MLB Trade Rumors writer has eye-opening prediction for Mike Trout in 2022

Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors held a live baseball chat on Saturday, and was asked about Mike Trout's prospects heading into the upcoming LA Angels season.

Trout has somehow turned into a bit of a polarizing figure, somehow, as of late. Many tend to forget just how dominant he still is, and ESPN Fantasy even suggested that he may be "washed at 30."

A smart man, Polishuk knows exactly what to expect of Trout in 2022. When asked the question of "What kind of year will Mike Trout have this year?," he gave a perfect answer:

"Assuming he stays healthy, I have no reason to believe Trout wouldn't still be an MVP candidate," said Polishuk.

Polishuk is 100% right about Mike Trout being an AL MVP candidate for the LA Angels if he stays healthy.

Mike Trout would have been one of the top AL MVP candidates last year if he stayed healthy for the LA Angels, and people tend to forget that. He was having the best year of his career before he got injured. Hitting .333/.466/.624 (1.090 OPS) with a 195 OPS+; that batting average, on-base percentage and OPS were all career highs.

Having eight home runs and eight doubles, he was on pace for 36 of each if he stayed healthy. He was also on pace for over 100 runs for the eighth time (would be nine if the 2020 season wasn't shortened to 60 games). Having not made an error since the 2019 season, Trout is as good as it gets in this game.

He played 36 games last year and was STILL selected as the All-Star Game starter. There's nobody in this game that's any better. If he stays healthy, he'll be right there in the mix for an MVP, as he has been every year except 2021, when he wasn't healthy.