You watched LeBron James transform from an uber-hyped teenager to an all-time great. You saw Tom Brady grow from a little-known backup to the best quarterback in history. You witnessed Sidney Crosby raise the Stanley Cup on three occasions. You tuned into every major Tiger Woods entered, every major in which Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic re-shaped the debate of the best player in the world.

You heard about Mike Trout’s greatness. You read about his incredible achievements. But you’ve rarely seen the greatest player of his generation perform.

The career of one of the most gifted athletes in the world has been unlike any other superstar’s in any other major sport. Trout is a product of highlights and headlines. His 12-year career has been consumed in snippets. A home run here. A leaping catch there. Then the highlight transitions to another player or game and he disappears, only to be briefly seen again upon his next noteworthy feat.

Last night, Trout attempted to make history by becoming the fourth player in MLB history to homer in eight straight games — a record shared by Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) — but the Angels star went 0-for-3 with a walk in a 3-1 loss in Cleveland.