Is there enough time for Mike Trout to win his fourth MVP?

Mike Trout will very clearly never be the player he was in the 2010's, when he was a perennial MVP candidate and on track to be the best player of all-time. Given all of the injuries in past seasons and overall decline in stats, most assumed Trout's time as an MVP candidate might be over.

And I am not claiming they are back, however...

Since coming back from the IL, Mike Trout has been absolutely electric. Serving as the designated hitter since coming back, every at-bat has been an encouraging sign for the three-time MVP. He has slashed .476/.542/.667 in his six games since returning, raising his batting average nearly 50 points in the process.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Trout's resurgence is that his batted balls have been hit hard. His 454-foot home run may be the best example of that, but he had multiple hits rocket off The Green Monster during the Angels' offensive breakout in Boston. Even the swings that turned into outs were mostly line drives.

He has been barreling the ball consistently, but Trout has also cut down on the uncharacteristic strikeouts that were prevalent earlier in the season. He has only struck out twice since returning while adding three walks. It is clear he is seeing the ball better than he has, which was a pleasant surprise given Trout has no rehab assignment prior to being activated by the Angels. No matter what spot in the order Trout is hitting in, he has been the best player in the MLB again, albeit a small sample size.

Trout has moved into second on the Angels all-time hit list and is chasing another career milestone, but maybe sights need to be readjusted to awards season. While Aaron Judge has been the favorite from Opening Day and remains there today (deservedly so), this is a long season. We are not yet to the halfway point, and Trout is still one of the most attention grabbing names in the sport. If he can maintain this hot return, there is no doubt he'll work his name into conversations (especially if the Angels can begin to win somewhat consistently).

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, Trout's odds currently sit at +18000, putting him aside other long shots such as Ben Rice and Tyler Soderstrom. With Judge at -20000, the award seems to be his to lose. But if Judge misses time for one reason or another as the season goes on, the race becomes wide open. If Trout's power surge translates to more home runs, maybe even having him reclaim the lead he had earlier this season, it will be hard to ignore the idea of giving Trout his fourth award.

Now, this is all incredibly unlikely. Judge is going to win if he finishes the season healthy, and will probably win even if he misses a couple of weeks. But with his return going so well, Trout is giving fans a glimpse of the player he used to be and is giving the opportunity for our imagination to wander.

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