Talk about an unexpected twist for the Trout Tracker series. Our hero's shocking call up the majors has thrown a wrench into this Monkey's plans, but in a very good way. This space had been reserved for monitoring Trout's big league future, but that future is now... for now.
When the Angel front office declared before the season that they would not be promoting Trout to the majors this season, I mostly believed them. Keeping their star prospect from getting exposed to too much too soon was the smart thing to do, though I seriously doubted they'd keep him from getting a glimpse of the bigs during Septemeber call-ups. But when Peter Bourjos pulled his hammy, the Halos got a chance to give him that glimpse a few months sooner.
As exciting as it might be to see Trout now, it is important we all keep that euphoria in check because he isn't long for the majors, no matter how much we want him to be. There's too much of a roster glut and the Angels are too deep into a playoff race to try and figure out a way to keep Trout in the majors, find playing time for him and not screw up the team's chemistry.
But until Trout does get his eventual ticket back the farm, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy this summer sneak preview. We've already seen his blazing speed on display, as well as his defensive skills. But what I have really enjoyed seeing is that big smile. You see, there is one thing Trout has that no other Angel player has ever had, mass appeal.
He's a good looking kid with a great work ethic and a charismatic demeanor. Pair that with his Hollywood smile and the Angels don't just have a big-time talent on their hands, they have their first legit shot at a league-wide superstar. That is something worth protecting, which is exactly why you won't see Trout hanging around in Anaheim until the management deems him good and ready.
That's it for this week, check back in next week to see what happens to our future hero. Same Trout Time. Same Trout Channel... err, blog.
