APRIL 23, 3:47pm: Trout was in the Angels’ initial lineup for Friday, but the team announced that it has scratched him. He’s day-to-day.
7:15am: Trout was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion, the team announced. After the game, Trout told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic) he hopes to be back in the lineup for Friday’s matchup with Houston.
APRIL 22: Angels center fielder Mike Trout exited their game against the Astros on Thursday in the fifth inning. Trout left shortly after the Astros’ Cristian Javier struck him in the left elbow with a 93 mph fastball in the fourth inning. The Angels replaced Trout with Scott Schebler.
There is no word on whether Trout departed because of an injury or if the Angels simply took him out as a precautionary measure. The Angels were trailing 7-0 when they lifted Trout, so the team may have just been playing it safe when it removed him. Considering Trout’s importance to the Angels and the baseball world as a whole, the hope is that he didn’t suffer a serious injury on the hit by pitch.
Even though Trout is only 29 years old, he has already cemented himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. If healthy, the three-time American League Most Valuable Player looks as if he’ll find himself in the MVP race yet again this season. Seventy plate appearances into his year, Trout has batted an incredible .393/.514/.804 (258 wRC+) with six home runs and a major league-best 1.6 fWAR.
Could have gone all spring & summer without hearing this.
Mike Trout – the next Wally Pipp!
Scott Schebler is just as good, what’s the big deal?
LOL
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
LOL
astros still haven’t learned what class is!
Lol, the pitch was a strike. He should have been out for leaving into it
Same ump as the Braves fisasco too
You are blind.
For reference, baseballsavant.com has the pitch in the strike zone for zone profile and the pitch chart has the pitch on the inside corner.
A fastball that got away on a 3-2 count by a young pitcher. Happens
The pitch was close but I wouldn’t say Trout “leaned into it”. It’s easy to draw that conclusion when the it’s broken down in slow motion but nearly every player moves their elbow/arm/what have you in the direction of the ball.
It’s part of the swing/tracking method, I believe it was Contreras for the Cubs who got hit and the Brewers commentators loosing their minds that he “leaned into it” because it was an exact same situation, in slow motion it looks as if he leans into it. The reality of the situation, no player sticks his elbow out to get hit, if they are “leaning into it” it’s going to be with their back/shoulder. The elbow is from tracking and the ball is moving WAY too fast to for a player to stick his elbow out and make contact in that way.
Hopefully Trout doesn’t miss much time if any, he is the greatest player of this generation and it’s really not even close.
What? Plenty of people lean into pitches with their padded elbows. I’m not saying Trout did, I haven’t seen that play yet. But I’ve seen it a million times, such when that Tabata character from the Pirates busted up Scherzer’s perfect game.
Hope it’s not a big deal for Trout.
How do you make an approach to hit the baseball without moving your elbow. swing a bat!!!!,!
He was making an approach to hit the ball that didn’t break. It’s not complex.
Players do not lean in with their elbow, if you do not believe me, go to a batting cage and see how willing you are to take a 70 mph fastball off your elbow. You wouldn’t because their is an extreme high likelihood you will chip your elbow in doing so. Any player that “leans in” tries to take it on the back of the tricep.
Also, Trout’s elbow is exposed, he has a pad but it’s an open pad. It’s not like when Bonds wore his protective gear.
It’s a real shame that THIS is your take. THIS is what you think because your team, who is rightfully shamed constantly, is under getting crap for plunking Trout. It’s also a real shame your first reaction isn’t angered that the best player to possibly ever play is now not playing, due to one of your teams pitchers.
Maybe Houston fans have less class than the actual team these days.
Huh? Trout was hanging over the plate and Javier barely missed inside.
That’s not accurate.
If you go to baseballsavant, the pitch did barely miss inside. Heck, a lot of umpires would have called the pitch a strike.
Astrofan, the pitch was barely inside. Trout was not hanging over the plate, Trout didn’t pick up the ball. If you were watching the game, Trout told Bregman what happened.
Neutral observer here. Just watched the replay a few times. He moved his left elbow into the pitch which was actually a strike on the inside corner. Hope that he won’t miss much time. Class act.
It just missed. It was close. He made a pass to swing at the ball, and didn’t pick it up. If he doesn’t move, it doesn’t hit him. Certainly nothing nefarious. It would have been ball four.
This was nothing like what happened in New York. It wasn’t a bad pitch. No one should be upset. Nobody did anything wrong.
Let me just add, have you ever hit a baseball.? When you start your approach to the ball, what happens with front arm.
He made an approach to hit the ball. I know for a fact he didn’t pick it up. I’m guessing he thought it was going to break over the plate.
It didn’t. It would have been ball four. It was close, but it wasn’t over the plate.
Are you asking me? Actually yes…..a couple years of college baseball. The move Trout made was very late. The stride/movement that I think that you are talking about comes much earlier. Trout sets up very close to the plate. He can because he’s so quick.
Honestly, does anyone believe that maybe the best ballplayer in MLB history tried to get hit, down 7-0? Anyone? Takes a special kind of stupid to go down that road.
Full disclosure: Dodger fan and we have the best player in National League, who just got hit with a 95 mph fast ball.
Yes, people believe that.
He made a late move because he didn’t pick up the spin. I think he thought it was off speed. As he said, he didn’t pick up the spin. No one in their right mind can possible think he stuck out his elbow to get hit by the pitch instead of drawing ball four.
The trashcans say you are wrong with your assessment.
@Vizionaire and astros2017 Both of you guys are wrong. Trout was clearly not being thrown at. Also, Trout clearly is not trying to get hit by a mid-90 fastball in the elbow down 6-0. . If you watch Trout a lot, he will typically turn away to avoid such pitches. He was expecting a offspeed low and away but got a fastball. Luckily, it does not appear to be anything major.
hasnt surpassed 140 games since 2016…that contract will look great in due time.
Even if he averages 140 games a season going forward, his WAR will be in top 5 every year.
And when the playoffs are going on, he will have the exact same WAR as me. So really, why does his great regular season WAR even matter?
And this is not the NBA. A superstar can’t carry his team to the playoffs. Doesn’t take away the fact he’s already an all time great.
Doesn’t it though? Player careers are always judged in part on postseason success. Take away Reggie Jackson’s “Mr. October” aura and you are left with basically Adam Dunn. But with the postseason success Reggie became a first ballot HOFer. Ted Williams was twice the ball player as Mickey Mantle, but they are often thought of as on the same legend plateau due to Mantle’s postseason success and Williams’s lack of postseason success.
Trout will go down as al all time great, rightfully so, but one has to wonder whether he will be regarded as the upper echelon of greats if he doesn’t get a WS win before it is over.
He can’t help that his team plays like garbage, or his GM refuses to address the trash fire that is the Angel’s rotation year after year (tho, they look decent if Shohei can stay healthy)
The rotation isn’t the problem. It’s the bullpen.
Some real cherry picking going on here –
Mike Trout is going to go down as one of the best baseball players to ever walk the Earth when all is said and done….And I cant stand the Angels
hiflew – Reggie Jackson was so much better than Dunn, I don’t know how anyone could consider them comparable.
Williams and Mantle are both easily top-25 players in the sport’s history, so it’s difficult to call Teddy Ballgame twice the player as Mantle. I agree the postseason success brings Mantle more acclaim, but I don’t view Williams any lesser because his teammates weren’t as good as Mantle’s. In fact, Williams often gets a bump in people’s eyes because of his reduced career totals due to wartime service – twice. He may have been the best all-around hitter ever.
Do people think less of Ernie Banks because he never won a World Series? I can’t imagine they do. Barry Bonds has plenty of issues, but his lack of a title isn’t anywhere near the top of the list.
Championships matter, but I don’t see them as being nearly as big a part of a player’s perception as you do. To each his own, I suppose.
If Trout’s career continues anywhere close to what it’s expected to, he absolutely will be viewed as an upper-echelon all-time great, World Series title or not.
So what about players like Rod Carew that never played in a WS ? Is he not one of the all time greats?Vlad SR he never played in a WS should we say he wasn’t an all time great. Ted Williams played in ONE WS during his great career. See not every great player is going to be in the big games. Baseball is totally different than the NBA where one player can’t carry a team on his back. Trout can’t pitch and therefore he will have trouble getting on the big stage come playoff time.
Rule #1. Be a man.
#gbs42
I can write the following sentence to address virtually all of your p0sts.
“That is a well thought out post.”
Halo11Fan,
I appreciate that. There’s so much negativity and anger out there, so I’m trying to rein in my snide remarks and stick with facts and positive contributions. Debate is enjoyable when insults and name-calling are left out of the equation. (The Mute button helps keep the instigators away.)
And I enjoy your posts, too. It’s obvious you’re a passionate Angels fan, so when you talk about the team, I know you have a committed perspective.
I’ve been to Angels Stadium once, probably 15-20 years ago. From what I recall, it’s a nice place to catch a game. And I saw the Angels in spring training a couple of years ago. It was the day Trout was signing his huge extension, so he didn’t play, which was disappointing. I’ve yet to see him play in person, which I definitely would like to do some day.
I moved out of California years ago, I’ve never seen Mike Trout Play.
I was last at the Stadium in 2004. John Lackey pitched a complete game shutout and the Angels won 1-0.
I want to go back.
I wish I had the patience to deal with some posters. I react too aggressively when I read the absurd. That’s on me.
More than a 50 career bWAR between Reggie and Dunn, but whatever, details
Gotta jump in with my Trout story, please.
Saw him play out here. Made a couple regular plays in CF. He went 0-4 , K’d a couple times, drew a walk but was promptly thrown out trying to steal.
Which all “proves” just one thing: baseball is hard, man.
Btw, you’re alright Halo. Well…if you haven’t “muted” me that is.
Never mute you Ducky.
Heh.
“Never” is a big number, Halo.
I actually intend to not mute anyone. I “should” (but don’t always) be able to handle a comment on the internet. There is really only one poster here I would even consider it with, as he brings out the worst in me.
Well…I allow him to bring out the worst in me. I need to acknowledge that it’s on me as well.
@hiflew Reggie Jackson already won the WS 3 times with the A’s before he received the Mr October moniker in NY. However, he was more than a player that showed up in October. He was MVP during the regular season with the As and was top 5 in MVP voting a handful of other times. Dunn was not remotely close to Jackson during the regular season
@Halo11, “It’s the bullpen”.
When I got back into hunting, I picked up a nice 12ga lauded for it’s versatility. After a year I got rid of it in favor of a 10ga for waterfowl & a 16ga for grouse.
Got exactly what I wanted, damn the expense.
I lug my 10 out on the water at least 75 times/yr & my 16 gets even more play.
When I discovered I also liked turkey hunting I tried using my existing shotguns for it. Couple years ago, I did the same thing as with my previous guns. Namely;got the exact one I wanted.
But: paid a few hundred more bucks for it than my others & have still to use it even a dozen times in a year. & doubt I ever will.
I’ve heard; “you get what you pay for” often enough. But the reality is, the more specialized an item the more one spends.
________________________________________________
A few years ago, I read an article on fangraphs exploring the concept of building a bullpen via free agency.
They discovered this was an inefficient use of team resources. They threw the Rockies out (skewed the results tremendously for obvious reasons), re-ran the numbers & found – yet again – that if you approach putting your pen together by relying on outside signings, you are going to piss some dabloons away.
However.
What they also inadvertently discovered was that if a GM shops in the Big Name Known Commodity aisle of relievers, those deals do – in fact – have a tendency to work out.
Huh.
We’ve heard, “you get what you pay for” a lot of times. Right?
________________________________________________
Now, if I was interested in building a personal
armory (I am not) I could buy tons of single shot shotguns. But – really – I’ve found the “need” for just one (a little .410 which is basically a pistol for small game).
Claudio. Chisek. Watson.
Bunch of inexpensive single shots, man.
& how many does a fella need? Ya know?
Swap Claudio for Hand & now your pen looks much better.
Should have spent the $$ on a high end shotty. Which you said back in…November? December?
He’s Mike Trout
It’s Mike Trout. If he keeps hitting like he has the past 2-3 years and plays 130-140 games a season, he’s going to end up top 5 all time in bWAR. Heck, he’s already in the top 80.
When you go to the Hall of Fame, as a tourist, the one thing you will notice is that not one plaque has the term “bWAR” on it.
At least not yet, but by the time Trout gets elected – immediately following the mandatory five-year waiting period – bWAR might be a more common term. And even if it’s not, there will be plenty of more traditional stats to demonstrate his greatness. He’s a generational superstar currently and may be one of the best players ever by the time his career is over.
Voters now take WAR into consideration a whole lot more anymore, so regardless of if it’s on his plaque or not, it’s going to be a big factor as to why he gets in.
WAR may be a factor in some players getting in or not, but not with Trout.
No one can look at Mike Trout and say he doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame.
You don’t need WAR to tell you that.
True, but at this point, at least to me, his WAR is like Albert Pujols’ home run total. Sure, it’s already Hall Of Fame worthy, but it’s always fun when he adds more. Though while Pujols doesn’t have very many home runs left in his bat, Trout could reach the 100 bWAR mark in the next 3-5 seasons and will still be far from done.
If this is tongue and cheek well done lol
If you’re serious, please take up another sport.
no thanks but thanks for the offer!
Looks like the Angels will claim Alford or Fowler to replace him.
That’s certainly a loose definition of the word “replace”.
Isn’t Fowler done for the year or was that sarcasm
Dustin Fowler, not Dexter
He’s back in the lineup tonight soooo… yeah way to overreact
The good news is that even if he misses the season the playoffs are unlikely to be affected at all.
::Fingers crossed::
Probably needs TJS.
It hit his arm guard. I’d be shocked if this turned out to be anything. He’s fine, the bullpen isn’t.
Texas (Rangers), K. C., Houston (previous series) and Toronto have thrown at Trout this season. It might be different if he bat flipped or or “hammed” it up, but he’s class.
It’s time for our pitchers to protect him.
Good idea, Quintana could throw at the first batter and then they will kick him out of the game and do us all a favor.
quintana and cobb are not quality starters. doesn’t matter one bit if they are suspended 140 games
If you are watching the game, Trout said he couldn’t pick up the ball. This HBP was not the pitchers fault. I’d like to feign outrage, but I can’t this time.
Wow a conscientious Angels fan. Correct, he said he doesn’t see the ball well in MMP and he told Bregman he wished he’d had an elbow pad. Yet, an entire article and comments of speculation follows. LOL
Not every HBP is intentional, in fact 2 of 3 incidents you mentioned were on breaking balls.
Starting to throw at other players is a sure fire way to put him in legitimate harms way.
We need to have pitching machines, can’t have these players getting hurt while batting!
Why not just Tee Ball?
LOL
Assault.
I swear to the baseball gods, this better not be serious.
Trout hasn’t played 150 games since 2016, and I selfishly want to continue seeing him destroy records this year in a full season.
At least he’s proven himself already over more than a full season unlike Tatis Jr.
He’s already worth a record 1.4 WAR in only 56 at-bats! The fastest in history to reach that mark. (Sorry Tatis, even with your “swag” you’re not dethroning Trout as the face of baseball yet.)
I’m with you Doctor Spengler . I want to see trout finish with 700 homers 3000 hits and a WAR near 200
Still doesn’t change the fact that Daron Sutton is the worst play by play announcer I have ever heard..
I’d rather listen to Jackson/Van Gundy destroy a broadcast…
Can we send Sutton down to the minors?
Yeah I miss Victor Rojas big time. I’d rather have just Gubie and Jose Mota and Matty V can join in when available.
Just watched the video. He definitely stuck his elbow out.
You watched the video? Oh good for you, I watched the game… Trout had a mic on. He didn’t pick up the pitch. He told Bregman that. He made an approach to hit the ball which is not the equivalent of sticking his elbow out. But you watched the video with zero understanding what actually happened.
Thanks for your insight, or should I say lack of it.
He clearly stuck his elbow out. Whether it was intentional or not (it very well may have not been), that’s clearly what happened. His elbow was not out. When the pitch was delivered, he stuck it out. No one is even talking about reasons, just that that’s what happened.
He stuck his elbow out on ball four? Seriously people?
Sure, because video lies, right?
(insert face palm)
Being able to interpret what happened is a wonderful thing, but it takes common sense and discernment.
You don’t seem to have much.
The pitch was ball four. Maybe the umpire calls it a strike because maybe the stitching touches a corner of the plate. But no part of that ball that hit Trout’s elbow was in the strike zone.
Trout admitted he didn’t pick up the spin. As I say, he was on a mic.
He stuck his elbow out? No one with a clue about anything would suggest such a thing.
His elbow moved. It was either late approach at a pitch he thought was an off-speed pitch and didn’t pick up the spin, or it was a reaction to avoid getting hit by ball four.
I think it’s the former, but the later makes some sense. He stuck his elbow out to get hit by ball four is about as dumb as dumb can be.
Just to add, this is what happened.
From Trout. Makes perfect sense.
“Was I trying to get hit by the pitch? No. I was trying to hit,” Trout said. “It was weird. To be honest, I thought it was a slider. Then, at the last second, tried to get out of the way and when I turned my head, my elbow flew out. It just hit my elbow.”
This is a classic case of “having too much information”, dissecting a video in slow motion, frame by frame and coming up to a conclusion.
No player period will stick his elbow out to take a HBP. The elbow sticking out is part of the mechanics of hitting a baseball. It’s the reading/loading/launch process. The elbow comes out and the wrists follows.
Every player, even if they are taking the entire way, will load his body up and if you break it down, you’ll see the elbow come out as he tracks or attempts to track the baseball.
Then, in the unfortunate situation that a player takes it off the elbow, fans and commentators look at the video and come to the conclusion that he stuck his elbow out. We see the video in uber slow motion and forget that it’s a fraction of a second that a player needs to make a decision. Watch the video in real time and see if you come to the conclusion that he sticks his elbow out
Watching the multiple views in the video below shown at full speed, this looks to be completely unintentional At the 0:27 mark, in slow motion, his elbow moved into the pitch. My guess – and that’s all any of us can do is guess since we’re not Trout – is it was an instinctive reaction. I didn’t hear the audio, but apparently he said it wasn’t on purpose, and I believe it.
mlb.com/news/mike-trout-departs-game-after-hit-by-…
I think the pitch would have been a ball had it not hit him.
I’m just glad it’s not serious and we get to continue to watch the best ballplayer of his generation continue to do his thing.
#GBs42
That is a well thought out post.
Here’s an idea. Watch MANY other Trout at bats and see if he “sticks his elbow out”, instead of watching one pitch out of the thousands that he has faced to reach your conclusion about what happened.
Why, if you can find an AB where Trout doesn’t pick up the spin, makes an approach to hit the ball, then flitches at the last second on a pitch just off the inside corner on a 3-2 count. You let me know.
No one with a clue thinks he stuck is elbow out. No one.
That is my point.
Then you made a very good point Mr. Why.
Hope he’s okay. I’m always hoping this guy stays healthy since he’s a favourite of mine.
Derek cheater did it all the time.that is why he wore that arm armor
Soto, tacos, acuna, and trout all injured in the first month of baseball. Ugh.
R.D. – Yep, no one likes broken tacos.
Tuesday’s are not the same.
He couldn’t possibly miss time with a bruise right? I keep seeing more and more players missing time with bruises. You would think the amount of money these guys make is enough to give them the motivation to play through bruises. This sport has gone soft.
A lot of times the players want to play but management keep them out as a precaution because of the amount of money invested in them.
Wear the cheat pad, crowd the plate, odds of a HBP go up. Don’t wear the pad and you probably don’t crowd the plate. Very simple.
Its a non-issue. Conforto’s moment was perfectly fine in the eyes of baseball, the media and the fans. Pitch to Trout was very close to the zone.
Conforto’s moment received lots of scrutiny, and the umpire admitted he blew the call.
With the amount of money MLB makes – about $10B/yr – it makes sense to protect its most valuable assets – the players. If Trout ended up missing months because of this HBP, would that be beneficial to anyone, other than the teams facing the Angels while he was out?
The pitch to Trout was a ball, moving inside when it hit him.
gbs not scrutiny, the message should have been to ban the cheat pad. People use the “protect people” angle. It’s bull. You stand close to the plate your entire body is at-risk.
Every player knows there is a danger. Nobody cares about the aces going down to injury. Pitchers hold the ball the longest. Trout gets 4-5 at bats and a few fly balls. Let’s stop using the “protection” card. Protect pitchers, ban the arm guard, re-introduce stamina over speed with players backing off the plate.
Don’t care if the pitch was a ball or strike. Arm pads are performance enhancing and it allows players to stand close to the plate. Disadvantage pitchers.
WWJGH – by that logic, hitters should not be allowed helmets either. Imagine the advantage the hitters have been getting from that gift! All jokes aside, any “advantage” a hitter gets from the elbow pad is minuscule at best, you seem to have vilified the pad for no reason. Weird hill to die on but that’s your prerogative, however, if you’re going to go that hard after such an inconsequential object, at least make an argument that with fewer holes than a piece of Swiss cheese a dairy farmer uses for his daily target practice.
As usual GBs, that is a well thought out post.
Don’t wear a seat belt, you’ll be more careful and your chances of getting into an accident go down. Don’t forget to disable your air bags.
Unless your Bonds, who wore a swing aid disguised as protection, I never have an issue with players wearing padding.
The inside corner is a great place to pitch, the batter can’t give that away, and the pitchers don’t always hit the inside corner. And when they miss, a batter should not have to fear going on the I.L, or worse.
Halo, seatbelt? Really? It’s the equivalent of a player wearing a helmet. Saves LIVES. Hit by pitch in the arm is not dire.
I just watched a bogus double by Yandy Diaz were Joe Panik made an awful error. It’s a by product of a soft baseball league with a soft mentality.
Arm padding is soft mentality. It is also cheating. Hitters feel comfortable in the box. Comfort is performance enhancing. Helmets matter in life and death, same as a seatbelt.
You of all people shouldn’t be condoning cheating. Arm guards is the most obvious form of cheating in baseball.
Arm guards/padding are allowed by the league, so they can’t be cheating. And a HBP on the wrist or elbow can cause a significant injury. Also, HBP usually happen when batters are *not* crowding the plate, so protection is justified.
I’m not sure how efforts to improve safety and health qualify as soft, but that doesn’t seem to be a topic worth debating.
Surprised he doesn’t have severe back issues from carrying that crappy franchise for years
Lol. Go Angels!
He got absolutely drilled. Loud sound and no padding
S-T-E-R-O-I-D-S
I only watch playoff baseball. is he a recent call up? Never heard of him
IMHO, he didn’t move into the pitch. If I had to take a guess, it looks like he gave up on the pitch. It was inside and I think he just took his eye off the ball. I didn’t see any flinch reaction like you would if the ball was about to hit you. And I doubt anyone takes one off the elbow when they are down 6-0.
Fear not Angels fans, Juan Lagares is on the way.
Seriously though, i don’t think Trout necessarily stepped in to the pitch but Javier wasn’t throwing at him either. Angels can afford to give him a night off and use him as a Pinch-Hitter late in the game if needed
It’s kinda funny these journalists are praising trout after his first 8 seasons and rightfully so, he’s a kickass player. But damn though I look at his teammate pujols first 8 seasons and his first 8 is way superior than that of trout. No way did pujols get the praise from media and journalists like trouts been having last few years
To me pujols put up the best numbers than anyone in MLB history his first 10 seasons.
Pujols was truly excellent his first ten seasons, though perhaps not the best ever during such a stretch. He also was a metronome of consistently, with performance so repeatedly great that he may have lulled everyone into complacency by expecting the same greatness year after year.
Pujols also derived most of his value from his bat, while also playing a terrific first base, while carrying the bulk typical of the position.
Trout, of course, is also a tremendous hitter, but he started as a dynamo on the bases, and his wall-scaling defense earns raves and frequently makes highlight reels. He’s a more rounded player than Pujols, and while I’m a big Pujols fan from his days in St. Louis, I give the edge to Trout based on his greater ability to influence games in more ways.
Trout plays in Southern California so perhaps his praise is a bit over blown. Pujols’ first 8 seasons were incredible.
Pujols first 8 seasons (2001-’08): 319 HR’s, 977 RBI’s, 5 postseason appearances, 1 World Championship
Trout’s first 8 full seasons (2012-’19) 280 HR’s, 736 RBI’s, 1 postseason appearance, 0 World Championships
Trout in his career has yet to pass Pujols in either career totals which just shows how incredible Albert was while wearing a Cardinals uniform. Albert also played three different positions in his first few seasons (3B/LF/1B). Not trying to knock Trout but head to head Pujols was better
One played first base and one plays CF. Big difference. And Pujols is considered one of the greatest RH hitters of all time. Trout is compared to Mickey Mantle.
And since when are West Coast players overrated?
Trout is a great player, I’m not saying he isn’t but Albert had one of the greatest first 10 year stretches in MLB history. And to be fair Albert played 405 of his first 530 games at other positions before settling in at First Base in 2004