ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) 鈥 Mike Trout is in the final week of a profoundly frustrating season. His numbers at the plate have been shockingly pedestrian amid regular struggles with his swing mechanics, and he misses playing in the outfield.
Yet Trout remains optimistic and engaged 鈥 and the 34-year-old slugger says he still believes he can recapture his MVP form with the Los Angeles Angels.
鈥淵eah, I鈥檓 very confident,鈥 Trout said Tuesday. 鈥淚 think it sounds funny, but I joke about it with all the guys in there 鈥 when I see the ball, I鈥檓 good. When I don鈥檛 see it, man, it鈥檚 a battle.鈥
Trout enters the final homestand of the Angels鈥 11th consecutive non-playoff season batting .229 with 22 homers, 59 RBIs and a .772 OPS. Those totals are all the lowest of his career during a season in which he’s played at least 100 games, and the OPS is his lowest since his first major league season in 2011.
Trout reached two big career milestones this season, getting and last Saturday.
But after making baseball seem so joyously simple during his first decade in the majors, this 11-time All-Star admits he has been in a weekly fight for consistency at the plate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a grind this year, no doubt,鈥 Trout said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what sports do to you. You鈥檙e not going to go out there and just get a hit every time or feel good every time. I get that. But it鈥檚 great to be able to get some confidence going into the offseason.鈥
At least the three-time AL MVP has stayed largely healthy this season after amid injury struggles that altered the substance of his baseball legacy.
Although Trout missed nearly all of May with that still bothers him in certain situations, he has stayed in the lineup ever since. He will play more games this season than he has managed since 2019 鈥 even if it’s been mostly as a designated hitter.
Trout said he 鈥渄efinitely鈥 wants to play the field again in 2026.
鈥淚 think he wants to put himself in a good spot in the last week to build off what, for him, was probably 鈥 I don鈥檛 want to use the word disappointing, but a frustrating season,鈥 Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery said. 鈥淗e fought through some things, (particularly) physically, to remain on the field, because we all know how good he is when he plays defense. He鈥檚 not a DH, you know what I mean? He did it out of necessity. Hopefully he gets a healthy offseason, gets ready to come back in the spring and be Mike Trout.鈥
Before the Angels faced Kansas City, Trout went into extensive detail about what he has meant by 鈥渟eeing the ball鈥 when he described his 2025 struggles at the plate. It’s not an ophthalmological diagnosis, but rather a measure of his mechanics to make sure he’s tracking pitches with both eyes 鈥 a necessity for his timing.
Trout has struck out 173 times this season, the second-most of his career, with six games to play. That’s a function of being unable to put together the series of reactions that used to come so easily to him, he said.
鈥淭here was a lot of at-bats this year when I鈥檇 go up there and I knew what they were going to throw me, and I just couldn鈥檛 pull the trigger,鈥 Trout said. 鈥淪omething was just a tick off, and as much as I want to go up there and I try to put aside everything I work on in the cage and just go compete, it was tough for me, because the ball was moving. Nothing was slowing it down.鈥
Trout repeatedly thought he had found a fix this season, only to lose it again. He believes he made another breakthrough in September, hopefully allowing him to finish strong.
鈥淏efore, it was just a Band-Aid,鈥 Trout said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 more of a solution this time. To be able to confidently know what I鈥檓 doing, and to be able to get to a spot and start early and be on time every single time, I think it鈥檚 something to build on in the offseason.鈥
Trout has five seasons left on his $426.5 million contract extension, and he’s still looking for his first career playoff victory. The Angels weren’t close to postseason contention again this year despite a modest improvement from the worst season in franchise history in 2024, and Trout essentially said that he needs to sort out his own game before he can help to build a winner with shortstop Zach Neto and the team’s young core.
鈥淲e saw signs of good stretches,鈥 Trout said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to put a full season together. I think that鈥檚 the key. For me, I think if I can get back to where I felt this last week-and-a-half, two weeks for a full season, it鈥檒l be different.鈥
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