Terry Collins, the Mets manager, made some news last Sunday when he stated that he considered walking Mike Trout in the 9th inning with the bases loaded. The Angels were down by three and Trout represented the winning run if he were able to swat a grand slam. Instead, Addison Reed was able to limit Trout to a sacrifice fly and the Mets came away with a 7-5 victory. With Albert Pujols out of the lineup and the rest of the team struggling the idea was not without merit. This may be the ultimate sign of respect for Mike Trout as a hitter.
The thought clearly persisted for Collins because the next day he chose to walk Mike Trout to load the bases . . . in the first inning. CJ Cron came to bat next and made Collins pay by hitting a four run home run.
When asked about the controversy of potentially walking him with the bases loaded Trout plainly stated “I like to hit”.