Mike Trout

[tomdalton22]

For me, he has become the best baseball player I have ever seen...maybe better than any baseball player ever.

He is freaking amazing.

 

[dale675]

Him and Yelich are worth the price of admission. I just hope Trout gets back to the playoffs while he's in his prime and doesn't just waste away on a mediocre team his entire career.

 

[Mitchrapp]

I don't see things changing regards to the Angels. And eventually they will be paying for a guy that has a .699 OPS.

 

[dale675]

I don't see things changing regards to the Angels. And eventually they will be paying for a guy that has a .699 OPS.

Pretty sure 28 out of 30 teams would have extended Mike Trout had they been given the chance. I know anything is possible but I'm willing to bet he will be 2-3 times as productive as Miguel in his aging seasons. He brings a lot more than wins to the Angels. He fills seats and sell merchandise. All about da $$$$.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Pretty sure 28 out of 30 teams would have extended Mike Trout had they been given the chance. I know anything is possible but I'm willing to bet he will be 2-3 times as productive as Miguel in his aging seasons. He brings a lot more than wins to the Angels. He fills seats and sell merchandise. All about da $$$$.

Of course but long deals like this are ridiculous. I thought Miggy with his skill set would stay relevant as well even if less home runs. But he didn't. As much as Trout is the man in 7-8 years he might have a similar path. And Miggy was a better average guy so remove Trouts home runs, his walks most likely go down as well and he's Miggy/Pujols.

 

[dale675]

Of course but long deals like this are ridiculous. I thought Miggy with his skill set would stay relevant as well even if less home runs. But he didn't. As much as Trout is the man in 7-8 years he might have a similar path. And Miggy was a better average guy so remove Trouts home runs, his walks most likely go down as well and he's Miggy/Pujols.

IMO Trout still far superior so far.

Miggy 38 career stolen bases
Pujols 111 career stolen bases
Trout 197

Trouts will continue to go up. The other 2 are not going anywhere.

Then there's defense. I know OF compared to 1B is apples to oranges, but CF is a more premium position. And not to mention Trout is a much better defender and base runner than either of those guys, no matter which way you slice it.

 

[Mitchrapp]

IMO Trout still far superior so far.

Miggy 38 career stolen bases
Pujols 111 career stolen bases
Trout 197

Trouts will continue to go up. The other 2 are not going anywhere.

Then there's defense. I know OF compared to 1B is apples to oranges, but CF is a more premium position. And not to mention Trout is a much better defender and base runner than either of those guys, no matter which way you slice it.

Okay so when he's 36 he'll have a .700 OPS with more stolen bases. But he will struggle with that bat. And even his speed he will slow down where he might just be a COF.

 

[tomdalton22]

Okay so when he's 36 he'll have a .700 OPS with more stolen bases. But he will struggle with that bat. And even his speed he will slow down where he might just be a COF.

Trout at 36 will be faster than Miggy was at 26.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Trout at 36 will be faster than Miggy was at 26.

Sure but there will be faster and better CF on the Angels at that point.

 

[tomdalton22]

Sure but there will be faster and better CF on the Angels at that point.

don't get me wrong, he will be a corner OF/1B/DH by then, but he should still be better than Miggy is now. His superior athleticism and speed should help keep him in the field and will help on the base paths.

 

[Mitchrapp]

don't get me wrong, he will be a corner OF/1B/DH by then, but he should still be better than Miggy is now. His superior athleticism and speed should help keep him in the field and will help on the base paths.

In the field no doubt. Bases too. But the bat maybe even worse since overall at primes his average is lower.

 

[dale675]

By the time Trout is hanging up his cleats he will have played a more premium position for 10+ years. So I guess what I'm getting at is the value of the contract. Even if we compare say age 36+, I still cannot fathom Trout falling off as bad as Miggy. And lets be honest, we have not even see the worst of Miggy yet. Look how well Torri Hunter hit at the end of his career. His age 39 season was the first time his OPS got as low as .700. He still had good power. I see no reason Trout can't produce like that after the age of 36, unless he goes Pablo Sandoval. Lol

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hunteto01.shtml

 

[Mitchrapp]

By the time Trout is hanging up his cleats he will have played a more premium position for 10+ years. So I guess what I'm getting at is the value of the contract. Even if we compare say age 36+, I still cannot fathom Trout falling off as bad as Miggy. And lets be honest, we have not even see the worst of Miggy yet. Look how well Torri Hunter hit at the end of his career. His age 39 season was the first time his OPS got as low as .700. He still had good power. I see no reason Trout can't produce like that after the age of 36, unless he goes Pablo Sandoval. Lol

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hunteto01.shtml

Pujols fell off, Miggy fell off, others have fallen off. Nature of getting older. And you could say at 30 and younger Pujols was a better hitter than Trout. Pujols was a complete beast. At the bat, Trout has nothing on him. Some guy get hit earlier than others but who thought at age 27, Miggy by age 34 would be this Miggy?

 

[dale675]

Pujols fell off, Miggy fell off, others have fallen off. Nature of getting older. And you could say at 30 and younger Pujols was a better hitter than Trout. Pujols was a complete beast. At the bat, Trout has nothing on him. Some guy get hit earlier than others but who thought at age 27, Miggy by age 34 would be this Miggy?

Pujols was a beast, no question. I guess my point of view is that Trout is the better overall player. Trout has done more defensively and on the base paths by 27, then the other 2 have their entire career. I know we're just purely speculating how Trout will age and decline. But I just see him as being so much more athletic that Miggy ever was, so I have a hard time thinking he will decline as quickly and early. But no one can predict injuries and how those can slow someone down very quickly, as we have seen first hand.

 

[Mitchrapp]

Pujols was a beast, no question. I guess my point of view is that Trout is the better overall player. Trout has done more defensively and on the base paths by 27, then the other 2 have their entire career. I know we're just purely speculating how Trout will age and decline. But I just see him as being so much more athletic that Miggy ever was, so I have a hard time thinking he will decline as quickly and early. But no one can predict injuries and how those can slow someone down very quickly, as we have seen first hand.

I'm not speaking of his athletic skill set just the bat, And it will fall. Hard. An no one wants to see someone making his money, for years, while he mans LF and steals 6 bases a year.

 

[dale675]

I'm not speaking of his athletic skill set just the bat, And it will fall. Hard. An no one wants to see someone making his money, for years, while he mans LF and steals 6 bases a year.

Bold prediction.

At least Trout is only signed through his age 38 season. We have Miggy through age 40 season. 4 more seasons after this year. His contract also gets more expensive in the last 2 years. Trouts stays the same.

 

[byco42]

I think there is a distinction to be made. Trout is an OF and Cabrera and Pujols are 1Bs, for good reason. There is a history of big 1B's offensive stats dropping gradually than suddenly. I have confidence that Trout will do all he can to compensate for the inevitable decline in physical skills and strength. His lowest season OPS is still more than .900. Someone said that "Trout has nothing on Pujols" in player similarity by age. I disagree. I consider them virtual equals, and Trout will not tank like Pujols did.

 

[Mitchrapp]

I think there is a distinction to be made. Trout is an OF and Cabrera and Pujols are 1Bs, for good reason. There is a history of big 1B's offensive stats dropping gradually than suddenly. I have confidence that Trout will do all he can to compensate for the inevitable decline in physical skills and strength. His lowest season OPS is still more than .900. Someone said that "Trout has nothing on Pujols" in player similarity by age. I disagree. I consider them virtual equals, and Trout will not tank like Pujols did.

I didn't say trout was worst just that he has nothing on Pujols which he doesn't. I think you under estimate how awesome he was. As far as contracts yes Miggy's was pile of shit and will be for awhile. How do you know Trout won't tank? Just saying as you get older strength deteriorates, same with speed and quickness. It's inevitable. We just don't know when it will happen.

 

[byco42]

I didn't say trout was worst just that he has nothing on Pujols which he doesn't. I think you under estimate how awesome he was. As far as contracts yes Miggy's was pile of shit and will be for awhile. How do you know Trout won't tank? Just saying as you get older strength deteriorates, same with speed and quickness. It's inevitable. We just don't know when it will happen.

From ages 21-27 (Comparing when both Trout and Pujols were in the league) there is a +53 difference in Runs Created (to me, the most valuable and telling offensive stat) in Pujols's favor, and there are still two full months of baseball left.

As for skills, they certainly will "deteriorate": but I do not think that Trout's average OPS+ will drop 200+ points from ages 33-38 like Pujols's has.

 

[tomdalton22]

In the field no doubt. Bases too. But the bat maybe even worse since overall at primes his average is lower.

Miggy's prime years (best) were his age 27-30 seasons (4 years). This is the first year for Trout in that time frame (he is in his age 27 season now). Trout has led the league in OPS 3 times already (4 times if he does this year), Miggy didn't do in until his age 29 season. At that point in their careers (up to age 27) trout had the better bat.