Wanna know how leads the majors in slugging percentage and OPS? It's former Minnesota Twins prospect Brent Rooker, who is raking with the Oakland Athletics.
How many people know about Rooker? Not many considering the A's only draw about 10,000 fans per game, and that's ticket sales, not how many people put butts in seats. But diehard Twins fans will remember Rooker as the power-hitting prospect they drafted 35th overall in 2017.
Rooker had a cup of coffee with the Twins in 2021 and slashed .201/.291/.397 with nine homers and 10 doubles in 58 games before being traded to the Padres in April 2022. That was the deal that sent left-handed closer Taylor Rogers to San Diego for right-handed starter Chris Paddack and (gulp) reliever Emilio Pagan.
The Padres traded Rooker to the Royals last August and then the Royals waived him a few months later before he found a home with the Athletics.
This isn't a David Ortiz Part II or Johan Santana with the Mets, but Rooker is flashing some incredible power while hitting for average despite batting in the middle of a terrible Oakland lineup that has helped produce a whopping six wins through 32 games entering play Friday.
Rooker has played 25 games and his bat has slaughtered baseballs to the tune of a .316/.429/.684 slash line and a 1.112 OPS. He has nine home runs, two doubles and 15 RBIs. The only player in the America League with more homers than him is Boston's Rafael Devers (11).
Nine homers in 79 at-bats. That's a homer ever 8.8 at-bats, which is an absurd pace that he probably won't keep up, though, you never know, right?
At Mississippi State in 2017, Rooker slugged 23 homers in 248 at-bats while slashing .387/.495/.811. He's shown the ability to hit for average and power before and the fact that he's doing it now as a major-leaguer makes him a true threat to be the newest member of the Twins That Got Away Club.
By the way, Rooker is 28 years old. Big Papi was 27 in his first year with Boston after the Twins dumped him for nothing in December 2002.
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