Mike Trout has been the best player in baseball throughout the decade, and he is now in rarefied air. During the Los Angeles Angels’ 13-0 win over Seattle last night, Trout surpassed a 1.000 career OPS by going 3-4 with a walk and a HBP. He is the only qualified active hitter with a OPS of 1 or more.
We’re officially on Mike Trout 1.000 career OPS watch for the first time ever.
After his second double, Trout now has a career OPS of .9997.
He’ll go to .9998 with a walk in his next PA, .9999 with a single, 1.0001 with a double, 1.0004 with a triple, and 1.0006 with a homer.
— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) July 13, 2019
Last year, some were already saying that Trout was the best player in the history of the league. He continues to put up incredibly gaudy numbers, and his best years are still to come. If you compare him to some other baseball greats, you can see just how impressive his numbers have been since his debut in 2011.
OPS through 9 seasons:
Mike Trout: 1.000 (still in 9th season)
Mickey Mantle: .994
Joe DiMaggio: .986
Willie Mays: .975
Mel Ott: .966
Alex Rodriguez: .958
Rogers Hornsby: .958
Ken Griffey Jr: .943
Hank Aaron: .943
Barry Bonds: .930— Hot Stove Stats (@HotStoveStats) July 13, 2019
As of now, Mike Trout is one of just eight players in MLB history with an OPS of 1 or more. Of the other seven players to accomplish this feat, six played outside the modern era and the seventh is Barry Bonds. Considering what Trout has done this decade, and how much better he has been than his peers, he might end his career as the undisputed GOAT.
We are on career OPS alert for @MikeTrout 🚨
There are only eight qualified hitters with a career OPS above 1.000:
Babe Ruth (1.164)
Ted Williams (1.116)
Lou Gehrig (1.080)
Barry Bonds (1.051)
Jimmie Foxx (1.038)
Hank Greenberg (1.017)
Rogers Hornsby (1.010)
Mike Trout (1.000) pic.twitter.com/TBjF4cARza— Sean Norberg (@ClutchNorberg) July 13, 2019
If you take a look at Trout’s Baseball Reference page, the bold numbers jump off the screen. Trout led the league in OPS+ for the first time in 2012, and he has led the majors in OPS+ in each of the last three seasons. He currently leads the majors in OPS+ again in 2019.
His WAR numbers are perhaps even more impressive. Trout has led the American League in Offensive WAR for five of the last six seasons, and he is set to make it six of seven seasons with his great first half in 2019.
Trout is just 27 years old, and he signed the richest contract ever in American professional sports back in March. He agreed to a 12-year extension that will pay him $430 million over the life of the contract.
