HBT: Trout qualifies for batting title, is 2nd

Not only did Mike Trout go 6-for-9 with two doubles and four runs in back-to-back wins over the Giants the past two nights, in doing so he logged enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title (and other leaderboards).

Trout, who spent the first three weeks of the season at Triple-A, now ranks second in the league with a .338 batting average, trailing only Paul Konerko at .354, and he also ranks third in on-base percentage (.397) and fifth in OPS (.925) while leading the league with 19 steals.

Toss in his excellent outfield defense and even with missing the Angels? first 20 games Trout ranks third among AL position players in Wins Above Replacement behind only Josh Hamilton and Adam Jones. He?s very much a legitimate early MVP candidate despite playing around two-thirds of the schedule.

Not bad for a guy who doesn?t turn 21 years old for another six weeks.

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