wavedog

While tracking the game on mlb.com you know that you are in bad shape when there are more Game Advisories coach visits to the mound for your team than outs.

I am excited to follow a fellow Mississippi State bulldog Brent Rooker - as he starts his career with the Twins organization today with Elizabethton. Below is some info on Brent: Brent Rooker is listed at 6-4, 215, a right-handed hitter and thrower, born November 1, 1994. The Germantown, Tennessee product was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 35th overall player taken. He has played IB and Corner OF in college. After being picked in the 38th round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2016 draft he hose to return to MSU for his junior season. That decision paid off as he was named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and became MSU's first-ever Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. "I couldn't be more excited for, first, the season we had, and then to get started with the Minnesota Twins organization," Rooker said. "My goal was never to just get drafted. My goal has always been to make it to the big leagues. For me, this is the first step in a long process to reach my ultimate goal." Rooker finished his season with a .387 batting average and a school record 30 doubles. His 96 hits was eighth in program history for hits in a single season, while his 23 home runs was fifth in the MSU record books. Attaching a link to his MSU stats http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=brent-rooker Below is a brief scouting report on him STRENGTHS: Performance-wise, there’s nothing not to like here: his numbers are outstanding and the SEC is the premier circuit in college baseball. Lest you think the gaudy numbers are a result of the metal bat, Rooker has also hit very well with wooden bats in college summer ball, hitting .360/.413/.604 in the 2015 New England Collegiate League and .305/.335/.426 in the 2016 Cape Cod League. Wherever he goes, he hits. Tools-wise, Rooker is a fine all-around athlete. His raw power is rated as above average, 55 or 60 depending on the source, but he gets to it easily. He’s mobile for his size, with average running speed but possessing the instincts to use it well on the bases. His arm is likewise average, but he proved capable of handling right field as a sophomore. While he’s playing first base this year, a pro team could move him back to an outfield corner without hurting themselves. Intangibles-wise, he’s shown the necessary work ethic to succeed, refining his swing and sharpening his strike zone judgment over the last year. WEAKNESSES: Despite his track record with wooden bats, Rooker will need to show that his plate discipline and swing mechanics will hold up against the most advanced pitching, something that has been doubted in the past. The redshirt freshman year also means he’s a year older that the typical college junior, already 22. These factors aren’t enough to keep him from being a hot commodity, but they may keep him out of the early parts of the first round. OVERALL On balance Rooker looks like a late first round or supplemental round pick, although a team looking to save a bit of bonus money for later picks may be tempted to cut a deal and pick him as early as the middle of the first round.

Oh my - just tuned in to see if we were playing. This is about as bad as it gets. I think we have seen the last of Nik Turley - feel bad for us and for him.

He only made 3 starts in AAA - the first 2 were ok and the 3rd one was bad. Maybe he had a time limit on his deal with them to either make the majors or release him or they didn't like that last start. http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=fister001dou&type=pgl&year=2017

Looks like Doug Fister is becoming free again as well - he could be another stopgap option.

Gee could be a step-up from some of the other recent pitchers we have thrown out there. And by step up I mean - If he can give up 5 runs in 5 or 6 innings instead of 5 runs in 2 or 3 innings that is a step up. Saw him pitch a couple times for Texas this season and he was not horrible - he gave up 10 runs (6 earned) in 13 innings as a long man/mop-up reliever in 4 appearances.

Will we ever see 1st place again this year? Not unless we play a whole lot better and get some pitching reinforcements from the minors.

This has all the makings of a lost weekend.

Nice job by Gibson to work out of that jam. It appears we cannot score of Trevor Bauer like the rest of the league. He has shut us down a couple times this year.

Can we adopt newly signed draftees? If so, I would like to adopt my fellow Bulldog Brent Rooker. Thanks!

How are we going to score 20 runs with Grossman and Vargas leaving em on like this.

Sweet! Always nice to tune in and have a 5-0 lead. This Mariners pitcher had been pitching good as well.

Enjoying these game summaries Tom and the new bullpen usage tracker - Thanks for putting this together!

That is interesting - we really missed out on picking up Dyson then - we could have locked up the 3 highest reliever ERA's in the league. lol!

Here is a video of Rooker as he was getting drafted https://www.facebook.com/HailStateBB/videos/1759344020747427/

BJ Garbe came to my mind because he was a top 5 HS pick for the Twins as well back in 1999 and the scouting reports stated that he was a 5-tool player. Not saying they will turn out the same or that they are the same type of player. Found an interesting article from 2009 on Garbe and the Washington area draft class of 1999. http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/remembering-washingtons-great-baseball-draft-class-of-1999/ Below is an excerpt from the article: Garbe’s story is the classic tale of a can’t-miss prospect who did. While Justin Morneau, taken in the third round of the same 1999 draft by Minnesota, is a superstar in the second year of a six-year, $80 million contract, Garbe’s life is consumed by running Kegler’s Casino and the Wild Card Sports Bar and Grill in East Wenatchee. And loving every minute of it. “It’s kind of hard to say this, but I’m probably more happy doing this than I’ve been in a long time,” he said. “I’ll always miss baseball, but I’m extremely content right now.” Pro baseball was an ordeal almost from the start for Garbe, who as a senior at Moses Lake was named the Gatorade national player of the year. For one thing, he was diagnosed with night blindness, which can be a problem in a sport in which 80 to 90 percent of the games are at night. “It played a part, definitely,” he said. “In day games, my average was 80 points higher than at night. Was that the deciding factor? I don’t think so.” The Twins tried to change his batting stroke, and he never adjusted. Mostly, Garbe said, he didn’t like the fact that baseball had become a business. “I never liked that about professional baseball,” he said. “The game just changed. I lost a lot of passion for it over the years that I played.” The Twins finally cut Garbe after the 2004 season. He hooked up with the Mariners’ organization in 2005, hitting .275 in Class A ball, and began the 2006 season in AA with the Marlins. Struggling with a .184 average in May, he quit for good.

BJ Garbe came to my mind as well.

Rooker - yes!! As a fellow Mississippi State Bulldog I love the pick!! Now let's get some pitching.

Well, all we can hope for the best. Have to say given the fact we rarely have the #1 pick it is a bit disappointing not to get a franchise impact player. Maybe this just was not the draft to have the top pick. Hope this organization can develop him correctly in 5 or 6 years.

I thought I would take a look at his game logs for this season - http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/5829/matt-belisle Man, when he goes south he goes in a big way. Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He is pitching more like a rookie, I would expect a veteran to be able to collect themselves and limit the damage in those situations. He has had several nice quiet outings as well but the overall line is ugly.

The Rangers just signed Ernesto Frieri - I would rather take a flier on him for nothing. He at least pitched OK this year in the minors.

As a Mississippi State Bulldog would love if we took Rooker if he is there at 35 or 37. But I will admit I know nothing about the MLB draft. Seems to be a bit of a crapshoot but I love all the draft write-ups on this site - it is getting me educated.

He has a bit of a prickly personality but might be worth taking a chance on. Especially if we exchange him for Belisle. Maybe a fresh start will get him back on track. There might also be some merit to wait until he goes on waivers rather than trade for him - would we still have the first shot to claim him from our record last year?

How sweet it is!

....and who is posing as Mauer at the plate?