Trout leads MLB in home runs, but he's not trying to hit them

All these home runs Mike Trout has been hitting to start the year aren't on purpose.

The Los Angeles Angels star took sole possession of the league lead with his ninth homer Sunday, though he claims he's not swinging for the fences.

"I'm having good at-bats and making a good swing at the ball," Trout said, according to Avery Yang of MLB.com. "For me, I'm not trying to hit home runs, I'm just trying to get the barrel on the ball and they're going out of the park."

Trout's home run Sunday came off the bat at 110 mph, and he has now gone deep in three straight games. His nine home runs through his first 22 games tied the Angels' franchise record, and he's currently on pace to hit more than 60 this season, which would eclipse the career-high 41 he belted back in 2015.

While Trout's always been a power threat - he hit 33 homers in 114 games last year - he's sending more balls into the air this season. Trout has seen a rise in his flyball percentage and a decline in ground balls, with a career-high percentage of the balls he's hitting in the air leading to homers.

Another factor attributing to Trout's power numbers early on is the number of pitches he's barreling and the velocity with which he's driving the ball: He has hit 44.8 percent of balls at more than 95 mph and is barreling at a career-high clip.

Maybe there's something to his secret drink.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)
(Tables courtesy: Fangraphs, Baseball Savant)