Angels: Scioscia places Trumbo in rare air with McGwire, Canseco, Piazza and Guerrero

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“If he gets a pitch and makes some adjustments, he might hit it 600 feet.”

Whoa. Wait. What? 600 feet? Who in the world is Angels Manager Mike Scioscia speaking about?

Mark Trumbo.

“He’s got as much raw power as anybody I’ve seen step into the batter’s box,” Scioscia said before Sunday’s Angels-Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium.

That includes sluggers Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco (when they were young), Mike Piazza and Vladimir Guerrero, said Scioscia, who played with the former three and managed Guerrero.

“Very flattering,” Trumbo, a 25-year-old first baseman, said of the comparisons.

But power has always been the main part of his game.

And entering Sunday, Trumbo, who was selected in the 18th round of the 2004 free agent draft from Villa Park High School, has a team-high 13 home runs, which led American League rookies.

Scioscia was first asked about Trumbo’s ability to adjust to pitchers’ game plans against him when he mentioned Trumbo’s power.

He first said Trumbo was excellent at making adjustments, then mentioned his power. “He hits balls as hard and high and that keep going as well as anybody I’ve seen,” Scioscia said.

“He’s got a simple swing for a big guy. The holes that appear in his swing aren’t a function of a bad swing. They’re a function of being big.”

Trumbo is 6-feet-4, 220 pounds.

Scioscia recalled that when Trumbo was signed he worked out at Angel Stadium right out of high school and, even at 18, was hitting balls deep into center field.

“A workout like that, it’s kind of, more or less, go big or go home,” Trumbo said.

Trumbo said he usually swings for the fences except when runners are on base, in which case he’ll shorten his swing somewhat.

“I try to do that all the time,” he said.

Growing up, Trumbo admired former Angels Tim Salmon and Troy Glaus, but his favorite hitter is Paul Konerko, who’s currently with the White Sox.

As for his power, Trumbo said the longest home run he came remember hitting came at the end of last year when he played for triple-A Salt Lake.

“It cleared pretty much everything there was,” he said. “It went over the tree-line.”

But could he hit one 600 feet?

“No,” he said.

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-- Baxter Holmes