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MLB execs wade into top player debate: Trout 'literally the best player ever'

Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts leading his club to a World Series berth while Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout watches from home again, the MLB playoffs have reignited the debate around the best player in baseball.

Betts, who was named the 2018 American League MVP while with the Boston Red Sox, is two wins away from his second career championship. Trout, meanwhile, has played in just three playoff games despite remarkable regular-season numbers.

But a few unnamed MLB executives are still taking Trout over Betts as the game's best player, despite the glaring difference in postseason accomplishments.

"Trout is the most consistent, best player on the planet," one AL executive said, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. "He could retire before age 30 and you would still have a strong argument that he is a Hall of Famer. I'm not sure many guys not named (Babe) Ruth or (Ty) Cobb fit into that category. Mookie is playing really well right now; I'm still taking Trout."

A National League exec added: "He's the greatest player in the history of baseball. Mookie is getting a lot of deserved attention right now, but Trout is literally the best player ever."

Trout is a three-time AL MVP and seven-time Silver Slugger winner, while Betts has a single MVP distinction and three Silver Slugger awards. But the latter also has four Gold Gloves under his belt, while the former has zero.

Trout, 29, owns a career 1.000 OPS with a 76 fWAR across 1,252 games. He posted a 164 wRC+ with 17 homers this season.

Betts, 28, has accrued a .895 career OPS with a 40.2 fWAR over 849 MLB contests, and he registered a 149 wRC+ with 16 round-trippers during the shortened 2020 campaign.

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