When the Angels optioned 19-year-old stud prospect Mike Trout to the minors earlier this week I wondered why they sent him back to Double-A, where he’d already dominated for 75 games, instead of Triple-A, where he’d yet to play.
Turns out, they want him to get playoff experience.
Mike Scioscia told Jordan Garretson of MLB.com that the level of competition isn’t much different between the two levels and the Triple-A team is below .500 while the Double-A team is in first place.
We really feel strongly that in a player’s development it’s important to experience the playoffs. In Mike’s case, he’s a guy that’s leading a team to the playoffs. There’s a comfort level there. He just needs to play.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Angels bring Trout back to the majors for a playoff run of their own, because even if his bat isn’t quite ready to thrive in the majors as a teenager his incredible speed and outfield defense would definitely come in handy.
