Mike Trout

Lore & Background

The Angels selected Trout in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft. He made a brief major league appearance in 2011 before becoming a regular player for the Angels the subsequent season and won the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously. Trout's athleticism on the field has received praise from both the mainstream media and sabermetricians. Trout led the American League in wins above replacement (WAR) in each of his first five full seasons, and is the active leader in the stat with 87.5 WAR. Trout has led the American League in runs (2012–14, 2016) and times on base (2013, 2015–16, 2018) four times. In 2019, he signed a 12-year, $426 million contract with the Angels, one of the richest contracts ever in professional sports and the second-biggest contract at the time of signing.

Reader's Guide

Trout was born to Jeff and Debbie Trout in Vineland, New Jersey, on August 7, 1991. He grew up in nearby Millville, New Jersey. He has two older siblings, sister Teal and brother Tyler. His father, Jeff, played baseball at the University of Delaware and was a fifth-round draft pick as a second baseman by the Minnesota Twins in 1983. Jeff played four years of minor league baseball before a torn plantar fascia and knee injuries ended his career. Trout grew up a die-hard Philadelphia Phillies fan and attended their World Series parade in 2008. Trout began playing baseball in Cal Ripken Baseball, a division of Babe Ruth League. His main position as a youth baseball player was shortstop. He wore #2 in honor of his childhood hero, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter. He would switch to #1 in high school. Mike attended Lakeside Middle School and is a 2009 graduate of Millville Senior High School. Trout attended Millville Senior High School in Millville, New Jersey, where he played both baseball and basketball, earning five letters (three in baseball and two in basketball). In his junior year, he threw a no-hitter against Egg Harbor Township High School. The Thunderbolts made it to the state playoffs and were defeated by Cherry Hill High School East. He started as a pitcher and shortstop and was shifted to the outfield during his senior year. That year, he hit 18 home runs, a New Jersey high school record. Trout had committed to play baseball at East Carolina University before the 2009 MLB draft. Millville initially planned to retire Trout's jersey number but instead began awarding it to the team captain, starting in 2012. Trout played travel ball with Tri-State Arsenal, one of the premier travel programs in the Northeast. He began working with the coaches at Arsenal at age 14. Trout played in various tournaments with Tri-State Arsenal, including the Perfect Game WWBA Championships in Jupiter, Florida, in 2007 and 2008. In the summer before his senior year, Trout attended the Area Code Games in southern California, where he went 6 for 11 against some of the best players in the country. Angels scout Greg Morhardt, who had played in the minor leagues with Trout's father, claimed Mike was the fastest and strongest 17-year-old he had ever seen.

Did You Know?

• Trout was selected 25th overall in the 2009 MLB draft using a compensation pick from the New York Yankees for their signing of Mark Teixeira.
• He signed his first contract with the Angels on July 2, 2009, for a $1.215 million bonus.
• At 19 years and 2 months, Trout became the youngest player to win the Topps Minor League Player of the Year Award in 2010.
• On August 30, 2011, Trout became the youngest Angel to hit two home runs in one game.