Mike Trout has already played more games in the 2022 season (37) than he did all of last year (36), and he has returned from his injury in a big way.
The superstar outfielder is batting .310/.422/.667 with a .462 wOBA and 213 wRC+, which would both be career-highs for Trout. He has also added 11 home runs, 33 runs scored, and 24 RBI in 154 plate appearances.
It’s no shock that Trout is producing at Hall of Fame levels on the field, but it would have been hard to predict he would return to form so soon and play better than ever after missing nearly all of the 2021 season. But he credits some of that to a new routine that has him feeling good, Trout said via Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register:
“I feel great,” Trout said on Tuesday. “The routine I’ve been on has been great. It’s a lot of pregame stuff that I didn’t really focus on before. I came in and did my thing and went out there to play.”
Part of his new routine includes a workout regiment to help prevent injuries to his muscles, tendons, and ligaments after a calf strain ended his season last year. He has also put more focus into preparing his body for a long season rather than just showing up and getting ready to play:
Now, Trout said he has a routine both in the trainers’ room and in the gym to help avoid similar soft-tissue injuries.
“It’s just a different mindset to prepare myself for the game,” he said.
Trout has also been more willing to take off days than he was when he was a younger player. While it would be great for him to play every day, the grind of a 162 game season puts a lot of stress on a body, and he adds even more by playing a premium defensive position in center field:
Trout, 30, concedes that the off days are good for him.
“If this was five, six years ago, I’d be like ‘no chance,” Trout said. “But it’s good for my body. My body recovers well, usually after he gives me two days (a game off followed by a scheduled off day). It’s a long season. It’s going to help me for the stretch run in August and going from there.”
With Trout healthy and feeling great, the Angels have real playoff hopes for the first time in quite a while. Baseball needs Trout back in the playoffs, and he seems determined to make that happen.
Shohei Ohtani becomes most searched pitcher ever
The Angels are fortunate enough to have Trout on their hands, but after signing Shohei Ohtani back in 2017, their two-way star has risen to the peak of the baseball world.
He has become the modern-day Babe Ruth and fans of sports hopefully appreciate how truly special what he does on a baseball field is. The data seems to back it up in terms of online traffic because Ohtani has become the most web-searched baseball pitcher in the history of, well online history.
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