Mike Trout on pace for best season of his career after mashing two home runs. But if Trout continues like he has, Trout’s career will wind up better. All WAR figures refer to Baseball-Reference's model. Trout is currently on pace for 14.4 WAR, and may finally take down Babe Ruth, accomplishing something only Carl Yastrzemski has ever come close to; he had a 12.5 WAR in 1967. Just how long until he accumulates worthy numbers? August 7, 2013. Assuming Trout only plays to the end of his contract which expires in 2030, he would have to average 7.2 wins over the next 11 years to barely edge out Willie Mays and become the new greatest center fielder to ever play. ... At an age when most people are graduating college, Mike Trout has already become one of the best at his profession. and Trout has a knack for improving himself and adapting his game. There are three-hit games. By Daniel Schoenfeld Jun 26, 2014, 9:00am EDT In the history of Major League baseball. The only modern-day … Three-plus seasons is enough of a sample size to begin sifting through some numbers and looking at where Trout may land historically. Although Trout does not need to set records for his stature as an inner circle Hall of Famer to be complete, he has a chance to do just that. But Trout's power had the third baseman playing deep against him, which, combined with Trout's speed, made it impossible for the Twins to turn the double play. Trout’s path in the majors has placed him on a historic pace that has resulted in landing in the record books on many occasions. He started his professional career out of high school in 2009 playing for the Arizona Angels of the rookie-level Arizona League (AZL), hitting .360 with a .418 OBP and .506 SLG with one home run, 25 runs batted in (RBIs), and 13 stolen bases in 187 plate appearances over 39 games. He was worth 14.1 wins above replacement. He’s so clearly the best playe r in baseball, but because he’s so understated, no one talks about him much. Boring day with a .500 on-base percentage. You don't think you have a chance to catch it. Trout has played eight full seasons in the MLB and has three MVP’s. When Upton flied out to right, Trout went to third as the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning. He still has 95th percentile sprint speed, so he could go back to stealing bases, but why bother when the juiced ball means he’s in scoring position on first base. He also was hit by a pitch and drew a walk, though. He has been an All-Star in all eight of his full seasons in the league and has won three American League Most Valuable Player awards. Trout’s hot start has him on pace for 10.9 WAR. In 25 of those games, he had a positive WAR. Trout always finds new areas of the game to conquer. This would make Trout one of only 32 players to ever have a career WAR north of 100.0. As a kid, who can turn down chips and candy? Mays retired 15 years before I was born, so I never had the privilege of watching him. But looking further into this, the years Mike Trout didn’t win MVP are just as telling as the years he did. DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - APRIL 08: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels celebrates a home run with third base coach Brian Butterfield #55 during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during the season home opener at TD Ballpark on April 08, 2021 in Dunedin, Florida. That last one, that's the second-greatest season in major league history, according to WAR, and the 60 homers were the fourth-greatest. I always dreamed of making it in baseball, but life has moved pretty quickly for me. The LA Angels star outfielder has garnered his colleague’s highest respect that earned him the recognition as the game’s best player. It's not 73 homers, it's not a Triple Crown, it probably won't even be a Gold Glove. He’s having a huge year when it comes to power, and his numbers in most categories are up, putting him on pace to set new career highs. Rather, it's that he has developed perhaps the best eye in baseball. August 7, 2013. Those two are #1 and #2 all-time in WAR. Getty Images/Jonathan Moore. It's a weird sport in which missing a pitch by a little is worse than missing it by a lot, but in this case, Trout's whiff merely put him behind in the count. Last year, that would have ranked third in baseball, behind Byron Buxton (9.1) and Mookie Betts (9.0). Earlier in the day, we ran a terrific story from Sam Miller on Mike Trout.The headline: "Mike Trout is on pace for the greatest season in MLB history."