Notebook: Eddie Rosario Finds a New Home

[Matthew Lenz]

Eddie Rosario is no longer with Minnesota, but Twins fans will be seeing plenty of him this coming season. Notes on Rosario's new team and more in tonight's notebook.Former Twins LF, Eddie Rosario, lands in Cleveland

Twins fans will get plenty of opportunity to watch Rosario play for the 2021 season as he remains in the AL Central. The free swinging lefty goes to a park that his pull hitting tendencies will benefit from. Baseball Savant estimates that Rosario would have hit an additional eight home runs over the last two seasons had all of his at-bats came at Progressive Field compared to if they had all come at Target Field. Check out this farewell when it became clear Eddie was no longer going to be a Twin.

 

Griffey Jr. added as Senior Advisory to Rob Manfred

“The Kid” will help with various areas but will specifically have “a special emphasis on baseball operations and youth baseball development, particularly on improving diversity at amateur levels”, according to Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

 

Despite concerns and rule changes to help the pace of play, MLB viewership has actually been on the rise for years (sources: 2018, 2019, 2020), according to Forbes, although attendance has continued to decline. Furthermore, according to a USA Today report in 2019, youth baseball participation has been increasing in recent years although numbers don’t seem to be what they were last century. I don’t know that we will ever get back to baseball truly being “America’s Pastime”, but perhaps it’s not in as bad of a state that is portrayed in the media? The world is inarguably very different now that it was last century, as we live in a fast-paced, instant gratification culture, and admittedly baseball doesn’t always provide those things. That said, data shows that baseball’s popularity is back on the rise and Griffey will undoubtedly bring a fresh perspective to an already successful Play Ball initiative as youth participation has increased by 52.8% since its inception in 2015, according to Matt Kelly of MLB.com.

 

Twins attend Mike Foltynewicz throwing session

Foltynewicz had a very good 2018 campaign before being sidelined for part of 2019 with elbow discomfort and never returning to his 2018 form when he got healthy. At his best, he is the current regime’s prototype slider pitcher so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Twins try to add Foltynewicz on a MiLB deal.

 

Cleveland re-sign MIF Cesar Hernandez

Hernandez, who joined the Indians last offseason, has been a solid ~2.0 WAR player for the last three seasons. Last year in particular he slashed .283/.355/.408 with a WRC+ of 110 while also playing very good second base. At $5MM this makes him the third highest paid player on the roster until they inevitably deal Jose Ramirez, who still has one-year and two club options remaining on his contract at an AAV of $11.67MM.

 

Cubs sign Joc Pederson

Although never tied to the Twins, Pederson could have been a solid fit for the Twins as Twins Daily’s own, Cody Pirkl, points out

 

St. Louis Cardinals: Wainwright re-signs, Molina expected to; adding Arenado?

The two Cardinal mainstays have signed up for what will likely be one last go around while the club is also looking to add third basemen Nolan Arenado. The NL Central is wide open right as the Cubs and Pirates are selling and the Reds and Brewers have been quiet this offseason.

 

Tigers nab another former Twins player

Wilson Ramos made his Major League debut in 2010 while Gardy was managing the Twins to his last postseason with the club. Of course, then this happened. The former number two Twins prospect, per Baseball America, has gone on to have a solid, yet mostly underwhelming career as almost half of his career fWAR came from just two seasons.

 

JT Realmuto officially back with the Phils

Arguably the best backstop in the league is going back to Philly for the next three years. This comes two months after it was leaked that the Phillies lost $145MM during 2020 and that might impact their spending this offseason despite giving Bryce Harper the largest contract in baseball history just two years ago.

 

Daniel Murphy retires

The 2015 NLCS MVP is hanging up his cleats after an impressive career that included a runner-up MVP season, three all-star seasons, and two silver slugger awards.

 

Last but assuredly not least, don’t miss out on your chance to get a Winter Meltdown pint glass while also supporting the community!

 

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[dbminn]

Daniel Murphy was a very professional hitter. My respects. On to the big one...

 

Eddie to the Cleveland Spiders! I'm happy for him.

 

With Kirilloff coming, it was the right move for the Twins. Still, I think they are going to pay for this one. He evened out his K/BB ratio last year. If he maintains the better judgement he found last year and refinds his loose swing, he's going to be dangerous.

 

PS - I thought he would stay in the Central but I had him going to the White Sox.

[Shaitan]

FYI to the author: Gardy isn't in DET anymore.

 

Sad to see Rosario in the Central. I like him a lot as a player (though I also agree with the decision to let him go). This makes it way harder to root for him, except against the CSW of course.

[bobs]

I'm kinda glad Eddie stays in Central.  He had a lot of fans here and now they'll get to see him again.  Have no doubt the Eddie Rosario fan club out in the LF bleachers will be happy to see him

[Out State Twin]

I will miss his poor defense, bad base running, streaky hitting & lackadaisical attitude.

[Major League Ready]

 

Daniel Murphy was a very professional hitter. My respects. On to the big one...

 

Eddie to the Cleveland Spiders! I'm happy for him.

 

With Kirilloff coming, it was the right move for the Twins. Still, I think they are going to pay for this one. He evened out his K/BB ratio last year. If he maintains the better judgement he found last year and refinds his loose swing, he's going to be dangerous.

 

PS - I thought he would stay in the Central but I had him going to the White Sox.

 

He was 257th out of 267 players with 250 ABs in 2019. In 2020, he was 195th out of 203 with 150 ABs. He did not get better with plate discipline. He started taking defensive (weak swings) with 2 strikes. He hit many a slow rollers last year. I would put it a little differently ... He will be dangerous IF he ever develops plate discipline. The bad defensive decisions, poor base running and horrid plate discipline are all symptoms of a poor approach to the game.

[notoriousgod71]

Rosario is the type of personality that will just destroy the Twins every time he faces them.

 

The new Gogo.

[ScrapTheNickname]

 

Rosario is the type of personality that will just destroy the Twins every time he faces them.

 

The new Gogo.

At least it will be interesting.

[tony&rodney]

Eddie Rosario makes Cleveland a better ball club. Cleveland still has Francona at the helm and he has a word or two to say on the lineup. It's as simple as that.

The AL Central will be much tougher than in recent years. Two years ago, there were three very weak rosters. not so this year. The separation between teams is less.

[flpmagikat]

 

He was 257th out of 267 players with 250 ABs in 2019. In 2020, he was 195th out of 203 with 150 ABs. He did not get better with plate discipline. He started taking defensive (weak swings) with 2 strikes. He hit many a slow rollers last year. I would put it a little differently ... He will be dangerous IF he ever develops plate discipline. The bad defensive decisions, poor base running and horrid plate discipline are all symptoms of a poor approach to the game.

 

What was he 257/267 and 195/203? 

[Major League Ready]

 

What was he 257/267 and 195/203? 

 

I am not sure what's the confusion. You will have to elaborate.

[Darius]

The only place that would’ve been worse is the White Sox.

 

I really liked Rosario. When he’s on one of his hot streaks, there may nobody in the game more fun to watch hit.

 

He gets a lot of crap, but he was a big part of these good teams we’ve had recently. He hit a lot of big home runs.

[nclahammer]

I will continue to cheer for Eddie Rosario when he plays against the Minnesota Twins, although not for his team.  One of my all-time favorite Twins.

[mikelink45]

Good luck Eddie.  Watching the Cardinals and Arenado is like the Twins and Donaldson last year, but that opt out after 2021 is a deal breaker.   I suspect Arenado will be happy to be in St Louis and will wave it.  I think the Realmuto contract is a mistake - too long, yes he is a great catcher, and unless he is Yadier Molina he will break down like Posey and Mauer - then they are stuck. 

[rv78]

3 Fastballs above his head everytime and he'll be walking back to the dugout. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

[miracleb]

"What was he 257/267 and 195/203?"

 

He was commenting on Eddie's plate discipline (K/BB ratio.)   If we are to believe his #'s(I guess I do,) then Eddie did NOT improve from 2019 to 2020.  Eddie must be close to 30 yrs old........he 'is what he is' and won't be magically changing things the last 2-3 years he has left in the league.

[DocBauer]

Huge fan of Eddie. Loved his exuberance and those crazy momentous doubles and HR's that won games. Or the crazy baserunning that duked the other team. Also going to miss those missile strikes to a base on occasion.

 

But the transition to Kirilloff is noth necessary and understandable. I wish Eddie the best, except when he plays us.

[tony&rodney]

Count me among those who is excited to see Alex Kirilloff hitting line drives and understanding of the shift to youth and a balance of resources across the roster.

However, nobody should be surprised in the least if Eddie Rosario outperforms any player on the Twins team in 2021. Rosario is an athlete with considerable skills and still capable of improved performance. I wish him well.

[Bomba2026]

Will watch all Clev MN games just to see my fav player, Eddie. I will be busy most other games...

[twinfan]

So now the Twins have lost Rosario and Schoop among others in the past 2 years. Both are serviceable players who have not yet been adequately replaced. We'll see about Kiriloff who I think will do well. Foltnywitz would be a gamble but was good in 2018. An Arenado trade would have been great but the front office won't give up Lewis and Sano for him. Hopefully Eddie won't come back to haunt us.

[rdehring]

Eddie was one of my favorite's since he was at Elizabethton. Happy that he got a reasonable contract. Biggest concern is that with their pitching, he just could be the difference that will keep them in the hunt for the Central crown.

 

Would love to be able to see him play against the Twins, but it doesn't look like that is going to be possible...thanks to Sinclair Broadcasting, FSN and Hulu.

 

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!

[CharlieDee]

With all of his flaws, I'm gonna miss Eddie. I remember his first ab with the Twins, when he mashed a hr vs Oakland. What an exciting debut!  I know the Twins had good reason to let Eddie go,but I'm not gonna like seeing him wearing a Cleveland uni.

[prouster]

 

I am not sure what's the confusion. You will have to elaborate.

The confusion is that it's not at all clear what stat you're using.

[prouster]

 

So now the Twins have lost Rosario and Schoop among others in the past 2 years. Both are serviceable players who have not yet been adequately replaced. We'll see about Kiriloff who I think will do well. Foltnywitz would be a gamble but was good in 2018. An Arenado trade would have been great but the front office won't give up Lewis and Sano for him. Hopefully Eddie won't come back to haunt us.

The Twins have Arraez and Polanco who can both play second base and hit as well or better than Schoop.

 

As far as Rosario goes, I'm a little sad he went to Cleveland, but I'm glad he was able to get a decent salary.

[jmlease1]

 

So now the Twins have lost Rosario and Schoop among others in the past 2 years. Both are serviceable players who have not yet been adequately replaced. We'll see about Kiriloff who I think will do well. Foltnywitz would be a gamble but was good in 2018. An Arenado trade would have been great but the front office won't give up Lewis and Sano for him. Hopefully Eddie won't come back to haunt us.

 

Schoop lost the job to Arraez during the season, so it's pretty hard to say he wasn't adequately replaced. Schoop played better last year for Det than he did for us, but it's to say he was significantly better than Arraez, just a bit healthier. Considering Arraez is younger and cheaper, I think the Twins did just fine there.

 

Time will tell if Kirilloff or Larnach are capable replacements for Rosario, but assuming they won't be before the season even started indicates a pretty significant bias. Rosario isn't a bad player by any means, but the market has already shown that he wasn't worth the $10M he was set to get in arbitration, since he only got 1/$8M. Would the Twins have resigned him at that number? Maybe, but the way pride messes with people, as soon as the Twins declined arbitration, he was never coming back here.

 

Who else have the Twins not adequately replaced in recent years? CJ Cron? I think they managed that one just fine (adding Donaldson and moving Sano over). Jason Castro? Ryan Jeffers stepped in rather well, I'd say. Adrianza? We just added Andrelton Simmons. Robbie Grossman? We replaced him with Cruz. We haven't replaced Marwin yet, but considering how much he sucked last year...it shouldn't be that hard to replace that production. (Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing Blankenhorn get a shot; with Arraez/Polanco taking most of the remaining AB at 2B, backing up SS, and 3B...outside of protection against injury there aren't going to be that many ABs out there)

 

Rosario had a good run with the Twins and was a nice player. But his defense declined, his plate discipline never really improved and there's really no reason to believe he's going to have a renaissance as a player. 

[MN_ExPat]

I love Eddie as much as everyone else.     I'm sorry to see him go, but I understand why.    I'm also glad that he found a new home.

 

However...    the Unwritten Laws of Baseball clearly state "You may root for a favorite player who has moved on to another team.   However, under no circumstances may you root for him when he plays against his former team (our Twins).    In said case, the former player must strike out or hit weak grounders (Golden Sombrero is preferred) in every AB."

 

I would love to see Eddie do well, just not against the Twins.     As you can see above, the rules say so. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

$8m is more than I expected, good for Eddie.

 

While I hold zero love for Cleveland, I hope he does well and continues to get paid.

[tony&rodney]

Kyle, the hobble, Schwarber got more. Go figure.

[Boswell]

Very smart move by Cleveland. They just replaced Lindor’s offensive contribution. With Francona’s firm direction and a change of scenery, Eddie’s bat could really, really pop. 2-3 game-winning HR’s against us each year!

[flpmagikat]

 

"What was he 257/267 and 195/203?"

 

He was commenting on Eddie's plate discipline (K/BB ratio.)   If we are to believe his #'s(I guess I do,) then Eddie did NOT improve from 2019 to 2020.  Eddie must be close to 30 yrs old........he 'is what he is' and won't be magically changing things the last 2-3 years he has left in the league.

 

 

I am not sure what's the confusion. You will have to elaborate.

 

Sorry this answered it. I should have said, "What stat is he ranked 257/267...."