Eddie Rosario

[Mike Frasier Law]

Eddie is being overshadowed by Sano, but by any measure, he is having one hell of a rookie season. By WAR, he is having the 10th best rookie season for a Twin since 2000. It's a mix of names ahead of him, including Mauer leading the way, followed closely by a 27 year old Lew Ford.

 

His 14 triples is tied for the most by a rookie since Jeff Heath hit 18 in 1938 and DiMaggio hit 15 in 1936. Pretty cool.

[nicksaviking]

And at 2.0 WAR, he's only the 14th highest offensive rookie.  This is shaping up like it could be one of the best rookie classes of all time.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=130&type=8&season=2015&month=0&season1=2015&ind=2&team=0&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&page=1_50

 

I don't remember seeing this many rookies perform like this before.  Sorting by WAR, you can find guys who would have been in consideration for ROY in the 20's and 30's in WAR in other years (I'm looking at you Pat Listach, Jerome Walton and Bobby Crosby).  And that list is only the offensive players.

 

And Buxton doesn't even qualify as a rookie in 2015 yet, he's 5 PA short (well and his WAR is negative).

 

Clean out the vets and bring in the youngsters.  This is a new version of baseball.

[Mike Sixel]

Rosario is having a very nice year. I don't think he'll regress like DanSan either.

[Willihammer]

There's a lot to like, I'm probably most impressed by how tough he bats against lefties.

[Physics Guy]

 

Rosario is having a very nice year. I don't think he'll regress like DanSan either.

I have been pleasantly surprised.    I also don't think Rosario is likely to regress as much as Santana did, mainly due to his level of performance in the minors.    I am concerned about his walk rate and he also has a fairly (although not unsustainable) BABIP.

[jimbo92107]

When I look at Eddie Rosario I see a slightly smaller version of Bryce Harper. Same set of tools, but a little less power at the plate. Not quite as aggressive stealing bases, but similar speed, similar arm strength, similar baseball savvy and self-confidence. Not quite Harper's all-consuming competitive fire, but a will to win stronger than most. He plays to win, every day. Everyday Eddie.

 

Rosario is the new core of this team. He's the pro's pro that will lead by example and with a few simple words, like "Come on guys, let's go kick some ass today." From a guy like Eddie, that's all you need.

[stringer bell]

He's having a great rookie year. He gets my vote for team Rookie of the Year. Yeah, he doesn't walk much at all, but he hits a lot of balls with authority, runs the bases, and is an excellent outfielder. Molitor saw what Eddie had to offer and promoted him before Hicks.

[Steve Penz]

He has been really great to watch and his future seems exciting but I am not sold.  He is only a short period of time removed from 2 positive weed tests.  Does that type of decision making still exist?  Also, I have said before that I am extremely concerned about his OBP and that has not changed.  .290 with a Babib which is a bit higher than normal and could easily drop by 15-20 points.  What would that do to a .290 obp?  What excites me most is that he is part of an awesome crew... Rosario, Hicks, Buxton, and Kepler.  Those are really big "ifs" that they all play together next year because Kepler is at AA and Buxton may need AAA time but the combo of those 4 young players is potentially really cool. They are all highly talented and there are 2 lefties, one righty, one SH and 2.5 center fielders so if they had to mix and match a bit next year, there is versatility.  If one day it happens that 1 of the corner guys of the crew is obsolete then you cross that bridge when you come to it.  It is awesome to have a discussion like this about a wealth of potential.      

[High heat]

Best thing going for the twins this year is the emergence of Eddie Rosario and Aaron hicks! People inside and outside of the organization have said buxton and sano would be special. We haven't seen in from buxton yet but the addition of Eddie and Aaron for the future looks bright. If only we could add some high end pitching to go with the young core. But hoping the youth movement continues.

[Linus]

I like that he contributes to winning baseball in a variety of ways.  One day it is a big hit, the other day its throwing somebody out on the bases, etc.

 

Like others, I think there is a chance of regression next year but it is also reasonable to expect that he will improve as well.  He seems to have a knack for making the right plays, which is something that is hard to quantify.

[Turd Furgeson]

 

When I look at Eddie Rosario I see a slightly smaller version of Bryce Harper. Same set of tools, but a little less power at the plate. Not quite as aggressive stealing bases, but similar speed, similar arm strength, similar baseball savvy and self-confidence. Not quite Harper's all-consuming competitive fire, but a will to win stronger than most. He plays to win, every day. Everyday Eddie.

 

Rosario is the new core of this team. He's the pro's pro that will lead by example and with a few simple words, like "Come on guys, let's go kick some ass today." From a guy like Eddie, that's all you need.

 

I would be hesitant to compare anyone to Harper at this point. Harper has always been pretty good at drawing walks and he's taken it to a different dimension this year. Not to mention Harper was getting 80 grades on his power at 16 years old. I'm not sure if there were many people who even thought Rosario had plus power. His defense in the corner might have been underrated though mainly because he played a lot at second base. 

[dbminn]

 

He has been really great to watch and his future seems exciting but I am not sold.  He is only a short period of time removed from 2 positive weed tests.  Does that type of decision making still exist?  Also, I have said before that I am extremely concerned about his OBP and that has not changed.  .290 with a Babib which is a bit higher than normal and could easily drop by 15-20 points.  What would that do to a .290 obp?  What excites me most is that he is part of an awesome crew... Rosario, Hicks, Buxton, and Kepler.  

 

I too am concerned about his lack of BB. I think he will get closer to 6% as he gains experience. He has plenty of bat speed and quickness, just needs to let the pitcher come to him.

 

Rosario has made it through the first adjustment period. He did not have a good August. Now he's back better than before. His slash line is up in September, even with a near league average BABIP, and his strikeout rate is down. A good sign for the future. Of course, nothing is guaranteed.

 

RE Marijuana: I've heard that MLB doesn't emphasize THC testing, even though it is listed in the drug policy as a "substance of abuse".  Anyone know the particulars?

[Steve Penz]

I believe I heard that now that he is in the majors that he won't be tested for thc. It is the fact the he knew he had one strike and he did it again. It speaks to general decision making. Let's hope it is in the past.

[DocBauer]

A couple of things I've always considered when looking at Rosario.

 

1* His milb track record show steady progress from year to year. The only time he ever did any kind of repeat at any level...(not some handful of games followed by immediate promotion)...was when he was suspended and went back to AA. Before that, his promotions were constant and steady. He's never really had the big ups and downs necessary for a repeat.

 

2* I've always believed, refer to point #1, that when he has a chance to settle in at a level...(ML level in this case)...and just be there for a while, that there will be an increase in HR power. Maybe not as much as he flashed initially way back in the day when he went head to head with Sano, but with a nice swing, good athleticism, some more man muscle, I've always felt an increase will follow. A consistent 20HR threat? I don't know. But definately mid and upper teens to go along with a bunch of doubles and the such.

 

Also...while he's made a mistake or two here and there...I have to say I just love watching the kid play defense! And he is not regulated to LF. He is just playing there.

[sane]

I am trying to recall, has Rosario hit any homeruns off high fastballs?

My memory failings may be the problem, and not a perceived hole in his swing.

So I am going to have to depend on the supposedly better memories of other posters.

[DRizzo]

 

I am trying to recall, has Rosario hit any homeruns off high fastballs?

My memory failings may be the problem, and not a perceived hole in his swing.

So I am going to have to depend on the supposedly better memories of other posters.

 

 

I know he crushed this one out that was about at his head level. But I don't remember if he has had more this year.

 

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/08/15/143385998/eddie-rosario-goes-deep-on-impossible-pitch

 

(courtesy of Cut4, credit Chris Landers)

[sane]

 

I know he crushed this one out that was about at his head level. But I don't remember if he has had more this year.

 

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/08/15/143385998/eddie-rosario-goes-deep-on-impossible-pitch

 

(courtesy of Cut4, credit Chris Landers)

Thanks, I didn't see that one before, and that is EXACTLY what I wanted to see!

[markos]

 

I am trying to recall, has Rosario hit any homeruns off high fastballs?

My memory failings may be the problem, and not a perceived hole in his swing.

So I am going to have to depend on the supposedly better memories of other posters.

 

 

I hope this link works.

[sane]

 

I hope this link works.

Thanks, it worked well.

[woolywoolhouse]

 

I am trying to recall, has Rosario hit any homeruns off high fastballs?

My memory failings may be the problem, and not a perceived hole in his swing.

So I am going to have to depend on the supposedly better memories of other posters.

 

I don't know if this homerun counts as a "high fastball..." http://m.twins.mlb.com/min/video/v372768683/?query=rosario%2Bhomerun

 

(And I was too slow finding it... and others beat me to it... sigh...)

[nokomismod]

He has been my favorite Twins rookie to watch since Christian Guzman. Christian's game was based on speed, but he also played with passion like Eddie. May his career be long!

[Parker Hageman]

He likes to hit some high pitches. Was doing that in the minors this year too.

 

https://twitter.com/parkerhageman/status/636266700699136001

[DocBauer]

Where does Eddie Rosario like the ball?

 

Pitched!

[TheLeviathan]

Rosario is the very definition of what used to be called a "gamer".  He's that grind it out, maximizes his talent, always gives you full effort kind of guy.  When you combine that with some serious baseball talent you have a guy to really count on.

 

I think he's going to be great for a long time for this team.

[HitInAPinch]

 

Rosario is the very definition of what used to be called a "gamer".  He's that grind it out, maximizes his talent, always gives you full effort kind of guy.  When you combine that with some serious baseball talent you have a guy to really count on.

 

I think he's going to be great for a long time for this team.

From what I remember, that's the reason  Molitor wanted Rosario up before any of the other prospects.

[HitInAPinch]

 

He's having a great rookie year. He gets my vote for team Rookie of the Year. Yeah, he doesn't walk much at all, but he hits a lot of balls with authority, runs the bases, and is an excellent outfielder. Molitor saw what Eddie had to offer and promoted him before Hicks.

I've been watching his stats for a few weeks now.  As of yesterday, Eddie has more triples than walks!  Just amazing!  More doubles and 3 HR's away from passing his current walks total.  Just stunning