![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Trout-ASG-Hallway-07142026.jpg\")
<\/p>\nPHILADELPHIA \u2014 Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star, is a staple on the Eagles\u2019 sidelines whenever possible.<\/p>\n
The 34-year-old native of Millville, N.J., is a season-ticket holder eager to see the Birds\u2019 new offense after they brought in coordinator Sean Mannion and made some other staff and personnel changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am, I am,\u201d Trout said Tuesday night outside the American League clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. \u201cYou know, it\u2019s crazy, I was talking to Coop (All-Pro nickel cornerback Cooper DeJean) yesterday. They start up in like two weeks. The offseason is short. I\u2019m just happy they\u2019re starting up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Eagles open training camp July 28. On May 1, Topps released a \u201cFinest Fan\u201d NFL trading card featuring Trout in Eagles garb. The future baseball Hall of Famer grew up a die-hard fan of all the Philly teams, but especially the Birds and Phillies.<\/p>\n
He pitched and played shortstop for Millville Senior High School and threw a no-hitter against Egg Harbor Township as a junior in 2008.<\/p>\n
In 2007 and 2008, Trout played in the Phillies\u2019 Carpenter Cup tournament \u2014 the franchise\u2019s regional showcase of high school stars from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware \u2014 with the Tri-Cape team. In \u201808, he homered at CBP and made a memorable diving stab at short.<\/p>\n
The Angels drafted him 25th overall the following year after he switched to center field.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look back on a lot of things. \u2026 It\u2019s special on this field to be back,\u201d Trout said. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve come full circle.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Trout, who has been beset by injuries in recent years, received a thunderous ovation from the hometown crowd when he was introduced at the All-Star Game \u2014 as soon as his silhouette appeared inside a Liberty Bell-shaped entryway to the field for starting players.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just happy for him, making it back (from injuries) in the place where he grew up,\u201d said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who gave an impromptu on-field hug to Trout. \u201cOnce in a generational player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trout led off for the American League playing center but ended up going 0-for-3 with a strikeout. This season, mostly healthy so far, he\u2019s hitting just .237 but with 18 homers, 39 RBIs and an .863 OPS.<\/p>\n
Trout\u2019s legacy as a player is sealed. Right now he\u2019s a lifetime .291 hitter with 422 home runs, 1,057 RBIs, .566 slug, .971 OPS, 1,254 runs scored and 221 stolen bases. He\u2019s a five-tool player who, in his prime, was the modern incarnation of Mickey Mantle.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s still pretty damn good when healthy.<\/p>\n
Trout, one of the best right-handed bats ever and the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year, has three AL MVP awards, nine AL Silver Slugger awards (for best offensive player at his position) and two AL Hank Aaron awards (for best hitter). Despite not owning any Gold Gloves, he has consistently been a finalist with his superb defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was my favorite player growing up,\u201d Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. \u201cEverything about the way he played the game \u2014 I tried to model myself after him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust getting to share the field with him is pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unfortunately for Trout and baseball fans everywhere, one of the greatest players of all time has often gone unseen because the Angels are usually irrelevant in the standings and play on the West Coast in the shadow of the well-run Dodgers. Such an oversight has only fueled speculation that Trout would (and should) eventually come home to play for the Phillies.<\/p>\n
He owns a home down the road from his parents in Millville and built the highly exclusive Trout National golf course \u2014 designed by Tiger Woods \u2014 in neighboring Vineland.<\/p>\n
![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Trout-Topps-card-2026.jpg\")
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout appears on a Topps NFL trading card dressed in Philadelphia Eagles gear. The card was released May 1, 2026. (Courtesy: Topps)<\/p>\n
But Trout\u2019s best seasons seem to be behind him and he has 4\u00bd years remaining on a hefty contract that pays him $37.1 million annually.<\/p>\n
Also, he seems content in Anaheim \u2014 loyal to the franchise that drafted him, that has committed half a billion dollars to him\u2014 and he has refused to waive his no-trade clause. He said he\u2019ll discuss the Angels\u2019 future plans with interim general manager John Mozeliak at some point soon.<\/p>\n
The Angels, under longtime owner Artie Moreno, haven\u2019t fielded a winning team in 11 years. Trout has played in the postseason just once (2014), going 1-for-12 with a solo home run and three walks.<\/p>\n
Mozeliak, the team\u2019s third GM during Trout\u2019s tenure, has said the prized outfielder will never be dealt to the Phillies.<\/p>\n
This is the same organization that let international two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani move up the I-5 in free agency to join the Dodgers after standing pat at the 2023 trade deadline.<\/p>\n
Does Mike Trout want to win?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe easy way out is just to ask for a trade,\u201d Trout has repeatedly said. \u201cBut when I signed that contract, I\u2019m loyal. I want to win a championship here (in Anaheim). \u2026 I want to win. It would mean more to win here than somewhere else that\u2019s already won. That\u2019s my goal. That\u2019s why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n
OK. But even assuming the Angels prioritize winning (which they promised Trout when he signed his current deal), there\u2019s no recent evidence suggesting they\u2019re even competent enough to build a contending roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a no-trade clause, so ultimately it\u2019s up to me,\u201d Trout said. \u201cI\u2019m with the Angels.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019ll still be at the Linc on Eagles gamedays.<\/p>\n
\u2014<\/p>\n
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA \u2014 Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star, is a staple on the Eagles\u2019 sidelines…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":946919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2068],"tags":[25,7,6060,6,242,109,14736,2476,9,5367],"class_list":["post-946918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia-eagles","tag-eagles","tag-football","tag-mlb","tag-nfl","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-philadelphiaeagles","tag-sports","tag-top-stories-tmc"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116928688205650192","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=946918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/946918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/946919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=946918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=946918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=946918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}