Thoughts on Mark Trumbo’s Time With the Diamondbacks

Jun 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Mark Trumbo against the Atlanta Braves at Chase Field. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Trumbo‘s brief tenure with the Arizona Diamondbacks came to a close today. The 29-year old outfielder/first baseman was traded to the Seattle Mariners along with pitcher Vidal Nuno in exchange for four players. My colleague Guillermo Salcido covers the specifics of the deal here with some insight into the players the D’backs obtained. This post deals with some thoughts on Trumbo and his stay in Arizona.

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From the beginning, it seemed as though Trumbo was not a good fit for the organization. For one thing, he was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for promising, young, left-handed pitcher Tyler Skaggs. This was one of former Snakes’ general manager Kevin Towers’ most unpopular trades. Although Skaggs underwent Tommy John surgery last Summer, he will be only 24 years old when he takes the mound again for the Angels next year. The team gave up its top prospect for a player whose primary position was first base. That wasn’t going to happen with 2013 National League MVP runner-up Paul Goldschmidt manning the position. Towers and company thought they could alleviate the problem by making Trumbo an outfielder. Despite his best efforts, he never seemed comfortable in either left or right field.

The position wouldn’t matter because the feeling was that Trumbo would provide “protection” for Goldschmidt. This was curious reasoning as he had struck out a whopping 184 times the prior year with a woeful .294 on-base percentage. When 2014 began, the results were promising. Trumbo was among the early leaders in home runs and RBI’s when a foot injury put him on the shelf from April 22nd to July 11th. He finished with 14 home runs in 328 at-bats and an OBP of .293. With the emergence of Ender Inciarte and David Peralta last season, a crowded outfield situation materialized for 2015. Many people felt that Trumbo would be the odd man out. Then, Cody Ross was surprisingly released at the end of Spring Training keeping Trumbo safe for the time being.

Even though he came under controversial circumstances, D’back fans hoped to see Trumbo succeed. However, because of the circumstances, I don’t think he was truly embraced. I wish Mark Trumbo the best of luck in Seattle as he attempts to help jump-start an underachieving team back into playoff contention.

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