27
2012
Mike Trout: What Could Have Been
An article by 
Mike Trout is having a season for the ages. The kind of season that has baseball fans checking the box score in the newspaper to see what he did the night before, and team executives scratching their heads wondering how they missed on this kid. If you turned on ESPN last year, the only time you would hear the word trout, was during one of those outdoors shows. It’s funny how things change in a year. When you hear the word trout these days, the first thing that comes to mind is a young ballplayer being compared to the likes of Mickey Mantle, not a fish. However, I’m starting to think that it’s unfair to compare this kid to anyone. He really is in a league of his own.
Most Mets fans don’t realize how the 2009 draft could have altered the baseball landscape that we see right now. There were a few teams with a very high interest in Trout as the 2009 MLB draft crept closer. Most teams passed on Trout because, although he was a very gifted athlete, was viewed as a raw talent. They didn’t think he was mechanically sound. That, combined with the fact that amateur players from the northeast still aren’t given the respect of a player from a warm weather state, caused Trout to sort of free fall. Here’s where it gets interesting for Mets fans.
One of the teams that was in a position to take a chance on this “raw” talent, was the Washington Nationals. They held the number one pick, and the number ten pick in the 2009 draft. They took Stephen Strasburg with the number one pick, and with the number ten pick took Drew Storen. Luckily for Mets fans, and the other teams in the National League East, the Nationals passed on Trout. Had they selected Trout at number ten, they would have a foundation of Strasburg, Harper, and Trout to build on. Arguably the three best young talents in the game, all on one team, is a scary notion. The Nationals are kicking themselves right now.
Let’s take a look at the Angels drafting Trout, and it’s implications. This is where it could get painful for Mets fans. Yes Mets fans, we could have drafted Trout. If you recall, we originally were slated to have the number 24 pick in the 2009 draft. Trout went number 25. We gave up our number 24 pick as compensation for signing Fransisco Rodriguez in the winter of 2008. We were Trout-blocked…by ourselves. That compensation pick was what inevitably led to the Angels selecting Trout at number 25.
There is a nice article on Trout in this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated (I highly recommend reading it). Tom Verducci states that building up to the 2009 draft, Trout’s family, who originally agreed to take slot money before the draft, was now looking for more money. They had originally agreed to around $1.2 million, but were now getting offers of close to $3 million. The Angels head scout in the northeast area kept that a secret, knowing that if it became public, the team might have passed on him. He believed he had a future hall of famer at his fingertips, and didn’t want to lose out on Mike Trout. The Angels now had two back to back picks in the first round after the compensation pick from the Mets, so even the Angels brass that weren’t completely sold on Trout, decided to take a shot. The funny thing is, had the Angels passed on Trout at pick 25, the Yankees were waiting with open arms at number 29. Imagine that. The player touted as the next Mickey Mantle in Yankee pinstripes.
Mets fans, we could have had Mike Trout. Mike Trout had so many implications for the Mets, and no Mets fans ever think about it. Aside from possibly getting him with our original number 24 pick in the 2009 draft, the Nationals could have selected him, which would have been a nightmare for Mets fans for years to come. If the Angels passed on him, he could have easily dropped into the lap of the Yankees, our cross town rivals.
It’s funny how things work out. But there is nothing funny about what Mike Trout is doing this year. Mike Trout is a once in a generation player. Mike Trout is a baseball god. And Mets fans are left, once again, wondering about what could have been.
About the Author: Mitch Petanick
Mitch is currently an Editor and Minor League Analyst for Mets Merized Online. His baseball experience includes being a former All-Conference collegiate baseball player who had numerous professional tryouts, and he is currently a hitting instructor. He has been involved with the game of baseball for over 30 years now as a player, coach, and consultant. Mitch is also a former Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @FirstPitchMitch.
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I remember reading some old Mets press releases and dreaming of the future outfield of Lastings Milledge — Carlos Gomez — Fernando Martinez. Would Mike Trout have been able to break into that lineup? P.S.: Only serious replies will be considered.
Wouldn’t have happened anyway if the Wilpons were still married to slot guidelines.
Congrats go to Trout. Instead of being a Met and playing for the Wilpons you are an Angel and playing with Pujols in sunny Southern California on a team with a very rich owner. You hit the jackpot buddy but you have great talent. Way to go! Never know our Mike Trout may be Brandon Nimmo.
Thanks Omar.
Thanks Omar for getting the best center fielder this team has ever had otherwise there would be no Wheeler.
Maybe one day Sandy can have something to call his own on the Mets. Something other than DJ Carrasco & and his bullpen. Great use of limited funds. He’s a genius and has the pulse of the market under control.
What does this have to do with Beltran or Wheeler? Is that the best you can come up with. NEXT!
No, it just goes to show how stupid your “thanks Omar” comment was. These drafts are so random and many other teams pass up these players as well so your comment was ridiculous and baseless.
On the other hand Sandy has left NO positive impact on this team whatsoever outside of maybe a bench player or 2 and in his 2nd year is getting called out as a quitter – which he is – so – thanks for NOTHING, Sandy
And sorry that you are upset that it’s TRUE. Beltran was signed by Omar and without that – there is no Wheeler.
Yawn….
Upset? Not at all. My comment was used as sarcasm and poked fun at dimwits who liked to use it every chance they got at specific kids who struggled. It doesn’t surprise me that you were too slow (as usual) to catch that. You would be one to know about baseless & ridiculous comments since whenever you are outclassed & outsmarted by people like say, Connor, you have to stoop down to that and attack one’s character/age.
As far as Alderson being a quitter, is he the quitter or are the guys holding him to a $15 million budget in the winter the quitter(s)? Sure, he has blame for doing nothing when we needed help in June, but wasn’t that the same case for years when Omar did nothing as well?
By the way, don’t even sit there and kiss Beltran’s ass when you hated his guts when he went and got his knee fixed up before Spring Training after Omar pushed him back so soon in a lost season. Ironically, it wasn’t until Alderson came in and it being Beltran’s last year you praised him. Coincidence? You are as phony as can be.
P.S. For someone so amazing with getting talent, it’s amusing to know he (Omar) couldn’t find a gem in his own backyard.
Alderson can’t even find the backyard!
THIS!!!
you talking about Trout as the Gem? If so, he was actually in the Phillies back yard (Millville is deep in Phils territory). I’m assuming he was gone before they picked though.
Not phony at all. You just don’t get it. I’ve hated and liked Beltran, been back and forth with him his entire tenure with the Mets.
He certainly was not a favorite of mine and I certainly would not put it past him that he did in fact take his time coming back. I think it’s absolutely possible that he could have turned it one WHEN HE WANTED during contract time. I think most likely he did.
He was also a CLUTCH hitter and a go to guy during the 2006-2008 runs. I’ve said a million times too. I’ve also said people like him and Delgado, for all the times they went hiding from the press during losses those years leaving guys like Wright & LoDuca to speak – they were ALSO the leaders of those teams too
I’m only interested in winning and I have 2 favorites now that I am absolutely prejudiced towards..and that’s Ike Davis & Ruben Tejada..but if either one of them acted up i would rip them a new one as well. There were many times i wanted to kick my TV in at the way Ike was flailing at the ball earlier in the year but i’m also smart enough to know he is still developing and ALSO came off a serious season ending injury last year and had a serious condition this spring. NOBODY here knows how much that could have contributed to his early season woes, as well as Dave Hudgen’s (The Taking Coach not the hitting coach) could have affected him. Anybody who signs off on Davis NOW..while all this is in plays simply does not have any foresight or any knowledge on how to predict and give a strong opinion on how a player will project – without looking at any periodicals like I do.
Anyway back to the point. Just because I’ve changed my mind over the years on Beltran does not take away from the fact that without him there is no Wheeler.
Bye.
So 23 OTHER teams also had a better shot at him than us since we had NO pick and they passed.
Exactly,
That’s why i never get caught up with these “we cudda had” draft pick scenarios – it’s way too random.
21 teams actually, since two teams had 2 picks each before Trout was selected.
Fans can’ t kill the Mets for “losing” a spot like that and having signed a free agent that most wanted and team needed. 21 teams also passed on him before our spot. Who knows if we would have passed on him we had the pick.
The point of this article was the irony of baseball, and not about the Mets not having Mike Trout today.
Excellent article & valid follow-up posts. Drafting in baseball is much more prone to speculation and hindsight than any other major sport. That said, teams appear to be improving predictability.
If we hit the reset button and consider where the Mets were at that time, they had just tanked in 2008 and were hell-bent on putting together a bullpen for the ages, with K-Rod & JJ Putz. And, historically, that move was preceded by Omar’s ill-considered dismantling of the 2006 bullpen, which was among the best in baseball – he didn’t re-sign Darrin Oliver, Chad Bradford & traded others (Lindstrom, etc…)
Fast-forward to the present day… we can lament forever on not snagging Mike Trout OR we can focus on reeling in (hee-hee) someone like RH hitting OF prospects such as the Jays’ Jake Marisnick or the Giants Gary Brown – hence the shortsightedness (is that a word?) of allowing Jose Reyes to walk without acquiring commensurate compensation.
Here’s the Met’s problem – they were so far overextended in Omar’s FA binge and the financial pipeline for that process was predicated on access to the Madoff money. The FAs signed by the Mets ran their course & the Mets had no money to replace them and a weak draft position because of all the FAs they had signed. So, it wasn’t even “one foot in, and one foot out” – they had both feet in a pile of …
The pitching will shore up sooner than the hitting & that’s the best news a Met fan can hang onto during the interim.
The Mets didn’t have a pick, but like MetsTheory says 23 other teams did and passed. The draft is crapshoot. Wasn’t Mike Piazza a 63rd round pick?
People say this, and yet the bottom line is that it’s unlikely Minaya would’ve picked him considering his tendency to go with college players that early in the draft. Plus, fans of any team could go back through the history of the draft and moan over tons of players that their team passed on. It’s not worth getting caught up in it.
Please name one position player other than Ike Davis or Murphy who went to college. Minya never gets credit for drafting Ike or getting RA Dickey off the scrape heap. Yes Minya made many bad signings. It was college pitchers he drafted. Millege for one who was over- hyped but again neve went to college except the school of hard knocks.Please stop making Minya a pinata’
oops I did forget Duda.
and den dekker and Vaughn more recently.
Why just position players? Do pitchers not count as draft picks?
Only 5 to 6 percent of drafted players ever play a day in the major leagues. About 60 percent of the first round draft picks ever play a day in the major leagues.
What the hell are you going on about? I wasn’t criticizing Minaya, I was only noting his drafting tendencies.
I’m going to be nice and not tear this post apart because I really enjoyed all your previous posts. But you can write similar posts about different stars and different teams and they all don’t add up to a hill of beans. This was the kind of stuff t agee used to do relentlessly on this site until he disappeared after the Mets granted him his wish with an all homegrown team back in May.
What is there to rip apart? This is merely a story about the irony of baseball and how one or two decisions, by any team, can change the entire landscape. I never said the Mets would’ve drafted Trout, but simply pointed out that the opportunity might have been there. A lot of teams are kicking themselves but most fans don’t realize the Mets may have had the chance to draft Trout.
Hey Mitch I was just kidding with you. Before you arrived there was a poster here named t agee who would write similar posts only his were borderline insane. My comment was more for the benefit who remember him from the good old days and not really intended as a reflection on you.
Wow, nothing else to write about but pick-a-prospect, any-prospect in any year with success the Mets didn’t choose, in this case, how dare the Mets sign a well regarded closer and then comply with the rules of relinquishing first round pick. Oh my, the Mets passed up Albert Pujols too a zillion times before selected by the Cardinals in the 13th round. And Ryan Howard in the 5th round, Jeff Bagwell in the 4th. Oh my, what could have been. At least we traded for Mike Piazza years after letting the Dodgers pick him in the 62 round. Mets suc_k. Yes indeed.