{"id":19298,"date":"2026-07-01T15:32:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:32:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:32:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:32:25","slug":"angels-mike-trout-mariners-buddy-kennedy-have-a-mentor-protege-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298","title":{"rendered":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SEATTLE \u2014 It was a belated high school reunion of sorts, except instead of in a hotel ballroom in South Jersey, it happened in the major leagues.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump administration lifts restrictions on Anthropic\u2019s Claude models after cybersecurity alarm<\/a><\/p>\n

For the first time in their careers, Mike Trout and Buddy Kennedy, baseball legends of Millville (N.J.) High School, stood on the field in the same big-league stadium at the same time this week at T-Mobile Park.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe texted me yesterday when he found out the news,\u201d Trout said. \u201cWe plan on talking on the field. It\u2019s cool to see him up here.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as a comparison of their major league resumes goes, that wouldn\u2019t exactly be fair.<\/p>\n

Trout is Trout, one of the greatest players of his generation and a career Angel. Kennedy is a utility man who has hung around through bits and pieces of five seasons in The Show.<\/p>\n

He was drafted out of Millville High in the fifth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017, played for that team and four others before being traded from the San Francisco Giants to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.<\/p>\n

But even though Trout is seven years older than Kennedy, the two know each other very well.<\/p>\n

When Kennedy was a 12-year-old with a lot of potential, he found himself practicing in a local indoor baseball facility called \u201cThe Pit\u201d alongside then-rising star Trout in the winter of 2011. Trout had been drafted in the first round in 2009 and would make his major-league debut in July 2011.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Trout took a liking to him because they shared a desire to be great. Soon enough, Trout asked him to keep joining him at facility during nightly 9 p.m. sessions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a tough one for me because I was in middle school,\u201d Kennedy said with a laugh. \u201cBut I asked my dad and he said it was OK as long as I didn\u2019t get too tired.<\/p>\n

By the time Kennedy made the Millville varsity team as a freshman, his lifting buddy had already been named American League Rookie of the Year, had finished second in the AL MVP voting twice, and was in the midst of the first of his three MVP campaigns, the 2014 season.<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, Millville\u2019s home games were now being played on the newly renamed Mike Trout Field.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s actions signal a move toward institutionalizing people with disabilities, advocates warn<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Kennedy, who primarily played third base in high school, to attract scouts and attention. It also didn\u2019t take long for him to motivate himself by trying to go after Trout\u2019s multitude of school and state records.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was not a home run hitter, so there\u2019s no way I was getting anywhere near the 18 he hit in one season,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cBut one season I tried to go after his [.531] batting average. I got close. I think I was five points off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roy Hallenbeck coached both players and saw a lot of similarities at the prep level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be clich\u00e9, but Buddy Kennedy was Mike Trout all over again,\u201d Hallenbeck said by phone. \u201cI\u2019m not comparing him to Mike because he\u2019s his own guy, but for that level he was just dominant. He started for us for four years, and he was an impact guy for four years. That level of dominance we\u2019ve only seen twice. It was Mike and Buddy.\u201d<\/p>\n

They are not the only two players from Millville High to reach the majors. That list also includes Steve Yerkes, a second baseman and shortstop who played from 1909-16, Andy Lapihuska, who pitched in four games for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1942-43, and infielder Larry Milbourne, who played for six teams from 1974-84.<\/p>\n

But the bond shared by Trout and Kennedy has continued to strengthen over the years. The two still work out together in the offseason, only this time it\u2019s at the gym in Trout\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t say he never forgot where he came from, because he never left,\u201d Hallenbeck said of Trout. \u201cHe\u2019s rooted here.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also still rooted in the work ethic that helped make him a future Hall of Famer, according to Kennedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started seeing how great he is on the field, it was amazing for me because I saw all the work he put in,\u201d Kennedy said. \u201cIt was the little things, the different posture stuff to get you into like a great position to hit, or, or defensively, working on first steps and everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s major league players, and then there\u2019s that one percent.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Kennedy, Trout said he\u2019d like to see him get more of a shot at this level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know he wants to be playing more,\u201d Trout said. \u201cBut I know how hard he works, and I know he\u2019ll just keep working hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more California bans \u2018sell by\u2019 food labels to cut food waste and confusion<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Both products of Millville, New Jersey, Trout first met the younger Kennedy when he was a promising 12-year-old, and their friendship has only strengthened over the years. They finally found themselves on the same major-league field together this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAngels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Both products of Millville, New Jersey, Trout first met the younger Kennedy when he was a promising 12-year-old, and their friendship has only strengthened over the years. They finally found themselves on the same major-league field together this week.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T15:32:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T15:32:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298\"},\"wordCount\":854,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298\",\"name\":\"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T15:32:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":576},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19298#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Both products of Millville, New Jersey, Trout first met the younger Kennedy when he was a promising 12-year-old, and their friendship has only strengthened over the years. They finally found themselves on the same major-league field together this week.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-07-01T15:32:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond","datePublished":"2026-07-01T15:32:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298"},"wordCount":854,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298","name":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-01T15:32:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/a361cc50c830109199db31153bf20bcd.webp","width":1024,"height":576},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19298#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Angels\u2019 Mike Trout, Mariners\u2019 Buddy Kennedy have a mentor-prot\u00e9g\u00e9 bond"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}