Through 1,000 Games, Mike Trout Is On Track To Be The Greatest Baseball Player Ever

Mike Trout just hit the 1,000-game milestone, which probably means he’s about one-third of the way done his major-league career. From his 19-year-old season in which he hit .326 with 30 home runs and took home AL Rookie of the Year on, it’s been clear there really is no ceiling for Trout. Through 1,000 games, his play and the numbers speak for themselves.

 

Trout’s six-plus seasons (excluding 2011 when he played 40 games and had 123 at-bats) are insane:

 

-2012: 139 games, .326 AVG, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 129 R, 49 SB

-2013: 157 games, .323 AVG, 27 HR, 97 RBI, 109 R, 33 SB

-2014: 157 games, .287 AVG, 36 HR, 111 RBI, 115 R, 16 SB

-2015: 159 games, .299 AVG, 41 HR, 90 RBI, 104 R, 11 SB

-2016: 159 games, .315 AVG, 29 HR, 100 RBI, 123 R, 30 SB

-2017: 114 games, .306 AVG, 33 HR, 72 RBI, 92 R, 22 SB

-2018: 75 games, .332 AVG, 23 HR, 48 RBI, 62 R, 13 SB

 

Throw in 2011, and through his first 1,000 games, Trout has a .308 average, a .414 on-base percentage, 224 home runs, 617 RBI, 754 runs scored, and 178 stolen bases.

 

Trout has a unique blend of speed and power almost unlike any player in the history of baseball. He’s the first player in MLB history with 200+ home runs and 175+ steals before his age-27 season (Trout turns 27 in August). When he first entered the majors, he was arguably the fastest player in the league.

 

Some added weight might have led to a slight decrease in speed from his younger years, but Trout still has elite speed—as we’ve seen both on the basepaths and in center field. And Trout getting stronger has allowed him to be one of the best power hitters in baseball—yet he still hits well above .300.

 

Trout is able to record so many hits because he hits the ball to all areas of the field. His career spray chart is a thing of beauty, with marks all over the field (and a good amount in the bleachers). There is no concern about him pulling out and trying to crush the ball every swing, but he crushes the ball anyway. Trout’s super-quick, compact swing allows him to get his barrel to any pitch—and not just to put the ball in play, but to square it up.

 

On defense, even non-baseball fans have probably seen a highlight of Trout tracking down a ball with blazing speed or showing off a vertical jump that’s probably well over 40 inches to rob a home run at the wall. And he might not have the strongest arm in the league, but Trout will make anyone think twice about testing him.

 

Basically, Trout is the perfect baseball player. His attitude is impeccable, and he truly has all five physical tools almost to the max. There hasn’t been anyone like him in quite some time, if ever.

 

Trout has six straight All-Star appearances, and he could pull off what looks like an impossible record if he gets to 21 straight All-Star game appearances like the great Hank Aaron.

 

Another thing Trout could get close to matching Aaron in is home runs. Some consider Aaron the true home run king at 755, and Trout has a realistic shot to approach that number. Even if Trout doesn’t get to the top of the all-time list, he’s a virtual lock for 600 or 700 home runs, which would put him in the top ten—and above multiple steroid users. Trout doesn’t need to cheat; he’s an all-time player on commitment, hard work, skill, and ability alone.

 

That epic rookie season in which Trout burst onto the scene was the first in MLB history that a player hit 30 home runs, stole 45 bases, and scored 125 runs. Anytime something is done for the first time in the history of Major League Baseball, it’s quite the accomplishment.

 

From 2012-2016, Trout finished top-two in AL MVP voting, becoming the second player in MLB history to finish in the top-two in voting in five consecutive seasons (the only other was Bonds). Trout took home two of the awards, and it took Miguel Cabrera being in his prime and going for a Triple Crown to win in 2012 and 2013. But Trout has played at an MVP level every season since he entered the bigs, and he’s the favorite to take home a third MVP this season.

 

Considering how great Trout has been to start his career, it’s crazy to think he’s getting better. Somehow, he is.

 

Let’s say Trout is about one-third through his historic career. Barring injuries, I’m projecting his numbers at 3,000 games could look something like this:

 

.317 average (54^th all-time)

716 home runs (3^rd all-time)

1,888 RBI (12^th all-time)

2,304 runs (1^st all-time)

458 stolen bases (51^st all-time)

 

Numbers even close to that, in the history of baseball, would be insane in a day and age where pitchers are regularly throwing into the high-90s and there are multiple specialists in every bullpen.

 

Trout is getting better by the year, so these estimates might be conservative. Or they could be aggressive. A lot of it will come down to how well he plays as he ages. With the way athletes can take care of their bodies today, it’s not out of the question that Trout remains the best player in the game for another decade-plus.

 

We could also get into the WAR (Wins Above Replacement) metric as further evidence to what makes Trout on track to be the greatest baseball player of all-time. But that isn’t necessary. We’ve gone into the numbers enough, and they don’t do him justice.

 

Trout’s greatness is already on display every time he steps on the diamond.