Mike Trout and 2009 Draft; How The Best Was Almost A Yankee
Mike Trout和2009年選秀:幾乎要成為洋基隊的一員
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選秀會上，Mike Trout注定要加入某兩支球隊的其中之一，洛杉磯天使或是紐
約洋基，Damon Oppenheimer，從2005年開始成為洋基隊的球探長，極力想選走Trout，
但他知道機會非常渺茫。
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，每一支球隊都把天才小史當作選秀的看板人物，但只有兩支球隊把Trout排在第
二順位，他們不是唯二注意到Trout的，因為每個人都知道他，但是沒有人想在第一輪挑
走來自紐澤西的高中外野手。
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.
這位年輕外野手因此被激勵要證明那些球隊犯的錯誤，他在2012球季有著火燙的表現，
贏得美聯最佳新人，以及創下史上最佳數據表現的球季之一，他該季的10.9WAR和Ted
Williams並列史上第21佳的單季成績。
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.
其餘曾經至少一個球季達成更優異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.
所以是什麼原因造成前面有24個順位都沒有選擇Trout? 球探們寧願把注意力放在那些可
以打棒球一整年的州，Mike的父親，Jeff，在兩年前曾告訴Ken Rosenthal，當時幾乎所
有球隊都去看過他兒子打球。
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，簽下Trout的球探，告訴Rosenthal，北方的球員被認為是高風險的，因
為他們無法在冬天打球，但是在17歲成熟的年齡，Monhardt看到Trout是全國最強壯、最
敏捷而且是最聰明的棒球潛力新秀。
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.
在前一年因為在第一輪沒有簽下Gerrit Cole而得到補償選秀，洋基有了第一輪29順位的
籤，而因為給出鐵爺和K-Rod的QO，但是都未簽下，因此天使擁有第一輪24及25順位。
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紐約每日新聞的一場訪談中，Oppenheimer回憶起當他看到天使在24順位挑走來自
德州的高中外野手時＊，他整個心蹦蹦地跳不停，在那個時刻，似乎天使隊並不想挑走
Trout。
(＊譯註:當時天使挑走的是Randal Grichuk，當時被認為比Trout更有長打潛力，
去年因為Freese交易案送至紅雀，今天(4/29)是他生涯首次在大聯盟出賽。)
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.
當天使在第25順位挑走Trout時，並且是連續選了兩位高中外野手，Oppenheimer幾乎是萬
念俱灰，4個順位後，洋基挑選了另一位來自德州的高中外野手Slade Heathcott＊。
(＊譯註: Slade Heathcott ，生涯在小聯盟出賽300場，
打擊三圍.270 .349 .408，20HR，55SB，最高層級是在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.’”
「我們喜愛Trout。」Oppenheimer在2012年7月當洋基與天使在布朗克斯的系列賽中，這
樣告訴紐約每日時報，「他是紐澤西的小子，一個右打外野手，他不是Baseball America
所重點關注的選手。」，所以我思考著，「我們應該把他作為目標。」
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.
這幾乎是件完美的事，Trout來自Milville，紐澤西，他的偶像是Derek Jeter，而且他知
道洋基對他感到興趣，他也拒絕來自東卡羅萊納大學的獎學金，而NCAA傳統名校像是UCLA，邁
阿密或是德州並不願意給出太高的獎學金，他已經受了委屈而且還沒被球隊選走。
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生涯在洋基球場的打擊率超過四成，上壘率超過五成，擊出七支長打而且盜壘六次
，Trout還沒打進過季後賽，這完全不是他的錯，
2009的選秀會一直都是認為是一次激勵。
“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，這些事情都激勵著我，在25順位被挑走而且不是更前面的順位，
使我想要更努力達到第一的位置。」他去年如此告訴赫芬頓郵報(Huffington Post)，
「我把它視為一個嘗試證明許多球隊犯下錯誤的機會。」
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