Since entering the league, center fielder Mike Trout has arguably been the best player in the entire MLB. He has won the AL MVP twice and has at least come in second in the MVP voting every year since 2012. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that he is the most important player on the Los Angeles Angels’ roster.

So the news that came earlier today must’ve been positively heart-breaking to hear. After suffering a thumb Injury while trying to steal second base in the team’s 9-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, Trout’s MRI showed that he had a torn ligament in his thumb.

The injury will cost Trout over two weeks and possibly more if it requires surgery.

The reigning MVP

Trout had won the AL MVP last season and looked like he was on a path to repeat with Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge looking like his closest competition. Prior to the injury, Trout was tied for the lead league in batting average at .337, ranked fourth in runs batted in with 37, and tied for second in home run with Oakland Athletics’ left fielder Khris Davis with 16. Only the aforementioned Judge has more with his current league-leading 17 home runs. Trout had a relatively spotless record concerning his injury history in which this was the first time in his career that he was placed on the disabled list.

The Angels are currently tied with the Texas Rangers for second place in the American League West. However, both teams are still 10.5 games behind the first place Houston Astros who have the best record in the MLB at 36-16. With Trout now absent for an extended period of time, it seems as though the Angels will most likely suffer without not only their best player, but arguably the best player in the game.

Life without Trout

With Trouts recovery time up in the air due to the possibility of surgery, the Angels will have to figure out how to survive without their key player in the lineup. Despite having a losing record at 26-27, the Angels currently find themselves a mere two games out of the second Wild Card, and only two and a half games behind the first Wild Card.

With the Rangers tied with them, only the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays are ahead of them in the Wild Card standings while the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles currently hold the two Wild Card spots with the Red Sox at the top of the Wild Card standings.

It's certainly not impossible for the Angels to make a push for the Wild Card with over 100 games left in the season. However, without the services of Trout for an extended period of time, it certainly looks like it will be an uphill battle.
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