Rookie of the Year Changes

In 2011 Mike Trout started his first stint in the big leagues. While only batting .220 in 40 games, most knew there was something amazing about this player. I do remember thinking, great defense and amazing speed. Nothing about his hitting, aside from his exciting and regular infield hits, stood out to me. But then again, you couldn't help but think, "man if this guy could hit he would be a freak!". Then, all of the sudden, Bobby Abreu is hurt and Trout is called up in 2012.

He was a FREAK! What the heck happened? Well, many would say his .220 in 40 games in 2011 was meaningless. He was simply not familiar with big league pitching and on and on...Then, suddenly we are to accept that he familiarized himself enough to dominate all of the MLB's pitchers just by giving it a little thought in the off-season before the 2012 Rookie of the Year season? No...I can't accept that. So, I went back and looked at all of his home runs starting with the 6 in 2011. Not bad, considering he only played 40 games, but his BABIP (batting average for balls in play) .247? In 2012 his numbers jumped, batting .323 with a .383 BABIP! Oh, and he hit 30 home runs...

The image below demonstrates the difference in Trouts load to launch sequence from 2011 to 2012. I drew lines indicating the bat and where the knob is pointing. In 2011 he was set up to swing around the ball a touch as his 6 home runs were all pull side, and in 2012 & 2013 he was set up to cover the entire plate. His spray charts after this change show his ability to use the entire field as from this load and launch position it is "easier" to get to the pitch at any location (except perhaps the high pitch-which are few and far between in the mlb). Also, his crouch is less exaggerated as he is more upright with less bend in the knees. These may seem like subtle changes, but I think they're significant given the amount of reps these players take and something as simple as a grip change can feel awkward.