Los Angeles Angels: Remembering Mike Trout's Debut Season

Throwing it back to the beginning of one of the greatest careers in MLB history.

It didn't take long for Mike Trout to make a name for himself in the MLB.

After appearing in 40 games during the 2011 season, Trout burst onto the scene in 2012.

He was called up on April 28, and was thrust straight into the starting lineup.

It took him seven games to hit his first home run and knock in his first RBI of the season. Then, he took off.

Trout quickly raised his batting average above the .300 mark, and didn't watch it dip below that threshold many times after that. He even had it hovering in the .340s and .350s in the second-half of the season.

Trout was named to the AL All-Star team as a reserve, but may have been snubbed from a starting spot as he was slashing .341/.397/.562 at the break. After the break, he went nuclear.

Trout hit 21 home runs in the second-half of the season, after hitting just nine in his first 64 games.

He ended up finishing the season slashing .326/.399/.564 with 30 home runs and 83 runs batted in, and led the entire league with 129 runs scored, 49 stolen bases and a WAR of 10.5. Robinson Cano finished second in the league with a WAR of 8.4.

Trout took home some hardware that year, winning the AL Rookie of the Year award and a Silver Slugger as one of the best hitting outfielders in the league. He also finished second in the AL MVP race, losing to a well-deserving Miguel Cabrera who won the first AL Triple Crown since 1967. And the craziest part of all of that — Trout didn't lose the MVP race by that much.

2012 was an incredible year for Trout, Angel fans and the game of baseball. But lucky for everyone involved, it was only the beginning of something really special.