Press Clips (June 30, 2018)

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1 June 30, 2018 Page 1 of 17 Press Clips (June 30, 2018)

2 June 30, 2018 Page 2 of 17 CLIPS CONTENT FROM THE OC REGISTER (PAGE 3) Mike Trout homers to send Angels on their way to a streak-snapping victory Improving Kole Calhoun returns to a familiar spot in the Angels lineup Angels encourage by Shohei Ohtani s first days of batting practice FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (PAGE 6) Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs returns to Camden Yards four years after injury Angels snap six-game skid with 7-1 win at Baltimore FROM ANGELS.COM (PAGE 8) Angels cruise past O s after Trout s early HR Trout returns to CF in style with 24 th homer FROM ESPN.COM (PAGE 12) Angels Mike Trout: Being locked in as DH for 10 days was tough FROM SPORTING NEWS (PAGE 13) Shohei Ohtani injury update amounts to only cautious optimism FROM YAHOO! SPORTS (PAGE 14) Mike Trout asked Derek Jeter for an autograph at the most awkward time FROM PHILLY.COM (PAGE 16) Millville s Mike Trout is better than ever but thirsting for postseason success

3 June 30, 2018 Page 3 of 17 FROM THE OC REGISTER Mike Trout homers to send Angels on their way to a streak-snapping victory By Jeff Fletcher BALTIMORE Mike Trout hadn t even yet set foot in center field on Friday night when he immediately showed that all was back to normal. Trout belted a 408-foot homer in the first inning, and then he made two sensational running catches, helping the Angels to a 7-1 victory over the hapless Baltimore Orioles. The victory snapped the Angels season-worst six-game losing streak, a slide that occurred entirely during a nine-game span when Trout was grudgingly limited to DH duty because of a sprained finger. Trout was 6 for 28 as a DH, including most of his first career 13-game stretch without an extra-base hit. The high-energy Trout drove me crazy in the dugout while the Angels were in the field, Manager Mike Scioscia joked. Apparently, just knowing he would be headed out to center in the bottom of the first helped settle Trout in the top of the first. He certainly is not acclimated to the DH role and you wouldn t expect him to be, Scioscia said. The occasional DH day is different. All of the sudden, your legs are a little tired and you DH a certain day, but he did it for a solid nine days. It starts to grind on you if you don t have that routine down. His 24 th homer of the season gave the Angels a quick lead on their way to a badly needed routine victory. We went through a rough stretch of five or six games, Trout said. It s a grind, but tonight was a good all-around performance. Andrelton Simmons had four hits, equaling his career high, including an RBI single. Justin Upton had three hits. David Fletcher had an RBI double. Martín Maldonado hit his second homer in the past three games and drove in two. Early runs are huge, Scioscia said. Trout s homer got us on the board and we kept pecking away. But it starts with pitching. You ve got to keep putting up zeroes. Angels starter Felix Peña, a converted reliever pushed into the rotation because of injury, worked 5-1/3 scoreless innings on 76 pitches. The Angels helped him out with double plays in the first, third and sixth, the last of which erased the runner he left on base when he was pulled. Trout also ranged far into the gap to track down drives hit by Chris Davis in the second and Danny Valencia in the fourth. With all these days off, my legs felt really good, Trout said.

4 June 30, 2018 Page 4 of 17 While the Angels did plenty right in this game, and there is no major league team against which a victory can be taken for granted, it s fair to point out that the Orioles have the worst record in the majors. The Angels had lost four in a row before facing the Orioles in Anaheim in May, and they proceeded to sweep them. This time, they again brought a losing streak to Baltimore before using the Orioles to pull themselves off the mat. The Orioles opened the door for the Angels three-run sixth by allowing a routine pop-up to fall untouched in shallow left field. The pitch that Trout blasted for his homer was a fastball over the middle of the plate from rookie David Hess. Two other pitchers made their major league debuts for the Orioles on Friday night. Improving Kole Calhoun returns to a familiar spot in the Angels lineup By Jeff Fletcher BALTIMORE Kole Calhoun took another step toward rediscovering Kole Calhoun. Calhoun was in the leadoff spot of the Angels lineup, just ahead of Mike Trout, on Friday night. It was a position he occupied when he was at his best, but one he hadn t seen since last year. It was a recognition from Manager Mike Scioscia that Calhoun continues to show improvement since coming off the disabled list. This was a good combination, Scioscia said of the Calhoun-Trout grouping. Kole has made some adjustments and hopefully it will pay off. One particular element of Calhoun s game stuck out. He drew two walks on Thursday night. It was only the second game this season in which Calhoun drew multiple walks. He s had a good eye in previous years, Scioscia said. It s been a part of his game, but it s been elusive this year. Those two walks, hopefully they are a good sign of him making better decisions at the plate. In his first 10 games since returning from the disabled list with a strained oblique, Calhoun was hitting.321 with a.406 on-base percentage and a.978 OPS. Small sample size, sure. Encouraging nonetheless. Every day is a new day, Calhoun said. You ve still got to go out and perform. I m not thinking about it much honestly. I just want to go out and have a good game. Just going out and trying to help the team win. The other element to moving Calhoun up in the lineup was moving Ian Kinsler down. Kinsler this year has done better hitting for power than getting on base, so Scioscia was hoping they could get some runners on base in front of him.

5 June 30, 2018 Page 5 of 17 ALSO Garrett Richards gave up five runs on seven hits in 3-1/3 innings for Class-A Inland Empire on Friday night. Richards (hamstring) was making his first rehab appearance since going on the disabled list earlier this month. He threw 63 pitches. Richards could be activated to start next week, probably in Seattle, or the Angels might have him make another rehab appearance. Scioscia said before Friday s game that Richards is very confident that the issue is behind him. Tyler Skaggs on Saturday will be pitching at Camden Yards for the first time since July 31, 2014, which was the game in which he blew out his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery and a two-year journey back to the majors. Skaggs had not allowed a hit in 4-2/3 innings before he came out of that game. UP NEXT Angels (Tyler Skaggs, 6-5, 2.69) at Orioles (Andrew Cashner, 2-8, 4.70), Saturday, 1 p.m. PT, Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM) Angels encouraged by Shohei Ohtani s first days of batting practice By Jeff Fletcher BALTIMORE A day after he was cleared to resume batting practice, Shohei Ohtani passed his first test. Manager Mike Scioscia said before the Angels game in Baltimore on Friday that Ohtani had taken batting practice on the field at Angel Stadium on Thursday and Friday, and had done very well. They were very happy with how he swung the bat, Scioscia said, referring to the trainers and staff who watched Ohtani hit. Scioscia said Ohtani had five or six rounds of batting practice against a coach on each day. Scioscia said Ohtani could be ready to face an actual pitcher in a simulated game-type setting this weekend. The Angels could bring a minor league pitcher to Anaheim to face Ohtani, although they d want to be careful that it wasn t someone so raw as to risk hitting him with a pitch. The Angels have been careful not to specify any timeline for Ohtani s workouts, so it s unclear when he would be able to return to the lineup. However, if he faces live pitching this weekend, it s logical to assume Ohtani would be close. Ohtani is on the disabled list with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament. He underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection and stem-cell therapy to heal the ligament. Although he needs to allow more healing time before he can be cleared to pitch, doctors on Thursday cleared Ohtani to resume hitting, because it wouldn t affect his progress toward throwing later.

6 June 30, 2018 Page 6 of 17 FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs returns to Camden Yards four years after injury By Jeff Miller He ll finally return Saturday to a mound on which he made a memory he still holds dear, even though his career abruptly and painfully stopped that day. Tyler Skaggs will pitch at Camden Yards for just the second time, the first time being the occasion that saw his prized elbow come apart. I knew instantly that I had completely smashed it, the Angels left-hander said. I threw like six more pitches and went from 94 [mph] to like 84. I tried to get through it. I thought maybe I was cramping a little bit. Instead, Skaggs had damaged his ulnar collateral ligament. He would undergo replacement surgery, develop a shoulder problem and not pitch again for the Angels for nearly two years. That was July 31, 2014, a night Skaggs also was no-hitting Baltimore in the fifth inning at the time he was injured. I remember it like it was yesterday, he said. I walked the first guy of the game and after that I was nails. It s still one of those things that I cherish. I thought that could have been a pretty special day. Skaggs walked Nick Markakis, the first batter he faced, and Steve Pearce, the last batter he faced. In between, he retired 14 Orioles hitters in a row. That was no minor development. Baltimore s lineup that day also featured Manny Machado, Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz. :: Shohei Ohtani s first two days of batting practice back in Southern California were a success. Manager Mike Scioscia and the rookie felt great and the Angels are very happy with the early results. Ohtani, who was cleared to resume hitting Thursday despite a grade 2 sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament, could face live pitching in batting practice as early as today and rejoin the Angels next week. Ohtani will be reevaluated again next month as he attempts to recover through injections of plateletrich plasma and stem cells and avoid ligament replacement surgery. Until that checkup, the Angels won t know more about Ohtani s possible return as a pitcher. ::

7 June 30, 2018 Page 7 of 17 Looking to shake awake a lineup that had produced two or fewer runs in five of its past seven games, Scioscia put Kole Calhoun on top and dropped Ian Kinsler to seventh. The new order did result in the Angels scoring more runs than they had in a week. Calhoun and Kinsler, however, combined to contribute just a sacrifice fly. :: Garrett Richards (hamstring) made his first and perhaps only - rehabilitation start Friday at single-a Inland Empire. Jefry Marte (wrist) played first base for the 66ers in his first game action since going on the disabled list. Angels snap six-game skid with 7-1 win at Baltimore By Jeff Miller To understand how poorly equipped Mike Trout is to be a designated hitter at this point of his career, consider this: Idle time makes him so uncomfortable that he can t stand still for the national anthem. He typically starts to fidget at the first hint of O and doesn t stop until the final sound of brave. So it was no surprise Friday when, after a stretch of mundane at-bats as a DH, Trout marked his return as a center fielder by hitting the first strike he saw into the seats at Camden Yards. With the tone sufficiently set, the Angels clobbered a sloppy Baltimore team 7-1 to end a season-worst six-game losing streak. The victory also permitted the Angels (42-41) to avoid falling below.500 for the first time since they were 0-1. It s good to see the offense going Trout said. We went through a rough stretch there. It s a grind. Tonight was a good all-around performance. Because a sprained right index finger hindered his ability to throw, Trout started had nine consecutive games at DH. He batted.214 (six for 28) with no homers and two RBIs in that role. He talked about how little he liked the empty time between at-bats and how being able to contribute only halfway was a struggle. It drove him crazy, manager Mike Scioscia said. It s much tougher than it sounds. The mental part of this game, it s much easier to handle that bad at-bat when you can go out and play defense. It s also much easier to handle every phase of this game when you have an at-bat like Trout did in the first inning.

8 June 30, 2018 Page 8 of 17 After taking two pitches from David Hess for balls, Trout ripped a 92-mph fastball an estimated 408 feet over the fence in left-center. It was his 24th homer of the season and ended a career-worst extra-base-hit drought. Trout s previous 14 hits all had been singles, his most recent one for extra bases (a double) coming June 13. Early runs are huge, Scioscia said. But it starts with pitching. You gotta keep putting up those zeroes and let your offense get going. The zeroes were supplied by Felix Pena, a converted reliever pushed into the rotation because of injuries. In just his third career start, Pena picked up his first victory as a starter, allowing five hits and striking out five in 5 1/3 innings. It s a good thing, Pena said through an interpreter. I haven t been pitching a lot as a starter. This means a lot. Coming off those half-dozen consecutive defeats and a decidedly one-sided sweep in Boston, the Angels found a nice soft spot in the Orioles, who have baseball s worst record (23-58). Of course, when the Angels opened this trip Monday in Kansas City, the Royals had the worst record but still managed to win by shutout. That wasn t going to happen Friday, not with Trout s early homer, Andrelton Simmons adding four hits and the Orioles doing things like misplaying a fly ball into a Luis Valbuena single that helped the Angels score three runs. It all began with Trout s shot, a homer also significant in that it was career hit No. 1,132, giving him one more than Scioscia. There s a lot more guys on that list above me, Scioscia said. I don t think that s going to make his mantel. Afterward, the manager informed Trout of the accomplishment, their exchange confirming Scioscia s suspicions. I didn t know about it until 30 seconds before this interview, Trout said, smiling. But it s cool. FROM ANGELS.COM Angels cruise past O s after Trout s early HR Simmons 4 hits, Maldonado s homer part of 13-hit attack By Ian Quillen

9 June 30, 2018 Page 9 of 17 BALTIMORE -- After searching in vain for a breakout in Boston, the Angels found what they needed on Friday night at Camden Yards. Right-hander Felix Pena went 5 1/3 scoreless innings in his third career start and Andrelton Simmons had four hits as the Angels snapped a six-game skid with a 7-1 win over the Orioles in the series opener. Mike Trout marked his return to center field by hitting his 24th homer of the season -- and first since June off rookie starter David Hess (2-5). Martin Maldonado also homered off rookie Ryan Meisinger, who was making his Major League debut, and Justin Upton completed a 3-for-5 performance with a single off Paul Fry, another O's reliever making his debut. "Mike got us on the board and we kept pecking away," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It starts with pitching. You've got to keep putting up those zeros to let yourself and the offense get going. And that's what we did tonight." The Angels pounded out 13 hits for their first win in the fifth game of a four-city, 10-game road swing, while scoring their most runs since an 8-5 victory over the Blue Jays on June 21. In the process, the Angels erased some of the recent frustration of succumbing to a six-game season sweep by the Red Sox, including three losses at Fenway Park earlier this week. The Angels are 4-0 against the O's, who own the worst record in the Majors. "We went through a rough stretch," Trout said. "It's a grind. But tonight was a good all-around performance." The outburst proved more than enough for Pena (1-0), who enjoyed a lead for his entire evening after the Trout's solo blast in the first, followed by two runs in the third and three in the sixth. Pena utilized double plays to escape the first and third innings before retiring eight of the last 10 batters he faced. The 28-year-old struck out five, walked one and allowed five hits over his 76 pitches, exiting after fanning Adam Jones for a second time in the sixth. "His ball-strike ratio wasn't great, but he was able to get back into counts and make some pitches," Scioscia said. "It's a good 16 outs he gave us." Cam Bedrosian came on and induced Manny Machado to ground into an inning-ending double play, Hansel Robles threw a scoreless seventh and Eduardo Paredes allowed a run over two innings to close it out. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Trout's grab: In his return to center field after nine games nursing a sprained finger as the designated hitter, Trout showed little sign of rustiness in the fourth inning, when his leaping catch at full stride took an extra-base hit away from Danny Valencia. With two out, Machado almost certainly would've scored from first had it dropped.

10 June 30, 2018 Page 10 of 17 Valbuena's single: The Angels owed a chunk of their three-run sixth inning to Luis Valbuena's fortuitous single. With none out, Valbuena skied a fly ball to left that should've been a routine putout, only Trey Mancini lost it in the lights. The result was runners on second and third, setting up a big inning. SIMMONS SIZZLES Simmons logged three of his hits -- including an RBI single and a double -- off Hess before he singled again in the ninth off Fry. Simmons is batting.448 (13-for-29) over his past seven games after posting his second four-hit game of the season. SOUND SMART Trout's homer was his 1,132nd career hit. What's special about that? Well, it's one hit more than his manager had in 13 big league seasons. "He's like [Albert Pujols]. When he gets a hit, you never know the names that he passes," Scioscia quipped. "I think there's a lot more guys on that list above me. I don't think that's going to make his mantle." MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY With the infield drawn in and one out in the sixth, Simmons ran on contact on Maldonado's chopper to short. Machado charged, fielded and threw home, where home-plate umpire Adam Hamari ruled Simmons out. The call was overturned with replay showing Simmons had slid under Chance Sisco's tag. UP NEXT Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs (6-5, 2.69 ERA) aims to complete an impressive June when he takes the mound against the Orioles at 1:05 p.m. PT on Saturday at Camden Yards. Skaggs is 3-1 with an 0.67 ERA in four starts this month, and he is coming off a hard-luck 2-0 loss to the Royals on Monday. Righthander Andrew Cashner (2-8, 4.70 ERA) will start for the Orioles. Trout returns to CF in style with 24 th homer Angels slugger provides strong defense in win over O s By Ian Quillen BALTIMORE -- Angels slugger Mike Trout was back in center field in Friday night's 7-1 win over the Orioles, after a sprained right index finger forced him into a career-long nine-game stint as a designated hitter. But before he even took the field, Trout launched his 24th home run of the season, sending a 2-0 pitch from O's starter David Hess over the wall in left-center in the first inning at Camden Yards. For Trout, the return to the field couldn't come soon enough. "It's good for one or two days," he said. "But for 10 days, it was tough."

11 June 30, 2018 Page 11 of 17 After clobbering his solo shot, Trout picked up in center field like he'd never left. In the second inning, Trout turned a difficult play on Chris Davis' opposite-field liner into a routine catch in left-center. Two innings later, Trout's leaping catch at full stride robbed Danny Valencia of extra bases and almost certainly saved a run. "I felt like all of these days off, my legs really felt well," said Trout, who came into this season with the focus of improving his already admirable defense. "I'm getting there quicker," he added. "I think that's the biggest thing. I'm just trying to catch everything. That's my goal, I'm just trying to save runs. It's big for our pitching staff." By his own lofty standards, Trout struggled slightly during his stretch at DH, batting.214 (6-for-28) with two RBIs and no extra-base hits. He still walked nine times and maintained a.421 on-base percentage over those nine games. Manager Mike Scioscia said Trout handled his outfield reprieve patiently. "He knew there were phases to go through," Scioscia said. "He wished he could've been playing center all week, but obviously he couldn't do that. This is the earliest he could get back and he's ready." The 26-year-old Trout, a two-time winner of the American League MVP Award, is still on track for potentially his best season. He leads the Majors in walks (72) and on-base percentage (.462). His 24 homers and OPS are on pace for career highs. Worth noting Shohei Ohtani took batting practice on Thursday and Friday, and he could face live pitching before the week is out, Scioscia said. Ohtani took five or six rounds of BP similar to a standard Spring Training routine, said Scioscia, who wasn't sure of the exact number of swings. Kole Calhoun went 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly as he batted in the leadoff spot for the first time this season on Friday. Calhoun entered Friday with a career.277 average in the leadoff spot, including 11 games batting there last season. Garrett Richards (left hamstring strain) is expected to throw roughly 60 pitches in his first rehab outing on Friday for Class A Advanced Inland Empire, or "enough to test the hamstring," Scioscia said. Jefry Marte (left wrist sprain) was expected to DH for Inland Empire in his first rehab game.

12 June 30, 2018 Page 12 of 17 FROM ESPN.COM Angels Mike Trout: Being locked in as DH for 10 days was tough By Eddie Matz BALTIMORE -- Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is back to being a two-way threat. After being limited to designated hitter duty for the past 10 days because of a sprained right index finger, Trout was back in center field for Friday night's game against the Orioles. He homered in his first at-bat, snapping a 14-game streak without a homer, which was his longest streak since 2016, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He also walked and reached base three times in the Angels' 7-1 win in their series opener at Camden Yards. Trout also impressed with his glove, running down a liner in the gap to rob Danny Valencia of a potential double in the fourth. Angels manager Mike Scioscia, speaking before the game, said Trout was anxious to get back in the outfield. "It drove him crazy," Scioscia said, referring to the DH stint. "It's much tougher than it sounds. He wished he could have played center all week. This is the earliest he could get back, and he's ready." Asked about the physical effect the injury had on his hitting, Trout said, "It wasn't bothering me at all." As for the mental component, that was a different story. "The process of, in between at-bats, just staying locked in at DH, it's good for one or two days, but 10 days is tough," he said. Before the injury, Trout, 26, had started four games at designated hitter this season. Over his past nine contests as the Angels' DH, he batted.214 (6-for-28) with no extra-base hits. He walked nine times and had 11 strikeouts. On the season, he's hitting.321 with 24 home runs and 49 RBIs, and he leads the league in walks (72) and on-base percentage (.462). Friday's homer was the 1,132nd hit of his career, moving him past Scioscia on the all-time hit list. "There's a lot more guys on that list above me," Scioscia said. "I don't think that's going to make his mantle." Defensively, his seven runs saved rank second among American League center fielders entering Friday. Against Baltimore, he showed no signs of rust with the glove. "I've been doing it for a few years," Trout said. "Center field is center field."

13 June 30, 2018 Page 13 of 17 A two-time MVP and six-time All-Star, Trout is currently second behind Boston's Mookie Betts in the AL All-Star balloting for outfielders. Trout's teammate Shohei Ohtani, who ranks fourth in the voting for designated hitters, has started taking batting practice again despite having a Grade 2 sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament. After being medically cleared Wednesday to swing the bat, Ohtani took batting practice Thursday and Friday. Scioscia said that Ohtani's hitting sessions went well and that Ohtani could potentially graduate to live batting practice against pitchers as early as this weekend. "Hopefully as he comes out of these and is assessed, we'll get some clarity," Scioscia said, "But it could happen this weekend, yes." In 34 games as a hitter this season, the lefty-swinging Ohtani is batting.289 with six home runs and 20 RBIs. As a pitcher, he is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in nine starts. In 49⅓ innings, he has 61 strikeouts and 20 walks. FROM SPORTING NEWS Shohei Ohtani injury update amounts to only cautious optimism By Ryan Fagan The Angels are in a bit of a tailspin. They had lost 13 of their past 17 games heading into Friday's game vs. the Orioles. They d fallen to.500 overall (41-41), 10 games out of a wild-card spot and 13 1/2 games behind the Astros in the American League West, in fourth place in the division. All this despite Mike Trout playing like the future Hall of Famer that he certainly is: He hit.382 in those 17 games. So, yeah, this franchise needed a bit of good news. And Thursday s news that Shohei Ohtani is on the way back to the batter s box feels like good news, right? In 34 games as a designated hitter, Ohtani is batting.289 with a.907 OPS and six homers. He quickly put aside the preseason concerns that he would be overmatched in his transition from Japan to the majors. Ohtani has shown that he isn t just major league-caliber as a hitter, he's All-Star caliber as a hitter. The Angels need another All-Star caliber hitter in the lineup. General manager Billy Eppler said during a Thursday teleconference that Ohtani would resume batting practice immediately and would face live pitching soon. There s no exact timetable for when he could return to the lineup, but that doesn t feel too far off. Here s the team's official update, from its media game notes Friday:

14 June 30, 2018 Page 14 of 17 OHTANI UPDATE: Shohei Ohtani (10-day DL; Grade 2 sprain of ulnar collateral ligament in right elbow) received a stem cell platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection June 7th. Yesterday an MRI revealed improvements to the UCL in the elbow. He will begin a hitting progression immediately. Depending on day-to-day progress, Ohtani could see live pitching as early as this weekend. He will not partake on a minor league rehab assignment but rather hit in a controlled environment. In approximately three weeks, he will be re-assessed to see if he can pitch this season. Good news, right? Eppler indicated during the teleconference that Ohtani s return to hitting won t have any impact on the timetable for his possible return to pitching. The question hanging over this entire issue has been related to Tommy John surgery: Would he need it, as was first speculated? At this point in the summer, TJ surgery would mean Ohtani would be out until at least late in the 2019 season, but most likely until early in the 2020 season, so, yes, it s important to avoid that, which is why the team and Ohtani opted for a platelet-rich plasma injection instead. I'll admit, though, that this line from Eppler gave me pause: "No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time." Maybe it s just me, but that's not exactly reassuring. It's entirely possible that it was just a wording issue, but wouldn't it have sounded better had Eppler said: Doctors have told me Shohei will not need surgical intervention"? That just doesn t sound confident, especially the "at this time" part. The doctors will reevaluate in three weeks. Again, it's reasonable to think that, although the timeline isn't set, Ohtani will be back in the Angels' lineup by then, if the hitting part progresses well. I hope these three weeks go well for the Angels. They need Ohtani back in the lineup. Baseball s fun when Ohtani is hitting home runs and spraying line drives around the ballpark. I guess I'm just a bit more apprehensive about this "good news" than other people. FROM YAHOO! SPORTS Mike Trout asked Derek Jeter for an autograph at the most awkward time By Mark Townsend Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is well on his way to becoming a Major League Baseball icon. Before he s done, Trout will have inspired millions of kids of all ages to play baseball. And before he s done, Trout will undoubtedly share the field with dozens, if not hundreds of players who will tell him of that inspiration.

15 June 30, 2018 Page 15 of 17 It wasn t long ago that Trout himself was one of those kids while growing up in New Jersey. He drew inspiration from several players during his development into a generational talent, and not surprisingly one of them was New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter. In the early stages of Trout s career, he was fortunate enough to share the field with Jeter many times. And as Trout revealed during Friday s edition of The Dan Patrick Show, like any starstruck person meeting one of their idols, their very first interaction was a little awkward. That s because Trout picked a most awkward time to ask Jeter for an autograph. It happened right on the field, right in the middle of a game during the 2011 regular season. Here s the key part of the transcript, courtesy of For The Win. Patrick: I know how it normally goes. You can t ask so you ask the clubbie to go ask if you can get an autograph. Is that how it worked? Trout: No, I think I was on second base when I asked him, If I send a ball over, can you sign it? Patrick: OK, wait, wait, wait. So Jeets rolls into second or you roll into second? Trout: I rolled into second when I first met him. Patrick: OK, then how s the conversation start? Trout: It s like a blur now. I don t even remember what I said because I was so nervous and so starstruck. Trout didn t seem to have any recollection of Jeter s response, but he did note that he ended up getting a signed ball from Jeter before the series ended. It may not have been the smoothest way to approach the situation. Then again, Jeter didn t seem to mind it either, so the lesson probably is that it never hurts to ask. Patrick followed by asking Trout if he d respond similarly, to which Trout confirmed he would. I ll sign the ball. I ll send the ball over. So keep that in mind, up-and-coming players all over the world. If you ever share the field with Mike Trout, he s prepared to honor your autograph requests.

16 June 30, 2018 Page 16 of 17 FROM PHILLY.COM Millville s Mike Trout is better than ever but thirsting for postseason success By Marc Narducci BALTIMORE Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout of Millville, N.J., felt the exhilaration as a fan while sitting in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis watching his favorite team win the Super Bowl and only hoped one day that could happen to him as a player. Almost five months since the Eagles win over the New England Patriots, the joy hasn t faded from many fans, including one of the Eagles s highest-profile backers. It was a great experience, Trout said by his locker before Friday s 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. I have been a lifelong fan and you always want your team to win a championship and they did. One fellow Eagles fan is Angels manager Mike Scioscia, a graduate of Springfield Delco, who during the Eagles postseason was a constant text partner with Trout, especially on game day. Not surprisingly, Trout had prime seats. He was texting met where he was sitting, said Scioscia who hosted a Super Bowl party that day with Eagles fans. I said, You got those seats and he said It cost me an arm and a leg. The only thing Trout wants more is a championship for his real team. You kind of visualize what they are going through that night, he recalled about the Eagles. As a fan, it was an unbelievable feeling. I can t imagine what it would be like as a player. Regarded as baseball s best player, this is Trout s seventh full season and despite two MVP s, three runners-up and one fourth-pace finish, this could be his best one to date personally. Yet it has been another disappointing injury-plagued season for the Angels, who entered Friday evening 41-41, but 13.5 games out of first place in the high-powered American League West and 10 games out of a wild-card spot. Trout has appeared in just one playoff series and the Angels were swept in three games by Kansas City in the 2014 divisional series. This year, he appears no closer to the postseason. It has been tough, Trout said. We have been banged up with a lot of injuries. Still, Trout entered the game batting.320 with an outlandish OPS and 205 OPS plus. He hit a firstinning solo home run, giving him 24 on the year along with 49 RBIs. Trout s Wins Above Replacement (WAR), according to Baseball Reference is 6.7 and he has a shot at the best of all time, 14.1 by a pretty fair player named Babe Ruth in 1923.

17 June 30, 2018 Page 17 of 17 Of all the stats for Trout, the one that truly measures his greatness is this: Since he was called up early in 2012 for his first full big-league season, Trout has never gone more than two consecutive games without reaching base. He is as advertised and is as good as everybody says he is, said outfielder Justin Upton in his first full season with the Angels after being acquired from Detroit last August. Nothing about him surprises me, really. When you think of the best player in baseball, you think of a guy who is well-rounded and does everything on the baseball field and he does that. Entering Friday, Trout s career 60.8 WAR was tops in major-league history through the 1,007 games that he has appeared in. I come here and try to get better each and every day and I don t worry about stats, Trout said. I have fun playing, and enjoy it. Imagine if the Angels could prosper in the postseason, just like Trout s favorite football team.