Los Angeles Angels fan react to Mike Trout's surging home run rate in 2022: "Guy is unbelievably great" "Crazy considering he missed a lot of 2022"

Mike Trout had another great year despite missing some time. He posted a .283/.369/.630 slash line with 40 home runs in 119 games last season.

Trout was sidelined for 43 games due to a lingering back issue. He was diagnosed with a rare back condition called costovertebral dysfunction at T5. It's something that many doctors have not seen before. But if you were to look at his stats, you would never have guessed that he was dealing with such an injury.

Mike Trout had an eight percent home run rate. That is insane! He raised his home run rate while playing in fewer games than he normally does in a given year.

Angels fans are running out of ways to describe how good he is. It was a quiet 40-home run season for the superstar. Much of the baseball world was locked in on Aaron Judge's chase for the American League home run record.

Fans have fantasized about how legendary Mike Trout's season would have been if he hadn't missed 43 games. He would've been in the MVP race along with Judge and teammate Shohei Ohtani.

He's slowly reaching Barry Bonds' territory. The former San Fransico Giants slugger finished his career with a 7.74 home run percentage, the third-best in baseball history. It will be interesting to see if Mike Trout can keep up these impressive numbers to close out his career.

MLB needs Mike Trout in the playoffs

No other team has the privilege to say that they have two of the best players in the league. Trout and Ohtani are in a class of their own. Even with these two, they haven't reached the postseason since 2014.

No other sport has this problem. Imagine in the NBA if LeBron James missed the playoffs for seven straight years? But that's exactly what is happening in the MLB.

Trout's unfamiliarity with the playoffs has not only hurt the league, but is impacting his legacy. Once his career is done, his lack of postseason experience will stand out.

It will be interesting to see if his statistics hold more value than his playoff appearances.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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