Why Mike Trout Will Have More Homers Than Albert Pujols in 2012

As Angels center fielder Mike Trout settles into a regular spot in Mike Scioscia's lineup, we've began to see a glimpse of what he is capable of.

Between May 5 and May 11, Trout was 9-for-16 at the plate with one home run and six RBI. Although he has cooled off a bit, including going 0-for-4 in last night's loss to Oakland, Trout is still batting close to .300 in only 53 at-bats.

Trout's two home runs in limited play gives hope that he will make up for the surprising lack of power from Albert Pujols. In fact, it is becoming more and more reasonable to believe that Trout could end up with more home runs than Pujols if he continues to get playing time.

Pujols has one home run in 142 at-bats. If Trout were to have had the same number of at-bats, he would be projected to have about five at this point.

There is something wrong with Pujols, and it goes beyond saying he's in a slump and will snap out of it. The Angels are now 36 games into the season, and Pujols is batting .197.

A major reason why Trout will end up with more homers than Pujols is the number of opportunities Trout will have batting lead-off. If Scioscia allows Trout to lead off the majority of games, he could end up putting together a Ricky Henderson-type of season at the plate.

If you recall, Henderson was one of the most prolific home run hitters to bat lead off. Trout does possess some pop in his bat, as well as excellent speed. Given the opportunity, Trout will lead off a few games with a home run, and it wouldn't be unexpected for him to wind up with 15 home runs this year.

That's how far the bar has fallen for Pujols. We're talking about him trying to reach 15 home runs.

If history is any indication, and it usually is for baseball, Pujols will get about 575 at-bats this season. He is already a quarter of the way there. He's on pace to finish the season with four or five home runs this season.

People, both fans and the experts in the media, still believe Pujols is going to hit 30 round-trippers this year. We've reached the point in the season where the expectations need to be reeled in a bit for him, no matter how much money he's making.

If Trout has truly arrived and will be a permanent fixture in the lineup, he can obtain 15 homers. That will be enough to put him ahead of Pujols in the team rankings for 2012.