Shohei Ohtani is headed to the World Series after signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. Mike Trout, who joined the team in 2011, has never been.
For more than a decade, the Los Angeles Angels have tried to surround Mike Trout with players who can help him reach the World Series. Shohei Ohtani was formerly one of these teammates.
Trout was chosen by the Angels in 2009 and regarded as a promising five-tool athlete. He debuted for the Angels in 2011. Trout’s career batting line is.299/.410/.581, with an OPS of 991. He has 378 home runs, 212 steals, and 954 RBIs. He is an 11-time All-Star, the American League Rookie of the Year in 2012, a nine-time Silver Slugger winner, and the AL MVP in 2014, 2016, and 2019.
In 2014, the Angels advanced to the postseason but were defeated in the American League Division Series by the Kansas City Royals.
Ohtani made his debut with the Angels in 2018 as the most exciting two-way player in the league. Trout hasn’t enjoyed a full season since 2018, when the Angels sent him on the disabled list. Trout played only 29 games in 2024 because to a damaged meniscus that necessitated two surgery.
Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, will make his World Series debut. Meanwhile, Trout will need to wait another year.
Shohei Ohtani’s success highlights Angels’ failings and Mike Trout’s tragic career
The Angels saw a wide window of opportunity to enhance the club by surrounding Trout with talent. In late 2011, they signed Albert Pujols to a hefty 10-year contract for $240 million. Pujols was never the same player with the Angels as he was for the St. Louis Cardinals over a decade.
In 2017, Justin Upton signed a five-year, $106 million contract, while Anthony Rendon signed a seven-year, $219 million contract in 2019. In 2012, Josh Hamilton signed a five-year, $125 million contract.
All of these moves were useless for the Angels. However, the organization found hope when they signed Ohtani, an international phenom who could contribute at both the plate and the mound. Ohtani was named AL Rookie of the Year in 2018. He was the AL MVP in both 2021 and 2023. He was an All-Star for the Angels from 2021 to 2023.
Trout and Ohtani have never made it to the postseason. The 2023 season was their final together. Trout appeared in only 82 games, whilst Ohtani appeared in 135 and won his second American League MVP award.
Ohtani has had an incredible first postseason run for the Dodgers. In the NLDS and NLCS, he hit.286/.434/.500 for an OPS of.934. He has three home runs, 11 walks, and ten RBIs in the two series. He is making significant contributions to a club stacked with talent, including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman, and others.
Trout is now in the middle of a 12-year, $426.5 million contract that will expire in 2030. Ohtani is nearing the end of his first season on a ten-year contract worth $282.17 million that will expire in 2033.
The Dodgers appear to have discovered the proper balance of talent to support Ohtani in a major playoff run. The Angels couldn’t find the ideal combination to compliment Trout. Given his immense potential, what the Angels did for him was completely unacceptable. That’s a catastrophe.
