Trumbo - This year vs. Last year

[Docwaukee]

Last year thru 70pa

 

.297/.357/.547/.907  4hr/11rbi 6bb.  4 doubles, 17k

 

This year thru 70pa

 

.329/.373/.500/873  2hr, 9rbi, 5bb 6 doubles 14k. 

 

I have to be honest.  I was way off the Trumbo bandwagon after what he did late last year and in spring of this year.  It's really great to see him putting together solid abs.  Yes he has his moments where you just know he's gonna k on a really bad pitch, but I was very worried he wasn't capable of performing as he has.   In fact, I predicted a trip to the minors before season's end.  I am very glad to eat some crow on that and hope to continue to do so moving forward.  Yes, I know it's a small sample, but to me, it means that he's likely to at least be around where he was the first couple years. 

[robblin17]

What I love about him is you can tell that he tries to make adjustments with his approach. Like you said, some ABs he just seems out of sync, but when he is on, he can be dangerous. Trumbo has been great so far and now he just needs to find that consistency throughout an entire season.

[tdawg87]

Wow I thought he had more HR than that by this time last year. That's encouraging.

[Glen]

I was worried about him going into this year but seeing him cut down on the Ks, even if a little bit, is very encouraging.

[DropOfAnaheim]

Trumbo is our Mauer. The one guy who was born and raised in our backyard as a true Halo fan from birth. Nothing would pain me more as an Angels fan than seeing him not have a long and fruitful career. I hope he becomes a Tim Salmon, and not a Russell Branyon. The speed of the ball off his bat is a thing of beauty. My favorite current Halo by far. And his actually likes real organic guitar based music (not that I am a Thrice fan, but they are uber talented). I love Trout, but Trumbo is the one I get most excited about. Trumbo is already playing for his dream team.

[John Taylor]

I've been impressed by Trumbo this year, looking at his at-bats he adjusts during a game and doesnt look lost like he did the second half of last season.

[The God of Runs]

Hopefully, he'll hit more bombs and dislocate Dino Ebel's hand. I dunno which was harder, Trumbo hitting that home run ball or the high five he gave Dino today

[Second Base]

When Trumbo is staying back, getting inside the ball and seeing it well like he is right now, he can be awfully good.  I believe he's capable of .270 and 40 HR for the next 5+ years, three of which should come pretty cheap.  

[deepdrive]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Konerko type career out of him.

[AngelsAndRamsFan]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a Konerko type career out of him.

I would be very surprised if he had a career like Konerko. He won't have a OBP even close to Konerko's .359 career OBP.  

[fan_since79]

I hope they keep him far away from the Home Run Derby this year.

[eaterfan]

Did we not learn anything from last year?

 

Trumbo will go through the hot streaks and the cold streaks but his overall seasons will probably be fairly consistent. Trumbo still isn't walking and most of his OBP has come from average. He will go through streaks where he doesn't hit for a high average and brings pretty much no production to the team. If you are content with numbers similar to his first two seasons then there is no reason to be disappointed with Trumbo. If you are expecting him to be the player he was the first half of last year you will be upset with him at the end of the season. If you aren't happy with Trumbo the last few seasons you will probably be disappointed with him this year as well. 

[deepdrive]

I would be very surprised if he had a career like Konerko. He won't have a OBP even close to Konerko's .359 career OBP.  

I didn't really mean a mirror statistic wise. He's a power hitter who I think could steadily improve to some MVP contention years latter in his career.

[rageous]

So far so good.  

I was hoping he would continue last year's early trend of walking at much higher rate.

But he is what he is and it's not really going to change.

[gotbeer]

Those are interesting numbers.  Hopefully his approach will prevent the second half approach like he was working towards.  

[mota_madness]

trumbo! clutch, already - 4 career walk off HR's! 

[seenoevil]

Lo

 

I hope they keep him far away from the Home Run Derby this year.

 

He is the only reason I would watch it.

[Kenny]

He's looking alright.  I never thought that the big slump of last season was him showing his true colors.  That said, I also don't think the MVP numbers he was putting up in the first half were his true colors either.

 

And don't start with the HR derby stuff again.  He was hitting the crap out of the ball for like two weeks after the derby.  I think there just came a point where he was expecting to hit a HR a game, which it seemed like he was for a little bit, and THAT is what killed him.

 

Anyone think that hitting behind Hamilton, and seeing a guy striking out just as bad as he was, did something to him?

[Brent Maguire]

His walk rate has gone from 4.4% to 6.1% to 6.7% so far this year. Combine that with a decreased strikeout rate(Down to 18.7%) and we're seeing better results. He's not going to hit .330 this year but a .270/.340/.510 line wouldn't surprise me one bit. 

[gotbeer]

Anyone think that hitting behind Hamilton, and seeing a guy striking out just as bad as he was, did something to him?

 

Naw.  It was clear from spring training that he had a different approach to his at bats.  His hands looked higher, and his swing a bit more compact.  IMO, he went into spring trying to make more contact so that his K rate would go down, and hopefully his slump of the second half wouldn't be as long.  All players go through slumps, his was just soooo long.  

 

Now I didn't think he HR drought would last all spring.  And that was a bit worrying.  But it seems all his work has paid off so far.  

[Hubs]

5 walks to 14 strikeouts is actually a good number for Trumbo. If you push that to 650 plate appearances, you're looking at close to 50 walks and yes 135-150k's.

 

He can hit. And the last two months where he was awful can truly be 100% attributed to his rib cage injury. Even after he recovered, his swing was off. And he was trying to push himself back into playing shape without really taking any time off.

[MongoMuller]

And don't start with the HR derby stuff again.  He was hitting the crap out of the ball for like two weeks after the derby.  I think there just came a point where he was expecting to hit a HR a game, which it seemed like he was for a little bit, and THAT is what killed him.

 

Actually Trumbo suffered a dislocated rib around the end of July which obviously lingered the rest of the season.  He was also suffering from back spasms brought on by the rib injury.  Prop's to Trumbo for trying to tough it out but looking back they should have put him on the DL...

[MacNasty]

Trumbo is a guy who is hard to figure, because his sheer power changes the equation at the plate. He is without a doubt the type of hitter who can lead the league in home runs. The kind of hitter who terrifies even the best pitchers. When he's on, a popup for someone else is a dinger for him.

I really don't care what his OBP is. But I do think he is going to keep pushing and working to get better, and THAT is why I won't underestimate the guy. I underestimated him when he came up. Personally I think he can settle in as a guy who hits just below .300 but with crazy power as he moves into his prime years, which is a heck of a combination.

[Tyler]

A great DH, but an even better trade candidate. Pitching will be more important for the Angels than his bat in the lineup.

[405z06]

Trumbo reminds me offensively of a slghtly more powerful Tom Brunansky. And that's not a slight, as Bruno had a long productive career.