During last season’s trade deadline, the New York Yankees made a ton of moves that are still having a huge impact on the team nine months later. However, practically no one expected Amed Rosario, of all players, to be single-handedly winning games for the Yankees. After hitting a three-run home run and tallying four total RBI’s in Wednesday night’s 4-1 win against the Boston Red Sox, Rosario keeps on proving that he can be more than the average utility player.
The Yankees make many lineup decisions based on matchups; handedness absolutely matters to manager Aaron Boone and the front office. That is one of the reasons why the Yankees acquired Rosario in the first place: his numbers against left-handed pitching are well-above average, plus he plays a position (third base/shortstop) that New York desperately needs depth in. With these factors in mind, it’s a no-brainer that the Yankees re-signed him to a one-year deal in the offseason. The weird part, though, is that Rosario isn’t just starting against lefties anymore; in fact, he is raking against righties as well.
Power Breakout
The 30-year-old veteran has a lifetime OPS of .710, which is nothing to scoff at but not all that great either. Rather, Rosario’s value comes from being able to play defense, albeit shakily, anywhere in the infield besides first base. This doesn’t mean that he hasn’t had good seasons, though; with Cleveland in 2022, Rosario slashed .283/.312/.403 with 180 hits (including 46 for extra bases), 71 RBI, and 86 runs scored. That’s about where he hit a peak, however, and in the three seasons since, Rosario has just 15 homers with a .693 OPS in 307 games.
But this season? Rosario is one of the Yankees’ best hitters; he’s slashing .265/.309/.571 with 4 home runs, 13 RBI’s, and just eight strikeouts in 55 plate appearances. Rosario has clearly found a stroke of power that he didn’t have before, and the Yankees should count themselves as extremely lucky for Rosario’s hot streak, especially since half of their lineup is still struggling to get off their feet.
Is It Sustainable?
Logic points to no, but Rosario will still provide a lot of value down the stretch for New York. First of all, he is sneakily fast: according to Baseball Savant, Rosario’s sprint speed averages 28.4 feet per second, which is in the top 12% of all Major Leaguers thus far. Speed may not be a huge issue for some teams, but when your team has three of the 25 slowest baserunners in the entire league (Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells, Paul Goldschmidt), having a guy like Rosario who can hit AND run will be essential.
Historically, Rosario’s defense is average at best; though, in all fairness, he’s only appeared at shortstop (his natural position) in just 15 games over the last two seasons. The Yankees already have a third baseman who can field in Ryan McMahon, so it’s much more important for Rosario to be able to hit rather than field. Regardless, only time will tell if this is just a month-long hot streak or if he’ll sustain this success long enough to earn another contract with New York.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
