MLB: Not Your Everyday Players – Current Household Names in Baseball
By Anthony Sosa
Mike Trout
Pujols’ teammate Mike Trout may only be entering his age-25 season, but nonetheless, he’s already a household name. Even more impressively, Trout has played so well in his first six seasons that being on a less-than-stellar Angels team hasn’t hurt his popularity.
Trout does it all on the diamond. If he’s not hitting doubles, he’s stealing bases, or hitting home runs or even robbing them, too. He’s the definition of a five-tool player and is the greatest in today’s game.
Growing up in Millville, New Jersey built up his reputation and respect on the East Coast and playing in Anaheim has created his buzz in the West. The only thing preventing Trout’s name from growing even more is his lack of playoff appearances, but that’s no fault of his. Trout has carried the Angels for the past five seasons.
In five full seasons, Trout has finished top-two each season in the MVP voting. In both 2014 and 2016 he won the award. To go along with the MVPs, he also has a Rookie of the Year award, five Silver Sluggers, five All-Star selections and two All-Star Game MVP awards.
The Angels center fielder has a career bWAR of 48.5. He also has 168 home runs, a .306 average, 497 RBI and 143 stolen bases. All remarkable numbers for just the age of 25.
It’s not just his play that earns the household recognition, but also his endorsements. Trout is a big representative of Nike and BodyArmor SuperDrink. If people aren’t seeing him on the field, they’re seeing him on well-known sports products.