Mike Trout was on track to be the greatest player in the history of MLB through the first decade of his career, only for him to slow down in recent years due to injury woes.

Trout wasted no time proving he was a generational talent once the Los Angeles Angels handed him the reigns, and the impact of first baseman Albert Pujols, whom the Angels signed to a 10-year, $240 million contract heading into Trout’s rookie season, on the star outfielder’s career cannot be overstated.

Speaking to reporters prior to the Angels’ Tuesday night contest against the St. Louis Cardinals, Trout admitted just how impactful being teammates with Pujols for a decade truly was, crediting the future Hall of Fame first baseman for playing a major part in making him the player he is today.

“My career wouldn’t be like this, how it is now, without him. Having a mentor like him coming up, getting to know him a little bit, ask questions, he had all the answers. He experienced everything. It’s fun playing with him,” Trout said, via Joey Schneider of FOX.

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With the Angels visiting the Cardinals on Tuesday, Trout knows just how important Pujols was and still is to the city of St. Louis and vice versa; Pujols was one of the best players in MLB throughout the entirety of his first stint with the Cardinals, and he even had a last hurrah during his final season in 2022. After being a negatively impactful player for the majority of the final years of his career, he turned back the clock three years ago, tallying a 2.0 WAR and hitting some clutch dingers for his beloved ballclub.

“What he meant to this city, this organization, you felt it. You can just tell this is Albert’s city,” Trout added.

Angels couldn’t build a contending team around Mike Trout

The Angels organization hasn’t been shy to spend; as mentioned earlier, they signed Albert Pujols to a lucrative deal to bolster the lineup heading into the 2012 season, and they also threw some money at Josh Hamilton prior to the 2013 campaign. Suffice to say, the Angels haven’t been very wise with their resources, and they have made the playoffs just once during Mike Trout’s career.

For the $240 million that the Angels paid Pujols, all they got was a measly 6.0 WAR (per Fangraphs) of production. But at the very least, the veteran first baseman was instrumental in teaching Trout the ropes, and both of them should be headed for Cooperstown whenever that time comes.