A's Brent Rooker Wants to be in the Home Run Derby

Entering play on Tuesday, under a week away from the Home Run Derby itself, there have been five participants named for the slugging contest. The five that are set to step into the box in Atlanta next week are Ronald Acuña Jr., Cal Raleigh, James Wood, Byron Buxton, and the recently announced Oneil Cruz. That leaves another three bats that need to be added.

A's slugger Brent Rooker would like to enter his name into that discussion. When he was named as the reserve DH for the All-Star Game on Sunday, the A's DH was asked if he'd like to participate in the Derby, and he made it clear that he would be on board.

"I have not been asked. If asked, I would love to do it--seems like a really fun time--something I would definitely do."

Rooker has cranked 18 home runs so far this season, which is a slightly lower pace than the 39 homer season he put up in 2024, but is still among the league leaders, sitting in a tie for No. 21. Given his previous power production, his inclusion wouldn't be looked at with many questions. Acuña has nine, though he missed time and is the hometown star for this ASG, while Cruz has 15 homers.

The A's DH also has enough name recognition nationally that his inclusion would be warranted. He's been a big piece of the A's offense the past two-and-a-half seasons, and it was his face that was on the scoreboard in the most recent renderings of the A's Las Vegas ballpark, so he should be fairly recognizable.

On top of being the centerpiece of the A's offense, and arguably the face of the franchise after signing a five-year, $60 million extension during the offseason, he also has a great story for an event like this.

Rooker was selected in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft with the No. 35 overall pick, but it took him some time to become an established big leaguer. He was up-and-down with the Minnesota Twins in 2020-21, then traded to the San Diego Padres in 2022, before being traded again to the Kansas City Royals. They would release him after the '22 campaign, which is how he ended up with the A's.

Even when he made it to the green and gold, he was the last player added to the Opening Day roster in 2023, and didn't receive regular playing time for the first couple of weeks. It was an injury to Seth Brown in April that opened the door for Rook to cook, and he took off fairly quickly once he was receiving regular at-bats.

There are plenty of stories to tell during the Home Run Derby event, but Rooker's isn't about being a top prospect who was called up quickly and just dominated. He had his struggles, and his doubts earlier in his career. The last time he was named an All-Star in 2023, he mentioned that he felt that he wasn't sure if he belonged. This time around, he's more confident in his abilities.

"I think just the mindset of walking into that clubhouse, knowing that I do belong there this year will make the experience a little bit different."