"Nobody knew who Mike Trout was" - Sportscaster gives reasons for Angels superstar's lack of mainstream fame despite LeBron James-esque comparison

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is arguably the greatest baseball player of his generation. Having won three American League MVP titles, Trout is an 11-time All-Star and has also earned nine Silver Slugger awards.

However, Trout's accomplishments haven't translated into becoming a sporting figure with mainstream fame. Sportscaster Howard Bryant gave a detailed explanation of why it is so at "The Right Time with Bomani Jones" on Saturday.

"So, I go to Nordstrom to go buy some clothes at spring training up in Fashion Center in Scottsdale," Bryant said. "And who's walking through the mall but Mike Trout? He might as well have been somebody's daddy. Just nobody. Nobody spoke to him. Nobody looked at him. "And it wasn't like New York, like, 'Oh, there's somebody famous, but we're New Yorkers, so we're just going to act chill, but we see him. We see you.' Nobody knew who he was. Nobody even gave a little side and said, 'Let me go try to get a little side photo to know who he was.'"

The sportscaster pointed out that this was a time when Trout had won multiple American League MVP titles. This shocked Bryant, particularly as Trout was compared to NBA legend LeBron James.

The sportscaster also mentioned that the first time he saw James, the narrative was that he had Earvin "Magic" Johnson's size, Wilt Chamberlain's strength, Isiah Thomas' speed, Larry Bird's court vision and Michael Jordan's aerial game.

"That's what they were saying about Mike Trout," Bryant said. "You know, he's got the speed of [Mickey] Mantle and [Willie] Mays. He's got the power of [Barry] Bonds and [Hank] Aaron and those guys and [Mark] McGwire. You know, he can run the bases, not like Ricky [Henderson], but he's got Ricky-like speed. You know, he's the guy. He's everything."

Bryant pointed out several reasons for the lack of popularity of Trout and baseball in recent times. The first is the league's decision to be regional rather than national. Moreover, he believes ESPN and the mainstream media deprioritized baseball.

The NFL and the NBA have become more important to them than baseball. Even when MLB is active, NBA drama and NFL news dominate even in the months when they’re not playing.

Sportscaster says MLB mishandled Mike Trout’s prime years

Mike Trout's accomplishments are undeniably impressive, but team success has eluded him. Trout has spent his entire MLB career with the Angels, for whom he has played just three postseason games.

Sportscaster Howard Bryant is confident that such a scenario wouldn't have happened to an MLB superstar back in the day.

"No disrespect to Mike Trout, because hey man, you have a right to be comfortable," Bryant said. "However, you know, and I know, and the American people know, Bomani Jones, that 30 years ago, the players' association would have told Mike Trout, 'Your a** is going to the Yankees.'"

The New York Yankees are arguably the most successful MLB team. They have won record 27 World Series titles.

Edited by Krutik Jain