Angels' Mike Trout Explains His Father's Influence on His Love of Baseball

Matt Levine | Apr 21, 2024

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Trout's love of baseball began at a young age and he credits his father for instilling a level of respect for the game that Trout is passing down to his son.

During an interview on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, Trout revealed what his childhood was like and how he is getting a dose of his own medicine now that he's a father.

"It didn't matter where I was," Trout said about growing up in New Jersey. "At home, at the ballpark, whether it was Wiffle Ball in the front yard or BP at someone's house, I just always wanted to hit. I feel bad for my dad because I was all over him -- I was just like, 'We've gotta get to the field.'"

Beckham, 3, will be a big brother soon and Trout is starting to see things from a different perspective.

"I'm kind of feeling it now since I'm a father," Trout said. "With Beckham, I know he's still young, but when he's geared up to go somewhere -- the ballpark, especially -- he's always like, 'Dad, are we there yet?' or 'How much longer?' and this kind of stuff. So I'm getting the effects of that now, which I love."

Trout is passing down his legacy to Beckham but is also letting him figure things out on his own. He isn't always around to show him things with his swing.

"He just let me be me," Trout said. "He didn't really push me to try to hit like him. He kind of just let me go, let me figure it out. I look back and now that I'm pitching to my son, it's the same thing: I've kind of just let him figure it out on his own. I think in the long run it'll help him, because there will be situations where I'm not there to help him with that swing."

The three-time American League Most Valuable Player is off to a historic start. He set an Angels record Trout becoming the fastest player in franchise history to reach six homers to start a season, getting to the mark in just 11 games.

Their 10-game road trip continues on Monday with the first of four games at Tampa Bay and wraps up with a three-game set in Cincinnati.