The superstar duo of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani have been an integral part of the Los Angeles Angels. But the Angels are not having a stellar run this season. In fact, they are in a pathetic form. Once the Angels scorched the opponents with stellar games. But now, they themselves seem scorched. Their winning percentage has dropped under .500. In fact, they are way behind the Houston Astros.
In such a situation, the Angels have fired their manager Joe Maddon. Maddon was unable to provide any justified explanation about the team’s poor form. However, it would not be just to put the entire blame on Joe. The management failed to understand that only two stellar players will not be enough to win them trophies. But, they never seemed to admit their fault. The easiest way for them was to sack the manager.
That is exactly what they did. However, the reality is that the Mike Trout – Shohei Ohtani duo alone will not be enough for the Angels if they want to get back their stellar form.
The Duo Mike Trout – Shohei Ohtani
Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are the two most exciting players in the MLB. Critics and fans of baseball often call Mike Trout the best player of this generation. However, on the other hand, Shohei Ohtani is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) complete ballplayers in the history of baseball.
Mike Trout has been the best player in MLB since 2012. In 2012 he recorded a glorious stat of .326/.399/.564 with 30 home runs, 49 stolen bases, and 10.1 Wins above replacement. At present, at the age of 30, Trout is no longer an elite in defense. He is also unable to steal as many bases as he used to do earlier. But in the batter’s box, he is as good as new. He has a great career stat of .305/.419/.583 with 310 home runs and 203 stolen bases. It seems that a Hall of Fame spot awaits his retirement.
On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani is not as good a batter as Mike. Yet he is not shabby. In the current season, he has a stat of .269/.326/.632. He is also placed second, with 15 home runs, on the list of most home runs. Apart from that, he is also a good pitcher. In 31 innings, Ohtani has a 2.37 ERA as a pitcher. He has also struck out 34.9 percent of the batters he has faced.
Therefore, it goes without saying that the Angels have the best baseball duo of this generation. Yet the team is underperforming.
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What’s Wrong with The Angels?
The Los Angeles Angels fired their manager due to their sliding form. But the real problem lay somewhere else. They lack a clear direction starting from the front office. The Angels have repeatedly failed to get high-quality players alongside the Trout – Ohtani duo. The superstar duo seems disappointed with the efforts of the other acquisitions over the years.
The Angels’ acquisitions like Anthony Rendon, Justin Upton, and Albert Pujols have seriously underperformed. In fact, Albert is now the oldest player in the big leagues. But when Ohtani signed for the Angels, he knew the task at hand. Similarly, Trout also knew the situation when he re-signed for the Angels. Thus there is nothing to feel sad about the duo.
Concluding Remarks
Baseball is a tea game. To do better in the game, a good team is necessary. Individual brilliance can definitely make a difference. But it can not make you win matches on a regular basis. This holds true for the Mike Trout – Shohei Ohtani duo. They might be the best players in the game. But they are not enough to win games consistently.
But the Angels need a powerful team that would offer the perfect support to their superstar duo. This simple truth is far from the Angels’ understanding. This is the root of all their failures.
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