LA Angels: 3 most successful pitchers against Mike Trout

The first pitcher on the list with great career statistics against Trout is Astros starter Justin Verlander.

The right-hander didn’t pitch against Trout and the Angels as much during his 13 years in Detroit, but he’s gotten plenty familiar since being traded to Houston in 2017.

In 40 at-bats, Verlander has held Trout to his lowest batting average against any pitcher (.125 BA-min. 20 ABs), while racking up 11 strikeouts. Two of Trout’s five hits have been home runs, and he’s managed a .575 OPS with eight walks against the former Cy Young winner.

Angels: Like most, Mike Trout has run into trouble against Justin Verlander.

Overall, Verlander has faired well against the Angels with his statistics sitting around his career totals. In 29 starts, the right-hander owns a 15-10 record with a 3.23 ERA, 1.021 WHIP, and a 9.1 strikeouts per nine over 195 innings pitched. Verlander also has two complete game shutouts against the Halos.

I’d make the case Verlander is a future Hall of Famer. He boasts 226 career wins, 3.33 ERA, 1.134 WHIP, 9.1 K/9 across 16 MLB seasons. If that’s not enough, he’s a two-time CY Young winner, former MVP, Rookie of the Year, and has won 14 playoff games including the 2017 World Series as a member of the Astros.

If Trout’s going to struggle against anyone, it’d figure to be a pitcher with that resume.

Unfortunately, Trout and the Angels won’t face Verlander this season as he continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

The next pitcher with the most success against Trout currently throws down the road at Chavez Ravine, David Price.

Angels: David Price has taken care of business against Mike Trout.

In 27 at-bats, the big lefty has held Trout to a .125 slugging percentage. That’s the lowest Trout has slugged against any pitcher in at least 20 at-bats.

Overall, Trout has gone 5-for-27 (all singles) with one RBI, five walks, and 12 strikeouts. Price has held Trout to his second-lowest OPS (.498). Another lefty, James Paxton, has held Trout to a career-low .483 OPS.

During 12 seasons in the American League, Price has played in each division besides the AL West but still has his fair share of games versus the Halos. He’s had 18 starts against the Angels, going 7-7 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.273 WHIP, and 8.4 K/9 ratio.

The 35-year-old is entering the twilight of his career, and has been used exclusively out of the bullpen (5 appearances) for the Dodgers in 2021. In the past offseason, I made a case for three reasons why a trade involving Price between the two Southern California teams could and should happen if ‘the price is right’.

A lifetime 151 wins, 3.32 ERA, 1.155 WHIP, and 8.8 K/9 makes a shot at the Hall of Fame look a little bleak for Price. However, that’s not to say he hasn’t had a great career because he certainly has.

Five All-Star appearances, an AL CY Young Award, and a World Series ring in 2018 isn’t too shabby for Price. Not to mention taking care of business against Trout when he needed to.

The third and final pitcher on the list is a familiar face for Trout and the Angels, former Mariners starter Felix Hernandez. The ‘success’ of the Hernandez-Trout matchup is up for debate as to which player has the upper hand.

The peak of this rivalry was from 2012-2015 when both of these players were All-Stars in each of those four seasons.

Angels: Mike Trout and Felix Hernandez had intense battles against each other.

Trout’s 88 at-bats against Hernandez is the most against any pitcher in his career, with the next closest being Derek Holland (48 ABs). ‘King’ Felix has struck out Trout 27 times, the most for any pitcher against the three-time MVP winner.

More from LA Angels News

• New York Post columnist has LA Angels bringing veteran starter back to LA
• Dodgers make wild mistake signing failed LA Angels starter
• Why LA Angels’ Qualifying Offer to Raisel Iglesias could become historical
• Both Gold Glove finalists for LA Angels getting snubbed is a complete joke
• Marcus Stroman definitely appears to be interested in the LA Angels

That’s not to say Trout hasn’t had his fair share of big hits against Hernandez, he has. Trout has gone 31-for-88 (.352 BA) with eight home runs and 20 RBI. Each of those (BA, HR, RBI) are the most versus any pitcher for Trout, as well as the most given up to any batter for Hernandez.

In 55 career starts against the Angels, Hernandez owns a 17-18 record with a 3.60 ERA, 1.196 WHIP, and 8.5 K/9 ratio.

Like Verlander and Price, Hernandez (35) is at the tail end of what’s been a great career. The King is a former Cy Young winner, has 169 career wins, and holds a 3.42 ERA, 1.206 WHIP, and 8.3 K/9 across 15 MLB seasons. Those numbers would be even better if it wasn’t for his last four seasons of big-league action where Hernandez held an ERA higher than 3.55 (only times in his career). Not to mention the lack of support Hernandez had around him in Seattle for the better part of his career where the team finished under .500 in 11 seasons.

Hernandez has not pitched since 2019 and is currently a free agent.

Want your voice heard? Join the Halo Hangout team!

Write for us!

I guess it’s no surprise that Trout has run into some trouble against these players. You can only tip your cap to that, as each of the three should be considered as some of the greatest pitchers of the last decade.

With the way he’s playing now, it’s going to be tough for any others to limit the production of Mike Trout.