Mike Trout silences defense critics, proves he needs to stay in CF with insane catch

Dating back to fall of last season, there was talk discussing whether Mike Trout should remain the starting center fielder of the LA Angels or not. The thought process was that he doesn't have the wheels he once did, and that playing center would put more wear and tear on his body and potentially cost him time down the road.

That take was enhanced due to him just having a season-ending injury too, of course. Still, however, he had only had one serious injury in his career--he's not an injury prone player. Also, he still can move. He's not stealing close to 50 bases in a season anymore, but he's not slow.

He put it on display Wednesday night, too, doing something he's trademarked throughout his career: Robbing a home run. Chris Taylor tried to launch a three-run homer to put the Dodgers up 6-0 and break the game open in the first. Trout had other plans.

Mike Trout is still a great center fielder for the LA Angels.

Mike Trout is actually even arguably a better center fielder this year than he has been since 2018. He has a positive Defensive Runs Saved mark (1), which he hasn't had since 2018. That doesn't mean he hasn't been a great defensive center fielder since 2018, as he had only made four errors in 2019-2021.

Still, however, it's nice to see Trout shine in the metric again, as he used to do so frequently. Trout had recorded 11 defensive runs saved in his career up through 2018. It's good to see him getting back on that track this season and still making web gems like the one he made on Wednesday.

Trout has only made one error all season, and that's the only error he's made since 2019. The former Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year is still a productive player on D, and clearly can still handle the grind and range necessary to play center field.