Mike Trout turned 21 on Tuesday, and his age-20 season is looking like it might be one of the best in history for that age. As of this morning, he was 1st in the Majors in Wins Above Replacement (WAR), third in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, fourth in OPS, first in runs scored, first in stolen bases (36 of 39), sixth in stolen base percentage and has grounded into one double play in 47 opportunities. Oh, and he’s also played stellar defense in left field . . . annnnd . . . he made his 2012 debut on April 28.
If you want to just look at OPS+, Trout is having the best full season performance of any age-20 player ever (“full season” here meaning qualified for batting title). Check out the players that Trout is topping in this chart:
Here are the ten best age-2o seasons in terms of Wins Above Replacement:
| Player | WAR/pos | Year | Tm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Rodriguez | 9.2 | 1996 | SEA |
| Al Kaline | 8.0 | 1955 | DET |
| Mike Trout | 7.4 | 2012 | LAA |
| Mel Ott | 7.3 | 1929 | NYG |
| Ted Williams | 6.6 | 1939 | BOS |
| Ty Cobb | 6.6 | 1907 | DET |
| Jason Heyward | 6.3 | 2010 | ATL |
| Vada Pinson | 6.3 | 1959 | CIN |
| Mickey Mantle | 6.3 | 1952 | NYY |
| Frank Robinson | 6.2 | 1956 | CIN |
But what about the flip side of Mike Trout’s age-20 season? Which players have experienced the WORST age-20 full seasons in terms of OPS+?
Here are the worst age-20 full seasons by WAR:
| Player | WAR/pos | Year | Tm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Smith | -2.6 | 1915 | TOT |
| Eddie Yost | -1.3 | 1947 | WSH |
| Roberto Clemente | -0.7 | 1955 | PIT |
| Chubby Dean | -0.4 | 1936 | PHA |
| Les Mann | -0.4 | 1913 | BSN |
| Ken Hubbs | -0.3 | 1962 | CHC |
| Sibby Sisti | -0.2 | 1941 | BSN |
| Ed Kranepool | 0.0 | 1965 | NYM |
| Howard Freigau | 0.2 | 1923 | STL |
| Frankie Gustine | 0.4 | 1940 | PIT |
As you can tell, most of the bottom-dwellers never became household names. However, there certainly are diamonds in the rough. Thankfully, Yount and Clemente were given time to grow.
