Thread: Article: For Better or Worse: Eddie Rosario

I'm going to be the pessimist and say that Rosario shows that he is merely a good prospect with moderate upside. He'll be good and could end up as a solid MLB'er.

Seth - is there a place where we can see all the For Better or Worse write-ups? These are all fun. Thanks

The key is sticking at second base. If so, then he is a GREAT prospect because he is a great all-around hitter.

Originally Posted by Steve Lein

And as pure hitters go, I'll still take Arcia's bat over Eddie's for tops in the system.

I was going to say the same thing.

Originally Posted by Steve Lein

Eddie won't put up the power Sano will. This was already demonstrated last year in Beloit (28 HR's vs 12 HR's). .

OK? Then what was demonstrated in Elizabethton in 2011??

Rosario hit more HR's than Sano, but Sano didn't get to play 30+ more games than Eddie in 2011.

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

I was going to say the same thing.

Rosario can run, stirkes out less. Arcia is a slower runner, strikes out more. Power numbers are similar. On-base numbers are similar. Both went nuts at ELZ, both will probably be above-average major league hitters. But Rosario has more upside with his speed and contact.

Ok, I will be the optimist. Rosario will hit .315 with 25 HR's and 89 RBI's in A+ and AA combined next year. Sano stays in Ft. Myers til 2014.

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

OK? Then what was demonstrated in Elizabethton in 2011??

Rosario hit more HR's than Sano, but Sano didn't get to play 30+ more games than Eddie in 2011.

That Rosario could match Sano's HR totals in smaller ballparks...

Listen, Rosario is 6'0" (probably actually more like 5'10") 170-ish pounds, Sano is 6'3"+, 235+ lbs - that's a HUGE difference in muscle mass and power-profile-projection. Also, It's been witnessed by every scout on the planet that Sano can moonshot balls over fences, while Rosario get's his HR's in a more line-drive capacity. And finally, from day 1 of scouts watching them both play at Elizabethton, they said Rosario wouldn't be able to continue with monster HR totals as he moved up (and if Rosario was going to hit 16 more HR's in those 30 games, I'm pretty sure that would be some kind of record).

While I don't think Sano's HR totals are going to be suppressed all that much by the Florida State League, I do think Rosario's will be, for all the reasons stated above.

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

Ok, I will be the optimist. Rosario will hit .315 with 25 HR's and 89 RBI's in A+ and AA combined next year. Sano stays in Ft. Myers til 2014.

If that happens, or people even thought it was possible, he'd be a top 10 prospect in all of baseball. But it's just not going to.

And look at their eventual landing spot. Target Field thus far looks to be much more friendly to righties like Sano than it does to lefties like Rosario. A line drive hitter like Rosario is going to have difficulty with the RF porch, all he has to do is ask Justin Morneau.

Originally Posted by Steve Lein

If that happens, or people even thought it was possible, he'd be a top 10 prospect in all of baseball. But it's just not going to.

I would agree with most of what MNfan predicted except for the HR's. Part of the reason Rosario hit a bunch of HR's at Etown was because of the short RF. Down the line it is just 320 ft with an 8 ft wall. From what I've heard, a lot of his HR's were line drives that barely cleared the wall. In other words they would have been doubles or outs at other parks like Hammond stadium or New Britain stadium.

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

Rosario can run, stirkes out less. Arcia is a slower runner, strikes out more. Power numbers are similar. On-base numbers are similar. Both went nuts at ELZ, both will probably be above-average major league hitters. But Rosario has more upside with his speed and contact.

All true, but you're comparing a guy who has mashed AA hitting to a guy who hasn't made it out of low A and they're virtually the same age. There's a good chance we see Rosario's K total start rising as he faces good breaking pitches for the first time.

And you don't need speed when you hit the ball harder and farther. Arcia does that.

Thank you everyone...Some very interesting perspectives above. I can see how Sano's larger body size means more HR's in most peoples minds. And it sure showed by Sano hitting all those HR's last season while Rosario hit a bunch of doubles. Rosario could have come close to 20 HR's last year and surely would have totaled over 40 doubles, IF he had not been struck in the face with a baseball.

So, I guess we can expect Rosario to be a doubles hitter moving forward. How bout a 3-hole hitter in Minnesota? Or would Arcia fit better in the 3, and Rosario hit 2nd? Sano is the 4-batter, right?

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

So, I guess we can expect Rosario to be a doubles hitter moving forward. How bout a 3-hole hitter in Minnesota? Or would Arcia fit better in the 3, and Rosario hit 2nd? Sano is the 4-batter, right?

In a perfect world, we'd see a lineup of Hicks/Rosario/Arcia/Sano. Of course, the team will still have Joe Mauer at that point.

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

In a perfect world, we'd see a lineup of Hicks/Rosario/Arcia/Sano. Of course, the team will still have Joe Mauer at that point.

yeah, and isn't THAT horrible... :-)

Originally Posted by Brock Beauchamp

In a perfect world, we'd see a lineup of Hicks/Rosario/Arcia/Sano. Of course, the team will still have Joe Mauer at that point.

Dang, thats a pretty projectable group. All in MN by 2015? Mauer hits 5 with these guys? or Arcia?

Originally Posted by ThePuck

yeah, and isn't THAT horrible... :-)

the best problem they'll have had in years

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

Dang, thats a pretty projectable group. All in MN by 2015? Mauer hits 5 with these guys? or Arcia?

Probably just bump Arcia to 4th and Sano to 5th

Originally Posted by ThePuck

Probably just bump Arcia to 4th and Sano to 5th

How bout Mauer 3, Sano 4, Arcia 5

Originally Posted by mnfanforlife

How bout Mauer 3, Sano 4, Arcia 5

For me, I'd go Mauer, Arcia, Sano. I think Arcia is a better OVERALL hitter (combination of Power, OBP and BA) than Sano, whereas Sano is more of a power guy. I like mostly power guys in the 5 spot.

It's just a matter of preference...don't think Gardy could go wrong either way.