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MLB MVP ranking: Mookie Betts jumps out to an early season lead

By Adam Strangis

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 17: Mookie Betts
ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 17: Mookie Betts /
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OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in congratulated by teammates after Trout scored against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the seventh inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 1, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 01: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in congratulated by teammates after Trout scored against the Oakland Athletics in the top of the seventh inning at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 1, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

4. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

.308/.418/.692 with 10 HR and 18 RBI

It’s really amazing that these number from Mike Trout are met with an attitude of, “that’s just what Trout does” and not really appreciated. Even on this list, he’s only fourth out of five. Part of that reason is because if the season was over right now, there would likely be a winner that isn’t Trout. What he continues to do in his career is historic and not in the form of he’s a Hall of Fame player. Trout is already one of the best baseball players we’ve ever seen in any era. He’s still just 26 years old.

What we’re seeing from Trout right now is positively unreal. At his current pace, he would hit over .300, have an OPS well over 1.000, hit about 65 home runs, drive in around 120 runs, steal about 30 bases and play really good defense on top of all that. Other than that, Trout is just like any every player. One of the reasons that Trout may not be the favorite is the improvements the Angels made in the offseason. They brought in Shohei Ohtani, Ian Kinsler, Zach Cozart and Justin Upton at the end of 2017. The lineup around trout is surely better than the past few seasons but that should not diminish what he’s doing in any way. The Angels are keeping pace in the AL West with the Astros, which is no small feat.

Trout should 100 percent be in the running all season long. Barring injury, he will likely end up being the odds on favorite. The stats are just going to be too good to ignore. The Angels should also at least keep in the running for a playoff berth, which tends to have a positive correlation with winning the award. He’s not the favorite at the moment but Trout is the best all-around player in the world. His time will come as long as he’s on the field.

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