The Angels won on Monday night, 3-0. The star of the offense was Taylor Ward, who went 2 for 4 with two homers and drove home all three RBI from the leadoff spot. There was, however, a pretty quirky moment from the esteemed Mike Trout.
Have you ever seen an excuse-me triple? Let's take a look.
Trout might've been a little fooled by the Shane Bieber pitch -- far from a crime -- but he still squared it up on the check swing and the ball was seemingly perfectly placed down the right field line. Had he swung through, it probably ends up a rocket down the line that is played into a double by right fielder Josh Naylor. Instead, it died at a spot perfect for Trout to be able to take third.
This is notable, specifically, because it was the 50th triple of Trout's career and we all know how much people love round numbers that can be heralded as milestones. It's not really a milestone, though. It ties Trout for sixth among active players in career triples and he's now tied for 712th in history.
This is more just the combination of a really fun play and an excuse to talk about Trout's ongoing greatness.
And while no one has forgotten about how great Mike Trout is and can be, perhaps some of us have taken him for granted in the past few years. Injuries have certainly had a hand in it. He played in 114 games in 2017, 140 in 2018, 134 in 2019 (and still won MVP) and then last year only 36.
The funny thing is, 2021 and 2011 -- when he had just 135 plate appearances at age 19 -- are the only two times in his career he hasn't finished in the top five of AL MVP voting. Here's how it went for him from 2012-20: 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 5th.
He's on his way to adding another, so long as he can stay on the field for enough games.
It's only been 13 games, as he missed a few after taking a pitch to the hand, but Trout is hitting a robust .326/.436/.696 (232 OPS+) with three doubles, the triple we enjoyed above, four homers, five RBI, 12 runs and 1.1 WAR. He leads the AL in OPS (1.132). On a per-game basis, the dynamic Byron Buxton is the only player pacing stronger in WAR. Trout is second in runs scored and within striking range in homers.
All small-sample caveats apply, of course, but the over-riding takeaway is the eye test illustrates the point: Mike Trout, coming back from injury, is still Mike Freaking Trout.
Meanwhile, the Angels are off to a 10-7 start and have won nine of their last 13 games. With the expanded playoff field, SportsLine gives them a 48.5 percent chance to make it. A Trout playoff run? Yes, please.
Moving forward, it's pretty fun to think about where he can end up in the annals of baseball history. He's still only 30 years old. He's signed with the Angels through 2030 (his age-38 season) and there isn't much doubt he can play at a high level well into his late 30s.
At present, Trout is a career .305/.419/.584 hitter, which is good for a 177 OPS+ -- sixth all-time behind Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Oscar Charleston, Barry Bonds and Lou Gehrig. He enters Tuesday's action with 1,434 career hits, 271 doubles, 314 home runs, 821 RBI and 979 runs. Among center fielders, Trout is seventh in career WAR behind Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr. and Joe DiMaggio. In JAWS, he's fifth, as he jumps DiMaggio and Griffey.
Again, he's still only 30.
Given the MVP battles in 2012 and 2013, I couldn't help but think of Trout during Miguel Cabrera's 3,000th hit celebration this past weekend. They are both all-time greats and while Cabrera is on his last legs, Trout is showing us all so far this season he's still well within the middle of his prime.
