What Eddie Rosario can provide Atlanta Braves when fully healthy
Coming off the 2021 World Series, the Atlanta Braves had a tough decision to make with three big pieces acquired at the trade deadline to become free agents in Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario.
While you knew the Braves would likely bring at least one of them back -- and maybe even two -- you could have made a case for any of them.
Joc energized the team and had some big moments. Rosario was the NLCS MVP and Soler the World Series MVP.
The latter signed a three-year deal with the Miami Marlins for $36 million and the Giants were able to snag Pederson for just one year and $6 million.
In hindsight, getting Joc back at that deal was probably the smart move.
But the Braves were looking for someone who can be an everyday player in left field and Rosario has shown he can do that more consistently throughout his career than the other two.
The Gold Years for Eddie Rosario
From 2015-2020 with the Minnesota Twins, Rosario slashed .277/.310/.478 with a 109 OPS+ and 119 home runs in 697 games.
While the analytics have never loved Eddie, he's always carried a pretty solid slugging percentage and love strikeout rate.
He's not someone that's going to take a lot of walks and make consistent hard contact, but rather someone who will put the ball in play frequently and if a pitcher makes a mistake he has no problem pulling it out for a home run.
WATCH: Eddie Rosario goes long vs the Pirates
Eddie was on pace to have his worst offensive season in a while during 2021 with Cleveland as he battled some injuries.
But the Braves took a chance on him and traded their panda mascot for him at the deadline while he was still on the injured list.
Once he came back, he looked like the Eddie of old slashing .271/330/.573 with the Braves down the stretch and into the postseason.
But as his eyesight worsened to start the 2022 season, it was clear something wasn't right with Rosario whose strikeout percentage jumped up 10 percent from where he had been for the previous three seasons.
That led to the surgery, and even when he came back it was still a tough adjustment for him.
What a healthy Rosario looks like in 2023
The 31-year-old Rosario is going to get the first shot to be the everyday left field.
We may see him take a seat against lefties as his OPS is 100 points less against lefties in his career.
But the majority of the time, teams are facing a righty, so Rosario will get plenty of playing time.
FanGraph's ZiPS projections have Rosario slashing .243/.285/.398 with a wRC+ of 84 and 13 home runs in 106 games.
If that's the case, he loses that left field job pretty quickly as there are several behind him who performed well in Spring Training that are just waiting on him to slip up to get a chance.
Sam Hilliard is another left-handed option on the roster who would quickly see an up-tick in at-bats if Rosario gets off to a slow start.
But thinking optimistically, Rosario has shown signs he's back to his old self this Spring.
Since coming back from the World Baseball Classic where he hit a couple of home runs, he's 4-11 with a double and 2 home runs.
He's struck out just four times in 26 at-bats during Spring Training, showing that the hand-eye coordination is back.
Fully healthy, it's very plausible to think Rosario could get back to the .270/.310/.470 slashline we've seen from him in the past along with 20 home run power in 130 games.
We haven't mentioned the defense yet, but in 2020 and 2021 Rosario was rated as one of the strongest outfield arms in baseball.
He doesn't get the best jumps and has slightly above-average speed, so it's likely he gets replaced late in games with the solid defensive options the Braves will have on the bench.
The Braves do carry a $9 million team option for Rosario in 2024, so if he does get back to his previous form there is a chance we see him back next season.
All the signs are pointing towards Rosario having a much bigger impact in 2023 now that he's fully healthy.
Related Braves Stories
Atlanta Braves' long-term plan for Braden Shewmake
Outfield competition creates great depth for Atlanta Braves
Ian Anderson is down but not out
Atlanta Braves 26-man roster projection
Michael Soroka optioned to AAA Gwinnett
Engage with Braves Today on Socials!
Follow Braves Today on Twitter!