Wilin

Rosario

As Ben Kenobi once said, “Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.” The former Rockies slugger hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2015 season. Rosario spent time mashing in Korea before logging three seasons in Japan. He returned stateside on a minors pact with the Twins for the 2019 season before playing in the Mexican League last year. At 32 years old, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll make it back to the majors again. Yet, he’s one of the few players in history to make appearances in MLB, NPB, KBO and CPBL. So, he’s got that going for him.

The 29-year-old hasn’t played in the big leagues since the 2015 season. He had a tremendous amount of success playing in Korea during the 2016 and 2017 seasons where he hit .330 and clubbed 70 home runs. He spent the 2018 season in Japan, where he slashed just .242/.285/.374 with eight homers and 40 RBI in 75 games. With several designated hitter types on the roster already in Minnesota, Rosario may have a tough time cracking the Opening Day roster.

Rosario turns 30 in February and hasn’t played in the majors since 2015 with the Rockies. He enjoyed a lot of success from 2016-2017 while playing in the Korea Baseball Organization, but he underwhelmed during a stint in Japan last year. There’s some pop here, but he’s mostly a first base/DH type and there’s already quite of few of those still looking for jobs right now.

Iannetta has been one of the NL’s better catchers with his .237/.370/.409 line this season, but the Rockies want to get a look at their youngster. It’d be no surprise if Iannetta gets traded this winter.

Wilin Rosario has hit three homers and slugged .500 since being called up earlier this month, but he’s also getting on base only at a .240 clip and is considered an unfinished product defensively. Of course, the Rockies could look to trade Iannetta over the offseason, which has been speculated. He’s slated to make $3.55 million next season, with a $5 million club option for 2013 that can be voided if he’s dealt before that season.

Rockies manager Jim Tracy wants to get a look at Wilin Rosario and Jordan Pachedo behind the plate in the final series of the season. Iannetta is batting .236/.370/.407 with 13 homers this year. He could be trade bait over the offseason.

The blast, his second of the spring, came against veteran righty Rodrigo Lopez. Rosario is now batting .350 this spring and has driven in seven runs. He’s attempting to win the backup job behind Ramon Hernandez but might be better off playing every day at Triple-A.

The top prospect’s first bomb of the spring was a three-run shot off of Alex Hinshaw. Looking to lock down a spot on the Rockies’ bench, Rosario is hitting .333 through his first 15 at-bats. Rosario will likely begin the year in the minors after hitting .204/.228/.463 during a September cup of coffee last season.

Wilin Rosario will start behind the dish and bat seventh. Look for Hernandez to play the second game.

Rosario, 23, had a monster spring, posting a .391 batting average with three home runs, four doubles and 11 RBIs in 19 games. Although the top prospect will begin behind Ramon Hernandez, he should carry some value in NL-only leagues and could become a much bigger fantasy factor later in the season as he begins to steal at-bats.