3 reasons why Mike Trout is not the GOAT

It is no surprise that Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout is one of the greatest players of the current baseball generation. Trout took the league by storm when he entered the league back in 2011. Since then, he has proven year after year that he is one of the best — if not the best — players in the league.

"Mike Trout who Will be a 10 time All-Star is putting up a MVP-caliber year yet again. He is batting .290/.389/.659 with 15 doubles and 43 RBI’s and 21 HR’s in 61 games." - Angels Grandma

Since Trout has been absolutely dominant in Major League Baseball, some have called him the best baseball player of all time. With stats like his this early in his career, the discussion can definitely be held. He has put up numbers similar to some of the best players the game of baseball has seen.

However, this is still a controversial take. Although Trout can be considered the greatest in the current generation, he lacks a few things when compared to other players. Here are three reasons Mike Trout is not the greatest of all time.

#1 Time of dominance

Trout is given the home run hat during a Los Angeles Angels v Toronto Blue Jays game.

Trout entered the league 12 seasons ago. Since then, he has posted a career .304 batting average, a .586 slugging percentage, and a 1.004 OPS. He has also hit 331 home runs, 1,482 hits, and stolen 203 bases. These stats are absolutely unreal, especially in such short time. However, Trout simply does not have enough time played to compare to other all-time greats.

"Mike Trout's career OPS, 1.004" - Codify

Willie Mays, who is often in the GOAT conversation, put up similar career averages as Trout's, hitting .301 and slugging .957. However, Mays spent a total of 23 seasons in baseball. This is why his career hits and home runs are 3,293 and 660, respectively.

With numbers like Trout's, he is on pace to potentially become the greatest of all time. We cannot come to that conclusion yet, because we will need to see more dominant seasons from him.

#2 Postseason success

Mike Trout warms up for a Los Angeles Angels v Seattle Mariners game.

Trout may have the regular season numbers to be the GOAT when his career is all said and done. Right now, he does not have nearly enough playoff experience to compare to the all-time greats. Trout has only one postseason appearance. It came back in 2014 and was a quick American League Division Series loss to the Kansas City Royals. In the series, Trout registered just one hit in 12 at-bats.

#Angels records since 2012 (Mike Trout's first full season):2012: 89-73, missed playoffs, 2013: 78-84, missed playoffs, 2014: 98-64, swept in LDS, 2015: 85-77, missed playoffs, 2016: 74-88, missed playoffs, 2017: 80-82, missed playoffs, 2018: 80-82, missed playoffs" - Joe

Postseason success is a key factor when considering the greatest players of all time. It shows who was able to win in their careers. Even though this is not completely Mike Trout's fault, he still needs more postseason appearances to be considered in this category.

#1 Iconic moments

Los Angeles Angels v Boston Red Sox

The best players of all time are known to get it done in clutch situations, thus creating iconic moments in their careers. Babe Ruth had his famous called shot. Willie Mays had his backward catch in the 1954 World Series. Mike Trout is not yet linked to an iconic play.

However, Trout does have a lot of time left in his career. Babe Ruth was 37 when he developed his iconic play. It is safe to say Trout could have his in time. Until he does, however, Mike Trout cannot be the GOAT of baseball.