Mike Trout needs his own thread

if there's RISP i imagine a .938 looks very walkable!

This is the setup Mike Trout gets on a 3-0 count in a tie game pic.twitter.com/xj91tTRCj1

— David Adler (@_dadler) April 25, 2019

Is Trout's drastically reduced strikeout rate--31 games, 16 K (against 31 BB)--an early-season fluke or a conscious change in his approach?

...or a conscious change in opposing pitchers' approach? He's on track to log 33 IBB's this season (previous high 25).

Is Trout's drastically reduced strikeout rate--31 games, 16 K (against 31 BB)--an early-season fluke or a conscious change in his approach?

― clemenza, Tuesday, May 7, 2019 8:23 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

honestly haven’t watched much of him this year but he struck out like twice in his first dozen or so games, so I’d bet he’s regressing back to near his normal mean

https://cdn-blogs.fangraphs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Trout-2019-Contact.png

from https://blogs.fangraphs.com/pitchers-plan-and-mike-trout-laughs/

attack trout on the outside outside outside corner, it’s the only way

it’s cool that he makes contact with 100% of the pitches thrown at his face

great article btw, don’t think I recognize the writer

Ben Lindbergh:

Because he’s stopped swinging at the toughest pitches to hit but still attacks the fat ones—Baseball Savant says he’s swung at 80 percent of deliveries down the middle, his highest rate in the five-season Statcast era—Trout has also kept increasing his contact rates to new seasonal highs, even as the league’s contact rate has continued to decline.

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2019/6/21/18700398/mike-trout-los-angeles-angels-playoffs-war-mediocrity-500-record

this fucking guy.

― mookieproof, Sunday, September 2, 2012 4:09 PM (six years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Having a huge game.

While wearing Tyler Skaggs’ #45, Mike Trout hits a 454 foot home run pic.twitter.com/nsjJicTKLu

— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) July 13, 2019

I somehow managed not to notice anything else about the game while posting about Trout.

that was quite the performance.

Temporarily joining Ruth, Bonds, Greenberg, Foxx, Williams, Gehrig, Hornsby in the 1.000 OPS club.

I noticed that too the other day. I don't think it'll be that temporary, though, if you look at his career progression (new career highs four years running)--I could see him still being there three years from now.

Another way, I guess, of saying he'll breeze right past the notion of peaking at 27. Of course, I guessed wrong with Pujols when he headed over to the Angels.

Pujols was already having tons of problems with his foot before he left the Cardinals, even, and was much less of a complete, well-rounded player than Trout is. I wouldn't make any bets on Trout putting up 1.000 OPS in a few years, but he seems like he has a much better chance of it than anyone

also he has the advantage of a juiced ball

An oddity, looking at his career box: his seasonal high in total bases is 339, which I'm willing to bet would be the lowest mark if you looked at the 50 greatest hitters ever as measured by OPS+ or whatever you want. This is in no way a knock--it can easily be explained by all the walks he takes and the time he's lost to injuries. Just a quirk of the numbers.

(Oh--and if you eliminate people like Dave Orr, because I've never heard of him.)

Didn't have to look far for another walking-machine with fewer: Votto.

is it too late to make a bet with you, though? ;)

keep in mind i only bet with space bux

I have already plowed through over $40 billion in my off-the-cuff I'd-be-willing-to-bet posts.

Apart first half of Bonds’ career, Trout is the only one who is a legit great a defensive player in that list. Makes u think.

Forgot Hornsby yikes!

i suspect ruth's pitching was more valuable than hornsby's defense

Hitting and pitching didn’t happen much at the same time that being said (iirc)

Within 0.1 of Bellinger on Baseball Reference's WAR leader board. I know the season doesn't really start for some until he takes over the #1 spot, so Opening Day is imminent.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2019-batting-leaders.shtml

happy 28th

1173 G, 1301 H, 278 HR, 198 SB, .306/.419/.582, 176 OPS+, 71.7 bWAR, 72.9 fWAR

Penciled him in for 12 more HR this year and tried the Favourite Toy calculator: 14% chance at 763 HR. Which is probably a little light, seeing as his HR rate may continue to climb for another two or three seasons.

Mike Trout is now tied with Derek Jeter in career WAR via both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference. pic.twitter.com/OC6vat7vQY

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) August 18, 2019

youngest to 200 HR/SB

https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-trout-makes-history-with-200th-stolen-base

Mike Trout just hit a baseball so far that Fox Sports West had the home run graphic up before the ball even landed. pic.twitter.com/dgSw1xALT6

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 4, 2019

.@MikeTrout, BIG FLY. 😱 pic.twitter.com/aWex1Ximr5

— MLB (@MLB) September 5, 2019

Jaffe

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/mike-trouts-season-is-over-which-completely-sucks/

semi-doppelganger MIKE FISH, discussed on EW podcast yesterday

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=fish--000mic

me: i want mike trout
mom: we have mike trout at home
at home:

Trevor Bauer tells me Mike Trout has an exemption from the league for therapeutic HGH for thyroid issue, and that players know this and generally don't care-- says there's a whole complicated process to qualify for such an exemption from MLB.

— Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) January 17, 2020

fwiw he tweeted yesterday that he hadn't heard anything about trout specifically
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EOgrTA4XsAIZkZd.jpg

it'll be annoying if this ends up being a thing that follows trout everywhere

i know he had a thyroid issue before his rookie year that needed treatment, so if his exemption goes that far back i imagine it's legit and not "MLB protecting its best player"

this really brings out the whole pro sports dumpster igniters

Yikes. This is a chicken/egg slippery slope as PED abuse is aligned with thyroid issues, see Jason Giambi circa 2004.

Also reminscent of theories of Lance Armstrong's early career testicular cancer being a byproduct of his first doping programs and his numerous subsequent TUEs allowed as he was a survivor.

:(

stop it, world

can’t think of a reason someone would need growth hormone for a thyroid issue...??

will carroll tweeted that thyroid issues aren't even covered by TUEs

bauer's friend tweeted this and then deleted both tweets:

Update: Bauer now, through his P.R. people, tells us that he said or meant to say that "IF" Trout has this exemption, he has a league-approved medical exemption. Bauer clarifies that he doesn't know whether Trout has one or not.

and then:

MLB and the MLBPA jointly released the following statement saying no player has ever received an exception for HGH under the current program.

Basically, statements about Mike Trout using HGH and having an exemption for it are false. pic.twitter.com/EaND5zfC1n

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) January 17, 2020

Lol I think he was maybe just repeating something that Scott Brosius’ kid tweeted yesterday.

dang, didn't baseball twitter just get sonned by someone claiming to be beltran's niece, like yesterday?

yo is it true baseball twitter got sonned by a alleged burner account after a mlb beef??????