The speed, the defense, the power, it was all there. The OG Mike TroutĪh yes, 2012, Mike Trout’s only 30-30 season. It was that insane 2012 that changed the draft. Sure, a speedy outfielder is a safer bet than an infielder with raw power, but there was already Perter Bourjos, Trout would have to play a corner if he was to be called up.Īs Mike Trout made his debut and had his rookie eligibility stay in tact barely, get sick in April and finally appear again in 2012 to put on one of the best seasons ever, all that fear and caution got tossed to the wind. So as Mike Trout caught headlines and moved up rankings, there was hype, but also caution. To the trained eye it was evident why one failed and one became a legend, but to most fans, all they see is prospect rankings and the hype. But Angels fans have seen this before.īrandon Wood is infamously one of the biggest busts in baseball history and his name is a constant reminder for Angels fans when it came to hype. Along with the stacked 2009 draft, Mike Trout put the Angels into a golden opportunity. He rose quickly through the levels and was the top prospect for 2011. What really changed the view of the draft was how much of a miss Mike Trout was to everyone. As he lived nearby, it wasn’t that far, and with the reputation of the draft and the location of basically every other top pick being hundreds and thousands of miles away, it was really no surprise in hindsight. There was one problem though, you can’t force it. Bud wanted to change that, get fans excited about the future. Draftees famously found out in a newspaper or a phone call out of nowhere when they were drafted, sometimes in the late late rounds that do not even exist anymore. With the launch of MLB Network, Bud Selig tried to elevate the draft. That is what separates MLB from the other major sports. Drafts were a crapshoot, and the player won’t make an impact for years down the line if ever. K-Rod and Mark Teixeira leaving the Angels was worth more than picks 24 and 25 in the 2009 MLB draft in the Angels’ eyes, and frankly everyone else’s. You could get an extra first round pick or a later pick or none at all depending on it. These were rather arbitrary based on how good the player was.
#MIKE TROUT AGE FREE#
In the past, in the long long ago, back before the current system and the system before that, the MLB draft had extra picks for teams based on free agents leaving. Yes, Mike Trout and his success, his story, the whole thing changed how teams view the draft. Instead of repeating that, I want to try a different angle, Mike Trout changed how teams view the draft.
So much has been said on the subject that to repeat it here would be redundant. He famously was the only player at the first televised MLB Draft and had to hear 24 names go by before he was drafted.
He was fast and could defend well, but he was more like Reggie Willits than, you know, Mike Trout. Sure, 2011 Mike Trout was nothing more than a 19 year old who had more promise than hits. I was home, still in high school watching someone slightly older than me do the things I dreamt about since I could walk. I remember where I was when I saw Trout’s debut. Like many things in life, an athlete aging before your eyes can make one feel old.
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