A teenager is making the jump from Double-A to the bigs and his name isn’t Bryce Harper. The LA Angels have decided to call up center fielder Mike Trout as the team continues its series against the Mariners.
Peter Bourjos, the Angels primary center fielder, strained his right hamstring during last night’s contest and could be headed to the disabled list later today to make room for Trout.
The super prospect was drafted in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft, when the Angels made him the 25th overall selection. Trout signed quickly and got on the field that summer for the Halos, making it up to Low A ball as a 17 year old.
Trout entered 2010 ranked as a top 100 player by Baseball America and split time between High and Low A. In his two stops, he was able to put up a combined OPS of .918 with 10 home runs, 28 doubles and 56 stolen bases.
Entering 2011, many ranked Trout as the second best prospect in the minors, only behind Harper. He hasn’t disapointed, posting a line of .324/.415/.534 in 75 games.
"“Mike Trout has a chance to be a special player,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said earlier this season. “He can really run, and he loves to compete. He has all the tools and the desire to make things happen.”"
LA clearly thinks Trout has the ability to make an impact at the major league level as they will be depending on him to produce in the midst of a playoff race. I doubt the now youngest player in the bigs has been brought up to sit on the bench. Trout will likely be filling in for Bourjos in center tonight and as long as it takes for him to recover.
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