A Mike Trout-sized Hole
Mar 6, 2025 - Written by Noah Pohle
Photo Credit : @theScore - X
Mike Trout is one of the most talented players in MLB history, full stop.
Well, actually, I will be continuing. On February 16th, Trout himself admitted that he would be moving out of his customary center field position to right field. This time was always likely to come, yet the Angels surely never imagined he would be ranging in right field so soon into his 12-year, $426.5-million dollar contract written up prior to the 2019 season. Six more years remain guaranteed on that deal, and yet Trout has switched from his natural center field as his body has proven ill-suited to command the grass for a full season.
It wasn’t until 2021 that Trout started to show any signs of aging. While he has remained capable of playing center field better than an average defender and hitting at MVP-caliber rates while on the field, he strained his calf early in the year and did not progress to game action by the close of the season. He finished with 36 appearances, and 2.1 fWAR. 2022 was not marred by a major injury, but Trout was hampered by a few different ailments throughout the year. He still toughed out 119 games played and 6.0 fWAR. He played in over half of the team’s games in 2023, with 82 appearances and on pace for another 6-WAR season, yet he suffered a broken hamate bone and was unable to make a return before the final game. Most recently last year, Trout suffered a torn meniscus in late April and was set back in his recovery such that the team shut him down.
With that four-year window of various injuries in mind, it is reasonable to see why Ron Washington and Perry Minasian would want Mike Trout to play in the smaller confines of right field, where he is flanked by a foul line and a commander in center. His proven prowess in robbing home runs will still play up against the short home run line below the scoreboard at Angel Stadium. However, while it provides a potential solution to one health-related issue, it creates a massive hole on the Angels’ lineup card that has not been there in years. Mike Trout’s phenomenal run in center field is a tough act to follow. The incumbent options on the roster are two former highly regarded prospects in their own right, and each brings a different skillset to the table. Mickey Moniak has already proven capable of handling center field, yet Jo Adell has so far been given an opportunity to claim the starting job this Spring due to his potential at the plate.
Mickey Moniak provides a good glove in center, and was an above-average hitter in 2023. He comes with the pedigree of being the first pick overall in his draft, though that was a long time ago as he nears his 27th birthday. He has seemingly been exposed at the Major League level, though, at least against same-handed pitching. He carries a career 93 wRC+ against righty pitchers, which is passable production when coupled with his above-average glove. However, against lefty pitchers, Moniak hit for a wRC+ of just 22, outright unplayable production. If he were to be the committed starter against righties, it would have been ideal to bring in a veteran complement to shore up the offense against lefties. The market did offer some options in this regard, such as Harrison Bader, though the Angels have opted for an in-house tandem between Moniak and 2024 Right Field Gold Glove Finalist, Jo Adell.
Jo Adell has accumulated all of 122 innings in center field in his Major League career. In fact, despite his 86th percentile Sprint Speed, he has always been a fairly scratch defender in the corners, with enough range and talent to make up for some positioning and throwing errors. Yet, Angels brass already established that he would be allowed the chance to grow into a center field defender. Ron Washington cited his growth in right field year-to-year as a reason for this experiment, and it is true that he was a Gold Glove Finalist in 2024. From a lineup standpoint, being able to slot Adell into center would be a relative improvement compared to Mickey Moniak, at their current trajectories. Jo seemingly turned a corner at the end of last season, with a change in mechanics marking a change in production down the stretch. By shortening up his leg kick to just a toe tap, Adell was able to cut his strikeout rate while seeing improvements in his BABIP. More hits may have fallen because Jo seemed to be taking more level swings, rather than ‘crashing’ towards the pitcher with a big, committed leg kick.
So far this Spring, neither player has taken the desired step forward. Adell has continued his cut in strikeouts, but he has not taken a walk. He is 3-for-21, one of his hits being a grand slam, but he has also looked slightly timid, if not uncomfortable, ranging the center field grass. Moniak has an equal three hits in 21 tries, with two walks to go with three punchouts and one home run, as well as a misplayed ball or two. The story out of center field in Angels’ camp so far has actually been about Nelson Rada, who was established as one of, if not the best, Minor League defenders around, and even though he is 19 years old still, he has shown off his skill at the plate, his speed, and his defense in a Major League setting. In an equal number of plate appearances as Adell and Moniak, Rada has walked twice, struck out 6 times and racked up five hits, while taking one extra base on a hit. He has performed better than Adell or Moniak, and while it is important to remember how young he is, it is also notable that he is in a system notorious for pushing their prospects up. He was in Major League camp before the 2024 season as well, and started last year in AA Rocket City as an 18-year-old.
With confidence, Nelson Rada will start the year in the Minor Leagues this season. However, if Adell and Moniak do not combine for some sort of a solution, the Angels would not be out of character to select his contract before the end of the summer. While Jo Adell specifically, as well as many other Angels’ prospects, have arguably had their trajectories altered by an early call-up, us fans find ourselves in a situation again where a young top talent has a shallow depth chart between him and the Major Leagues. Adell and Moniak will each be given a crack at the center field role, and for the first time since 2012, our Opening day lineup card will not feature Mike Trout manning that position. Each has a path towards positive production going forward, yet if they fail to resolve our newfound center field woes, Nelson Rada has one hell of a glove on the way up.
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