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Mike Trout is showing signs of a career resurgence at age 34. He dominated a recent series against the New York Yankees. His performance has raised his OPS to 1.010 over 19 games.
Trout went 6 for 16 with five home runs and nine RBIs. The Los Angeles Angels and Yankees split the four-game series. He homered on four consecutive days at Yankee Stadium.
Trout called the achievement ‘pretty surreal.’ He noted all the great players who have played there. He said the feat was ‘pretty cool.’
He was the first to homer in four straight days at the current stadium. The last player with five homers in a Yankees series was George Bell. Bell did it for Toronto in 1990.
From 2021 to 2024, Trout had a .951 OPS. He played only 266 games in that span due to injuries. He has since played 149 of 182 possible games.
In those 149 games, he has an .826 OPS and 33 home runs. His home run on Thursday traveled 446 feet to left field. It nearly cleared the bleachers.
Four of his homers this season have gone at least 420 feet. Four also had exit velocities of at least 109 mph. He is back playing center field regularly.
He played mainly as a designated hitter last season. Now he is playing center field well. A return to All-Star form would benefit baseball.
Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton acknowledged this. ‘You’ve got to acknowledge the greatness,’ Stanton said. Trout has not been an All-Star since 2023.
He was the American League MVP in 2019. Since then, he has not finished top five in MVP voting for a full season. The upcoming All-Star Game is in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is only 45 miles from Trout’s hometown of Millville, New Jersey. His resurgence is well-timed. However, he must avoid the injured list.
Another question is lineup protection from the Angels. The Angels have a patchwork roster. Trout seems to enjoy playing for manager Kurt Suzuki.
Suzuki is a former teammate and a first-time manager. He is the Angels’ sixth manager since Mike Scioscia retired after 2018. Suzuki called Trout ‘unbelievable.’
