MLB 2025 Opening Day: 100 Players to watch out for ahead of new season | Mike Trout, No. 97

Mike Trout is up for a big season. He has been ravaged by injuries the last few years, and he only played a handful of games in 2024 before being shut down with a knee injury.

Until Opening Day, Sportskeeda is going to count down with featured players, examining what they've done in the past as well as offering some predictions for how they'll do in 2025. Trout comes in as the fourth, or 97th, player on the countdown.

The LA Angels star is a three-time MVP and is probably still a surefire Hall of Famer. Still, to rewrite the narrative, he has to stay healthy. If he does, he should have good numbers.

In just 29 games last year, Trout recorded 1.0 fWAR. That would have translated to a five-win season for the player. He also had 10 home runs during those 29 games, which would have yielded a possible 50-homer season.

He batted .220 with a .325 OBP, both figures that are fairly low for the former MVP. His 139 wRC+ was down from his usual production, but still, it's pretty good. It's what breakout star Jurickson Profar had all year.

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Predicting Mike Trout's return to the field

Mike Trout needs to stay healthy. The biggest number for him this season is going to be games played. He had 29 this year and has reached 120 games since 2019 (excluding the shortened 2020 season, where he played 53 of 60 games).

Assuming he does that, which is no guarantee except that Trout has expressed a desire to do whatever it takes to stay healthy, he should again be one of baseball's best players.

Mike Trout should be healthy for 2025 (Imagn)

Fangraphs projects that he will hit 31 home runs in 130 games. They project a 132 wRC+ and 3.7 fWAR. Per Fangraphs, he will hit .251 in 2025 with a .342 on-base percentage and a .491 slugging percentage. They also project 83 RBI and nine stolen bases.

Our projection: Trout stays mostly healthy and plays 145 games. In those games, he hits .279 with 39 home runs, 99 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a .366 on-base percentage. He also adds a 156 wRC+ to the tune of 5.8 fWAR.