Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout: No Longer No. 1 Pick?
By Bill Pivetz
Mike Trout is an amazing baseball player. He is a top-three fantasy hitter and top-five overall. But, has the time of Trout being the first overall pick passed?
For years, Mike Trout was the No. 1 overall draft pick in fantasy leagues. He had it all. Contact, power and even some speed. Yet, there were some numbers that dropped a bit during the 2015 season. This led to a new No. 1 atop the ESPN Player Rater. Despite that, Trout is still a top-three pick and will lead you to a lot of success next season.
Trout made his first appearance on July 8, 2011. He played in 40 games, hitting five home runs and 16 RBI with a .220 batting average. It was good, but not enough to earn him an Opening Day roster spot the following season. He began 2012 with Triple-A Salt Lake and was called up on April 28, and didn’t look back.
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Since then, he has tallied 717 hits, 134 home runs, 381 RBI, 109 stolen bases and a .308/.403/.586 line. He earned American League Rookie of the Year in 2012, AL MVP in 2013 and four Silver Slugger awards.
This past season Mike Trout put up career numbers, playing in 159 games and hitting 41 home runs with a .299 batting average. There was a drop off in his RBI and stolen bases, 90 and 11, respectively.
The low RBI total hurt Trout’s ranking at the end of the season, despite the average and home runs. He finished as the seventh-best hitter and 12th-best player overall on the Player Rater. The Player Rater isn’t the be-all, end-all for fantasy value, but it does show where a player ranks among his peers in specific categories.
I made the case a couple of months ago against Trout being the No. 1 overall pick again. I would go with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. He has improved greatly over the past few seasons. He beat Trout in RBI, steals and batting average.
Unless Mike Trout can bring up the RBI and steals, I can’t put him No. 1. While the RBI total will improve only if his teammates get on base, he also needs to make sure he can drive them home when given the chance. He had just 49 RBI with runners in scoring position, T-78th in the league.
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As you prepare for the 2016 season, Mike Trout is still my No. 1 outfielder. There is no one else that can duplicate the production he will give you throughout the season. The only other hitter that can is Goldschmidt. The AL West is home to three of the worst pitching staffs. Oakland, Seattle and Texas ranked in the bottom half in ERA and WHIP, so there should be no reason Trout can’t have another All-Star season.
Projections: 170 hits, 35 home runs, 95 RBI, 10 steals, .297 batting average
Draft: Round 1