Angels’ Mark Trumbo to play outfield in winter league

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With Kendry Morales entrenched at first base heading into next season, Angels first base prospect Mark Trumbo said Tuesday he anticipated playing the outfield in a Venezuelan winter league to enhance his versatility at the major league level.

‘The whole off-season, I’m going to be working as hard as I can to grasp everything, the nuances of playing out there,’ he said, ‘and the month I’m here [with the Angels] I’ll learn quite a bit from these guys.’

Trumbo, 24, said he played about 20 games in the outfield this season at triple-A Salt Lake, where he hit .301 and led the Pacific Coast League in home runs (36), runs batted in (122) and runs scored (103).

‘I’m still trying to find a position,’ he said, ‘but my main strength is my bat and I’m just going to try to do the best I can and wait and see’ what happens.

Although success in the notoriously hitter-friendly PCL doesn’t always translate to the major league level, Trumbo said he was confident he could be productive on baseball’s biggest stage.

‘I’m going to take the same approach I had there until I’m forced to change it,’ he said.

--Ben Bolch