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Has Mike Trout Ruined Us?

I'm a bit worried that Mike Trout will forever ruin the common man when it comes to prospects, and forever destroy the realm of prospects in any fantasy league. Mike Trout is having by far the most epic rookie season ever, and the season as a whole is MVP worthy. He's been elite at every single basic fantasy category possible (R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, OBP, OPS). And now he might have ruined everyone.

As prospect enthusiasts, I'm sure everyone here understands and can contextualize the season Mike Trout is having. We understand it's historic. We understand that he's doing something that no other prospect has ever stepped on the field and done right away. He is without a cold streak, he's without a bad week or month or series. He's just been absolutely fantastic.

However, is it possible that Mike Trout has ruined the common man? The casual fantasy baseball player who plays in a deeper league (16-20 teams). The man isn't an enthusiast about prospect, but he casually follows the top prospects. And after such an epic season by Mike Trout, could he not understand the future of prospects the same way as before. Previous to Trout, prospects were lottery tickets. You'd grab a few in June when you tried to catch up in a category with some big name's power. You might grab one in late August, hopeful for the quick playoff spark that they get coming up to the majors. Heck, maybe you stashed your favorite prospect away and prayed that he got called up and you counted on him to fill a hole. But Mike Trout exceeded that. He really destroyed expectations, and he may have just created an unjustifiably high expectation on every single prospect that will follow him for the next generation.

The common fan is now valuing prospects not as lottery tickets. Not as some old baseball card that could be worth a dollar, or ten thousand. The common fan is valuing them as if each one will break out the same way Mike Trout did. Even in peak seasons for the best prospects, Mike Trout's rookie year might beat each and every one of them. I've received offers like:

I give: Pablo Sandoval

I get: Mason Williams

And I'm sure many of you out there have found similar problems, that people overvalue prospects because of what an epic year Mike Trout has had in 2012. So my question to everybody in the community is:

Has Mike Trout ruined prospects for 90% of the world (those who are not super prospect followers)? If so, how have you seen the world of fantasy and prospects change, and how long do you think this phenomenon will last?

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