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Brent Rooker 2021 Outlook: Slugger Ready to Break Out
4 years agoEntering 2020, we were one of few — if any — baseball prognosticators talking about Rooker as a potential impact bat for the coming year. Well, he got the call from the alternate training site before the more heralded bats — Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach — but his debut was cut short by a broken forearm after he was hit by a pitch in his seventh MLB game. Rooker made an impression in his brief debut, which lasted 21 plate appearances, with a 50% Hard Hit rate and a 14% Barrel rate. Rooker does have a fair bit of swing-and-miss to his game but it's more than offset by the massive power he can produce, as well as the strong on-base numbers. We obviously can't read too much into the 2020 stats but it was a promising start and not out of line from what the 26-year-old outfielder has done through the minors where his wRC+ has never dipped below 124 at any stop during his three minor league seasons. You'll hear a lot about Kirilloff as the 2021 season nears — and with good reason — but don't forget about Rooker who has a chance to find playing time in left field, at first base, and at DH.
