"He is the franchise and his leadership is important" - Ron Washington lauds Mike Trout for his impact on youngsters in Angels' clubhouse
Even before the season began, Ron Washington had his work cut out for him. A two-time AL Pennant winner during his eight years managing the Texas Rangers, Washington was entrusted with the task of replacing outgoing Angels captain Phil Nevin.
Apart from the Angels becoming the second team of Washington's managerial career, he also became the first individual to manage the post-Ohtani Angels.
"The Angels are 4-0 since the Ron Washington meeting. He knows how to get the boys fired up" - Welcome to the Jo Sho
Now 4-2, the Angels are fresh off of a three straight victories against the Miami Marlins, which represented their first sweep of the series.
True to form, center fielder Mike Trout played a central role. In six games this season, the three-time MVP is 6-for-22 with three home runs, three RBIs and four runs scored.
In a recent exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Dan Connolly, the 71-year old veteran manager minced no words when describing the importance of Trout, especially now that Ohtani plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers:
"Well, he is the franchise. He really is. And his leadership is important. What I mean by leadership is just making certain that he shows these young kids how to handle the details of the game.
"Sometimes, the details are forgotten. Little bitty things are the things that make something huge, not the huge thing that's already visible to the eye. And that’s what he does.
Ron Washington continued, highlighting that Mike Trout's disciplined approach to the game has been central to the star getting world-class results since making his MLB debut in 2011.
"He comes in, he studies, he works hard. And when he goes out on the field during practice, he practices. He's not just out there, he practices. And those are the kinds of things that our young kids can feed off of. And that's what Mike brings."
Ron Washington hopes to push Mike Trout beyond regular season
Already off to a tremendous start, Trout homered twice against the Marlins last Monday. Nevertheless, getting past the regular season remains the elephant in the room. Before the season, Washington told Sports Illustrated
"The main thing that we want to do is make sure that we can bring the passion back and bring the joy. I remember the days when you guys was the target and now we're going to put us back on top and become the target again."
With the Los Angeles Angels' postseason drought having lasted 10 years, Ron Washington undoubtedly understands Trout's central role in overcoming it, both from a personal and team perspective.