Mike Trout Open To Discussing Move Off Center Fiel

The Angels are wrapping another lost season, one in which was kept to a career-low 29 games. As he Grayson Greiner Jersey gears up for the offseason, the three-time MVP indicated he was open to a po sible position change in an effort to stay healthy. Trout hasnt played a single inning outside of center field in more than a decade. Its po sible thatll change in his age-33 season. Trout told the Halos beat this evening that hes willing to discu s playing more frequently in the corners and/or getting increased reps as a designated hitter. I think theres definitely going to be some conversations in the offseason. Its reality, Trout said ( ). I know I have a certain amount of years on my deal and I knew when I signed my contract, Id eventually move to a corner. But is it next year? I dont know. But well have conversations. The 11-time All-Star elaborated that everythings on the table to attempt to keep himself on the field. Whether thats moving to a corner or DHing more, Ill leave it up to the front office to come up with a plan, he added. It doesnt sound as if the future Hall of Famer has yet had any conversations with GM Perry Minasian and his staff, but that could be a key storyline going into the offseason. Trout still has the athleticism to play a good center field when hes at full strength. He had decent defensive grades over 681 innings last season. Statcast placed him in the 90th percentile among major leaguers in sprint speed this year. If he were to move to a corner, he should be a defensive a set. Trout logged nearly 900 innings in the corners early in his career. Its common for center fielders to move down the defensive spectrum as they get into their 30s both to stay healthy and to make way for younger, rangier defenders up the middle. The health caveat has been an all too familiar one for Trout. He has fallen short of 120 games in each of the past four years. This is the third of four seasons in which he wont reach 85 appearances. A right calf strain ended Trouts 2021 season by the middle of May. He lost some time in 22 due to back spasms. A left hamate fracture all but ended his season on July 4 last year. (He made a brief return in August before quickly shutting things back down.) This year may have been the most frustrating of all. Trout went on the injured list at the end of April after suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee. He underwent surgery that came with an initial four-to-six week recovery period. It wasnt until shortly after the All-Star Break that he was able to begin a minor league rehab a signment. The Angels quickly halted that when Trout experienced renewed knee sorene s. Testing revealed another meniscus tear that required a second surgery and officially ended his season. Making matters worse, Trout hasnt been able to pinpoint exactly when he suffered the knee injury. It could have come while he was on defense or running the bases. His 2021 calf strain came as a baserunner, while last years hamate fracture was a fluke injury on a swing. Those obviously wouldnt have been avoided by a position change. Still, reducing his defensive workload could take some of the overall toll off his body and hopefully keep him in the batters box. Trout remains an excellent offensive player, even if he has probably taken a step back from his MVP form. He hit .263/.367/.490 over 362 plate appearances last year. While a meager .194 average on balls in play left him with a .220 batting average and .325 on-base mark this season, he drilled 10 homers over just 126 trips to the plate. A heathy Trout clearly remains the best hitter on the team. The Angels have left fielder under arbitration control for another two seasons. Ward has had a quietly excellent second half and might be the teams second-best offensive player. Right field has been a huge weakne s. The Angels have gotten a .208/.288/.371 showing from that position. That mostly falls on , who hasnt made enough contact to come close to the ma sive expectations he generated as a prospect. Former first-round pick is getting a look there with Adell on the injured list, but Adams had a mediocre season in Triple-A. If the Angels decide its best for Trout to move to right field or to left, with Ward kicking to right theyd need to find an answer up the middle. Thats far easier said than done. has a .264 on-base percentage in 401 plate appearances as Trouts primary replacement in center. is probably retiring at seasons end. Barring a surprise opt-out, the free agent cla s is headlined by . The likes of , , and are potential offseason trade candidates, but thats largely because none of them are coming off great years. Trout is going into the seventh season of the 12-year extension he signed back in 2019. Hes under contract for $35.45MM annually through the 2030 campaign. Trout, who has full no-trade rights, has previously shot down the idea of requesting a trade on multiple occasions. Kirk Gibson Jersey

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