Millville’s Mike Trout Wins American League MVP Award

After finishing second the past two season behind Miguel Cabrera, The Baseball Writers Association of America announced Thursday that Millville High School alum Mike Trout has won the 2014 American League MVP award.

"If you would've told me this before the season started, I would've just laughed at you," Trout said in an interview on MLB Network. "It's just an unbelievable feeling."

(Listen to Trout's High School coach Roy Hallenbeck on the Sports Bash)

Trout, 23,  wins the award this year after batting .287 with career-highs in homers (36), runs scored (115) and RBIs (111).  The 23-year-old Trout won in unanimous fashion — the first to do so since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1997, over finalist Michael Brantley and Victor Martinez.

It's the second major award for the former Thunder-Bolt, Trout also won the Hank Aaron award, acknowledging the American League's best hitter for 2014 back on Oct. 25.

It's an amazing story for Trout, Southern New Jersey is not known as a hotbed for baseball, but that perception is starting to change with the success of Trout, Todd Frazier of Point Pleasant and Sean Doolittle who went to Shawnee High.  All three of those southern New Jersey alums appeared in the Major League baseball all-star game and now Trout has been recognized as the games best player.