"Mike Trout's numbers are ridiculous" - Ex-MLB stars in awe of Angels 3x MVP's greatness despite extended absence due to injury

Mike Trout is one of the best players of his generation, although he has not managed to stay on the field for long over the past few years. Nevertheless, former Kansas City Royals pair Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas believe the Los Angeles Angels outfielder is still an elite player and lies clearly above the current crop of MLB superstars in terms of statistical achievements.

Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas were part of the 2015 World Series-winning Kansas City Royals team. They are currently co-hosts of the 'Diggin' Deep Podcast' on YouTube and discussed the achievements of Mike Trout during the latest episode of the show on Saturday.

"His numbers are ridiculous," Hosmer said. "So, to compare any of these young guys to him now, it's not even close to what Mike Trout did in those first eight-nine years, or whatever it was." (starting at 7:20)

"What [Trout] did earlier in his career is the best thing I've ever seen," Moustakas added. "We all saw it. It was incredible to watch go out there and play every day. He was the one guy when you're on the other team. You're like, 'I'm kind of excited to watch this guy play today; see what he's going to do.'"

Mike Trout has made 12 All-Star Game appearances over his 14 years in the major leagues. He finished in the top five of the MVP voting for nine consecutive seasons since winning the American League Rookie of the Year in 2012. As a result, he was projected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer at the end of his career, but continuous injuries have certainly cast an unfortunate shadow on his legacy.

At the moment, Trout occupies a top-5 spot among all active players with at least 500 games for batting average (.299), on-base percentage (.325), slugging (.541), OPS+ (140), triples (54), and home runs (378). He also leads the currently active players with 86.2 bWAR.

Injury struggles of Mike Trout

Mike Trout ended his 2024 campaign in the month of April (Photo Credit: Imagn)

Despite having a glittering career that may already be good enough to book his place in the Hall of Fame, Mike Trout has struggled to stay healthy over the past few seasons. The 33-year-old has missed more than half of the games for the Los Angeles Angels in the last four years, playing more than 100 games in a season only once since 2021.

Trout enjoyed an excellent start to the 2024 campaign, but injuries brought a premature end to his season yet again after playing just 29 games. Trout was diagnosed with a damaged meniscus on his left knee in April and required surgery to repair the issue.

Although Trout was expected to rejoin the team after a couple of months, he suffered a similar issue on the same knee during the rehab process. He underwent another surgery on his left knee, which effectively ended his 2024 campaign. Meanwhile, the Angels posted their worst ever regular season record to finish at the bottom of the AL West.