Two-time American League Most Valuable Player Award winner and a five-time All-Star outfielder Mike Trout has arrived to Tempe Diablo Stadium on Saturday ahead of the Angels’ first full-squad workout.
Trout took the time to speak to the press and revealed he had some very lofty goals for the 2017 regular season. Trout said that one of his goals this season is to steal 40 bases, a mark he hasn’t reached since he swiped 49 bases as a rookie back in 2012.
“I want to maybe try to get 40,” Trout,25, said (h/t MLB.com). “It’s just goals you can set. You work hard in spring. You set your goals high and see if you can reach them.”
Trout hit .315 with a .991 OPS, 29 home runs, 100 RBIs and 30 stolen bases over 159 games to land his second career AL MVP Award.
Though Trout has some lofty personal goals, he stated that the Angels success as a team trumps all.
“We want to win,” Trout said. “It’s not like we’re going out there and trying not to win. The name of the game is staying healthy. When you have a bunch of pitchers go down, and guys in our lineup go down, we just couldn’t put it all together. It’s frustrating, for sure. You want to get to the playoffs.”
The Angels front office spent the offseason trying to bolster the roster. Some of their movies including acquiring outfielder Cameron Maybin from the Detroit Tigers, infielder Danny Espinosa from the Washington Nationals and catcher Martin Maldonado from the Milwaukee Brewers. General Manager Billy Eppler kept busy.
“I love Billy. He’s great. He’s just trying to do everything he can to help us improve,” said Trout, who spent part of his morning introducing himself to his new teammates in the clubhouse. “Our mindset is to get to the playoffs and try to win a ring, obviously.”
Trout didn’t just show up with personal goals for the season, he also showed up with a new haircut.
“Some of my teammates were complaining that I had the same buzz cut since third grade,” Trout said. “When [Jered] Weaver was here, he has long hair, obviously, and a couple other guys were growing it out. I was like, ‘Hey, maybe I should try it.’ [Fiancée] Jess [Cox] liked it, so I decided to keep it.”
“Mike hasn’t changed a bit from the first day he stepped up here on a Major League field,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “He probably hasn’t changed since he was in high school. We have a lot of guys here who have to come together, and that’s part of it. That’s him being Mike.”