3 Reasons Why Mike Trout Won't Be a Center Fielder in 2025
Discussing 3 Reasons Why Trout Won't Play Center Field For the Angels After This Year
This season has been yet another bad year for the Los Angeles Angels, & another year without Mike Trout for more than half the season. Even after Trout’s great start to the season, when he hit .220/.325/.866 with 10 home runs, which led the league at one point, 14 RBIs, & 17 runs scored, the Angels still couldn’t figure it out this season. After Trout’s great start, many people thought that he would finally return to his former MVP self & have a bounce-back season. However, on April 30th, the Angels placed Trout on the 10-day Injured List with a meniscus tear in his left knee, only 29 games into the season. After having surgery on his knee, Trout began a rehab assignment on July 23 with the Salt Lake Bees (AAA). Nearly a month later, Trout tore his meniscus again while on his rehab assignment. As a result, the Angels placed Trout on the 60-day IL, ending his season early.
This season marks the fourth straight season where he has missed a significant amount of time on the IL. With the constant injuries & his age reducing his speed, Trout could return in 2025 as a full-time DH or a corner outfielder. Today, we are going to discuss 3 reasons why Trout will not be a center fielder in 2025.
1. Injury Prone
As discussed above, Trout has been very prone to injuries the past few years. This season marks the 2nd consecutive year that Trout has had a season ending injury & the 4th straight year that Trout has missed a large amount of the season. As Trout ages, he will only become more prone to injury, which wouldn’t help anyone. Plus, just like Phillies’ star Bryce Harper said at the All-Star Break about Ronald Acuna Jr., “baseball is better when he is playing.” I don’t know about you, but I would rather watch one of the best players in the history of baseball play than sit on the bench the whole season because of an injury. Although there is still a good chance of injury as a designated hitter, the chances of Trout having a serious injury are a lot less likely as a DH than as an outfielder.
2. Reducing Speed
Again, we discuss Trout’s age. Trout will be 33 on Opening Day next year, meaning his career will most likely start to downfall even more. With this downfall, Trout’s speed will certainly go down. Sure, a lot of good players in the league don’t have great speed, however, as a center fielder, speed has played a big role in Trout’s success. Tracking down balls in center field, stealing bases, & getting extra base hits. In Trout’s 2019 MVP season, he ranked 37th in the league with a sprint speed of 29.2 feet per second. This year, Trout ranks as the 57th fastest player in the league with a speed of 28.9 feet per second. Although this is only a one second difference, Trout is only going to get slower with his age going up & the injuries he has sustained. With speed being a key factor in center field, Trout could easily move to left or right field, which doesn’t need as much speed.
3. Younger Options
The last reason why Mike Trout won’t be a center fielder next year is because the Angels’ have younger options who have more speed & can help the Angels build their young core. For Los Angeles’ future, the best options in center field right now would be Jordyn Adams & Mickey Moniak. Adams, who was drafted by the Angels 17th overall in 2018, has spent most of the season in AAA Salt Lake but has spent parts of this season & last season in the big leagues, making up a little more than 20 games in the majors. In these games, Adams has hit .231/.286/.632 while posting a .905 fielding percentage in center field. Moniak on the other hand, was drafted first overall in 2016 by the Phillies before being traded to LA. 2024 is Moniak’s second complete season in the big leagues. In his career, Moniak has hit .232/.271/.676 & has posted a .993 fielding percentage in center field. Both of these young players are good options for the Angels & their future in center field.
These three reasons show why Mike Trout will not be a center fielder for the Angels next season. As a center fielder, Trout is too injury prone & his reducing speed will degrade his defense. This all adds up to the Angels putting their younger options in Jordyn Adams & Mickey Moniak in center field full-time next year. Whether he moves to a corner outfield position or as a full-time designated hitter, Mike Trout probably will not be a center fielder moving forward.
