A two-inning collapse for the Angels overshadowed us Mike TroutOutstanding performance in the Bronx this week. The veteran batsman has scored runs in all three matches of the series. He has a total of four long balls against the Yankees, including three in a row from Monday to Tuesday. Trout’s two-run blast in the fifth inning on Wednesday gave the Angels their first lead of the tournament. Nearby Jordan Romano you’ll eventually cough it up in two walks Jose Caballero.
The power is always there for Trout. Even in a “down” 2025 season that saw the three-time MVP post his worst wRC+ since his first year, he still scored 26 runs in 130 games. Home escapes Luis Gil yesterday was Trout’s sixth in 18 games this season. Last year, it took him just 11 games to reach half a dinger. Trout had a .926 OPS at that point in the year. He has a .945 OPS right now.
The biggest difference between last season’s strong start and this year’s early results is communication. Trout lowered his strikeout rate to 21.4%. His swing rate dropped to 6.0%. Perhaps most importantly, Trout has a total contact rate of 84.4% and a 93% contact rate in the zone. Those are the best marks in his 16-year career.
It’s a small sample, of course, but those are important indicators of hitters getting older as they get deeper into their careers. Getting hit regularly in the strike zone is usually a clear sign that a hitter can no longer compete against big league pitching. The 34-year-old Trout has the 27th-best strikeout rate among professional hitters this season. He had 25 worst marks in 2025.
Another option for veteran downhillers is to sacrifice batted quality for more contact. Trout didn’t go that way. The improvement in his strike rate this season has come with an absurd level of impact on the ball. He ranks in the 100th percentile in barrel rate, expected slugging percentage, and expected wOBA. Trout’s average exit velocity of 93.5 mph is the best as a professional, except for the shortened 2020 season. He doesn’t drive the ball down either. Trout has a 69.4% air contact rate, in line with his career mark of 66.6%. His breakup in that metric depends on fly balls (42.9%) rather than line drives (18.4%), which may partially explain his minuscule .233 average on balls in play. Trout’s pop-up rate was in line with career norms.
Trout’s opponent this week offers an interesting comparison from a career-arc perspective. Giancarlo Stanton again Paul Goldschmidt they took two different paths as they reached the end of their MLB journey, but ended up in the same place. Trout appeared to be looking toward Stanton, 36. The Yankees slugger delivered one of the most impactful campaigns of his recent stint in New York in 2025, hitting 24 home runs in just 281 plate appearances, but coming up with a career-worst 34.2% strikeout rate. Stanton has never been an above-average contact hitter, although his 74.9% strikeout rate is a pretty low mark. Rafael Devers he was the only one to score below 76% last year.
Goldschmidt, 38, went the other way. He pushed his communication metrics to the best levels in New York. The first baseman struck out just 18.7% of the time, while putting the ball in play on more than 80% of his swings. The tradeoff was the quality of the batted ball. Goldschmidt had a barrel rate of just 7.9%, his first year in the single digits since 2016. The veteran’s 43.7% strikeout rate was his worst since the strike-shortened 2020 season. Goldschmidt got his batting average back to .274 after it dipped to .245 in his final year with the Cardinals, but he also managed just 10 home runs. The performance was enough for the Yankees to bring him back this year in a part-time role. Stanton also remains a regular, given his defensive limitations and ongoing health concerns.
Health is a factor with Trout as well. The highlight of his 2025 campaign is that he has played 130 games, his most since 2019. That year is the last time he brought home AL MVP honors. Trout has already had an injury scare this season, though this wasn’t exactly his fault. He missed a game the first week of April after being hit by a pitch on the hand. He has since returned to the lineup for every game.
After spending most of 2025 at DH, with the Angels hoping to keep him healthy, Trout returned to his familiar spot in center field this season. He was around league average with the glove (1 DRS, -1 OAA). Most notably from a health standpoint, he ranks in the 90th percentile for running speed. That was a big improvement from last year, when he ranked 62nd. It was his first time below the 90th percentile in the Statcast era.
Trout’s mid-30s resume would be a huge boon for the Angels not only because of the obvious benefits on the field but also because a large portion of the team’s reduced salary is tied up in Trout’s contract. He is signed for $35.45MM annually through the 2030 season.
The Angels had a salary cap north of $205MM in 2025 but cut spending in 2026. After counting Anthony Rendon‘postponed/restructured contract, Angels pay is in the $150MM area. If last year’s $200MM+ salary was more of an outlier than the start of a new trend, it will be more important for Trout to work out his contract. His current salary comprises about 23.5% of the team’s salary – a big increase from 17% last year.
In the meantime, Trout will look to extend his homer streak Fried Max on Thursday. It will be his first look at the Yankees lefty. Trout’s only one home run has come against southpaws this season. From a big-picture standpoint, it will mean keeping an eye on Trout’s contact metrics as the season progresses. He doesn’t need to continue posting career-best contact rates to return to true All-Star status, but the fact that he’s been able to do so in his first 18 games — without sacrificing power — in his age-34 season is both impressive and a sign of hope for Angels fans.
Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images
