthrough campaign was last year, when the young Baltimore Orioles third baseman posted a .286/.359/.502 line, with 35 homers and 7.1 WAR (baseball-reference version). He also made another significant statement last season: He crushed any remaining concerns about his surgically repaired knee, playing in all 162 games and leading the American League in plate appearances. In 2016, he has been even better, posting a .307/.371/.619 line with 13 homers in 43 games for the O's, putting him at 3.0 WAR already for the season. ZiPS projects Machado to finish at .297/.363/.551 for the season, with 36 homers and 8.2 WAR, yet another new high for him and well within range of Trout, the odds-on favorite to win the AL MVP award. That would be the eighth-best season for a third baseman under 25 in baseball history (his 2015 was 22nd all time among under-25 third basemen). But that's just it: Machado was not just a fantastic third baseman in recent years, he was a shortstop playing out of position because of his team's roster construction. Now as a shortstop, a more demanding position and one with fewer big-time bats, he's even more valuable. How valuable? Try Mike Trout-Bryce Harper valuable. Let's take a closer look.
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