The Los Angeles Angels have their superstar outfielder playing well, but there are also problems he simply can't fix.
The return to form of outfielder Mike Trout has been the lead story in the Los Angeles Angels’ young season so far, and Trout’s remarkable start has been getting plenty of national coverage as well. He’s back to making history again with his brilliant start, which is proving to be a boon to new manager Kurt Suzuki.
“The results are tremendous, but I think it’s more just seeing Mike enjoy himself out there and play the game like I played against him when he was younger,” Suzuki said in a piece written by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “Seeing that energy, seeing that positivity, that confidence, it's just been so infectious on everybody, coaches included. That’s the Mike that everybody grew up watching as a younger player. I just think the vibes have been awesome.”
Trout wasn’t as impactful in the Angels’ second series as they dropped two of three against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley, but it’s clear he can continue to be a mainstay in the lineup and perform well if he stays healthy.
“It's been great,” said catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who has become one of Trout’s closest friends. “I remember being on the other side watching it, and obviously last year wasn't the year he wanted. It's still pretty special to watch in my eyes. And that wasn't him at 100 percent, or even 90 percent. To see him doing this now is pretty special.”
Trout is obviously seeing the ball better, and he adds a dynamic presence to a lineup that still strikes out too much and features plenty of station-to-station hitters. There are some things he can’t fix, though, and that’s where forecasting the Angels’ season becomes especially problematic.
Start with the rotation. Starter Jose Soriano could be an emerging ace, but after that things get sketchy in a hurry. Yusei Kikuchi would be a third starter on a good team, and Reid Detmers remains a work in progress as he tries to make the jump from reliever to starter.
From there things go from sketchy to potentially bad. Newly-acquired Grayson Rodriguez still hasn’t pitched yet, and pitchers like Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson could blow up in just about any start.
The bullpen has held up well so far, but it also remains to be seen how long that will last. Jordan Romero looks to have separated himself as the team’s new closer, but whatever hopes the Angels have of getting to .500 or beyond are going to depend mostly on the rotation.
The other issue is that the Angels are still doing Angels things from time to time. The prime example of this was provided by third baseman Yoan Moncada, whose failure to execute a simple force play helped key a Cubs rally on Monday. We haven’t seen quite as many of these moments as we witnessed last year, but mental errors like the one Moncada made will also be a key factor going forward.