An insider predicts Mike Trout's return to MVP form. After years battling injuries, can he lead the Angels and reclaim his elite status?
There isn't much to be excited about for the Los Angeles Angels right now.
The Angels have now gone 11 seasons without a postseason appearance, and it hurts even more since they had Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in the same lineup for some years.
The offseason was full of risky moves, although most of them are low-cost, such as Vaughn Grissom and Alek Manoah.
The Angels hired Kurt Suzuki as the new manager, although he has just a one-year contract.
Entering the 2026 MLB season, the big question is whether or not Mike Trout can return to his MVP form.
Trout played a combined 111 games in 2023 and 2024, but he played 140 in 2025, the most since 2019, so that was a promising sign.
Trout hit 26 home runs with 64 RBIs, although it didn't help that the rest of the Angels lineup did not produce much, except for Zach Neto.
Eno Sarris of The Athletic had some bold predictions ahead of the season, and he expects Trout to be back.
"Well not back back. The future Hall of Famer isn’t going to go back all the way to the vintage 10-win production of his early career. But there are indications that Mike Trout is back," Sarris wrote.
At the age of 34, Trout's resume figures to be worthy of a Hall of Fame spot. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2012, is a three-time Most Valuable Player, 11-time All-Star (with two All-Star Game MVPs), and nine-time Silver Slugger.
Still, injuries have derailed him, and he played less than 100 games in four seasons, although one of those was the COVID campaign.
Trout hasn't had a 100-RBI season since 2019, when he had 45 home runs with 104 RBIs.
MLB.com's Brent Maguire also wrote recently that we could expect another big season from Trout, especially with him looking healthy so far in spring training.
Trout has also been used in center field once again this spring, and that could be where he plays mostly after he expressed his desire to do so.
Are the Angels a playoff team? Probably not, although anything can happen in baseball. But, Trout returning to All-Star level production would be pleasant news for the Angels, the fans and Trout himself after a rough few years, and nobody deserves success again more than Mike Trout.