Trout reacts to Skaggs' toxicology report

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout said Saturday he was surprised to hear the results of the toxicology report released by the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. The report, which was released Friday, confirmed that Skaggs had a mix of alcohol and opioids in his system at the time of his death on July 1 at the Angels team hotel in Southlake, Texas.

“Obviously, it doesn’t change my view on Tyler,” said Trout, who along with Skaggs, was selected by the Angels in the 2009 Draft.

“He made a big impact on my life, this team. I was kind of shocked when the news came out like that. That’s tough, but it doesn’t change the feeling I have for him and the way he impacted my life.”

Trout said he was unaware of Skaggs taking opioids such as oxycodone and fentanyl, which were both found in his system.

• Autopsy reveals cause of death for Skaggs

“Obviously, if I knew I would definitely have said something or did something,” Trout said. “It’s tough. You love Tyler. We didn’t know he was going through this. Just a tough situation when this came out. Tough to put your mind to it. But it doesn’t change the way I feel about Tyler and the way he impacted my life.”

Trout and his teammates did not know the report was going to come out on Friday, which caused the clubhouse to be closed to the media before the game. Trout also said he didn’t hear anything about Skaggs’ cause of death until the report came out.

“When stuff comes out, you want to know if it’s true,” Trout said. “I don’t really know anything specifically about what he took or what kind of drugs they were. I stay away from all that stuff. I couldn’t even tell you what fentanyl is. I just heard it’s pretty dangerous."

It’s the second time in as many seasons that Trout is playing with a heavy heart, as his brother-in-law Aaron Cox, a Minor League pitcher in the Angels’ organization, died last August. He was 24.

“It’s difficult,” Trout said. “You obviously have a job to do, to go out there and perform. But obviously things happen in life. When you have a relative or a teammate pass away, it’s tough. Mentally it’s a grind to get over it. Every time you do something, Tyler pops into your mind. Every day I still think about him. It’s tough.”