5 Defining Moments in 2012 for South Jersey’s Mike Trout (so far) [VIDEO]

Seems like every week or so Mike Trout is doing something to be recognized by America.  The South Jersey baseball player for the L.A. Angels may have had his biggest moment to date this past week, and there still can be more to come for the 21-yr-old out of Millville High School.

Recently called "The Supernatural" by Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, Trout is in the middle of one of the greatest first full seasons that any professional baseball player has ever had.  To truly understand what Mike has done in 2012, here are the 5 defining moments so far for Vineland's favorite son:

1) The Call-Up

April 27th was the day that changed Trout's year, and the season for the Angels.  Trout was tearing it up at the AAA level (one notch below the majors) before his return to the Angels – a .403 batting average in 77 at-bats for the Salt Lake Bees witch included a team high 31 hits, 5 triples, and 11 walks (.467 on-base % was a team high at the time).

2) The Turn Around in L.A.

The Angels were 7-15 before Trout came to town - the team has gone 59-47 since he arrived.  Trout's greatness for someone so young is that he has made those around him even better as players - something you would never expect from a rookie.  Albert Pujols was hitting .216 before Mike arrived with NO Home Runs - since then Albert has hit .300 and slugged 28 Home Runs (the numbers do not lie!)

3) The Catch

Baseball Tonight on ESPN still calls Mike Trout's defensive gem against the Baltimore Orioles the best play of the year.  The Sports Science team of ESPN even broke down every element of the catch and discovered that few could have made this moment happen.  Check the video (just in case you have been under a rock over the last month or two).

4) The All-Star Recognition

Hard not to recognize a player who was leading the lead in hitting and stolen bases at the time of the Summer Classic (Trout is still leading the AL with his .337 batting average and 41 stolen bases).  The NL may have won the game, but Trout was the star of the losing squad by getting on base twice (hit, walk) against the two toughest pitchers in the National League (R.A. Dickey with his knuckle-ball, and Aroldis Chapman with hit 100+MPH fastball), plus a stolen base.

5) The Cover of Sports Illustrated

"How Can Mike Trout Be So Good So Young?" is the question Tom Verducci asks on the cover of SI that came out last week.  The story is a must read for anyone (especially for those in South Jersey), and Verducci dubs Trout with a new nickname - "Kid Dynamite"!