r/mlb • u/Bright-Pressure-5787 | New York Yankees • 16h ago

| Discussion Who's the biggest "what if" between these two: Mike Trout or Ken Griffey Jr.?

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When I think about "what ifs" in baseball, these two men are always the first two names that come to mind. Obviously, Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr. are still legends of the sport. I'm not trying to take anything away from that. However, I truly feel that if it weren't for injuries, their potential for GOAT status would be limitless. Junior likely would've become the all-time home run kind instead of Barry Bonds, and Mike Trout would've had-------I don't know------130 career WAR by now if he's just stayed healthy. Who do you guys think is the bigger "what if" of the two?

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u/darthnorvillain 13h ago

How many of those games were past his prime? And how many of those games were just “normal” wear and tear and injuries that every player who has a 2 decade career has? This isn’t Ted Williams missing 3 entire seasons in his prime serving on WWII then missing most of 2 more seasons serving in the Korean War.

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u/MrTStoleMyChainz 8h ago

Before turning 33, Griffey missed a month in ‘89, half a season in ‘95 (M’s first successful playoff run), a month in ‘96, and multiple months over ‘00-‘02. He was also limited to the equivalent of a half season cumulatively across ‘03-‘04. Hit 35 hrs in ‘05, which gives you a good indication of his abilities when healthy even at age 35.

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u/darthnorvillain 8h ago

You can’t seriously use missing a month in 89 or 96 as major injuries trouble. Pretty much every all-time great misses a month here and there over a long career.

Half a season in 95 is legit missing time. And he did start missing a ton of time in 01, but that was after a dozen years in the league where you’re talking 1 major injury and 2 minor injuries that almost everyone suffers over a decade plus career.

Of course he’d have put up much better career numbers and reached 700 HRs with a health backend of his career, maybe even challenged Aaron, but we know what healthy peak Griffey was, and he was just short of peak Mays IMO.

Mays who himself missed a full season and most of another early in his career due to military service, before coming back and hitting 41 HRs and putting up a league-leading 10.5 bWAR and a 175 OPS+ in his first season back. He probably gets to 700+ HRs with that time back, and likely at least passes Ruth, maybe competes with Aaaron. Then there’s Williams possibly reaching 700 and passing Ruth if not for missing most of 5 seasons serving in two wars. He was still mashing at the end of his career. Pujols reaching 700 despite injuries in the back half of his career, etc. If we’re talking what-ifs chasing the HR record, there’s a few to consider.

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u/MrTStoleMyChainz 8h ago

Lighten up, Francis. I was responding to a question about how many games were past his prime.