Angels not in rush to bring Trout to big pond (w/video)

May. 28, 2011 10:07 pm, Updated: Jul. 8, 2021 1:47 pm

CEDAR RAPIDS - The topic of conversation eventually turned to Mike Trout. Go figure.

The outfielder is considered by many to be the top prospect in all of baseball. Less than a year removed from playing for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Trout is in Double-A, hitting .301.

A lot of debate has centered on if the 19-year-old wunderkind will see the major leagues by the end of this season. No one better to ask than Tony Reagins.

“We're not in a hurry,” said the Los Angeles Angels general manager, who is in town to observe the Kernels, a 6-5 winner over Peoria last night at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Ricky Alvarez's walk-off home run to left with two outs in the ninth inning. “There are still parts of his game that he has to fine tune. It's more of the little things. Sometimes those little things can become big things if they're not conditioned into the mindset. (But) you never say never because anything can happen. Believe me, I know that.”

The Angels have plenty of outfielders, so it's not as if there's an opening for Trout right now. He doesn't have to be placed on their 40-man roster until next year, so there are sound reasons financially to keep him in the minor leagues all summer and not get his major league salary abritration clock started.

“We understand that side of it,” Reagins said. “But if a player is ready and ready to contribute at the major league level, he's going to get callede up and be placed on the (40-man) roster. That's just how we've operated for years.”

Reagins annually makes a trip to Cedar Rapids, a neat gesture for a major league GM. The Angels' former farm director says it's certainly a working trip.

“This is where I grew up in the game, so it's important to me,” he said. “To meet with the coaches and the young players, get a personal look at them is important.”

Last night's game began about 20 minutes late as crews were careful to remove a portable stage from the infield that was used for a pregame concert by Orchestra Iowa.