Mike Trout: Angels not reaching postseason has been ‘frustrating’

Mike Trout has done just about everything a player can as an individual. He’s won Rookie of the Year, AL MVP, and he’s been named to seven straight All-Star teams. But one thing he hasn’t done much of is playing in the postseason. And he says that is “frustrating.”

Trout joined MLB Network for an interview at the site of the All-Star Game on Monday, and he was asked about what more he can do in his career. He mentioned the playoffs three times in his response.

“I want to get to that postseason. It’s frustrating sometimes. We’ve been banged up all year. We’ve a great group of guys. I want to get to that postseason,” Trout said in response to Al Leiter.

“You want to play in October. I got a small taste of it — we got knocked out quick. For me, it’s pushing myself, pushing my teammates, I want to get to playoff baseball.”

Trout has been with the Angels since 2011 (full-time since 2012), and the team has only made the playoffs once during his tenure. They won the AL West with 98 wins in 2014, but got swept in the ALDS by the Royals. He didn’t reach the playoffs before and hasn’t been back since.

Trout is under contract through 2020, which gives the Angels two more seasons to turn things around while they have Trout. If not, maybe those frustrations could cause him to leave the team. That would be a real bummer for the Angels, especially considering they reportedly had a chance to lock him up very long term.