The Los Angeles Angels are, as of Wednesday afternoon, a competitive team.
They are 29-26 so far, six games behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West’s top spot.
They do look to be in a different tier than the Rangers and the Houston Astros, though, but the Angels are right there within striking distance.
A big reason why they will have a chance is because they still employ prime Mike Trout.
And, you know, prime Trout is a top-five hitter in baseball.
He is capable of doing this to a baseball:
MICHAEL NELSON TROUT.
476 😳
(via @BallySportWest) pic.twitter.com/ZBh6zVDNss
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) May 31, 2023
On Wednesday afternoon, a Lance Lynn slider caught way too much of the middle part of the plate and Trout hit a laser to the left field seats for a home run.
It was a two-run shot that put the Angels ahead, 2-0, in the first frame.
While not quite at his best, Trout has been having an incredible season.
He started the day slashing .277/.366/.510 with 12 home runs and a 140 wRC+.
As a reminder, the league-average offensive performer in MLB has a 100 wRC+.
If you want a more traditional stat to measure his contributions, he has a .876 OPS.
The man has a .997 career OPS, so the scary thing (for the rest of the league, at least) is that he still has plenty of room to get better.
As long as Trout and Shohei Ohtani are healthy, the Angels will likely remain competitors in the AL West and, more likely, in the AL Wild Card picture.
Wait until Trout really catches fire.
NEXT: Angels Pitcher Displayed Must-See Heat In His MLB Debut
