This article is compiled from Mike Trout is still focused on winning in Anaheim, and another MVP trophy too
“Trout is content with staying with the Angels and getting paid. He doesn’t want to win. He doesn’t want to be traded to a stronger team.”
Mike Trout heard these pessimistic whispers, but instead of discouraging him, it had the opposite effect. I interviewed Trout on behalf of Fox Sports last week, and he told me: “Such a voice motivates me even more. When I finally lead the Angels to victory, this sense of accomplishment will be far greater than the feeling I had when I won with other teams.”
“So when I hear, ‘Trout should be traded,’ or straight up, ‘Trout thinks he’s good enough here,’ — I don’t care, let those people say whatever they want. There’s only one thing in my mind. The thing is, winning with this team.” Laugh if you want, Fangraphs expects the Angels to finish the season at 78-84, trailing only the even worse Oakland Athletics in the AL West. PECOTA is expected to win 74 and lose 88, which is also not very optimistic.
The 32-year-old Trout isn’t blind to the Angels’ glaring problems, and he’s aware that the team looks destined to miss the playoffs for a tenth straight season. This is why he continues to lobby the team’s management, asking them to sign more free agents to strengthen the team’s strength. At the same time, he is also worried about one thing, as long as he does it, it can greatly stimulate the team’s record:He wants to perform at an MVP level again.
Don’t forget who Trout is: In the eight years between 2012 and 2019, he finished first or second in MVP voting seven times. He has already hit 40 home runs in just 119 games in 2022.
In the 2023 season, he hit 18 home runs, but in a game against the Padres on July 3, he fractured his left hamate bone (one of the bones in the wrist) when hitting the ball; he only played one game after his return. He was declared back on the disabled list due to pain, and the season ended early with an OPS of 0.858, which can be said to be the lowest in his career (except for the year when he only played 40 games in the major leagues).
Trout has missed significant games for three consecutive seasons. Just over a month into the 2021 season, he strained his right calf on May 17 and stopped playing for the entire season; the following year, he missed more than a month due to left rib inflammation. Trout said the injuries prevent him from getting into an offensive rhythm that requires frequent at-bats to develop. He believes: “During this period, I was unable to enter a state where I felt like I could do whatever I wanted.”
But Trout doesn’t think his career is on the decline. He revealed in an interview with the Orange County Register that he has found what went wrong with the crackdown mechanism over the past year and a half. His body “slided” during his swing and he was unable to keep his lower body stable, a problem that hindered his performance.
“This is the best my body’s felt – you know, in my lower half – in a few years .”@Angels star @MikeTrout joins BK and @CY24_7 to explain how the former MVP’s new program has him in a great spot heading into the season. pic.twitter.com/RulNd0TOMI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 12, 2024
It can be seen from Trout’s data that this problem has a great impact. In the 2021 season, Trout’s batting average against straight balls (including four-seam, two-seam, and Carter balls) was 0.316; by 2022, it dropped to 0.285, and even by 2023, it was only 0.254. The miss rate on straight balls has increased year by year from 14.1% in 2020, to 19.1%, 26.7%, and then to 25.9% in 2023. His mastery of straight balls is obviously getting lower and lower.
Trout said: “I don’t know why this posture problem occurs. I adjust it every day in practice and it feels fine in the batting cage, but then it happens again in the game. This problem obviously develops over time. Yes, I don’t know how it evolved into this. I think if the coaches and I can solve this problem and find my original correct hitting mechanism, the results will be obvious.”
“If I can concentrate and find the best hitting state, I can hit any kind of ball.” Trout’s tone is calm. He is not trying to argue with others about how strong he is. He is just stating his truth about himself. expectations and requirements.
No one would question his desire to overcome the mechanics of his bat as early as possible. Ron Washington, the Angels’ new head coach and the team’s fifth head coach in seven years, expressed caution about Trout’s hard work.
“You have to ask him to slow down a little bit,” Washington elaborated. “I’m not saying he’s out of control, but he wants to be a role model for the team and practice every day and give it his all every practice. I keep telling him: “Of course you can lead everyone to progress, but don’t rush and burn yourself out.”
2024-03-13 03:03:50
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