Angels’ Mike Scioscia thinks Mike Trout is an obvious choice for AL MVP

Mike Scioscia has always said the most valuable players each year should come from a contending team, a notable viewpoint this year because his team is not one.

“I still feel that way,� the Angels’ longtime manager said this week. “I haven’t changed at all.�

But, he said, this season is a rare instance, the nearly 2,400 games to date having coalesced into a set of extenuating circumstances in which Angels center fielder Mike Trout is, in Scioscia’s estimation, the obvious American League MVP.

“What Mike does and what Mike has accomplished this year has more impact than the fact that we’re a sub-.500 team,� Scioscia said. “His numbers are incredible. You can’t deny that they’re a notch above anybody else that’s there.�

So, the numbers: Trout is fourth in the American League in batting average, first in on-base percentage, third in slugging, fourth in stolen bases, second in OPS, and first in every advanced metric that attempts to ascertain overall value, including wins above replacement. Scioscia would not say which, to him, determine the decision.

“There’s a lot that goes into what you consider an MVP,� he said. “I think everyone has different weight they put on different aspects of it. You look at certain individual numbers, and numbers keep growing. You didn’t have OPS 10 years ago. You didn’t have WAR 20 years ago. And also, I think, the performance of the team, all of that is part of the wedge.

“But I think Mike’s become the MVP. I think it’s become fairly obvious that as the season keeps going on, he keeps getting stronger and stronger.�

Trout, who has never said much about any MVP race, took a fastball off his shoulder Wednesday; X-rays taken Thursday were negative and he said he wants to play, but his status for the weekend finale is in question. Still, the Angels are 15 games under .500, while every other team with a player in the discussion remains in the playoff mix.

“One of the components in the wide range of what makes up an MVP is the statistical analysis,� Scioscia said. “Another is obviously how he impacts his team in a positive way. There are other considerations. With every voter, I’m sure some might carry more weight than others.�

After the Angels were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in his first year on the job, 2000, Scioscia said he believed Darin Erstad was the best choice for MVP. Although Erstad finished third in the league in wins above replacement, he finished eighth in the MVP balloting and did not garner a first-place selection. The top three finishers’ teams all made the playoffs.

Then, when Trout was in contention three years ago, Scioscia said a player on a losing team would have to have “just unbelievable numbers� to deserve the award.

“You look at Mike’s numbers and they are so incredible,� Scioscia said this week. “They’ve been incredible for a long time, but they’re so incredible that this year there’s no doubt in my mind he should be the MVP. The way I’m going about analyzing this hasn’t changed one bit. If there was somebody with Mike’s numbers, exactly Mike’s numbers, and a first-place club, I think that would be a determining factor to vote for him.�

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