Mike Trout: 2016 American League Most Valuable Player?

It’s been 4 years since Mike Trout flew into action, every year finishing either first or second in the American League balloting for “Most Valuable Player”, in doing so cementing himself as one of the game’s greats.

The script is the same as follows, in a couple weeks both MLB and the BBWAA will either crown Mike Trout or Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox the league’s MVP.

Should he finish runner-up for the fourth time in five years? You can only blame one thing, his team. Trout has been nothing short of “legendary” and I don’t say that lightly, just how great has he been exactly? Here’s the breakdown…

The 25-year-old superstar from Millville, NJ slashed an incredible .315/.441/.550 on the year, which also seen him hit for 100 RBI’s to compliment his 29 home runs.

A career .306/.405/.557 hitter, Trout averages nearly 30 homers and around 100 RBI’s per year! I must add, all this in the middle of an Angels lineup that features, absolutely nothing.

Jul 14, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; American League outfielder Mike Trout (27) of the Los Angeles Angels poses with the MVP trophy after the 2015 MLB All Star Game at Great American Ball Park. The American League all stars won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Respectively, since 2012 Trout has led all of MLB in WAR, despite falling to his National League counterpart, Bryce Harper and finishing second overall in that department last season.

His five-tool skill set speaks for itself, and one can only dream of the impact he’d have on a lineup that features the company of David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley Jr, Xander Bogaerts, etc.

Whether it’s with the bat, the glove, or on the base paths… Mike Trout is a perfect example of why stats like “WAR” are a necessary part of this game.

Unfortunately, as he stacks up against Betts toe-to-toe, many members of the BBWAA (season-award voters) have already implied their vote will be against him.

Solely for the fact that the Red Sox are playing meaningful October baseball, and the Angels are home watching.

Sure, Betts played a tremendous part of that. We get it, but did Trout even have a chance on a team that won only 74 games?

Why punish him, could he have gotten the halo’s an extra 26 wins?

Trout alone probably accounted for 10 win’s. Mookie Betts is a fantastic ball player with just as much of a future, but this game NEEDS Mike Trout.

With the exception of a triple crown year like the Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera, Trout is and has been the American League’s Most Valuable Player, for quite some time.

So forget the MVP’s, forget the stats, forget what I said, because Mike Trout is doing something we have never seen before, he’s writing history. Let’s say he gets snubbed.

You have no one to blame but the team he plays for. It’s ironic, hence the title. Yet, unfortunate. A talent like this, you may never see again, but don’t worry. Despite the rumors, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon, he is the Los Angeles Angels.

At this pace, he already has a legitimate campaign for Cooperstown, and he’s well on his way. Heck, he’s already passed 32 of em’ as far as individual WAR is concerned.

As a member of the IBWAA, (the internets version of the BBWAA) I hold a vote for the AL MVP, and I’m more than proud and honored to cast that for Mike Trout. Now comes the part where I have to give an overall season grade, so as always, and as it should be, here’s to the candidate who should be your presumptive 2016 AL MVP.

2016 Grade: A+