Mark Trumbo and the 10 Greatest Rookie Seasons in Los Angeles Angels History

By most accounts, Los Angeles Angels rookie Mark Trumbo is off to a fine start in his rookie season. Currently hitting .257 with 13 HR and 32 RBI, Trumbo projects to finish somewhere around 25 homers and 60 to 70 RBI by the end of the season.

When spring training started back in February, Trumbo literally had no idea what the near future would look like. With incumbent first baseman Kendrys Morales possibly due back at the start of the season after breaking his ankle in May of last year following a walk-off celebration, Trumbo easily could have started the season back in Triple-A Salt Lake.

However, as it became apparent that Morales would not be ready in time for the start of the regular season, plans changed. Trumbo certainly didn’t hurt his cause in Cactus League action, hitting .297 with six HR and 20 RBI, hitting a couple of bombs that had fans and teammates alike shaking their heads.

Trumbo started the season as the regular first baseman for the Angels. However, it again appeared to be temporary with Morales starting the season on the disabled list but rehabbing back in Arizona.

It was finally announced in early May that Morales would be lost for the season and would require a second surgery to remove cysts from his surgically repaired ankle. Trumbo was no longer in limbo, at least not for the remainder of 2011.

Trumbo has done nothing to disappoint thus far. Just this past Sunday, before the Angels’ game with the Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Mike Scioscia likened Trumbo’s raw power to that of some special players.

"I'll tell you, he's got as much raw power as anybody I've seen since I've in baseball—including [Mike] Piazza and Vlad [Guerrero],” Scioscia told Lyle Spencer of MLB.com. "[Jose] Canseco and [Mark] McGwire, they were obviously special guys. Trumbo is right there with them. He hits balls as hard and high as anybody."

In batting practice, Trumbo launches absolute moon shots, many landing in the rocks deep in left center field at Angel Stadium. The sound coming off his bat is different as well.

For now, Trumbo wants to keep learning and developing and build his own name with regard to power and strength.

Bleacher Report sat with Trumbo to talk about his rookie season, his expectations, the comparisons to previous great sluggers and what he wants to achieve.

We will also rank Trumbo’s rookie season among the great rookie seasons in Los Angeles Angels history.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.

Note: All quotes and sound bites in this slideshow were acquired via first-hand reporting on site at Angels Stadium as a credentialed representative of Bleacher Report, Inc.

Mark Trumbo: His Feelings on His Rookie Season Thus Far

B/R: Mark, you’re currently leading all rookies in several offensive categories this season. How do you personally feel about your performance thus far?

Trumbo: I’m happy where I am right now. I also have a lot of room where I know I can improve a lot of areas as well.

For me, you’re always working to get better, I have a couple of goals every day that I work on—not so much numbers-wise, but just a couple of things every day that I want to work towards to get better. I think that’s going to bring everything together going forward.

Mark Trumbo: His Place in Angels History

B/R: With the Angels’ celebration of their 50th anniversary, the Angels’ history has been prominent throughout the stadium and in many publications. You grew up in the area, so you know of some of this history. Have you had a chance to look back at the Angels over the years, and how you can add to that history?

Trumbo: I think in certain ways I have. I haven’t done a whole lot of reflecting on that, but being so new myself, only my fourth month in the big leagues, I think as time goes on, I hope to put my own stamp on things and contribute in whatever way that I can.

Mark Trumbo: His Adjustments as the Season Goes Along

B/R: We always hear about pitchers adjusting for rookies and finding ways to get them out. How is it that you adjust as you continue your development?

Trumbo: I’ve always felt like it’s a luck of the draw type situation. The first time facing somebody, sometimes I’ll have some success, sometimes I’ll flat-out get beat.

I enjoy and do better the more I get to look at them as well. I know they’re going to make their own adjustments, but I feel much better after seeing pitchers’ release points, seeing velocity, movement, stuff like that.

Once I have a better picture of their whole package and what they do, whatever adjustments they make, I think I’m able to counter that.

Mark Trumbo and His Knowledge of Pitchers

B/R: Do you keep a book on pitchers?

Trumbo: I have in the past, but I got away from that a couple of years ago. I have a pretty good memory; there are very few guys that I usually don’t remember what they did to me. Fortunately it’s something that I’ve been able to do.

Mark Trumbo and His Personal Goals

B/R: If current numbers stay consistent through the end of the season, you’ll end up with somewhere close to 30 HR and 100 RBI. Did you have any personal goals in regards to statistics when you started the season?

Trumbo: No, I didn’t. I wasn’t sure how much I was going to play, and I wasn’t sure about a whole lot of things.

My goal in the beginning was to make the best case I could to just remain up here and carve out whatever niche I could. Some things happened, and now I have more of a chance, but in the beginning, I didn’t think too much about it.

Mark Trumbo and His Dreams Growing Up in Anaheim

B/R: As a local kid growing up in Anaheim, did you allow yourself to think that you could one day be playing for your hometown team?

Trumbo: It’s probably every kid’s dream that grew up around here. As far as coming here realistically, maybe in high school I had started having some hopes about coming here. But I think for every kid who grew up around here, that’s always the dream.

Mark Trumbo and His Uncertainty Starting the 2011 Season

B/R: At the beginning of the season, the original script, so to speak, called for Kendrys Morales to return from his ankle injury at take his place back in the lineup at first base. Obviously that didn’t play out that way. Do you think about the future when and if Kendrys returns?

Trumbo: You know, maybe it’s crossed my mind a couple of times, but I know like this year, things changed dramatically, so who knows what position we’ll all be in when that time does come.

But for right now, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, and when the time comes, they’ll make the decisions that need to be made.

Mark Trumbo: Dealing with the Comparisons to Former Greats

B/R: Before Sunday’s game with the Dodgers, Mike Scioscia compared your power and your swing to that of Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Mike Piazza and Vladimir Guerrero. Do those types of comparisons put more pressure on you?

Trumbo: No, I view them as flattering comments. For me, I’m my own player, and I’m trying to write my own script, so to speak.

Those guys he mentioned did unbelievable types of things. The one thing that stuck out for me the other day was that I saw that McGwire hit 49 homers as a rookie in Oakland, and after playing in Oakland, that’s a fairly big ballpark, and that just really kind of floored me as to how he put up such obscene numbers in such a huge park. That’s pretty cool.

Mark Trumbo: Putting on a Show

B/R: Are you a fan of home run contests, or do you think it could mess up your swing?

Trumbo: I am a fan. I’ve done a number of them, and I don’t think it’s messed up my swing at all. It will tire you out a little bit, that’s for sure. But it doesn’t affect me as it seems to with other guys.

Mark Trumbo, Vernon Wells and the Impact of More Power in the Second Half

B/R: With Vernon Wells breaking out of his early slump and your continued power, do you feel like the Angels can be more of an offensive force in the second half and contend for the playoffs?

Trumbo: Without a doubt. We’ve barely scratched the surface so far, and I think the second half is going to be really good for us. We have an opportunity to show a lot of people that we’re way better than a lot of people give us credit for.

It’ll be nice, especially for people who may have already written us off and not believing in what we’re really capable of doing.

Mark Trumbo: The Impact of the Youth Movement of the Angels

B/R: The combination of you, Peter Bourjos, Hank Conger, Tyler Chatwood and Jordan Walden—you’re all basically in your first full seasons with the Angels. How do you feel you all have impacted the team thus far?

Trumbo: I think with any team you’re going to find your way to contribute, and I’ve never viewed myself—I know what my status is, but if I’m in the lineup, I don’t feel like I’m less qualified than anyone else to get the job done.

We all know what we need to do, and all the five guys you mentioned, I think we all play very similar styles, we have a lot of passion for it, and we have our priorities in line. I think that’s only going to help us later on.

Mark Trumbo and His Place Among All-Time Angels Rookie Seasons

Mark Trumbo is definitely a young man who has his priorities in order, and in his comments, he clearly knows what he needs to continue to do to make a positive impact on the Angels.

However, for argument’s sake, let’s say that Trumbo projects to around 28 HR and 80 RBI by the end of the season. Just where would that rank among the greatest rookie seasons in Los Angeles Angels history?

Let’s take a look...

10. Troy Percival, 1995

In the first of reliever Troy Percival’s 10 seasons with the Angels, he showed the talent that led him to become one of the most effective closers in Halos history.

In 62 appearances, Percival was 3-2 with a 1.95 ERA, giving up a mere 37 hits in 74 innings, striking out 94 and walking just 26.

For his efforts, Percival was voted fourth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting.

9. Carney Lansford, 1978

Third baseman Carney Lansford was drafted by the Angels with their third-round pick in the 1975 MLB draft, and just three years later he made his debut. Lansford hit .298 in his rookie campaign with eight HR and 52 RBI. He also stole 20 bases and struck out just 67 times.

Lansford finished third in AL Rookie of the Year balloting, and just three years later, while with the Boston Red Sox, he captured the AL batting title with a .336 average.

8. Mark Trumbo, 2011

It’s hard to judge exactly what numbers Mark Trumbo will put up by season’s end, but if he continues on the current path, it will be somewhere around 26 to 28 homers and between 65 and 75 RBI.

Those numbers would certainly be impressive, given the fact that if Morales were indeed healthy, Trumbo might not have been seen in Anaheim. If he really heats up in the second half, his placement on this list could easily be much higher.

7. Ken Tatum, 1969

Relief pitcher Ken Tatum put together a year in 1969 that turned out to be the best of his career. In 45 appearances, Tatum was 7-2 with a remarkable 1.34 ERA, still the lowest in Angels history among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched. He was voted fourth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting and even garnered some MVP votes.

After his second season with the Halos, Tatum was dealt to the Boston Red Sox along with Doug Griffin and Jarvis for Tony Conigliaro, Ray Jarvis and Jerry Moses.

Tatum was out of baseball after just six seasons.

6. Dean Chance, 1962

In 1962, you could make a case for rookie Dean Chance not only being the best starter on the team, but the best reliever as well.

Chance started 24 games and also made 26 relief appearances, finished 16 of those games and had eight saves. He finished with a 2.96 ERA and placed third in American League Rookie of the Year balloting.

Just two years later, Chance would put together one of the best seasons for any starter in Angels history, winning the Cy Young Award.

5. Garret Anderson, 1995

In 1995, rookie left fielder Garret Anderson, a local kid from nearby Granada Hills, showed Angels fans the promise of what would be. In his first of 15 seasons with the Halos, Anderson hit .321, the highest average of his career, with 16 HR and 69 RBI in the strike-shortened season.

Anderson finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting, and before his Angels career was over, he would go on to become the Angels’ all-time leader in many offensive categories (runs scored, hits, total bases, runs batted in).

4. Frank Tanana, 1974

In 1974, 20-year-old Frank Tanana had a 14-19 record. By itself, it may not seem that impressive. However, Tanana posted an ERA of just 3.12. Tanana also threw 12 complete games, and four of them were shutouts.

Tanana is fourth on the Angels' all-time wins list with 104 and has the fifth-lowest ERA in team history (3.08).

3. Wally Joyner, 1986

In 1986, 24-year-old rookie first baseman Wally Joyner joined an exclusive club, becoming the first Angels rookie to drive in 100 runs in his first season.

Joyner ended up with exactly 100 RBI to go along with a .290 average and 22 HR. He finished second in Rookie of the Year balloting and was selected to the All-Star team.

The following season, Joyner upped his game, hitting 34 homers, driving in 117 and hitting .285.

Joyner would leave the Angels after six seasons, opting for free agency following the 1991 season.

2. Jered Weaver, 2006

When starting pitcher Jered Weaver burst onto the scene with the Angels in 2006, much was already known about the youngster from Long Beach State. His brother, Jeff, was already with the team, and Weaver went to college just 30 miles away.

Weaver made his debut on May 27, 2006 against the Baltimore Orioles and immediately impressed, throwing seven shutout innings and picking up the win. Weaver ended his rookie campaign with a record of 11-2, a 2.56 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 123 innings.

Despite not playing for the first two months of the season, Weaver was still voted fifth in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.

1. Tim Salmon, 1993

It’s pretty hard to argue against right fielder Tim Salmon as the player with the best rookie season in the history of the Angels. In 1993, Salmon hit .283 with 31 HR and 95 RBI, easily winning the Rookie of the Year Award in the American League.

Salmon played his entire 14-year career with the Halos, ranking second all-time in on-base percentage (.385), slugging percentage (.498), games played (1,672), runs scored (986) and hits (1,674).