According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan, Mike Trout became the proud owner of the most significant contract in professional sports history Tuesday: 12 years and $430 million.
What better way to celebrate than using the very best period of his career?
Trout has already collected more wins above replacement throughout the age of 26 than any hitter in MLB history, according to Baseball Reference. The only real catch is that he has needed a single-season ceiling of 10.5 WAR.
The counter for this catch, however, is that Trout is getting better with age.
Per his 186 OPS+ in 2017 and his 199 OPS+ in 2018, Trout has been the best hitter in baseball every one of the last two seasons. This is life for a man who walks as frequently as he strikes out and is also among the game’s elite power hitters.
Meanwhile, Trout is still the fastest baserunner in the Los Angeles Angels, and he’s been a readily above average center fielder in 3 of their last four decades. If not for a bothersome wrist accident, this could have contributed to easily the best year of his career in 2018.
All Trout wants to perform in 2019 is remain healthy, and also a brand new career high in WAR will be as good as his. So could a third American League MVP. . .but that isn’t just a bold prediction, can it be?
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