Braves Star Praises Mike Trout, Rips ESPN's Rankings

The Angels' center fielder was 19th in a recent Top 100 list.

Mike Trout still has plenty of fans among the Angels faithful — and among his peers in Major League Baseball.

The Angels' center fielder ranked 19th on a new ESPN list of MLB's Top 100 players. Count Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson among those who believe Trout is better than that. As Buster Olney reports:

Our hope was that players would ditch their social filters while critiquing our rankings and weigh in as if they had just swallowed a carafe of truth serum. Like Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, who was stunned by the standing of Mike Trout, against whom he has played 44 games in his career.

"I know there's always recency bias," Olson said, "but I'm a little more swayed by the guys who have been there and done it for a while ... Mike Trout at 19. That's ridiculous."

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via ESPN

As Olson correctly points out, recency bias is the only explanation for Trout's place in the rankings.

An 11-time All-Star and three-time American League MVP, Trout endured one of the worst seasons of his career in 2023. In 82 games, he batted .263 with a .367 on-base percentage and .490 slugging percentage. His .858 OPS was still among the game's best, but it was the worst in any year since Trout's breakthrough 2012 season.

A fracture in Trout's left hand effectively halved his season, continuing a troubling trend. Trout hasn't played 140 games in a full season since 2018.

By OPS (.994) and OPS+ (173), Trout is still the active leader in two key categories. The respect he's fostered for his bat — and his glove — still carries weight around the league.

Since last season, Trout believes he's identified a flaw in his mechanics at the plate that can help unlock his potential. If he can return to form and stay healthy in 2024, Trout will only ascend the unofficial rankings this time next year.