Five Years Ago, The World Met Mike Trout

Back in 2012, the Angels and their fans knew they had a potential phenom in the form of Mike Trout. However, on a normal evening in Baltimore, Mike Trout introduced himself to the world.

Mike Trout is the best player of this generation, yet he lacks national recognition. This is due to half the country being in bed when first pitch is delivered at the Big A in Anaheim. This is also a big reason why up until this night in Baltimore not many outside of Southern California had heard of Trout.

More from LA Angels News

• New York Post columnist has LA Angels bringing veteran starter back to LA
• Dodgers make wild mistake signing failed LA Angels starter
• Why LA Angels’ Qualifying Offer to Raisel Iglesias could become historical
• Both Gold Glove finalists for LA Angels getting snubbed is a complete joke
• Marcus Stroman definitely appears to be interested in the LA Angels

Despite hitting .335 with seven big flies, three triples, 21 swiped bags, and 14 doubles in 52 games, Mike Trout was flying under the radar. The team was also 33-19 with Trout in the lineup.

That was until Jered Weaver took the mound against the Baltimore Orioles on June 27th. With one out in the first inning, J.J Hardy stepped into the batter’s box. With a 1-1 count, he smacked a Weaver pitch into deep center field. Weaver’s body language after the pitch was hit indicated he thought the ball was well out.

And it was.

It wasn’t a bird flying, it wasn’t a plane, but it was the closest thing baseball had to Superman. Mike Trout simply did what he did best and amazed Halo fans. Except this time, the play went viral. Every sports channel was showing it. It was racking up shares on Twitter and Facebook. Suddenly, the kid from New Jersey was a nationwide name.

Angels fans know best. Mike Trout does not show emotion often. But even he admired this catch. He came down, saw the ball in his glove and jumped up and down before celebrating with Torii Hunter. A nod of the cap from Jered Weaver, and it was back to business for the Angels (for the record, Trout also went 4-6 with three runs and an RBI as the Angels won 13-1).

Since then, Mike Trout has simply won two MVP Awards and confirmed himself as the best player in baseball. While he sits in the dugout tonight watching as his team plays, he must surely remember five years ago, when baseball fans around the world met Michael Nelson Trout. Otherwise known as, the best player in baseball.