Brent Rooker - 2017

[wavedog]

I am excited to follow a fellow Mississippi State bulldog Brent Rooker - as he starts his career with the Twins organization today with Elizabethton.  

 

 

Below is some info on Brent:

 

Brent Rooker is listed at 6-4, 215, a right-handed hitter and thrower, born November 1, 1994.    The Germantown, Tennessee product was selected in the first round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 35th overall player taken.  He has played IB and Corner OF in college.

 

After being picked in the 38th round by the Minnesota Twins in the 2016 draft he hose to return to MSU for his junior season. That decision paid off  as he was named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and became MSU's first-ever Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

"I couldn't be more excited for, first, the season we had, and then to get started with the Minnesota Twins organization," Rooker said. "My goal was never to just get drafted. My goal has always been to make it to the big leagues. For me, this is the first step in a long process to reach my ultimate goal."

Rooker finished his season with a .387 batting average and a school record 30 doubles. His 96 hits was eighth in program history for hits in a single season, while his 23 home runs was fifth in the MSU record books.

 

Attaching a link to his MSU stats

 

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=brent-rooker

 

 

 

Below is a brief scouting report on him

 

STRENGTHS:
Performance-wise, there’s nothing not to like here: his numbers are outstanding and the SEC is the premier circuit in college baseball. Lest you think the gaudy numbers are a result of the metal bat, Rooker has also hit very well with wooden bats in college summer ball, hitting .360/.413/.604 in the 2015 New England Collegiate League and .305/.335/.426 in the 2016 Cape Cod League. Wherever he goes, he hits.
Tools-wise, Rooker is a fine all-around athlete. His raw power is rated as above average, 55 or 60 depending on the source, but he gets to it easily. He’s mobile for his size, with average running speed but possessing the instincts to use it well on the bases. His arm is likewise average, but he proved capable of handling right field as a sophomore. While he’s playing first base this year, a pro team could move him back to an outfield corner without hurting themselves.  Intangibles-wise, he’s shown the necessary work ethic to succeed, refining his swing and sharpening his strike zone judgment over the last year.
WEAKNESSES:
Despite his track record with wooden bats, Rooker will need to show that his plate discipline and swing mechanics will hold up against the most advanced pitching, something that has been doubted in the past. The redshirt freshman year also means he’s a year older that the typical college junior, already 22. These factors aren’t enough to keep him from being a hot commodity, but they may keep him out of the early parts of the first round.
OVERALL
On balance Rooker looks like a late first round or supplemental round pick, although a team looking to save a bit of bonus money for later picks may be tempted to cut a deal and pick him as early as the middle of the first round.

 

 

 

[AZTwin]

I thought the purpose of him starting in rookie ball was to get some playing time in the outfield before going to a-ball. Any idea why he's playing DH?! He should not be in rookie ball if they're going to put him strictly at DH

[nicksaviking]

While I agree, I'll probably wait more than one game to flip out.

[Bill Brown69]

 

While I agree, I'll probably wait more than one game to flip out.

 

 

 

Not fair! If it weren't for jumping to conclusions and flying off the handle we would all have to start an exercise program!  

 

All in jest, I hope everyone knows       

[Seth Stohs]

 

I thought the purpose of him starting in rookie ball was to get some playing time in the outfield before going to a-ball. Any idea why he's playing DH?! He should not be in rookie ball if they're going to put him strictly at DH

 

Doesn't hurt to get him DH at bats too. There are 35 guys on the roster... They'll play him most every day for a couple of weeks. He'll play in the OF.

[old nurse]

First game of a double header and the prospect plays as DH means nothing.  Somebody has to do it.Were they suposed to have Gamez dh on days he wasn't pitching.

[Bob Sacamento]

 

First game of a double header and the prospect plays as DH means nothing.  Somebody has to do it.Were they suposed to have Gamez dh on days he wasn't pitching.

Well this time last year Gamez was drafted as a catcher and was hitting so not completely far fetched if they had too.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJFqozDMDeU 

[AZTwin]

Looks like Rooker is DH in game 2. What a waste having him in elizabethton for this crap

[Rosterman]

Not sure why stating him at Eliz. Unless there is no room in the Cedar Rapids Inn.

[luckylager]

[AZTwin]

I'm sorry. Either this was a wasted pick or complete mismanagement of his development. I am growing less patient for new Twins management. They have done nothing to increase my confidence in them

[drjim]

Good passion in this thread.

[markos]

 

I'm sorry. Either this was a wasted pick or complete mismanagement of his development. I am growing less patient for new Twins management. They have done nothing to increase my confidence in them

Why exactly? The list of elite college players that started their careers in short-season ball is really long, including guys like:

Kris Bryant
Kyle Schwarber
AJ Reed
Dansby Swanson
Ian Happ
Nick Senzel
Andrew Benintendi
Michael Conforto
Trea Turner

Seems like most of them turned out okay in the long run, so I'm still holding out hope for Rooker.

 

[Obsvr]

ONE GAME.

 

ONE.

 

chill out ffs.

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

I kind of assumed this time at Etown was more to get him acclimated to using wood bats before he makes the jump to a much tougher league. Pretty sure DH allows for that.

[Squirrel]

All of this should be in Rooker's AAP thread. Moving and merging.

[nicksaviking]

All of this should be in Rooker's AARP thread. Moving and merging.

He's not that old!

 

1.273 OPS. I've seen enough, call him m up.

[Willihammer]

[Monkeypaws]

 

He's not that old!

1.273 OPS. I've seen enough, call him m up.

 

I don't know, he has 1 K and no BBs. I'd like to see him improve on that before moving him up. He also got caught stealing. 

 

No doubt the Twins were right to start him in E-town: Mr. Rooker has a LOT to learn about pro ball....

[wavedog]

Rooker played LF in Saturday's game - attaching a link which adds some insight on his perspective

 

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/twins-first-rounder-brent-rooker-hits-first-homer-on-4-for-5-night/c-238581764/t-185364810

 

 

 

 

[goulik]

"I was just trying to stay on fastballs," Rooker said. "I feel like that's how my approach was throughout college. Teams were giving me fastballs and I don't want to miss them. I want to make the team prove to me that they can throw off-speed pitches for strikes before I start to respect that pitch and stay on fastballs as much as I can and try to put my best swings on them."

 

I think he just told opposing pitchers how to beat him...

[AZTwin]

"I was just trying to stay on fastballs," Rooker said. "I feel like that's how my approach was throughout college. Teams were giving me fastballs and I don't want to miss them. I want to make the team prove to me that they can throw off-speed pitches for strikes before I start to respect that pitch and stay on fastballs as much as I can and try to put my best swings on them."

 

I think he just told opposing pitchers how to beat him...

Yikes. Yeah that's not encouraging. I sure hope he can hit offspeed pitches and that last year wasn't just an aberration. Just sitting on fastballs is not going to work much longer.

 

He's out of the lineup today. Is he getting called up or is he already on the pine? He's already DHd in rookie league. He should never be on the bench.

[wavedog]

In case anyone is wondering why Rooker has been out of the lineup  yesterday and today - he is attending the Golden Spikes Award Ceremony in Los Angeles.  Looks like he will miss the next couple of games.  

 

http://web.usabaseball.com/article.jsp?ymd=20170119&content_id=236403700&vkey=news_gsa

 

https://www.facebook.com/HailStateBB/photos/pcb.1778067312208431/1778066408875188/?type=3&theater

 

[AZTwin]

DH again...... 0-5 with 3 strikeouts so far. Looks like Rooker was able to get his pay day being the 1 trick pony (sitting on fastball) this year. A bit concerning that he's struggling with rookie ball

[wavedog]

YTD update for Rooker through Sunday.   So far he has played in 8 games - playing LF in 5 and DHing the other 3.   In 34 AB he has 8 hits, 1 BB and 10K's - so striking out approximately 30% of the time which is slightly concerning K/BB ratio - most if not all the K's have been of the swinging variety so he is an aggressive swinger.  Of the 8 hits, 4 are for extra bases - 3 HR and 1 Double .  

 

Attaching a link to his stats for those interested in more detail:

 

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=667670#/career/R/hitting/2017/ALL

 

He did have the gap when we went out to LA for the Golden Spikes award and has been a little sluggish since coming back from that so hopefully he will settle in and have a better week.   

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I have given this a lot of thought, and decided I am not ready to declare him a bust yet.

[AZTwin]

0-5 with 2 more strikeouts. Left 7 people on base. Now hitting .205 in rookie ball. Yeah this one isn't going to pan out

[sftwinsfan]

Still way too early to say anything on him yet.  A little weary of a guy that tore up the college ranks and yet the industry was not terribly high on him.  Usually that means there's some issues there. There are reasons he wasn't a top 10 pick.  Let's see what he does next year in his first full season, if he's struggling in Cedar Rapids or Fort Myers then we can worry.  

[wavedog]

Brent Rooker weekly update for Jul 3-9th:

 

Rooker had a nice week - hopefully a sign he is settling in.   In 30 plate appearances, he had 9 hits including 2 HR and 2 doubles so continuing to show good power.   Strike zone management was also improved as he walked 4 times and had 5 K's.   Batted .360 for the week with a .433 OBP and he also had a Stolen base.   Brent played LF in 6 of the games and DH'd once.  

 

Attaching a link with his full season stats

 

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=667670#/gamelogs/R/hitting/2017/MINORS

 

[Vanimal46]

Promoted to Fort Myers today! 

http://newnation.sg/wp-content/uploads/excited-gif-06.gif