Did Anybody Ever Really Doubt That Mike Trout Would Be An Angel? Me!
Shocked?
Yes!
Stunned?
For Sure!
Surprised?
You bet!
Fooled Me
It was something I wasn’t expecting to happen.
But don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t be happier that it did.
Ecstatic, exuberant, excited, whatever…!
Still, I wouldn’t be truthful if I told you I expected Mike Trout to be an Angel for life.
Philly Perfect Fit
To be pefectly honest, I thought Trout would end up in Philadelphia.
It just made too much sense.
Forty five miles from his Millville, New Jersey home.
An Eagle season ticket holder.
Newest Philly Bryce Harper openly campaigning for Trout to join him in the Citizens Bank Park outfield.
And before last season’s late fade, Philadelphia actually challenged in the National League East.
It just seemed like the perfect destination.
What Makes Trout Tick?
That just goes to show you that none of us know Trout like Trout knows Trout!
That collective sigh of relief emanating from Anaheim could have rocked the Richter Scale.
Trout’s contract certainly did.
His current agreement will earn him $33.25M in 2019 and 2020.
What the 6-2, 235-pounder actually signed was a 10-year, $360M deal that takes affect in 2021.
Total package: $426.5M for 12 years of roaming the Big-A outfield?
Astronomical?
It’s a real head scratcher.
Deserved?
The numbers speak for themselves.
Trout’s Resume
So where do we start?
How about at the beginning (2012) when Trout was honored as the American League’s Rookie Of The Year.
Don’t forget two (2014, 2016) Most Valuable Player awards. Or the four years (2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018) he finished second in the balloting.
Then there were his consecutive (2014, 2015) All Star Game MVP accolades. And he is a seven time All-Star.
His other memorabilia includes six Silver Slugger trophies.
And for an athlete who has yet to reach his prime, Trout’s statistics are staggering.
He is hitting .307. His OBP: .417. His slugging percentage: .573.
Best Of The Best!
And his Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is out of sight. At 64.3 through his age 26 season, Trout’s WAR is the best in major league history!
Those in the rear view mirror include Ty Cobb (63.4) and Mickey Mantle (61.4).
The two other members of the $300M community: Manny Machado (33.4) and Harper (27.4) were barely visible.
Oddly, it was the snail paced signings of Machado and Harper, which dragged for what seemed like forever, that sped negotiations between Trout and the Angels.
“I kind of saw what Manny and Bryce went through and it drew a red flag for me.
“It was a tough couple of months in the off season.
“They put perspective in my mind,” Trout admitted.
Former Angel rental Mark Teixeira has been there, done that!
“From my perspective, free agency can definitely be frustrating. Stressful. All of the above,” said Teixeira, who fled Anaheim for New York pinstrips after half a season.
Trout didn’t want that on his plate.
No Time Like The Present
“I said I want to deal with it now,” the future first ballot Hall of Famer said. “If not, I’m going to explore free agency.
“I didn’t want to go through the next few seasons thinking, ‘Am I going to get a deal of not?’ I want to know.
“The Angels, (owner) Arte (Moreno), (General Manager) Billy (Eppler) and (President) John Caprino sat down and said to me, ‘Let’s get this done.’
Ageless Albert Pujols, who on December 8, 2011, inked a $240M, 10-year contract with the Angels, can empathize with Trout.
“For Trout to get that done and knowing that he ain’t going nowhere, that’s always pretty special.
“He doesn’t have to think about the free agent year or anything.
“I had to think about that, going through what I went through in St. Louis,” said the 39-year old veteran, who is entering his 20th season.
Not that there weren’t anxious moments.
“It was a crazy process, the last few weeks, but I’m happy. I’m relieved. If we hadn’t gotten a deal done, it would have been tough for me. I obviously want to be here,” Trout said.
Turn The Page
But what Trout desperately wants more than anything else is success for the Angels.
The team’s disappointing results during Trout’s seven full seasons have been painfully chronicled.
One playoff appearance, in 2014, when the Angels had the best record in baseball (98-64). Yet, they were unceremoniously swept in the divisional series by wild card Kansas City, 3-0.
Losing records in each of the last three summers.
An ugly start to the 2019 season when, once again, a plethora of crippling injures has unfortunately dominated the headlines.
Perhaps frustrated, Trout nonetheless remains optimistic.
“I feel the pieces we have coming up in the minor leagues, we have great prospects, great arms,” Trout pointed out.
Impeccable Vision
Thanks to the keen eye of Eppler and his diligent lieutenants, the Angels farm system has risen from 30th in 2016 to 14th last season, according to Baseball America.
Shohei Ohtani (1), Jaime Barria (6), Tyler Ward (19) and David Fletcher (27) , were all in the Top 30. Even though neither Felix Pena nor Justin Anderson were ranked in the Top 100, all are expected to contribute this year.
Seven of the Angels Top 10 prospects (Joe Adell, Griffin Canning, Jose Suarez, Johnai Jones, Matt Thaiss, Luis Rengifo and Ty Buttrey) finished last summer at either AAA or AA.
Adell, Brandon Marsh and 2018 first rounder Jordyn Adams could be impact players sooner rather than later.
Last summer at Burlington, Inland Empire and Mobile, 19-year old Adell hit .290 with 20 home runs and 77 runs batted in. Add to that an OBP of .355 and slugging percentage of .543.
The 22-year old Canning, a product of Santa Margarita High School and UCLA, struck out 125 batters in 113.1 innings spread over 25 games at Inland Empire, Mobile and Salt Lake City.
“Knowing we’re going in the right direction in the future, that was big for me.
“If I didn’t see that, I’d have definitely considered leaving,” Trout confirmed.
Just The Beginning
But just because Trout isn’t going anywhere doesn’t mean the Angels are off the hook.
“If we add some guys in free agency, and the team each year I feel like is getting better, and the direction is good…” Trout remarked.
The two most notable available free agents happen to be pitchers, which the Angels most certainly need.
Dallas Keuchel was 12-11 with Houston last summer. His earned ERA was a solid 3.74.
The 31-year old left hander is four years removed from the American League Cy Young award (20-8. 2.48), which he captured in 2015.
Another 31-year old who would fit nicely in Halo garb is Craig Kimbrel.
His credentials: 5-1, 2.74 and 42 saves for the World Champion Red Sox last season.
“It’s not like we’re trying to lose,” Trout insisted.
“We just had some bad luck with injuries. There are a lot of great teams out there. They are competing to do the same thing we are. We just gotta stay positive.
Sky’s The Limit
“For me, it’s 12 more years. It seems like a lot but in the baseball world it goes quickly. I got to enjoy very minute of it and bring a championship here.”
It’s been a long time: 2002!
The natives are restless.
And they aren’t the only ones.
Is it going to happen all over again?
The future looks bright.
One of these years, hopefully in the foreseeable future, the Angels might shock, stun and surprise the baseball world.
And if they do, you can bet your bottom dollar that an ecstatic, exuberant and excited Mike Trout will be the Grand Marshal of that parade!
The Orange County Register Contributed To This Article
John Stellman
Latest posts by John Stellman (see all)
- Eight Teams With A Common Bond, And A Ninth Just Crashed The Party - February 16, 2022
- Is This Dodgers Team Better Than Last Season’s World Champions?? - February 15, 2021
- New GM Minasian: Is 3rd Time The Charm, Or Is It 3 Strikes You’re Out? - November 16, 2020
