Mike Trout dropped a routine flyball on Friday night. The Los Angeles Angels won the game, but fans are still upset. For a fanbase tired of losing, the win could not hide a bad mistake by their biggest star. Despite having a three-time AL MVP in the lineup, the Angels hold the league-worst 18-34 record. Friday’s error shows exactly why they are stuck at the bottom of the league.

Throughout his MLB career, Mike Trout has made it clear that he does not enjoy playing as a designated hitter. He argues that center field is actually less taxing on his body than constantly running the angles in right or left. However, it might be the best bet for the 34-year-old, especially after his fielding blunder against the Texas Rangers. On Friday, the broadcast cameras caught Trout dropping a routine flyball in the warning track while playing as a centerfielder. Talkin’ Baseball posted the video of Trout’s absurd miss on X.

At the top of the fourth inning, with two outs, Evan Carter hit a flyball deep into the center of Grayson Rodriguez’s 96 mph four-seamer. In charge of the center field, Trout tracked it smoothly towards the edge of the field and jumped, ready to take the catch.

That was the moment disaster struck. The ball escaped his glove by inches and dropped right into the warning track beside him.

What was supposed to be the final out of the inning turned into a two-run triple. Grayson had to throw five more pitches to end the inning at 6-3 in the Angels’ favor. The starter allowed four runs and five hits in 5.2 innings, while striking out five hitters. His ERA has inflated to 10.61 this season in just two starts.

Despite the gaffe, the Angels defeated the Rangers 9-6, with Zach Neto’s double homers and Wade Meckler’s three-run shot. Both Meckler and Neto struck early in the first inning. Neto took the Rangers reliever 427 feet deep again in the bottom of the eighth. Meanwhile, Trout recorded two runs and two hits in his four at-bats on Friday. He is batting .239 this season with 43 hits and 12 homers.

Trout played 106 games as a DH last season owing to a knee injury. He also played in the right-field corner for 22 games in 2025. However, the former MVP has made it clear that he prefers playing center field and not the outfield corners.

“Honestly, I felt like when I was in center, it was less on my body than the corners,” revealed Trout, per MLB.com. “In right, it felt like I was running a lot, but it’s just like a preference thing. I just feel confident in center.”

With the Angels’ postseason chances looking bleak for the twelfth straight season, Trout’s mistake added to the fans’ frustrations. They also don’t seem so confident in Trout.

Angels’ fans fume over Mike Trout’s defensive blunder

“He’s simply not the same athlete he once was. His falloff is really sad to see,” wrote one fan.

Playing the majority of his career at center field, Trout has established himself as one of the elite center fielders. Across 1389 games in center field, Trout has recorded only 18 errors since he debuted in 2011 with a .995 fielding percentage.

A user simply reacted to Trout’s mistake as, “Yikes!” while another remarked, “That’s pure aging. Nothing else.”

Trout is in his age-34 season this year. According to fans, age has impacted his ability. In the last 15 games, Trout has hit just .185. His last homer came against the Athletics on May 19 after an eleven-game drought.

Meanwhile, another commented, “Looks like he’s been watching that spectacular defense from PCA, that he had to mimic it.”

The Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow Armstrong faced multiple troubles on the field this week, ranging from misplays to fines for cursing at a fan. PCA let a single roll away from his glove, leading to a three-run ‘Little League home run’ in the series finale as the Brewers swept them. Before that, he also dropped a routine flyball of Sal Frelick on Tuesday.

“That’s rough, they should trade him to the Yankees,” another remarked.

Despite spending seasons in the major league, Mike Trout has been to the postseason only once. As the Angels have kept missing the playoffs since 2014, fans and analysts are against Trout being wasted away in Anaheim. However, Trout is under a no-trade, 12-year, $426 million contract currently. Furthermore, the hitter has recently revealed that he is also not considering a trade at the moment.

Mike Trout is dedicated to the Angels franchise, having played there throughout his MLB career. But the former MVP unfortunately appears on the track to miss October baseball once again.