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Aaron Judge Wins AL MVP

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AL home run record holder Aaron Judge has been named the league’s Most Valuable Player, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced. Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani finished second, followed by Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez.

Judge has been the favorite to claim the award since a few weeks into the year. The herculean slugger popped six home runs in the season’s first month and only picked up the pace from there. He topped double-digits in longballs in each of the next three months before collecting 20 more from August onwards. His homer pace hit a bit of a lull once he reached 60 and pulled within one of Roger Maris with a bit more than two weeks to play, but Judge eventually claimed the record with blasts off Tim Mayza and Jesús Tinoco.

It was an obviously historic season from a power perspective, but the three-time Silver Slugger winner’s achievements went beyond the longball. He flirted with a Triple Crown late in the season and ultimately finished second among AL qualifiers with a .311 batting average. His .425 on-base percentage paced the circuit, and his .686 slugging mark was well better than Alvarez’s second-place .613 figure. He also played a significant amount of innings in center field, adequately moving to the outfield’s most demanding position after a career spent mostly in right field.

Judge helped the Yankees to 99 wins and an American League East crown. He earned his fourth career All-Star selection, and finished in the top five in MVP balloting for the third time. It’s his first time winning the award, and it couldn’t have come at a better time personally. Judge is a first-time free agent, and his ultimate destination will be one of the storylines of the winter.

Ohtani comes in second place the year after winning his first MVP. An incomparable player, Ohtani hit 34 homers and posted a .273/.356/.519 line as a designated hitter. The right-hander also tossed a career-high 166 innings, posting a 2.33 ERA with an AL-leading 33.2% strikeout rate in 28 starts. On his pitching accomplishments alone, he finished fourth in Cy Young balloting. That’s nothing short of remarkable for a player who also finished fifth in slugging and fourth in longballs in the American League. If not for an historic offensive season from Judge, Ohtani would likely have flown to a second straight MVP.

Judge received 28 of 30 first-place votes, with Ohtani collecting the other two. They were 1-2 in some order on every ballot, while Alvarez picked up 22 third-place nods. The Houston star hit .306/.406/.613, trailing only Judge among AL players in on-base and slugging. He finished third in homers and earned his first All-Star selection and MVP finalist appearance.

Guardians third baseman José Ramírez secured six third-place votes and finished fourth overall. Astros second baseman José Altuve came in fifth, edging out Cleveland second baseman Andrés Giménez (the only player besides Alvarez and Ramírez to secure any third-place votes). Julio Rodríguez, Mike Trout, Xander Bogaerts and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander rounded out the top ten.

Full voting breakdown available here.

Angels Reinstate Mike Trout

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The Angels announced that outfielder Mike Trout has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list. After Wednesday’s game, they opened a spot on the active roster by optioning fellow outfielder Steven Duggar.

The return of Trout after just over a month on the IL will surely be a tremendous sigh of relief for the Angels and their fans, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was just last year that Trout landed on the injured list due to a seemingly minor calf injury. However, that injury lingered and Trout was never able to return, limiting him to just 36 games on the season.

Secondly, this year’s injury, which was initially termed “ribcage inflammation” at the time of his IL placement, was followed by a very ominous-sounding report from Mike Frostad, the club’s head trainer. Frostrad relayed that Trout had been diagnosed with a “a costovertebral dysfunction” in his back, adding that Trout “has to manage it, not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably.”

Given that Trout had already lost most of his 2021 season due to a nagging condition, this update caused understandable consternation among the fanbase. With Frostad’s description of the issue making it seem chronic and ongoing, some wondered if Trout would ever get back to his previous elite level, but the superstar was quick to shrug off those concerns. “I appreciate all the prayer requests, but my career isn’t over,” Trout quipped at the time of Frostad’s report. Subsequent developments helped part the storm clouds hanging over the situation, as Trout later saw a specialist and began ramping up physical activities by the end of July, eventually leading to today’s return.

Before landing on the injured list, Trout was still one of the best players in baseball. He hit 24 home runs in 79 games and produced an overall batting line of .270/.368/.599. That production amounts to a wRC+ of 169, or 69% above league average, fourth-highest in baseball among those with at least 300 plate appearances on the year.

While Trout’s return will be most welcome for the Angels, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on the team in terms of this year’s standings. The Halos are 12 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and have a 0.0% chance of a miracle comeback, according to the playoff odds calculated by FanGraphs. However, just returning to health and getting back onto the field is still a positive development, considering last year’s frustrations and the worries surrounding this recent issue.

Angels Notes: Trout, Lorenzen, Duffy, Bradley, Moniak, Iglesias

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Mike Trout has been cleared to run and throw, and the former MVP is scheduled to take batting practice on the field today.  Trout and Angels head trainer Mike Frostad spoke with reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register) yesterday, with Trout expressing confidence that he’ll be able to return to the lineup “sooner rather than later.”  A more specific timeline isn’t yet known, as Trout may require a minor league rehab assignment.

Trout has now missed a full month of action due to left ribcage inflammation and back spasms, and Frostad’s past update about Trout’s larger-scale back problems (a costovertebral dysfunction) left concern over both Trout’s short-term and near-term future.  Given that Trout ended up missing almost all of the 2021 season due to a calf problem that just kept lingering, fans probably won’t be fully relieved until they actually see Trout back on the field, no matter this latest positive news about his rib injury.

More on the Halos…

  • Frostad also provided details on several other injured Angels players, including 60-day injured list members Michael Lorenzen, Matt Duffy, and Archie Bradley.  Lorenzen has thrown two bullpen sessions this week and will face live batters on Tuesday.  The right-hander (who has sidelined by a shoulder strain) is tentatively expected to be activated from the 60-day IL when first eligible on September 2.  Duffy’s first eligible activation date is August 26, and the infielder is slated to start a minor league rehab assignment next week as he makes his return from back spasms.  The news isn’t as good on Bradley, who has been out since late June with a fractured right elbow and has yet to start throwing, though Frostad suggested that Bradley could start throwing this week.  Given Bradley’s long layoff and the amount of rehab still to come, he might not pitch again in 2022.
  • Mickey Moniak’s season was though to be in jeopardy when the outfielder fractured the tip of his left middle finger, which sent him to the 10-day IL on August 7.  Frostad said that Moniak’s stitches were removed yesterday, and depending on how he heals, might be able to return even if Moniak might still be playing through some discomfort.  Acquired from the Phillies as part of the Noah Syndergaard trade at the deadline, Moniak played just five games for the Angels before hitting the injured list.
  • The Mets and Yankees were among the teams also interested in acquiring Raisel Iglesias prior to the deadline, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes.  However, neither New York club was willing to cover all of the $51.5MM remaining on Iglesias’ contract, while other teams were willing to take that deal entirely off the Angels’ books.  Los Angeles ended up moving Iglesias to the Braves for Tucker Davidson and Jesse Chavez, but though the Halos dealt Iglesias and Syndergaard, Shohei Ohtani remained.  “Half the teams or more” around baseball inquired about Ohtani, Heyman reports, and Heyman views owner Arte Moreno’s refusal to trade Ohtani as a missed chance.  With Ohtani set for free agency after the 2023 season, there has already been a lot of speculation that he could be on his way out of Anaheim, and in search of a potential record-setting contract that reflects his unique two-way skillset.

Latest On Mike Trout’s Back Injury

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Mike Trout has been out of action for almost three weeks due to an issue that was eventually diagnosed as “a costovertebral dysfunction” in his back. A few days ago, Angels head trainer Mike Frostad spoke to reporters and said that Trout may have to manage the issue “not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably.”

Despite that ominous-sounding quote, Trout himself seemed far less concerned, even though he was set to see a back specialist. With that meeting now having taken place, it seems that the initial concerns were perhaps overblown, with Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reporting that Trout got encouraging news from the specialist. After speaking with Dr. Robert Watkins, Trout is going to begin rotational exercises this week and hopefully start swinging a bat not long after.

“It went from my career is over to hopefully I’m going to play soon,” Trout said, adding that he’s already started a workout regimen of core exercises and isn’t really feeling the injury anymore. “It’s pretty much gone right now. It’s pretty promising.”

With the club sitting at 43-59, it seems it will be another lost season for the Halos. meaning there’s no need to rush Trout back and that he can ramp up activities at whatever pace is best for his long-term health. Though he won’t be able to make a huge impact in terms of the standings, returning before the end of this season would surely be an encouraging sign for the Angels and their fans.

2023 figures to be another important season for the franchise, as it will potentially be the team’s last with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who is slated to reach free agency after that campaign. (The Angels have reportedly been considering trade offers on Ohtani but a deal still seems unlikely to come together.) Despite having the superstar tandem of Trout and Ohtani in recent years, the Angels haven’t had a winning record since 2015 and haven’t made the postseason since 2014. They are unlikely to break either of those droughts here in 2022, meaning next year could be the last chance to do so with both Trout and Ohtani on the same team, barring an Ohtani extension.

Trout is still capable of producing elite numbers but has been significantly hampered by injuries for a second consecutive season. Last year, he got into 36 contests and hit .333/.466/.624 for a wRC+ of 190 before a calf injury ended his season. This year, he’s already more than doubled last year’s games played number, getting into 79 so far. His .270/.368/.599 batting line is a bit below last year’s pace, but his 167 wRC+ is still among the best in the majors.

Latest On Mike Trout

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The Angels have been without Mike Trout for a couple weeks. The three-time MVP went on the injured list on July 18 with rib cage inflammation, and while he’s technically now eligible to return, his timetable to get back on the field remains uncertain.

Yesterday, the team’s head trainer Mike Frostad addressed Trout’s injury with reporters (including Sam Blum of the Athletic and Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). Frostad said Trout had been diagnosed with “a costovertebral dysfunction” in his back, which he called “a pretty rare condition.” The trainer added the situation was something the club “(has) to look at as  — he has to manage it, not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably.”

Frostad’s note about the necessity to monitor the condition throughout Trout’s career was an impetus for understandable concern among the Angels fanbase, but the future Hall of Famer quickly reassured he’s not worried about the issue long-term. “I appreciate all the prayer requests, but my career isn’t over,” Trout half-jokingly told reporters about the public response to Frostad’s comments. Trout added he feels he’s made progress in his recovery over the past few days, and replied “of course, that’s my goal” when asked whether he expected to return to the field in 2022. He conceded he’ll need to “stay on top of the routine I do on a daily basis to prevent it from coming back,” to Frostad’s point about managing the condition, but expressed optimism it won’t be particularly problematic.

Trout’s hopefulness is certainly welcome news for Halos fans and the organization at large, but it seems he’s still set to be out of action for the near future. He’s yet to begin baseball activities after receiving a cortisone injection last week. Trout will see a back specialist this weekend, he told reporters, and hopes to receive clearance to ramp up his work beyond the cardio and core stability training he’s been doing.

The Angels lost Trout for the majority of last season. He played in 36 games before suffering a calf strain in May. While the club initially hoped he could return within two months, the injury lingered long enough they eventually shut him down for the season. Trout has returned to get into 79 games thus far in 2022, and he’s had a typically stellar year. Through 326 plate appearances, the ten-time All-Star is hitting .270/.368/.599 with 24 home runs. Among hitters with 300+ trips to the plate, only Yordan Álvarez, Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Judge and Rafael Devers have a wRC+ higher than Trout’s 167 — a mark that indicates he’s been 67 percentage points better than the league average batter.

In a script all too familiar, Trout’s excellence hasn’t been enough to overcome the roster’s other flaws. The Halos enter play Thursday with a 42-56 record that’ll almost certainly lead to an eighth consecutive year without reaching the postseason. The club’s place in the standings figures to increase their caution in bringing Trout back, as it did last year.

Injury Updates: Trout, Rodriguez, Buxton, Thielbar, Meyer

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Mike Trout hasn’t played since July 12 due to back spasms, and that absence morphed into a stint on the 10-day injured list due to inflammation in his left ribcage.  The Angels placed the superstar on the IL on July 18, but head trainer Mike Frostad told reporters (including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group) that Trout will miss more than the minimum 10 days.  Trout received a cortisone shot in his back “a few days ago.”

It isn’t yet known when Trout could return, and any sort of lingering problem is obviously bad news for the Angels and their fans — especially after last season, when Trout played in only 36 games due to a seemingly minor calf injury that simply never healed.  Trout returned in 2022 to deliver another outstanding set of numbers, though it isn’t helped an Angels team that has fallen apart after an impressive first five weeks of play.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • Julio Rodriguez has missed both of the Mariners’ games in the second half, as the rookie star is day-to-day with left wrist soreness.  Rodriguez first suffered the injury while sliding during a stolen-base attempt last Sunday, and he told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer and other reporters) that he felt more soreness after participating in the Home Run Derby on during Monday’s All-Star week festivities.  However, the injury is “feeling better already,” and Rodriguez doesn’t think he’ll miss much time.  Rodriguez has exploded onto the scene in his first season, hitting .275/.337/.477 with 15 homers and 21 steals over his first 380 plate appearances in the majors.
  • Byron Buxton will miss the Twins’ weekend series in Detroit, as the outfielder received a PRP injection in his right knee on Wednesday.  (Megan Ryan of The Minneapolis Star Tribune was among those to report the news.)  Buxton has been plagued by tendinitis in his right knee for much of the season, though he opted to play in the All-Star Game for the first time rather than sit out the entire break.  Since Minnesota has off-days sandwiched around this two-game series against the Tigers, Buxton will receive five days off anyway, and the hope is that he’ll be ready to play when the Twins face the Brewers on Tuesday.
  • In other Twins injury news, Minnesota placed left-hander Caleb Thielbar on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 19) due to a left hamstring strain.  Right-hander Yennier Cano was called up to take Thielbar’s spot on the active roster.  Thielbar has a rather misleading 4.84 ERA over 35 1/3 relief innings this season, as he has outstanding hard-contact and strikeout numbers, plus only a 3.00 SIERA.
  • Max Meyer made only 10 pitches before exiting tonight’s game due to what the Marlins described as right elbow discomfort.  The ominous diagnosis comes on the heels of some ulnar nerve irritation that sidelined Meyer while he was pitching in the minors earlier this season.  One of baseball’s top pitching prospects, Meyer was making his second career start after allowing five runs over 5 1/3 frames in his July 16 debut.

Angels Place Mike Trout On IL With Ribcage Inflammation

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The Angels have announced that Mike Trout has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to left ribcage inflammation. They also announced the previously reported claim of infielder Phil Gosselin, and that outfielder Monte Harrison has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

At this point, there’s been no indication from the team as to how long they expect Trout to be out of action. He has missed some time recently due to back spasms, though the club avoided putting him on the IL until now. Perhaps they were waiting for the All-Star break, when the 10-day minimum absence would sting the least, though further word will surely come from the Angels in time.

Trout had been fairly healthy for the early portions of his career, playing in at least 114 games for the eight seasons from 2012 to 2019 and only coming in below 134 in one of those. He followed that up by getting into 53 of the club’s 60 games in the shortened 2020 season. Last year, however, he made it into only 36 contests, as a calf issue that didn’t initially seem serious eventually lingered and finished his season.

This year, he’s gotten into 79 of the club’s 92 games so far, already more than doubling his total from last year. He hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in terms of overall production, hitting an excellent .270/.368/.599 for a 168 wRC+. He’s produced 3.8 wins above replacement already, according to FanGraphs.

Regardless of how much time he misses, it’s yet another disappointing setback in a season full of them for the Angels. Despite a hot start to the year wherein the club was 24-14 in mid-May, they’ve played at a miserable 15-39 pace since and are now 39-53 overall. The club is 10 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and seems more likely to sell than add at the deadline. Taking that into consideration, it makes sense to give Trout some time off to get healthy, rather than pushing him and potentially worsening the issue.

As for Harrison, he was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason after being released by the Marlins. Despite once being a highly-rated prospect, strikeout issues have kept him from living up to his athletic potential. Despite a 35% strikeout rate in the minors this year, he was selected to the big league for some bench/pinch running/defensive replacement duties. He played nine game but got just 14 plate appearances, striking out in eight of them, before being DFA’d. Having been previously outrighted in his career, he has the ability to reject the outright assignment and elect free agency, though it’s not yet clear which path he’s taken.

Angels Designate Monte Harrison For Assignment, Recall Jo Adell

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The Angels announced that they have recalled outfielder Jo Adell. To make room for him on the active roster, outfielder Monte Harrison has been designated for assignment.

Harrison, 26, was signed by the Angels to a minor league deal in April. He hit .213/.305/.368 for a wRC+ of just 67, but did steal 2o bases in 50 games. He was selected to the big league club about three weeks ago but has been used sparingly, getting into just nine games and stepping up to the plate just 14 times.

Once considered one of the top prospects in the sport, Harrison was part of the return the Marlins received in the Christian Yelich trade. Unfortunately, a propensity for strikeouts has prevented him from truly becoming a useful player thus far. He struck out in 35% of his plate appearances in Triple-A this year and then 57.1% in that limited MLB showing.

Since he’s out of options, the only way for the Angels to get him off the roster was to designate him for assignment. The Angels will have a week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. Should he clear waivers, he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency.

As for Adell, this is the latest step in what has become a pattern for him wherein he mashes in the minors but struggles in the majors, before getting sent down and starting the process over again. He got his first call-up in 2020 but hit just .161/.212/.266 for a wRC+ of 27. Optioned to Triple-A to start the 2021 campaign, he hit .289/.342/.592 for a 122 wRC+. He got recalled in August but produced a tepid line of .246/.295/.408 in the majors, wRC+ of 90. Here in 2022, he made the Opening Day roster but hit .215/.227/.400 through the beginning of May and got optioned. Outside of a six-day stretch in June, he’s been in Triple-A since then, hitting .239/.333/.587 for a wRC+ of 116.

The recall of Adell seems to at least be partially motivated by the fact that Mike Trout is dealing with back spasms. Before tonight’s game, he told reporters, including Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, that he has been experiencing discomfort for over a week and that it got worse last night. He is out of tonight’s lineup, though he says he doesn’t expect to go on the IL and should be fine to participate in next week’s All-Star game.

MLB Announces 2022 All-Star Starters

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Major League Baseball announced the starting lineups for the 2022 All-Star Game this evening. The starting lineups are determined by fan vote. This year’s All-Star Game will take place at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, July 19. The starting pitchers and reserves will be announced at a later date.

American League

National League

Angels Select Dillon Thomas, Designate Ty Buttrey

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The Angels have selected outfielder Dillon Thomas onto the major league roster, according to a club announcement. They’ve also recalled Jack Mayfield from Triple-A Salt Lake, optioned José Suarez and placed Luis Rengifo on the paternity list. Reliever Ty Buttrey has been designated for assignment to open space for Thomas on the 40-man roster.

Thomas inked a minor league contract with the Halos over the offseason. The 29-year-old has spent the year in Salt Lake and performed quite well, hitting .295/.398/.489 with eight home runs in 211 plate appearances. Thomas has drawn walks in a strong 10.9% of his trips while striking out at a roughly league average level (23.7%). It’s his second consecutive solid year of Triple-A work, as he posted a .269/.377/.448 line with the Mariners top affiliate in 2021.

Seattle gave Thomas a brief look at the MLB level last summer, getting him into four games. The Houston native will hope for a longer stay on the roster this time around, although he does have a pair of minor league option years remaining and can be moved between Anaheim and Salt Lake.

Thomas, who has some experience in center field but has spent most of his minor league career in the corners, adds some depth while the team plays things cautiously with Mike Trout. The three-time MVP left last night’s game early with left groin tightness. It doesn’t seem to be a concern, as team trainer Mike Frostad told reporters (including Sam Blum of the Athletic) that Trout is day-to-day. Juan Lagares will get the start in center field tonight, however.

Buttrey, meanwhile, loses his 40-man roster spot after struggling in Triple-A. He’s tossed 12 1/3 innings of nine-run ball, striking out only five batters while issuing a trio of walks. Buttrey has induced grounders on almost 60% of batted balls, but he wasn’t missing enough bats to be on the radar for an MLB call. The 29-year-old frankly acknowledged after his DFA (Twitter link) that he “(has) work to do to get myself back to peak form. … The best players will play and I’m not one of them yet. We will see what happens over the next few days, if not I’ll be back in Angel Stadium when the time is right.”

It’s not especially surprising that Buttrey hasn’t been at top form to this point, as he’s making his way back after sitting out the 2021 campaign. The right-hander stepped away from the game last April, saying at the time he’d begun to lose his passion and love for the sport. After a year away, Buttrey embarked on a comeback in January, and he’s occupied a spot on the 40-man roster since April.

The Angels will now have a week to trade Buttrey or try to run him through outright waivers. He struggled to a 5.81 ERA over 26 1/3 big league frames during the shortened 2020 season, but he’d posted a 3.98 mark with a quality 27.2% strikeout rate in 2019.

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