Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout and members of the team will be part of the award-winning ESPN “My Wish” series as it returns this year for its 16th season. Trout’s segment airs on Sunday, July 16, in the 5 a.m. PT edition of ESPN SportsCenter.
Trout and Make-A-Wish granted a wish to seven-year-old Eli Velasquez of Corsicana, Tex., who was born with a heart condition that required multiple surgical procedures to address. For his wish, Eli wanted to play catch and receive personal coaching from Trout, his favorite player.
“The thing that will appeal most to fans is the genuine excitement and fun that Eli was having out there with Mike and the rest of the team,” associate producer Laura Ramirez said. “It was evident that entire day because Mike and the Angels were so welcoming to Eli and made him feel like part of the team.
“You could immediately tell Eli was being himself and not shy around the team. And that is what you want to see as a viewer, these kids and their idols making a connection and being genuine with each other.”
The feature with Trout and Eli will debut as Sunday’s SC Featured segment on SportsCenter.
“One small moment that I really loved witnessing during filming was when Eli was in the announcers’ booth during the game,” Ramirez said.
“He was there to announce a few players as they came up to bat, and during one at-bat, a foul ball was hit near the booth. Without hesitation, Eli shouted, ‘heads up.’ It was very subtle, but it showed how much this kid loves baseball and how much he is around it.”
A Spanish-language version of the Trout/Eli feature will appear on ESPNDeportes.com. Versions of the wish videos will also be shared on ESPN social media platforms.
About ESPN My Wish
This year’s My Wish series features stars from the NFL, MLB and the UFC, including the Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. All the wishes will be available for viewing on a special landing page on ESPN.com.
Since its beginning in 2006, the series has worked with Make-A-Wish® to fulfill 79 sports-themed wishes for children with critical illnesses. Working together with Make-A-Wish, ESPN produces feature segments on the wishes to air on SportsCenter.
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