Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout – the future home run king

There is seemingly nothing that Mike Trout cannot do on the diamond. The Los Angeles Angels superstar has already built a Hall of Fame resume at just 29 years old, his list of accomplishments in his first 11 seasons rivaling that of the greatest that the game has ever seen.

Perhaps the most amazing part of Trout’s game has been his impressive consistency. He has posted an OPS+ over 160 in each of his full major league seasons, finishing in the top five of the MVP vote every year. It is no wonder that he is considered to be the best player in the game today.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout could challenge for all time home run title

Although Trout does not need to set records for his stature as an inner circle Hall of Famer to be complete, he has a chance to do just that. With 306 home runs through Thursday, he has the possibility to become the all time major league home run king.

Over his career, Trout has averaged 39 homers per 162 games played. If we take his eight full seasons, ignoring the pandemic shortened 2020 campaign, he has averaged 145 games played. Those two marks would give an average of one homer every 4.15 games and approximately 35 homers over the course of the typical year.

If Trout was to continue at his current pace, he would reach 763 home runs in 2034, as it would take approximately 1897 games to notch the 457 homers that he would need to surpass Barry Bonds. He would be 43 years old at that point, his brilliant career winding down and his induction into the Hall of Fame well within his sights.

Obviously, there is a lot of extrapolation. There is no guarantee that Trout would want to play beyond his current extension, which will expire at the end of the 2030 season. Likewise, he is likely to slow down as he gets older, pushing back the date when he would be expected to pass Bonds.

But Trout has been a wonder unto himself since he became a regular part of the Angels lineup. If anyone will defeat Father Time and continue to produce at close to their accustomed rate, he may well be that player. At this point, it is impossible to imagine anything else.

Mike Trout has a viable chance to be the next major league home run king. It is just a matter of whether or not the Los Angeles Angels star wants to play that long.