The A’s have already brought back former Athletics Rajai Davis and Santiago Casilla and, on Wednesday, they brought back a third familiar face, one many A’s fans will be happy to see return.
Adam Rosales, known for having the fastest home run trot around the bases in the majors, will be starting his third stint with the Oakland Athletics.
A jack-of-all-trades, utility type of player, Rosales has played first, second, third, shortstop, left and right field, and even pitched over his nine seasons in the big leagues.
After debuting with the Cincinnati Reds in 2008, he signed with Oakland in 2008 where he played until the 2013 season.
The 2013 season for Rosie, as he is affectionately called by teammates, coaches and fans, was a strange one in which he was bounced back and forth between the A’s and the Texas Rangers on waivers.
"“That was ridiculous. It was like that game where everyone puts their hands on the bat — except that Rosie isn’t a baseball bat,” A’s vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said."
Now, though, after parts of three seasons with the Rangers and one back in the National League with the San Diego Padres, Rosie feels as though he has returned “home,” and that being back with the A’s was like having everything come “full-circle.”
“They just don’t come better than Rosie. He’s a manager’s dream, a good person and he’ll do anything for the team.” – Beane.
The Athletics are happy to have him back, citing not just his versatility but clubhouse demeanor and good work ethic as reasons for bringing Rosales back.
It’s been mentioned more than once here on White Cleat Beat that the Athletics have been adamant about not rushing their young prospects to the big leagues.
Beane reaffirmed that sentiment Wednesday, while explaining to the press his reasoning for bringing back Rosales, Casilla and Davis, saying,
"“We have good young pitching and good young position players, and we’re going to have to be patient with the young guys, so the other additions have to be guys who fill holes but who also are good guys to have in the clubhouse.”"
The A’s signed Rosales to a one-year $1.25 million deal. He can also earn up to $1 million more in incentives.
Rosie is coming off a career year with the Padres. He played in 150 games in 2016, almost 20 more than his previous career-high of 87 when he was with the Reds in 2009.
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He hit .229/.319/.495 with a career-high 13 home runs and 35 RBI.
He posted a 1.7 WAR, tying his previous career-high WAR from 2010 when he was first with the A’s.
The 33-year-old believes he’s improved as a player after his three-plus seasons away from Oakland, saying specifically that he feels he’s grown especially into his utility role.
The signing of Rosales meant the Athletics had to designate left-hander Dillon Overton for assignment to make room for Rosie on the 40-man roster.
Overton pitched well at Triple-A Nashville in 2016, but struggled in four stints with the big league club, allowing 12 home runs in just over 24 innings.
All in all, having Rosales back with the team should be as exciting for the fans as it is for his teammates and manager Bob Melvin who had this to say about his former player,
"“It’s great to have Rosie back. Not only is he as versatile a player as we’ve had here, but also his enthusiasm and work ethic are infectious.”"
For the newer fans out there who might not have seen Rosie play before, just wait until he hits his first home run of the season – that’s when his enthusiasm for the game is most infectious.
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