Mike Trout and 2009 Draft; How The Best Was Almost A Yankee
Mike Trout和2009年选秀:几乎要成为洋基队的一员
In the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft Mike Trout was destined to go to one of two
teams, the Los Angeles Angels or the New York Yankees. Damon Oppenheimer, the
Yankees’ scouting director since 2005, was dying to take Trout but knew his
chances were slim.
在2009年MLB选秀会上，Mike Trout注定要加入某两支球队的其中之一，洛杉矶天使或是纽
约洋基，Damon Oppenheimer，从2005年开始成为洋基队的球探长，极力想选走Trout，
但他知道机会非常渺茫。
That year, every last team had Stephen Strasburg first on their draft board,
but only two had Trout second. They weren’t alone in scouting him though,
everyone knew about Trout, but no one wanted to take a high school outfielder
from New Jersey in the first round.
在那年，每一支球队都把天才小史当作选秀的看板人物，但只有两支球队把Trout排在第
二顺位，他们不是唯二注意到Trout的，因为每个人都知道他，但是没有人想在第一轮挑
走来自纽泽西的高中外野手。
The young outfielder has been driven to prove those teams wrong since. Trout
set the league on fire in 2012, winning the American League Rookie of the
Year in a landslide and recording one of the best statistical seasons ever.
His 10.9 wins above replacement that year is tied with Ted Williams for 21st
all time in a single season.
这位年轻外野手因此被激励要证明那些球队犯的错误，他在2012球季有着火烫的表现，
赢得美联最佳新人，以及创下史上最佳数据表现的球季之一，他该季的10.9WAR和Ted
Williams并列史上第21佳的单季成绩。
The only other outfielders who have posted a better WAR in at least one
season are Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Carl Yastrzemski, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle,
Stan Musial and Willie Mays.
其余曾经至少一个球季达成更优异WAR的外野手包括: Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Carl
Yastrzemski, Ty Cobb, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial 以及Willie Mays.
So how did 24 picks go by before a team decided to take Trout? Scouts would
rather focus their attention in states where baseball can be played year
round. Mike’s father, Jeff, told Ken Rosenthal two years ago scouts from
nearly every team came to see his son play.
所以是什么原因造成前面有24个顺位都没有选择Trout? 球探们宁愿把注意力放在那些可
以打棒球一整年的州，Mike的父亲，Jeff，在两年前曾告诉Ken Rosenthal，当时几乎所
有球队都去看过他儿子打球。
Greg Monhardt, the scout who signed Trout, told Rosenthal northern players
are seen as higher risk since they can’t play in the winter. But at the ripe
age of 17, Monhardt saw Trout as the strongest, fastest and smartest baseball
prospect in the country.
Greg Monhardt，签下Trout的球探，告诉Rosenthal，北方的球员被认为是高风险的，因
为他们无法在冬天打球，但是在17岁成熟的年龄，Monhardt看到Trout是全国最强壮、最
敏捷而且是最聪明的棒球潜力新秀。
After the compensatory pick for not signing Gerrit Cole the year before, the
Yankees were to pick 29th in the first round. After extending qualifying
offers to Mark Teixeira and Francisco Rodriguez and losing them in free
agency, the Angels had the 24th and 25th picks.
在前一年因为在第一轮没有签下Gerrit Cole而得到补偿选秀，洋基有了第一轮29顺位的
签，而因为给出铁爷和K-Rod的QO，但是都未签下，因此天使拥有第一轮24及25顺位。
In an interview with the New York Daily News in 2012 Oppenheimer recalled his
heart skipping a beat when the Angels took an outfielder from a high school
in Texas with the 24th pick. For a moment, it looked like the Angels didn’t
want to take a chance on Trout.
在2012纽约每日新闻的一场访谈中，Oppenheimer回忆起当他看到天使在24顺位挑走来自
德州的高中外野手时＊，他整个心蹦蹦地跳不停，在那个时刻，似乎天使队并不想挑走
Trout。
(＊译注:当时天使挑走的是Randal Grichuk，当时被认为比Trout更有长打潜力，
去年因为Freese交易案送至红雀，今天(4/29)是他生涯首次在大联盟出赛。)
Oppenheimer was devastated when the Angels took Trout with the 25th pick,
their second consecutive high school outfielder. Four picks later, the
Yankees took a high school outfielder from Texas of their own, Slade
Heathcott.
当天使在第25顺位挑走Trout时，并且是连续选了两位高中外野手，Oppenheimer几乎是万
念俱灰，4个顺位后，洋基挑选了另一位来自德州的高中外野手Slade Heathcott＊。
(＊译注: Slade Heathcott ，生涯在小联盟出赛300场，
打击三围.270 .349 .408，20HR，55SB，最高层级是在AA。)
“We loved [Trout],” Oppenheimer told the NYDN during a July 2012 series
with the Angels in the Bronx. “He was a New Jersey kid, a
right-handed-hitting outfielder. He wasn’t the media-darling kid from
Baseball America, so I’m thinking, ‘We’ve got a shot at him.’”
“我们喜爱Trout。”Oppenheimer在2012年7月当洋基与天使在布朗克斯的系列赛中，这
样告诉纽约每日时报，“他是纽泽西的小子，一个右打外野手，他不是Baseball America
所重点关注的选手。”，所以我思考着，“我们应该把他作为目标。”
It was almost too perfect. Trout was from Milville, N.J., he idolized Derek
Jeter and he knew the Yankees liked him. Trout was also turning down a
scholarship to East Carolina University, but received no such offers from
NCAA baseball powerhouses like UCLA, Miami or Texas. He already had a chip on
his shoulder and he wasn’t even drafted yet.
这几乎是件完美的事，Trout来自Milville，纽泽西，他的偶像是Derek Jeter，而且他知
道洋基对他感到兴趣，他也拒绝来自东卡罗莱纳大学的奖学金，而NCAA传统名校像是UCLA，迈
阿密或是德州并不愿意给出太高的奖学金，他已经受了委屈而且还没被球队选走。
Trout has hit over .400 in Yankee Stadium, been on base more than half of his
at-bats, slugged seven extra base hits and stole six bases. Trout has not
seen the playoffs as an Angel, which is not his fault at all, but that 2009
Amateur Draft will always serve as motivation.
Trout生涯在洋基球场的打击率超过四成，上垒率超过五成，击出七支长打而且盗垒六次
，Trout还没打进过季后赛，这完全不是他的错，
2009的选秀会一直都是认为是一次激励。
“Yeah, all that stuff motivates me. You know, being picked 25th and not
earlier makes you just work at it that much harder to be No. 1,” he told the
Huffington Post last year. “I looked at it as an opportunity to try and
prove some teams wrong.”
“是的，这些事情都激励着我，在25顺位被挑走而且不是更前面的顺位，
使我想要更努力达到第一的位置。”他去年如此告诉赫芬顿邮报(Huffington Post)，
“我把它视为一个尝试证明许多球队犯下错误的机会。”
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