"It's been great for everyone in the clubhouse" - Angels' Mike Trout praises new manager Ron Washington for his unorthodox motivational approach
After the departure of Shohei Ohtani from the LA Angels this offseason, all eyes fell on Mike Trout and new manager Ron Washington. Although the team has gone a decade without a playoff appearance, the Halos faithful remain committed to the three-time MVP.
Recently, Trout was interviewed by Bally Sports' Trisha Whitaker about the impact Washington. According to Trout, Washington's practice of leaving motivational notes in each of his player's lockers before every series has had a host of positive affects.
"Ron Washington leaves personalized notes in each player's locker at the start of every series" - Talkin' Baseball
The Los Angeles Angels outfielder claimed that the unusual practice serves as a "pick me up" and maintains that "it's been great for everybody in the clubhouse." Trout's comments come on the heels of a strong performance on April 15 against the Tampa Bay Rays that saw him hit a two-run home run and go 2-for-5.
Ron Washington was signed to the Angels to replace outgoing skipper Phil Nevin this offseason. A longtime manager of the Texas Rangers, Washington won back-to-back AL Pennants in Arlington in 2010 and 2011.
The veteran manager was brought aboard to help breathe some life into the Los Angeles Angels, who have been disgraced by their ten-year playoff drought. Regarded as one of the more experienced minds in the game, Washington has been credited for his approach to inspiring young members of the team's lineup such as Nolan Schanuel, Patrick Sandoval, and Logan O'Hoppe.
As for Mike Trout, the eleven-time All-Star is off to a predictably strong start to the 2024 season. Through 17 games with the Angels so far, Trout has hit .284/.360/.672 with a league-best seven home runs alongside 10 RBIs.
Ron Washington hopes to motivate team through positivity
A former player, the 71-year old Washington knows a thing or two about player psychology. Following his team's 13-inning affair against the Rays on Tuesday night that saw the Halos defeated by a run, Ron Washington decided to dwell on the positives, telling Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“We had opportunities to win, they had opportunities to win, and we kept going back and forth, but they beat us. I liked the way my guys hung in there and kept coming back and kept fighting. At the end, somebody had to win, and they did, but we’ll be back tomorrow.”
The task of getting the Angels back into the playoffs is not an easy one. However, if there was ever a manager who understood the inner workings of a playoff ball team, it's Ron Washington.