Mike Trout: Struggling LA Angels Offense Can Find the Spark with Prospect
Fighting a knee-jerk reaction, I mean this with the utmost respect toward the Los Angeles Angels organization.
I understand it is April. But with Wednesday night's 3-2 loss versus the Tampa Bay Rays, the Angels are 6-12, which is good for last place in the AL West standings. And all the early hype surrounding this club’s potential is fading like the average 40-year-old man’s hairline.
The Angels' struggles are tough to watch, as the offense has all the tools in its toolbox to strike fear into opponents every single night.
Yet pitchers relish hurling against the Halos right now because its lineup is a discombobulated mess.
But Los Angeles can free itself from this pickle.
It can free itself by ceasing and desisting from pussyfooting around with the lineup and bringing Mike Trout to The Show once and for all.
By no means the end all and be all, Trout has the capability to strike the match to spark this team to greater heights.
Through 19 games at Triple-A Salt Lake, Trout is walloping the baseball. He is hitting a blistering .419 with 31 hits, 13 RBI and six stolen bases. His OPS is 1.132. Defensively, Trout has blazing speed and a solid arm to accompany excellent baseball instincts.
Yet the Angels will not promote Trout. At least not yet. Per Mike Scioscia, Trout is not ready for the big leagues yet. He’s still learning, they say.
My question is what ballplayer in the big leagues is still not learning? MLB players are always retooling their swings and their approaches at the plate. This is a reality in baseball. It is so because pitchers are always learning hitter tendencies and adjusting accordingly.
Trout is tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A, and he should thus be given his chance to shine at the big-league level.
Bring Trout to The Show and place him in left field with Peter Bourjos in center. Put Trout in the two-spot of the batting order, between Bourjos at the top and Albert Pujols in the three-hole. Take the training wheels off Mark Trumbo and place him in cleanup.
Utilize Bourjos and Trout’s speed at the top of the lineup with bunting and scrappy hitting. This puts speed on base for the middle of the lineup to feast on. This will take pressure off guys like Howie Kendrick, Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells.
Regarding the DH, do what a few other teams are doing: rotate DH responsibilities between players, when necessary.
Bottom line is, the sky is the limit with the Angels. They have solid pitching, and they have the potential for great hitting. But Scioscia and Co. need to start using the tools it has at its disposal to build a strong, imposing house.
If the Angels do not, the house will crumble in a heap of its own over-hyped expectations.
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