Angels Confirm Mark Trumbo Will Try To Play Third Base

Well we called for it back in September and now  it looks like dreams may come true. In a recent  Orange County Register article  the Angels confirmed their intent to have Mark Trumbo test the waters and play third base this winter.

"In 2011, Angels third basemen (namely, Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis) combined for just seven home runs (27th in the majors), 55 RBI (26th) and a .379 slugging percentage (17th), all well below the league average for American League third basemen. The numbers in 2010 were just as bad.A frequent topic of discussion in the media and among fans, Trumbo said Angels manager Mike Scioscia had never broached the idea of a position switch to third base with him – until recently. Scioscia finally called Trumbo earlier this month and told him the Angels would like Trumbo to work out at third base with coach Rob Picciolo this off-season to see if asking Trumbo to play there during the 2012 season is a realistic option.“He called and we talked about things. It is going to be explored,” said Trumbo of his conversation with Scioscia. “It (the discussion) was pretty cut and dried. He said, ‘I know you’ve heard a lot of talk about this. We’d like to give it a look at least and if things look okay, we’ll explore it further. If not — no harm done.'”Trumbo actually worked at third base when he began his professional career with the Angels in 2005. Ironically, it was Picciolo (the Angels’ minor-league roving infield instructor from 2006 through 2010) who helped convert Trumbo to first base when it was decided he couldn’t meet the defensive demands at third.“I’m looking forward to it, no doubt,” Trumbo said. “I’m not kidding myself about how easy it’s going to be. But in the interests of helping the team and helping my career out, I’m excited about giving it a try.”"

As we said in the September piece –  Trumbo’s move to third even on a semi permanent basis would give the Angels a much deeper lineup. Click here to read that story and you can also check out the full article from the Register here.

A successful transition to third base could be key to a successful Halo off season.