The Angels Aren't Doing Mike Trout Any Favors

            Mike Trout is a once-in-a-generation player. The six-time MLB All Star is a five-tool player who can give almost any team he plays on a fighting chance. He's a two-time MVP with a .308 BA, 992 hits, 188 home runs, 544 RBIs, and 155 stolen bases. He's also a five-time recipient of the Silver Slugger Award and was the first player in MLB history to hit 30 homers, steal 45 bases, and score 125 runs in a single season. With all the talk around Bryce Harper wanting $300 million and more, Trout is the only MLB player who deserves that kind of money.
            There seems to be one problem with Trout; he doesn't look to be in a position to win a World Series anytime soon. That's not Trout's fault, mainly due to many issues that the Los Angeles Angels have as an organization right now. However, if he wants to avoid becoming the hitter equivalent of Felix Hernandez, it'd be in his best interest to either take his talents elsewhere or for the Angels' organization to change their ways.
             One big problem the Angels have as an organization is a barren farm system. The Angels only had one prospect ranked in http://www.baseballprospectus.com/'s Top 101 prospects near the beginning of spring training (Outfielder Jahmai Jones) and don't have any ranked in MLB.com's current Top 100. They also don't have any Top Ten international prospects ranked according to Baseball America. There doesn't seem to be any help on the horizon for Trout, whose team seems to be stuck in win-now mode despite not having a winning team.
            Another major problem is the bad contracts. The Angels were saddled with not one, but two bad contracts. They gave an aging Albert Pujols a ten-year, $240 million contract loaded with perks and paid Josh Hamilton $26 million to play for the Texas Rangers. Loading up on payroll for just two players (More importantly, the wrong players) can hurt a team like the Angels from doing anything significant with the likes of Trout.
            It seems that there's no end in sight for the Angels regarding their current situation. Barring a dramatic shakeup in the front office, the Angels will be wasting Mike Trout's most valuable years. A player like Mike Trout deserves to have his career capped off with at least one World Series title and the Angels aren't helping out a lot.

Photo Courtesy of LATimes.com