At first glance, this two-wheel drive black 2000 Ford Ranger pickup looks like many others of the same year and make - but this one is very different. In fact, it may be the luckiest Ford Ranger ever to come out of Detroit. The truck was purchased back in 2007 by a couple named Jeff and Debbie who presented it to their son Mike upon receiving his very first driver’s license. This is a coming of age ritual repeated thousands of times every year by families across the country except for one thing: Jeff and Debbie's son is Mike Trout - superstar outfielder of the Los Angeles Angels! At the time, Mike Trout was a junior at Millville High School in New Jersey and was already touted as one of the best prospects in the nation. Within a year of receiving this truck, Trout had broken the New Jersey High School record for most home runs in a season and made such an impression at the Area Code Games WWBA Championships in California that Angels’ scouts couldn't wait to get a hold of the teen in the upcoming draft. After a short minor league stint during which he drew comparisons to Mickey Mantle, Trout signed his first Angels contract in 2009 - and, in the time-honored ritual of all newly signed big leaguers - promptly bought himself a new car.
Now this is where it gets interesting. With no use for a spare truck, the young Angels outfielder sold his Ford Ranger to the parents of his girlfriend, who, just like Trout's parents, gifted the truck to their son upon his receiving his driver’s license in 2012. Perhaps some of Trout's talent and great luck rubbed off on the steering wheel because the teen who used the Ranger as his first car went on to a successful college baseball career at Gannon University and in 2015 was signed by the Los Angeles Angels! He's presently working his way through the Angels farm system where he's ranked in the team's top 50 prospects. Guess what the previous owner did when signing his Angels contract? You guessed it, he bought a new car. And now that luckiest of all 2000 black Ford Rangers is back on the market.
The truck is fully titled and comes with a signed Letter of Authenticity from Mike Trout as well as several photographs of the Angels star with his first truck. There's even a great shot of him signing the truck's glove box for posterity. A great truck that belonged to not only the brightest star in the game but also an up and coming prospect, begging the question: what does the future hold for the next owner of this lucky Ford Ranger pickup…
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