Aug 13, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) walks to the outfield in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier this season, Mike Trout went on record to say that he would adopt a more 'aggressive' approach at the plate, so as to avoid taking as many first pitches as he did a season ago.
While Trout swung at the first pitch 18 percent of the time through May (as Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register notes), he's cut back drastically since then - just five percent from June onward.
In Fletcher's piece, he quotes Trout as being pretty open about why he seems to have cut back on his 'aggressive' plan: "The last month or two I've been jumping at the ball. If I go up there and try to hit the first pitch, I kind of get too big. Occasionally I do it. Occasionally I swing at the first pitch, but I feel more comfortable when I don't."
Most who watch baseball on a regular basis wonder what an 'uncomfortable' Mike Trout would look like considering how easy he makes everything seem, but it doesn't appear as if becoming a first-pitch hitter is something he plans on utilizing long-term.
Of course, this doesn't really matter as much to a player like Trout as it would anybody else. He's well on his way to another American League MVP award (without much competition in the AL) regardless of whether he takes first pitches or swings at first pitches. Still, let this be an example that yes, even the best of the best try new things every now and then.
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