9781422273753

BALLPARK GREATS PRO BASEBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

GREG BACH MIKE TROUT

BALLPARK GREATS PRO BASEBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

Christian Yelich Justin Verlander Max Scherzer Mike Trout Nolan Arenado

BALLPARK GREATS PRO BASEBALL’S BEST PLAYERS

MIKE TROUT GREG BACH

MASON CREST PHILADELPHIA MIAMI

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2020 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4440-1

ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4434-0 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7375-3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Bach, Greg, author. | Mason Crest Publishers. Title: Mike Trout / Greg Bach. Description: Broomall, Pennsylvania : Mason Crest, 2020. | Series: Ballpark Greats: Pro baseball’s best players | Includes webography. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019034437 | ISBN 9781422244401 (Hardback) | ISBN 9781422273753 (eBook) | ISBN 9781422244340 (Series) Subjects: LCSH: Trout, Mike, 1991—Juvenile literature. | Baseball players—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. | Center fielders (Baseball)—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature. | Rookie of the Year Award (Baseball) | Most Valuable Player Award (Baseball) | Los Angeles Angels (Baseball team)—History—Juvenile literature. | California Angels (Baseball team)—Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC GV865.T73 B33 2020 | DDC 796.357092 [B]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019034437

Developed and Produced by National Highlights Inc. Editor: Andrew Luke Production: Crafted Content LLC

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CONTENTS

Series Glossary of Key Terms 72 Further Reading & Internet Resources 75 Index 76 Author Biography & Credits 79

Chapter 1: Greatest Moments 7 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top 21 Chapter 3: On the Diamond 35 Chapter 4: Words Count 47 Chapter 5: Off the Diamond 61

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing themwith additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sportsmoments, andmuchmore! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

auspicious: a sign of future success; favorable

conjure: call upon to appear; implore to do something

garner: gather or collect

pantheon: a group of respected, famous or important people

6

Chapter 1

Greatest Moments Baseball’s True Superstar Mike Trout, arguably the best player of this generation, is on a laser- fast trajectory to becoming one of baseball’s all-time greats. Check out this buffet of delicious honors the humble and hardworking Los Angeles Angels center fielder has accumulated since making his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2011: three American League Most Valuable Player (AL MVP) awards, an AL Rookie of the Year award, and a pair of All-Star Game MVP awards grabbed in back-to-back years. Plus, dig into these juicy, yet hard-to-fathom numbers: he’s hit 33 or more home runs (HR) in five different seasons; he’s led the majors in runs scored three times; during Trout’s rookie season he swiped a major league best 49 bases; he’s the youngest member in baseball history of the tough-to-crack 30-30 club (players who hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in the same season); he’s the youngest player to hit for the cycle (collecting a single, double, triple, and home run in the same game) in AL history. And the list goes on.

7

In the pantheon of one-name legends—Mays, Mantle, DiMaggio, Aaron, Ripken, and Jeter among them—Trout has launched his name into this rarified air much like the pitches he deposits into the outfield seats with staggering regularity. He has already put his stamp on some incredible achievements, including becoming the first player in major league history to steal 45 bases, score 125 runs, and hit 30 home runs in a single season. Trout is also trampling the Angels record book as he has hoisted himself into the top three of more than half a dozen key hitting categories, including batting average, home runs, and on-base percentage. And he’s still only in his twenties. How scary is that thought for AL pitchers?

Trout has become a massive fan favorite as he quickly rewrites the Angels record book.

8

Mike Trout

Here is a list of some of Trout’s career firsts and greatest achievements during his time in MLB: Greatest Career Moments

9

CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

Hits for the Cycle at Age Twenty-One When Mike Trout took a called third strike on his first visit to the plate in a late May game against visiting Seattle during the 2013 season, it was a less-than- auspicious start to an evening that would land in the history books hours later. Trout, at the age of twenty-one, became the youngest AL player to hit for the cycle. Following that initial strikeout Trout produced an infield single in the third inning and a triple in the fourth; he rapped a double in the sixth that knocked in three runs; and he finished his historical night in grand fashion with a home run in the eighth off Lucas Luetge. Trout drove in five runs as the Angels trounced Seattle 12–0. It marked the sixth time in Angels’ history that a player had hit for the cycle and the first since Chone Figgins did so against Texas in 2006.

Trout became the youngest player in AL history to hit for the cycle, when the twenty-one-year-old collected a single, double, triple, and home run against visiting Seattle during the 2013 season.

10

Mike Trout

Wins AL Rookie of the Year Award Voting for the AL Rookie of the Year winner in 2012 had about as much suspense tied to it as wondering if the ball will drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. That big ball always drops—and there was never a doubt that Trout was walking away with this award as his rookie campaign was simply one of the best in baseball history. Trout garnered all 28 first-place votes, just the eighth time in AL history that a player had done that. He put together a string of dazzling numbers: he hit .326, clubbed 30 homers, knocked in 83 runs, and he led the majors in both stolen bases (with 49 in just 55 attempts) and runs scored with 129. Prior to Trout, the last Angel to win the award was outfielder Tim Salmon (nicknamed King Fish) in 1993.

Trout was the unanimous winner of the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year award.

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CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

First Major League Hit The mere mention of Trout’s name conjures up towering home runs and acrobatic catches. So it’s ironic that one of the game’s most lethal hitters collected his first major league hit by laying down a well-placed bunt against the Seattle Mariners during his second game in an Angels uniform. In the bottom of the third inning of a scoreless game, Trout came to the plate with runners on first and second base. On right-handed pitcher Michael Pineda’s 0–1 pitch, he squared his body and laid a bunt down that Pineda bounded off the mound to field, but he was unable to throw the speedy Trout out at first base. Mark Trumbo scored on the play, and the Angels put their first run on the scoreboard courtesy of Trout’s first hit.

Trout lays down a bunt for his first major league hit against the Seattle Mariners.

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Mike Trout

MVP of 2014 All-Star Game The 2014 All-Star Game dripped with history: it was New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter’s farewell to the Mid-Summer Classic because he was retiring at the end of the season. It also ushered in the arrival of one of the game’s emerging superstars in Trout. The combination of the veteran Jeter (a participant in 14 All-Star Games) and the newcomer Trout (playing in just his third) proved to be potent right from the start. Jeter led off the bottom of the first inning with a double off starting pitcher AdamWainwright, and then Trout crushed a triple to deep center field to score Jeter for the game’s first run as the AL went on to a 5–3 victory at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Trout’s night also featured knocking in another run with a fifth-inning double on his way to being named the game’s MVP and sharing a piece of the spotlight with his childhood idol Jeter.

CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS Trout was named the MVP of the 2014 All-Star Game that the AL won 5–3 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 13

Celebrates Twenty-Sixth Birthday with 1,000th Career Hit Mike Trout has a real flair for special occasions. Not content to simply celebrate his twenty-sixth birthday with cake eating and gift unwrapping, he opted to punctuate the day with a milestone hit. When he laced a fourth- inning double down the leftfield line in a scoreless game against the Baltimore Orioles, he collected the 1,000th hit of his career. And, he put the proverbial icing on the birthday cake two innings later by slugging a game-tying home run, his 23rd of the season. Manny Machado put a damper on the celebration by cranking a grand slam in the seventh inning that led to a 6–2 Baltimore win. Trout joined this Hall of Fame trio—Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Mantle— as the only players in history to compile 1,000 hits, score 500 runs, and have 500 walks by their age twenty-five season.

On his twenty-sixth birthday, Trout collected his 1,000th career hit against the Baltimore Orioles.

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Mike Trout

Joins Exclusive 30-30 Club The 30-30 club is a highly exclusive and mighty difficult group to join. Gaining entry doesn’t require knowing secret handshakes or obscure passwords, and deep pockets and connections with friends in high places carry no weight either. What it takes is a rare blend of speed and power, a lethal combination that Trout possesses. The twenty-one-year-old barged through the front door of the club and became its youngest member in history on the final day of September during the 2012 season. When he clubbed a solo home run off Texas pitcher Yu Darvish, it marked his 30th home run to go along with the more than 30 bases he had already stolen that season (he finished the year with 49 steals), and he earned his spot in the club. Trout supplanted a twenty- two-year-old Alex Rodriguez as the youngest 30-30 member. He became the 60th player in major league history to record a 30-30 season.

Trout, at the age of twenty-one, became the youngest member of the 30–30 club (stolen bases and home runs) during the 2012 season.

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CHAPTER 1: GREATEST MOMENTS

Becomes Youngest Player to Win AL MVP Award Unanimously

During Trout’s first two seasons, he put up audacious numbers, finishing second both years in AL MVP balloting to Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera. In 2014, the twenty-three-year-old Trout put his stamp on the season, becoming the youngest player to ever win the AL MVP Award in a unanimous vote. The last time an AL player earned the honor unanimously was Ken Griffey Jr. back in 1997. Trout hit .287 during the season while driving in 111 runs, clubbing 36 homers, and scoring 115 times. Detroit’s Victor Martinez was a distant second in the MVP voting, and Michael Brantley of the Cleveland Indians was third. Trout joined Mickey Mantle in being the only players who have finished as MVP

runner-up in consecutive seasons before winning the award the following season. Trout became the third player in Angels’ history to win the AL MVP Award, joining Vladimir Guerrero (2004) and Don Baylor (1979).

Trout put together a monster season in 2014 to become the youngest player to ever win the AL MVP Award in a unanimous vote.

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Mike Trout