The Bryce Harper-Mike Trout showdown is underway and the outcome is, well, inconclusive. In round one Monday night, the Nationals leftfielder walked and went hitless in three at bats while the Anaheim Angels centerfielder went 2 for 5. On Tuesday, Harper took another collar going 0 for 4 as Trout singled once in five trips. Maybe one of them or both will break out tonight in the final game of the series, but it hardly matters. No sane baseball fan would dream of wandering away from the TV screen with either of them at the plate because these are two of the most exciting hitters in the game and whose every at bat is an event.

Nationals fans may be forgiven for imagining what might have been with the two of them in the same outfield. After the Nationals selected Stephen Strasburg with the first pick of the 2009 amateur draft, the Washington club used their second pick on Drew Storen, passing over Trout who the Angels got later in the first round with the 25^th selection. Both Trout and Harper, the first pick in the 2010 draft, won the 2012 rookie of the year honors in their respective leagues. To date, the 22 year-old Trout has put up bigger numbers than Harper, a year younger. Trout has a career .314 batting average with 67 home runs, 209 RBI, 88 stolen bases and a .952 on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) in 353 games. Harper has a career .273 batting average with 43 home runs, 122 RBI, 29 stolen bases and an .830 OPS in 273 games.