Since being drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2009, Mike Trout has never had to look back. With 11 All-Star nods, nine Silver Slugger awards and three AL MVPs over 14 seasons, Trout is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer.
However, did he always know that his career would reach this high? In a video shared by the Angels, Trout shared a message to his 17-year-old self on the day he was drafted into MLB.
“Things speed up a little bit. So, it goes by quick, you know, year 13 for me now up here. But, just enjoy it and not worry about anything. Just be in the moment and enjoy what you got infront of you,” Trout said.
It seems he knew he’d be around a long time. But the only thing he never thought of was his club’s postseason drought. Despite being in the profession for over a decade, Trout has only been to the postseason once (2014).
Unfortunately, neither he nor his team has come close to that point ever since. Plus, Trout’s frequent in-season injuries made it even harder. This year he had a good head start with a stat line of .220/.325/.541 and an OPS of .867, scoring 14 RBIs and 10 home runs, in 29 games. However, Trout is now recovering from knee surgery, with no timeline to return.
In the same video, other Angels players also shared words of wisdom to their past selves, including Mickey Moniak (2016 first-rounder first pick).
“Enjoy the ride,” Moniak said. “It’s going to be a bunch of ups and downs, but all of it’s worth it. And when you look back on your time, it’s pretty awesome.”Mike Trout missed the chance to be with the Yankees
Damon Oppenheimer is the New York Yankees vice president and amateur scouting director. He shared a never-heard-before story about Mike Trout on Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman’s “The Show” podcast.
“That one was gut-wrenching,“ Oppenheimer thought of Trout’s story. “We really thought there were a lot of teams that weren’t on Mike Trout. It was South Jersey. He was hard to see. So we thought, ‘Hey, we’ve really got a shot.’ And we really loved him.”
Oppenheimer had his eyes on the future Angel star and was keen to draft him. He also thought they had an upper hand due to geographical advantages. However, he was wrong. The Angels were first to call Trout’s name before the Yankees could.
“And I’m thinking, ‘He’s not going to take another player like that, a high school player.’ And then he takes [Trout] and you have to regroup and your heart sinks. And you think, ‘We really had a shot at an impactful guy.’”“That changes history, doesn’t it?” Oppenheimer sighed at the end.
Had Trout joined the Yankees, then an Aaron Judge- MikeTrout combination would’ve been a treat for the Bombers supporters.
