The Angels’ Mike Trout, who has been sidelined for the last week due to a neuroma in his right foot, will undergo surgery later this week, the Angels announced. The procedure will remove the neuroma and prematurely end his MVP-caliber season.
Trout, who hasn’t played since September 7, planned to return to the lineup today as a DH, but experienced pain while testing the foot on the field. While Trout and the Angels hoped that he would be able to play out the remainder of the season—if only as a designated hitter—the team has already been eliminated from playoff contention and, with surgery recommended, there’s no reason to push it.
With Trout now on the shelf for the rest of the season, the Angels’ laundry list of injuries only grows: he’ll join Justin Upton and Shohei Ohtani to form a trio of offensive cornerstones that won’t return this year, to say nothing of Andrelton Simmons, who has likewise missed considerable time this year. Those injuries have derailed the Halos’ postseason chances after entering the year as a popular choice to sneak into the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
Trout finishes his superb season with 134 games played, notching yet another season of otherworldly numbers, including a career-best 45 home runs. His .291/.438/.645 slash line gives him a 184 OPS+, the third-best mark of his Hall-of-Fame career.
With the Angels’ season effectively over, one of the few remaining questions was whether Trout would capture his third AL MVP Award. He’s already built a sturdy case, leading the AL in WAR, OBP, SLG, and OPS. He’s not likely to be caught on those fronts, though his closest competition, Alex Bregman, will surely benefit from the additional volume. The Yankees’ D.J. LeMahieu has gotten some buzz, while analytics-driven voters could show some love to Matt Chapman or Marcus Semien, though only Bregman figures to have a real shot at taking votes from the injured Trout.
🙁
I know that we’d never know, but wonder how he’d do with a better lineup around him. What do you guys think?
duh….Everytime man. Sucks.
he still better win MVP though
Given that he’ll finish with about as many games as last year and was about as good then as he was this year, it’s not a sure thing, but he does deserve it.
i cant imagine there’s anyone else who beats him.
His team is 67-82. It’s MVP, not BDP (Best Darn Player)
Because how his pitching, and the rest of the line-up plays should affect the awards he wins?
Yeah, Most Valuable Player. Not Most Valuable Player On A Winning Team.
What’s your point?
If he was most valuable he’d help his team get to the playoffs but he doesn’t. He’s a good player but over blown. He’s not hands down MVP every year like the media says.
Trout can turn a mediocre team into a playoff contender but he can’t turn an awful team into one, and the Angels are pretty awful. He’s just one person, even if he is the best player in the league right now. Just because Trout isn’t a deity that can win a team 30 extra games than they would have without him or guarantee play off berths simply because he exists does not mean he’s overblown in any way. Might be the worst take I’ve heard on this site, and I’ve heard some doozies.
Do you watch baseball?
This is one of the most vacuous things I’ve ever read. Trout is only allowed 1 AB per every 9. This isn’t basketball where one player can carry a team. This comment shows you have no understanding of how baseball works. At all.
Please tell me who is better.
Give us your full evaluation to prove you’re not just jealous that the Angels have him and your team doesn’t.
Why do you think you are able to rewrite the rules to this award? If you take any one player off the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros, etc, they all still make the playoffs. So by your criteria none of those guys can win MVP either.
Tell that to A-Rod when he won MVP for the last place Texas Rangers!
you brought up a good point for the wrong reason
It’s the right move for him to do
might as well. that way he can be ready for spring training.
Dang there goes my AL MVP prediction but at least I have some hope to catch up in fantasy…
His MVP chances are barely affected by this. Unless Bregman or D.J. go on some historic run these last 2 weeks, it’s more than certainly Trout’s.
still a lock for 3rd MVP
There’s only 13 games left. This shouldn’t impact his MVP chances at all. If you believe MVP equals best player then that’s him. If, however, you believe that it’s the most valuable player to a playoff bound team he’s not.
No MVP. Plays nothing but meaningless games.
And we all know what he did in the only pressure series of his career.
It’s Bregman or DJ now
No. It’s not DJ. Please stop commenting.
First, it’s not his fault that the Angels are awful. Second, numbers:
Bregman:
.295/.419/.579/.998, 159 OPS+, 36 HR.
Trout:
.291/.438/.645/1.083, 184 OPS+, 45 HR.
Sorry, but Trout is a better player having a better year.
But Bregman plays games that have more pressure in them. Not discrediting Trout, he’s the MVP. But there’s something to be said for Bregman playing for a 1st place team with playoff implications.
I don’t agree with what you are saying about Bregman and pressure. The Astros locked up the division months ago and the real pressure starts in October. Trout on the other hand has the pressure of carrying the team on his back with no pitching.
pressure means nothing. Bregman plays on an all-around better team, so if he produced just as well as Trout he would be less valuable because there are more other players whose strong production would mask his lack.
Also, if you look at Bregman’s numbers during the pressure of the post season, they are not impressive at all.
You can argue that Trout has more pressure than Bregman – Trout isn’t surrounded by quality players who can and do pick up any slack. It’s all on his shoulders – but it isn’t all on Bregman’s.
Is that even true? If Bregman strikes out, he has like 5 guys around him who can pick up the slack. If Trout fails in an AB, he basically has to wait 2-3 innings for his team to do anything again. And I really don’t think there is too much pressure on too many of these teams right now. And if there is, the Astros aren’t one of them.
Maybe something but not much. Its most valuable player, not most valuable player whose team is in a playoff race. Trout is, in a vacuum, easily the most valuable player in MLB.
More pressure because they have a loaded offense, with great pitching. People are forgetting trout defensive metrics as well
Trout is having a better OFFENSIVE season than Bregman. There’s an award for that. Bregman deserves the MVP. He will finish the season with more WAR and a division title.
Yea, but the gap between their defensive abilities is not enough to warrant Bregman over Trout.
Let’s see Trout is at 8.3 WAR and Bregman is at 7.4
D.J. LeMahieu: 5.4
and you’re saying Trout insnt a pretty good defensive outfielder?
Yankee homer shut your dumb homer mouth
Bregman plays SS and 3B. Those positions are infinitely harder than CF. WAR gives too much weight to CF. Trout is the best of this generation but Bregman season, plus quality defense at harder positions, plus contribution to a playoff team, equals Bregman MVP.
Plus pitches are harder to pick up because the walls are so much closer in that bandbox in Houston.
Yeah, I’m an Astros fan & love the hell out of Bregman, but Trout is MVP. I’d be super impressed if Bregman could make up the 1.2 fWAR/0.8 bWAR difference in 2 weeks though.
Boogaloo be like “HEY MOMMMM! The Meatloaf!!!”
Boogaloo, what do you mean by meaningless games? For real fans, all games have meaning, even when your team doesn’t make the playoffs. This doesn’t apply to bandwagon fans because they abandon teams when they aren’t making the playoffs. If you are a real fan, you stick with your team through think and thin.
DJ isn’t even in the top 10 players in the AL, you dumb Yankee homer.
Youre embarrassing yourself and need to be banned tbh
Semien > DJ all damn day, and only a NYY homer disagrees
DJ not in the top 10? HUH? Man, you’re the one who needs to shut up already.
So last year you guys wanted to rewrite the rules for Andujar>Ohtani. Now you want to do it again?
Still gonna win mvp regardless, no one else is close even with missed time.
MVP because they win 50 without him? How about a player who makes a difference on a winning team?
Why should a payrlayer be held responsible for a bad team
i think there’s certainly a point to be made here. its “most valuable,” not “best player,” and those things aren’t mutually excusive. id say id vote for a slightly worse player id they carried their team. for example, Bregman has been a great player, but if there was a Bregman on a team with a lot less talent overall, but they manage to overachieve in large part due to him, id take that player. i just cant think of a player of such caliber this year. Perhaps Charlie Morton given how he has given the Rays some consistency in the face of injury? not what my picm would be, but its an idea.
Ok but why is there a “best pitcher” award called the Cy Young Award, but no “best position player” award, if MVP is “open to interpretation of what “valuable” means to any person”???
you and the rest of us all know that the MVP is rarely a pitcher and that isnt how it is designed to be. sometimes a pitcher is the most valuable player in a league, and id argue its more frequent then the votes make it out to be.
Because an award’s terms being “open to interpretation” isn’t a problem to be solved/corrected for. Any superlative award (MLB MVP, Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay, Best In Show, etc) is by its very nature leaving the voters to decide what “valuable” and/or “best” mean in context, and then vote accordingly.
Any award that isn’t purely a marker of specific statistical achievement (a World Series Trophy, a Platinum Record, a 30-Day AA chip etc.) is largely about voter interpretation. “Best” is just as open to it as “valuable.” and the only thing replacing MVP with “Best Position Player” does is say “hey we don’t like pitchers bein’ able to win an award they rarely win. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be eligible for it, as pitchers are “players” too…so we’re getting rid of it!”
MVP stands alone is the all-encompassing award for player excellence. The Cy Young is not in competition with it. Baseball is hitting, pitching, and defense and I see the Cy Young as closer to (though infinitely more prestigious) the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. A player can win a gold glove and/or a Silver Sluggers and be eligible for MVP. Why shouldn’t it be the same with the Cy Young?
Nope. The Angels could win 30 games and Trout is still YOUR MVP.
Mike Trout would be the best player on far and away the worst team of All-Time if they won 30 games. Congrats to him.
Both trout and yelich should win mvp….stupid injuries.
It was great seeing them play against one another early on in the season, you could tell even then that they both were going to have great years.
agreed. sorry Bregman fans, but Yelich was that much better when healthy, and i believe he should get the benefit of the doubt.
whelp im an idiot i meant Bellinger. names too close.
While there aren’t many games left, this gives Bregman a real shot at MVP.
Take some time and watch the Angel game today (a lineup and outfield without Mike Trout). You will then understand how much value he brings to the Angel’s and the league.
Injuries are killing sports. Esports all the way.
Ever hear of a hangnail?
We have treatments for that for our esports superstars, no problem.
Bregman wins MVP with trout/dj coming in the meaningless second and third. this is not good news for the angels once again. the best mlb player of current times is landing on the il to end his second or best season yet. he deserved mvp a few years ago when his team was somewhat kind of not really relevant but made it to one postseason series. ONE. and got smoked. now. its honestly funny watching this talent be totally wasted on a team that will never make the playoffs in a division with teams like houston/oakland. ha. even texas is in a better position going forward than the angels. yup. the mallcops are better than trout. let that sink in
Funny that’s what people were saying about your team not so long ago.The Angels are about to turn the corner. And your Astros going down BROTHER!!!!!
oh. and i left off the best part. the best part is when, this coming offseason, they go out and spend a ton of money on Cole. one good starter wont help that dumpster fire of a team/franchise.
so next year. they may win a few more games. id say ten. maybe 15. but honestly. them wasting trout’s golden years is beyond indefensible. they get everything they deserve pertaining to trout and his greatness. when you have something good. you try. when you have something great. you better try harder. lets just all agree. the angels not only have not tried anything in regards to winning. they have tried more to lose and lose more and more they do. everyone should laugh at the angels
Who are you talking to amigo? You keep answering yourself.
Even with the best team in franchise history the Astros are barely top 10 in attendance. You can yell all you want, it doesn’t make you right or your team relevant.
The Texans are 1-1, catch the fever.
LOL
Great idea, they should go the Astro route and totally tank for three years. Were you following them then? Were you commenting when they weren’t even trying to put a decent product on the field? Did you like them when high draft picks were more important than even trying at all? You sound like a bandwagon fan to me. Actually, you sound like HaloShane. Did you change your username?
looks like i found two angry democrats. hah. tigers fan. grow up
because they disagree with you they are therefore of the other political party? lol
Wow, you don’t need to bring politics into it, if I wanted to be insulted I would go to CNN comment section. Now I understand your frustration, you are a Tigers fan. Why are you so mad at the Angels? By the way, how did “trying hard” work for the Tigers when Miggy was in his prime? The Angels are trying, that is why they locked Trout up for life, that is why they signed Ohtani. Chill out, grab a cold one and enjoy your Sunday afternoon.
no. i just use the word democrat as a derogatory term. would you prefer socialist?
frustration? laughing at a franchise is now frustration? wow. and. as a tigers fan. getting two number one draft picks in three years, and maybe another from the 2020 season i can exclaim my enthusiasm loudly for those first draft picks. the catcher the orioles got last year was the unanimous first pick. so i dont understand why a team would not want the best player possible. and honestly. dont ever talk about miguel again. he is a disgrace to baseball and will be until he stops cheating on his wife, playing and not trying, complaining about every other game all the time about the umps
and have fun on CNN bub
Projecting much? Please keep your comments not relevant to MLB Trade Rumors away from here.
astrosgotgreinkewtf = the worst in all aspects of commenting
Are you like 5?
Actually, I would prefer no derogatory comments. I prefer sports without a dose of politics, it’s actually one place where we should all be free to go and enjoy a game, root for our teams, and discuss our different opinions without putting other people down.
You have no idea who I voted for or what I believe in. Let’s keep it that way and talk sports.
Im not sure those words mean what you think they mean
MVP
Part of being an MVP is staying on the field. Trout has missed 98 games over the last three years. AL MVP this year is Alex Bregman who is again playing SS for the chronically-injured Carlos Correa. I’d pick Bregman or LeMahieu over Trout.
And having the highest WAR over those three years where he missed 98 games proves the point that Trout is better.
WAR is a flawed stat. It gives too much weight to CF and not enough weight to C, 3B, and SS.
Catcher’s get a +12.5 run positional adjustment in fWAR
SS +7.5
3B +2.5
CF +2.5
Seems about right to me.
Ejemp for the win. WAR is a flawed stat and a useless argument.
Not one person ever is arguing that WAR is a flawless stat . How could a statistic that attempts to quantify a player’s value and express it as a single number ever be?
The dude’s main gripe is too much/not enough “weight” given to various positions. Apart from being curious to hear what it is about the positional adjustment baked into WAR calculation that he thinks is inadequate, I don’t see how that minor quibble renders the statistic useless.
You’ve found two people. That’s a number greater than zero. If you cannot figure that out, it is a waste of time explaining to you the reason why WAR is a flawed stat. You will not understand, clearly.
Number of people proclaiming WAR to be a “flawed stat” in this thread: 2, so far.
Number of people claiming WAR to be a flawless stat in this thread/ever: 0 (which is what I said).
The flaw that is being repeated thus far is adjusted for (Positional Adjustment) in WAR calculation. I’m curious as to what it is about that adjustment that is inadequate to Ejemp2006, and what aspects of WAR you find to be flawed to the point that WAR becomes “useless” instead of just “flawed.”
For reference:
Flawed and Flawless = different things
Flawed =/= useless
You are a numbskull who hates baseball then.
Thank God you don’t run a team. Picking Bregman and Le Mahieu over Trout You sound like another jealous punk because Trouts not on your beloved Asstros.
You do not have to be on a contending team to be the MVP. Anyone claiming otherwise is out of their mind.
Dawson, Banks etc etc
Trout should have 7 MVPs after this year. He doesn’t. We failed.
People claiming this automatically takes him out of the MVP race. This is the middle of September, not the middle of July. After today, Trout will only miss a dozen games. Trout was already far ahead of either D.J. LeMahieu and Alex Bregman when he landed on the Injured List. Unless either of those two go on some crazy hot run these last 12 or so games, this is easily Trout’s award.
id still pick Trout here, but if i had to chose between Bregman and DJ I feel like id have to pick DJ for just how valuable his health and production have been for the team.
This whole crap with “valuable” vs “best”. Wtf does that even mean, they mean the same thing in a baseball context.
A $20 bill is a $20 bill in anyone’s wallet, and a $10 bill is a $10 bill in anyone’s wallet.
Trout’s value is the same on any team. Bregman’s value is the same on any team.
Trout is the most valuable and best player this year. This whole semantic discussion about the meaning of the word valuable is frankly stupid. It has always meant the player that brings the most value, meaning the best. Or are we going to start factoring payroll into the equation. I can see some of the same people piping up “Well you see he makes 30 mil more per year so his actual value isn’t that high. Blank has only 1.2 WAR less than Blank, but he provides a savings of 30 mil, therefore much more value.”
It’s actually disgusting how Trout does not have 6 MVPs by now. Trout on the Yankees has 6 MVPs, Trout on the Angels has 2 MVPs. Just stupidity by voters, once again.
We really need to all just agree that for all of WARs problems, it is the best in determining who is the best.
He honestly should have even won the 2012 MVP. Its MVP, not best hitter.
Nope, Cabrera got MVP votes before that season began when he accommodated the Prince Fielder signing by learning to play a passable 3B.
A future HoF megastar setting aside his ego to help the team win? Super valuable. Then winning the triple crown? Most valuable.
So Cabrera deserved MVP because something happened that wasn’t in his control (ie the Tigers signing Prince Fielder)? Ok, and that Triple Crown, don’t you think that it really helped Cabrera to have a deep line up where he could rack up RBI’s easily? Plus, you’re acting as if Cabrera had never played 3B before. He had more than 3000 innings at the hot corner entering 2012. The proof in value is in the WAR. Trout: 10.5. Cabrera: 7.1.
Things such as Cabrera having to move across the diamond should have no barring on his MVP status. MVP should only pertain to their contributions on the field. Trout was more valuable than Cabrera, and there is no argument to it.
You really never followed Cabrera’s career before the Tigers, I guess. He played more games at 3B for the Marlins than he ever did for the Tigers. He didn’t “learn” anything—he returned to a spot where he was defensively weak because he was marginally more mobile than Fielder.
Um, yep.
First, the Tigers talked to Cabrera and got his blessing before signing Fielder.
Second, a superstar like Cabrera putting the team before his personal interests is beyond valuable.
Third, WAR gives more points for playing CF than for playing 3B and that is stupid. It’s easier to find someone to play good centerfield than good 3B.
Fourth, Cabrera won the triple crown, playing a harder position that he moved to as a personal sacrifice to help his team contend, and only WAR fanboys thought Trout deserved the MVP that year.
You’re using the Triple Crown like its the be-all-end-all. Trout was still better in OBP, wRC+, and OPS+. All of Trout’s plate appearances came in the leadoff spot. he had zero chance to start the game off with a multi-RBI opportunity. Cabrera batted 3rd behind 2 guys who had OBP’s over .370 (Austin Jackson and Andy Dirks). Plus Trout provided way more defensive value, and base running value. Like I said earlier. It’s Most Valuable Player. Not best hitter, nor best slugger.
Fangraphs applies the same positional adjustment for CF and 3B. While it is true one should not compare, say, a SS and a LF on their WAR scores because the positions have different inherent value, there are no added”points” for CF over 3B.
100%, this. Nailed it.
It’s unfortunate that a section of fans are twisting the definition of something that should be pretty straight forward, just to muddy the waters.
Mike Trout is superhuman. Give him the MVP trophy and be done with it.
I guess their playoff chances are shot now that they lost the most valuable player. Right?
What a shame. I hope he comes back strong again next season. I was really hoping that he might get to the 50 homer mark.
Many players from non contending teams have won the MVP award, Trout included. Trout will win again if voters think he’s set himself apart statistically from other players by a significant amount.
I think he has, plus Bregman is surrounded by at least a few big offensive performers.
Wish we could see him with a better lineup but oh well. He chose to be on a team that’s him and by himself.
I’ve told friends for years that the Angels have the best player in the game and should spend to build a real team around him —- or he might leave. Well, he either loves Southern California tremendously and/or was sold a bill of goods by the Halos because he accepted a ton of money to read-up with a mediocre club. He might have gotten his money elsewhere, maybe not but I’m guessing yes, but it was Mike’s decision to stay in Anaheim after weighing all the factors. There’s no right or wrong, it’s his choice to stay for whatever reasons, and that’s that. Could have been a lot worse, might still not be what he hopes for, but on balance the Trouts picked where they wanted to live and play. Up to the Angels what they do with their investment now. Wishing both sides all the best going forward.
They have spent the money. But you can’t actually build a winning team by spending more and more on your 25-man roster. You have to rebuild your farm system, which the Angels have been doing for the past 4 years after neglecting it in the first half of the decade. That’s why they’re in the mess they’re in. Yankees and Dodgers are perfect examples. Both front offices cut payroll in favor of bringing up a ton of talented youth. And the Angels are working towards having the same kind of organizational depth so they don’t have to worry so much about spending.
Wasting his years in that uniform.
angels are not a bad team. it’s a great team with most starting pitchers injured. and the position players other than stars? they may not be famous or hitting 40 home runs but they play the game right way and very hard. i thoroughly enjoy every game they play!
What about Verlander?
I’m sure Trout couldn’t care less about the MVP. It’s gotta be pretty meaningless when you’re stuck on a lousy team on the west coast.
What a dumb thing to be sure of.
Only meaningless to the armchair GM who thinks they know more than Mike Trout.
As much as we’d love to see Mike Trout play in more meaningful games he is the best player on the planet. Upper management has flushed millions down the toilet with bad signings and zero vision for success. Hard to place blame on one guy.
Regular season MVP with a pathetic .083/.267/.333 line in the playoffs.
big sample size there of course