Here’s a trivia question for my fellow baseball connoisseurs: Which player led the National League in singles for the 2019 season?
Was it Christian Yelich?
Nope.
Cody Bellinger?
Try again.
Ronald Acuña Jr?
Not a chance.
The answer is Mets shortstop Amed Rosario, who recorded 125 singles to top the Senior Circuit. After putting together a mediocre statline prior to the All-Star break, Rosario flourished in the second half of the season. Once viewed as one of the top prospects in the majors, Rosario finally came into his own during the latter months of 2019.
The shortstop is entering his age-24 season in 2020, and his late-season surge indicates that he may be on the verge of a true breakout campaign. In order to reach his full offensive potential, Rosario will need to improve certain areas of his game and build upon several of his second-half trends.
Solving Citi Field
As well as Rosario played in the final months of 2019, he still struggled to perform as well at Citi Field as he did in opposing ballparks. He played like an All-Star on the road, slashing .323/.352/.484 over 79 away games. However, his .248/.292/.374 slashline over 78 games at home was far more pedestrian.
It’s unclear exactly why the young infielder had such drastic splits, but his batted-ball profile suggests that he can master the pitcher-friendly confines of Citi Field in 2020. The key to a better home performance for Rosario may simply come down to driving the ball to the opposite field more often.
Overall, Rosario was successful when he pulled the ball to the left side in 2019. But he displayed more power to center and right-center at Citi Field, at least in terms of home runs. Rosario slugged a total of eight home runs at Citi last season, and just two of them were pulled.
If Rosario can flash that opposite-field power more consistently, he may see an uptick in slugging percentage in his games in Flushing.
Utilizing Speed
When Rosario first arrived in the majors in 2017, it was clear that he still needed refinement in terms of baserunning. Despite his blazing foot speed, Rosario appeared tentative on the basepaths and unsure how to read pitchers’ deliveries. He’s become a more confident runner since then, if not the dynamic force that he could be.
Last season, Rosario stole 19 bases, a total which easily led the Mets. Unfortunately, he was also caught stealing ten times, tying him with Whit Merrifield for the most of any player in the majors. There’s no doubt that Rosario can become one of the game’s foremost basestealing threats, if only he’s able to harness his natural agility.
Rosario ranked in the 94th percentile in the majors in terms of Sprint Speed last season, and was one of just twenty-two players to produce at least 30 bolts (runs with a Sprint Speed of at least 30 ft/sec.).
With the type of speed he possesses, Rosario should be at the top of the major league leaderboards for steals, triples, and infield hits.
Improving Plate Discipline
Although Rosario’s speed has long made him an intriguing option to bat leadoff, his subpar walk rate has prevented him from hitting first consistently. The good news, then, is that Rosario has decreased his chase rate and increased his contact rate in each of his two full seasons in the big leagues.
And while he posted his best numbers from the eighth spot in the lineup in 2019, he was better than you may think as a leadoff batter. In 177 plate appearances from the top spot in the order, Rosario hit .294 with a more than respectable .343 on-base percentage.
It remains to be seen how new skipper Luis Rojas will write out his lineup card, and Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil project to get the most at-bats from the leadoff spot. Nevertheless, if Rosario could increase his walk rate from 4.7 % in 2019 to something closer to league average (around 8%), he is a viable option as well.
Searle’s Final Say
At just 24 years old, Amed Rosario may finally blossom into the player that many hoped he’d be when he debuted back in 2017. The shortstop has already come a long way since he broke into the majors, which is a testament to his work ethic and desire to improve. With just a few adjustments to his game, it is not hard to imagine “Rosie” earning his first All-Star selection in 2020.
