March 12, 2017 Page 1 of 13

Clips

(March 12, 2017)

March 12, 2017 Page 2 of 13

Today’s Clips Contents

FROM LOS ANGELES TIMES (Page 3)

Angels' Bud Norris might find his way back to the field from the bullpen

Dodgers' bats come alive in victory over Angels

Angels star Mike Trout adds hole-in-one to his résumé

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Page 6)

Garrett Richards shows progress in Angels' loss to Dodgers

Angels Notes: Matt Shoemaker feels for T.J. House after frightening incident

Angels' Mike Trout notches his first hole-in-one

FROM ANGELS.COM (Page 8)

Richards improves in second outing of spring

Cron homers, Richards delivers strong outing

Trout hits the links, notches hole-in-one

FROM THE NEW YORK POST (Page 12)

If you don't know who this is, MLB is failing

March 12, 2017 Page 3 of 13

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES .

Angels' Bud Norris might find his way back to the field from the bullpen

By Mike DiGiovanna

Bud Norris shared a 30-minute car ride and a lunch with former Atlanta Braves star John Smoltz at a golf

tournament over the off-season.

Much of their conversation focused on the transition from starting pitcher to short reliever, a subject

Norris wouldn’t have broached six or seven years ago with anyone, let alone a right-hander who was so

dominant in both roles he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

“Early in my career, I never wanted to go to the bullpen,” said Norris, who retired the side in order in the

fourth inning before giving up three runs in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Dodgers at

Camelback Ranch. “I took it more as a demotion.”

Norris, three years removed from a 2014 season in which he was 15-8 with a 3.65 earned-run average in

28 starts for Baltimore, is attempting to revitalize his career with the Angels after signing a minor league

deal in January.

With potential closer Huston Street (strained back muscle) likely to open the season on the disabled list

and the Angels thin on short relievers, Norris’ best path might be the bullpen, a role he is embracing

after making 36 relief appearances for the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and Dodgers in the last two

seasons.

“They want me to compete for a rotation spot, but I am completely open to doing back-end bullpen

stuff,” Norris, 32, said. “I enjoyed it, and there is a need there.”

Manager Mike Scioscia said Norris’ fastball, which has averaged 93.0 mph over his eight-year career,

“had more life” out of the bullpen. Norris said he relies more on his fastball, slider and cut-fastball and

less on his changeup while pitching in relief.

“I feel I can be ready to be a one-inning guy, if that’s what they need me to be,” Norris said. “It’s

something they’ll have to decide in the next couple of weeks.”

If Norris moves to the bullpen, he plans to incorporate the suggestions of Smoltz, who made the switch

after sitting out the 2000 season because of elbow ligament-replacement surgery and notched 154

saves in 3 1/2 seasons from 2001 to 2004.

“He said to take care of your body, to do more workout stuff after games instead of before games, to

taper back on your pregame throwing to save some bullets,” Norris said. “I have power stuff. As far as

my pitches, I think everything plays down there.”

Matt Shoemaker planned to reach out to Toronto left-hander T.J. House on Saturday as a show of

support for the reliever who was struck in the head by a line drive Friday.

March 12, 2017 Page 4 of 13

Shoemaker underwent emergency brain surgery in September after being struck in the head by a 105-

mph line drive off the bat of Seattle’s Kyle Seager. House was taken off the field in an ambulance but

was released from a hospital Saturday and is expected to make a full recovery.

“Hopefully, everything is OK,” Shoemaker said. “In my instance, the first three hours, everything was

looking good. Then, all of a sudden, we go into surgery.”

Shoemaker said he was comforted after his injury by phone calls that the wives of pitchers Brandon

McCarthy, Evan Marshall and J.A. Happ, who were struck in the head by line drives, made to his wife,

Danielle.

“I couldn’t take a bunch of calls in the hospital,” Shoemaker said, “but they reached out to me through

Danielle.”

Mike Trout had a new nickname Saturday.

“Hey Ace,” television broadcaster Mark Gubicza said as the center fielder took the field for workouts, a

reference to the hole in one Trout notched on the 127-yard second hole at the Raven Golf Club in

Phoenix on Friday.

Trout, 25, is considered the best all-around player in baseball, with two American League most-valuable-

player awards and three second-place MVP finishes in five seasons.

Asked if there was anything Trout can’t do, Scioscia said, “I don’t know man … he’s dunked a basketball,

he has a hole in one, he can probably run a pretty good stop-and-go [route] as a wideout or tight end.

We’re happy he’s playing center field for us.”

Has Scioscia ever made a hole in one?

“I don’t think I ever had one in miniature golf,” he said. “I’d rattle around that windmill.”

Dodgers' bats come alive in victory over Angels

Staff Report

The Dodgers improved to 8-7 in Cactus League play with an 8-2 victory over the Angels on Saturday at

Camelback Ranch. The Angels fell to 9-5.

AT THE PLATE: The Dodgers rallied for three runs in the fifth inning off Bud Norris. Austin Barnes hit a

solo homer to left field, Tyler Holt singled to left, Chris Taylor hit a run-scoring triple to left-center, and

Chase Utley hit a sacrifice fly to center. In the sixth, Dodgers third baseman Darnell Sweeney followed

Willie Calhoun’s leadoff single with a two-out, two-run homer to left off Keynan Middleton. Dodgers

outfield prospect Stetson Allie hit a three-run homer off Justin Miller in the eighth. The Angels scored a

March 12, 2017 Page 5 of 13

run off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the third when Eric Young Jr. doubled to right and Ben Revere

tripled to right-center. C.J. Cron hit a solo homer to right off Josh Fields in the fourth.

ON THE MOUND: Angels starter Garrett Richards, his fastball ranging from 95-97 mph, allowed one hit,

struck out four and walked two in 2 1/3 scoreless innings in which he threw 48 pitches. “His stuff was

electric today,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. Richards looks sound after undergoing stem-cell therapy for

an elbow ligament tear last season, but with the Angels expected to limit him to around 100 pitches per

start in his first season back from the procedure, he knows he must be more efficient to pitch deeper

into games. “I’m not going into the game thinking I have to throw 12 pitches an inning,” Richards said.

“It’s just another thing in the back of my mind that reminds me I need to be efficient and attack the

zone. If I only have 100 pitches or so to work with, then I need to catch more of the plate with my ball.”

… Relievers Luis Avilan and Steve Geltz threw hitless innings for the Dodgers, and Mike Morin gave up a

double in a scoreless seventh for the Angels.

EXTRA BASES: Angels left fielder Ramon Flores made a nice diving catch of Andrew Toles’ line drive in

the seventh. … Angels left-hander Tyler Skaggs, who was scratched from Friday’s start because of

shoulder fatigue, threw in the bullpen on Saturday. He is scheduled to throw in the bullpen again on

Monday before starting Wednesday’s game against San Francisco. … Angels first baseman Luis Valbuena

(calf injury) is scheduled to run the bases on Monday and return to game action Tuesday or Wednesday.

Angels star Mike Trout adds hole-in-one to his résumé

By Mike DiGiovanna

Mike Trout had a new nickname Saturday morning.

“Hey, Ace,” television broadcaster Mark Gubicza said as the Angels center fielder took the field for a

morning workout in Tempe Diablo Stadium on Saturday, a reference to the hole-in-one Trout notched

on the 127-yard second hole at the Raven Golf Club in Phoenix on Friday.

“We talked about it in there,” Manager Mike Scioscia said, alluding to the daily morning meeting the

Angels hold during spring training. “He’s buying two lunches for the team, one from In-and-Out, and we

have some Dominican food coming.”

Trout, 25, is considered the best all-around player in baseball, his combination of power, speed, on-base

ability, athleticism and defense leading to two American League most valuable player awards and three

second-place MVP finishes in his first five full seasons.

So it wasn’t all that surprising that Trout had the precision and touch on the golf course to make his first

hole-in-one.

March 12, 2017 Page 6 of 13

Asked if there was anything Trout couldn’t do, Scioscia said, “I don’t know man. … He’s dunked a

basketball, he has a hole-in-one, he can probably run a pretty good stop-and-go [route] as a wideout or

a tight end. We’re happy he’s playing center field for us.”

Has Scioscia, the former Dodgers catcher, ever made a hole-in-one?

“I don’t think I ever had one in miniature golf,” he said. “I’d rattle around that windmill.”

FROM THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER .

Garrett Richards shows progress in Angels' loss to Dodgers

BY JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

THE GAME:After taking an early two-run lead, the Angels lost, 8-2, to the Dodgers on Saturday

afternoon at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. It was the first of two meetings in Arizona for the

Southern California rivals, who will meet in Tempe on Monday.

PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander Garrett Richards did not allow a run in his second outing of the spring,

striking out four in 2-1/3 innings. “Absolutely, this was better than the first one,” said Richards, who

gave up three runs in two innings in his first start. “I was able to command the zone a little bit better.”

Richards needed 48 pitches to get seven outs, two shy of the plan. Richards has said one of his goals is to

be more efficient with his pitches so he can get deeper in games, even if the team is going to hold him to

a 100-pitch limit in the wake of his elbow injury. “I only have 100 pitches a game or so to work with, and

if I plan on going deep into games, then I need to catch more of the plate with my ball,” he said. “My

main focus is catching more plate and throwing more strikes.”… Right-hander Bud Norris worked a

perfect inning but then he gave up three runs in his second inning. Norris is competing for the Angels’

No. 5 starter spot. He last pitched on March 3, when he had to come out of a game because he split a

finger nail… Right-hander Keynan Middleton, the Angels top relief prospect, gave up a two-run homer.

He has allowed four runs in five innings this spring… Right-hander Mike Morin worked a scoreless inning.

HITTING REPORT: First baseman C.J. Cron singled and hit his second homer of the spring. He is hitting

.393 (11 for 28) this spring… Center fielder Eric Young Jr. hustled to turn a bloop hit into a double… Left

fielder Ben Revere tripled home a run in the third inning. Revere is hitting .500 (11 for 22) this spring…

Second baseman Danny Espinosa was hitless in three at-bats, with two strikeouts, dropping to .105 (2

for 19) this spring. Manager Mike Scioscia said Espinosa is going to do some extra work with hitting

coaches Dave Hansen and Paul Sorrento. “He’s going to try to get a little bit earlier load and get ready to

hit.”

DEFENSE REPORT: Shortstop Nolan Fontana leaped to try to catch a line drive, but the ball bounced off

his glove. He stayed with the play and still threw to first in time for the out… Left fielder Ramon Flores

made a sprawling catch of a sinking liner in front of him.

March 12, 2017 Page 7 of 13

Angels Notes: Matt Shoemaker feels for T.J. House after frightening incident

BY JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

TEMPE, Ariz. — When Toronto Blue Jays left-hander T.J. House was taken off the field in an ambulance

after being hit in the head by a line drive on Friday, Matt Shoemaker could relate.

Shoemaker, who had to have emergency brain surgery last September after he was hit in the head by a

line drive, said Saturday that he would reach out to House as a show of support.

“I hope everything is OK,” Shoemaker said. “I’ll get an update today and go from there.”

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Saturday morning that House, who was hospitalized overnight, is

going to be OK. House also tweeted that “Things are looking good.”

Shoemaker said he appreciated the support he got from other pitchers who had been hit in the head.

Shoemaker said mostly it came via the wives, with the wives of pitchers Brandon McCarthy, J.A. Happ

and Evan Marshall all contacting his wife. McCarthy and Happ were hit in major league games, and

Marshall, a Diamondbacks reliever, was hit in a Triple-A game.

Shoemaker has been experimenting with different types of protective devices to wear inside his cap this

season. He said so far he's comfortable with them, but he's not 100 percent sure he will use something

when the season begins.

Tyler Skaggs threw a bullpen session on Saturday morning and came throughout without issue. Skaggs

had his last scheduled start skipped because of arm weakness, but Skaggs insisted that he's not worried.

He is expected to pitch in a game within the next four or five days...

Cliff Pennington said he didn’t think the shoulder issue that caused him to come out Friday’s game is

serious. He said he felt something that “doesn’t feel normal” during pregame throwing, and when he

told the coaches they pulled him as a precaution. Pennington took Saturday off from throwing, but

figured he’d be back in games in about three or four days…

Right-hander Kirby Yates has been out for a few days with a stiff neck, but he said he expects to pitch in

a game on Monday...

Luis Valbuena, who has been out since March 2 with leg soreness, is scheduled to run the bases on

Monday and then get back into a game Tuesday or Wednesday…

Yunel Escobar rejoined the team on Saturday after taking his oath to become a U.S. citizen on Friday in

Miami. Escobar is expected to return to the lineup on Sunday...

Jon Wilhite, the survivor of the car accident that killed former Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two of

their friends, was in uniform in Angels camp on Saturday. Wilhite, a former catcher at Cal State

Fullerton, has been invited to Angels spring training regularly over the past few years...

March 12, 2017 Page 8 of 13

Wally Joyner is in Angels camp as a guest instructor. The former Angels star had spent the past three

seasons as the Detroit Tigers hitting coach, but he resigned to pursue other interests after the 2016

season.

Angels' Mike Trout notches his first hole-in-one

BY JEFF FLETCHER / STAFF WRITER

TEMPE, Ariz. — To Mike Trout’s long list of accomplishments on the baseball field, you can add one that

will make him the envy of every golfer who has yet to achieve the game's ultimate moment.

Trout notched his first hole-in-one on Friday.

“A lot of golf played, but the first one ever,” Trout said Saturday morning. “It’s pretty cool.”

Trout, who said he is a 6-handicap, recorded his ace on the 2nd hole at the Raven, an upscale course in

south Phoenix. Trout hit a 56-degree wedge on the 127-yard hole. Trout hit the links after playing the

first half of the Angels' game against the San Diego Padres.

Manager Mike Scioscia said he's not surprised that Trout added another item to his athletic resume.

"He's dunked a basketball, gotten a hole-in-one," Scioscia said. "He can probably run a pretty good stop-

and-go as a wideout or a tight end, but we're happy he's playing center field for us."

Asked if he'd ever made a hole-in-one, Scioscia said: "I don't think in miniature golf I have a hole-in-one.

I rattle around that windmill."

FROM ANGELS.COM .

Richards improves in second outing of spring

Righty throws 2 1/3 scoreless frames, rebounds from poor outing

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Garrett Richards was right where he wanted to be in Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Dodgers.

The right-hander, who is likely to be the Angels' Opening Day starter, made his second outing of the

spring a much better performance than his first. He went 2 1/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers at

Camelback Ranch-Glendale, striking out four batters and giving up a hit.

Richards walked two hitters to begin the third inning, but got rescued from damage when reliever

Eduardo Paredes got a double-play ball off the bat of Joc Pederson to end the frame.

March 12, 2017 Page 9 of 13

Richards suffered a partially torn right ulnar collateral ligament last May, but opted for a stem-cell

injection rather than Tommy John surgery. He seemed encouraged by his 48-pitch stint, particularly

after his spring debut, when he gave up three runs on four hits in two innings.

"I was able to command the zone a little bit better," Richards said. "For me right now, I'm just trying to

throw as many strikes as possible, and just kind of let my ball do what it naturally does. So this outing, I

just wanted to go out and really command the fastball, and get ahead in counts.

"I threw some really good breaking balls today. Today was a good day. In the third inning, the long sit in

between innings, I think, affected me a little bit. I lost my feel for a couple of batters, but all in all this

was a good one to build off of."

Richards has said he's expecting to be held to a 100-pitch limit in his regular-season starts throughout

2017, but it's not on his mind right now.

"When the game starts, I'm not sitting there going, 'Well, I have to throw 12 pitches an inning,'" Richards

said. "It's just another thing in the back of my mind that reminds me that I need to be efficient and

attack the zone. I only have 100 pitches a game or so to work with, and if I plan on going deep into

games, then I need to catch more of the plate with my ball."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia was impressed.

"I thought he was in the zone a lot, struck a lot of guys out early," Scioscia said. "I think he was very

comfortable out there. His stuff was live today."

Cron homers, Richards delivers strong outing

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

PHOENIX -- Austin Barnes, Darnell Sweeney and Stetson Allie all homered Saturday, as the Dodgers

rallied to beat the Angels, 8-2, at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.

Garrett Richards struck out four in 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the Angels, while Hyun-Jin Ryu struck out

two in a pair of scoreless innings for the Dodgers, in a matchup of starting pitchers coming off injuries.

After Ryu (shoulder and elbow surgeries the last two years) left his Cactus League debut, the Angels

scored a two-out run off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the third on an RBI triple by Ben Revere, which

followed a broken-bat double by Eric Young Jr.. The next inning, C.J. Cron homered off Josh Fields for a

2-0 Angels lead.

"I thought Ryu was good," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "He got his pitch count up, he held his

velocity, the fastball life was good, changed locations with it. If we could have envisioned a better

outing, this was it."

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Richards, who received stem-cell treatment instead of Tommy John surgery last year, threw 48 pitches,

but issued back-to-back walks to open the third, which accelerated his departure. Eduardo Paredes

cleaned up the inning by getting Joc Pederson on a double-play grounder, but Angels right-hander Bud

Norris allowed a three-run fifth inning against his former club.

"His stuff was electric," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Richards. "That stuff was awesome. … He

was upset in the third inning because he lost his release point a little bit. … But he came back and struck

[Chase] Utley out."

Chris Taylor had a triple and double for the Dodgers. Cron had two hits for the Angels.

Angels up next: Right-hander Jesse Chavez will get the start on Sunday as the Angels return to Tempe

Diablo Stadium to host the Mariners at 1:10 p.m. PT, live on MLB.TV. The Angels will face Seattle left-

hander Ariel Miranda. Chavez will be making his third start of the spring. He owns a 4.15 ERA this spring,

having given up three runs (two earned) on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings, with six strikeouts and no walks.

Dodgers up next: The Dodgers will be busy on Sunday with two games. Clayton Kershaw will pitch the

1:05 p.m. PT game on the road against the Royals, live on MLB.TV, with Andre Ethier expected to return

to the lineup from a tight hip. Alex Wood will start the night game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale against

the White Sox, live on MLB.TV at 7:05 p.m. PT.

Trout hits the links, notches hole-in-one

Angels manager impressed by outfielder's athletic ability

By Doug Miller / MLB.com

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Mike Trout crossed another rare athletic feat off his growing list of lifetime

accomplishments, and no one at Angels camp seemed surprised.

The reigning American League MVP was proud to report that he achieved the first hole-in-one of his life

on Friday afternoon, when he aced the par-3 second hole at Raven Golf Club in Phoenix, putting the ball

in the cup from 127 yards away with a 56-degree wedge.

Naturally, the first question posed to Angels manager Mike Scioscia in reaction to this occurrence: What

can't' this guy do? Consensus seemed to agree a hole-in-one was bound to happen sooner or later for

Trout, who says he has a 6 handicap

"I don't know, man," Scioscia said. "He's dunked a basketball, got a hole-in-one, he can probably run a

pretty good stop-and-go as a wideout or a tight end, but we're happy he's playing center field for us."

Typical hole-in-one etiquette says that the player who puts the "1" on the scorecard has to buy drinks

for everyone in the clubhouse.

March 12, 2017 Page 11 of 13

"We missed the round of drinks, but he's going to buy a couple of lunches for us," Scioscia said, adding

that Trout would provide In-N-Out Burger and Dominican food.

Scioscia was then asked if he's ever had a hole-in-one, and he shook his head and laughed.

"I don't even think in miniature golf I have a hole-in-one," Scioscia said. "I rattle around that windmill."

Tigers starter Justin Verlander poked some fun at Trout on Twitter on Saturday night, wanting to see

some documentation of his nice shot.

Worth noting

•Scioscia said first baseman Luis Valbuena, who has been out since March 2 with sore legs, would run

the bases Monday and be ready to get back into a game "Tuesday or Wednesday."

Scioscia also did not express concern that Valbuena was too far behind in conditioning and at-bats for it

to become an issue as Opening Day gets closer.

"He's been doing defense," Scioscia said. "He's fine. He's had 13 at-bats. He should have no problem

getting into that 50-60 range. We've got 22 games left."

•Reliever Kirby Yates has looked good in four appearances, pitching four shutout innings and giving up

only one hit, while striking out six and not issuing a walk. He has been out with a stiff neck, but Yates

expects to pitch Monday.

"He's got a real sneaky, live fastball," Scioscia said. "He mixes in breaking pitches that he throws over the

plate. He's still obviously got to win a spot in our bullpen, and he's shown well so far."

• Starter Tyler Skaggs, who missed his last scheduled start because of shoulder weakness, threw a

bullpen session on Saturday, and came out of it well, according to team officials. Scioscia expects Skaggs

to pitch sometime next week.

• Third baseman Yunel Escobar was back in camp Saturday after a day in Miami, where he was officially

sworn in as a United States citizen. Scioscia said Escobar would be back in the lineup Sunday.

• Utility infielder Cliff Pennington (shoulder stiffness) "feels much better," according to Scioscia, and

should be ready to play again in "a couple more days."

March 12, 2017 Page 12 of 13

FROM THE NEW YORK POST .

If you don't know who this is, MLB is failing

By Joel Sherman

TEMPE, Ariz. — As Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark continue to parry and

negotiate to guide baseball into what they hope is a more popular future, here should be Goal 1:

Make Mike Trout as recognizable as LeBron James or Aaron Rodgers.

He is often cited as the Mickey Mantle of this era, yet in 1957 — 60 years ago, before the internet,

before there were TVs in every home — Mantle was more recognizable than Trout is today.

Yes, neither the NBA nor the NFL was as popular then. The number of entertainment distractions was

not as great — Mantle never had to outdo a Kardashian. But we are not talking about fans being able to

instantly pick out Kole Calhoun from a series of pictures. This is Mike Trout. If your best player isn’t

easily identifiable, that sounds to me like a bigger problem than pace of game or roster construction,

though if it takes addressing those items to increase the popularity of the sport and, thus, Trout, then go

for it.

“It would be great for the game of baseball if Mike Trout’s face was everywhere all the time,” Angels

closer Huston Street said.

Trout is baseball’s LeBron. Sometimes someone else wins the MVP, but no one ever disputes who is the

best player. He has never finished worse than second in the AL MVP voting — and a good case could be

made that he should have gone five-for-five in winning.

Yet I suspect many folks who call themselves baseball fans could more easily identify Tim Tebow than

Trout.

There are obvious issues impacting Trout’s popularity. Trout plays most of his games on the West Coast,

and as Angels ace Garrett Richards said, “Half the country is asleep.” But Ken Griffey Jr. played in Seattle

and was among America’s most recognized athletes.

“And I think he is 1989, ’90, ’91 Ken Griffey,” Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. “He plays with joy

and a smile and with a high degree of passion and character. He is extremely competitive and may be

the loosest player I have ever seen. The competition is not too big for him. He embodies so many things

that are good in our game.”

There are those around the Angels who will tell you that Trout just wants to be “Mikey from Millville,” a

humble, small-town New Jersey guy. But in conversation Trout did not dismiss wanting to raise his

image.

March 12, 2017 Page 13 of 13

And there is always winning. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera were humble players. But they played in

October year after year, elevating their profile. Trout’s Angels have made the playoffs once, getting

swept in a 2014 Division Series by the Royals.

“The bigger stage helps everybody, not just me,” Trout said.

But shouldn’t the stage be irrelevant for a player that former Royals pitcher and current Angels

broadcaster Mark Gubicza said has “Bo Jackson’s body, Rickey Henderson’s ability to distract and

George Brett’s swing?” When I ask Gubicza for his favorite Trout moment, he mentions one slide, two

defensive plays and a bunch of at-bats. This is Trout — consistent on-field excellence.

And then there is this testimonial from Street: “You cannot design a better ambassador for baseball than

Mike Trout. He has humility, passion, work ethic, consistency. … The beauty of Mike Trout is that he is a

class act and class never gets old, whether you are talking Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera. And Mike

Trout is this generation’s classy superstar.”

Richards is probably the foremost Trout-ologist. They are best buds, having been drafted in the same

year (2009) and roomed together at three minor league levels and then briefly when they reached the

majors.

His take: “I’m spoiled. Out of everyone in here I have seen him the most and I am telling you what he

does is so special, but he does it so much you kind of take it for granted. You are just like, ‘There is Mike

being Mike.’”

OK, “Be Like Mike” has already been used in an advertising campaign. But MLB and the union and the

sport in general has to do a better job of making the best player in the game a household figure.