Votto explains why Trout is under-appreciated on a national level compared to other sports stars

During the MLB All-Star break, Rob Manfred discussed how Mike Trout could become a bigger star in regards to marketing himself.

The Angels released a statement on behalf of Trout shortly after Manfred's comments went viral and they defended their superstar player.

While a number of people have opinions on this particular topic, it's interesting to get an opinion from a current baseball star like Joey Votto and as per FTW (USA Today), here's what he had to say when asked why it seems like Trout is under appreciated on a national level compared to the top stars in other sports:

Possession is a big part of it. You see him on camera, or he has the ball in his hand, on a daily basis maybe for less than three, four, five minutes. Maybe as much as 10 minutes. But even if those 10 minutes are him hitting, he can go 0-for-4 and you don’t get to appreciate his greatness. For me, to really recognize how good he is — any of us — you have to watch in month spurts.

Baseball’s more of a daily thing. You’re having dinner, you’re sitting down at the end of a long workday or you’re doing chores, and it’s in the background. It’s part of the daily routine. If you’re watching Tom Brady or you’re watching Usain Bolt or you’re watching the World Cup, you sit down and you’re dedicated to it, whereas baseball’s just part of the flow of the day.

I don’t mean to speak for everybody here. I think, watching a guy like Trout, because he doesn’t hit 60 home runs, we don’t appreciate how spectacular he is. But really if you watched him over the course of the summer, and you compared him to other athletes, it’s just impossible not to say he’s the best.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't agree with Votto's point on this issue.

At the end of the day, even with all of these factors working against Trout, he's the best player in baseball and we really hope that fact becomes more apparent on a national level.