Pujols and Trout Continue Stellar Season for the Angels

The Los Angeles Angels’ hopes for the post season have faded away at this point, but there are at least two reasons for Angels fans to keep watching the club play. Those reasons are Albert Pujols and Mike Trout, both of whom were on display in the Angels’ 11-3 rout of the Chicago White Sox on July 25th in Anaheim.

Pujols hit his 17th home run of the season in the second inning, which was the 631st of his career. He moved ahead of Ken Griffey, Jr. and into sixth place on the all time career home run list. Willie Mays is in fifth place with 660. The 38 year old Pujols isn’t the dominating player he was in his heyday, but he is still productive at the plate, with those 17 home runs, plus 53 RBIs in 90 games this season.

Mike Trout is having another MVP caliber season. Trout was three for four at the plate, with a pair of home runs, a double, three runs scored and four RBIs. The center fielder’s numbers after that July 25th game: 28 homers, 58 RBIs, and a .311 batting average. Trout also leads the American League in walks with 93, in on base percentage at .460 (64 points higher than #2 Aaron Judge), and in WAR at 7.6. He’s second behind Boston’s Mookie Betts with an OPS of 1.081.