"I need to get him out of the house...he's driving us crazy" - When Mike Trout's father was desperate about his $1.2M bonus deal with Angels
There was a lot of buzz surrounding Mike Trout during the 2009 MLB Draft. Many scouts were certain he was a future All-Star in the making after turning heads during travel baseball as a teenager.
Plenty of teams were ready to pull the trigger on Trout. However, it would be the Los Angeles Angels that would be the team to draft him and give him his start in professional baseball.
While Trout's family was more than excited to see their son become a big-league player, they were ready to see their child fly coop. Trout's father, Jeff, called Eddie Bane, the Angels scouting director, to make the rookie contract official. He wanted his son out of the house ASAP, via Sports Illustrated's Ben Reiter.
"Can we just get this done? I need to get him out of the house and back on the baseball field, because he's driving us crazy," said Jeff Trout.
It did not take long for the organization to get the deal done after that. Within a month, they were able to sign Trout to his slot value of $1.215M. He then went on to hit .352 in the minors later that year, giving a sneak peek at what was to come.
Angels' star Mike Trout was not worried about numbers early on
Growing up, Mike Trout did not have to worry about numbers. He was extremely skilled in youth baseball and big stats came with ease as he dominated teams around his area.
He kept this same mentality after he was drafted. Trout wanted to treat professional baseball just like he did growing up, having fun and being a great teammate.
"I just go out there and have fun, and the numbers'll be what they are" said Trout.
After excelling in the minor leagues, Trout made his MLB debut in 2011. He played 40 games that season, getting a taste of baseball at the highest level.
The following year, Trout would get a full season under his belt. He played in 139 games, hitting .326/.399/.564 with 30 home runs and 83 runs batted in, winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
Trout has consistently been a role model to the younger generation of baseball players. Outside of making sure he is having fun on the field, he plays hard and leaves it all on the field.