Using WAR to put Mike Trout's bananas season in perspective
Mike Trout has been nothing short of incredible this season.
The Los Angeles Angels star outfielder is slashing an astonishing .696/.778/.1.261 with four home runs and 11 walks over his last 10 games, and entering play Wednesday, leads all players with 6.3 WAR - 1.7 more than the next highest. That production has him on pace for one of the most remarkable seasons in major-league history.
While WAR is not a perfect metric to evaluate players, it does serve as a strong reference point when comparing the overall value of players. As a way to evaluate how important Trout has been this season, here is a collection of players on each team that have combined for the same amount of WAR as Trout this season:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Paul Goldschmidt (2.6), A.J. Pollock (2.3), Daniel Descalso (1.3), Matt Koch (0.1)
Atlanta Braves
Freddie Freeman (3.6), Nick Markakis (2.2), Ronald Acuna (0.5)
Baltimore Orioles
Manny Machado (2.4), Chance Sisco (0.5), Adam Jones (0.4), Craig Gentry (0.4), Joey Rickard (0.1), Danny Valencia (0.1), Austin Wynns (0.1)*
*Orioles position players who have a positive WAR have combined for 3.9 WAR
Boston Red Sox
Mookie Betts (4.2), Mitch Moreland (1.1), Rafael Devers (0.8), Jackie Bradley Jr. (0.2)
Chicago Cubs
Kris Bryant (2.3), Kyle Schwarber (2.0), Willson Contreras (1.9), Mike Zagunis (0.1)
Chicago White Sox
Tim Anderson (1.4), Matt Davidson (1.2), Yoan Moncada (1.2), Yolmer Sanchez (1.0), Jose Abreu (0.9), Kevan Smith (0.3), Leury Garcia (0.3)
Cincinnati Reds
Scooter Gennett (2.3), Joey Votto (2.3), Tucker Barnhart (1.1), Billy Hamilton (0.5), Brandon Dixon (0.1)
Cleveland Indians
Jose Ramirez (4.6), Michael Brantley (1.3), Jason Kipnis (0.4)
Colorado Rockies
Nolan Arenado (2.7), Trevor Story (1.9), Carlos Gonzalez (0.7), Charlie Blackmon (0.7), German Marquez (0.3)
Detroit Tigers
Leonys Martin (2.3), Jeimer Candelario (2.1), Nicholas Castellanos (1.5), John Hicks (0.4)
Houston Astros
Jose Altuve (3.1), Carlos Correa (2.4), Marwin Gonzalez (0.8)
Kansas City Royals
Whit Merrifield (1.9), Mike Moustakas (1.3), Jon Jay (1.2), Jorge Soler (1.1), Salvador Perez (0.8)
Los Angeles Angels* without Trout
Andrelton Simmons (2.9), Justin Upton (1.6), Ian Kinsler (1.2), Martin Maldonado (0.6)
Los Angeles Dodgers
Max Muncy (1.9), Matt Kemp (1.8), Chris Taylor (1.5), Enrique Hernandez (0.8), Justin Turner (0.2), Kyle Farmer (0.1)
Miami Marlins
J.T. Realmuto (2.7), Brian Anderson (1.9), Starlin Castro (0.7), Miguel Rojas (0.6), Derek Dietrich (0.4)
Milwaukee Brewers
Lorenzo Cain (3.2), Travis Shaw (2.1), Eric Thames (0.5), Jonathan Villar (0.5)
Minnesota Twins
Eddie Rosario (3.1), Eduardo Escobar (2.5), Brian Dozier (0.7)
New York Mets
Brandon Nimmo (2.8), Asdrubal Cabrera (1.5), Todd Frazier (0.8), Yoenis Cespedes (0.7), Devin Mesoraco (0.5)
New York Yankees
Aaron Judge (3.5), Didi Gregorius (2.2), Ronald Torreyes (0.6)
Oakland Atheltics
Matt Chapman (2.9), Jed Lowrie (2.1), Khris Davis (0.7), Jonathan Lucroy (0.6)
Philadelphia Phillies
Odubel Herrera (1.8), Cesar Hernandez (1.7), Rhys Hoskins (1.0), Carlos Sanana (0.8), Jorge Alfaro (0.7), Pedro Florimon (0.3)
Pittsburgh Pirates
Francisco Cervelli (2.3), Starling Marte (1.7), Corey Dickerson (1.3), Josh Harrison (0.9), Adam Frazier (0.1)
San Diego Padres
Eric Hosmer (1.1), A.J. Ellis (0.9), Christian Villaneuva (0.9), Travis Jankowski (0.7), Freddy Galvis (0.5), Cory Spangenberg (0.3), Wil Myers (0.3)
*Padres players who have a positive WAR have combined for 4.7 WAR
San Francisco Giants
Brandon Belt (2.5), Brandon Crawford (2.3), Andrew McCutchen (1.1), Mac Williamson (0.4)
Seattle Mariners
Jean Segura (2.7), Mitch Haniger (2.1), Robinson Cano (1.5)
St. Louis Cardinals
Tommy Pham (1.7), Paul DeJong (1.6), Matt Carpenter (1.6), Marcell Ozuna (1.3), Luke Voit (0.1)
Tampa Bay Rays
Daniel Robertson (1.8), Matt Duffy (1.4), Joey Wendle (0.9), Mallex Smith (0.9), Wilson Ramos (0.9), Adeiny Hechavarria (0.4)
Texas Rangers
Shin-Soo Choo (2.0), Nomar Mazara (1.3), Delino DeShields (1.1), Adrian Beltre (0.7), Elvis Andrus (0.6), Robinson Chirinos (0.6)
Toronto Blue Jays
Teoscar Hernandez (1.2), Luke Maile (1.0), Kevin Pillar (1.0), Yangervis Solarte (1.0), Josh Donaldson (0.7), Randal Grichuk (0.5), Curtis Granderson (0.5), Justin Smoak (0.4)
Washington Nationals
Trea Turner (2.3), Anthony Rendon (1.6), Michael A. Taylor (1.4), Bryce Harper (1.0)
(WAR courtesy: Fangraphs)