Is Mike Trout More Productive Than an Entire Tanking Team?

Through 30 games, the tanking Miami Marlins have 21 home runs as a team.

Through 30 games of his own, Mike Trout has 11 all by himself – including this 524-foot blast:

Mike Trout just hit a 524-foot home run. pic.twitter.com/TIuNJYrsOD

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) May 3, 2018

Considering the Angels outfielder’s crazy production (.292/.433/.651), ESPN thought it would be interesting to examine if Trout could, in theory, be more productive than an entire taking team by himself.

To do that, they pitted Trout’s league-leading 2.5 WAR (wins above replacement) against the WAR stats from a number of tanking teams.

As of now, Trout’s singular WAR is better than the figure of the Orioles (-0.6), Rockies (-0.5), Phillies (0.8), Royals (1.7), Marlins (1.8), Rangers (2.1) and Giants (2.1). While this isn’t unprecedented, it underscores how excellent Trout is and how putrid tanking teams are.

Meet your guide

Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”