by Gianluca Milea
Four score and seven years ago feels like around the time we saw a player comparable to Mike Trout. Trout has been the best player in the MLB for about a decade now; he received MVP votes in his first full season in the league, 2012 and has accumulated a long-winded list of awards and achievements.
Prior to Trout’s reign atop the league, players like Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Robinson Cano, and Joey Votto, just to name a few, were enjoying much success and earning many accolades as some of the best players in baseball. However, none were ever able to put up numbers like Trout and really sustain themselves as a major step above the rest of the pack.
While Trout has already supplanted himself as one of the greatest players ever at just 28 years of age, you have to go all the way back to the 1950s to find a comparable counterpart. Mickey Mantle was an unbelievable centerfielder for the New York Yankees from 1951-1968. Like Trout, he burst onto the Major League scene at 19 years old and never looked back.
Mantle took over centerfield when Joe DiMaggio retired at the end of the 1951 postseason. Mickey enjoyed much success, but perhaps one of the most entertaining seasons in Yankee history came in a year when Mantle fell short. The 1961 season was the year of the homerun. Babe Ruth had set the single season homerun record with 60 in 1927. It became apparent down the stretch of the 1961 season that both Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle would have the opportunity to surpass Ruth’s record. Had it not been for a fluke hip injury, Mantle probably would have joined Maris in surpassing 60 homers, but he finished with 54 and Maris captured the spotlight with 61.
Mantle was must-watch TV. He was a player who had fans from everywhere tuning in, much like Trout. While baseball contracts are absurd, if anyone is deserving of $430 million, it is Mike Trout.
Over the course of his nine seasons Trout has consistently dominated opposing pitchers. Just this past season, he posted a .291 batting average, drove in 104 runs, and hit 45 home runs. In addition, Trout’s 72.8 WAR is second among active players, only to his teammate Albert Pujols. He also won his third MVP award in 2019.
The only blemish on Trout’s resume is his lack of opportunities in the postseason. Baseball has severely suffered as many non-Angels fans have not been able to tune in to see Trout on the biggest stage. Although he did have an opportunity in 2014, he had just 15 plate appearances and batted a mere 0.83. However, his career leaves much to be desired in terms of performing on the big stage. Perhaps the biggest discrepancy between Trout and Mantle comes in the form of rings. Mantle was able to accumulate 7 titles, while Trout has yet to win any.
This is not a knock against Trout, as he has not been in any position to be able to compete for a championship, while Mantle played on much better teams, with Hall of Famers like Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Phil Rizzuto, and Joe DiMaggio.
The Angels do have the seventh highest payroll in the MLB; however the team has not had a winning record since 2015. The additions of Anthony Rendon and a healthy Shohei Ohtani should help Trout’s run at a second playoff berth.
Trout’s resume is unlike any other we have seen in recent history. At just 28 years old and with 11 years left on his 12 year/$430 million he has shown no signs of slowing down. New skipper Joe Maddon will definitely have his work cut out for him, but one thing he will not lose sleep over is the production he will get out of his centerfielder.
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