Mark Reynolds doesn't want to be Mark Reynolds. seriously though, Trumbo doesn't get on base at all and never has in his whole career in the minor leagues. That doesn't change over night
Seriously, though, a 25 year old who hit 29 HRs in the majors during his rookie year is exactly what we should be going after. HRs are the most important numbers to look at to determine our raw stock. We must have power at the corners. Then it would take some development time - maybe several months to settle him into the line up - probably batting 7th for awhile, then he moves down, etc. This is what we should be doing with Sands - nurturing him along. It took Kemp a year of bumbling around before he started to catch on. People in here were calling him stupid and wanted to trade him. You must have patience with the young boppers. The only real drawback with Trumbo is it would be nice to have a lefty power bat at 1B. But hitting the pavilion seats regularly overcomes that. Then get me another young power bat for 3B and I'm good.
Hello Chris - this is your friend Ned Colletti speaking. I'm the GM for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Don't be alarmed, I've been monitoring this website for awhile, and I've decided to cut in, using my Dodger hackers. (You know the ones - we pay them to run the message boards at mlb.com). I just want to say you are absolutely right, my friend - and don't let these guys tell you any different: Trumbo with his 29 HRs his rookie year is not very good. Don't listen to this BPS guy, THERE IS NO MASSIVE UPSIDE HERE. Who needs power? Power guys are hit or miss - and they can get really expensive in a hurry. They may even be on roids. Who needs to take that kind of risk? Anyway, you are spot on - we want only team full of table setters, you know, your basic OBP guys, and yes, even at first base. And we must have only veterans 30+, if we can get away with it, because old guys are experts - and they are good to have around even if they seem to spend a lot of time on the DL. They come cheap. And they respect their GM, too - in many, many ways. So, any sort of player development is a big waste of time. (BTW, the folks we hire to run the farm system are a pain in the backside, Chris - I don't know how we are going to get rid of Jerry Sands). What we need is a roster made up entirely of cast off utility players. That's my goal. In fact, give me a team full of old second basemen, even at first base, and I'll show you a team that can beat the San Diego Padres every time. So, stick to your guns, Chris. Signed, Ned Colletti
Oh wow Mr. Colletti, thank you for your response! This is exactly what I've been saying the entire time! A team full of old 2nd basemen is my dream come true. OBP for life amirite? Anyway, Trumbo did hit alot of homeruns last year. But you are so right when you say "who needs Power?" It's overrated. Power maximizes a teams efficiency in scoring runs. OBP increases the # of runs you could possibly score. So if you have a team with a low OBP, you have to be more dependent on the homerun to score runs. With OBP, the more people on base the more chance to string a rally together. But of course you know all this Ned! The real value is a high SLUG% with a high OBP. We know Trumbo had a .291 OBP which is laughable. His SLUG% was 11th in the league... not necessarily elite. That's what make guys like Joey Votto, Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder so valuable. Because they get on base while having an elite SLUG% We aren't in the market for a guy like that, but we can go with a much cheaper alternative who could put up some good numbers. How about Carlos Pena? Dont let the batting average fool you. While he strikes out alot, his Walk% was 16.7 last year. Making his OBP .357 which isn't bad. He also puts up good classic Power numbers hitting 28 homers the last 2 years. But, of course, almighty Ned. You know all. Thank you for believing in me. I trust you'll do the right thing. Love x0x0, Chris
My main point here is this guy is young - and has already shown impressive power in the majors. (Sands has done it in the minors, and has yet to cross the threshold). The Angels are looking for relievers - so it could get done cheaply enough - considering you could get a starting infielder for 5 yrs. But, yeah, I don't want any more Uribe/Barajas types who can rack up the bombs, but do little else in between. But I do believe in upside, coaching, player growth, particularly when you are 25 years old. I don't believe that a player is locked into his numbers bracket from birth. So, yeah, I'd take a gamble on this guy. It's sure a lot better than signing a scrub on his downside.
This made me laugh lol Don't get me wrong, I love power. But what's the point of having power if there's nobody on base?
That's why you've got your table setters. I believe strongly in casting your players into a dynamic lineup: A running game with your number one and two, followed by your top RBIman batting third, then a couple of big boppers. And having power in the corners is vital.
RE: Trumbo debate I will side with Chris on this... Trumbo's power really wouldn't do much on the Dodgers.. Sure his power numbers are nice, but that's just looking at the stats superficially. wRC+ quantifies a players total offensive value and measures it by runs. 100 is the league average where anything above is better than average and anything under is below average... Loney's 2011 wRC+ was 109 Trumbo's 2011 wRC+ was 105 In summation, although Trumbo's power numbers look nice, they don't really translate to more runs. I'd rather stick with Loney at 1st.
Wow, it is INCREDIBLE the amount of talent Billy Beane has compiled in the three trades he has made. That team is going to look beastly in 3 years.
Here you go, Ned: Now, all you've got to do is figure out how to send the kid to Pittsburgh without Plaschke and Simers jumping down your shorts every day and biting your ass.
The reports on the Cuban OF'er sound amazing: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/12/athletics-interested-in-jorge-soler.html
