(To be read in the voice of Tim Kurkjian)
Happy 21st Birthday, Mike Trout.
To think only a year ago you were little more than a prized prospect. A mere twinkle in the eye of the baseball intelligentsia. You had a proverbial "cup of tea" in 2011, but Papa Mike wasn't ready to take the training wheels off just yet. Back to the Minors you went.
With Albert Pujols and the rest of the Angels struggling, they brought you back up to the Big Leagues one month into the 2012 season. This time, though, there was no need for a break-in period. This time, you meant business. Serious business.
Here you are, a grown man 88 games into the season, leading the universe in runs (87), stolen bases (36), WAR (6.9), Icelandic frost giants slain (3) and even the weird stats like wRC+ (185).
To celebrate, you hit your 20th home run of the season, giving you a shot at joining Eric Davis and Barry Bonds as only the third player in MLB history to finish with a 30-50 season (again, after missing nearly all of April). As it stands right now, you have the highest OPS+ (183) in an age 20 season ever. That's higher than names like Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Matthews, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams.
May the next 21 years be full of happiness and free of statistical regression. Here's to you, Mikey. What do you get the kid who has everything? Your geodes are in the mail!
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