Tragedy struck the Angels this past week with the unexpected death of Tyler Skaggs on July 1. Trout first took to social media to express his pain and sadness.
Words cannot express the deep sadness we feel right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carli and their families. Remembering him as a great teammate, friend, and person who will forever remain in our hearts… we love you, 45. pic.twitter.com/zCO8Ne01Gy
It’s finally done. Mike Trout has signed a contract extension that will almost certainly wrap up his career. The Angels created a new deal for Trout that gives him a pay raise over the next two years and extends him for 10 years beyond that for a total of $426.5 million. The average annual value of the deal is just under $36 million dollars a year. By many accounts it’s a steal considering Trout could be worth $80 million a year over the next four years. One writer was bold enough to say that he should be worth a billion dollars over 12 years (but he’s not getting it because of cultural norms). The Angels might be overpaying on the last few years of the deal, but at his current rate of production, they’ll be paying off earlier years of excess value.
The Angels have released their promotional schedule for the 2019 season. The list includes several Mike Trout themed items including jerseys, hats, coolers, backpacks and two bobbleheads. The first bobblehead celebrates Trout’s six Silver Slugger Awards. The second honors the Angels professional sports neighbor the Anaheim Ducks.
April 5, Friday – Rangers
Promotion: Trout Silver Slugger Bobblehead Presented By Presented By Automobile Club of Southern California
April 20, Saturday – Mariners
Promotion: Youth Trout Jersey Presented By Angels Radio AM830 | Youth jerseys for first 10,000 fans ages 3-13, while supplies last.
Mike Trout publicly shared his grief over the passing of his brother-in-law Aaron via a Facebook and Twitter post. It’s a heart-touching post that expresses his love for the man he felt was his best friend.
On the Monday before the All Star Game Bill Shaikin started a lot of trouble by publishing a piece in the LA Times about the struggles in getting Mike Trout the kind of attention he deserves. Aside from playing most of his games on the West Coast and a lack of playoff appearances Shaikin also stated that Trout turns down high profile opportunities to promote himself and the sport. Torii Hunter is quoted in the piece as saying:
“If Mike really wanted to, if he got a marketing team and everything, he would be the face of baseball,” . . . “He doesn’t. He wants to be with his wife and keep it simple.
“It’s his choice. It’s not anybody else’s choice.”
At the end of the article Shaikin asks:
Should the league do a better job of promoting him?
“I don’t know,” Trout said. “I’m not telling anybody to do that.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred went on The Dan Patrick Show (go to the 33 minute mark) the next day and when asked about promoting players cited Shaikin’s piece and agreed with it. Manfred felt it was the responsibility of the league to promote its players but they could only promote them as much as they were willing to be promoted.
Mike Trout once again put on a show in the All Star Game. This was Trout’s seventh straight appearance and the sixth time he was voted in as a starter. Inexplicably, despite being the best player in the game, he only received the fourth most votes.
The FOX broadcast did a great job of highlighting Trout by creating a hilarious weather report and then micing him up in the second inning.
ESPN posted a great interview with Alex Rodriguez talking baseball with Mike Trout. They discuss shifting and how to bring more personality to the game. They end with a long discussion on Trout’s pregame routine and how he works on his hitting. This is one of the best interviews you will see with Mike Trout a really nice job by A-Rod.
The Los Angeles Angels released their 2018 promotional schedule recently. The stadium giveaways include a number of Mike Trout themed items. It appears the team is going to do their best to get every kid in the Los Angeles area the chance to own a Mike Trout jersey. With seven opportunities to get a youth sized jersey you shouldn’t have any problem helping your kid show off their love for #27. Other giveaways include a Mike Trout Nutcracker and a special birthday shirt on August 7th when #27 turns 27 years old. After a slew of bobbleheads celebrating Mike’s 2016 MVP award it appears there won’t be any Trout bobbleheads this year.
June 3 – Rangers
Promotion: Youth Trout Jersey Presented By Angels Radio AM830 | Youth jerseys for first 10,000 fans ages 3-13, while supplies last.
June 22 – Blue Jays
Promotion: Trout Nutcracker (Christmas in June) Presented By Old Dominion
June 24 – Blue Jays
Promotion: Youth Trout Jersey Presented By Angels Radio AM830 | Youth jerseys for first 10,000 fans ages 3-13, while supplies last.
July 9 – Dodgers
Promotion: Youth Trout Jersey Presented By Angels Radio AM830 | Youth jerseys for first 10,000 fans ages 3-13, while supplies last.Continue reading 2018 Trout Stadium Giveaways→