Is Mike Trout the next Ernie Banks?
First Pitch: 3:07 PM CT
TV: Bally Sports North
Radio: TIBN
Know Thine Enemy: Halos Heaven (sadly a dead community, but you can see what they were excited about in spring of 2022!)
With the Minnesota Twins playing some late-night—or in today’s case late-afternoon—West Coast baseball, they’ve once again occupied the orbit of one of baseball’s brightest stars: Mike Trout. Sadly, the Halo outfielder—long a favorite of mine for his multifaceted talent and dogged persistence in improvement—is following almost the exact path of a former MLB superstar who never experienced success beyond September.
From 1953-1971, Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs was a bona fide diamond legend. Stats-wise, he compiled these X’s & O’s: 2,583 H, 512 HR, .274 BA, 122 OPS+, 67.7 WAR. The always-smiling, “Let’s play two!”-exalting shortstop was a 2-time NL MVP, 14-time All-Star, and even socked away a Gold Glove.
Why does Mr. Banks not immediately spring forth on “greatest of all-time” lists? Well, if you only watched playoff baseball you wouldn’t know he existed. Never—not once—did Ernie Banks play beyond Game 162. The closest he came: the 92-70 Cubbies in 1969, but that was of course the year the New York Mets were Amazin’. Though Banks was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1977 and remains a legend amongst North Siders, he never tasted championship-caliber baseball.
Mike Trout is dangerously close to duplicating Banks’ career arc. Possessing a cheerful nature that mirrors his Midwest predecessor, Trout’s numbers (through age 32) are perhaps even more eye-popping: 1,644 H, 376 HR, .300 BA, 174 OPS+, 86.5 WAR. He has a stacked trophy case too: Rookie of the Year, two AL MVPs, 11 All-Star selections.
Though one can’t weep for Trout too much seeing as how he re-upped in Anaheim for 12 years back in 2019, it still remains a crying shame that his singular playoff appearance to date remains the 2014 ALDS—where he went 3-for-12 (albeit with a home run) and the Angels were swept by the World Series-bound Kansas City Royals.
Thus far in 2024, Trout is having a resurgent campaign after a few years of injury-sapped mediocrity (which for him means “league average”). Though off to their usual shaky start, the Angels have at least a sliver of opportunity to get Trout some postseason plate appearances, what with the Houston Astros stumbling out of the gate and the defending-champion Texas Rangers not exactly shot out of the chute either.
Today, we’ll get to enjoy Trout digging in against Twins ace Pablo Lopez—both of whom could be All-Star teammates in July. Even more remarkable? The Twins have an opportunity to get “back in the saddle” and post a winning record by finishing off the heavenly sweep.