For years, the Angels have watched pitchers take the easy way out with Mike Trout. If there was a spot to dodge, they dodged it.
If there was a chance to put him on base instead of testing him, they took it. That’s what made the arrival of Moisés Ballesteros feel like such a jolt: suddenly, Trout isn’t standing alone in the middle of the order anymore.
Interim general manager John Mozeliak set out at the trade deadline to add a real middle-of-the-order bat, and the early signs suggest he found one. The 22-year-old Ballesteros has changed the shape of the lineup almost immediately, giving Trout the kind of left-handed power threat behind him that the Angels have been missing for years.
That matters because the old setup never made much sense. Manager Kurt Suzuki had been batting the light-hitting Nolan Schanuel behind Trout this season, a move that did little to punish pitchers for working around the superstar.
Even when Schanuel did connect, the result was usually modest. A ground ball could turn into a double play.
A mistake was still more of a nuisance than a real threat.
That kind of protection was never going to scare anybody, and it was especially frustrating during a resurgent season for Trout, who has again reached the All Star Game while staying mostly healthy. Instead of giving him support, the Angels spent months leaving the game in the hands of opposing managers.
Ballesteros offers something different. He’s also a lefty, but the comparison stops there.
His plus raw power and plus hit tool make him a much more dangerous bat to hit behind Trout. A mistake to Schanuel might stay in the park.
A mistake to Ballesteros can get scorched, and it could leave the yard or at least roll into the gap for extra bases.
That changes the entire dynamic. If Trout is followed by a hitter who can really hurt teams, opposing pitchers can’t so casually work around him anymore. They’ll have to come into the zone more often, and that gives Trout more chances to do what he does best.
The effect has already shown up in Ballesteros’ first full week in Anaheim. The middle of the lineup suddenly looks like a problem. Zach Neto gets some relief with a real bat behind him, and Trout no longer has to carry the whole load himself.
A Trout-Ballesteros-Neto trio brings real thump, and the right-left-right look makes life harder for opposing managers trying to sort out bullpen matchups. If Schanuel and a legitimate leadoff hitter - Nelson Rada is the pick here - can get on base ahead of them, that stretch of the order should create plenty of run-scoring chances.
The Angels may still be rebuilding for the future, but this move helps them right now. Most importantly, it finally gives Mike Trout something he should have had a long time ago: real lineup protection.
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