Two Plays That Prove Brayan Rocchio Should Stay With The Big League Club
After a five-year of Minor League career and a bizarre call-up in April before being sent back down, Brayan Rocchio finally played in his first MLB series. This will be something that Rocchio remembers for the rest of his life even though the Cleveland Guardians may have dropped the series.
Rocchio may not stay with the Big League club for much longer, but two plays really stand out showing that he is ready for The Show.
Sweet Swing
Rocchio collected a pair of hits in his first three games as a Big Leaguer. His first MLB hit was a soft contact tapper that barely got back to the pitcher's mound. However, Rocchio still showed his offensive potential.
In his second at-bat of Thursday afternoon's game, Rocchio stood in the box as lefty Dylan Cease wound up to throw a four-seam fastball. Rocchio went with the pitch and beautifully sent it the opposite way to left field.
This may seem like a small play, but it shows how natural of a hitter Rocchio is as he's able to find success against one of the league's best pitchers.
Gold Glove Potential
Rocchio came up through Cleveland's organization as a shortstop but got his first MLB start at third base for the absent Jose Ramirez.
Yes, playing third base may just be a few feet over from short, but they aren't in the same position. Yet, Rocchio looked like a natural there. He made an incredible play stealing a hit from Hanser Alberto.
Rocchio reaction time here is off the chart. It's incredible he was able to get leather on the ball, let alone pull it in for a catch. Baseball Savant gave this hart hit ball an xBA of .490 with an exit velocity of 93.7.
It's one thing to get it done on one side of the field, but when a player shows their potential on offense and defense that means it's time to give them a shot for longer.
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