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There was a time when Mike Trout would draw comparisons to some of the best players in baseball history. Trout has enjoyed a tremendous individual MLB career, winning American League MVP Awards and earning 11 AL All-Star selections. The Los Angeles Angels star was commonly referred to as the best player in the game for a significant portion of the 2010's decade. Yet, even then Trout was often underappreciated, something that has become more evident given his lack of playing time due to injuries in recent seasons.
Trout, who is currently on the injured list, has not appeared in more than 130 games since 2019. Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts have emerged as the best players in baseball while Trout slowly fades out of the conversation. He is still only 33 years old but his chances of becoming the greatest player of all-time, something fans thought he could achieve, are also seemingly beginning to feel unrealistic.
Even when Trout was playing on a consistent basis and winning MVP awards, he would sometimes get overlooked. People would agree that Trout is a great player and then move on. Maybe it was because he played for an Angels organization that cannot seem to get out of their own way. Trout has also been accused of not being marketable enough as a superstar.
But isn't greatness marketable? Sure, Trout does not have the loudest personality and he seems to love the weather channel (via CNBC) almost as much as baseball. And playing for an Angels team that has not reached the postseason since 2014 doesn't help matters. However, one can argue that the criticism Trout has received during his career s not deserved.
Mike Trout's loyalty to the Angels
Trout has been mentioned in trade rumors over the past few years, but the Halos star has remained committed to his current ball club. He signed a lucrative 12-year, $426.5 million contract extension with the Angels in 2019. There are not many players who would be willing to sign a deal, despite how lucrative it may be, with a team that has displayed a concerning amount of incompetence to build a winning roster.
Nevertheless, Trout made it clear that he values loyalty above all else. And that is not a bad thing, despite what some have said.
For example, Stephen A. Smith of ESPN made a disturbing comment that Trout's injury in 2024 was “karma” for deciding to stay with the Angels.
“Maybe it's karma for him that he stayed with the Angels,” Smith said in May on ESPN First Take, via Awful Announcing on X, formerly Twitter. “Maybe it's karma for him that he signed with that d*mned moribund franchise, maybe you should've went someplace else where you're going to be relevant, and that way you're going to be incentivized to stay healthy.”
Yes, that is something that was actually said on live television. Most fans will agree that this shouldn't have been said, but Trout still often receives backlash for deciding to stay in Anaheim.
However, there is something refreshing about a superstar deciding to remain loyal to one franchise. In today's age of free agency, we see stars swap teams on a consistent basis in all sports. There are some exceptions, such as Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Of course, Golden State has four championships with Curry while the Angels have a total of three playoff games with Trout.
Still, Trout's loyalty is not something that should be criticized.
Trout's greatness
Mike Trout is a three-time MVP for a reason. He probably could have won even more MVP awards during his prime. Trout was as consistent as any star in MLB history from 2012-2019 for the most part. He hit around .300 while leading the league in OBP, slugging and OPS on multiple occasions.
He hit for power, stole bases and played a respectable brand of defense. Trout could do it all but it sometimes was overlooked as he played for the non-contending Angels (with the exception of 2014).
So is Mike Trout the most underappreciated MLB superstar of all-time? The game of baseball has been around for over a century, so there have been many underrated players throughout the sport's existence. There have also been many overrated stars. Either way, Trout's greatness should not be forgotten.
His career is not over, though. If Trout can find a way to return and stay healthy perhaps he can end his career on a positive note.
