StarTalk Radio - #ICYMI - MLB Greatness and Trout 5 Design, with Mike Trout

Episode Date: July 5, 2018

Hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice find out more about the new Trout 5 baseball cleats, data-driven baseball, and how to be baseball’s best player from MLB superstar Mike Trout and Mike Ekstrom, former MLB player and Nike Product Line Manager for Cleated Footwear.Don’t miss an episode of Playing with Science. Please subscribe to our channels on:Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/playing-with-science/id1198280360TuneIn: tunein.com/playingwithscienceGooglePlay Music: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Iimke5bwpoh2nb25swchmw6kzjqSoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/startalk_playing-with-scienceStitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/startalk/playing-with-scienceNOTE: StarTalk All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/mlb-greatness-and-trout-5-design-with-mike-trout/Photo Credit: D. Benjamin Miller [Public domain or CC0], from Wikimedia Commons. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

I'm Gary O'Reilly. And I'm Chuck Nice. And this is Playing With Science. Today we are going to talk to a man who doesn't just hit homers, he smashes them. And if you turn your back, he's stealing bass. And the only clubhouse he's not feared in is his own. That's right. That is none other than already walking, talking and living legend and seemingly the most underrated player

in modern history for some strange reason. We're talking about a man who will rewrite and tear down records at any chance that he's given. none other than baseball's Mike Trout. None other. And that is only part of why we've got him on the show, because he's that good. The other reason, he has a new cleat coming out, the Nike Trout 5. And with the big fuss about cleats right now in Major League Baseball, I suppose really we need to talk to the man who designed the shoe. Yes, that's right. And that is former MLB player Mike Ekstrom. He is the product line manager for Cleated Footwear at, you guessed it, Nike or Nike. And the man behind the Nike Trout or Nike Trout 2, 3, 4, and 5.

So, Mike Ekstrom, welcome to the show, sir. Hey, man. How are you? I'm doing well. Thanks for having me, guys. Mike Trout is not just playing out of his skin, he's just destroying records. He's a phenom. And you read about him, and then you realize that in everything you read,

his name comes up in the same sentence as Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Dave Bruce. And yet, here he is, as Chuck says, he's not quite under the radar, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Babe Bruce. And yet here he is, as Chuck says, he's not quite under the radar, but he's, you know, for all of that, he should be front page every day. Like, you know what's funny? It's like when you look at some guys that you,

when you look at their seasons, all right, like a Ken Griffey Jr., right? Wasn't playing in a big major market, right? But you heard about him all the time, okay? A guy like Barry Bonds, all right? Always the center of the media. What is it about Mike Trout that we're not hearing about this guy all the time? Is there a reason for that? I mean, I don't know. I think the stuff that Mike can do on the baseball field, I mean, the fantastic stuff that he does every night, it just becomes routine.

It makes the game look so easy, whether it's hitting homers, stealing bases, making great plays. I don't know if it's a compliment to make the game look boring, but the stuff that he does, it's just he does the supernatural stuff and he makes it look routine that's what it is and and i'm gonna tell you something so it reminds me of jordan okay so michael jordan did so much like as you say supernatural stuff that when he did something it was just a regular jordan highlight like it wasn't like i do't like, oh, my God.

They were just like, yeah, well, that's Jordan. And I think you just hit upon it. He makes it look easy. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. And Mike, I mean, as I said, he can basically do it all on the field. I mean, but when we're designing cleats, when we're working the team here to kind of enhance his athleticism,

it's a unique challenge in that he can – he's one of the fastest guys in the league, some of the most power. He does it day in, day out, plays a great center field, great defense. So yeah, he poses a challenge for us, creating cleats for him, but it's a great guy for us to work with and the stuff he's doing this year. I mean, it's, it's like the guy never stopped since his debut season six years ago. I mean, he's hit the ground, just keeps getting better and better and better every year. I mean, it's like the guy never stops since his debut season six years ago. That's right. I mean, he's hit the ground. He just keeps getting better and better and better every year. You're a former Major League Baseball player. Yep.

And you're talking about him in those glowing terms. So we can take that as read that he really is as good as you say. And you said his skill set, what do they call them? Five tall, four tall players he may have more yeah all baseball players are judged uh in scouting circles and five tools and so that's hitting power hitting for average game speed defense and arm strength so one of the best compliments in baseball is to be labeled a five-tool player. There's really not very many of them in the big leagues. And Mike is definitely a five-tool player who can do it all on the field. He's the freak athlete.

It's funny when you say on the field because one of the parts of his game that I really love watching is his defense. I've said that here's a guy who loves hitting home runs, but he loves stealing home runs as well because he'll go all the way back to the wall and jump up and he'll go get a ball over the wall and the batter is just like, well, I can't be mad at you because I know you hit the same way I do. So the interesting thing, going back to what you just said, a player like Mike Tr trout presents challenges to your team who design develop bring new footwear utilize new technologies what are the main questions he asked of you and your team in

developing new footwear uh i think for mike i mean mike's a great guy to work with and as now we're on to the trout five he he really knows what he's looking for in his cleats which makes our job just a bit easier but for him it's it's almost protecting mike from himself like the the stuff he can do he's his frame is that of an nfl linebacker he's six two 235 pounds playing baseball where there's not many guys with that frame running it as fast as he he can run uh and so it's give him the containment he needs when he's taking left turns every 90 feet 20 miles an hour uh the comfort because baseball is such a long season but also also the explosiveness for i mean he's a powerful swing or making a first step on a ball. So it's

that blend of power and speed, the athleticism at his size. When Mike needs cleats, he wants cleats that work for him. And that's what we need to deliver. So let me ask you this, when you look around the league, okay. So the, of course I would, because I'm here in New York, the obvious comparison would be Aaron Judge because of his prowess at the plate and the fact that he's such a big guy. You know, he's also a large guy. He's also very fast as well. So who is most like Trout in their style of play and, um, and their approach to the game. Who would you say? Um,

I mean, that's a, that's a tough one. Honestly, I may be a bit biased, but I think you take some of the best elements of other guys in the league. Um, whether it's,

I think Trey Turner for speed, Mike Trout, uh, steals a ton of bags as well. Aaron judge or Giancarlo Stanton with the number, like Mike can hit a ball basically just as far and even with average like uh Jose Altuve who's going to get 200 hits like Trout will be close to him or above him in the uh average so as we talk about it in our just in the

with the team here on campus it's like taking the best elements of the best players in the league and Mike I mean stacks up near them or on par with them or even better than them so we have to kind of work to provide footwear that enhances all the things he can do. Is this now to the point where you think maybe the footwear that you develop for Mike Trout can actually give him a little bit more advantage is that an objective in your design? I mean, I think that's always an objective. It's certainly tough to prove, but that's the goal we're trying to do. The footwear that we're creating, there's so much athleticism there. Whatever we can do to enhance his power, his speed,

and do it over the long baseball season, that's what we're trying to do. So we're going to get into the sneaks. Listen to me. We're going to get into the shows in just a second. We're going to get into the shows. Did I say that? We're going to get into the shoes in a second. You knew what you meant. I knew what I meant. You just couldn't say it. I don't even think I knew what I meant. In other words, we're going to take a break. No, I want to ask you a question before we take a break. Because I want to know, from a pitcher's standpoint, because I know you pitched in the majors, okay, when you go up against these power hitters, okay,

what is it in a pitcher's psyche that you are trying to achieve on a mental level with these guys because you have your limits you know what i mean like your limits are human all right you might have some pitches that they're totally looking for what are you doing psychologically to these guys to try to get an edge i've always wondered like, like, when you go up against, I'm talking like the big, big hitters. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think coming from a former pitcher,

I always knew that the numbers of baseball dictate that the pitcher's supposed to win. Like, the best hitter in baseball is going to hit 300, 330 maybe, so they're going to get out seven times out of 10. And so knowing that's in the back pocket, but then also knowing that they can hit a ball 500 feet and embarrass you. I think it's just being confident with your approach, the pitcher's strengths versus the hitter's weaknesses. And once the ball's out of your hand, you kind of take your chances and hopefully make a pitch. I think if I was better at pitching, I'd probably still be doing it.

So maybe I'm not the best guy for advice. But it's just having confidence and trying to execute the game plan. I think you're selling yourself short. I think you've got more skills than you're letting on. Are you one of those pitchers that can remember every pitch they threw uh i maybe not every pitch but i can certainly remember uh that's see that's see every picture i've spoken to oh yeah i'm just about recall every single pitch that i've thrown well and you're thinking no and then they go into it with you and you're like well they can and it's it's a're like, well, they can.

And it's a picture thing that they're able to give that. I wouldn't want that skill. I've made way too many mistakes in my life. I've made way too many mistakes in my life to want that kind of recall. Should we take that break? Yeah, let's do it. Okay, we'll take that break. These, for those of you behind All Access can see, are super, super incredible brand new cleats and sneakers. Mike Trout 5.

Yeah, if you want to know what the tech is inside of these bad boys, stick around. We'll be back very, very shortly with Mike Ekstrom, product line manager from Nike. Yes, that is. Back shortly. Welcome back to Playing With Science. We're chatting with Mike Ekstrom, the product line manager for cleated footwear at Nike, or Nike, depending on your preference,

and the lead designer of the new Trout 5 cleat, coming to a sports store near you very, very soon. See, now, when it's Nike, then the Nike Trout 5 sounds perfect because it's Mike Trout and Nike Trout. But you got to call him Mikey for it to be the Nike Trout 5. He doesn't sound like a Mikey. He doesn't sound like a Mikey to me either.

No. Like, yeah. Yeah, but there we are. He likes it. Yeah, I like the punch in the face. No, he's too nice of a guy. All right, well, let's get into these

because you said a five-tool player will present you as a designer with a bag full of considerations in terms of what you do. Let's break this down because it's a very intricate upper that you have on this cleat. So, Mike Ekstrom, please explain what we are looking at right now. this cleat so Mike Ekstrom please explain what we are looking at right now yes so on the on the trout 5 elite and trout 5 turf we were given kind of a unique opportunity to use generative design to use athlete data in the sport to really influence the design of the cleat and you really see that come to life both in the plate in the upsole and in the upper and so we could really generate a design that was truly engineered to the exact specifications of mike trout and that's something we say here at nike where we're engineering products specifically

for the athletes there's five um i mean we have mike in the lab here at the NSRL, the Nike Sports Research Lab, February of 2016. And he was engaged with pressure map data and sensors, in-shoe pressure maps, while doing swings, making throws, running bases. And we could see how his foot really interacted. Wow. foot really interacted. And then the computational designers here took that data and translated it into both the plate and the upper to give him more support where he needed it, more flexibility for better fit to really tune the shoe 360 degrees to the exactly fit form and function that he needs to play the game of baseball. So it's really cool to engage with that data to influence the design specifically to his needs in the sport.

So this really is truly a data-informed shoe. It's a shoe that is made from zeros and ones for the most part. Yeah, and I think I'm not a designer. I'm just the product manager. But the design teams that really focus on that, they take that data and they do their thing and they spit it out into this design that is perfectly formed just for him. So being able to translate what's happening to his foot while he's taking a swing, making a throw, rounding bases. It's really, really cool how it came to life. You've got different textures and finishes on the upper, and the sole seems to be an integral part of the upper.

It's all as if it's one piece, although it isn't quite. Can you explain why we've got such different texturing? Because the upper, not like on a soccer shoe, would come into contact with the ball. So there must be some reason, unless it is obviously cosmetic, but I'm guessing there's a very good reason. Yeah, so we're calling that the Nike Power Map Upper. And it's mapped off the power generated in Mike's foot. So you'll see up in the rear quarter, up kind of where the ankle would be, the cells are bigger, they're more robust. And this is if you think of Mike rounding bases or breaking on a ball, he's going to need more support in that area.

You go up into the forefoot where you need more, just like a more one-to-one fit for that run of comfort, the cells are going to be a little bit shallower, less built to provide that better fit. And then as you come down towards the sole, you've got those larger configurations, but the sole kind of looks as if it's reaching up into the upper of the shoe and it's sat and cradled in it. And yeah, it's quite a feat of engineering. How long did it take to actually bring this

from a clear sheet of paper to what we're looking at right now? Well, I think in cleated footwear here at Nike, it takes from initial brief to when the shoe is in the box for sale. It takes about two and a half years. Wow. Just, I mean, tons of iterations,

layering in the data generation on this one sure it actually works in functions where testing uh getting with mike we probably sat with mike trout six or seven times on this cleat to get his thoughts because first and foremost it's his signature model it has to be exactly what he wants, both in look, but then also in function. So getting Mike involved to make sure we're designing exactly what he wants, and then making something that can be manufactured and will work on the field, it takes over two years to get that done. And it feels like it. So let me just tell our listeners and those of you who are watching. So this is the turf shoe that I'm holding.

listeners and those of you who are watching. So this is the turf shoe that I'm holding. And Nike sent these to us, I suppose, just so that we could have them here while we're doing the show. And we're grateful for that. And we are grateful. And I'm going to be very honest right now. When I heard we were doing a show, a whole show on a stupid shoe, I was like, why are we doing this? I'm just going to be honest. I was like, we shouldn't be doing a show on a shoe, right? And then I stuck my foot inside of this thing. And I have never, ever, ever in my life had my foot feel so good, ever. In all my years of walking this earth, I put my foot in this shoe. And it is the best damn thing that ever happened to my foot.

And here's the thing. It's like half a size too small, and I still didn't want to take it off. Unbelievable. And I'm sorry. Ugly stepsister. What's that? Ugly stepsister. I am the ugly stepsister.

No Cinderella. And I was just like, I don't care. Please. So let me ask you, Mike. First of all, from the comfort standpoint, you made this for, of course, the performance for Mike Trout. But how is it that you're able to get that form fit and that comfort and that just, I don't know, man. I don't know how to explain it. It's like your foot is inside like a sex room or something.

It's unbelievable. Come back to us. What happens to make that happen? Seriously. Well, I think I'll pass that description along to the team. They'll be excited to hear it. So well-perceived. I think we do a lot of stuff.

And in baseball, probably to kind of preface, the number one comment and request we get from athletes is to make a comfortable cleat and a comfortable trainer. Because so much of the game, I mean baseball is a three-hour game and there's a lot of standing, a lot of jogging. It's just got to be comfortable over a six-month season. Okay. And I think on turf shoe and also on the cleat, we use Zoom Air cushioning. So you'll see on the shoe there's a couple of orange hexagonal pods. Yeah, right. You'll see that through the sole on the bottom.

Yeah. Yep. And so those are specifically placed, taken off the data mapping from when Mike was in the lab, in the heel and two up in the forefoot, to eliminate on the cleat the stud pressure. So the metal is there jabbing up into the bottom of your foot. We want to eliminate on the cleat, the stud pressure. So the metal, they're jabbing up into the bottom of your foot. We want to make it so an athlete doesn't feel that. And then on the turf,

kind of the same sensation, just that comfort, uh, coupled with the foam just to basically give your foot a vacation while you're on the baseball field. That was really what we were getting after there. And zoom zoom is cool because it's air, but then there's also nylon fibers in there that will give you a little bit of rebound. So you get a little energy return with each step.

Well, I got to tell you, and listen, people, I don't care if you call me a shill. I don't care what you think. Nike doesn't give us any money. They are not sponsoring this. There is no reason for us to endorse this. You are happy. I have never endorsed a product on this show, okay? And I am telling you right now, I have never in my life put my foot in a shoe and had it feel so good. And you just explained why.

Basically, this is what ballplayers want. They want comfort. They want more comfort. You guys have- And it's a practical reason. Yeah. You've succeeded swimmingly. I can't it it's so i'm enough for me i'm sorry let me let me address the cleat here with you please mike because you've got a variety of cleats on the sole there some are a certain shape some are just very slightly smaller and flat but they're all basically at slightly different angles now is this specific to every cleat you make or is this now something that you've developed purely from the trout five

uh the actual placement of the studs on that trout five are very similar to where nike cleats have been in the past probably five to ten years. And I think it's also been derived from pressure data of rotational forces and translational forces of what the foot's doing in different baseball moves where you need traction and where each cleat has a very specific function. Like at the very tip of the toe for toe-off, you need a cleat there. Baseball's a very rotational game so you need that's why they're kind of almost in circular patterns where if you

think i've taken a swing or stealing a base there's that kind of step and drive rotational move and so those cleats they're they're in the same spots of where we've been in the past i think they're as when you look underfoot it almost looks like a spider-man design yes that generative structure that is directly informed from a mike trout pressure map and we have smaller cells where you need more structure more stiffness ones where you need like up in the forefoot where you need more flexibility to make it more feel touch more like a running ship cool the interesting thing is you've got someone who's naturally quick hence the stealing of bases someone who can hit it for as far as you ever need to hit a baseball so then you've got a guy who's running and the outfield the infield is an unforgiving place in terms of shoes because you're diving, you're scraping

through. How do you combine lightweight, strength and durability? Has that proved a problem? Because you think back to days gone by where it would have been canvas or whatever material was available. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think that's inherently the challenge in making cleats is that, especially for a guy like Mike Trapp, you need to do all those things. And then he's such a big athletic freak athlete. He's an NFL linebacker who is amazingly good at baseball. And so, yeah, we're always looking to find the most lightweight but still supportive materials and then they also have to withstand a long season on dirt and grass and all sorts of junk that baseball players can throw on and so being able to do that that's what drives our innovation so we're always going to get you

can't i mean you can almost do my job. What you just said, lightweight and supportive and durable, comfortable, that's what we're trying to do here. And I think for Trout 5, we're in a really good spot for providing that for Mike Trout. I think if you got me to work for you designing at Nike, it'd be like that episode where Homer Simpson designed a car. The Homer? Yeah. Pun intended. Yeah, that would be, I'd make the

Homer. Please don't do that. But has there been something that's come along since you've been working with Nike in this capacity that has changed the game in terms of how you go about making this sort of footwear? I think, honestly, the generative nature of this cleat, of actually taking data direct from the athlete doing moves, is something that's a very new space, not only in baseball, but Nike's done it on some track spikes and also in basketball a bit, but really engineering the cleats exactly to the athlete need using data computational design it's uh kind of getting us into a new spot where the cleats are truly designed

based on the athlete needs and we can take it all the way back to two years ago and Mike Trout was in the lab and we could see exactly what his foot was doing, the data that was generated off that of where the foot is applying more pressure, where there's less, and apply that directly to the final product to give him what he needs. So final question, let me ask you this. Mike Trout 6, can we expect it to, when you take them off, will it walk to the store and get you a coffee and come back? When you take them off, will it walk to the store and get you a coffee and come back? I don't know if I can guarantee that. But we're taking hopefully the success of this five and then making the six even better. Sweet, man. Isn't that just?

Wow. I got to tell you, man. You're impressed. I'm impressed. I mean, if anyone thinks Chuck's been faking it, no. You should have seen his little face when he put that shoe on. Oh, man. Because quite as is kept when it comes to this kind of stuff, I'm kind of a hater.

I always think that it's just marketing stuff, to be honest. I always think, like, companies do this kind of stuff just to have, like, marketing points. Like, everything you said, it's for real. It's not, like, you guys are doing this for real, man. So, congratulations is all I got to say. Carry on the good work, sir. And congratulations to your team. All right. Well, thanks for the time, guys.

I'll pass it along to the guys. And I'm sure Chuck will email you his size sometime in the very near future. All right. Don't say that on the air. That's not cool. Yes, it is. It's going to happen, though. Yeah.

It's certainly going to happen. Right. To Mike Ekstrom, thank you so much indeed uh product line manager at nike uh we will take a break yes and when we come back it's that man the man himself yes mr trout or mike trout to you um yeah stick around you're going to want to hear what he has to say we're back shortly we have not just nike's involvement once again, but the opportunity to speak to one of the game's current superstars. Yeah, and probably, probably, probably,

maybe definitely, the best player in baseball right now, which is so cool to be able to have him here. And it's so Mike Trout. Mike Trout, pleasure to have you, sir. Thank you for being our guest. You've got a brand new shoe coming out, the Trout 5. We will get to that shortly.

But first of all, wow. How's it feel to be the best player in baseball right now? Come on. Come on and tell the truth, Mike. Give it to us, Mike. Give us the truth, man. You're the best damn player in baseball, brother. Come on. Come on and tell the truth, Mike. Give it to us, Mike. Give us the truth, man. You're the best damn player in baseball, brother. Come on. How's that feel? That's got to feel great. It feels great. You know, I enjoy playing this game. You know, my mentality is to

try to be the best player every day on the field, come in, learn new things, just try to get better each and every day. If it's, you know, offensively or defensively, I just, I enjoy playing this guy. I have so much fun. I have so much passion to try to win. And, you know, I just love coming to the ballpark. How do you keep that drive? Because it's okay people say, oh, I need to improve.

But there's some guys that do, some guys that don't. I mean, I'm putting you in the do category just in case you were worried. How do you keep that momentum? Yeah, I always have fun doing it. All right. Since I was a little kid, you know, I just, if it involves any kind of sport, my competition and my, uh, uh, competitiveness, uh, for the sport, uh, it doesn't matter what, what it is.

I want to win. And, um, you know, you can ask my family, my wife, uh, if it's anything, uh, involves, you know, winning, you know, I, I always try to win and, you know, it's sometimes with my wife, it's, uh, yeah, we argue. And you don't win and you don't win. Mike, tell the truth. Guess what? You And, you know, sometimes with my wife, it's, you know, we argue a little bit. And you don't win. And you don't win, Mike. Tell the truth.

Guess what? You lose. And you know it. You know you lose. It's, you know, it's tough when you're winning and losing with your wife. That's right. But, you know, it's, for me, I love winning. And I do whatever I can to, you know, get better each and every day. And, you know, I have fun doing it.

I play the game hard and, you know, I enjoy it. Like I said, I enjoy coming to the park every day and seeing my teammates and, you know, coaches and, you know, going out there and competing. Is there a part of the game that you have found more difficult to come to terms with? Because you seem to have quite a wide-reaching skill set, something you don't know, right? But is there an element that you think, oh, I really haven't got that down yet? You know, obviously the offensive side,

the numbers are there, but it's hard. It's not... You're going to fail majority of the time, but you know, if you get hits three out of 10, you know, it's you're doing something good. You're a superstar, man. Yeah. It's tough. It's challenging. You know, it's, it's, it's every pitch, every at bat. The mental side of the game is, is, is, is tough. You know, if you, you easily, you know, the game humbles you pretty quick

if you think you've got it figured out. You know, you go through some stretches where you're seeing the ball like a beach ball, and, you know, the next day you're 0 for 4. So it'll humble you. It's a tough game. Offensively, it's just – it's about adjustments and making adjustments. And we've – speaking of that, so listen to this. A couple years ago, this was what they were saying.

So, like, that Mike Trout had a weakness, and the weakness was up and in. All right? You go up and in on Mike Trout, and guess what? You'll frustrate him. That is no longer a weakness, my friend. I have been watching you, buddy. That is no longer a weakness. We told. I have been watching you, buddy. That is no longer a weakness. We told you about stalking major baseball players. All I can say is, if you're

talking about the mental aspect of the game, what do you do to overcome that? Because when pitchers are looking at you, now you're screwing with their head because they're thinking, I'm going to go up and in on Mike. And then you pop one on them and they're like I'm gonna go up and in on Mike and then you pop one on them and they're like wait a minute that was supposed to work now they're thinking about you differently the next time they face you how do you do that mentally yeah um for me it's uh it's kind of crazy because obviously you know last year and a few years ago they were you know getting me out up you know know, swinging at it. And I think the biggest thing is I was telling myself not to swing at it.

And once I saw it, you know, I was swinging at it. So I just told myself if I get on time and my foot's down and I'm seeing the ball good, you know, I won't swing at it. And I'll just lay off that pitch. And I think I was I was mentally telling myself not to swing at it. And it was making me swing at it. So, you know, I knew they were pitching up, and, you know, I just told myself just be on time. And, you know, I usually take that pitch. I did work on it in the cage and, you know, in BP, just, you know, the ball's up, just trying to get on top of it. And that helped me out a little bit because, you know, there's still a strike zone up there and, you know,

the guys and, you know, pitchers, they like to throw up there, you know, especially nowadays with, you know, guys throwing, you know, hundreds. So it's tough. But like I said, the mental side is just staying. You know, you get frustrated sometimes because you're swinging at it, you know. And I think for me, if I tell myself that not're swinging at it you know and I think for me if I if I tell

myself that not to swing at it it uh it kind of you know reverse effect and I swing at it so I just don't even don't even worry about it and you know just make just uh tell myself I get my foot down on time I won't swing it so we spoke with Ned Coletti the former Dodgers if I'm allowed to mention them in your presence GM and he said that they were working with players on the cognitive skills, the mental expansion of their game, not just the hours in the batting cages. You obviously have done. But do you find the Angels are working in a similar way with you

and the other players? Yeah, it is. You know, the mental side of the game is huge in the game of baseball um you know for me it's it's really big you know i always stay positive you know you go through stretches where it's it's it's negative you know like i say you're gonna fail fail a lot in this game and you know if you stay positive and you know the angels you know bring in guys and you know we have a you know mental guy that comes in and just you know, the Angels, you know, bring in guys and, you know, we have a mental guy that comes in and just, you know, helps us out. And just if you need help or, you know, just visualize, you know, I think the biggest thing is visualize and everything before it happens. You know, put positive thoughts in your head. Get the negative out. Don't even think about the negative.

And, you know, if you go up there, if you're on deck and you tell yourself, man, this guy's a tough pitcher, you're going to you know, you don't want to strike out. You're going to strike out. It is how it works. You're thinking about it, and it's going to happen. But if you say, hey, he's a good pitcher, but if I put a good swing on the ball, good pitch to hit, I'm going to hit the ball hard. So it's a big side to baseball nowadays, and it's helped me out throughout. Let's talk about the opposite side of that which is so you got the mental side but then you also have the

work and uh albert pullo says that you are probably like the hardest working guy on the team but yet here you are the best parent player in baseball a lot of people would feel like you know maybe i don't have to be the hardest working guy. Yet the example that you're setting is just the opposite. So tell me about that work ethic and exactly where do you find joy in that work ethic? Yeah, you know, it's a long season. So obviously you got to stay healthy. You know, we're going through a crazy stretch right now with injuries.

But I try to keep the same routine. And obviously when Albert mentioned that, he's one of the guys that I look up to. And when I first started coming here, he stuck with his routine. And he comes to the ballpark with a purpose. And my routine is simple. I comes to the ballpark with a purpose and you know my routine is simple um you know i come to the ballpark you know i get i get a lift in you know once a series um you know i come in and you know some days i don't even hit bp i try to get off my feet i go out there stretch throw a little bit but then i you know come in and you know around six

o'clock for a game i go to the cage you know hit a few off the tee um just to get my swing playing right and then i do some flips um and then i hit it uh some live pitching for a couple you know swings and then i hit some curveballs but i but i try to keep the same routine every day um you know i think that's big in this game is to keep the same routine and have a purpose. It's a long season, so you've got to keep your body healthy. And I think that's the biggest part is just feeling. Some days you're going to go out there and you wake up and you're tired and your legs are a little heavy, but you've just got to grind through it.

You're playing a game. You're getting paid to go out there and compete and have fun. You're blessed to go out there and put that jersey on. I just always tell myself I'm always out here having fun. Don't worry about all that stuff and go from there. Good man, good man. I think if I'm not mistaken, you are probably now the first real superstar of the deep statistical analysis that is now ever-present in Major League Baseball.

We can go back through the list of the people that have gone before you, and you're blessed to be in those same conversations. But how much do you drill down into the big data of stats and numbers for your own personal game? You know, it's funny because i don't like looking at that stuff yeah yeah yeah you know it's obviously out there um but uh you know a lot of a lot of for me it's keeping it simple i think if i if i look at look at uh too much data or look at my launch angle um look at uh just different things you know, there's so much, so many scouting reports,

so much, you know, percentages here, percentages there on pitches. You know, like for me, my routine is looking at the pitch, like tonight, the starter, you know, looking at his pitches tonight, you know, fastball, curveball, slider, changeup. Look at his percentage, what's he go to, you know, his secondary pitches, and, you know, changeup. Look at his percentage. What's he go to? You know, his secondary pitches. And, you know, I just keep it simple as that. You know what it sounds like to me, Mike?

It sounds like to me like you're a guy who has, like, this subconscious philosophy of I'm not going to get in my own head. Exactly. I'm going to stay out of my own head. I'm going to stay out of my own way. I'm going to stay out of my own way. Yeah, absolutely. I think if you get that little guy off your shoulder, talking to you, I think it is.

Cause once you, once you put thoughts in your head to the mental side, I think that's when you get in trouble. You know, if, if, if you're telling yourself not to swing or not to do this, not to, you know, if you strike out, you're going to do it. So for me, I just I just try to keep it simple as possible. You know, no, he's no, he's got a fastball. I know it's secondary pitches and, you know, keep it simple as that. You know, if I go up there and look at percentage, say, oh, it's two. He's throwing a slider in the dirt. I'm not going to swing. And then, you know, you go up there and you take a say oh it's two he's throwing a slider in the dirt i'm not going to swing and then you know you go up there you take a fastball middle away you're like you know what's going on here you know and a lot of guys pitch you different you know it's some some percentages

you know there'll be one percent and you'll have a you'll have a a big battle and you haven't seen that pitch yet and then i'll throw it you know there's that's that 1%. So it's, it's, it's, it's, there's a lot of things you can, a lot of like reports and data nowadays, you know, guys can look into, you know, I know a lot of guys that like that stuff, but for me, it's just keeping it simple. Well, there you go, man. I'm going to call that MVP advice.

There you go. Get out of your own head. Keep it simple, man. Right. Let's talk, let's talk about the shoes because invariably that's why we're here. The Trout 5, congratulations on the previous four. Yeah.

And congratulations on this. How much involvement have you had personally with the way that the shoe's designed because of the specifics in your own particular game? Yeah. It was crazy because when I went to the campus and, you know, got tested, you know, did all this stuff for, you know, my feet and just the involvement of so much detail is incredible. go in there and see what they can do to make it lighter, make it more comfortable, make it just, just the ability to do all that stuff to put in a shoe and a cleat. And, you know, for me is I want to go out there and be comfortable, you know, I want to have a shoe I can, I can trust to, you know, have great support and be comfortable and obviously be light. And, uh, you know, when I went

to the, um, you know, the facility in Oregon, it was, you know, the factory was pretty crazy. All the stuff they could do to your feet and figure out, like, your pressure points or which way do you, you know, when you're running around the bases and we hit the base, what pressure on your big toe. You know, it's just crazy stuff that goes into a cleat. And, you know, nowadays that just crazy stuff that goes into a cleat. And, you know, nowadays you can make a perfect cleat. See, but you have such a different, you have such a wide, we've talked about it, a wide-ranging skill set. It's not just about anchoring your feet when you're hitting, but you tear up the bases, dude.

You're stealing those things for fun. And forget just that. I mean, it's like one of the things you do in center field is you actually steal home. So you hit hit home runs but you also steal home runs which means you which means you got to get up and you got to get some vertical like height and and as well as be able to have the stability to run the bases so uh you know that's pretty important when you went in there did you think they would be able to build a shoe that Mike Trout went yeah wow this covers everything you know going in there and seeing you know everything they could uh they could do and

find out about your foot um you know after you know when I put it on it was you know it was basically what you just said just wow um you know know, it's pretty, like I said, the technology nowadays, and, you know, I was finding stuff on my feet that I didn't even know I had, like just pressure points and just heat zones, and it's just so incredible, the technology. It's pretty remarkable, and, you know, I can't thank them enough for, you know, obviously being one of their athletes and, you know, making shoes. And, you know, the process has been unbelievable.

I'm having so much fun with it. You know, I'm just very blessed for sure. Mike, just from talking to you, I know you're proud to have your name on these shoes. So we wish you the very best of luck with the Trout Fives, very best of luck for the season with the Angels, and for the rest of your career. So it's been a pleasure.

Thank you so much for sharing this time with us. Keep up the outstanding work, my friend. Keep doing it. You know, I always got that drive. That's right. Go out there and compete and have some fun. A bit simple. So that's our show.

Thank you to the one and only baseball superstar, Mike Trout. And of course, Mike Ekstrom. Our new best friend, Mike Ekstrom. You know it. Yeah. Going to email him right after the show. Guess what size Chuck and Gary are. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. We'll be dancing down the street, a new pair of Nikes. That'll be fun. Right. This has been Playing With Science. I'm Gary O'Reilly. And I'm Chuck Nice. And I hope you've had fun.

We look forward to your company very, very soon.