Minnesota Twins Eddie Rosario should be an All-Star but needs a lot of help to get there
The Minnesota Twins will have at least one player representing them in the All-Star game, but outfielder Eddie Rosario is also deserving of the spot.
The Minnesota Twins were awarded one All-Star selection with their young starting pitcher and hopefully budding ace Jose Berrios making the squad. We recently took a look at the Twins representative for the showcase of major league baseball’s best players here. The question now is, will the Twins best player this season be left at home watching?
That player is final vote candidate Eddie Rosario. About two weeks ago here at Puckett’s Pond we power ranked the Twins All-Star candidates and Rosario took the top spot on that list. At the time Berrios came in third.
Fans and players saw things differently than we did when it came to how the initial All-Star rosters should be assembled. As Berrios made it, Rosario saw outfielders such as Michael Brantley, Mitch Haniger, and George Springer get in ahead of him. It was always understood that Rosario wouldn’t and shouldn’t break through the starting trio of Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, and Mookie Betts, but that reserve group should already include Rosario.
Rosario’s season slash line sits at .301/.342/.536 and a .878 OPS. He also has logged 23 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, and 53 RBIs. The Twins outfielder has a 3.9 bWAR which lands him 10th in the American League among position players. Rosario then has a fWAR of 3.3 landing him 12th among American League position players.
Not one of the reserve outfielders for the American League All-Star squad ranks higher in either measure of WAR than Rosario. There is nothing that can be done about that selection now. What can be done is that fans can push hard to help Rosario win the final vote. Something he is very deserving of.
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Rosario pretty clearly ranks higher in WAR than Giancarlo Stanton and Jean Segura. It is a split between the two WARs on who is better between Rosario and Andrew Benintendi. Now Stanton and Benintendi will likely give Rosario the hardest time in the final vote since it is a fan vote and they have the New York and Boston markets behind them respectively.
Who should really be giving Rosario a good challenge in the vote is Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons. It has always been known that Simmons is phenomenal with his glove. He also ranks just ahead of Rosario in WAR with a 4.1 bWAR and 3.5 bWAR. While Simmons offensive numbers are much improved from where he once was with a .307/.369/.436 slash line and .805 OPS. We can still build an argument for Rosario over Simmons.
The thing is, this is an All-Star game. Rosario has a flair to him that is absolutely exhilarating to watch. He also has a much better ability to change the game with his bat than Simmons does. Something that will be important for his bench/reserve role. Plus, if for some reason the American League needs another infielder just tell Rosario to bring his second baseman’s glove with him.
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That is why Rosario should win the Final Vote. He has the performance to back it up and entertainment ability to make it fun. It will be tough for him to win and Twins fans and likely some other fan bases will have to vote in full force in support of him, but he should. Oh and he should also because he is a Twins outfielder and I am a Twins fan. Most of us are on the same page with that though, right?