Top Reasons to Believe Mike Trout is Mike Trout Again

In today's never ending media cycle and "what have you done for me lately" society it is easy to forget just how amazing Mike Trout was in his prime. Prior to Ohtani's arrival on American soil Trout was universally recognized as the best player on the planet and a future inner circle Hall of Fame inductee.

Injuries have taken the Mike Trout of old away and given us what appears to be Old Mike Trout. But there are quantifiable reasons to believe Mike Trout could put up a season worthy of his stat sheet.

No, I'm not expecting another 9 or 10 WAR year from Trout. But could he surpass the 2.6 WAR he posted in 2024 and 2025 combined? Yes. Could he match the 5.5 WAR he's accumulated the previous three seasons combined? Perhaps.

Here's why:

A swing adjustment at the end of 2025.

Trout's .232 batting average in 2025 was the second lowest of his career. His only worse mark was the .220 he put up in 2024. Along with the dip in batting average came dips in his on base and slugging percentages. Simply put, if you aren't getting hits you aren't slugging and fewer hits means fewer times on base.

In multiple interviews Trout has referenced a slight change in his swing that finally took effect the last couple weeks of 2025. In his last 20 games of that season Trout collected 18 hits including 6 home runs. He recorded hits in 15 of 20 games and slugged .535 over that time.

He's off to a great start in the Cactus League as well. An increase in hits will lift all three metrics in his slash line.

Mike Trout with his second extra-base hit of the spring, a double to right. Left the bat at 106 mph. He's hitting .333/.375/.467 in six games so far this spring.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 5, 2026

Trout still has an elite eye at the plate.

Over the years Trout has suffered injuries to his knee, calf, and wrist but his eyes are just fine. Even when struggling to hit last season he still managed a .359 on base percentage and an OPS+ of 121.

For many players, those are solid numbers. They just aren't Mike Trout numbers. Trout is showing no signs of losing his strike zone recognition and is even using the ABS system to his advantage. Angels fans can expect Trout to continue walking at a high rate.

Mike Trout just challenged a first-pitch called strike. He was correct. It was overturned to a ball.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 5, 2026

Most importantly, Mike Trout's speed is almost all the way back.

30 feet per second is considered elite speed in Major League Baseball. For years Trout routinely hit 30 both on the grass and when running out infield hits. He hasn't hit that number or really gotten near the elite level since his knee injury in 2024. But he has in Tempet this Spring.

Mike Trout had a sprint speed of 29.9 ft/sec trying to beat out a hit today.

His last recorded speed faster than that was before he hurt his knee in April 2024.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) February 28, 2026

If you add all that up there's a player with a great batting eye who is putting better swings on the ball and running faster than he has in years. Put that player in center field some, mix him in at the corners some, and give him some DH days and you have a very valuable player.

Health is always the key but the sprint speed and exit velocity both suggest a player who is performing at an elite level; even when compared to other elite players. Yes, every year Angels fans hope Mike Trout has a bounce back year. But this year there's actually some data to back up that hope.