Can he do something he has not done since 2018?
It is no secret that the Angels win more when Mike Trout is healthy. The three-time MVP enters his 13th season as an Angel during a rather pivotal point for the franchise.
Trout is once again the focal point of the organization after Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is also Ron Washington’s first year as the team’s manager.
No doubt a healthy Trout will help ease Washington into his new role and help lead a young group of players. Thankfully, it seems he’s feeling well. He recently joined MLB Network and told them that this is the best he has felt in years,
“This is the best my body’s felt — you know, in my lower half — in a few years.”
"This is the best my body's felt – you know, in my lower half – in a few years ."@Angels star @MikeTrout joins BK and @CY24_7 to explain how the former MVP's new program has him in a great spot heading into the season. pic.twitter.com/RulNd0TOMI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 12, 2024
The 32-year-old has struggled to stay on the field the last few years, playing in 237 of a possible 486 games. In 2021, his season ended after only 36 games because of a calf strain.
Two seasons ago, he played through a combination of back and foot injuries but still appeared in 119 games. Last year, he only appeared in 82 games after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand.
In that same interview, Trout commented that his goal is to play at least 140 to 150 games this season — something he has not done since 2018. Trout still has seven years left on his mammoth 12-year, $426.5 million deal he signed in 2019.
Trout has appeared in 12 games so far this spring. He has not put up his usual gaudy numbers but there’s very little reason for concern on that front.
