Mike Trout has been one of the top prospects in baseball for quite a few years now. A rare five-tool player, there were very few weaknesses to his game coming up through the Minor Leagues. And now that he is finally getting a chance to play everyday at the MLB level, Trout is showing everyone just how good he really is.
According to one scout, Trout could be the best player in the game by the end of the 2013 season, if not earlier. We take a deeper look at him after the jump.
Buster Olney of ESPN had this to write about Trout and his stellar start to the season.
On the day that Trout was summoned to the big leagues, the Angels were 6-14. Since then, they are 16-11, and Trout has thrived, at age 20. "He excels at everything he does," said the evaluator.
Trout has 11 extra-base hits in his first 25 games and a .500 slugging percentage. He's averaged 4.28 pitches per plate appearance; the only member of the Angels with more, the evaluator noted, is Albert Pujols, who has a decade more in the big leagues. He has six stolen bases. "He may be the fastest player in the game," said the evaluator. "There isn't anything on a baseball field that he doesn't do well. He's special."
Jerry Dipoto, the Angels' first-year general manager, has been greatly impressed by what he's seen from Trout's at-bats -- but also in his response to when he doesn't get a hit. "I think he's been remarkably good," Dipoto said. "For a 20-year-old, he just doesn't let a bad at-bat carry over. He doesn't let it pile up. ... I can't recall anyone at that age who has that ability.
"He's one of the reasons" the Angels have turned it around, Dipoto said. "He's created some stability at the top of the lineup."
There is little coincidence that the Angels started turning their abysmal start to the season around when Trout arrived, and he looks like a mainstay in the outfield for the foreseeable future. Their are few players as naturally gifted as Trout isin baseball, and his strong work ethic makes for a solid bet on him becoming a superstar. Now it's just a matter of continuing to get comfortable against the toughest competition in the world.
For more on Trout and the Angels, be sure to check out Halos Heaven.