Toronto Blue Jays starting Pitcher Marcus Stroman is having himself quite the season so far. Despite boasting a 1-4 record, the 28-year-old has maintained a 2.20 ERA and has struck out 39 across 41 innings. But on Wednesday night, Stroman turned his attention to one of his longtime opponents.
It’s no coincidence that Mike Trout became the highest paid player in history after signing a 12-year, $426.5 million contract this past summer. Seven all-star appearances, two AL MVPs and six Silver Slugger awards before the age of 27 will do that for you. But is it already enough to earn him the GOAT title? Stroman seems to think it is.
The two have squared off numerous times in their young careers and after another solid performance (2-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI), Stroman had nothing but high praise for his counterpart. Sorry* the highest praise.
Naturally, this one sparked a bit of debate on Twitter. The names Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Babe Ruth were inevitably brought up.
These arguments are always impossible to dissect. Players played in different eras under totally different circumstances, so it’s tough to establish if one player was truly better than the other. But for reference, here’s a pretty cool stat about the Vineland, NJ native. Heading into last night’s game, Trout had missed just 15 of the 151 pitches he’d seen over the course of the season. On Wednesday night, he set an Angels franchise record after reaching a base in 28 straight games to start the season. The guy. Is. Rolling.
All this said, Trout has reached the postseason just once in his career in 2014. With a few more appearances and a World Series under his belt, this might not even be a debate when it’s all said and done.
(H/T Buster Olney)
