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Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout leads fun with numbers

By Benjamin Chase |
TORONTO, ON - MAY 23: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks out from the corner of the dugout as he gets ready to bat during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 23, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Trout
TORONTO, ON - MAY 23: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks out from the corner of the dugout as he gets ready to bat during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 23, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Trout


Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout leads a look at projectible numbers as we reach the 1/3 mark of the season

The 2018 MLB season has 186 days between Opening Day on March 29th and the final day of the season on September 30th. Tuesday was exactly 1/3 of the way through that process, so let’s have some fun with numbers to over-inflate and depress our expectations of what the season will be, headlined by Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

Seriously, we are all spoiled by Mike Trout. While this is the wonderful lazy projection of just tripling everything that’s been produced thus far, that puts Trout at a ridiculous pace.

We’re not going to project slash line numbers, but take a look at these numbers from Mike Trout:

Hits/Runs/Doubles/Triples/Home Runs/RBI/BB/K/SB
Current: 57/48/13/2/18/35/49/46/12
Pace: 171/144/39/6/54/105/147/138/36

To put some of those numbers into perspective. No player has scored 140 runs since 2007, and no one has scored 144 since 2001. No player since Barry Bonds in 2004 has walked even 145 times in a season.

Most importantly, here are some crazy facts:

  • Mike Trout would become the 10th person to have a 40-homer, 30-steal season. Two players (Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds) have done it twice). However, no one has ever had a 50-homer, 30-steal season.
  • While multiple power hitters have had 100 runs, 100 RBI, and 100 walks, it’s not as common an occurrence for speed guys, so adding 30 steals to the criteria brings up only 6 players in the history of the game (including Trout once in 2016)
  • While 76 hitters in history have put together 35 doubles, 5 triples, and 30 home runs, just 18 put together the same amount of doubles and triples and hit 40 home runs. Bump it up to 50, and you have just 4 players – Babe Ruth, who did it twice, Luis Gonzalez, Brady Anderson, and Hack Wilson.

While we could marvel at Mike Trout accomplishments for a significant time, there are other players having big seasons as well. Let’s take a look at some hitters who are on pace for some very interesting numbers…

More from Call to the Pen

  • Mookie Betts is having an incredible year in his own right, pacing at 51 homers, 39 steals, 156 runs, and 57 doubles
  • Joey Gallo is on pace for 234 strikeouts, which would break the single-season record by 11
  • Ender Inciarte is the only player currently on pace for more than 50 stolen bases. If he did not even make it, 2018 would join 2002 and 2012 as the only seasons since 2000 without a 50-steal player
  • On the flip side, nearly 40 players are on pace to hit 30 home runs. That has occurred just 5 times in history.
  • Currently, 23 pitchers are on pace for 200 innings pitched, which would seem like a solid number, but that would constitute just the fourth time in the last 50 seasons that less than 25 pitchers would make that mark in a non-strike season.

Next: Astros lead Power Rankings

That is just a sampling of the great seasons that Mike Trout and others are having in 2018? Which is your favorite? What other crazy projections are you watching closely to see how the 2018 season develops? Comment below!

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