Photo courtesy: Keith Allison
Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout closed out the 2016 season in promising position to overtake the legendary Babe Ruth in one standout category.
One of baseball’s most telling stats, which Trout dominates, is wins against replacement (WAR). This examines the win percentage of a team when a specific player is in the lineup versus when they ride the bench.
The only player to lead the American League (AL) in WAR for more than five years is Babe Ruth. At the time a New York Yankee, Ruth excelled in player value for six years from 1926 to 1931.
When comparing the first five years of Ruth’s record to Trout’s current numbers in WAR, Trout is only .9 off of Ruth’s 10.5 WAR average from 1926 to 1930.
Trout’s sixth season for the Angels is next year and puts him on the doorstep of tying this talent-revealing record.
In five consecutive seasons beginning in 2012, Trout has triumphed the American League (AL) in WAR according to Baseball-reference.com. The only year he did not top the entire MLB in WAR is when Nationals’ right fielder Bryce Harper beat him out in 2015 with a WAR of 9.9 to Trout’s 9.7.
This places Trout among greats like New York Yankee Mickey Mantle and Washington Senator Walter Johnson. Mantle bested the entire AL for four consecutive seasons, 1955 to 1958, and Johnson led the AL in WAR from 1912 to 1916.
When stacked up against National League (NL) players, Trout still dominates. Notable ball players like Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays and Honus Wagner are the only NL players to repeat as the leader for four seasons. No player in the NL has repeated as WAR leader for five years.
WAR has clear cut implications to an athlete’s talent level, but another huge component of a ball player’s talent is their ability to consistently play at a high level, which Trout demonstrated once again during the 2016 season.
Trout’s ability to stay healthy and play through small injuries is a huge mark in his prowess as an athlete.
Not only is Trout healthy, but he rarely misses playing time during the regular season’s 162 game stretch. His rookie year in 2012, he only played 139 games, but since then he has never played fewer than 157 games.
Trout’s average games played per season in five years with the Angels is 154 games. This number adds validity to his overall value as a ball player, because not only does he consistently play well, but he remains at that level for an average of 154 games.
Trout also excels in runs scored, a vital part of winning a ballgame. He led the American League (AL) in 2013 with 109 runs. In 2012, 2014, and 2016 he topped the entire MLB with 129, 115, and 123 runs scored respectively. Trout hasn’t sunk below 104 runs, which he racked up in 2015.
When faced with runners on base, Trout not only performs but he shines. His batting average with runners in scoring position (RISP) is above .300 in all situations. Even more remarkably, Trout had a .750 batting average when faced with loaded bases in the 2015 season and a .545 batting average in that same scenario during the 2016 campaign.
At 27 years old, Trout’s on-base percentage (OBP) has gotten better since his debut at 19 years old and for the first time in his five-year career, Trout's .441 OBP claimed the top spot in both the AL and MLB. In 2013 and 2015 Trout also rose above .400 in OBP. In all five seasons except the 2014 campaign, he ranked within the top six players in getting on base.
Trout’s game leading statistics do not stand alone, but rather result in the culmination of an increasing number of awards. He has been an All Star and a Silver Slugger every year from 2012 to 2016, placing him as upper echelon talent in the baseball world.