Trumbo again helping new team
Well-traveled slugger making mark with Orioles
Starting anew is nothing new for slugger Mark Trumbo, who has bounced around four teams in four years.
It’s a curious odyssey: Trumbo seems well-liked wherever he goes, plays hard and possesses one of the rarest commodities in baseball — right-handed power.
Little wonder, then, that the Baltimore Orioles eagerly snapped him up, and they are reaping the benefits. Acquired from the Seattle Mariners for reserve catcher Steve Clevenger, Trumbo entered Wednesday’s games with 11 home runs, tying him with teammate Manny Machado for third in the American League, and a team-leading 28 RBI, ninth most in the AL.
From the Los Angeles Angels to the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Mariners, Trumbo has grown accustomed to acclimating.
It’s not his preference, but he’s managed to flourish despite the flux.
“All that stuff that people take for granted, it can really give you a lot of peace of mind,” the 6-4, 225-pound right fielder said. “If you’re feeling good off the field and kind of feel like you have a home settled in, you’re probably going to play a lot better.”
If that’s what it takes for Trumbo to excel, his stats through nearly a quarter of the season suggest he’s already feeling comfortable.
Hitting .299 this season — up from .262 in 2015 with Arizona and Seattle combined — he boasts a .576 slugging percentage, a 127-point increase from last season. He also has half as many home runs in six weeks as he accumulated all last season.
Batting second and fifth, respectively, Machado and Trumbo are a big reason the Orioles have the best record in the AL and have won nine of their last 13 games.
Trumbo says he’s not doing anything differently with his new team, but his timing has improved, leading to more consistent and better contact.
Acquired by the Orioles in December with a one-year, $9.15 million contract, Trumbo is doing exactly what general manager Dan Duquette wanted: improving the team’s offensive production from the outfield. Trumbo also was a backup plan in case the Orioles didn’t re-sign Chris Davis, Duquette said, and gives the team options with his ability to fill in at first base as well as at designated hitter.
“This is a good ballpark for him,” Duquette said of Camden Yards. “He adds some depth to our lineup, and he gives us a right-handed power threat in the middle of the lineup. He works hard, and he’s ready to do his best every day.”
Despite this season’s surge in batting stats, Trumbo says he isn’t chasing any number, whether it’s his career-high 34 home runs from his final year with the Angels in 2013 or the nearly 50 he’s on pace to hit this season.
Analyzing every at-bat too much leads to unnecessary pressure, he said, and as long as he and the team maintain their consistency, he’s not going to change how he operates.
“If you’re in a good frame of mind, I think you’re going to play better,” Trumbo said. “As far as putting any numerical goals on things, it can just create that extra tension of chasing results when the process is really far more important.”
Trading Trumbo for the second time — first in 2013 from the Angels to the Diamondbacks — Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said he needed to create payroll flexibility in Seattle in the offseason and knew Trumbo’s swing was built for Baltimore.
“When Mark gets hot, he can carry the middle of a lineup,” Dipoto said. “No one has more majestic right-handed power in baseball. You’ve got Giancarlo Stanton and Mark Trumbo. It’s a short list, but he’s on it.
“He also gives you the flexibility of trying him in different positions, particularly with an AL team.”
Trumbo meshed with the Orioles from the first day of spring training, center fielder Adam Jones said, adding a noticeable thump to the lineup.
But while Trumbo is known for his hitting, Jones said he was impressed with Trumbo’s dedication to improving his fielding.
Although Trumbo still is looking to read the ball off the bat better and charge a little more fluidly, Jones said the difference in fielding was clear from Day 1.
“I’ve seen him put aside his offensive mind-set — that is the reason why he’s here anyway — and take it upon himself to understand how this team is,” Jones said. “Because we’re a defensive-minded team first, and especially the outfield with how it’s changed and shifted, he’s taken it upon himself to really understand both sides of the ball even more.”
That should only increase Trumbo’s marketability when he finally controls his own destiny; he’s a free agent after this season. Trumbo said he had avoided the distraction of thinking about that, though Jones noted his strong start had increased his value in the clubhouse.
It’s not the first time that’s happened.
“As I told him when we traded him,” Dipoto said, “‘You know I love you.’ ”
“No one has more majestic righthanded power in baseball. You’ve got Giancarlo Stanton and Mark Trumbo.” Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto, who traded Trumbo twice