He made a brief major league appearance in 2011 before becoming a regular player for the Angels the subsequent season and won the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously.

His father, Jeff (born January 7, 1961), played baseball at the University of Delaware[9][10] and was a fifth-round draft pick as a second baseman by the Minnesota Twins in 1983.

[11] Jeff played four years of minor league baseball before a torn plantar fascia and knee injuries ended his career.

[24] Angels scout Greg Morhardt, who had played in the minor leagues with Trout's father, claimed Mike was the fastest and strongest 17-year-old he had ever seen.

[26][27] He finished the season playing for the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Class A Midwest League, hitting .267 over 20 plate appearances in five games.

[33] Prior to the 2011 season, Trout was ranked number one by ESPN's Keith Law in his 2011 top 100 prospects list[34] and by MLB's Jonathan Mayo.

[36] In his next game, Trout recorded his first career major league hit, an infield single against Seattle Mariners pitcher Michael Pineda in the bottom of the third inning.

In the same game, he showed off his defensive skills when he robbed Orioles shortstop J. J. Hardy of a home run as he leaped up in the center-field wall to make a spectacular catch in the bottom of the first inning.

"[54] Trout's 34 runs scored in July tied the Major League rookie record with Cleveland Indians first baseman Hal Trosky in 1934.

"[56] Against the Chicago White Sox on August 4, Trout made another highlight catch, robbing second baseman Gordon Beckham of a home run in the second inning.

[65] On September 30, Trout became the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to join the 30–30 club when he belted a 7th-inning home run off of Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish, helping the Angels win the game by a score of 5–4.

[75] On November 13, Trout won the Heart and Hustle Award, given to the player who "demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game.”[76] Trout was one of three outfielders in the American League to win the Silver Slugger for being the best offensive players at their position; the others were then-Ranger Josh Hamilton and Josh Willingham of the Minnesota Twins.

[81] The race between Trout and Cabrera created controversy amongst baseball fans and writers, and was described by many as a clash between new-age sabermetrics and supporters of more "traditional" statistics.

If you want to toss in his slash line, his 62 extra-base hits, his 92.3 percent stolen-base success rate or any other item on his stat sheet, you'll find that no player in the history of baseball has combined this much excellence in so many areas in the same season.

"[67] Meanwhile, Scott Miller of CBS Sports wrote, "Nobody combined overall statistics, badass lineup presence, and value to his team more than Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera.

This decision caused some controversy, as some believed that Trout's successful May was a direct result of his move back to center field.

Nevertheless, Trout added he was working with staff to fix and correct the strikeout tendency, and what may have been the only significant flaw of his all-around game.

[citation needed] In Game 3 of the 2014 American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals, Trout hit his first career postseason home run in the first inning off of James Shields.

[108] Later on in the ninth inning, Trout was the final batter of the Angels to strike out as the team lost to the Royals in a three-game sweep of the series.

[116] On November 10, it was announced that Trout, along with Royals outfielder Lorenzo Cain and Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, were finalists for the AL MVP.

[125] Two days later, an MRI revealed the injury was a torn ulnar collateral ligament, and he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his major league career.

On September 6, 2017, against the Oakland Athletics, Trout drew a walk in his 14th consecutive contest to pass Albie Pearson for the franchise record of 13 set in 1961.

Trout became the seventh player in history to reach 200 or more home runs before the end of his age-25 season, following Jimmie Foxx, Eddie Mathews, Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Alex Rodriguez, and Albert Pujols.

[135] He homered twice in each of consecutive games against the Seattle Mariners on June 11 and 12, doing so for the first time in his career, while totaling a then MLB leading 23 home runs.

[144][145] Following the April home series against the Texas Rangers, Trout was named AL Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career.

[160] On March 13, 2022, Angels manager Joe Maddon said that the team was considering moving Trout out of center field to prevent injuries.

After Trout talked with the team and stated that he preferred to play in center field, Maddon decided the following day that there would be no positional switch.

[178] He captained the team to the final, but ultimately lost 3–2 to Japan, with Trout being struck out by then-Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani to win the title.

"[201] Trout holds season tickets for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League[202] and is friends with their former quarterback, Carson Wentz.

[215] In 2015, Trout appeared in promotional materials for a campaign to spay and neuter pit bulls conducted by the local chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Cumberland County, New Jersey.