Mike Trout cites Yankees icon amid troubles: "My role model growing up was Derek Jeter. But you got to win, you get frustrated when you lose"

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout is all but certain to be a future Hall of Famer. The three-time MVP is regarded as one of the best all-around bats in the game.

Despite Trout's immense personal success, the Angels have evolved into one of MLB's premier laughing stocks during the center fielder's decade with the club.

The 2022 season saw the Angels lose a franchise-worst 13-straight games, a streak that saw Mike Trout put up some of the worst numbers of his career. After finishing a distant third in the AL West, the team has now gone nine seasons without a playoff appearance.

In 2023, the demons of years past have come back to haunt the Los Angeles Angels. Although Trout has hit a very respectable .303 this season, his team, once again, finds themselves lagging in third place.

"'I signed a contract here, and one of my goals is to win a World Series in Anaheim. That always pushes me.' @Ken_Rosenthal sat down with @MikeTrout to talk about the Angels make-or-break season and Trout's relationship with Shohei Ohtani" - FOX Sports: MLB

In a recent interview with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Trout cited former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter as an inspiration. Trout would have been a child when Jeter led the Bronx Bombers to three-straight World Series in the late 1990s.

“My role model growing up was Derek Jeter, and he did the same thing. But you got to win, you get frustrated when you lose. The organization, the fans, they want to bring some winning baseball to Anaheim.” - Mike Trout

Mike Trout referenced Jeter's 20-year career in New York as one of the inspirations he has for sticking with the Angels through thick and thin. Jeter was a member of the Yankees from 1995 to 2014, and saw many ups and downs with the team.

Trout himself is under contract to the Angels until 2031 after inking a massive deal in 2019 that will see the 31-year-old earn $426.5 million over the course of his tenure.

"Mike Trout's Baseball Reference page, but the background is people mad about him surpassing Jeter in WAR." - Foolish Baseball

In contrast, Angels two-way phenomenon Shohei Ohtani, who inked a 1-year deal with the team to avoid arbitration, is expected to depart the club after free agency. Some believe that Ohtani will garner the most lucrative contract in history this fall.

Mike Trout is his team's last and only hope

While Trout's career is already one for the history books, patience is running out in Anaheim for the star to deliver results to his team. The Angels have not won a postseason game since 2009, and it will only be so long before Trout's greatness is eclipsed by his team's perrennial status as losers.