6 Hall of Famers Mike Trout Has Already Passed in WAR by His 28th Birthday

It's basically a baseball holiday today, because it's Mike Trout's 28th birthday! We all know just how amazing he is, but there's really no better way to celebrate than by recognizing that even at such a young age, he's already passed some standout Hall of Famers with his 71.7 career WAR (and has some more on the docket this year--Derek Jeter should be very nervous).

6. Ernie Banks, 67.5 WAR

That's right, Trout has well eclipsed the work of Mr. Cub himself. Banks was a model athlete in his 19 years in Chicago. He was selected to 14 All-Star Games, was named MVP in back-to-back years in 1958 and 1959, and finished his career with 512 home runs and 1,636 runs batted in. Still, he's no Trout.

5. Edgar Martinez, 68.4 WAR

Martinez was one of the most consistent hitters of his era, posting an OPS over 1.000 five times in six seasons from 1995 to 2000. A two-time batting champion and five-time Silver Slugger, Martinez ended up with an impressive .933 career OPS, a number that Trout is casually pacing him in by almost 80 points.

4. Carlton Fisk, 68.5 WAR

One of the best offensive talents to ever play behind the plate, Fisk finished his career with 376 home runs, 1,330 runs batted in, 3,999 total bases, tons of defensive acumen, and 68.5 bWAR. The one glaring difference is that it took the 11-time All-Star 24 years to produce that amount of WAR, whereas it's taken Trout less than a decade.

3. Eddie Murray, 68.7 WAR

Here's yet another member of the 500 home run club that Trout has already blasted past. Murray finished in the top-five in MVP voting five years in a row from 1981 to 1985. He finished his Hall of Fame career with 504 home runs, 1,917 runs batted in, an .836 career OPS and, of course, fewer bWAR than Mike Trout.

2. Tony Gwynn, 69.2 WAR

That's right, Trout has already surpassed the total value of one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game of baseball. It took 20 seasons for the former Padres star to amass his 69.2 bWAR, a career in which he collected 3,141 hits and a career .338 batting average. It really speaks to Trout's talent that he's already more than two wins ahead of him before he's even turned 30.

1. Tim Raines, 69.4 WAR

Raines was, like Trout, was gifted in all aspects of the game. A brilliant outfielder, he managed just 54 errors in 22 seasons. He was a nightmare on the basepaths, stealing 808 bases. He also managed a career 123 OPS+, seven All-Star Game appearances, a batting title, and a Silver Slugger. And he now trails Mike Trout in WAR, because Mike Trout is just that good.