Get Mike Trout Some Help!
Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Mike Trout has been on a tear in recent play, hitting four home runs in his last three games, including a 458-foot grand slam yesterday that guided the Angels to a 5-1 victory over the Rangers. But then again, that’s just Mike Trout being Mike Trout. Basically anything he does on the baseball field shouldn’t come as a surprise any more because he is the best player in baseball. He’s one of the best players in the history of baseball. And he’s also never won a playoff game.
Photo: Evan Habeeb/USA Today Sports
As a baseball fan, I hate seeing all these great years from Mike Trout wasted on a team that consistently fails to reach the playoffs. In Trout’s eight years in the league, the Angels have only made the playoffs once, getting swept by the Kansas City Royals in the ALDS in 2014. The baseball world is being denied potential special and memorable moments by not having Trout compete in the playoffs. While he is the undisputed best player in baseball, he gets nowhere near the recognition he deserves because he plays on a lackluster Angels team. If his teams were in the playoffs consistently, competing with the best teams for a ring, he would have the opportunity to showcase his talents on the highest stage and cement his legacy as a baseball legend.
Trout recently signed a 12-year deal with the Angels, virtually guaranteeing he will remain an Angel for life. While it was for a LOT of money, I respect his decision to stay loyal to the franchise that drafted him in 2009. He could have gone anywhere he wanted in free agency and placed himself in a situation to where he would be competing in the playoffs regularly. He could have gone home to Philadelphia (he’s from 1.5 hours away in New Jersey) and joined a stacked Phillies squad to have a great chance to win multiple World Series, but instead he chose to stay in Anaheim and try to get through these tough years with the only team he’s known. The Angels paid him, and he deserves it, but now they need to put together some pieces around Trout so he can have the opportunity to compete in a World Series.
The Angels need to start with pitching. When you look at the best teams, especially the ones that win in the playoffs, they have very good pitching. The Angels need to put together a staff and a reliable bullpen first, because pitching has been a sore spot for a long time in Anaheim. When Ohtani and Upton return to the lineup, it will instantly upgrade it quite a bit and give Trout some protection. I’d love to see them get one more reliable bat to go along with that core group of Trout, Ohtani, and Upton…a high on-base guy who can really handle the bat. But they definitely have to start adding some pitching.
Like every baseball fan, I love Mike Trout. He’s simply one of the “good guys” of the sport who is humble, hard-working, and team-first. He’s all of that while being the best player in the game every single year. It’s time for the Angels to stop wasting his legendary career and give him some help. It’s time to see what historic moments he can create in the playoffs. Get Mike Trout some help!
Garett