Since making his debut in 2011, Mike Trout has been on a clear path towards the title of "Greatest of All Time." During his first full season in the majors, he put the MLB on notice. The 2012 American League Rookie of the Year hit 30 home runs and 86 RBIs, while also stealing a career-high 49 bases.
"On this date in 2011, Mike Trout made his MLB debut vs the Mariners, going 0-3. After hitting just .220 across 40 games in 2011, he went on to win the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year, and has posted an OPS north of .900 in every season since," ESPN Stats & Info tweeted.
![march madness logo](http://staticg.sportskeeda.com/skm/assets/march-madness-logo.png)
Since his rookie campaign, Trout has gone on to win three American League MVP awards, nine Silver Sluggers, as well as being 10 All-Star selections. He has also won the All-Star Game MVP twice.
The superstar slugger has spent his entire MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels, who drafted him with the 25th pick in 2009. While fans around the league have wanted to see him play elsewhere, he has remained loyal to the franchise.
The loyalty was rewarded when Mike Trout signed a 12-year, $426,500,000 contract in 2019. The deal easily remains the highest in MLB history. The contract holds an average annual salary of $35,541,667, which ranks among the highest in baseball. His yearly salary sits behind only Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Aaron Judge and Anthony Rendon.
"OFFICIAL: @MikeTrout agrees to terms on a 12-year contract," the Los Angeles Angels tweeted.
More importantly for the struggling Angels franchise, it keeps Trout under contract for what may be the remainder of his career. Trout will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2031 when his contract with the Angels expires. At that point, if he is still playing, he will be 39 years old.
A look at Mike Trout's MLB accomplishments
No matter what happens for the remainder of his career, Trout will forever be one of the best to have ever played the game. Now 12 seasons into his MLB career, the outfielder has hit 350 home runs with 896 RBIs and 1,543 hits. He has also stolen 204 bases while maintaining a career .303 batting average in 6,159 plate appearances.
"The Angels have missed the playoffs for the 8th straight year. Please trade Mike Trout & Shohei Ohtani to better teams," PointsBet Sportsbook tweeted.
The only blemish on his Hall of Fame resume is the fact that he has only ever played in three postseason games. The only time the Angels have made the postseason with Mike Trout on the roster came in 2014, and since then, the franchise has struggled to surround its star with a championship-caliber roster.