{"id":752021,"date":"2026-07-15T01:45:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T01:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/752021\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T01:45:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T01:45:42","slug":"angels-mike-trout-excited-for-all-star-game-despite-expected-questions-about-his-future-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/752021\/","title":{"rendered":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout excited for All-Star Game, despite expected questions about his future \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since the announcement that the 2026 All-Star Game would be in Philadelphia, Mike Trout set a goal to play in that game.<\/p>\n

As excited as Trout is to return to the All-Star Game for the first time in seven years<\/a>, and to do so near his hometown and with his two young sons in attendance, he knows the experience comes with one nagging annoyance.<\/p>\n

Before heading to Philadelphia, Trout knew that the event was going to spark a whole new round of questions about his future with the Angels. During the media availability on the day before the All-Star Game, each player sits at a table and wave after wave of reporters approach with questions.<\/p>\n

For Trout, the event is certain to be filled with: \u201cMike, why don\u2019t you want to be traded to the Phillies? Or any team that can get you to the playoffs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to hear it a thousand times, especially when I get there,\u201d Trout said over the weekend. \u201cBut it is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the record, Trout repeated what he has said whenever he\u2019s been asked. He wants to stay with the Angels \u201cfor sure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"AngelsAngels star Mike Trout celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. No matter how often he is asked, and it will come up again during All-Star Game festivities in Philadelphia this week, Trout has always said he wants to remain with the Angels. (AP Photo\/Colin E. Braley)<\/p>\n

Trout has a full no-trade clause in his contract, so he\u2019s not going anywhere without it being his choice. Also, he\u2019s about to turn 35 and he\u2019s due to make $36 million per year for the next four years. He\u2019s been on the injured list each of the past six seasons, although for shorter stints lately.<\/p>\n

His relative good health has sparked something of an on-field renaissance. He heads into the All-Star break hitting .237 with 18 home runs and an .863 OPS.<\/p>\n

Trout has been elected to the All-Star Game by the fans 11 times and selected as a reserve one other time.<\/p>\n

What was once an annual rite of summer for him has become more rare lately. The All-Star Game was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and Trout was injured and couldn\u2019t participate in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2024 and 2025, he wasn\u2019t even selected. So Trout hasn\u2019t actually played in the Midsummer Classic since 2019.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all the better that he\u2019s returning for a game in Philadelphia, which is 35 minutes from Millville, N.J., his hometown.<\/p>\n

When Trout played in Philadelphia for the first time in 2014<\/a>, the Phillies declared Millville Night, and busloads of people came in for the game, including the mayor. The Phillies fans cheered Trout all night, which is a rare treatment for a visiting player. Trout said it gave him \u201cchills.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JustinJustin Shephard, 9, from Deptford, N.J., holds up a sign for Angels star Mike Trout before a game between the Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, May 13, 2014, in Philadelphia. Trout said he always receives a warm reception in Philadelphia, which is not far from his hometown of Millville, N.J. (AP Photo\/Laurence Kesterson)<\/p>\n

At the All-Star Game, an exhibition after all, he figures to get among the best receptions of any of the players.<\/p>\n

Trout said he appreciates that Philadelphia fans don\u2019t typically cheer visiting players, so he appreciates that they make an exception for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans have been unbelievable,\u201d Trout said. \u201cI know how Eagles fans are when an opposing player comes into town. To hear that ovation means a lot. I think ultimately if you look at fans in Philly sports, they appreciate people that play the game hard, play the game the right way. That\u2019s how I was since I was a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trout went to some Phillies games when he was a kid. His best memory, though, is a game he didn\u2019t even attend. He was a senior in high school when he went with some friends to tailgate in the Citizens Bank Park parking lot during the 2008 World Series, which the Phillies won.<\/p>\n

Trout has been back to the ballpark three times since joining the Angels. In addition to the 2014 series, the Angels played there in 2022 and 2025.<\/p>\n

In 2022, the Angels were in the midst of a 14-game losing streak and Trout was mired in a career-worst 0-for-26 slump. Last season, the Angels won two of three in Philadelphia, and Trout went 4 for 13 with two doubles in the series.<\/p>\n

Seeing Trout again, this time as an All-Star, figures to be a big moment for all the people in his circle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s going to be something special for Mike,\u201d Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. \u201cI know he\u2019s been thinking about that a lot and especially coming into the year, knowing he\u2019s in Philly. That\u2019s something special for him. The guy deserves it. He deserves everything. Obviously the career speaks for itself but now to be able to go play in an All-Star Game in Philly, close to home, it\u2019s definitely going to be a cool experience for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trout has never competed in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game, but he said he was strongly considering it this season, before the hamstring injury that knocked him out for three weeks<\/a>. Instead, he\u2019ll happily watch from the field with his sons, ages 5 and 2.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s excited for the rest of his family to be there too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all fired up,\u201d he said. \u201cMy wife is too. With the Fan Fest and spending time with her family and my family, it\u2019s going to be a cool couple days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AngelsAngels star Mike Trout puts his cap on before a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on April 21, 2026, at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Luke Hales\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ever since the announcement that the 2026 All-Star Game would be in Philadelphia, Mike Trout set a goal…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":750752,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2390],"tags":[291,5,1165,446,3223,774,56,3224,3222,603,4,13669,185,558],"class_list":["post-752021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-angels","tag-angels","tag-baseball","tag-la","tag-la-angels","tag-laangels","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-angels","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesangels","tag-mike-trout","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-all-star-game","tag-sports","tag-top-stories"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116921468726933192","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=752021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/752021\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/750752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=752021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=752021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=752021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}