If you’re a fan of Mike Trout (and if you’re a fan of baseball, why wouldn’t you be?) you’ll probably want to check out a feature in this month’s edition of Philadelphia magazine. The piece profiles the Los Angeles Angels outfielder, highlighting the contrast between his small-town upbringing and the Millville Meteor’s meteoric rise in baseball.
Much of the piece is spent between recollections of Trout’s Paul Bunyan-like accomplishments as a young baseball player in Millville, N.J., and stories about the town’s current devotion to all things Trout. However, one offhand note really drives home just how small-town the 21-year-old still is.
“As Trout’s star has ascended, he’s shared a sliver of the national spotlight with the working-class town near the Jersey Shore that he still calls home,” reads the article. “(The All-Star spent the winter in his parents’ basement.)”
There you have it, folks. The man who is quite possibly baseball’s most talented player actually spent this offseason living in his parents’ basement.
It’s probably worth noting that the earliest Trout can qualify for arbitration is in 2015. After his historic 2012 campaign, the Angels simply decided to renew his contract rather than talk about an extension, a decision which didn’t make his agent too happy. So while a salary of $510,000 is nothing to sneeze at, Trout’s not yet paid up to a level that matches his immense talent.
