Minnesota Twins 40-man in 40 days: Eddie Rosario
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Eddie Rosario is a future star and the Minnesota Twins are fortunate to have him manning left field. With Byron Buxton in center and Max Kepler in right, the Twins have one of the best young outfields in all of Major League Baseball.
Rosario enjoyed a breakout season for Minnesota in 2017 while playing in a career best 151 games. He hit .290 with 27 home runs and 78 runs batted in and provided solid defense for the Twins in left field.
Rosario runs the bases well, but it doesn’t translate to stolen bases for him. He has only 25 stolen bases in 365 career games for Minnesota, but he uses his speed well in the outfield. Rosario commutes four errors in the outfield last season and that is a bit concerning.
However, Rosario uses his athleticism well and can even play centerfield for this team in a pinch. He’s still a very young and his future in the Twin Cities has fans salivating over his potential.
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What to expect from Rosario in 2018
It’s safe to say that Rosario will have another solid season for the Minnesota Twins in 2018. However, to expect him to hit .290 with almost 30 home runs again would be foolish.
Rosario has worked hard to improve his strikeout numbers and it showed last season. He played in 59 more games last season than he did in 2016 and struck out only 16 more times. The improvement is evident and encouraging. However, he will need to continue to improve if he’s going to reach his potential.
However, it always possible that the ’17 season was a precursor of more to come from Rosario. He’s starting to put everything together at the plate and his continued success is important for the Minnesota Twins.
Rosario should hit in the .270-.280 range with more than 20 home runs in ’18. He could also far outperform those expectations and that would music to the Minnesota Twins ears. Rosario can hit anywhere in the lineup, giving manager Paul Molitor a lot of options, and will be a major part of the Twins success this season.
Next: Minnesota Twins Top-5 prospects
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