MLB rumors: 5 prospects who can help the Twins in 2019
1. 1B/OF Brent Rooker
After his redshirt sophomore season at Mississippi State, the Twins drafted Rooker in the 38th round of the 2016 draft. But he went back to school, had another good season, and the Twins went back to the well with a first-round pick (35th overall) in 2017.
Rooker hit .281/.364/.566 (.930 OPS) with 18 home runs and 52 RBI over 62 games between Rookie and High-A ball in 2017, then took it up a notch power-wise last year, his first full minor league season. Over 130 games (568 plate appearances) for Double-A Chattanooga, Rooker hit 22 home runs and drove in 79. But his batting average (.254) and OPS (.798) fell off, with an uptick in ground ball rate (35.2 percent; 24.6 percent in 2017) and fewer line drives (22 percent; 29.2 percent in 2017) as he apparently became more pull-happy (46.9 percent pull rate last year; 34.9 percent in 2017).
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Rooker has played left field and first base to this point in his minor league career, and he profiles as a DH-type down the road. But if C.J. Cron struggles to provide consistent power numbers for the Twins from first base, Rooker could hit his way into the conversation before the season is done.