Not your everyday post about Mike Trout

You already know this, but Mike Trout is arguably the best all-around baseball player on the planet.  Ok, make that- universe.  That being said, he’s not Superman. 

Vladimir Guerrero frequently wore a Superman t-shirt under his jersey and in 2004 when he carried the Angels to the post-season he was indeed Superman.  He was a one-man wrecking crew that destroyed opposing pitching and came up with clutch hit after clutch hit in the final month of the season.  It is something Angels fans still talk about today.

Tuesday night – Mike Trout came up in the bottom of the 8^th inning with two men on and two outs with an opportunity to put the Angels on top in a key game that had the potential of putting the Angels a half game back of the Minnesota Twins who currently hold the second spot in the wild-card play-off chase. 

He hit the ball hard (110 mph, hard) and for a brief moment, we all thought he delivered.  He hit the ball hard all right - right to the second baseman who threw him out at first.

The stage was set for heroics.  He was the one player you most wanted to see in that situation.  It was disappointing.  Thus are the expectations we have on Trout.  What made it worse?  The following inning Justin Upton led off with a monster homerun.  If only…

Sept. 21 Update: Last night, with the Angels trailing by a run - Trout came to bat in the bottom of the 9th, with no one on base and two outs. He struck out to end the game and the Angels failed again to gain ground on Minnesota who had lost earlier in the day.

Mike Trout has deserved every single accolade he has received to date.  In fact, he probably deserves more than he’s received.  In some ways, he vastly under-rated and under-appreciated.  He is truly an amazing; dare I say, once-in-a-lifetime player. What he has done statistically, especially from a sabermetric view is astounding.  The world, err – universe, has never seen someone as truly remarkable as Mike Trout. Ever. 

Years from now – people will talk about Mike Trout’s statistics.  They’ll talk about his remarkable career from a sabermetric point of view.

The question is – will they remember his heroics?  Will there actually be heroics to remember?  Will there be moments; unforgettable moments, when he delivered the big hit, when the stage was the biggest and lights were the brightest?  Will there be memories of him lifting the team up in the hunt for a play-off berth or delivering a monumental moment in the post-season?

I hope so. 

Here’s the thing – the world is full of athletes who have amazing statistics, but aren’t necessarily memorable.  Think Dan Marino.  Think Charles Barkley. 

Fair?

I know, I know… we’ve put expectations on Mike Trout that no mere mortal could possibly live up to.  Then again, he has done super-human things at times.  His physical tools are Marvel-comic like.  He brings baseballs back from places that baseball never come back from.  He beats out grounders that defy physics.  He crushes baseballs the way a robot would crush them.

And yet…

He’s not Superman.  There are some players who you know in your heart and feel in your bones are going to deliver when everything is on the line.  Mike Trout hasn’t become that guy that opposing fans fear when he comes to the plate in a key situation.  He’s not David Ortiz or Reggie Jackson.  He’s not even Vlad Guerrero.

The potential for him to be that guy is there, but it hasn’t shown up on the field just yet. He doesn't have that reputation yet.

Now is the time.  There aren’t many games left in the season and the Angels are on the brink.  The train is teetering on the edge of the cliff.  Will he save us?

Don’t misunderstand me.  There isn’t another player in the universe I would rather have on my favorite team.  There isn’t another player in the galaxy I cheer harder for either.  I expect great things. I want great things.  I want to see Trout’s smile when he lifts a World Series trophy above his head.  I want the world to see how amazing he is and that’s not going to happen when games on the west coast aren’t even being watched on the east coast because of the lateness in the hour.

Baseball is a hard game.  Mike Trout makes it look easy most of the time.  No one is probably better prepared or works harder.  We just need to see all of that pay off now.  Today.  And in the next two weeks and hopefully beyond.

I want to look back and talk about Mike Trout’s heroics and not just his statistical prowess.  Sabermetric greatness doesn't do it for me.  I want memories.  Real life baseball memories.  Post-season memories.  I want Superman-like stuff from Mike Trout when it matters most. 

I know Trout can’t do it alone, but I also know the Angels can’t do it without him. 

He's human. We all understand that. Even still - we expect great things.  He's a once-in-a-generation player.  This is the time he has to shine, step up and do what needs to be done.  We are right to expect this - everything he's done to this point, allows us to have those expectations.  I won't apologize for it. 

The cameras are rolling and our eyes are on you, Mike.  I don’t want to blink and find it’s over.  I want to close my eyes and savor the moment.