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Baltimore Orioles’ Mark Trumbo Hitting Bombs But Providing Little Value

By Bobby Mueller

Jun 17, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo (45) hits an RBI single in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 17, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo (45) hits an RBI single in the third inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /
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Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

2015 Albert Pujols—40 HR, 1.9 WAR

661 PA, .244/.307/.480, 115 wRC+

Just last season, Albert Pujols joined the “40 or more homer/under 2.0 WAR” club when he hit exactly 40 big flies and finished with 1.9 WAR. He was still an above-average player offensively. His 115 wRC+ meant he was 15 percent better than the league-average hitter when league and ballpark effects are taken into account, but his defense and base running cost him in overall value. Age and assorted lower body injuries over the years have slowed him down, and he was never a speedy player to begin with.

For many years, Albert Pujols was a complete hitter who combined a great batting average with a terrific on-base percentage and excellent slugging percentage. He was a .300/.400/.500 guy in nine of the first 10 seasons of his career. During this 10-year stretch, he won three MVP Awards and finished second four times. His career batting line was .331/.426/.624.

He’s been a different caliber hitter since. Including this year, Albert Pujols has hit .271/.332/.486 since the beginning of the 2011 season. He still hits home runs, averaging 30 per year over the last six years, but his rate stats are way down. Pujols has also seen his walk rate drop from 13 percent during his first 10 years in the big leagues to eight percent over the last six years.

With a few weeks left in the season, it’s probable that Pujols will hit 30 or more home runs for the 14th time in his career, but he’s been worth just 0.7 WAR so far. At the end of his first five seasons with the Angels, Pujols will have averaged right around 2.0 WAR per season while being paid $100 million. He still has another five years and $140 million to go. Good luck with that, Angels fans.

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