The Highs and Lows of Mike Trout’s Baseball Career, Earning Power and All About His Wife

Quick Facts

Mike Trout is one of the most phenomenal players in the MLB and has been dubbed the best player on the field several times. He was drafted into the professional arena coming out of high school in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels and has played tremendously well for his team.

In the course of his career, Trout has endeared a lot of people to himself and also boasts of multiple MVP wins, among other prestigious awards.

Mike Trout is already an all-time great and has been rated among Hall of Famers. Even though he is yet to be inducted, he has passed the career marks of many inductees like Willie Stargell, Kirby Puckett, Ralph Kiner, and Jim Rice in the short span of his career.

We took a look at his impressive career, along with other details about the baseball star. Check it out below.

Mike Trout’s Childhood Life and Amateur Baseball Career

Born on the 7th of August 1991 in Vineland, New Jersey to Jeff and Debbie Trout, he was named Michael Nelson Trout and is the last child with two older siblings; sister Teal and brother Tyler.

Trout started his career in Cal Ripken Baseball, a division of Babe Ruth League, in the shortstop position. He idolized New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and wore #2 in his honor but later switched to #1 in high school.

At Lakeside Middle School and then Millville Senior High School, where he graduated in 2009, his athletic prowess was highly evident. He played both baseball and basketball, earning five letters in both. He played pitcher and shortstop in his junior year but was shifted to the outfield during his senior year, wherein he also set a state record with 18 homers.

To hone his skills, he worked with coaches at Tri-State Arsenal from the age of 14, and by the time he was 17, he was reputed to be the strongest and fastest player. Trout initially committed to play baseball at East Carolina University but had a change of mind opting to go pro instead.

He debuted for the Arizona Angels in the rookie-level Arizona League after the Los Angeles Angels drafted him in 2009.

By the end of the season, he also played for the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Class A Midwest League and was ranked Angels’ third-best prospect and the 85th-best in all of baseball by Baseball America.

The following season, he played in the All-Star Futures Game, rose to the second-best overall prospect, and was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Class A-Advanced California League.

After the season, Trout received the 2010 J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps Minor League Player of the Year, making him the youngest player to win the award at 19 years. In turn, he was named a Baseball America All-Star as well as a Topps Class A All-Star.

Before making his big league debut on July 8, 2011, he appeared in 75 games with the Arkansas Travelers of the Class AA Texas League within the season. He hit his first Major League home run on July 24, and after a stint in Double-A Arkansas, Trout became Angel’s youngest player to hit two homers in one game.

In turn, Mike Trout was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year as well as an outfielder on its 2011 Minor League All-Star team. He ended the season hitting .326/.414/.544 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, 82 runs scored, and 33 stolen bases in 91 games.

His Professional Career – Stats and Accomplishments

In 2012, he had his first full major league season after he was called up from Salt Lake Bees. He went forward to record a phenomenal season and broke several of the Los Angeles Angels’ rookie records, including clinching the Rookie of the Month four times.

Mike Trout also led the league in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49) while posting a .326 batting average. Although many projected him as the 2012 AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his stellar output, he finished second behind Miguel Cabrera. He did, however, win the BBWAA Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award.

In 2013, Trout hit his first grand slam against the Detroit Tigers in April 2013, earning the Angels their highest-scoring innings in 18 years. The next month, he became the youngest player to hit for the cycle in the history of the AL.

He led the AL in runs (109) and drew 110 bases-on-balls (walks), posting a .432 on-base percentage (OBP). Mike was a significant part of the 2013 Major League Baseball All-Star Game and finished the season with 9.2 WAR, the highest in baseball, but still ended second behind Cabrera in the AL MVP.

With each year, Mike Trout steps up his game, and his career rises to new highs with impressive stats and records. He played in 157 games in 2014 and belted a career-high 36 homers as well as led the league with 111 runs batted in (RBIs) while still retaining his spot atop the runs-scored leaderboard with 115.

His performances earned him the season’s AL MVP and ensured the Angels made it to the postseason, a first-time feat for him.

On April 17, 2015, Trout reached 100 homers and 100 steals, becoming the youngest player in MLB history to achieve that feat. He proceeded to end the 2015 season with a career-high 41 home runs and an AL-leading .590 slugging percentage.

Mike Trout rounded up his 2016 season leading the MLB with walks (116), runs scored (123), on-base percentage (.441) in 159 games, and had a .315 batting average. He also recorded what was arguably the all-time greatest first five years of a major-league career going by his batting average and leading the AL in the above categories. The stats also led him to his second AL MVP award.

Despite missing 39 games in 2017 owing to a torn thumb ligament, Trout still led the team in runs (92), homers (33), steals (22), walks (94), and in batting average (.306) in a career-low 114 games, becoming the seventh player to score 200 home runs before the age of 25.

Mike Trout’s Earnings, His Endorsement Deals and How Much They are Worth

His purse could also serve as a testament to his greatness in the sport. After five years following his draft by the Angels, he signed a one-year extension deal in February 2014 worth $1 million, which was later converted into a six-year contract for $144.5 million.

One year into the end of his 2014 contract, Mike Trout further cemented his place in history with the largest contract in North American sports history. He signed a 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels worth $426.5 million.

Besides his sporting career, he also earns from endorsements with brands such as Bodyarmor SuperDrink, Subway, Nike, and SuperPretzel, Rawlings, Topps. His entire endorsement portfolio reportedly earns him an estimated $2.5 million per year, according to .

As a result, Mike Trout has amassed an estimated net worth of more than $45 million and an annual salary averaging $35 million.

Who is Mike’s Better Half?

Mike Trout got married to his longtime girlfriend, Jessica Cox, on December 9, 2017. Their marriage was the culmination of a relationship that has begun since they met each other in high school during their sophomore years.

His wife, Jessica Cox, is a graduate of Education from Lebanon Valley College. With her degree, she works as a teacher.

When she is not imparting knowledge in the classroom, Mike Trout’s wife spends her time cheering on her husband. As the wife of an Angel, she also supports and participates in charity events like Fill the Boots and the Golden Ball.

Also, like her husband, Jessica Cox is a dog lover. She and her husband share an American Eskimo dog named Juno.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.