Wikipedia

Eddie Rosario

Eddie Manuel Rosario, Jr. (born September 28, 1991) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball left fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals.

Eddie Rosario
Rosario with the Washington Nationals in 2024
Free agent
Left fielder
Born: (1991-09-28) September 28, 1991 (age 33)
Guayama, Puerto Rico
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 6, 2015, for the Minnesota Twins
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.262
Hits1,063
Home runs169
Runs batted in583
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's baseball
Representing  Puerto Rico
World Baseball Classic
Silver medal – second place 2013 San Francisco Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Los Angeles Team

Rosario was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft. After the 2013 season, he received a 50-game suspension for using a banned substance, which he served at the start of the 2014 season.[1] Rosario made his MLB debut with the Twins in 2015, hitting a home run, on the first pitch of his first career at bat. He was named National League Championship Series MVP and won the World Series with the Braves in 2021. Rosario has represented Puerto Rico in the 2013, 2017, and 2023 editions of the World Baseball Classic, winning a silver medal in his first two appearances.[2][3]

Early life

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Eddie Rosario was born to parents Eddie Sr. and Maria on September 28, 1991.[4][5] He was raised in Guayama, Puerto Rico.[4]

Professional career

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Minnesota Twins

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Rosario was scouted by Hector Otero, who worked for the Minnesota Twins at the time, as the organization's lead scout for South Florida and Puerto Rico.[4] Rosario was subsequently selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft.[6]

 
Rosario with the New Britain Rock Cats in 2013

Rosario first played in Minor League Baseball in 2010, in the Gulf Coast League.[7] He advanced through the farm system of the Twins, first reaching Double-A in 2013 and Triple-A in 2015.[7] He also played several seasons in the Puerto Rican Winter League, and played in the Arizona Fall League in 2013 and 2014.[7]

Rosario made his major league debut on May 6, 2015. Leading off the bottom of the 3rd inning, Rosario swung at the first pitch he saw from Oakland Athletics starter Scott Kazmir, and hit an opposite-field home run, becoming the 115th[8] player in major league history to hit a home run in his first at-bat.[9][10] Rosario played in 122 games for the Twins, sharing outfield duties with Torii Hunter, Aaron Hicks, and fellow prospect Byron Buxton. Despite being called up a month into the season, Rosario led all of baseball in triples with 15, and was second in outfield assists with 16, just one behind Avisail García of the Chicago White Sox. Rosario finished his rookie campaign with a .267 batting average and 13 home runs.[11]

With the retirement of Torii Hunter and the Twins' trade of Aaron Hicks, Rosario entered 2016 as the Twins' projected everyday left fielder.[12] After a slow start and the emergence of both Robbie Grossman and Max Kepler, Rosario saw his playing time dwindle ultimately leading to his demotion to Triple-A.[13] He was brought back up towards the end of the season, and finished the year batting .269/.296/.421 with 10 home runs, and 32 RBI in 92 games played.[14] In 2017, Rosario became the Twins’ everyday left fielder and emerged into one of the AL’s best hitters. On June 13 he had his first career 3 home run game[15] going 4-5 and driving in 5 runs. Later in the season he won his first Player of the Week[16][17] for the week of August 13, going .444/.484/1.000 with 4 home runs. He ranked in the top 25 for batting average, OPS, slugging, and doubles. In 151 games he batted .290 with 27 home runs and 78 RBI.

 
Rosario with the Minnesota Twins in 2017

On April 18, 2018, before a sold-out crowd at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in his homeland Puerto Rico, Rosario scored the winning run in the bottom of the 16th inning, coming around on Ryan LaMarre’s single that gave Minnesota a 2–1 win over the Cleveland Indians.[18] Rosario hit three home runs in a game for the second time in his career on June 3 against the Cleveland Indians, going 3-5, driving in four runs,[19] while hitting the game winning walk-off home run.[20] He finished the season with the lowest fielding percentage among major league left fielders, at .967,[21] and batted .288 with 24 home runs, 77 RBI, and a career high 161 hits in 138 games. Rosario was considered an All-Star "snub" in 2018. In 2019 he batted .276/.300/.500. He swung at the highest percentage of all pitches of all American League batters (59.1%).[22] In 57 games in 2020, he batted .257 with 13 home runs and led the team with 42 RBI. On December 1, 2020, Rosario was placed on outright waivers and cleared waivers the next day. On December 2, Rosario was non-tendered by the Twins.[23][24]

Cleveland Indians

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On February 4, 2021, Rosario was signed to a one-year, $8 million contract with the Cleveland Indians.[25] He played 78 games for the team, batting .254/.296/.389 with a .685 on-base plus slugging percentage. He was placed on the injured list on July 5.[26]

Atlanta Braves

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On July 30, 2021, Rosario was traded to the Atlanta Braves along with cash considerations in exchange for Pablo Sandoval.[27] On September 19, Rosario hit for the cycle against the San Francisco Giants.[28][29] In four at-bats, Rosario saw five pitches, the fewest pitches seen in a cycle since at least the 1990 season.[30] In 2021, between both teams he batted .259/.305/.435 with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs.[31]

On October 17, Rosario recorded four hits, including a walk-off single, in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series that gave the Braves a 5–4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.[32][33] The 2021 Braves became the fourth team in Major League Baseball history to record two walk-off wins in the first two games of a postseason series,[32] as Rosario matched the feat of teammate Austin Riley, who hit a walk-off single in Game 1.[34] Rosario recorded two home runs and a triple as part of a second four-hit game in Game 4 of the series, following Steve Garvey as the only players to record those base hits in the postseason. Rosario was the fifth major league player to record two four-hit games during the playoffs, and the second to have both four-hit games occur in the same series.[35] Teammate Adam Duvall followed Rosario's first home run of the game with a home run of his own, and they became the third pair of Braves teammates to hit consecutive home runs during a postseason game.[36][37] In Game 6, Rosario had two hits, including a three-run home run as the Braves won 4–2 and clinched their first National League pennant since 1999.[38] Rosario was awarded the NLCS MVP award for his performance in the series.[39]

On March 16, 2022, Rosario returned to the Braves on a two-year contract worth $18 million with a club option for the 2024 season.[40] He began his season with miserable play, accumulating just 3 hits for a batting average of .068 - a slump later revealed to be a result of issues in his right eye.[41] Tests showed that Rosario's right retina was swollen, leading to blurred vision.[42] A surgical procedure was scheduled for April 27, for which Rosario was projected to miss at least eight weeks.[43][44] After making several rehab appearances in Triple-A Gwinnett and assembling a .273 batting average, he returned to the team on July 4.[45] In 2022 with the Braves he batted .212/.259/.328 in 250 at bats.[46] At the end of the 2023 season, Atlanta declined Rosario's contract option, making him a free agent.[47][48]

Washington Nationals

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On March 6, 2024, Rosario signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals.[49] On March 24, the Nationals selected Rosario's contract.[50] In 67 games for Washington, he batted .183/.226/.329 with seven home runs, 26 RBI, and eight stolen bases. Rosario was designated for assignment following the promotion of James Wood on July 1.[51] He was released by the Nationals organization on July 3.[52]

Atlanta Braves (second stint)

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On July 5, 2024, Rosario signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves.[53] After three games for the Triple–A Gwinnett Stripers, his contract was purchased to the active roster on July 8.[54] In 24 games for the Braves, Rosario batted .154/.181/.282 with three home runs and nine RBI. On August 8, he was designated for assignment by Atlanta.[55] Rosario cleared waivers and was sent outright to Gwinnett on August 10.[56] He subsequently rejected the assignment in lieu of free agency the following day.[57]

New York Mets

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On August 13, 2024, Rosario signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.[58] In 7 games for the Triple–A Syracuse Mets, he went 3–for–29 (.103) with one home run and two RBI. Rosario was released by the Mets organization on August 25.[59]

International career

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Rosario played for Puerto Rico in their silver medal run of the 2013 World Baseball Classic, their silver medal run of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, and their quarterfinal run in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[60][61][3]

Personal life

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Rosario and his wife, Milany, have three children.[62] They reside in Kissimmee, Florida during the offseason.[63]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Neal III, La Velle E. (November 20, 2013). "Twins prospect Rosario banned for 50 games by MLB". Star Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  2. ^ Mayo, Jonathan. "Classic puts top prospects on global stage". MLB.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Star power, former Classic MVP lead Puerto Rico's roster". MLB.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Sanchez, Jesse (October 25, 2021). "'Born to hit': Rosario finally getting his due". MLB.com. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Neal III, La Velle E. (April 30, 2014). "Twins prospect Rosario has nothing to do but wait". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  6. ^ "Eddie Rosario". Retrosheet. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "Eddie Rosario Winter, Minor & Fall Leagues History & Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "Major League Baseball Players Who Homered in Their First At-Bat". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  9. ^ Rosario homers on first ML pitch. MLB.com. May 6, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  10. ^ Kenney, Kirk (May 19, 2015). "Rosario makes good first impression". U-T San Diego. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  11. ^ "Eddie Rosario Statistics and History". Baseball Reference. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  12. ^ "Minnesota Twins Depth Chart". Twins Baseball. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Twins send Rosario to Triple-A Rochester". MLB.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  14. ^ "Eddie Rosario Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  15. ^ Mike Berardino (June 14, 2017). "Puerto Rico's Eddie Rosario joins special group on three-homer list". Pioneer Press.
  16. ^ "American League Player of the Week". MLB.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  17. ^ "Rosario parlays hot stretch to AL POW honors". MLB.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  18. ^ "Twins walk off in 16 innings vs. Indians in Puerto Rico game". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  19. ^ "Eddie Rosario 2018 Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  20. ^ "Twins walk off on Rosario's 3rd HR of day". MLB.com. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2018 » Left Fielders » Fielding Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". www.fangraphs.com.
  22. ^ "Major League Leaderboards » 2019 » Batters » Plate Discipline Statistics | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs.com. January 1, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  23. ^ Park, Do-Hyoung (December 2, 2020). "Rosario, Wisler non-tendered by Twins". MLB.com. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  24. ^ Neal III, La Velle E. (December 3, 2020). "Twins will move on without Eddie Rosario; Berrios, Buxton sign". Star Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  25. ^ "Indians confirm signing of OF Eddie Rosario". Indians.com. February 4, 2021.
  26. ^ Bowman, Mark (March 18, 2022). "For Rosario, returning to Braves a no-brainer". MLB.com. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  27. ^ Bowman, Mark (July 30, 2021). "Braves deal for Rich-Rod, bring back Duvall". MLB.com.
  28. ^ Salvador, Joseph. "Eddie Rosario Hits for the Cycle; Braves Avoid Sweep". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  29. ^ "Rosario hits for cycle, leads Fried, Braves over Giants 3-0". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  30. ^ delos Santos, Justice (September 19, 2021). "Rosario hits for cycle, seeing only 5 pitches". MLB.com. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  31. ^ "Eddie Rosario Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  32. ^ a b Bowman, Mark (October 17, 2021). "Braves walk off Dodgers AGAIN in NLCS G2". MLB.com. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  33. ^ Burns, Gabriel (October 17, 2021). "Eddie Rosario's walk-off hit puts Braves up 2-0 on Dodgers in NLCS". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  34. ^ Bowman, Mark (October 17, 2021). "Riley plays G1 hero with HR, walk-off knock". MLB.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  35. ^ Bowman, Mark (October 21, 2021). "Rosario, Braves dreaming big with 3-1 lead". Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  36. ^ DiComo, Anthony (October 21, 2021). "Braves' back-to-back homers a first since '02". MLB.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  37. ^ "Braves blast 4 HRs, beat Dodgers 9-2 for 3-1 lead in NLCS". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  38. ^ "Dodgers vs. Braves - Box Score - October 23, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  39. ^ Perry, Dayn; Axisa, Mike (October 23, 2021). "Braves' Eddie Rosario named NLCS MVP after record-tying playoff performance, go-ahead Game 6 homer". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  40. ^ Bowman, Mark (March 16, 2022). "'21 NLCS MVP Rosario back with Braves on 2-yr deal". MLB.com. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  41. ^ Toscano, Justin (April 26, 2022). "Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario played with blurry right eye". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  42. ^ "Atlanta Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario set for laser procedure to correct blurred vision, team says". ESPN.com. April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  43. ^ "Atlanta Braves OF Eddie Rosario expected out 8-12 weeks to correct vision issues". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  44. ^ Bowman, Mark (April 26, 2022). "Rosario to miss 8-12 weeks due to eye procedure". MLB.com. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  45. ^ "Braves' Rosario returns from IL, starting against Cardinals". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  46. ^ "Eddie Rosario Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com.
  47. ^ "Braves pick up Charlie Morton's option, decline Eddie Rosario's". ESPN.com. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  48. ^ Bowman, Mark (November 6, 2023). "Braves exercise option on Morton, decline options on Rosario, McHugh, Yates". Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  49. ^ "Nationals To Sign Eddie Rosario". MLB Trade Rumors. March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  50. ^ "Nationals Select Eddie Rosario, Jesse Winker, Matt Barnes". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  51. ^ "Nationals call up top prospect James Wood, to debut vs. Mets". ESPN.com. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  52. ^ "Nationals Request Release Waivers On Eddie Rosario". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  53. ^ Toscano, Justin. "Braves sign Eddie Rosario to minor-league deal". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  54. ^ "Braves Select Eddie Rosario". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  55. ^ Burns, Gabriel. "Braves designate 2021 postseason hero Eddie Rosario for assignment". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  56. ^ "Braves' Eddie Rosario: Outrighted to Gwinnett". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  57. ^ "Eddie Rosario: Hits open market". cbssports.com. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  58. ^ "Mets Sign Eddie Rosario To Minor League Deal". MLB Trade Rumors. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  59. ^ "Mets Release Eddie Rosario". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  60. ^ Wells, Adam. "World Baseball Classic 2013: Complete Rosters Revealed". Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  61. ^ "Young stars join Beltran, Yadi for Puerto Rico". MLB.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  62. ^ "Twins reinstate rookie Rosario from paternity list". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  63. ^ "MLB Cribs: Here Are the Homes of the NL Champion Atlanta Braves". October 28, 2021.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eddie Rosario.
Achievements
Preceded by Hitting for the cycle
September 19, 2021 		Succeeded by
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