On Mike Trout's weight gain and expected 2013 performance

There has been much ado made of the recent revelation that Mike Trout packed an additional ten to fifteen pounds of muscle onto his frame over the course of the off-season. One reporter stated that he now looked more like an NFL fullback, whereas last season he looked more like an NFL running back. Others have nicknamed him "Fat Mike" (ostensibly based upon the lead singer/bassist for the band NOFX) and "Beefy Trout".

This size change understandably has people concerned; a common adage in a non-contact sport like baseball is that one can get "too bulky" to be an impact player. Here is where I must disagree, and I elaborate after the jump.