Angels' Trout passes on Home Run Derby: 'I'm eventually going to do it'

Just because Mike Trout opted not to participate in this year's Home Run Derby doesn't mean he won't someday put his sweet swing on display in the annual event.

Besides, the four-time All-Star would rather sit back and watch teammate Albert Pujols put on a show Monday night at Great American Ball Park.

"I thought about it, a lot of people were saying I should do it, but it's my decision," Trout told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times before Wednesday's against the Colorado Rockies. "It's one of the things I like to watch growing up. I'm eventually going to do it. I just want to see Albert win it, and we’ll go from there."

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Trout emphasized, however, that Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia – not a big fan of the annual spectacle – didn't influence his decision not to participate.

"I didn’t even talk to him about it," Trout said. "Obviously, Scioscia doesn’t like it, but he didn’t come up to me and tell me I couldn't do it. I'm sure he's against it, but he said it was up to me."

Few players are more qualified to participate in the derby than Trout, though. Not only does the 23-year-old rank seventh in the majors with 22 homers – and eighth in isolated power (.282) – but he's also collected more home runs since the beginning of 2012 than everyone in baseball except Chris Davis, Edwin Encarnacion, Miguel Cabrera, and Giancarlo Stanton.