Ever since Shohei Ohtani decided to leave the Los Angeles Angels, all the eyes have been pointed at Mike Trout. The generational player is coming off 9 consecutive playoff-less seasons. The speculations regarding his future increased after Trout kept the doors open for a trade down the line. However, if the latest reports are to be believed Trout’s desire to specifically win with the Angels might have overridden his desire to win trophies elsewhere.
The 32-year-old has started 2024 on a fiery form. The superstar is currently leading the league with 7 homers. But despite that fine start the Angels currently have a 8-9 record. That nearly sums up the entire tenure of Trout till now. He provides his generational talents but the Halos fail to capitalize on them. But while some of his fans are hoping for a trade, Trout’s loyalty is too good to ignore.
Torii Hunter, former teammate and Halos’ special assistant explained to ESPN the current stance of Mike Trout. “He wants to stay. For the people that say he should get traded — it’s not their decision. It’s Trout’s decision. For people to say that he doesn’t want to win a championship — that’s 100% false. This guy’s always had fire and a desire to win.”
Part of the reason for this decision is Trout’s loyalty. The 3x MVP is famous for this quality of his. The superstar has shared repeatedly that it comes from his upbringing and family. However, Trout’s loyalty to the Halos also comes from the fact that they picked him when others said “pass.”
Carlos Estévez, the Halos’ closer referred to this. Estévez said that the Los Angeles Angels draft picking Trout when 21 teams passed on him affected him. The star now feels the responsibility to pay back the organization with a trophy. However, there’s another reason why Trout prefers to stay in the Halos. It’s because of a former Yankee who inspired Trout.
How Mike Trout decided to follow the footsteps of Derek Jeter
Trout grew up watching the New York Yankees’ legendary captain Derek Jeter. Throughout his 20-year career, Jeter never wore another jersey. He was one of the last one-team players in sports. Trout idolized Captain Clutch and wanted to recreate the impact that Jeter had. One of the ways was to remain loyal to his team.
So when Trout signed his record-breaking, $426.5 million extension, he said following in Jeter’s footsteps was “something — obviously not totally, but something in the back of my mind.” Ever since then, Trout has tried to live up to that image. The highly optimistic King Fish has tried to motivate the Halos and believes that they can win the big one.
However, while his belief is commendable there’s still some ways to go for the team. But it cannot be denied that despite a slow start, the Halos do look much better this year than they did in 2023. But will they continue this form? Even if they don’t, the Millville Meteor is in the mood to explode on the league this year.