Ron Washington and Mike Trout discuss their in-season goals.
As the Los Angeles Angels are preparing for life without Shohei Ohtani, they are also ushering in a new era of baseball as former Atlanta Braves third base coach and Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington is now managing the Angels.
As Washington is looking to change the culture in the clubhouse, he got that start by traveling to Philadelphia to meet with Angels superstar centerfielder Mike Trout. He spoke about the trip to the guys on MLB Network.
“I just wanted to hear him tell me where we are, what he thought we needed, how we needed to move forward. And that was the discussion. I didn’t bring anything that I wanted out of him there.”
Ron Washington joins #MLBNHotStove to discuss how he has assimilated into the @Angels organization since being hired and his excitement to get to work with a new set of players. pic.twitter.com/3rarxpWPjv
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 19, 2023
Washington also stated that he was joined by Bo Porter and Eric Young Jr. who are both joining Washington’s staff this season.
For over a decade now, Trout has been one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball as he is a three-time American League MVP, nine-time Silver Slugger winner and an 11-time All-Star.
While Trout has had a lot of glory and won a bookshelf full of awards, the one thing that his resume is lacking is time in the postseason.
Trout and the Angels have only made the playoffs once during his 11-year career. Unfortunately, Trout underperformed going 1-12 as the team got swept by the Kansas City Royals.
Regardless of how Trout played in the postseason, the lack of success the Angels have had over the years does not rest on his shoulders.
Following their time together, Washington admitted that he was very impressed by his meeting with Trout and sees why he is such a great player.
“What an individual,” Washington said. “I see why he won so many MVPs.”
