The Angels have the best player in all of baseball. This offseason, they signed arguably the best third baseman in all of baseball. So, why do the Angels have the worst record in the American League?
FiveThirtyEight posted a great article that went in-depth on the Angels’ season and everything is going wrong with the club. They dove into some interesting topics, including the fact that Mike Trout is actually having a “down season”
Per the article, His OPS+ of 165 is the lowest mark he’s had in a season since debuting in 2011. He’s hitting .277 — nearly 30 points below his career average — with a significantly worse strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.06) than a year ago (1.09). As of right now, he has a 1.4 offensive WAR on the season. Over the course of a 162-game season, that would give him a WAR of 6.3.
For majority of players, that would be a career-year. But for Trout, that would be the lowest of his career. Again, Trout is having a great season, but by his standards he’d be on pace for the “worst” of his career. Meanwhile, his new teammate Anthony Rendon is on pace for an MVP-type of season with a WAR of 8.2
I’d go more in-depth, but it really is an incredible article so make sure you go and check it out!
Morning links
- Ahead of the deadline, the Angels traded outfielder Brian Goodwin to the Reds
- Angels call up Jahmai Jones, first Wesleyan University graduate to reach majors
- Halo Hangout graded each move that the Angels made this deadline