Mike Trout, born Michael Nelson Trout on August 7, 1991, is an American baseball center fielder recognized as one of the sport’s best all-around players of the early 21st century. Trout's skills were noticed early, leading the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to draft him in 2009. By 2012, he was playing in the major leagues, where he led the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) with a .326 batting average. He was named AL Rookie of the Year. In 2014, he was voted AL MVP. By 2019, Trout had signed a 12-year extension with the team for $426.5 million. He has also won the Silver Slugger Award , been named an All-Star Game MVP , and is an eight-time All-Star.

Which sport does Mike Trout play and for which team?

Mike Trout is a center fielder in baseball . He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, and as of 2011, he plays for the Los Angeles Angels . By 2019, Trout had signed a 12-year extension with the team for $426.5 million, which was the largest amount of money in a single contract in the history of professional sports at the time.

What position does Mike Trout usually play on the baseball field?

Mike Trout is an American baseball player who plays center field. As a center fielder, Trout is chosen for his speed and ability to judge the trajectory of fly balls. The center fielder stations himself in a strategic point for each batter and often directs the playing positions of his outfield teammates.

What skills or talents make Mike Trout a standout player in baseball?

Mike Trout is considered one of baseball's best all-around players because of his stellar defense and dominance in advanced statistical categories. Trout's skills were apparent early while at Millville High School, leading the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to select him in the 2009 MLB draft. In his debut season in 2012, he led the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) with a .326 batting average. Over his career, he has been named an eight-time All-Star, three-time MVP, and has won the Silver Slugger Award seven times. In 2015, he had a career-high 41 home runs and led the AL with a .590 slugging percentage.

What awards or honors has Mike Trout received in his career?

Mike Trout is an American baseball center fielder renowned as one of the sport’s best all-around players. Among his awards and achievements are: * J.G. Taylor Spink Award (2010) * AL Rookie of the Year (2012) * 3-time AL MVP (2014, 2016, 2019) * 8-time All-Star * 2-time All-Star Game MVP (2015) * 7 Silver Slugger Awards * Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award Trout was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, and he debuted in the major league in 2012 after a short time in the minor leagues.

How has Mike Trout impacted his team and the sport of baseball overall?

Mike Trout, born Michael Nelson Trout on August 7, 1991, is an American baseball center fielder recognized as one of the sport’s best all-around players of the 21st century. Trout's exceptional skills were evident early, leading the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to draft him in 2009. In 2012, his first full major league season, he led the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) with a .326 batting average, earning him the AL Rookie of the Year award. Despite the Angels' struggles, Trout's dominance continued. By 2019, he had secured three AL MVP awards and signed a 12-year contract extension for $426.5 million, then the largest in professional sports history.

Mike Trout

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Quick Facts

Byname of:: Michael Nelson Trout

Born:: August 7, 1991, Vineland, New Jersey, U.S. (age 35)

Awards And Honors:: All-Star Game; Most Valuable Player (2019); Most Valuable Player (2016); Most Valuable Player (2015); Most Valuable Player (2014); Most Valuable Player (2014); Rookie of the Year (2012); Silver Slugger Award (x7); All-Star Game MVP (x2); three-time MVP; eight-time All-Star; Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award; Rookie of the Year Award

Height/Weight:: 6 ft 2 inches, 235 lb (188 cm, 106 kg)

Batting Hand:: right

Mike Trout

American baseball player

Also known as: Michael Nelson Trout

Written by

Adam Augustyn

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 1, 2026 •History

Top Questions

Who is Mike Trout?
Mike Trout, born Michael Nelson Trout on August 7, 1991, is an American baseball center fielder recognized as one of the sport’s best all-around players of the early 21st century.

Trout's skills were noticed early, leading the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to draft him in 2009. By 2012, he was playing in the major leagues, where he led the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) with a .326 batting average. He was named AL Rookie of the Year. In 2014, he was voted AL MVP. By 2019, Trout had signed a 12-year extension with the team for $426.5 million. He has also won the Silver Slugger Award, been named an All-Star Game MVP, and is an eight-time All-Star.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Mike Trout: Facts & Related Content
2. Mike Trout
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Which sport does Mike Trout play and for which team?
Mike Trout is a center fielder in baseball. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, and as of 2011, he plays for the Los Angeles Angels. By 2019, Trout had signed a 12-year extension with the team for $426.5 million, which was the largest amount of money in a single contract in the history of professional sports at the time.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Mike Trout: Facts & Related Content
2. Mike Trout
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What position does Mike Trout usually play on the baseball field?
Mike Trout is an American baseball player who plays center field. As a center fielder, Trout is chosen for his speed and ability to judge the trajectory of fly balls. The center fielder stations himself in a strategic point for each batter and often directs the playing positions of his outfield teammates.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What skills or talents make Mike Trout a standout player in baseball?
Mike Trout is considered one of baseball's best all-around players because of his stellar defense and dominance in advanced statistical categories.

Trout's skills were apparent early while at Millville High School, leading the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to select him in the 2009 MLB draft. In his debut season in 2012, he led the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) with a .326 batting average.

Over his career, he has been named an eight-time All-Star, three-time MVP, and has won the Silver Slugger Award seven times. In 2015, he had a career-high 41 home runs and led the AL with a .590 slugging percentage.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Mike Trout: Facts & Related Content
2. Mike Trout
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What awards or honors has Mike Trout received in his career?
Mike Trout is an American baseball center fielder renowned as one of the sport’s best all-around players. Among his awards and achievements are:
* J.G. Taylor Spink Award (2010)
* AL Rookie of the Year (2012)
* 3-time AL MVP (2014, 2016, 2019)
* 8-time All-Star
* 2-time All-Star Game MVP (2015)
* 7 Silver Slugger Awards
* Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award

Trout was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2009, and he debuted in the major league in 2012 after a short time in the minor leagues.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Mike Trout: Facts & Related Content
2. Mike Trout
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has Mike Trout impacted his team and the sport of baseball overall?
Mike Trout, born Michael Nelson Trout on August 7, 1991, is an American baseball center fielder recognized as one of the sport’s best all-around players of the 21st century.

Trout's exceptional skills were evident early, leading the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to draft him in 2009. In 2012, his first full major league season, he led the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) with a .326 batting average, earning him the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Despite the Angels' struggles, Trout's dominance continued. By 2019, he had secured three AL MVP awards and signed a 12-year contract extension for $426.5 million, then the largest in professional sports history.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Mike Trout: Facts & Related Content
2. Mike Trout
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Mike Trout (born August 7, 1991, Vineland, New Jersey, U.S.) is an American baseball centre fielder who was one of the sport’s best all-around players of the early 21st century.

Trout was a baseball star at Millville (New Jersey) High School, and his already apparent skills prompted the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to choose him as the 25th overall selection of the 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He spent a short time in the minor leagues—and in 2010 was given the J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the best player in the minors—before he made his full-season major-league debut in 2012. He then proceeded to have a spectacular rookie season, leading the American League (AL) in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) while posting a .326 batting average. Moreover, his stellar defense in centre field and his dominance in the advanced statistical categories led many observers to trumpet him as the 2012 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP), but he finished second in the MVP voting to Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. Trout did, however, win AL Rookie of the Year honours by unanimous vote.

Trout’s second season was just as impressive. He again led the AL in runs (109) and drew 110 bases-on-balls (walks), feats that aided him in posting a .432 on-base percentage (OBP). However, his accomplishments were again overshadowed by those of Cabrera to MVP voters, and Trout once more finished second to the Detroit slugger in balloting for that award. In 2014 Trout belted a career-high 36 home runs and led the league with 111 runs batted in (RBIs) while retaining his spot atop the runs-scored leaderboard with 115. His strong play finally catapulted him past Cabrera, and in 2014 Trout was voted that season’s AL MVP. He also helped the Angels reach the postseason for the first time in his career, but the team was swept in its opening playoff series by the Kansas City Royals.

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Trout was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star Game in 2015, where he earned game MVP honours for the second straight year and became the first player in the 82-year history of the game to win back-to-back All-Star MVP awards. Trout finished that season with a career-high 41 home runs and an AL-leading .590 slugging percentage (a statistic that measures a hitter’s power production). Trout rounded out what was arguably the all-time greatest first five years of a major-league career by batting .315 and leading the AL in runs (123), walks (116), and OBP (.441) in 2016, which led to his second AL MVP award.

Despite missing 39 games in 2017 because of a torn thumb ligament, Trout still amassed 33 home runs and 72 RBIs while again leading the AL in OBP (.442) that season. In 2018 he hit 39 home runs and had an AL-best 122 walks and .460 OBP, but the Angels continued to struggle despite Trout’s brilliance, finishing the season with a losing record and missing the playoffs for the sixth time in Trout’s seven full seasons with the team. Despite the relative lack of on-field success during his time with the Angels, in March 2019 Trout signed a 12-year extension with the team for $426.5 million, which was, at the time, the largest amount of money in a single contract in the history of professional sports. He continued his dominance in 2019, again leading the AL in OBP (.438) and slugging percentage (.645) while hitting a career-high 45 home runs. Despite the Angels’ continued mediocrity on the field (posting a 72–90 record that season), Trout’s 2019 was so dominant that he won a third career AL MVP award.

During the 2020 season, which was shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trout recorded his 300th career home run. The following year he experienced a setback when a calf injury forced him to miss most of the season. He returned in 2022, and that year he scored his 1,000th career run. However, later in the season Trout was placed on the injured list, and he was subsequently diagnosed with a “rare” back condition.

Adam Augustyn The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Mike Trout

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