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Mike Trout: Future Hall of Famer… even at his worst

By Adam Taylor McKillop |
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels runs to second base after hitting a double during the first inning of the first game of a double header against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 05, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels runs to second base after hitting a double during the first inning of the first game of a double header against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 05, 2020 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Last season, Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels checked off the final box for his future Baseball Hall of Fame eligibility. That final box, according to FanGraphs, or rule 3(B) reads that a player must have appeared in at least 10 MLB seasons. Cooperstown should begin working on his official Hall of Fame plaque because this one’s a no-brainer.

Readers may be wondering how a player with just the bare minimum of 10 seasons played is already a lock for the Hall of Fame. Time to dive into the numbers. As pointed out on Twitter, Trout’s worst 60-game stretch throughout his 10-year career is still Hall of Fame worthy. Check it out.

Mike Trout is destined for the Hall of Fame, even during his worst seasons

This stretch, considered a slump for Trout, would be considered a decent year for most other players across the league. From July 1 to Sept. 6 of 2014, a year that Trout took home his first Most Valuable Player Award, Trout did hit just .250 across 60 games. That’s the worst of these stats. Trout still hit 12 home runs in 276 plate appearances, stole four bases, alongside a .783 OPS and 1.8 WAR.

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For the practice of this exercise, it’s time to extrapolate those numbers over a full season and lengthy MLB career. Based on this stretch, Trout still would have hit 30 home runs, recorded at least 10 stolen bases, with a 4.8 WAR across 162 games. Furthermore, an average Hall of Fame inductee records 18 seasons at the professional level. Those numbers equate to 540 home runs, 180 stolen bases, and an 86.4 career WAR.

And, yes, if you’re wondering – those are all numbers worthy of a Hall of Fame career. To have a little more fun with this, let’s check out the best 60-game stretch of Trout’s career. This stretch came during the beginning of the 2018 campaign when he hit 19 home runs in 261 plate appearances, stole 11 bases, recording a 5.4 WAR with a .356/.490/.727 slashing line. For a full season, that’s 51 home runs, around 30 stolen bases, and 14.6 WAR. If Trout pulled those numbers for 18 years, that equals a career of 918 home runs (all-time leader), 540 stolen bases, and 262.8 WAR.

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To put that into perspective, the MLB career leader in home runs is Barry Bonds with 762, and the career WAR leader is Babe Ruth with 168.4. In all fairness, it’s best to meet somewhere in the middle of Mike Trout’s worst 60-game stretch and his best. But, these stats still reach one conclusion. He’s a bonafide Hall of Famer, no matter which way you look at it.

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