Mike Trout Surprisingly Lived Up To This Bold Prediction

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout went into this season surrounded by questions, which is easy to forget now given how well he played for the most part. David Schoenfield of ESPN had a bold prediction that had Trout playing in at least 140 games, and Trout surprised us all by doing it. 

His first half was especially brilliant, but Trout’s fade down the stretch raised some questions. Schoenfield gave himself a C in this prediction due to Trout’s issues, but he deserves more credit for being willing to go out on a limb with this one. 

It’s the metrics behind Trout’s fade that make his situation especially interesting. Per Schoenfield, Trout finished seventh in the majors in on-base percentage, but he hit just 22 home runs, including four in 64 games in the second half. The writer added that his 4.1 WAR was his most since 2022, but his days as a top-10 MVP finisher appear over.

Schoenfield’s speculation about Trout going forward missed the mark by a lot, though. He thinks that the Angels should continue to go with Trout in center if that helps keep him motivated and in the lineup, but Trout has already said he’s open to moving to left. 

That would allow the Angels to get a better defensive center fielder, which is important, but the writer’s thoughts about Trout’s power drop are more about the modern approach to power given that the actual numbers had him going from 26 to 22. 

They also ignore Trout’s onerous contract, which is an albatross that will be staying in Anaheim through 2030. The Angels will be making a lot of significant changes, presumably, with new owner Stan Kroenke coming in, and they don’t need Trout to carry the team anymore. 

He remains a franchise icon, so the point is to keep him productive at whatever level makes sense. If that’s 100 games in left and another 30-40 as the DH or some variation on that mix, so be it. 

The Angels have a lot of problems to solve that are way more important than playing games with Trout’s playing time and where it happens. Trout was a spark plug at the top of the lineup this year, and he still has plenty of value in that role. 

The Angels still have to figure out whether they’re going to keep shortstop Zach Neto, then determine where he belongs in the lineup, and much of the rest of that lineup is still tbd at this point.