Despite a tough season, the 2020 Angels had their bright spots

2020 Angels Bright Spots: Mike Trout

Okay, this one is probably a given. It’s hard to be the best player in the game and not be listed as one of the team’s beacons in a dark season. But alas, we are talking about Mike Trout here.

2020 will go down as a strange year indeed, but Trout did his best to keep the status quo in terms of his performance. Trout finished tied for third in the American League with 17 home runs, 46 RBI, a 2.6 fWAR, and a 164 wRC+. As such, he’ll likely still remain near the top in the MVP balloting, even if he is unlikely to receive his fourth award.

Of course, it is worth noting that despite the surge in power, Trout was actually in a down year. His .281/.390/.603 batting line, while impressive for most, was his lowest since his cup-of-coffee season in 2011. However, it’s worth noting that a late-season dip saw him hit just .205/.357/.386 over his last 12 games, a slump that in a longer season would have been replaced by another hot streak.

Regardless, Trout gave Angels fans some solid reason to cheer and a glimpse into what he can do with a proven bat like Anthony Rendon behind him in the order. Now all the Angels need to do is surround him with capable pitching and the Halos can hopefully give Trout his long-overdue return to the postseason.