Heading into Saturday night's play, Trout was leading the league in average (.347, leaving everyone else in the dust), stolen bases (33) and runs scored (84, in 84 games), while ranking third in on-base percentage (.408), second in slugging percentage (.603), and second in OPS (1.012). He's a legitimate MVP candidate - Rookie of the Year is a dead-solid lock - and he's done all this despite a late start, joining the Angels near the end of April, which leads us to the most remarkable development of all.22 organizations, including the local teams Giants and A's, had their shot at drafting Mike Trout in 2009 before the Angels picked him at #25 (the Diamondbacks selected two others ahead of him and the Angels also had slot #24).
Virtually by himself, he transformed the Angels from a sad-sack disaster into perhaps the most feared team in baseball.
According to veteran SF Chronicle sportswriter Bruce Jenkins, Mike Trout hasn't been over-hyped. His statistics, depending on what one is measuring, compare with Ty Cobb, Al Kaline, Joe DiMaggio, Rickey Henderson, Frank Robinson, and Mickey Mantle, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame.
On Tuesday Mike Trout turns 21.
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