Since the week leading up to the All-Star game in DC I feel like I've heard nothing but how great Mike Trout is and how is season is one of legends. The numbers and pace of which he's putting them up should send him straight to Cooperstown! So naturally I went to look at these amazing numbers; and they are very good. Trout is slashing .309/.459/.624, all which are within the top 6 in the league including being the leader in on base percentage. Trout hit his 30th HR this week and in a rarity for today's game has more walks than strikeouts (99/97). Trout plays a great centerfield and has just an all around likeability to him.
The problem I have with everyone talking about how he is the run-away MVP candidate in the American League is there are two guys in Boston that have equally as good slash lines, with possibly the exception of OBP, and have better numbers in the production column. JD Martinez has a slash line of .323/.391/.638, and Mookie Betts has posted a .338/.422/.648 so far this season. Martinez leads the league with 32 HR's and 89 RBI's. Betts trails just Francisco Lindor for the league lead in runs with 84, two better than Trout.
Now the counter argument in Trout's favor is likely that the two guys in Boston are on a much better team with a high octane offense, which I understand. I would then argue that that same disadvantage that Trout has in the run production category, he has an advantage in the OBP category. If I'm going into LA to face the Angels there is one guy in the line-up I refuse to let beat me, Mike Trout. So my pre game meeting with the pitchers and catchers is make Trout chase, don't give into him, make someone else beat you. Albert Pujols is hitting just .256 with 17HR's, and is not the threat he once was and the same goes for Justin Upton who's hitting .260. The loss of Japanese standout Shohei Ohtani for a portion of the season doesn't help Trout either. Trout has little to no protection, so he walks more. Pitchers are more careful with him than they can afford to be with Betts and Martinez because the Boston line-up provides more protection.
The point is that it's not Trout's fault that his numbers aren't where the others are when it comes to run production, but that's why it is incredibly difficult to name an MVP to a player who's on a team that is not in a playoff race. It's hard to put up incredible numbers by yourself. You can't drive people in if there isn't anyone on base in front of you, and you're not going to get a lot to hit if there isn't anyone behind you that the pitchers are worried about. 20 of Trout's 99 walks have been intentional, which leads the league.
Mike Trout is an amazing player, is on base to have a Hall of Fame caliber Career. We will more than likely be watching him give an acceptance speech in Cooperstown the minimum 5 years after he hangs up his spikes. All that said, Trout isn't putting up the BEST numbers this year. If you stick him in the middle of that Red Sox order he probably puts up insane numbers, but he's in LA, on a losing team, with a couple of aging veterans around him. You have to look at the full picture when it comes to MVP voting, I don't think you can give it to Trout with the years Betts and Martinez are having.
**Statisical Sources: www.baseball-referance.com & www.mlb.com/stats/sortable**
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