Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout has been one of the most consistent stars over the past decade. He's already regarded as an all-time great player. The Angels' struggles during his tenure in Anaheim haven't been ideal, but Trout has remained sharp. In 2023, though, he's slumping.

Every baseball player goes through rough stretches. But for Mike Trout, the '23 campaign has been a forgettable one. As of this story's publication, Trout is slashing .254/.351/.475 with an .826 OPS and 14 home runs. For some players, those numbers would be excellent. For the three-time MVP, however, his production has been subpar. So what exactly is wrong with Mike Trout?

Without further ado, here is the real reason Trout is struggling in 2023.

The real reason Mike Trout is struggling in 2023

Mike Trout, Angels

The underlying numbers suggest Trout isn't doing much differently. In fact, his 2023 hard-hit percentage (51.5 percent) is higher than his career average of 49.4 percent. Trout isn't elevating the ball like he did in 2022, but he's still hitting the ball in the air at a respectable rate.

Trout's walk percentage is lower than his career rate, but is higher than 2022 when he performed at a tremendous level despite dealing with injuries. Trout's .351 OBP isn't great but it also isn't awful by any means.

The primary reason for Mike Trout's 2023 frustration is strikeouts.

Trout's career strikeout rate is 22.3 percent. In 2023, he currently owns the highest strikeout percentage of his career with a mark of 28.3 percent, per Baseball Reference. So when Trout is hitting the baseball, he's still performing well. The issue is that he simply isn't making as much contact as he typically does.

Trout's 79 strikeouts are tied for the fifth highest in all of MLB, trailing only Jarred Kelenic, Ryan McMahon, Teoscar Hernandez, and Matt Olson.

Is there reason to be confident that Mike Trout will rebound and begin to limit his strikeouts?

Will the Angels' superstar bounce back?

The fact that almost everything else is similar to Trout's career averages is a good sign. The concern is his swing-and-miss when it comes to breaking balls. Trout is a player who can usually handle breaking pitches. He owns a 39.3 percent whiff rate when it comes to breaking balls in 2023 though, per Baseball Savant.

In the end, we are still talking about Mike Trout. He hasn't carved out a reputation as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer by mistake. Two and a half underwhelming months aren't enough for anyone to confidently press the panic button. Even if Trout doesn't fix his strikeout issues and maintains his current productivity, he still would have a decent season overall.

However, the odds suggest that Trout will bounce back and return to his MVP-caliber form at some point. His track record is something to certainly fall back on.

The Angels have remained competitive in 2023 amid Trout's woes at the plate. They are currently 36-31, a mark that is good for third place in the AL West. The Halos expect to fight for a Wild Card spot at the very least in 2023. Doing so, however, will prove to be a challenge given the talented teams in front of them.

If Mike Trout is able to join Shohei Ohtani and start playing up to his usual standards, the Angels will receive a major boost. Monitoring Trout's strikeouts moving forward will be important for the ball club though.