Mark Trumbo on one stat he'd like to improve

Did the ears of some Orioles fans perk up when Mark Trumbo spoke yesterday about improving his plate discipline?

The Orioles' plate discipline and stats like team on-base percentage provide an ongoing discussion topic for fans every year it seems. They want more on-base percentage from their team and its lineup.

I'm pretty sure Trumbo is not talking about making any dramatic changes. He is here to slug homers and many are expected. But for a player driven to always get better, it is something Trumbo mentioned yesterday when asked how he could match or top his 2016 season come April.

"I was able to make some changes at the end of 2015 that helped me into 2016," Trumbo said during his press conference at Camden Yards. "Some of the philosophies that I've tried to incorporate, some of the mechanical things, as well. Last year was obviously a culmination of a lot of things I've tried to work on and get better at.

"I think that this year, I have a much better understanding of the pitching in our own division, and the one area that I've always tried to get better on and I'd still like to continue is the plate discipline. It's been the hardest thing for me by far, but watching some of my teammates who are quite good at it and picking their brains, I still look to get better at it."

Trumbo's walk rate of 7.6 percent last year was actually his second-best as a big leaguer, behind the 8 percent he registered with the 2013 Angels. His career number is 6.7 percent. He fanned 25.5 percent of the time last season, up a bit from his career average of 25 percent.

The 2016 Orioles posted a .317 team OBP, to rank 10th in the American League, where the league average was .321. The club-wide walk rate was 7.7 percent (10th in the AL) and the strikeout rate was 21.7 percent (fifth in the AL).

When talking about Trumbo yesterday, the O's Dan Duquette mentioned he hit 48 homers (counting the playoffs) and had several clutch hits for the Orioles. Duquette also said some of Trumbo's contributions can't be measured by stats, advanced or otherwise.

"And beyond that, he's got some great personal qualities," Duquette said. "He's very dependable and shows up for work every day with an excellent work ethic. He's a very, very good veteran player that is an example for younger players in the organization. I congratulate him on his three-year deal with the Orioles. Looking forward to his contribution to the 2017 team and beyond."

FanFest is here: The Orioles host FanFest today at the Baltimore Convention Center. It's a great day to talk baseball and there is a lot going on for fans and kids of all ages. Reporters will spend a lot of the day interviewing players and coaches. We'll have some coverage here at MASNSports.com during the day.

The kids press conferences with players are a lot of fun and if you are at the event today, I'll be hosting two of those. I'll be with Mychal Givens and Joey Rickard in rooms 309 and 310 at 11:30 a.m. and in the same location at 2 p.m. with Chris Davis and Darren O'Day. I'll also host the media fan forum on the main stage at 5 p.m. If you are headed to the event, enjoy the day!