Mike Trout and the Angels finally got on a plane late Thursday. I don’t understand why. Let this story keep running. Let Trout on Broadway become the new “Hamilton.” The Angels had to settle for a 2-2 split with the favored Yankees, but Trout won the week in his own right. He homered five times in the series, and by the end of the week, the Yanks had run out of ideas (Trout walked three times Thursday).
Trout’s always loved the stage in the Bronx. He has a career .346/.433/.733 slash there, with 13 homers and eight steals (in eight attempts) over 34 games. This most recent showing was made extra special by Aaron Judge on the other side, who popped four homers of his own. Treat yourself and watch all of the homers in one place, in a glorious six-minute tape. So we have a home run duel for the ages, suitable for framing.
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What happens with Trout now?
Trout’s power was ready when the season started. He knocked a homer on Opening Day and is off to a .246/.416/.594 start, which hashes out to a 188 OPS+ (his highest in five years). He’s walked 18 times (tops in the majors) against a reasonable 18 strikeouts, and has even stolen a couple of bases. His 21 runs scored are the most in baseball. Trout’s Baseball Savant page is a screaming endorsement. The bat speed is 90th percentile; all the hard-hit metrics are screaming in the red. Even his sprint speed (90th percentile) is holding up.
Trout doesn’t look close to finished at age 34. Yahoo managers have started to buy in. Trout’s preseason ADP was in the 171 range, but it’s pushed to 135.1 over the last week. It’s hard not to watch his liftoff and get excited. Of course, we have to stay measured, toss in some cold water. Trout’s durability will ultimately decide how far the story goes.
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Consider his games played for the past five seasons: 130, 29, 82, 119, 36. I think any reasonable Trout manager would be thrilled if he could match last year’s 130 games. I wish the Angels would shift Trout to DH full-time, look to keep him as healthy as possible, but they’re not just eschewing that — they’re actually asking him to play center field this year. It makes you nervous.
And as the great Rob Silver pointed out on Twitter/X, Trout’s fast start is not a new thing. Trout now has seven homers in his opening 19 games. He also had eight homers in 20 games opening last year, and he homered eight times in his first 20 games in 2024. When the bell rings, Trout is ready.
When great athletes shift to the final stages of their career, it’s hard to avoid getting emotional. Think about Tiger Woods winning the Masters in 2019, or Phil Mickelson taking the PGA in 2021 (the last golf tournament I ever watched with my dad). What made those stories especially sing is the idea that we weren’t sure those days could ever return. With greatness, you’re always internally pleading for one more time. I’m dreaming for another Alex Ovechkin 30-goal season (if he decides to come back), another Travis Kelce run through the playoffs.
One more time.
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I have one other hope on Trout — I’d like to see him with a legitimate contender someday. This is his 16th year with the Angels and Trout has played in just three playoff games. The Angels famously had Trout and Shohei Ohtani on the same roster for six years and never had a winning record. This year’s club has been competitive so far (10-10), but hold no delusions. The Fangraphs playoff calculator gives the Angels an 8.8% chance to make the playoffs. Do you believe in miracles?
I know this — I believe in FOMO. My fantasy portfolio doesn’t have any Trout this year. I’ll do at least one more draft before I call it a season, and I might have to push for Trout in that pool. I know it’s buying high and it’s risky to invest in a player who’s had so many injury problems in his 30s. But isn’t this game supposed to be fun, too? Can’t the aging rules be a little different for walk-in Hall of Famers?
Elsewhere in MLB, San Diego’s closer is putting up unreal numbers
I know what’s not fun in 2026 — trying to hit Mason Miller.
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The San Diego closer continues to hold his own Wiffle Ball practice every few days. Thursday, the Mariners were the latest team blown away by Miller. Fourteen pitches, three strikeouts, good night. Miller has faced 30 batters this year and struck out 23 of them. He’s allowed one hit and one walk. His FIP is a negative 1.44 — a negative 1.44! — and of course, his ERA is 0. The WHIP sits at .214.
Every Miller stat these days looks like a misprint.
Like the Trout story, the Miller season ultimately comes down to health. I don’t know how his arm and elbow and shoulder will hold up to all those 101 and 102 mph fastballs and 95 mph changeups. I am not a doctor. If MLB knew how to truly protect its pitchers, it would be doing it. Sometimes all you can do is whistle through the graveyard, hope the baseball gods look down on you with sympathy.
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Miller’s recent ADP has risen slightly, but not as much as I expected. He was a 49.5 ticket in the preseason, and it’s been 42.3 over the last week. I’d have no problem jumping that line if presented with a draft today.