LA Angels: How to make Mike Trout more marketable

Major League Baseball has had an ever-growing problem with marketing the best baseball player of this generation in Mike Trout. There are many ways they can improve.

On the day that would have been Opening Day, Major League Baseball took the opportunity to overlay a video showing highlights from previous seasons and an optimistic message that baseball will be back soon with Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout’s voice.

While this is one example that put Trout in the spotlight for a brief moment, MLB still has to figure out a way to make their best player more marketable for fans and the general public.

Having watched the three-time MVP for many seasons from afar, he seems to be the kind of person everyone wishes their son would grow up to be—someone who is humble, honest, hardworking, and a team player. The problem in being humble and soft-spoken is that marketing departments might think that type of personality doesn’t lend itself to becoming the face of baseball, which is perhaps why Trout doesn’t have too many sponsors; and while he is on social media, he isn’t always on it to build his brand.

However, there are creative ways MLB can work on making Trout more marketable, especially during this time when no baseball is being played.

The first thing they can try is have him do similar quick hits to the video he did earlier this month, acting as the spokesperson for baseball over promotional content for the league. Using him in that Opening Day commercial was a perfect way to showcase him as the best player in baseball, and as a key figure leading the baseball world out of darkness.

Another thing MLB could try is to highlight the things that make him who he is as a person, and promote his personality to the younger generation as an example of how athletes, at every level, should behave. His attributes already help make him a great person and player, so showing him doing things that focus on his work ethic, assisting others, and reaching out to the community while baseball is shutdown would be a great marketing approach.

If they want to have more fun in their messaging, they can focus on Trout’s sneaky humor, which he demonstrated during Spring Training. The centerfielder, along with Justin Upton, pulled a prank on MLB Network Analyst Harold Reynolds which certainly registered some laughs and was shared around on social media.

Major League Baseball also created something called MLB Originals which seems like a fun, weekly show that is supposed to keep fans engaged with players and personalities of the game until baseball comes back. Trout can certainly make an appearance on that show and do something fun with whoever is the host.

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These are just a few of the ideas to make the best player in the game more marketable and reach a bigger audience. Whenever baseball is back, Mike Trout should be at the center of their marketing campaign.