Why Isn’t Mike Trout More Marketable? National Reporter Blames Angels

Sam Garcia | Jul 13, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Every sport has at least one iconic player that even someone who is unfamiliar with the sport would recognize, names like LeBron James, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, and Simone Biles.

Mike Trout’s resume is enough to add him to that list, but the eight-time All-Star has yet to fully capitalize on his star potential. Questions have loomed around why this future Hall of Famer has not been more popular in the sports world. 

“I would always hear that. People would say, ‘Well, Trout, he doesn't put himself out there’. I, for a couple of years, talked to him about doing an E60, and when we did that, he could not have been more accessible. I mean, we’re doing interviews with his family, we taped a segment 15 minutes before a game. He said yes to everything.”

- Buster Olney, The Sports Media Podcast

So, if Trout is actively making himself accessible to the media, why has the three-time American League MVP not been more marketable over the years? In a recent episode of The Sports Media Podcast, Buster Olney of ESPN blamed the Angels. 

Mike Trout for so long was the best player in MLB. But why wasn't he as marketable as other big players before and after him?

Was it a reserved personality? The Angels? MLB?@Buster_ESPN gives his thoughts on this week's @SBJ Sports Media Podcast pic.twitter.com/FUEY6eCgUG

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) July 11, 2024

“What's happened is the Angels have not been relevant when we talk about the postseason. Look, Derek Jeter, I don't think anybody would think of him as being one of the top three players of his era, but every October we would see him because he was playing in all these playoff games… Trout, I think, would have thrived in the postseason if he'd been in there more, but the Angels stunk, so I actually blame the Angels.”

- Buster Olney, The Sports Media Podcast

Trout has remained an Angel throughout his career, yet the club has only reached the postseason once since acquiring Trout in 2011. Their sole postseason appearance was in 2014 when they fell to the Kansas City Royals in the first round, meaning Trout has only appeared in one playoff series in his 14-year career. 

Trout is signed with the franchise until 2030, suggesting that fans won’t be seeing his postseason abilities anytime soon.