Mike Trout, young center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, started in high school as a pitcher and shortstop but he moved to the outfield in his senior year. He was drafted by the Angels in 2009 and spent a year and a half in the minors before being called up to play with Los Angeles in July, 2011. That August, he spent two weeks in the minors, playing in just 40 games with the Angels in 2011.
Michael Bourn, this year's center fielder for the Cleveland Indians, was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003. He played in their minor league teams until September, 2006, when he was called up to play in 17 games with the Phillies. In 2007, he was primarily a backup left fielder for the Phillies, playing in 105 games and having just 119 at-bats. He batted .277 that season, with 33 hits and 18 stolen bases.
Ichiro Suzuki, right fielder for the New York Yankees, began his professional baseball career in Japan. He started playing on a team at the age of seven and by the time he was in high school, he was already a skilled player. He started his career as a pitcher but he was a threat with the bat in high school, batting .505. He spent two years in the Japanese minor leagues before making his first major league appearance in 1992.
Nick Markakis, right fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, started in college as a pitcher and outfielder. His pitching statistics were as impressive as his batting ones, having a 12-0 win-loss record with a 1.68 ERA and a .439 batting average.
Torii Hunter, right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1993, but he didn't play full-time until 1999. Although the Twins called him up in 1997 and 1998, he played in just one game with them the first year and only six games with them the following season.
Josh Hamilton, right fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, was a star player in high school, with a batting average of .529. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 1999 and he spent his first two years with them in their minor league teams. From 2001 through 2005, Hamilton's career was put on hold as he dealt with drug and alcohol addictions and rehabilitation efforts.
Jose Bautista, right fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, was first drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000. He played in the minor leagues from 2001 to 2003 and then was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. In 2004, he played in just 16 games for the Orioles, who placed him on waivers in June. The Tampa Bay Rays claimed him off waivers and he played in just 12 games with them before they sold him to the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, like all the teams before them, used Bautista for just 13 games and then traded him to the New York Mets. He never played for the Mets and they traded him back to the Pirates. Bautista ended the 2004 season playing in 23 games for the Pirates and, in total, he played that season in 64 games for four teams.
Victor Martinez, designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1996. He played in the minor leagues for several years and after winning back-to-back MVP awards and batting titles in the minors in 2000 and 2001, Martinez got his chance with the Indians in September, 2002. In 12 games that month, he batted .281 with 9 hits. The following season, Martinez played in 49 games with the Indians. He played in the minor leagues for the rest of the season. His batting average with the Indians in 2003 was .289 with 46 hits.
Billy Butler, designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, was drafted by the Royals in 2004 at the age of just 18. He played in the minor leagues from 2004 through 2006 before joining the Royals in 2007 for 92 games. He ended that season with a batting average of .292, with 96 hits and 23 doubles.
David Ortiz, designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox, was first signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992. After playing in the minor leagues for the Mariners, Ortiz was traded in 1996 to the Minnesota Twins. He spent six seasons with the Twins, playing both for the team and for their minor league teams. Due to injuries, Ortiz played in over 100 games in only two seasons. In 2000, he played in 130 games and batted .282, with 117 hits, 36 doubles, and 10 home runs. Two seasons later, he played in 125 games and batted .272, with 112 hits, 32 doubles, and 20 home runs.