At this point last season, the Mets were starting to see some noticeable improvement from Amed Rosario, which gave off the impression that he might just be a late bloomer.
However, when the 2019 season started, Rosario seemed to regress back to his previous norms that included bad defense and free swinging, making many start to wonder if Rosario would be deemed a bust long-term.
One year after he showed some initial improvement, though, Rosario is making it clear that not only does he still have the talent to be a star shortstop in this league, but that he might already be in that class already as the team faced off against one on Tuesday night in Francisco Lindor.
Rosario, 23, led off for the sixth straight game with Jeff McNeil out of the lineup and registered another strong performance, going 2-for-4 with a walk, run scored, and RBI. Since moving to the leadoff spot, Rosario has five multi-hit games and is 16-for-28 (.571).
Over the last 30 days, the shortstop is hitting .367/.409/.539 with three homers and 12 RBI while stealing five bases in the process. Since June 17, he has been hitting a robust .359 (74-206), proving that this is not just a simple hot streak and instead might be a new upwards trend.
Rosario’s defensive improvements have been significant as well, making him an all-around good player that could potentially turn into a great player given the fact he hasn’t even entered his prime yet.
The Dominican Republic native is having his best season statistically by far in 2019, hitting .293/.332/.452 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI to give himself a 106 wRC+ and 2.4 fWAR. His .784 OPS is over 100 points higher than his 2018 one which finished at .684.
So even though he did show some improvement last season, it doesn’t even compare to what the Mets are seeing from the former top prospect in the game this season.
Not only has Rosario cemented himself as the team’s starting shortstop for years to come now, but he has also managed to turn himself into a cornerstone of the franchise and someone that the team will be looking at as a major contributor going forward.
Upon McNeil’s return, Rosario will likely slide down, but not too far as he will probably hit second in the order, creating a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the order, followed by their sluggers in Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso.
Amed Rosario’s development into a top-tier shortstop has certainly been one of the most fascinating and exciting parts about the Mets as they continue to make a playoff push.
