Mike Trout was nice enough to grace the world with his presence on August 7, 1991 in Vineland, New Jersey. The 23-year-old was drafted in the first round of the 2009 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Angels and he's been an all-star in each of his three full MLB seasons.
In honor of Trout's birthday, we'll provide a number of his achievements and milestones as a young player, beginning with the most recent. Just a few weeks ago, the Angels slugger became the second-youngest player to win the Most Valuable Player of the MLB All-Star game. At the time he was 22-years-old and the only player to best Trout in this achievement was Ken Griffey Jr. in 1992 when he was just 106 days younger. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Trout also become the second player in ASG history with a double, triple and two-plus RBIs since Earl Averill in 1934.
Trout is ranked second in the AL for runs scored (78) this season. If he leads the AL in runs scored at year's end, it will be his third season in a row doing so, which would rank him amongst Albert Pujols, Pete Rose, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle as the only players to reach the achievement. This year he also ranks second in the AL in doubles (33), fifth in home runs (25), fourth in RBIs (81), third in walks (61), third in OBP (.390), third in slugging percentage (.580), second in OPS (.971), and first in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) (6.2), all at the age of 23. Also, if Trout reaches 75 extra-base hits this year, he will be one of four players in history to do that in back-to-back seasons at his age (Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols).
In 2013, Trout had nearly identical league-leading statistics. He led the AL in runs scored (109), walks (110) and WAR (9.2). He was top five in hits (190), triples (9), average (.323), OBP (.432), SLG (.557), and OPS (.988). He also finished second in the AL MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. The outfielder received five first-place votes and 19 second-place votes. The Angels missed the playoffs that year despite Trout's unbelievable second MLB season, however, his rookie year was arguably the most impressive.
As a 20-year-old in 2012, Trout won Rookie of the Year and led the league in runs scored (129), stolen bases (49), WAR (10.9), offensive win percentage (.786), and OPS+ (168), which you can read more about on FanGraphs.com. He also cranked 30 home runs and 83 RBIs. Trout was second in the league in batting average (.326), second in OPS (.963), third in OBP (.399), and third in SLG (.564). He again came in second in the AL MVP voting behind Miguel Cabrera, who happened to be the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to hit for the Triple Crown. Oh yeah, and he won the Silver Slugger Award in both 2012 and 2013 as a center fielder.
And that's all just in three years. Trout has many more ahead of him, so just remember we'll have a lot to look forward to. You can read more about Mike Trout on his Baseball Reference page.
