Top 30 athletes under 30
By Robert Judin
1. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – 24 years old
He is the best player in baseball, and he’s only 24-years-old.
Bryce Harper may be challenging him for that title very soon, but as it stands right now, Mike Trout is king of the diamond. He was the No. 25 overall draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft, and it was the best move the Angels have ever made or will ever make.
Trout debuted at 19-years-old in 2011 and squeaked out 27 hits and five home runs in 123 at-bats. But that was just him dipping a toe into the pool to analyze the water.
In his rookie season in 2012, he set the league on fire. He jacked 30 home runs and led the league with 49 stolen bases. He won the Rookie of the Year award and finished second to Miguel Cabrera for the MVP. Cabrera was the reason Trout missed out on the MVP in 2013 as well.
Finally, in 2014, Trout received his first MVP award. All it took was 39 doubles, 36 home runs and a league-leading 111 RBI. This past season he went off for 41 home runs and 90 RBI, and led the league with a .991 OPS.
Trout is basically Ken Griffey Jr. reborn — even though Griffey is still alive. Trout does everything the way Griffey did. He hits for power, runs like a purebred horse and has a rocket launcher attached to him.
He has a 139 home runs in four full seasons in the big leagues. This may just be the eye of the storm we’re experiencing, too. When Trout really goes off, we’ll be talking category-five destruction to pitching staffs across the league.