Known for Hall of Fame-level offensive production, perhaps the most iconic image of Mike Trout came on defense, back when he was a rookie, with much of his upper torso above the center-field wall as if taking flight.
It was only fitting that a catch that would come to define Trout’s determination was made up against an advertisement for a major airline.
Takeoff. Flight. A perfect landing.
That was way back in 2012, at Baltimore’s Camden Yards, when Trout was sharing center-field duties and headed toward the American League Rookie of the Year Award. A home run-robbing catch of a drive from J.J. Hardy was a taste of what was to come.
Two seasons later, Trout would turn his all-around game into the first of three AL MVP Awards.
The first teammate to slap gloves in celebration with Trout after his memorable catch was then-right fielder Torii Hunter, a once-dynamic, home run-robbing center fielder himself, who had moved to right field to limit wear and tear in his later years.
This season, at age 33 and following a string of injuries that have limited him to no more than 82 games in three of the past four full seasons, Trout is the one moving to right field in the hope that his star can shine for an extended period once more.
Trout’s first game in right since 2012 came in a spring training game Monday that was uneventful, aside from a walk and a run scored at the plate. In three innings, Trout did not have a chance to make a play, but the short appearance served its purpose.
“It felt good,” Trout said afterward. “Just different angles, things you work on in BP. Just getting comfortable (and) trying to get a fly ball.”
The comfort level increased immediately with Trout hitting a home run in his second spring game Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds. The 11-time All-Star said he made adjustments between his games Monday and Wednesday.
His first adjustment of 2025, he said, is to remember who he has been in the past and not chase pitches. Hammer the strikes and let the walks come if pitchers want to avoid the plate.
At 33, Trout is on the back nine of his career, but that doesn’t mean production has to wane. In his one month of action last season, Trout had an MLB-best 10 home runs over his first 29 games.
He is just 22 home runs from 400 in his career and 46 RBIs away from 1,000. He has a career .299 batting average and a .991 OPS that he built in 1,518 career games over 14 seasons.
A .410 career on-base percentage speaks to Trout’s desire to reach first by any means necessary.
If moving Trout to right field can help him get anywhere close to his elite-level offensive production, then everything will feel right again. Time is running out to savor Trout’s greatness, and the Angels’ lack of playoff appearances has kept him off baseball’s biggest stage since 2014.
Trout said he had found a mechanical adjustment to get his swing on track last season, and the adjustment will be put into play again this season. It’s a promising sign that he can look something like his MVP self, ideally for long stretches.
Trout also won’t take his move to right field for granted, saying he wants to work on getting reads off the bat. He will have less ground to cover in right, which will help put less stress on his legs, and there will be days when he serves as the designated hitter, even if the role goes against his desire to be an all-around player. Jorge Soler was brought in to be the primary DH.
Trout was the DH in Wednesday’s spring game and is scheduled to be back in right field Friday.
As Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell share center-field duties for now, Angels manager Ron Washington had one major directive for his younger players, and it is one that everybody can rally around.
“The only thing that I think that we’re concerned about, and we got with everyone, is the communication,” Washington said. “We don’t need nobody running into Mike Trout.”
