The Los Angeles Angels are fortunate enough to have two of Major League Baseball’s best players, and both Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani will be penciled into the Midsummer Classic at the same time, for the first time.
Trout will be playing in his first All-Star Game since 2019, although he’s been selected to each roster since 2012, but this time he’s finally healthy. The 31-year-old is putting together a fine season, carrying a 137 wRC+ across 78 games, including 17 home runs and a .491 slugging percentage.
Ohtani has been out of this world, hitting his 30th homer of the season on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, while posting an unworldly .674 slugging percentage in 82 games.
However, with one of the more polarizing parts of All-Star Week being the Home Run Derby, Trout isn’t believed to be throwing his name in the hat as a participant, per Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
Trout also said he’s already decided that he will not compete in the Home Run Derby. He has never done it, although he admitted that his 2-year-old son, Beckham, might eventually have a say in that.
“If he comes up to me and says ‘You better do it, I might have to think about it,’” Trout said. “He’s not there yet.”
Manager Phil Nevin has been witness to a multitude of Ohtani’s best stretches of play in MLB, but Ohtani is on the fence about the Home Run Derby. However, signs are pointing to him declining:
“I think he’s already said no to the Derby,” Nevin said. “I don’t know if he has or not. That would be one that I feel like takes a lot out of guys. … It’s fun to watch and all that, but I’ve just seen a lot of guys not bounce back from that very well. So whether he does or not, I mean, full support of him. I know he’s gonna be fine and take care of his body. It’s just those are some of the things that make me nervous. That’s all.”
The initial belief isn’t the worry of injury, but of course, the risks are there. For Trout, and the concerns over his back from as recently as last year, is a surefire pass on the derby.
Nevin and the Angels need to preserve their stars, but Trout and Ohtani are incredible for the game of baseball, and having both of them on the field is beautiful for the sport.
Shohei Ohtani set Angels record in June
Ohtani’s 14th home run in the month of June set an Angels record for homers in a single calendar month. He also slugged one more homer on the last day of the month to give him 15 total, extending his record.
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