Trout will remain in CF after all, says Maddon

TEMPE, Ariz. -- A day after Angels manager Joe Maddon said that superstar Mike Trout could move from center field to a corner outfield spot in an effort to keep him healthy this season, Trout said Monday that he prefers to play center field and Maddon later confirmed that Trout won’t be moving positions this year.

Trout, 30, said he was surprised by Maddon’s comments on Sunday and that he found out about the potential position change via Twitter. But Trout, who was limited to just 36 games last year because of a strained right calf suffered in mid-May, said he had a good conversation with general manager Perry Minasian and Maddon early Monday. Trout, a three-time AL MVP and nine-time All-Star, has exclusively played center since 2014.

“He feels really good and feels really strong,” Maddon said. “He feels like he's in great shape. He's lost weight. Everything is in order so he can play center field. During the lockout, we weren’t permitted to talk to people and I didn't get to talk to him about it yesterday. But the conclusion was always going to be to see how Mike feels, and he feels really good.”

Trout said he understood the rationale to try to keep him healthy this year but said he’s just not quite ready to make that move away from center field.

“I hadn’t really thought about it until it popped up,” Trout said. “I obviously love center field. I’ve got nine years left [on my contract] so I could see it down the road, moving to a corner. Corner outfield is less on your body. They’re trying to keep me out there for 162 games. But I want to play center field and we had a great conversation about it.”

The Angels considered starting Brandon Marsh in center but ultimately decided to keep Trout there after he indicated that’s where he’d like to play and he’s in good health. Notably, Marsh also has to earn his spot on the roster this spring and there remains the possibility Marsh could be traded for pitching.

Trout also explained why he prefers center field over a corner outfield spot, believing it’s his natural position. Trout, who has never won a Gold Glove despite a strong reputation in center, has played 124 career games in left and 17 in right, seeing some time in the corner outfield early in his career when Peter Bourjos was on the roster.

"I feel comfortable out there and natural,” Trout said. “I told them basically to tell me what to work on and I'll get better at it. But the main reason is to keep my body healthy. The calf injury last year was difficult. So I'm just doing whatever I can to stay out there."

Trout said his calf strain didn’t fully heal until mid-October but he was able to have a normal offseason otherwise. With the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19 and his injury-marred 2021 campaign, Trout has played in just a combined 89 games over the last two years.

Given his incredible resume, it’s not that Trout has much to prove, but he does want to show he can be healthy and put up another MVP-caliber season. He loved watching his teammate Shohei Ohtani win the AL MVP Award last year but lamented he hasn’t played much with Ohtani or fellow star Anthony Rendon much over the past two years.

“You have to look at it as a new year,” Trout said. “The stats and everything have been great in the past but I’ve got something to prove this year. I come in every year and try to be the best player on the field at all times. That’s my mentality. The biggest thing is staying healthy and I’m going to do everything I can to do that.”