We thought a rite of summer had been exhausted and retired. Little did we know.
We thought Mike Trout’s rousing victory in the American League most-valuable-player race last year had put an emphatic end to the increasingly tedious annual debate over whether a player from an inferior team should win.
Yes, if he were decidedly better than the candidates from contending teams.
Brace yourself for the mother of all MVP debates. Could Trout be the most valuable player if he does not actually play for a third of the season?
Trout, the Angels’ center fielder and the best player in baseball, is expected to sit out six to eight weeks after thumb surgery last Wednesday.