MLB Players Power Rankings (1): Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
2019 Stats: 0.645 SLG | 0.436 wOBA | 180 wRC+ | 8.6 fWAR
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And now, arguably the greatest player of all time, if not of the last couple of generations: Mike Trout. Vying for his third AL MVP award in nine MLB seasons, Trout somehow only got better this in 2019.
In the end, he finished the year with an 8.6 fWAR, the highest in MLB, and established himself as the best run creator in the game by posting a 180 wRC+, also tops in baseball. What’s more, he posted career highs in home runs with 45 and slugging (.645).
The only knock anyone can have on Trout is that he once again failed to carry his team into the postseason. In fact, in his nine MLB seasons, the Angels have only managed to make it to the playoffs once, in 2014.
Some have wondered if agreeing to the richest contract in American professional sports, a deal that will pay him $35.5M AAV until 2030, would hamper the Angels organization in the long run. For 2019, you can certainly make that argument, especially when you consider that Trout’s 8.6 wins wouldn’t even have made the Angels a Wild Card contender.
Hopefully, Angels brass can get creative and begin to build a winner around baseball’s best player. Otherwise, they risk staining Trout’s career akin to all-time baseball greats like Ted Williams and Barry Bonds.