Here’s an amazing stat that reflects the impact of Mike Trout and even Kole Calhoun on the Angels’ offense:
Teammates Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar rank first, third and fourth in the American League in plate appearances with runners in scoring position.
For that, they can thank Calhoun, who has a .347 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot, and Trout, who has a .372 OBP batting second.
Pujols, the No. 3 hitter, is batting just .245 with a .688 OPS with RISP. But he has batted so many times in those situations -186 plate appearances – that he has 92 RBI.
The extra opportunities also are benefiting Kendrick and Aybar, both of whom mostly have batted in the fifth and sixth spots this season.
Aybar, batting .275 with runners in scoring position, leads American League shortstops with 64 RBI. Kendrick, batting .325 in those situations, is third among AL second baseman with 67.
Now imagine if the Angels were getting what they wanted out of Josh Hamilton, who has appeared in only 86 games and again been disappointing offensively.
No matter – the team leads the majors in scoring at 4.86 runs per game.
Trout is the MVP. And Calhoun is more valuable than people think.
