Underrated prospect Corey Rosier has broken out in 2023
Underrated prospect Corey Rosier has broken out in 2023
Corey Rosier was something of an afterthought when he was traded by the Padres to Boston as a part of the Eric Hosmer deal last August. However, his elite speed and an improved contact tool have paid dividends for Rosier in 2023, and he’s been off to a fast start in Double-A Portland.
The UNC Greensboro product struggled in his first stint in Red Sox-affiliated ball, posting a 56 wRC+ in 23 games with High-A Greensville. Despite striking out 33.3% of the time and hitting just .183, the Red Sox were intrigued by his 80-grade speed and promoted him to Portland to begin the 2023 season.
This slightly surprising promotion is looking like a genius move by the Red Sox development team as Rosier has shined in Double-A. So far this year, Rosier holds a 116 wRC+ and has stolen 26 bags in just 48 games. Never a true power guy, Rosier has seemingly altered his swing for more consistent contact, as his groundball rate is up nine points while his strikeout rate has dropped nearly 11 points. For a player with the kind of speed that Rosier possesses, hitting the ball on the ground isn’t always a bad thing, and we’ve seen speedsters such as Elly De La Cruz beat out routine grounders with ease.
The 12th-round pick has emerged as a potential big-league contributor on a stacked Portland team. Despite an inflated .393 BABIP, fast players are often able to outperform their BABIP and keep a fairly high average. If Rosier continues to keep his strikeouts down and his outfield defense solid, he projects as a potential utility bench piece for the major league club. As he becomes eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December, it will be interesting to see if the Red Sox are willing to offer Rosier a 40-man spot in order to keep him protected from interested teams.
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