New Angels Hitting Coach Strangely Avoids Question About Mike Trout

Does this mean anything for their relationship going forward?

New Angels hitting coach Johnny Washington is excited to be joining the team for this upcoming season. He believes that the Halos are in a good spot but that there is still work to be done this offseason.

Washington brings much experience with him, even interviewing for the open Angels managerial position a few years ago. 

During an interview with Angels Insider Sam Blum of The Athletic, Washington weirdly avoided answering a question about how he can help star outfielder Mike Trout work on things this offseason.

I wanted to ask you about Mike Trout. Obviously, he’s arguably the greatest hitter ever. But he has struggled a lot with fastballs the past two seasons. Are there things you could work on with Trout, or any hitter, to address an issue like that? What kind of things can you do with any hitter to improve on specific struggles they’re dealing with?

“That question, I will not answer in this moment.”

Per Johnny Washington via The Athletic

It's a little strange that Washington declined to answer this about Trout, but maybe he wants to start working with him first. Trout is the building block for this Angels team, and his success will heavily dictate the kind of season they have.

He has dealt with some injuries over the last few years, even limiting him to just one game after early July last season. But Trout is determined to put that behind him and stay on the field going forward.

Trout did have a down season last year, at least by his insane expectations. He hit .263 with 18 home runs and 44 runs batted in over 82 games played.

Washington will be tasked with helping Trout stay more consistent when on the field, but Trout is a professional hitter, so it may only help a little bit. Either way, the hiring of Washington should be a good one, and hopefully, the team can start winning some games this year.