The Latest From AngelsWin.com: Mike Trout Player Profile & Projections

[AngelsWin.com]

 

(Photo by Jeremy Long - jlongphoto.com)

 

By Robert Cunningham, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer -- 

 

2013 Outlook: Although he didn't win AL MVP in 2012, Trout will annually contend for that title in the coming years. His skillset is unlike any player currently in the game and it is hard to imagine little, if any, regression from this young star. The fact that he is so young and could even improve is a mind-boggling thought.

 

Some baseball analysts believe that Trout will regress based on how he ended the last 2 months of the 2012 season. They point out that the pitchers in the AL were adjusting to Trout. This is a possibility but there are other reasons that make me think otherwise. For one, it was a longer season than he has been used too and I think he tired a bit at the end. Two, there are usually a lot of new faces pitching against him in the last part of the season as September call ups and injuries bring new looks and pitches to the mound that Trout hasn't faced before. Finally, one very impressive thing about Mike is his ability to adjust during consecutive ab's versus the same pitcher, which is unparalleled in most athletes playing baseball today. It is almost as if he is able to recall every pitch in his memory and recognize it and destroy it when he sees it again.

 

Mike Trout is very capable of becoming one of the greatest players ever to wear an MLB uniform. His plate discipline, pitch recognition, and short compact swing make him a monster at the plate and his incredible sprint speed and defensive prowess is off the charts as well. This makes him the deadliest weapon on the team and possibly in all of MLB and the Angels are so lucky to have him as they make a push for the playoffs.

 

[Wallerrrr]

id take those numbers in a heartbeat. i gotta say, the more i watch him the more impressed i am with his plate discipline....that, combined with his speed leads me to believe he will continue to have a high batting average...

nice write up ettin

[Brent Maguire]

I don't see much if any regression from him. I think his rate starts stay exactly the same and his counting numbers will go up due to more games. .318/.398/.540 32 HR 56 SB is perfectly in range for him. 

[tdawg87]

I think he will regress, but still have a great year.

 

.302/.381/.506, 26 HR, 50 SB, 8 WAR

[jshep]

What to expect from Trout in 2013 is a tricky one for me

 

I don't expect him to struggle really, but it's quite the leap of faith for me to expect a player is going to be put up another 10+ WAR season after doing that once.

 

But at the same time, if I was going to expect a player to do that, it would be Trout.

 

I'm guessing he steps back a little bit, but not so much that he's not right in the middle of the MVP debate at the end of the season

[Docwaukee]

I think we'll see his defensive numbers go down.  He's not a LFer by trade and the position takes some of his range away.  That will hurt his WAR as he'll end up with above average although not elite metrics and he won't get as much credit because of it being a corner OF position.

 

I think he walks more.  He's gonna get pitched around for awhile at least until aybar proves he can hit 2nd.  If Erick doesn't, Trout could get pitched around all year.  I also think he's gonna k less.  Maybe around 17%.  He'll steal 50, but get caught around 15 times this year. 

 

He could hit anywhere from 25-40hrs so I guess around 30 to be on the safe side

 

His BA is what I think is so tough to predict.  On the low end about .300 but on the high end, the sky is the limit and could be .350 if his k rate drops and his BABIP stays similar.  So I like the .320 number you estimated.

 

His offensive counting numbers will be better and I think he ends up with about 90rbi and 130runs, and his WAR will be around 9 dropping only because of defense. 

[DW711]

He won't regress, but more the law of averages will get him.

 

People are just assuming a .950 ops and 57 steals from this guy like it's nothing

 

Uh, no!

 

.290/.370/.520.

 

I'd take that from any player on my team in a heartbeat 

[The God of Runs]

Am I the only one who thinks that Trout will have a better year? Just like it said in the article, Mike is excellent when it comes to adjusting to a pitcher in consecutive at bats. That alone tells me that he'll have a monster year cause he'll be a lot more familiar with the pitchers this time around. I especially expect him to score a lot more runs based on adding Hamilton in there. Barring injury, I say Trout is a 1.025 - 1.050 OPS player

[Angelsjunky]

I think the key for Trout is can he transform some of those strikeouts into walks? If he can then he'll have a similar year to last. If not then I think we'll see some regression.