A common topic of conversation around baseball these days is whether MLB does enough to market its young stars. Typically, this circles back to Angels outfielder/best player on the planet Mike Trout.

Trout's a legendary talent with a spotless reputation, but anecdotally he's not as much a part of the cultural landscape as the greats of other sports. 

Regarding Trout's prominence in general, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently had this to say: 

"Mike's a great, great player and a really nice person, but he's made certain decisions about what he wants to do and what he doesn't want to do, and how he wants to spend his free time and how he doesn't want to spend his free time. That's up to him. If he wants to engage and be more active in that area, I think we could help him make his brand really, really big. But he has to make a decision that he's prepared to engage in that area. It takes time and effort."

While diplomatically couched, Manfred is essentially saying that Trout isn't wiling to do what it takes to achieve more of a marketing presence. To that bit of quasi-shade, the Angels on Wednesday responded with a statement. Here is that statement in full: 

On behalf of the Angels Organization and baseball fans everywhere, congratulations to Mike Trout on another outstanding All-Star Game performance. 

Mike Trout is an exceptional ambassador for the game. Combined with his talent, his solid character creates a perfect role model for young people everywhere. Each year, Mike devotes a tremendous amount of his time and effort contributing to our Organization, and marketing Major League Baseball. He continually chooses to participate in the community, visiting hospitals, schools, and countless other charities. 

One of Mike's traits that people admire most is his humility. His brand is built upon generously spending his time engaging with fans, both at home and on the road, while remaining a remarkable baseball player and teammate. 

In addition, Mike spends quality time as a husband, son brother, uncle, and friend. We applaud him for prioritizing his personal values over commercial self-promotion. That is rare in today's society and stands out as much as his extraordinary talent. 

That's a fittingly strong statement in support of how Trout chooses to use his time off the field, and it's no great leap to characterize this as a rather pointed response to Manfred's remarks, even if it's not framed precisely in those terms. In other words, Trout and his employer seem pretty content with how he's managing his off-the-field priorities. While Manfred is free to pine for a more marketing-conscious superstar, Trout doesn't seem inclined to oblige him.