Passing the Torch: One Baseball Generation to the Next
By Zack Astran, Sports Editor //
On a beautiful, gleaming Tuesday evening under the sun-drenched sky in Minnesota, two polar opposite players took the field together on the same diamond for most likely the last time.
Derek Jeter took part in his final All-Star Game after 14 previous selections, and Mike Trout took part in his third. The two players, for a final time, were back-to-back on the same starting lineup card and dressed in the same white colored jerseys … Jeter showing off the Yankee pinstripes as he has done for 20 years, and Mike Trout sporting the Angel red.
On a night when Derek Jeter was remembered for being one of the greatest shortstops to ever play the game of baseball, there suddenly seemed to be a void that needed to be filled. And as Jeter walked off the field to a standing ovation in front a sold-out crowd, that void seemed to become more apparent. It became a reality that the unforgettable career of Derek Jeter, full of championships, All-Star Games, and shining moments, will come to an end at the season’s close.
Number 2 will one day be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Jeter has carried the torch of baseball for the last 20 years. As he walks away, that torch does not carry itself. It will have to be passed off to someone who is worthy and capable of following in Jeter’s footsteps.
The question is, who? Who will fill the shoes of the great Derek Jeter?
Yasiel Puig, Giancarlo Stanton, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Abreu, and Troy Tulowitizki are some stars that seem capable. But they’re not the greatest of replacements for Derek Jeter.
What better star then Mike Trout?
When Mike Trout was listed right behind Derek Jeter in the starting lineup for this year’s All-Star Game, it almost seemed like destiny. The two lit up the stat sheet, as Derek Jeter went 2 for 2 with a double, a single, and a standing ovation from fellow players and fans. Mike Trout went 2 for 3 with a triple, the MVP award, and a new Camero.
Mike Trout, at the ripe age of 22, has the world at his disposal. And the more we see Mike Trout playing the game of baseball, the more difficult it is to picture how he couldn’t be the future and face of baseball. Mike Trout and Derek Jeter’s performance showed us something.
On the same stage and under the same Target Field lights, Derek Jeter handed over the torch of baseball to Mike Trout. As Trout knocked in his childhood idol growing up for the first run of the game, it suddenly became more clear.
Trout now holds the responsibility that Derek Jeter once held. Play the game the way it is supposed to be played, stay out of trouble, and be humble. That is what Derek Jeter would want, as that was how he carried himself. So far in his already amazing career, Trout has shown that he is more than capable of tackling such tasks.
This night under the Minnesota sky, represented more than just a typical All-Star game with the best players on the planet competing for home-field advantage in the World Series; it was a night where we couldn’t help but to reflect on the past and present of the sport that Derek Jeter has owned and a quick look into future of the sport that will belong to Mike Trout at the seasons end.
Mike Trout, a young kid from New Jersey that grew up watching Derek Jeter patrol the middle of the infield, is now part of history. Years from now, Trout will not look back at his third All-Star Game as one where he got a couple of hits and helped his team win an important game. He may not even look back on the fact that he will be driving his new Camero around the streets of Los Angeles. He will look back on this game as one where he yielded the spotlight to his hero, and was a part of something much more special than a baseball game.
In the midst of all of this, we almost forget that the American League now has home-field advantage in the World Series. It’s a night where we can try to sum up how much Derek Jeter has done for the sport of baseball, and look to where Mike Trout is about to drive it.