Alex Cora in awe of Mike Trout’s speed
Mike Trout’s abilities have been obvious since he entered the big leagues at 19 years old in 2011.
But as dominant as he is a hitter and as natural as he is defensively as a center fielder, it’s something else that Red Sox manager Alex Cora finds most impressive with arguably the game’s best player: his speed.
At a hulking 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Trout’s quickness is probably the most underrated part of his game. He once stole 49 bases in a season, and while that happened in 2012 when he was 20, he hasn’t lost much of a step. Trout has swiped at least 20 bags in each of his last three seasons.
It’s something Cora has certainly noticed, and he saw it firsthand when he managed this year’s All-Star Game. As the Red Sox opened a four-game series against Trout’s Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night at Fenway Park, the two-time MVP’s speed was one of the first things Cora mentioned.
“I had the pleasure of managing him in the All-Star Game,” Cora said. “The first at-bat he hit a rocket to the second baseman and ran like a 4.1 to first base, an exhibition game where home-field advantage is not decided anymore. He plays the game right and he enjoys playing the game. …
“That got my attention. He got there. He hit a rocket. Who played second base for the National League? (Ketel Marte) knocked it down, got it, not a routine play,
but just an out and he made it a bang-bang play. The way he moves is impressive. … If I had to compare it to somebody, his body, the way he’s built, how fast he is, Raul Mondesi. Mondy was strong, big neck, and he flew from first to third, kind of like that. Very impressive.”
Trout is having a very Trout-like season as he entered the weekend’s series against the Red Sox. Entering Thursday, he was hitting .299 with an American League-leading 38 homers — well on pace to break his career high of 41 set in 2015 — with 89 RBI. His 7.5 WAR leads MLB, just ahead of the Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger.
For as good of a player as he is, Cora also marveled about Trout’s character, which he also saw a glimpse of at the All-Star Game.
“Tremendous guy. When I talked to him, obviously they were coming from a tough week with everything that happened with the organization (the death of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs), but he was cool with everybody in the clubhouse. He was great with the families. Very polite kid. It was a pleasure to be around him. …
“He hasn’t played in the playoffs in a while, but he goes out there with the same attitude — smile on his face and he just enjoys it. It’s always cool to see him play but let’s keep him in check.”