Then he arrived Monday for the Angels' first full-squad workout poised to become baseball's highest-paid player on a club vastly more interesting from a year ago and potentially quite improved.
Sure, it's saying a lot, given the life he already has lived, but the case could be made that there never has been a better time to be Mike Trout.
Trout will open his seventh full season having been an All-Star in each of the previous six. He is a two-time American League most valuable player and was the rookie of the year in the only season in which he was eligible.