"This is why he's the GOAT" "He's already a first ballot HOFer" - MLB fans left in awe after Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout accomplishes 1500-hit milestone

The Los Angeles Angels are virtually out of the postseason picture, but Mike Trout clearly isn’t done for the year.

The 10-time All-Star homered against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night, his 25th of the campaign. The home run was of great significance as Trout notched his 1,500th career hit.

"1,500 hits and counting for @MikeTrout!" - MLB

Trout became the fifth Angels player to reach the 1,500-hit milestone, joining Garret Anderson (2,368), Tim Salmon (1,674), Brian Downing (1,588), and Darin Erstad (1,505). Additionally, he has now scored 1,023 runs for the Angels, only one run behind Anderson for the franchise record. It is now only a matter of when.

Trout was out of action from July 12 until last Friday with a costovertebral dysfunction in the T5 region of his spine.

The second game of the Rays series was Trout’s fourth outing following his much anticipated return. He hit a moonshot off right-hander Corey Kluber towards left-field. His big fly came off the C-ring at Tropicana Field for his 25th home run of the season.

Trout recorded his 1,000th career hit on August 7, 2017, which happened to be his 26th birthday. His accumulation rate has dipped in recent years owing to injuries and the pandemic in between.

Since the start of 2020, Trout has played in 173 games. That stretch is almost as long as one full-length MLB season.

Mike Trout’s milestone was the silver lining of an Angels disasterclass

Apart from Mike Trout’s milestone, there was nothing noteworthy about the Angels’ outing. It was an absolutely disastrous performance which culminated in a 11-1 humiliation against the Rays.

They are now 14.5 games behind for the American League’s final Wild Card spot. Many believe that Trout, alongside superstar teammate Shohei Ohtani, won’t be winning a World Series with the Angels anytime soon, if ever.

Trout won’t be a free agent until 2031. He may not be leaving anytime soon, but Ohtani wouldn’t need to wait as long. He has a little over 16 months left on his contract.

The Angels need to turn the corner, and they need to do it fast. If they are not in a position to challenge for the play-offs, at the very least, they are going to lose their prized assets sooner rather than later.

They are safe in regards to Mike Trout (at least for now). But Shohei Ohtani leaving Los Angeles next year looks more and more likely with each passing week.