Photo courtesy of Keith Allison.
Mark Trumbo is having an excellent season for the Los Angeles Angels. He currently has a slash line of .251/.320/.467. Additionally, his power production has not disappointed, with 18 homeruns and 52 RBI in the first half.
The glaring problem with Mark Trumbo is what mysteriously happens to his production when the first half of the season ends and the second half begins. He transforms into a completely different hitter in the second half of the season. We’ve looked at this before, on his birthday.
Over the past three seasons he averages .283/.331/.545 during the first half of the season. His three-year averages fall off precipitously in the second half of the season with a line of .232/.268/.432. This type of production is the exact opposite of what you want out of him for the second-half of this season.
Going into the second half of 2013 his annual second half swoon could be negated with improvements in BB’s and FB%. He has improved his plate discipline and contact rate during the first half of this season.
This season his BB% is the highest of his career at 9.5%, which is in stark contrast to the 4.4 and 6.1 percentages he put up in 2011 and 2012. His BB/K ratio has increased a whopping 60% from last season. This improvement alone tells me that his performance in the second half of the season will be a major improvement over what he has shown in the past.
Going into the second half he should show some improvement in his batting average. Currently his low .251 average should increase 10-15 points in the second half based on his current BABIP of .289. He hit .268 last season with a comparable BABIP of .316. A little luck will go along way helping to boost his average in the second half.
Something that is overlooked about his current offensive production is the amount of runs he has scored this season. He has already scored 49 runs this year. He scored 65 and 66 runs total the last two seasons.
He has gotten multiple scoring opportunities this season based on Angels manager Mike Scioscia juggling the team’s batting order from day-to-day. Trumbo has batted fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh this season. He has had a multitude of hitters hit behind him. Everyone from Josh Hamilton to Alberto Callaspo has given him run scoring opportunities.
Trumbo hitting in multiple spots in the order makes him a more well rounded hitter because he has to adjust his hitting strategy based on where he is hitting in the order that day.
Mike Scioscia seems to be building Trumbo’s confidence by throwing him into multiple hitting situations. It forces him to make adjustments on a daily basis even when he is hitting well. In the past he hasn’t made the necessary adjustments in the second half and that has cost him with his production.
The second half this season will be vastly superior to what he has shown the past three seasons. So far he has delivered for the Angels and I see no reason why his offense won’t carry over into the second half.