By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
It's the sight you never want to see: a player making an abrupt stop and immediately reaching for the back of a leg. But, it happened to Peter Bourjos Thursday night, and that opened up an opportunity for Angels fans to get their wish--a chance to see the phenom Mike Trout in Major League action.
For those not familiar with Trout, it's safe to say that the Angels haven't had a position player like him in a long time. Scouts rave about every aspect of his game. He can run, hit, throw with skills and maturity way beyond his 19 years. He will be one of the youngest Angels to ever take the Major League field. The names that scouts drop when comparing him to former Major Leaguers start with the best Hall of Famers.
But before Angels fans begin to expect too much, it's worth rereading something that Abe Flores, the Angels' Director for Player Development told AngelsWin.com last year about Trout: "Don’t ever expect Mike Trout to carry this franchise or any team that he is on. He is part of a team. That part I tend to hammer home with everybody who asks about him . . . He can’t win the game by himself on a nightly basis. He can’t. That’s unrealistic. Can he? On occasion, sure he can. But, not over 140 games in the Minor League schedule. Just expect him to do his part.”
Friday night, Angels fans will in all likelihood get a chance to see Trout do his part. With the Angels playing great baseball right now, that’s all he has to do. Nothing more, nothing less. He is still not a finished product, having played just over half a season in Double-A. Furthermore, he will be flying in from Midland, Texas, so setting any kind of expectations on him is unfair.
With the upcoming All-Star Break, hopefully Bourjos won’t be out too long. If he recovers quickly, Trout will get sent down, most likely to Triple-A.
But, I’m planning on being at the stadium Friday night just to get a taste of what the future will look like with Trout in the outfield. Imagining a future outfield of Wells, Bourjos, and Trout is something that should definitely get all Angels fans excited.
