Kernels phenom on cover of Baseball America

Kernels 18-year old All-Star Mike Trout is featured on the cover of the Minor League Baseball "Bible", Baseball America.

The cover of the most recent edition of Baseball America pictures Kernels center fielder and lead-off batter Mike Trout tracking down a fly ball in right center field at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

What a tremendous source of pride for our community. Mike Trout is in elite company as the "cover" boy on a National publication. UNI's Ali Faroukmanesh was on the cover of Sports Illustrated after the Panthers shocked top seeded Kansas this past spring in the March Madness NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.

Zach Johnson and Kurt Warner have also achieved the distinction of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Seeing Mike Trout in his white home Kernels uniform on the front of Baseball America lifted my spirits yesterday.

Gazette Sportswriter Jeff Johnson wrote a fantastic article about Mike and all the attributes he possesses that have led to his remarkable success in the Midwest League. Seeing Jeff's "byline" as the author of the story he wrote about Mike is a tribute to the tens of thousands of hours Jeff has dedicated to describing the Kernels and the Midwest League throughout his tenure as the Kernels "beat" writer. Thank you, Jeff.

The article that you wrote about Mike Trout for all of the baseball world to read is TREMENDOUS. Cedar Rapids has great reason to be proud of Mike Trout's achievements. Congratulations Mike, and THANK YOU, Jeff Johnson of the Gazette Sports Department for writing such an inspiring story for national readership.

- Submitted by the Cedar Rapids Kernels