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.