Trout, GOAT

As of today, wRC+ 2018:
190 Trout
181 Betts
170 Martinez

wRC+, All time:
1 Ruth
2 Williams
3 Gehrig
4 Hornsby
5 Bonds
6 Trout
7 Mantle
8 Cobb

Let’s stop pretending we aren’t in the middle of watching the greatest player to ever step onto the diamond.

He’s doing it on a mediocre team, not on steroids, in an era where every race is invited to play, against multiple well-rested pitchers per game, and against guys consistently throwing 95+.

He’s top or next to the top in wRC+ every year. He’s a plus defender. He’s fast and smart on the basepaths.

Trout is the best baseball player ever.

 

Too early to say the best ever, IMO. Your point about level of competition and multiple fresh pitchers per game is a very good one, but he could tear up his knee tomorrow and not return quite the same (a la Mickey Mantle-the player he most reminds me of)

Have to see where he stands at the conclusion of his career. Lot of things can happen, but he is off to a remarkable start.

 

He is a great player, it sucks he is gonna be on the Phillies once he becomes a Free Agent

 

Shouldn't this be in the Food and Cooking Forum?

 

too early to say the greatest, but the potential is there and he's only getting better at the plate. As long as he reaches the minimum 10 seasons, he's a Hall of Famer.

 

Jon Heyman of Fancred reports that the Angels are expected to discuss a contract extension with Mike Trout this offseason that would make him "a lifetime Angel."

The Halos tried to sign Trout to a "lifetime contract" a few years ago when the two sides wound up settling for a six-year, $144 million extension. That contract won't run out until after the 2020 season, but the Angels are interested in trying to lock the best player in the game up now. As Heyman notes, Trout and his agent, Craig Landis, would be wise to wait until after Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are signed to provide a salary floor for Trout. How seriously Trout might entertain another long-term deal from the Angels at this time remains to be seen.

 

I dont think he will accept it, I wouldnt. He grew up a Phillies fan, they are probably gonna be willing to pay what he is worth + they will be contending, so I fully expect him to sign with the Phillies after 2020.

 

He is definitely Mantle 2.0

You can't really prove anyone is the 'best player ever' but you can have a list of the best playerS ever and he's gotta be on it

 

How about you finish puberty and then we'll discuss your opinion on who is the mythical GOAT

 

It's a really fucking long list.

 

If we are excluding pitchers, its probably 14-15 names. Although my personal choice is Ruth because of pitching, which he could do at a HOF level and the others could not (Ohtani?). The obvious and only knock on Ruth is of course, whites only.

 

I never wasted a lot of time trying to denigrate the pre-integration players because they didn't have to play against the guys in the Negro leagues because I have little doubt that if the colored players of that era had to play against the MLB players their stats would look considerably different as well.

Know what I'm sayin?

 

As to your main point. I think there have been too many tremendous players across too many eras to name one guy the GOAT in MLB.

Ruth comes the closest because not only did he pitch exceptionally well, but he was the premier power hitter of his day. Where he separates himself from the pack is that he (alone) hit more home runs than every other TEAM in the league and he did it while adhering to a workout regimen of beer, hot dogs and floozies.

 

Very good point but it's a mathematical fact that by only playing whites MLB had less talent than if everyone got to compete. Ruth would still be an all time great even if he had a few better pitchers to hit off of (and hitters to pitch to).

 

I'd say hes the 2nd pr 3rd best player in my lifetime ( I'm 41 ). Bonds is 1 and honestly it's not close yet for me. After that its Trout or Griffey although I lean Trout right now but he will need to do it 8 or o more years to keep it that way. I doubt know if he can ever catch Bonds in my mind . That guy was otberworldly and because I'm under the working assumption that all the guys in that era juiced o make no differentiation on knowing Bonds did

 

How many black starting pitchers do you think he missed out on? 5?

 

No idea where I'd rank Trout, but he's definitely not the best player I've ever seen.


But unlike OP, I'm not 11.

 

You have to be shitting me comparing Bonds to Trout. Bonds crowing achievement defensively is not being able to throw out that speedster Sid Bream.

 

That's pretty disingenuous . Bonds was a very good outfielder . If you want to say on his prime he still wasnt as good as Trout then fine but let's not pretend he was a liability.

Bonds career WAR is nearly 100 higher than Trouts meaning Mike would need 11 more seasons averaging 9 a year just to catch and equal Bonds. All that still wouldn't equal the pure intimidation factor Bonds had at the plate . Mike Trout is phenomenal but to put him in the same career category, right now, as Bonds is insanity

 

Bonds was the Derek Jeter of OF. Johnny Damon is a great comparison defensively to Bonds.

I'd definitely put him in the same category and just as feared. He is 10 times better defensively but a step behind in the power numbers. It is too early to say Trout is in the category for GOAT but Bonds had a name so got gloves.