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There was a time when Mike Trout was considered to be MLB's best player. However, he was recently ranked as the 39th best player in the league by MLB Network. For many players, being ranked that high would be a significant achievement. For Trout, though, it feels rather underwhelming since he was consistently the best player in the league for multiple years at one point in his career.
The Los Angeles Angels star revealed that the ranking has him especially motivated heading into the 2025 campaign, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
“Stuff like that fires you up a little bit,” Trout said.
The list, which was published on February 13 by Manny Randhawa and Brian Murphy of MLB.com, has Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. as the top players in the sport in that order.
Meanwhile, Mike Trout is between Matt Chapman (No. 38) and Jackson Chourio (No. 40) at the No. 39 spot. The 33-year-old's career has recently been decimated by injuries, as he has not played in more than 119 games since 2019. Yet, while on the field, Trout's play had remained consistent for the most part. He still managed to earn All-Star selections in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
His 2024 season saw something new occur, though. Sure, Trout only played in 29 games. Still, Mike Trout struggled and recorded his worst batting average since 2011, which was technically his first MLB season, but he did not play enough games to qualify to be a true rookie that year. Trout ultimately found his footing and cruised to the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2011, however, Trout recorded a .220 batting average across 40 games played. During the '24 campaign, he recorded a .220 batting average in 29 contests. He still hit for power, crushing 10 home runs and finishing with an .867 OPS. Nevertheless, Trout did not look like his former MVP-caliber self.
Will Mike Trout bounce back in 2025?
Trout is set to play right field in 2025, moving from his former position, center field. The move could help limit Trout's injuries, as he will not have to cover as much ground in right field.
As long as Trout can stay healthy, which is a question mark, there is reason to believe he can bounce back. He features some of the best pure talent in the entire sport. Trout can hit for power and average while holding his own in the outfield as a defender.
Despite his struggles in limited action in 2021, Trout only struck out 21.4 percent of the time, his lowest mark since 2019. His .194 BABip (batting average on balls in play) suggests he endured bad luck across those 29 games. In other words, his struggles last year seem to be more of a slump rather than indicating he is on an alarming decline.
Will the three-time MVP winner bounce back? He may not win another MVP award (although anything is possible), but Trout will have a realistic opportunity to play at a high level.
The Angels desperately need Mike Trout to be, well, Mike Trout. This is a ball club that has failed to reach the postseason since 2014. Questionable front office decisions, overall underperformance and difficult injury luck has left the Angels in a state of disarray as an organization.
The good news is Trout features the ceiling of the best player in the sport. Even at 33 years old, and acknowledging his injury history, Trout is capable of leading the Halos. But a Trout bounce back campaign won't guarantee a postseason spot, as he's enjoyed plenty of big seasons since 2014 and the Angels have still struggled.
But another limited and/or disappointing Trout season almost guarantees that they won't play well. If Trout plays enough games and performs at a high level, then the Angels will at least have a chance to make things interesting.
