Mike Trout wows baseball fans for the second straight season.
I know, many of you thought this was going to be a fish tale.
An article with stories about the one that got away. An ongoing tale of measurements that are almost unbelievable, with descriptions bigger than any conceivable wingspan.
If it's not about fishing then what are we talking about?
It's baseball pure and simple. Field of Dreams, The Natural, and Calico Joe all wrapped into one.
It's about Mike Trout, the 2012 Rookie of the Year, showing incredible potential his first year in The Show; about an amazing rookie season filled with accomplishments of epic proportions. It's about his second year in the Bigs.
And the amazing thing about his second year is that he hasn't slowed down and his potential seems limitless.
Though his second season ended like his first, the Angels not making the playoffs, and despite some difficulties in the last two weeks, his numbers, whether viewed from The Trout Farm in Angel Stadium or the stands of opposing ball parks, were stellar.
A year ago Trout's name was being considered for Most Valuable Player of the American League. He was battling Detroit's Miguel Cabrera for that prestigious yearly honor.
Cabrera, of course, won the title after achieving the elusive Triple Crown -- which hadn't been accomplished since Carl Yaztremski did it in 1967 -- and helping his Tiger's advance to the playoffs.
The Angels fell short last year and Trout trailed off slightly at the end of the season, so Cabrera became the obvious choice.
This year, the center fielder had another exceptional year for the Halos, leading the team in most offensive categories as well as top performances in most of the league's categories.
Trout finished the year in the top five in six of Major League Baseball's offensive categories: walks (1st), runs (2nd), hits (5th), On Base Percentage (3rd), Slugging Percentage (4th), and Batting Average (4th) and 17th or better in the other five categories. He was 12th or better in every category in the American League; top five in eight of them.
Given that performance, his name is again being raised as possible MVP along with Cabrera and Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles who slammed 53 Home Runs this year. Excitement centers around his all-around skills and his record breaking performances at such a young age.
After a slightly above average start Trout's game picked up and he began another ascent to the astral levels of his rookie season.
Though Davis and Cabrera have impressive numbers in key offensive categories Trout's offensive diversity could prove decisive in the MVP balloting. Trout's numbers were even more impressive when you consider the little help he received from the Angel's big guns, the hobbled Albert Pujols and a less than impressive Josh Hamilton.
Any one of the three candidates are deserving of the award. And it should not be taken lightly. If Trout is not selected he still provided Angel fans with an MVP performance all season.
No matter who wins this year's MVP, the view from the Trout Farm was fantastic. And... we got a Mike Trout T-shirt! Those of us that had the pleasure of watching Mike's phenomenal season from section 101 in 2013 are already anticipating the enjoyment of watching him play in 2014.
And that's no fish tale!