In 1983, Mike's Dad Jeff was drafted by the Twins in the 5th round, out of the University of Delaware. Jeff played four seasons in the minors at second base and third base. But he won't claim credit for his son's success.

"Mike's a great kid," Jeff Trout said. "He's a great player, but he's a better person. That's always been our goal as parents, to raise kids that are good people and let their natural talents take them wherever."

Trout is from a solid family background. His parents taught him the value of accountability and hard work.

Trout's hometown, Millville, New Jersey, used to be a glassmaking town, but it was hit by the same economic forces that have emptied manufacturing towns throughout the U.S., with many of the jobs being outsourced. Now Millville is known as a Mike Trout-making town.

In 2008, the Trouts moved into a home on the very outskirts of Millville, in a two-story house that sits on nearly four acres in Deerfield Township.

Upstairs is the bed Mike still sleeps in during the offseason—next door to his brother, Tyler, who's in his final year at Rutgers Law School. Downstairs is the basement he turned into his own personal "man cave," complete with a wet bar, mini fridge, ping-pong table, PlayStation 3 and deer-hunting rifles.

His mother, Debbie, has taken on the role of Mike's business manager, per se, teaming with agent Craig Landis to schedule all of his photo shoots and appearances and interviews.

"Thank God I retired in June," says Debbie, whose husband, Jeff, is retiring after 25 years of teaching.

"This," Jeff adds, "is like running a corporation now."

Trout's athleticism and competitive drive are boundless. He can dunk a basketball with ease. He shoots in the 90s during occasional rounds of golf but hits his drives into neighboring counties. He’s good at table tennis and video games and rolled a personal high of 286 in bowling. He still laments the 300 game that got away.

Trout has a football body at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds. An all-conference basketball player in high school as well, he played quarterback and safety as a freshman in high school and could have been a Division I player, according to his dad, a longtime history teacher and baseball and football coach at Millville High.

"He was so fearless on the field, as the football coach, I got so worried about what was going on," Jeff Trout said. "He'd get dinged up.

"So I just told him 'Mike, you ought to spend one of these seasons just hitting the weights and lifting. I don't care what sport you pick.' It's great to be a three-sport guy and everything. But I was trying to encourage him, hoping he would back away from football a little bit. And he did."

After banging up his ankle his freshman year of football, he knew baseball was a better career choice.

"Since he was about seven or eight years old, I knew he was a special baseball player," said Jeff Trout, who played four seasons as an infielder in the Twins system, reaching Double-A. "He stood out basically everywhere he played, every step of the way athletically.

"The other good thing about Mike is that he has always enjoyed working at the game also. It was never a burdensome thing to go out and take BP, get groundballs and flyballs hit to him, stuff like that."  (Jeff Johnson-Baseball America-7/08/10)

In high school, Mike threw a no-hitter against Egg Harbor Township. He was a pitcher and short stop during his high school years.

In 2009, Trout graduated from Millville High School in New Jersey, having hit .531 with 18 home runs and 45 runs batted in in 26 games. He struck out only 17 times in all four years. He committed to East Carolina University on a baseball scholarship.

Instead Michael signed with the Angels on July 1, 2009, for $1.2 million. 

Trout was signed by scout Greg "Mo" Morhardt, whose roommate for spring training one year and his teammate at Double-A Orlando was Jeff Trout. He remembered Jeff as an undersized second baseman who knew how to hit and got every ounce out of his ability. 

Mike has solid makeup. And he has speed, athleticism and plays the game the right way and has fun doing it.

He cares more about the team than he does himself.

Trout is hard-nosed and aggressive on the field. He is a bulldog. But he is also grounded, and a team player. Good days or bad, Mike is always the same.

In September 2009, Trout was rated the top prospect in the Gulf Coast League by Baseball America.

In the spring of 2010, the Baseball America Prospect Handbook rated Mike as the third best prospect in the Angels' organization. They moved him up to the #1 prospect in the Angels' farm system in the winter before both 2011 and 2012 spring training camps opened.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have a promotional night each season that's sponsored by a local auto dealer.

The dealership gives away three used cars to random fans, and one of the winners during the 2010 season was Debbie Trout, the mother of Kernels outfielder Mike Trout. The family just happened to be visiting Iowa from their home in New Jersey.

"We donated it back to the Kernels," said Jeff Trout, Mike's dad. "I think one of the relief pitchers has it. Maybe Jon Bachanov. It's going to continue to be a Kernels family car. Each year when they come into town, someone will get it."  (Jeff Johnson-Baseball America-7/08/10)

In 2010, Trout was named the Midwest League's #1 prospect and the California League's best prospect by Baseball America. He won the league MVP award as well as the batting title and on-base title. Managers rated him the best hitter, best and fastest runner, best defensive outfielder and most exciting player in the league.

Also, Mike was selected as the recipient of the 51st annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. He is the youngest player to win the award at 19 years, two months.

Andruw Jones was 19 years, six months old when he was named Topps/Minor League Player of the Year in 1996.

October 2010: In nine games in the Pan-Am qualifying tournament, Team USA finishing tied for third with a 7-1 record. Trout led the team in hits with 14—and demonstrated his developing power with three homers and seven RBIs, along with two doubles and a triple for a .675 slugging percentage. He also drew three walks for a .395 on-base percentage, scoring 10 runs.

In the spring of 2011, Trout, who was 19, arrived at the Angels' major league camp. One night a group of nine veterans invited him to join them at a swanky steak house in Scottsdale. Great heaps of food kept coming to the table, as did bottles of fine wine. Trout couldn't believe his great fortune. Only two years earlier he was in high school watching these guys on TV. He had a great time—until pitcher Jered Weaver walked up to him and said, "You're the million-dollar baby. You're going to pay for it."

Mike looked at the bill: $1,800. He excused himself and went to the rest room, where he pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

"Mom? They're going to stick me with an $1,800 bill. Do I have enough money in my account?"

"Mike, what are you talking about? Just use your card."

The next morning, there was a large Tonka dump truck parked in Trout's locker. It was filled with 7,200 quarters.

In 2012, the Angels stumbled out of the gate to an 18-25 record through May 21, 2012. It was then that the 2012 TNT boys sparked an eight-game winning streak that put the Angels back into contention—and rekindled an old nickname.

In June 2012, Angels manager Mike Scioscia was asked if he thought about reeling in the frenetic play of Trout. "I really think that when you play aggressively, you have a natural mechanism that protects you," Scioscia said of Trout, who often flies into walls, etc. "If you try to put a governor on him, try to have him slide gingerly or not go as hard, I think that puts him more at risk. You can get in an awkward position if you try to take your athletic ability out of the equation."

In 2012, Trout was named the AL Rookie of the Year. And it was a unanimous vote of all 28 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

As of the offseason before 2013 spring training, Mike was still living at home with Mom and Dad. "A lot of my teammates make fun of me, because I still live with my parents," Trout said. "Eventually I'll get a house. But I'm real close to my parents."

Mike's dad says his son is even quiet at home. "He's a man of very few words," his dad says. "He gives those one-liners, those cliches. Don't take it personally. It's the same with us."

Nike secured Mike to a four-year contract. J&J Snack Foods plans to put him on the back of their SuperPretzel box. And Subway will include him in a commercial that will air during the Super Bowl.

Over the past few months, Mike's parents have learned a lot of things on the fly. They've learned that the memorabilia sent to the house doesn't get signed. Only what's sent directly to Angel Stadium.

They've learned not to get spooked when cars roll around their cul-de-sac with their cameras out—which the neighbors have tried to minimize by saying the Trouts don't live there anymore. They've learned to laugh it off when people call Mike's sister's house asking about her brother, or when four teenage girls roll up in a golf cart chanting his name.

Mostly, they've learned the art of saying no.

"It's funny, because I understand that they're fans, and that's great," Debbie says. "I love his fan base and everything like that. But there's only one of Mike, and there's all these people that just want one little piece of him."

Trout was raised by a tight-knit family and a hard-nosed, baseball-playing father. So he is clean cut and perceivably, well, vanilla. He's respectful yet distant; at ease in front of sold-out stadiums but jittery behind a microphone and devoid of introspection.

A lot has changed around Millville for Mike. In December 2012, when he went to the movies, word spread, and by the time he stepped out, hundreds of people were waiting in the parking lot for an autograph. Same thing happened the last time he tried to play a round of golf with some friends and his high school sweetheart. Or the last time he walked into Cuts On High for a haircut. Or the last time he tried to eat his hamburgers at Jim's Lunch.

Simply put, Mike Trout can no longer be Mikey from Millville.  It's just not that simple anymore. "I wish I could tell you that everything's the same, that he can go everywhere he wants to go, but it's not the case," says Shannon, who used to live next door to the Trouts and would dress up as Santa Claus for their three kids.

"Mikey Trout is a rock star. He has hit rock-star status here. To the close circle of friends, his friends, he's still Mikey Trout. But to a lot of folks, he's that Major League Baseball player, he's the Rookie of the Year. They're awestruck. They want to get close to Mikey. They want to be able to tell people, 'Not only is he from my hometown, I know Mikey and he knows me.' So, it's changed quite a bit." (Alden Gonzalez-MLB.com-1/31/12)

Trout played the 2012 season at 220 pounds. Then, after an offseason regimen of twice-daily workouts, he showed up at 2013 spring training at 240 pounds.

In a way, the move is a thank-you to Trout. When he won the Players Choice Rookie of the Year Award, it came with a $20,000 donation to the charity of his choice. The 21-year-old outfielder sent the money to his school to renovate its field. 

"It's just a dream come true," said Trout, who also expressed his excitement on Twitter, posting: "Appreciate all the love! Awesome night! #angels"

"To stand here after a night like this is definitely up there on my lists of personal [accomplishments]," he added. "Triple, double, home run and a single. It's tough to do, and hopefully, there's more to come."

"More to come" may seem like a lot to ask considering the record for cycles is only three—Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, and John Reilly each did it three times.  (William Boor-MLB.com-5/23/13)

In August 2013, Mike and his parents tried to sneak out the side of the New York Palace Hotel by having a cab back into a parking garage. Six or seven young men spotted Trout and with pens and baseballs in hand, pursued his car for 10 blocks. The stoplights allowed them to keep up until the cab stopped at a Times Square eatery.

"They were chasing us through the city, knocking on the window of the cab," said Debbie Trout, Mike's mom. "You know how traffic is there. It was crazy."

The men were rewarded when Trout signed after dinner, two hours later. "They never let go," Trout said with a chuckle. "You want it that bad, you get it."

September 17, 2013: Trout—at 22 years, 40 days old—became the second-youngest player in Major League history with 25-plus homers and 30-plus steals in one season, with the youngest being himself during the 2012 season. 

He's also the first player in AL history with 25 homers, 30 steals, and 100 walks.

In 2013, Trout was named Baseball America's Player of the Year.

Mike's favorites:

Hobbies: Golf, fishing, and hunting.  Movie: Happy Gilmore.

Actor: Adam Sandler.  TV Show:  CSI Miami.  Music: Country.

Food: Steak.  Person in history I'd like to meet: Babe Ruth.

Players, past and present, I'd pay to watch: Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera from today. And Pedro Martinez from the past.

If not a baseball player, I'd have been: A school teacher.

Trout still can't believe how fast this is all happening.  First, he was the teenager very few veterans knew, trying to find his way on the Angels' roster and looking to carve a spot for himself in this game. Now, he is in many ways the most popular player in baseball—the guy for whom hundreds of fans line up to see at an airport, the one doing seven-hour photo shoots with Nike, and the player at least one U.S. president refers to in speeches.

Trout spent the offseason outdoors, in the woods or on a boat, as always. He caught a killer wahoo and barracuda with his father in Saint Lucia, attended a Sixers game against the Heat to watch LeBron James learned to actually enjoy those extensive photo shoots and gracefully embraced all the attention he continued to receive. "If I'm sitting there at my locker at the start of spring and nobody's coming over," Trout said, "that means I'm not doing something right."

And while discussing the farm bill Congress had recently passed, President Obama wanted to express how versatile it was, so he said: "It's like Mike Trout, for those of you who know baseball. It's somebody who's got a lot of tools and multitasks."

Trout was rabbit hunting when Obama said that, and his phone instantly began buzzing in his pocket.  

"I really can't explain just the last couple years of my life," Trout said. "It's been great. Having fun doing it. That's what I wanted to be as a kid growing up, and I'm taking full advantage of it." (Gonzalez - mlb.com - 02/19/14)

Derek Jeter doesn't like the term "farewell tour," and he doesn't believe "hype" is an accurate description for what surrounds Mike Trout. "I don't like the word hype around him," Jeter said. "It's all deserved. He can do everything. He can beat you in every way."

Trout grew up a Phillies fan in South New Jersey, but he idolized Jeter while growing up a shortstop, and told Jeter as much when the two met during the 2012 All-Star Game in Kansas City. "It makes you feel good as a player when you have guys that come up and appreciate how you play the game, but he has a very, very bright future," Jeter said of Trout. "He's got a bright present, too."

Bright enough that the world has basically identified Trout as the new face of baseball; as the guy who will take the proverbial torch from Jeter and be the guy fans most identify with in this game. Asked what sticks out most about Trout, Jeter said, "I don't think you pick one thing."

"It seems like he has a desire to keep improving," Jeter added. "He doesn't play the game like he knows he has it made. He plays hard. He runs every ball out, which when you've had the success like he's had for a couple of years, you like to see that. You like to see guys who play the game the right way." (Gonzalez - mlb.com - 5/5/14)

Trout's mind was blown in June 2014. Nike came up with a signature cleat for him, the Nike Lunar Vapor Trout, that the fleet outfielder and representatives from the famed sports equipment and apparel company were showing off.

The shoe was newsworthy in itself: a red and fluorescent yellow wonder of aerodynamics that had been almost two years in the making after numerous consultations between Trout and a team of more than 30 biomechanics experts, designers and innovators working in concert at Nike's Oregon headquarters.

The moment was significant, too, in the annals of sports and pop culture. Trout became only the second baseball player (Ken Griffey Jr.) to have his very own signature shoe line with Nike. That's a big deal in a big industry, and it's a big deal for a big-time talent like Trout.

"Everything that I wanted in a shoe, they made it happen," Trout said after entering a room full of media members to the strains of laid-back electronic dance music while a video of his on-the-field highlights played. "Now that it's here, it just gives me chills looking at it right now. I mean, I'm speechless."

Trout said when he was approached by Nike a few years ago, he told the shoe's designer, Matthew Pauk, and Nike's global product line manager for baseball cleats, former independent league outfielder Cameron Shick, that his goals for the ideal Mike Trout cleat were simple.

"Speed is my game," Trout said. "I wanted to take it to the next level." That meant it had to be comfortable and it had to be lightweight, and, as Pauk described, it also had to adhere to perhaps the most elusive and difficult challenge of all when trying to satisfy an athlete in his early 20s.

"He always leaves us with a little sound bite when we leave him," Pauk said. "Like, 'If I look good, I play good.' And, 'Make it hot.'"

They did, and Trout was effusive in his praise for the work of Pauk and Shick in doing just that. The look of the shoe turns heads, to begin with, with the aerodynamic ridges on the outside of the cleat that almost look like the scales on, well, a trout.

The human Trout also raved about the comfort, which is achieved primarily with the lightweight Nike Lunarlon foam midsole, the "booty" concept in which the ankle is surrounded by a form-fitting sheath after the foot goes into the shoe, a four-way stretch mesh inner sleeve, and the Nike Flywire technology that enables the foot to be "locked down" with cables that go from the top of the cleat to the split Pebax speed plate on the bottom.

The result is a cleat that Trout and his Nike pals are sure will leave vapor trails all over the fields of the American League for years to come. (Miller - mlb.com 6/20/14)

Dan Richter is the athletic trainer at Millville High School and began working with Mike in 2009. He continues to work with Trout in the offseason. And on June 20, 2014, he gave media members a taste of what Trout goes through in an average day's workout on the field.

Sprints, agility drills, running and leaping at the wall, and endurance and core exercises were demonstrated, with everyone decked out in more of the Trout Nike baseball line gear, including sliding shorts and socks and Dri-FIT caps with the new Nike baseball logo.

"It's been great to work with him because he's such a great athlete, and he's such a unique athlete," Richter said. "I'm just happy to be along for the ride."

"We've been able to push the needle with the aesthetic," Pauk said. "You look at Mike Trout on the field, and he plays the game like nobody else plays the game, so … it's got to be a shoe that has never looked like anything we've done in baseball before." (Miller - mlb.com 6/20/14)

Trout seems not to have lost an ounce of that enthusiasm and wonder. He's clearly doing something he loves, and much like Tony Gwynn once did, Trout arrives at the ballpark seemingly anxious to find out what the day has in store for him.

Trout's at-bats have become must-watch television, but to watch only his at-bats would be to risk missing some of the best parts of his game. He's one of the players who is just as entertaining on defense as he is standing in the batter's box.

Trout is the whole package, and we're the lucky ones who've gotten in on the ground floor of his career. He's still just 22 years old and just passed the 1,500-mark in career at-bats. There's going to be so much more of Mike Trout to enjoy in the years ahead.

So let's all pay attention. Let's appreciate what we're seeing, how special this kid is and how extraordinary it is to watch Trout do pretty much everything. Someday, we'll be able to tell fans, yep, we saw it early on, knew the kid was different. He's one of the players who'll help define this generation of baseball, and aren't we the lucky ones? (Justice - mlb.com - 6/25/14)

Both of Trout's homers on April 17—a two-run shot off Roberto Hernandez and a three-run shot off Chad Qualls—in the eighth—came with two strikes.  It's all about his mindset.

"When I get aggressive early in the count," Trout said, "it gets me ready for later pitches in the at-bat, as opposed to just letting one go by."

"The guy is unbelievable," Angels starter Jered Weaver said. "Nothing he does surprises me anymore. He's doing things that nobody has ever done before. It's awesome to see. It's fun to watch. I always tell everybody that what he does on the field is what it is, but what impresses me even more is how he goes about it off the field. He stays humble. He's a little kid playing a grown man's game." (Gonzalez - mlb.com - 4/18/15)

In 2010, one scout compared Mike to Mickey Mantle . . . way back when Trout was at Class-A Cedar Rapids.

Trout,  2012-14, age 20-22:    .311/.403/.561, 93 HR, 291 RBIs, 98 SB

Mantle, 1952-54, age 20-22: .303/.400/.518, 71 HR, 281 RBIs, 17 SB

"Like my dad, Mike Trout isn't just good. He's compelling and exciting to watch. So if you're a baseball fan, you've got a chance to see a modern-day Mickey Mantle in center at Yankee Stadium with your own eyes," David Mantle said.  (Berry - mlb.com - 6/5/15)

The sun was setting on August 7, 2015, game when an unusual, sing-songy chant broke out from the center-field seats at Angel Stadium. Ha-ppy birth-day to you. Ha-ppy birth-day to you. Ha-ppy birth-day, Mike Trooout …

Trout smiled, looked over, lifted his glove in acknowledgement and heard his personal cheering section roar. Afterward, he said, "It gave me the chills."  So, Trout gave those chills right back.

Moments after getting serenaded by his home fans, the superstar turned on a 97-mph fastball from Orioles starter Kevin Gausman and lifted it over the left-center-field fence for his Major League-leading 33rd home run. It marked the third time Trout has homered in the four birthdays he has had in the big leagues, and it set the tone for a wild 8-4 Angels win.

He also has homered in the All-Star Game, immediately after the All-Star Game, against Felix Hernandez in his first at-bat of the season, and on his mom's birthday (twice in the same game).  He has a knack for this sort of thing.

"Who is surprised?" Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun said. "I guess birthdays give him a little bit more juice. I mean he's a year older now, so he's getting his old-man strength." Trout's two other birthday homers came in 2012 and 2013, and they were both his 20th of the season. The older he gets, the more pronounced his power becomes.

"But his approach and his swing are really more set for gap-to-gap and using the whole field and letting the ball get deep," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It just shows how short and quick and strong he is that he can have that approach but still be able to hit the ball out of the park at the rate he does." (Gonzalez - mlb.com - 8/7/15)

June 2009: The Angels drafted Mike in the first round, out of Millville High School in New Jersey.

March 2, 2013: Trout had his contract renewed by the Angels for $510,000, prompting an angry response from the outfielder's agent. Craig Landis said his client was disappointed with the decision. The salary is only $20,000 above the Major League minimum.

"During the process, on behalf of Mike, I asked only that the Angels compensate Mike fairly for his historic 2012 season, given his service time," Landis said in a statement. "In my opinion, this contract falls well short of a 'fair' contract, and I have voiced this to the Angels throughout the process. Nonetheless, the renewal of Mike's contract will put an end to this discussion."

February 26, 2014: Trout and the Angels agreed on a $1 million contract for the 2014 season, a prelude to a much bigger deal in the near future. It was the largest pre-arbitration contract for a player, surpassing a record shared by Ryan Howard, who got $900,000 from the Phillies in 2007, and Albert Pujols, who got the same amount from the Cardinals in 2003.

March 29, 2014: Trout and the Angels formalized his six-year, $144 million deal, committing himself to the Angels through 2020. He became the first player with less than three years of service time to sign a deal for more than $20 million a year.

March 19, 2019: The Angels and Trout agreed to a record-setting 12-year contract worth $426 million.

Trout, 27, was eligible to become a free agent after the 2020 season upon the completion of the six-year, $144 million deal he signed in 2014. This new contract would add 10 years to his existing deal, making it 12 years total. There will be no opt-out clause in the deal.

Trout’s deal, a 10-year agreement for $360 million, added to the $66 million remaining on the two years of his current contract, with an average annual value of $35.8 million. 

Trout is a rare talent with five above average tools. He can be a difference maker in every phase of the game: with his hitting ability, hitting for power, running and fielding and possibly even his arm.

He has a quiet approach at the plate and has improved his ability to hit breaking pitches. He has a short righthanded swing and stays inside the ball well. He is strong and broad-shouldered, like a football safety.

Mike exhibits sound strike-zone judgment, exhibiting a very impressive eye at the plate. He is able to make adjustments. He has a good understanding of staying inside the baseball, using the other side of the field.

Trout is not afraid to hit with two strikes. He remembers how hitters attack him and makes adjustments on the fly. He really works deep counts well, sees a lot of pitches and always has a high on-base percentage.

He uses the whole field and has line-drive power to the gaps. And he is fast. The defense plays back because he hits the ball so hard, so he bunts on you. And if you play in, he's going to hit the ball by you.

Mike has the ability to adapt his hitting approach to wherever he's placed in a lineup. His strong baseball IQ and full-throttle approach allow him to get the absolute most out of his tools, four of which grade as future plusses or better. He combines a rare blend of bat control, strike-zone management, blazing speed and burgeoning power.

When Trout became a minor leaguer, he decided to give away one of those precious strikes. Nearly every time up, he would not swing until he had a strike. He essentially forfeited the biggest advantage available to hitters—to clobber pitches with the freedom of no strikes—and intentionally made the art of hitting even more difficult . . . at age 17.

"I feel like if I go up there first-pitch hitting and roll over on it, that's a wasted at bat," he says. "If I see seven or eight pitches and then I roll over, it's still a good at bat. I just want to see pitches."

The average major league hitter puts the first pitch into play 11% of the time. This year Trout has done so 5% of the time. If he does swing at the first pitch, it most often is in his third at bat against a starting pitcher. "You have to switch it up once in a while," he says.  (Tom Verducci-Sports Illustrated-8/27/12)

Teammate Torii Hunter loves the way Trout regularly makes such pure contact that the ball will leave his bat on a line with no spin, causing it to knuckle.

"It's hard to hit balls perfectly square," Hunter says. "He's doing it almost every other swing in batting practice."

But there is one skill that really sets Trout apart: his freakish ability to recognize pitches. As much as hitters work on strength-training and the mechanics of hitting, it is a hitter's processing and computational skills that define greatness. Trout may be the best in the Major Leagues since Barry Bonds at identifying pitches—spin, velocity and where it will cross the plate-as quickly as possible after it leaves a pitcher's fingertips.

Says Angels assistant GM Scott Servais, "He's as good as I've ever seen at knowing where the outside corner is. That's 90 percent of our game: the four or five inches on the plate or off the plate. You may see guys in a two- or three-week period when they're in the zone. But you don't see it with a guy all the time. Except for him."

Mike gets to the park an hour early and goes through the same routine: He puts extra emphasis on high flips—where most pitches still work him, and where he tries to get on top of the ball—and on flips at his front hip. He says he used to "chicken wing" inside pitches into weak popups. In 2012, he has been able to extend his arms and turn on those pitches, a source of his unexpected power surge, which has led to more home runs.

On August 23, 2012, Trout (21 years, 16 days) became the youngest player since at least 1901 to record 40 steals and 20 homers in a season.

In 2012, Mike became the first player in Major League history to combine at least 45 steals with 30 homers and 125 runs in one season.

He's the youngest ever to notch a 30-30 season, and the first rookie to match 30 homers with 40 steals. Mike is the only player in MLB history to have a 30-30 season at age 20 or younger. He had 30 home runs and 49 stolen bases in 2013.

And his 10.7 WAR was the highest for a position player since Bonds posted 11.6 WARs for the Giants in 2001 and 2002.

April 12, 2013: It was only a matter of time, Angels manager Mike Scioscia often said, before Trout's impact bat would move closer to the middle of the order so he can have more opportunities to drive in runs. That time, apparently, is eight games into the 2013 season.

In May 2013: Trout became the youngest person in MLB history to hit for the cycle.

On his 22nd birthday, Trout had 352 hits and 143 walks in his career. Trout is just the sixth player since 1900 with 350 hits and 140 walks before turning 22. Mel Ott, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, and Ken Griffey Jr. round out the list.

Trout also joins Kaline and Mantle as the third player with 65 doubles, 15 triples, and 50 home runs before turning 22. Trout has 65 doubles, 16 triples and 54 home runs. And Trout's 77 career stolen bases make him the third AL player since 1900 to steal 75 bases before turning 22. Rickey Henderson and Ty Cobb were the others.

The Angels' phenom is also the 12th player since 1900 with at least 134 extra-base hits before turning 22. He joined Ott, Griffey Jr., Kaline, Mantle, Foxx, Cobb, Cesar Cedeno, Tony Conigliaro, Eddie Mathews, Ted Williams, and Alex Rodriguez.

Mike has a phrase he'll often repeat to himself when he's at the plate, a three-word sentence that's ever-crucial to the game's best all-around player. "Don't get big."

It's a reminder, and it means to stay short with his swing and not expand his strike zone. He will catch himself "getting big" from time to time, so Trout will step out, collect himself, and at some point, before he digs back into the box—either while he's adjusting his batting gloves or taking a dry swing or exhaling deeply—he'll think of that phrase and, more often than not, get back to normal on the very next pitch.

Thing is, it isn't supposed to be that easy.  Adjustments like that aren't typically applied that quickly.

The most prevalent example of that came in June 2014, amid the tension and the pressure and the noise of a crucial spot in front of an anxious fan base, when Trout took a pitch deep for a game-tying, eighth-inning grand slam. Trout admittedly came to the plate searching for a home run, then fouled off a couple of mid-90s fastball, repeated that magic phrase, stayed up the middle with his swing, and smashed a line drive out to left-center field.

"You get big in situations, and you lose your mechanics in the swing," Trout said then. "I just had to remind myself to stay short."

It's rare enough to make adjustments within at-bats; it's a whole different thing to do them within such pressure-packed circumstances—at just 22 years old.

"Those are separator things, really," said Angels interim hitting coach Dave Hansen. "We talk about it all the time, to be able to quiet stuff down. When hitters are going good, they do. But to do it in an at-bat, I mean, that's beautiful stuff. I don't think you can teach that. He's got most of the stuff you can't teach.

"He may struggle a little bit from time to time, but not mentally," said Hansen, who pointed out that it's especially important for Trout not to expand his strike zone because his swing is so short.

Trout's best trait may be his plate presence, which includes his strike-zone awareness and his comfort with hitting in two-strike counts. Through it all, he shot himself the same reminder: "Don't get big."

"Remarkable," Hansen said. "I'm impressed with his discipline around the plate."

What sticks out most about Trout for Hansen is "the consistency with which he does it.  I mean, it's every day," he said. "Opponents really only get to see it in short spurts, three-day segments. But it's amazing all the time. It's so consistent. I think that's what stands out, more than his skill, is the consistency with how he repeats it." (Gonzalez - mlb.com - 6/16/14)

"If you're up there thinking, you're going to get out, 100 percent of the time," Trout said when told of Yogi Berra's famous remark that a player can't hit and think at the same time. "Once the game comes, I'm not trying to think up there; that's when you get in trouble.

"I'm not a big film, video guy. I just go out and play. I don't think about what's going to come. I like to see what the pitcher's got, what his slider's doing, that kind of thing. But that's about it. Sometimes when you're in a skid, you go look at film and see what you were doing when you were going good. Then maybe you make little adjustments."

When he fell into a rare slump earlier in the season, Trout saw on video what he'd felt at the plate, that he was swinging too hard, trying too hard to drive the ball. He settled back into his normal style, not forcing things, and the balls started flying off his bat again.

"I just go out and play," he said when asked about the streak. "I don't worry about the past. It's a new day. Just stay positive, have confidence in your ability and routine. Stick to it." (Spencer - mlb.com - 6/20/14)

August 27, 2014: Trout blasted his 30th home run of the season, tying his career high from 2012 and placing him in select company. The 23-year-old center fielder became just the fifth American League hitter to have two 30-home run seasons through their age-22 seasons, joining Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Jose Canseco and Alex Rodriguez.

September 5, 2014: Trout became the youngest player in Angels history to drive in 100 RBIs in a season. But he's closing in on another, more-exclusive club: The 100-RBI mark from the No. 2 spot of the lineup.

Dating back to 1914, only eight players have driven in 100 runs from the No. 2 spot: Eddie Mathews, Jay Bell, Aaron Hill, Edgardo Alfonzo, Dwight Evans, Ryne Sandberg, Robin Yount and Alex Rodriguez (twice).

April 13, 2015: Trout became one of five players since 1914 to score at least 375 runs and hit at least 95 homers in his first 500 games, joining Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Chuck Klein, and Albert Pujols.

April 17, 2015: Trout continues to amaze. And it isn't even about what he did in the game that saw him carry the Angels to a 6-3 win and become the youngest player ever to record 100 home runs and 100 stolen bases.

It's that he keeps evolving.

September 5, 2015: Trout joined Willie Mays as the only players with four straight seasons of at least 25 homers, 5 triples, and 10 stolen bases.

September 22, 2015: Trout reached 40 home runs for the first time in a season. He became one of six American League outfielders to hit 40 home runs before their age-24 season, joining Juan Gonzalez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jose Canseco, Reggie Jackson, and Joe DiMaggio. Trout now has 138 career home runs, the most ever by a center fielder through his age-23 season.

Zepp and Trout have also teamed with Tennessee-based Old Hickory Bat Company, manufacturer and supplier of maple, ash and birch bats to players of all ages and play level, for the Mike Trout Old Hickory Smart Bat.

“It felt good on the field. It doesn’t feel any different than any other bat, which is really important,” Trout said during a media preview in Tempe. “This is a big help. It gives you exact data. It’s pretty cool how you can put a sensor inside the handle and not even feel it.”

The sensor will also be used for softball, tennis and golf to help athletes and coaches with performance data to help improve their game. As Trout swings his smart bat, the sensor gives detailed analytics on his swing with 1,000 data points. Five simple metrics give the player and coach instant information to make slight adjustments. The data can be seen on an app, including impact bat speed, hand speed max, time to impact, bat vertical angle and attack angle/the direction the bat goes to the ball.

Zepp captured over 80 million swings from a who’s who of professional baseball players to include in the information. Youth players can “inspire to play like their heroes,” said John Hauer, senior manager of product marketing for Zepp.

“This is real data that is unbiased,” Hauer said. “This levels the playing field.” (Hayley Ringle - Phoenix Business Journal - March 2016)

August 6, 2016: Trout's home run made him one of five American League players to hit 20 or more home runs in five seasons before their age-25 season. The others are Mickey Mantle, Tony Conigliaro, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr.

With his 20th home run in 2017, Mike joined an elite club.  Trout, who launched a two-run shot off Jake Thompson to help power the Halos' seven-run third, became only the fourth American League player to hit at least 20 home runs six times before his age-26 season, joining Alex Rodriguez, Tony Conigliaro, and Mickey Mantle.

Trout has now homered off 25 of 30 Major League teams and secured his sixth consecutive season with at least 20 homers, tying Tim Salmon for the longest streak in Angels history. (Guardado - mlb.com - 8/2/17)

August 7, 2017: Mike celebrated his 26th birthday by logging his 1,000th career hit and homering in the Angels' 6-2 loss to the Orioles at Angel Stadium.  Trout lined a leadoff double off Baltimore right-hander Dylan Bundy in the fourth inning to collect his milestone hit, prompting the 34,142 fans in attendance to give him a standing ovation. He became the second youngest active player to reach 1,000 career hits.

Aug 19, 2017: Trout joined a prestigious club at Camden Yards, all while keeping the Angels in the heart of the AL Wild Card chase. Trout hit two more homers, and the Angels hit four overall, en route to a 5-1 victory over the Orioles. His first homer, which came in the first inning, was his 25th of the season and made him the third player in Major League history to hit 25 homers in a season six times before his age-26 season.

The other two? Eddie Mathews and Frank Robinson. (J Seidel - MLB.com - Aug 20, 2017)

September 6, 2017:  Mike set a franchise record by walking in his 14th consecutive game in the Angels' 3-1 loss against the A's at the Coliseum.  Trout drew a free pass off left-hander Sean Manaea in the first inning to snap a tie with Albie Pearson, who set the previous record in 1961. 

September 29, 2017:  Mike Trout reached an impressive milestone, launching his 200th career home run in the first inning of the Angels' 6-5 win over the Mariners at Angel Stadium.  With the blast, Trout joined Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Mantle as the only AL players to reach the 200-home run mark before their age-26 seasons.

July 31, 2018:  Trout joined Willie Mays as the only players to hit 30 home runs and steal 20 bases in three seasons before their age-26 campaigns.

When you think of Mike in 2018, you probably think of an all-powerful baseball god. A man who hits dingers so high they could break the sky, a gravity-defying outfielder who robs fly balls from becoming homers, a three-time MVP who's already an all-time great.

So, if asked how Trout got his very first Major League hit seven years ago as a 19-year-old, you might think it was a home run.

But no, it was ... A BUNT.  A run-scoring bunt, to be exact. 

It was the second game of Trout's career and he finished 1-for-3 on the day with two runs. His first dinger would come two weeks later against submarine-throwing Mark Worrell in Baltimore.

Since that game, Trout has only bunted seven other times—none since 2012—and gotten hits twice. So yes, he even bunts at an exceptional .375 clip. (Monagan - mlb.com - 8/6/18)

2018 Season: Trout raised his game yet another notch this season, posting a 1.088 OPS that not only led the majors but was the second highest by any player this decade. He finished fifth in MLB in batting average (.312), first in on-base percentage (.460), third in slugging percentage (.628) and tied for fourth in home runs (39). And he did it all without making a single error in the field, something no other center fielder who played at least 120 games can claim.

For his all-around excellence, Trout is the 2018 Baseball America Major League Player of the Year.

Trout, 27, has now played in 1,065 career games. Through the same amount of games, he has more hits than Cal Ripken Jr., more home runs than Barry Bonds, more runs scored than Ty Cobb and more total bases than Ken Griffey Jr.

And he’s getting better. Trout’s on-base percentage and OPS this season were the best of his career. His home run total and slugging percentage were second-best. He stole 24 bases in 26 attempts, the most successful rate of his career. (Kyle Glaser - Baseball America - 11/02/2018)

In 2018, Trout won his sixth Silver Slugger Award.

April 7, 2019: Trout continues to amaze and accomplished something he’d never done in his career, as he homered for the fifth time in four games with a two-run shot to left off Rangers reliever Kyle Bird in the sixth inning to give the Angels a 6-2 lead.

It marked the second time in his career he’d homered in four straight games, as he also did it from May 12-15, 2017, but he had never hit five homers in a four-game span. The club record for most consecutive games with a homer is five by Bobby Bonds from Aug. 2-7, 1977.

Trout set the club record when he singled in the first inning, surpassing Darin Erstad’s previous club record of reaching base safely in 27 consecutive games to start the 2000 season. His single was ripped off Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman on a hard-hit grounder that had an exit velocity of 112.3 mph to extend the streak. (Bollinger - mlb.com)

May 18, 2019: Mike Trout made his 250th career homer a memorable one in a 6-3 win over the Royals, as he absolutely crushed a solo homer in the first inning off Royals righthander Jakob Junis that traveled a projected 473 feet, per Statcast.

With his 250th career homer, Trout became the sixth American League player ever to reach that mark before turning 28, joining Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle and Juan Gonzalez. He’s the 13th player overall to reach the mark by his age-27 season.

June 17, 2019: With a 2-run double and a HR for the Angels vs Toronto, Trout now has 546 career extra base hits. That passes Joe Dimaggio for the fifth most by a player in American League history before turning 28.

June 24, 2019: Trout was named the AL Player of the Week. 

Trout batted .483/.559/.862 (14-for-29) last week with seven runs scored, two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a stolen base. He contributed seven of those RBIs, a career high, in the victory over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Trout homered twice, including a grand slam, and he knocked in another run with a bases-loaded single in the ninth. It was the first seven-RBI performance by an Angels player since Torii Hunter on July 4, 2010, against the Royals.

“It was a good night," Trout said with a smile. "Obviously, feel pretty good up there right now. This is the best I’ve felt all season, just getting a pitch to hit and not missing it. Just barreling the ball.”

This is Trout's second Player of the Week Award this season (he also won in April) and the fifth of his career.

Aug 7, 2019: Mike turned 28. That’s right, he’s only 28. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that, given how much he’s already accomplished.

He’s won two AL MVP awards and finished in the top two of voting in every full season of his career except 2017, when he played in just 114 games ... and still finished fourth. His seven straight seasons finishing in at least the top five is tied for the longest such streak since the BBWAA began voting for MVP in 1931, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and Trout’s streak is the longest such streak to begin with a player’s rookie campaign.

His accumulated stats rank in the top 10 in a number of categories before a player’s 28th birthday on record (since 1908), including home runs, total bases, extra-base hits and walks. But the place where he leads the way? The all-encompassing Baseball-Reference WAR. That incorporates his defense, considers his offense as more than just totals and adds in baserunning, too.

Where he is now:

In that category, he leads the way. Trout already has 71.6 career WAR. That’s more than any other position player in Major League history through his age-27 season. And he’s still got a little under two months to add to it, because 2019 is his age-27 season (age-season is determined by a player's age as of June 30).

Trout is just 0.5 WAR away from passing Rafael Palmeiro on the all-time list for position players. Palmeiro is a member of both the 3,000-hit and 500-home run clubs.

Trout entered 2019 with 64.2 career WAR. En route to his current 71.6 mark, he’s passed 27 (his uniform number) Hall of Famers, including Barry Larkin, Gary Carter, Tony Gwynn, Eddie Murray, Ivan Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, Ryne Sandberg, Craig Biggio, Andre Dawson and Willie McCovey.

Trout is on pace to finish 2019 with 10.7 WAR, which would be his most in any season of his career. That would put him at 74.9 career WAR, which would rank 50th all-time among position players. Between 71.6 and 74.9, he would pass another seven Hall of Famers, including Jim Thome and Frank Thomas, plus a player not yet in the Hall of Fame but sure to be in, Derek Jeter.

What comes next:

If Trout continues at his 2012-18 average of 9.1 WAR per season, he’ll likely find himself around 82 WAR by his next birthday, before he turns 29. Eighty-two WAR on the dot would be 36th all-time among position players, past another 11 Hall of Famers from 74.9 to 82.

Some of the names on that list that he may pass before he turns 29? Johnny Bench, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Joe DiMaggio, Brooks Robinson and Rod Carew. If Trout puts up 9.1 WAR next season, he’d find himself past Ken Griffey Jr., at 83.8 WAR, by the end of the season.

Trout isn’t even 30 yet. He’s signed through 2030. He’s doing that thing again this year where he puts up a career-best year, in his eighth full season in the bigs. At his current WAR pace, he’s on track to be in the mid-90s in WAR by the end of 2021. That’s the season he will turn just 30 years old.

It’s great to look at what he’ll accumulate, but perhaps the most magic number is this one: Trout, at 60th among position players all-time in WAR, is already in a spot where almost everyone reaches the Hall of Fame.

Of the 59 other players with at least 71.6 WAR (Trout’s current), all but 10 of them are in the Hall of Fame. And there’s some sort of reason or footnote on why almost all of them aren’t in.

Alex Rodriguez, Adrian Beltre and Derek Jeter have not been on a BBWAA ballot yet. Albert Pujols is still active. Larry Walker is on the ballot and has seen his percentage rise. Lou Whitaker fell off the ballot after one year in 2001.

One other, Bill Dahlen debuted before 1900, a whole different set of considerations entirely.

And the only others ahead of Trout in position-player WAR who are not in the Hall of Fame? Barry Bonds, Pete Rose and Rafael Palmeiro. (S Langs - MLB.com - Aug 7, 2019)

Aug 31, 2019: Mike made history in the Angels' 10-4 comeback win against the Red Sox at Angel Stadium, as he recorded his 200th career stolen base to become the youngest player to join the 200-homer, 200-stolen base club.

Trout, who entered the game with 283 career long balls, is 28 years, 24 days old. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Barry Bonds was previously the youngest to enter the 200-200 club, at 28 years, 349 days. Bonds, the only member of the 400-400 club, actually reached 200 steals two seasons before hitting his 200th home run.

"It's a pretty cool accomplishment," said Trout, who hadn't stolen a base since Aug. 14. "I was sitting on that one for a while, so I'm just happy I got it over with."

In 2019, Trout earned the Baseball Digest/eBay MLB Player of the Year Award.

The award was voted on by an expert panel that included Bob Costas; MLB Network personalities Greg Amsinger, Harold Reynolds, Brian Kenny, and Christopher Russo; and former MLB player Eduardo Perez.

It was far from a runaway for Trout, who edged Dodgers star Cody Bellinger by just two points, 30-28, while receiving 17 first-place votes. Trout is a frontrunner for his third American League MVP Award after knocking a career-high 45 homers and pacing the league in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS and Baseball-Reference WAR despite missing the last three weeks of the season with a foot injury. This is Trout’s second Baseball Digest Player of the Year Award, following his first such honor in 2014.

Nov 7, 2019: To no one's surprise, Trout takes home his seventh Silver Slugger Award in nine Major League seasons. The only exceptions being 2011, when he only played in 40 games as a rookie; and 2017, when injury limited him to 114 games. Despite missing the last three weeks of the '19 regular season.

May 2020: Who has the best eye on the Angels? Mike Trout.

One of Trout's most underrated skills is his batting eye, as he has the patience to draw walks when he doesn't get pitches to hit. Trout has led the AL in on-base percentage in each of the past four years and has led the AL in walks three times in his career (2013, '16 and '18).

He would have led again last season but missed most of September after undergoing right foot surgery. And unlike most sluggers, Trout can run, as evidenced by his 200 career stolen bases. So his stellar batting eye leads to plenty of runs for Trout, who has scored at least 100 runs in seven of the past eight seasons.  –Rhett Bollinger

September 2, 2020:  Mike hit his 13th homer of the season to tie for the Major League lead and move within one of the Angels' franchise record. Trout reached 298 career blasts with a two-run shot off right-hander Dinelson Lamet in the third. Tim Salmon holds the club record with 299. Only 150 players in Major League history have reached the 300-homer plateau.

September 4, 2020:  Mike tied Tim Salmon as the home run leader of the Angels with career homer No. 299.

Sept 5, 2020: A day after tying Tim Salmon for the most home runs in Angels history, Mike broke the franchise record with his 300th career homer in Game 1 of a seven-inning doubleheader against the Astros.

Trout crushed a 1-2 fastball from right-hander Brandon Bielak for a two-run homer to right in the third inning to set the club mark. It also moved the three-time American League MVP Award winner into the Major League lead with 15 homers this 2020 season.

Nov. 5, 2020: Trout hit .281 with 17 home runs and a .993 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 53 games. He became the Angels’ all-time home run leader when he clubbed the 300th of his career in August. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

He is the first player to win the Silver Slugger Award eight times before his age-29 season. He is the fifth player to ever win the award eight times in the American League and the third outfielder in either league to win eight times, joining Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez.

April 21, 2021: Trout's sixth-inning homer at Angel Stadium left his bat at 115.5 mph—his highest exit velocity since Statcast began tracking in 2015—and traveled 446 feet.

April 23, 2022: Trout added yet another accolade to his résumé, as he homered twice against the Orioles to set the club record for most multihomer games.

It was the 21st time that Trout went deep at least twice in a game, which surpassed the previous club record of 20 set by Vladimir Guerrero and Tim Salmon. But Trout’s solo shots in the first and fifth innings weren’t enough in a 5-4 loss in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at Angel Stadium.

"It's pretty cool stat, but we lost," said Trout, who went 3-for-5. "So it doesn't really mean much." (R Bollinger - MLB.com - April 24, 2022)

April 25, 2022: Trout became the third player in club history to reach 50 career triples, but it came in an unorthodox way, as he tripled on a check swing off Guardians ace Shane Bieber in the series opener at Angel Stadium.

May 21, 2022: Trout reached yet another milestone against the A's, becoming just the second player in franchise history to score 1,000 career runs.

Trout, who scored the run on an RBI infield single from Luis Rengifo in the sixth inning, joined Garret Anderson, who scored 1,024 runs during his 15-year career with the Angels. And it helped back Michael Lorenzen’s strong outing in a 5-3 win at Angel Stadium that snapped the Angels’ four-game losing streak. Trout also joins Mays, A-Rod on elite list.

June 24, 2022: Trout went 2-for-3 with a triple and a home run in a 4-3 loss to the Mariners in Friday’s series opener at Angel Stadium. It was his 53rd career homer against the AL West rival, which passed Rafael Palmeiro to become the all-time leader. The big fly was also Trout's 99th career extra-base hit against the Mariners and again passed Palmeiro for the all-time record.

Aug 23, 2022: Trout picked up career hit No. 1,500 in an 11-1 loss to the Rays. It came in memorable fashion, as he absolutely crushed a solo homer off the C-ring catwalk at Tropicana Field.

Trout, who returned to the lineup after missing a month with a back/rib cage injury, jumped all over a 2-1 curveball from right-hander Corey Kluber and hit a moonshot to left field that hit off the C-ring in the sixth inning for his 25th homer of the season. It left the bat at 108 mph and would have traveled a projected 429 feet if it hadn’t hit the catwalk, per Statcast. It was the second unusual hit of the series for Trout, who also hit a ball twice for an RBI single in the 2-1 loss.

“He looks really good,” said interim manager Phil Nevin. “I think just each day, you see the timing is a little better. His approach is always good. He understands what guys are trying to do. The swing decisions have gotten better each day, and then to see him get into one like that was good.” (R Bollinger - MLB.com - Aug 23, 2022)

Oct. 5, 2022: Home Run of 490 feet!

It was Trout's longest HR of Statcast Era and the Angels' longest HR of Statcast Era. It was the 5th-longest HR in MLB in '22 and the longest HR in MLB in '22 that wasn't hit at Coors Field.

In 2022, Trout won his ninth Silver Slugger Award.

Despite being limited by injuries to just 119 games, Trout still managed to hit 40 home runs this season. That ranked second (albeit a distant second) to Judge in the AL, and it was a 54-homer pace over 162 games. Trout also posted a .999 OPS and a .630 slugging percentage, which ranked second in the AL behind Judge among players with at least 450 plate appearances.

April 15, 2023: Another day, another milestone. With his first-inning double against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Trout became the fourth player all time with at least 300 career doubles, 300 career homers and 200 stolen bases by his age-31 season. And he joined some impressive company. Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Willie Mays are the only other players to reach those marks before turning 32.

May 31, 2023: Angels stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani have done some special things in their careers. They added to that with some monstrous home runs in a matchup against the White Sox that broke some team history when it comes to Statcast.

The two Angels stars may be the best duo in the entire league, and these home runs broke team records for the longest home runs by Angels teammates. According to MLB reporter Sarah Langs, it is the first time that the Angels have had multiple home runs of 450 feet or more in a game since Statcast was introduced in 2015. (Reice Shipley)

Mike has very good range and instincts in center field. He gets a very good jump on the ball off the bat, covering both gaps.

He has a pretty good arm, but it is his worst tool, though certainly not a liability. He has such accuracy on his throws it makes up for his fringe-average arm.

In 2012, Trout seemed to make a highlight video at least once a week.

"It was the ball you thought was going to drop in that Trout was there to catch. It was bringing back homers. It had to happen four or five times during the year. They weren’t just simple, ‘Jump up on the yellow stripe.’ It was two feet over the wall where it looked like his arm was going to disconnect from his body and then bringing the ball back," Angels GM Jerry Dipoto said.

The one aspect Trout's game that has ever prompted even the slightest bit of criticism and kept observers from calling him a true five-tool player, is the strength of his throwing arm. Don't think he hasn't noticed.

"He's got a little chip on his shoulder that he's trying to prove people wrong," said Angels bench coach Dino Ebel, who works with the outfielders. "That's the good thing about him. Like Albert Pujols. If you say he can't do something, he's going to prove you wrong. That's what Trout's mindset is: 'I'm going to show everybody that I do have this arm strength, and I'm going to go out and do it.' And he has."

In the Spring Training that preceded Trout's historic rookie season, the 22-year-old was limited greatly by tendinitis in his right shoulder. And when he was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in March, he vowed to Ebel that he would improve his throwing.

Ebel believes Trout has "an average to above-average arm right now."

"He was on that fringe of average," Ebel said. "Now, he's past that. He's average to above-average—when everything is right, his footwork."

Arm strength is probably the toughest aspect to improve because, as strength and conditioning specialist T.J. Harrington noted, the three muscles that account for how hard you throw (the teres major, teres minor, and infraspinatus) are small and almost impossible to strengthen.

"Just look at bodybuilders," Harrington said. "You can bulk up and look great. It doesn't mean that you have functionality to do anything. You just look good. We'd rather have the joint strong, then put muscle on top of it. Now you can do whatever you want. But if you're bulking up on top of the muscle, you still don't have shoulder stability. You need that stability."

Resistance-band exercises, which Harrington has his position players do twice a week, helps strengthen those muscles, but there's no one exercise that can make you throw harder. The best way to improve arm strength, Harrington said, is through better mechanics and muscle memory, a byproduct of long-tossing.

Trout entered the organization as a 17-year-old with raw throwing mechanics, and because he played in the Northeast, where harsh winters prevent players from throwing year-round.

"He's improving on it every day, he's working at it, and that's something he's taken pride in from Day 1," Ebel added. "He's doing the weight program, the shoulder exercises, we're throwing to bases more now, he's throwing more long-toss." (April 6, 2014 - Alden Gonzalez - mlb.com.)

Trout, having learned the hard way, no longer is playing with reckless abandon, crashing into walls. Defensively, Trout's routes and arm strength have been questioned. Working diligently, he has upgraded his defense significantly. (June 2014)

Mike has been knocked for his arm in the past, but the Angels superstar delivered an incredible 250-foot throw to nail Robinson Chirinos at the plate and prevent the go-ahead run from scoring in the ninth inning of the Halos' game against the Rangers at Angel Stadium.

With the score tied at 4, a pair of runners on and two outs, Shin-Soo Choo shot a single to center field, prompting Chirinos to attempt to score from second. Trout fired a no-hop throw to catcher Martin Maldonado, who tagged Chirinos for the final out of the inning.

"That throw was incredible," left fielder Cameron Maybin said.  The Angels ultimately fell, 7-5, after the Rangers rallied for three runs in the 10th, but Trout's impressive play still drew plenty of praise from his teammates.

"It's one of my best throws, for sure," Trout said. "Obviously, it was a big play in the game. I saw him going around the bases, and I knew I had a shot. Just put it right on the money."  (Guardado - mlb.com - 8/23/17)

“I’ve surprised myself a couple times this year with balls I didn’t think I could catch and I caught,” Trout said. “I wouldn’t say it was one particular drill. I think just over time, even in BP when you’re not shagging everything, you’re getting that first step, getting that reaction time and tell yourself catch everything. I think that’s been the biggest thing.” 

Mike has been clocked in 6.5 seconds in the 60-yard-dash. And he gets from home plate to first base in 3.9 seconds on a routine grounder to shortstop—superb speed from the right side. That means he legs out a lot of infield hits. And he can beat out a bunt in 3.65 to 3.7 seconds.

Scouts rate him at least a 70, and normally an 80, for his speed.

In 2012, Trout became the youngest player to steal 40 bases since a kid named Ty Cobb swiped 53 for the 1907 Tigers. He fell one steal short of joining Barry Bonds and Eric Davis as the third player in history to pull off a 30-50.

He wound up with 30 homers and 49 steals. At one point, Trout bagged 30 steals in a row without being caught.

June 17, 2013: When the 21-year-old scored his 249th run of his career, he became the fastest player to score 200 runs since Ted Williams (225 games) and Barney McCosky (236 games) reached the mark in 1940.

On August 7, 2013, his 22nd birthday, Trout's 77 career stolen bases made him the third AL player since 1900 to steal 75 bases before turning 22. Rickey Henderson and Ty Cobb were the others.

On the bases, Trout dives head-first more often than purists would like but appears to have figured out how to reduce injury risk, starting his dive at the correct distance from the bag and keeping his hands out of harm's way.

April 21, 2015: Billy Hamilton, Dee Gordon, and Mike Trout are widely considered three of the main contenders for this unofficial crown, and with the advent of Statcast technology, it's easier than ever to determine who is the fleetest of foot.

Recent stolen bases by the three players were dissected by Statcast and analyzed by MLB Network's Bill Ripken, and the findings were eye-opening. During a recent steal against the Braves, Gordon took a lead of 11.2 feet and hit a top speed of 21.1 mph on the way to second base. That's fast, but it's not Hamilton fast.

Hamilton stole a base against the Cubs this season and hit 21.2 mph, which explains how he was able to get away with a huge lead of 11.9 feet.

Trout's no slouch, of course. He had the shortest lead—10.5 feet—in the clip of a steal against Oakland, and he still managed to get to a top speed of 20.8 mph. (D Miller - MLB.com - April 21, 2015)

March 2012: Trout battled a nasty virus most of spring training, dropping 15 pounds, but gaining 10 of it back by the start of the season.

He also was limited to DH duties for a time because of tendinitis in his right shoulder.

May 29, 2017: Trout has a UCL tear in his left thumb and has been placed on the DL.

May 31-July 14, 2017: Trout underwent surgery to repair the UCL tear in his left thumb.

Aug 6, 2018:  Trout has been held out of the lineup since August 1, when he jammed his wrist sliding during a game against the Rays. Trout received a cortisone injection in his right wrist, the club announced. 

Aug 10-24, 2018: Mike was on the DL with right wrist inflammation.

Sept 7, 2019: Mike woke up still experiencing discomfort in his right toe, so he was held out of the lineup for the night game against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Trout, however, did make an appearance as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of the Halos' 8-7 win. He was intentionally walked and replaced by pinch-runner Taylor Ward. 

“He was a little sore today,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “It didn’t recover like it normally does, so we’re gonna give him the day and hopefully he’s fine tomorrow.”

September 15, 2019: Trout’s season is over. He will undergo surgery on his right foot to remove the Morton's neuroma he's been dealing with for about a month, the Angels announced.

September 20, 2019: Trout underwent foot surgery.  He had a neuroma removed from his right foot. 

May 17-end of 2021 season: Trout went on the IL due a Grade 2 right calf strain. 

He was injured while running the bases on a popup to shortstop by Jared Walsh that ended the first inning, but needed to stop after he reached third base, then went back into the home dugout.

He admitted it’s been the most difficult injury he’s had to deal with in his illustrious 11-year career.

"Real frustrating,” Trout said. “One of the hardest things I've been through in my career. I've been through some injuries, but this thing is tough. I didn't realize how much I use my calf."

July 16, 2022: Trout hasn't played since July 13 with back spasms. Trout said he was hitting in the cage before the start of the July 16 game and his back flared up. He previously underwent both an MRI exam and a CT scan that revealed no structural damage. Trout said he hasn't decided whether he'll play in the All-Star Game on July 19 at Dodger Stadium.

July 26, 2022: Angels interim manager Phil Nevin said that the club is continuing to take a cautious approach with Trout as the center fielder recovers from a left rib cage irritation. Trout received a cortisone shot in his back/rib cage area to help calm inflammation on July 21.

"Backs are cranky, they're touchy," Nevin said. "You don't want to rush him back. If he hurts that thing again, it won't be good. I think we're taking the right precautions and doing the right things to get him back on the field." 

Aug 13, 2022: Trout progressed from hitting off the tee to soft toss drills on the field on Aug. 13 and has been throwing and running without any issues. He also took two rounds of batting practice and will continue to do so until he's ready to face live pitching, interim coach Nevin said.

July 4-Aug 22, 2023: Trout was on the IL with left hamate fracture, which he sustained while fouling off a pitch from Nick Martinez in the game against the Padres. He underwent surgery on the wrist.

Aug 24-Nov 3, 2023: Trout was on the IL with right shoulder inflammation.

April 30, 2024: Trout was on the IL He suffered a torn meniscus during the Angels 6-5 victory over the Phillies, there is no timetable for his return. He will undergo surgery in the coming days, general manager Perry Minasian announced. It’s not expected to be a season-ending operation, but no immediate timetable was provided from the Angels or Trout.

“It’s tough,” said an emotional Trout prior to the Angels' 7-5 loss to the Phillies at Angel Stadium. “It’s just frustrating. But we’ll get through it.”

May 25, 2024: -- Angels superstar Mike Trout spoke to the media before the 4-3 loss to the Guardians and said he’s making progress after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3. There is still no timetable for his return.

Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, said he receives treatment twice a day at Angel Stadium and has progressed to riding a bike and using an elliptical. His next step will be walking and eventually jogging on an Ultra G treadmill, which reduces the impact of running on the legs. Once he’s able to do that, he’ll start ramping up his baseball activities.  July 20, 2024: He's expected to start his rehab assignment on July 23 -- and could return to the Angels as early as July 25 to begin the Angels' homestand against the A's.

July 23, 2024: - Angels superstar Mike Trout sustained a setback in the first game of his rehab assignment, as he left the game with Triple-A Salt Lake after two innings because of left knee soreness.

Trout, who had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3, was scheduled to play five innings in center field. But after going 0-for-1 with a strikeout and playing two innings in the field, he was removed from the game. Trout caught three fly balls in center, including the first two outs of the game and the final out of the second inning.

Manager Ron Washington didn’t have much of an update after the Angels’ 5-1 win over the Mariners other than to say Trout will remain in Salt Lake City to get evaluated further.

July 26, 2024: Trout suffered a setback in the first game of his rehab assignment. He left the game early after two innings because of left knee soreness. Trout flew back to the Los Angeles area and underwent an MRI exam. Trout announced that the MRI came back clean, and he only felt some scar tissue in his knee breaking up. He'll start running on the field again soon and isn't expected to need another rehab assignment before being activated. 

Aug-Nov 4, 2024: Trout underwent a second surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee.