Expectations were high for the Seattle Mariners, and yet they look up at far too many teams in the AL West for their liking. Seattle is fourth, only three games better than last-place Oakland entering Thursday’s play. And they’re on a season-high five-game losing streak after mustering just one run in Wednesday’s loss against New York. In need of a boost, they traded for Arizona slugger Mark Trumbo. While he will hit his share of home runs, he might further fuel the problem that faces the Mariners.
General Manager Jack Zduriencik hasn’t exactly brought in players who get on base at a regular clip. In his six-plus years with the team, the offense’s on-base percentage has been nothing short of anemic. The highest mark came in his first season, and yet it was still a measly .314, ranking 14 out of 15 American League teams. It’s best finish in the AL came in 2013, ranking 13th with a .306 OBP. Zduriencik’s emphasis or lack thereof has come back to bite Seattle, and his latest acquisition won’t help in this department.
Trumbo, at 6’4″, 225 pounds, looms large in the batter’s box and exhibits a great deal of strength when he ties into one. The 29-year-old who hit 29, 32 and 34 homers in his three seasons with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before coming to Arizona in 2014 has clubbed nine thus far, but is batting only .259 with an atrocious .299 OBP. The BA is actually an improvement over previous years and, remarkably, so is the OBP. He wallowed in the .230s BA-wise in 2013 and 2014, and had OBPs of .294 and .293. Why such distressing statistics in spite of home run production? The answer is something that plagues a lot of power hitters: Trumbo relies largely on mighty swings, equating to next to no plate discipline, a low walk-rate, and far too many strikeouts.
Trumbo has made the most of connecting solidly with those mighty swings, as 21 percent of his career hits have landed over the fence. And while he very well could team up with Nelson Cruz, the Mariners right-fielder who ranks first in the AL in long-balls with 18, and become a formidable force, Seattle could just as easily grow tired of his impatience and potential for overall mediocrity.
Seattle may be grasping at straws that aren’t there, but this is nothing new. Zduriencik has long coveted power hitters and aside from Cruz, his signings have fallen flat. Not learning from past mistakes could once more come back to bite the general manager and a team that strives to seriously contend for a playoff spot and more.
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