MLB teams
Tony Blengino, Special to ESPN.com 9y

The great -- but risky? -- Mike Trout

MLB

Just how good is Mike Trout? Well, he finally got around to winning his first AL MVP award in 2014 ... in what was clearly the "worst" season of his career. As great as his 2014 was -- a .287/.377/.561 slash line and 7.8 WAR while playing a position at the deep end of the defensive spectrum, etc. -- Trout changed quite a bit as a hitter in the process. Not all of it was for the better, as he became a much riskier, even an "older" offensive player.

Coming out of the 2013 season, Trout was 21 going on 22. Now I'm afraid he might be 22 going on 30 or so. Let's put it this way: While he is likely to remain one of the best in the game in the intermediate term, he's at least a candidate to have an "off" season in 2015.

In fact, it's quite possible we've already seen the all-around best Mike Trout has to offer.

Lofty expectations

First, let's talk greatness.

^ Back to Top ^