Trout bookends Halos' top 10 plays of decade

ANAHEIM -- Over the past decade, Angels players have made their share of highlight-reel defensive plays.

The Angels saw four players win Gold Glove Awards over the past 10 years with shortstop Erick Aybar winning one in 2011, right fielder Kole Calhoun in '15 and catcher Martín Maldonado and shortstop Andrelton Simmons in '17. Surprisingly, three-time MVP Mike Trout has never won a Gold Glove, but he was the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in '12.

Here’s a look at the top 10 defensive plays of the decade, with Trout, Calhoun and Simmons featured prominently:

1) Trout robs Hardy
June 27, 2012, at Orioles

It’s perhaps Trout’s signature play of his unbelievable career, and it came in Baltimore during his rookie season. Trout made an incredible leaping catch at the wall to rob J.J. Hardy of a homer, and it helped put Trout on the map during his AL Rookie of the Year campaign. Trout was running full speed to make the play, helping Jered Weaver, who couldn’t believe what he saw, on the mound.

2) Bourjos robs Hardy
June 11, 2013, at Orioles

Almost exactly a year after Trout’s amazing grab to rob Hardy of a homer, Peter Bourjos did the same thing at Camden Yards in 2013. Just like Trout, Bourjos made a full-speed sprint to the center-field wall and leaped to take away a homer from Hardy. Watch here >>

3) Calhoun robs Holt
Aug. 19, 2014, at Red Sox

Calhoun's signature play came in 2014, when he robbed Brock Holt of a three-run homer at Fenway Park with a leaping grab against the right-field fence. The Angels later made a bobblehead depicting Calhoun's amazing catch. Watch here >>

4) Fletcher starts incredible double play
Sept. 21, 2019, at Astros

David Fletcher had a breakout season in 2019, and he started one of the better double plays you’ll ever see. Against the Astros, Fletcher made a diving stop and flip all in one motion at second base. Simmons completed the double play with a strong throw to first to retire Yordan Alvarez.

5) Simmons with acrobatic tag
April 8, 2017, vs. Mariners

Simmons showed off his athleticism, making a leaping catch on a high throw to third from first baseman Jefry Marté and making the tag on Jean Segura. It was a play that few defenders could make because of the body control and quickness of Simmons.

6) Shuck goes over the wall
Aug. 2, 2013, vs. Blue Jays

Left fielder JB Shuck took away a homer from Toronto’s Jose Bautista with a catch that saw Shuck end up over the wall but with the ball in hand. He jumped into the crowd to make the catch, with the fans celebrating with him.

7) Simba races back for the catch
May 30, 2018, at Tigers

Simmons made an amazing catch on a popup to shallow left field, racing back 85 feet, per Statcast, to rob Victor Martinez of a bloop single. It ended with a full-extension dive from Simmons and awed the crowd at Comerica Park.

8) Calhoun makes full-extension snare
Aug. 8, 2019, at Red Sox

Calhoun made another incredible play at Fenway Park, this time taking away a hit from Xander Bogaerts with a running full-extension catch in the right-field corner. Even the Red Sox fans in the crowd gave Calhoun an ovation.

9) Cowart makes the play at third
Aug. 29, 2016, at Reds

Kaleb Cowart has always been a strong defender at third, and he made a stellar play on a ball hit down the line by Joey Votto that bounced off the bag. Kowart was able to recover, snatch the ball after it hit the base, and make a strong throw to first to get Votto.

10) Trout robs Yelich
April 8, 2019, at Brewers

Trout’s best defensive play during his 2019 MVP season was an MVP-on-MVP crime, as he robbed a homer from Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich, the 2018 National League MVP. Yelich tipped his cap to Trout after he made the leaping catch at the wall, and they spoke of their mutual respect postgame.