Mike Trout Q&A: Angels star doesn't know much about WAR

Published Thursday, Oct 3, 2013 at 1:24 pm EDT
Text size A A A

At the age of 22, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout already is one of the best players — if not the best player — in all of baseball. The 2012 American League Rookie of the Year and runner-up for MVP honors led the majors in wins above replacement for the second straight year this season, as his traditional stats — a .323 average with 27 home runs, 97 RBI, 33 stolen bases, and American League-leading totals of 110 walks and 109 runs scored — weren't too shabby either. Thursday, he spoke to Sporting News for a Q&A.

Sporting News: Are you watching the playoffs?

Mike Trout has emerged as one of baseball's top players. (AP Photo)

AL's BEST YOUNG PLAYERS: Trout heads the list

Mike Trout:
I've flipped it on. I watched a little bit of the game last night, a little bit of the Rays-Rangers game. It's not like I've turned it on when it started, but I've flipped to it.

SN: Who are you looking forward to watching in the playoffs?

MT: Gotta be Torii (Hunter). Being teammates with him, and a good friend, it's gotta be Torii.

SN: He's on the team in Detroit now with Miguel Cabrera, who obviously won the MVP last year with you second. It looks like that's the race again this year. Does the MVP make a big difference to you? Is it something you really, really want?

MT: I definitely want to win, obviously, but it's not for me to decide. I just go out there each year and put up numbers, and it's a debate and out of my control right now. I just try to have fun, put up the numbers, and help the team win.

SN: You've become, partially because of the numbers, a big part of the arguments about advanced stats -- wins above replacement and stuff like that. Where do you come down on that topic?

MT: It's funny, after last year, I just found out what WAR meant and what it means. If somebody asked me, I would just tell them wins above replacement, and I couldn't explain it. If people explained it to me a thousand times, I still wouldn't be able to explain it. It's something that analysts and writers grade you on, and I just go out there and play my game as best I can. If my WAR's 10, it's 10, and if it's eight, it's eight. I really couldn't tell you much about it.

MORE: NLDS schedules | Postseason schedule | MLB playoffs gallery

SN: Can you think of a good way to measure something like the defensive aspect of the game? We know errors don't tell the whole story, so how would you measure how good of a defender somebody is?

MT: If you can cut down runs, and throw people out, and not make errors, I think that's big. The majority of the errors that I make or a player makes, probably eight times out of 10, it leads to a run. That hurts the team, so it would have to go down.

SN: How do you feel about the whole debate over unwritten rules — bat flips, trots that are too slow, stuff like that?

MT: You've got to respect the game, and I think being brought up to respect the game, I don't think you should show up a pitcher and I don't think a pitcher should show up you. Just play the game respectfully.

SN: You're from south Jersey, so are you ready to hear the speculation for the next however many years it is about you going to Philadelphia someday?

MT: Yeah, I get it a lot. I was a Phillies fan growing up, diehard Phillies fan growing up, but I'm with the Angels now, happy with them, and we'll see where my career takes me. I love it on the West Coast. I've got family back home, so we'll see what happens. I love playing for the Angels, and this is where I was brought up playing in the minor leagues — it's a great organization.

SN: Being a Philly-area guy, I have to ask you, Pat's or Geno's?

MT: Gotta go Pat's, that's my pick.

SN: Is there a good sandwich in south Jersey, good cheestesteak?

MT: No, I just like the Philly ones.

SN: Are you a sandwich guy in general?

MT: I'm definitely a sandwich guy. I was a fan of Subway my whole life, growing up as a kid -- going to tournaments, stop by, get a sub. Now, being a famous fan, being part of Subway, being in commercials, just being able to represent a sandwich that I really like -- I'm a big sweet onion chicken teriyaki guy. I love chicken. It's one of my big things. They're featuring the $6 footlong in October, reintroducing the Tuscan chicken melt. That's gotta be up there on my list of my favorite sandwiches so far. Every time I go there, I'll probably get it. I've had a chance to meet a lot of great people at Subway -- growing up and seeing a lot of baseball players, football players, professional athletes on the commercial, and I thought it would be a perfect fit for me, eating it and having a chance to be on the commercial. It's special for me.

Robert Griffin III. (AP Photo)

SN: They've had a lot of different athletes and other celebrities do stuff for Subway. Is there one in particular that you would want to meet?

MT: I think it would have to be RG3. I'm a big fan of RG3.

SN: Even though you're an Eagles fan?

MT: Even though I'm an Eagles guy, I root for athletes, even if they're not on my favorite team.

SN: Who's one guy from another sport that you'd like to see play baseball?

MT: That's a tough question. I would like to see LeBron James take BP, check that out.

SN: Could he just play any sport?

MT: I think he could. He's athletic, and his size. I think he'd be a great tight end in the NFL.

SN: If you were to play another sport, what would it be?

MT: Football. Running back, quarterback.

SN: Can you complete this sentence? I am the only player in Major League Baseball...

MT: I've got to finish it?

SN: Yeah.

MT: This is a tough one. I'm the only player in Major League Baseball that still lives in his parents' basement.

SN: Really?

MT: Yeah.

SN: Does that make you open to the jokes about people blogging from their mom's basement? You're on Twitter — are you tweeting there?

MT: No, no, no, I'm rarely at the house.

SN: Just for the winter?

MT: Just there for the winter.