Is the Halos’ Centerfielder Really Worth a Lifetime Contract?

The Centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Mike Trout, is a generational talent the likes of which have not been seen in decades and is widely accepted as the best player in the game today, and maybe even in the history of the sport. The 5 tool 27-year-old phenom made a splash in 2012 where he posted a 30/30 season (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases), a feat that has not been accomplished since which helped him secure the American League Rookie of the Year award. For those of you that don’t know a 5 tool player in baseball is a guy that can hit for average, hit for power, run fast, has gold glove caliber defense (the gold glove is an award that is given to the player at each position with the highest fielding percentage), and a strong throwing arm. The guy is an absolute animal, posting more and more impressive numbers with each year that comes with no signs of slowing down. Just this year Trout has a .317 batting average, .463 On Base Percentage, and 36 home runs, mind-boggling numbers when you realize that these are all within the top three number he has posted in these categories and he hasn’t even reached the peak of his career yet.

Despite Trout’s greatness the Angels have struggled to win games, failing to make the playoffs since 2014 where they got swept by the Royals in the American League Divisional Series, and posting a dismal 75-78 thus far which is only good for 4th place in the AL West. June as historically been the month when Trout puts up his best numbers and this season was no different, from June 11th-19th Trout hit .696 with a .778 OBP, one double, 4 home runs, 9 RBIs, and 11 walks. What did the Angels do with all this support? Well, they went an atrocious 2-6 during that stretch. Even as I am writing this, Mike Trout just hit his 37th home run giving the Angels 2 runs in the 6th inning, but the Astros already had 7 runs. Despite their lack of winning, the Angels still manage to draw a fairly large crowd each and every year, and that is because of Trout. The plain and simple fact is that the Angels superstar brings people to the stadium, and other than the new addition of Shohei Ohtani, he is the main attraction. If the Angels were to let Trout walk when his contract expires in 2020, it would be the worst move the franchise has made since it traded Nolan Ryan, the greatest pitcher of all time, back in 1980.

What the Angels need to do is offer Trout whatever they need to to make him stay in Anaheim, then fire their training staff and bullpen coaches because a main source of their losing this year is that 6 of the Angels main starting pitcher were all injured for at least a month, and they have all been injured at least twice in the past two seasons, as well as having a trash bullpen that has an ERA (Earned Run Average) of over 3. If they do this, move Ohtani from the rotation to the bullpen, and get Garret Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Andrew Heaney, and Tyler Skaggs all healthy, the Angels would find themselves actually being contenders in the playoff race as soon as next year.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Mike Trout, Baseball, MLB, Lifetime Contract, Shohei Ohtani