Why Mike Trout running 29.9 feet per second should give Angels fans hope

The Los Angeles Angels and their fans have seen some legendary players come through their organization in recent years, with Albert Pujols, Shohei Ohtani, and especially Mike Trout playing for the team for some time.

But, Pujols is retired, Ohtani is on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Trout is struggling to return to form. However, there is reason for optimism with Trout this season.

As David Adler of MLB.com notes, there is one main reason why Angels fans should have hope for Trout this upcoming season, and it revolves around his 29.9 feet-per-second sprint speed this spring.

29.9 feet-per-second is good news for Mike Trout

"Trout's knee injuries over the last few seasons have kept him from running like he used to," Adler writes, "but here's an encouraging sign: Trout has already reached a max speed of 29.9 feet per second on one of his runs early this spring."

That's some huge news for Trout. As Adler noted, 30.0 feet-per-second is considered "elite" in MLB, and considering he's not reached such a speed since 2024, that 29.9 feet-per-second mark is a very encouraging sign for Trout.

The 34-year-old future Hall of Famer still has some juice left in the can, and signed through the 2030 season, Trout can add more to his MLB career totals.

But if he continues to deal with injuries, he might not have a chance to produce. However, this sprint speed is some encouraging news for Trout, the Angels, and the baseball world.

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Seeing Trout get back to elite form, even if not MVP-caliber, would be very welcome for baseball fans.

Trout has not stolen more than 10 bases since the 2019 season. If he can keep this sprint speed up around 30.0 feet-per-second for the entire 2026 season, the chances of him finally snapping this cold streak are very possible.

While his prime might be over, Trout could put together some solid years to close out his MLB career if he can get some of his athleticism back, which seems to be the case based on this sprint speed increase.

Trout said, "I'm going to get to 30. Because I got more in the tank." If he can reach a sprint speed of 30 feet-per-second this season, Trout might be able to put together a solid season in 2026.

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