How high could Mike Trout climb on all-time lists during the 2026 season?

Mike Trout is returning to center field for the Los Angeles Angels, and given his recent track record, fans are already nervous about whether or not he'll be available to avoid the injured list in 2026. But if Trout can play a full season, just how high might he be able to climb up the all-time leaderboards this year?

All projections used are courtesy of FanGraph's ZiPS DC (Depth Chart), which are , to try and put it simply, their ZiPS projections that incorporate their projection playing time with projects Trout to play 130 games.

How high can Angels' Mike Trout get on all-time lists in 2026?

Hits

We'll start with hits, given that it is the least exciting of the bunch here. Despite his all-time great start to his career, Trout's hit total does not sit as high as other stats do on leaderboards due to his time missed. He has turned more into a power hitter in recent seasons, hurting his total. Trout goes into the season with 1,754 hits, tied with former Angels outfielder Justin Upton for 444th all-time.

Trout is projected for 110 hits this upcoming season, which would put his total at 1,864, and with arms reach of 2,000 hits for the 2027 season (if there is one). That would bump Trout up to 368th all-time, sandwiched between Earle Combs and Eddie Yost. The larger narrative will be about Trout's push for 2,000, but a solid 2026 will be the first step in accomplishing that.

Home runs

As soon as Trout sent his 400th home run into the Colorado sky last season, the talk about whether or not he can reach 500 began. Trout's power surge to end 2025 has him with 404 big flies, good for 59th all-time. With a projection for 26 home runs this upcoming season, Trout would end the campaign with 430 by the end of 2026. That would put him right behind Cal Ripken on the leaderboards and pass all-time greats such as Mike Piazza, Alfonso Soriano, and Edwin Encarnacion in the process.

Furthermore, sitting at 430 with four seasons left on his contract would have Trout in a prime position to surpass 500 before his career ends, putting him in an exclusive club of just 28 players in MLB history to reach the mark.

Wins Above Replacement

While a bit different than most counting stats, Trout and WAR have become simpatico with one another. Per FanGraphs, he sits at 87.2 WAR for his career, good for 29th all-time. Given the very select number of names sitting in front of him, Trout won't be passing many names this season. He is projected to accumulate 2.2 WAR in 2026, inching his way up to 89.4. Trout would pass Wade Boggs and Al Kaline, and be on the precipice of passing all-time greats such as Albert Pujols and Cal Ripken Jr. in 2027.