An honest take on what Trout has become: Not a top 20 player

[Jason]

1 hour ago, REDneck said:

I posed the question in a thread several months ago as to whether Trout would reach 500 career HR's.

Everyone was absolutely sure that he would some even said he would surpass that and hit 600.

He's at 350 currently and in a holding pattern.

Is everyone still absolutely sure that he's going to get to 500 with his health?

Nope

[tdawg87]

Trout should be allowed to take steroids.

[Chuck]

I'm a Trout homer so I can't bring myself to read through your post @Angelsjunky. 

Could be in denial, but I still think like others have said, if he can stay on the field he will be productive for a while longer. 

 

[Angelsjunky]

5 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

I'm a Trout homer so I can't bring myself to read through your post @Angelsjunky. 

Could be in denial, but I still think like others have said, if he can stay on the field he will be productive for a while longer. 

 

Of course. And actually, my post says as much. But...the fact is that he's played about half of all games over the last four seasons now, which makes his overall value drop to the 20-30 range, in terms of total value he brings to the field (according to WAR).

But I also said that if he reaches even a "garden variety MVP level" 7 WAR next year, he's back in the top 10.

It is all about playing time and its impact on total value. I think there's a good chance he's still capable of being a top 5 hitter or better, despite this year's performance. And he still has the skills to be a top 10 player. But unless he plays 120+ games, he's dropped down substantially.

[T.G.]

This is AJ's heartfelt attempt at a reverse jinx.

[Angelsjunky]

10 minutes ago, T.G. said:

This is AJ's heartfelt attempt at a reverse jinx.

Man, I wish. Like Chuck--and a lot of us--Trout has been a dream come true. I remember back in the 90s after the Mariners come up with Griffey then A-Rod, I thought something to the effect of, "I wish we could have a generational player like that." And we got one - and he was even better than either of those two. But here we are, with Trout undergoing a Griffey-esque collapse.

I still have hope but the last four seasons have been grim.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Angelsjunky