Albert Pujols’ departure adds to Mike Trout’s clubhouse stature

ANAHEIM — Mike Trout’s bat does so much talking on the field, it’s easy to miss the leadership role he has taken on behind the scenes.

Trout entered the weekend series against the Dodgers leading the major leagues in batting average (.380), on-base percentage (.496) and OPS (1.224). At 29 years old, he is tracking toward a career year.

As of Thursday, he’s also the only surefire future Hall of Famer on the Angels’ roster. When Albert Pujols was designated for assignment, Trout became the team’s de facto clubhouse leader and go-to mentor.

“Obviously I’ve been trying to be that person the last couple years with Albert here as well,” Trout said. “Now Albert’s gone. All the guys know they can come up and talk to me. Whatever they want to know, I’m there for them. I want to be the leader in the clubhouse.

“We’ve got a lot of great veteran guys in this clubhouse who have been part of this game for a long time. We’ve got a great mixture up there.”

Trout’s ambition did not emerge overnight.

Dating to last year, Manager Joe Maddon said the center fielder has been among the first players to speak up on every Zoom call, the preferred method of communication during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Always,” Maddon said. “And we had some pretty in-depth discussions last year and (Trout) was not afraid to voice his opinion. He’s actually very vocal on the bench, rather humorous sometimes. He’s definitely from Jersey. All that stuff blends into his sense of humor.”

Between his emerging voice and his Wins Above Replacement – he recently passed the career totals of Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Johnny Bench, to name two – Trout’s gravitational pull extends to any clubhouse he enters.

Yet Maddon had a different suggestion when a reporter suggested the clubhouse was “Trout’s room.”

“How about it’s ‘the Angels’ Room?’ You always hear about individuals running the show, as opposed to the name on the front of the shirt,” Maddon said. “I think if you talk to Michael he would like it to be the Angels’ Room – really establish our method moving forward and get this organization rolling in the right direction, not only this year but the years to come.”

Still, Maddon acknowledged the Angels’ new reality. In a moment that demands the voice of a leader, Trout has no player to defer to but himself.

“With Albert not being there,” Maddon said, “you might hear Mike a little more.”

MORE TROUT

When Trout debuted in 2011, Mickey Hatcher was the Angels’ hitting coach. Jim Eppard replaced Hatcher midway through the following season, beginning a coaching carousel that saw six men hold the title in an eight-year span.

This season will be Jeremy Reed’s third as the Angels’ hitting coach, and hitting instructor Paul Sorrento’s sixth on the major league staff. Trout has never enjoyed that degree of consistency in his career.

Trout primarily attributed his early-season success to timing, the salve to any ailment at the plate. Neither could he deny the familiarity of the Angels’ staff.

“They know my swing,” he said. “They know when I’m feeling good. For instance, like after a game if I’m not feeling good I’ll shoot them a text, text them a video, ‘see what you see.’ If something’s a little off, they put the work in. We talk about it and usually, we get it right.”

BUTERA RETURNS

Short on catching depth, the Angels acquired Drew Butera from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations. Butera previously appeared in 10 games for the Angels before he was traded to the Kansas City Royals in May 2015.

Jack Kruger, who caught the final inning Thursday in his major league debut, was designated for assignment to make room for Butera on the roster.

The move was prompted by injuries to Max Stassi, who’s on the seven-day injured list with a concussion, and Anthony Bemboom, who Maddon said was dealing with tightness in his back. Bemboom would have gotten the call-up Thursday, and the Angels preferred a backup with more experience than Kruger.

Butera has a .198 career batting average in 541 major league games with the Minnesota Twins, Dodgers, Angels, Royals and Colorado Rockies.

ALSO

Maddon said the plan is for Shohei Ohtani to take his regular turn in the Angels’ pitching rotation on Tuesday in Houston. … A tribute video to Pujols played on the scoreboard in the first inning. … Outfielder Jo Adell hit his first home run of the season for Triple-A Salt Lake.