Sports | May 3, 2018 10:48 am

Is Mike Trout More Productive Than an Entire Tanking Team?

The entire Marlins roster has 21 home runs, while Trout already has 11 all by himself.

Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on during batting practice prior to the MLB game against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium on April 19, 2018 in Anaheim, California. The Red Sox defeated the Angels 8-2. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

Getty Images

By Evan Bleier @itishowitis

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.