NFL Tickets
Without a doubt, the newest face of the sport of baseball is Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. At the ripe old age of 24, he already has 131 career home runs, 378 RBIs, 452 runs scored, 112 steals and a .303 batting average. He’s on pace to do things people haven’t done since the days of Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays in terms of combining speed and power. Despite all that, he has a lot riding on the outcome of the final six weeks of the MLB season.
Trout is in an intense race with Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson for the American League MVP award, and it doesn’t look like it will be decided anytime soon. Both players are extremely close in most major statistical categories. Here are the numbers:
Trout – .294 average, .391 on-base percentage, 33 HRs, 71 RBIs, 10 steals, 6.7 WAR
Donaldson – .296 average, .365 on-base percentage, 33 HRs, 91 RBIs, four steals, 6.7 WAR
Clearly, the two have been dominating opposing pitching and in very similar ways. Trout gets on base more often and is more of a speed threat than Donaldson, but the Blue Jays’ third baseman has been the best run producer in the game, leading MLB with 91 runs batted in.
It’s important to remember what another MVP award would do to Trout’s legacy. He would have two American League MVP awards (as well as two runner-up finishes) at the age of 24, while being on pace to set all sorts of records. Most legendary players who burst onto the scene as early as he has don’t fizzle out.
That isn’t to say he will fizzle out if he doesn’t win the MVP award this season. Of course, those two things are unrelated. However, winning another MVP award, especially against such a worthy opponent, would cement his legacy before he’s even 25 years old.
If he really wants to end up in the discussion as one of the best of all time when it’s all said and done, this is an MVP award he needs to win. Should he win his third MVP, you might start hearing him mentioned in the same sentences as DiMaggio and Mays more often.
Share 
