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MLB awards watch: American League MVP race

By William Schneiderhan

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 15: Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers gets high fives in the dugout after a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 15, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - APRIL 15: Joey Gallo #13 of the Texas Rangers gets high fives in the dugout after a solo home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 15, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. All players are wearing the number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 23: Eddie Rosario #20 of the Minnesota Twins rounds the bases and hi-fives Third Base Coach Tony Diaz #46 after hitting a three run home run during the first inning of the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Loren Elliott/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 23: Eddie Rosario #20 of the Minnesota Twins rounds the bases and hi-fives Third Base Coach Tony Diaz #46 after hitting a three run home run during the first inning of the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Loren Elliott/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

4. Eddie Rosario, OF Minnesota Twins

.274 BA, 10 HR (T-1st), 23 RBI (2nd), .993 OPS (9th) and 1.4 WAR (T-4th).

Eddie Rosario came up to the big leagues when he was 23 years old. Since then, he has been a surprising, extra-base hit machine for the Minnesota Twins.

Rosario has never been one of those top-tier hitters. Rather, he has been more of a middle-of-the-pack guy who clubs around 25 homers a season to go with 75-plus RBI.

This year, Rosario is on pace for a career season at age 27. His benchmark year came in 2017 when he hit 27 homers, drove in 78 and hit .290. All of those were career-highs, and now he will probably fly past those numbers.

Rosario started out slowly, but the smooth-swinging lefty has been on fire lately. In his last seven games, he has hit six home runs and racked up nine RBI with a .903 slugging percentage. His slugging percentage for the season, .679, is the tied for the third-best in the AL.

The one knock on Rosario continues to be his inability to walk, which effects his on-base percentage (OBP). Currently his OBP is rather low, at .315. Regardless, he has been barreling up more balls this year and hitting the ball harder than he has, with a career-high 89.7 average-exit velocity.

Rosario likes to hunt fastballs, swing a lot and lift the ball, which could be a recipe for a slump. However, he has been a big run producer and he’s also played steady defensively for the first-place Twins.

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