Brent Rooker

28-Year-Old OutfielderOF
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Rooker flashed impressive power at Triple-A in 2022, logging a .289/.395/.649 slash line, 28 home runs, 88 RBI and 27 doubles in 81 contests. In the majors, he logged 16 games with the Royals and the Padres to little effect. mainly serving in a reserve role. Entering his age-28 season, Rooker is beginning to look like a Quadruple-A type of player -- he tears up Triple-A but can't put it all together after major-league call-ups. He was waived by the Royals and claimed by the Athletics in November, so a spot on the 40-man roster should put him in contention for a starting spot in the Oakland outfield or as the designated hitter heading into 2023, though it's far from a guarantee he can secure anything more than a short-side platoon role. Read Past Outlooks
$Traded to the Padres in April of 2022. Traded to the Royals in August of 2022. Waived by the Royals in November of 2022. Claimed off waivers by the Athletics in November of 2022.
Standing out in spring
OFOakland Athletics
March 14, 2023
Rooker is hitting .391 (9-for-23) with five doubles, two RBI, eight walks, a hit-by-pitch, a stolen base and six runs across 11 Cactus League games.
ANALYSIS
The 28-year-old was claimed off waivers in November after being designated for assignment by Kansas City, and he's now making a strong case for an Opening Day roster spot as a reserve outfielder. Rooker boasts a 1.172 OPS in Cactus League play and impressively laced a pair of two-baggers off the White Sox's Dylan Cease and reliever Joe Kelly on Tuesday, the latest installment in a spring that Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports has been an extension of a very strong minor-league body of work in both the Padres and Royals organizations in 2022. "Rook's having a good spring," manager Mark Kotsay said. "These at-bats today were great. He hits the ball hard. He's done a nice job of taking some great at-bats. He's taking advantage of this opportunity right now."
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Batting Stats
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2021
2020
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
1
2
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
1
3
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2020
 
 
+6%
OPS vs RHP
2022
 
 
+77%
OPS vs LHP
2021
 
 
+2%
OPS vs LHP
2020
 
 
+38%
OPS vs RHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2020vs Left .644 107 9 2 6 0 .207 .318 .326
Since 2020vs Right .682 163 21 8 17 0 .196 .270 .412
2022vs Left .442 24 1 0 1 0 .150 .292 .150
2022vs Right .250 12 0 0 1 0 .083 .083 .167
2021vs Left .695 76 7 2 4 0 .212 .316 .379
2021vs Right .684 137 18 7 12 0 .195 .277 .407
2020vs Left .762 7 1 0 1 0 .333 .429 .333
2020vs Right 1.049 14 3 1 4 0 .308 .357 .692
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Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2020
 
 
+83%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+43%
OPS at Home
2021
 
 
+112%
OPS at Home
2020
 
 
+102%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2020Home .861 139 20 6 15 0 .269 .374 .487
Since 2020Away .471 131 10 4 8 0 .132 .198 .273
2022Home .427 22 1 0 2 0 .150 .227 .200
2022Away .298 14 0 0 0 0 .083 .214 .083
2021Home .970 99 16 6 10 0 .289 .404 .566
2021Away .457 114 9 3 6 0 .132 .193 .264
2020Home .826 18 3 0 3 0 .313 .389 .438
2020Away 1.667 3 1 1 2 0 .333 .333 1.333
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Stat Review
How does Brent Rooker compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.27
 
BB Rate
8.3%
 
K Rate
30.6%
 
BABIP
.190
 
ISO
.031
 
AVG
.125
 
OBP
.222
 
SLG
.156
 
OPS
.378
 
wOBA
.187
 
Exit Velocity
87.8 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
45.8%
 
Barrels/PA
2.9%
 
Expected BA
.183
 
Expected SLG
.306
 
Sprint Speed
22.6 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
47.6%
 
Line Drive %
19.0%
 
Fly Ball %
33.3%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Rooker will compete for a reserve role this spring after showing some promise late last season in his first extended playing time. Rooker looked set to contend for a major league job after seven-game flash ( .316/.381/.579) in 2020 that was cut short by a broken arm. Rooker struggled in spring training and Triple-A, but found his form in the majors in the second half by hitting eight home runs with a .742 OPS. Rooker has prodigious power, but his high strikeout rate (32.9%) and limited defensive ability may limit his upside. He's had strong walk rates in the minors, so he could improve his on-base skills. He'll be in the mix for a reserve role or could factor at DH.
Rooker made a strong impression in his first short stint in the majors which could have him poised for regular playing time. The 25-year-old enjoyed a brief but productive run as a part-time player for the Twins following a Sept. 4 promotion, appearing in seven games and slashing .316/.381/.579 before suffering a season-ending broken right forearm after being struck by a pitch. Rooker advanced to the Triple-A level in 2019 but missed most of the second half of the season with a groin injury as he appeared in just 65 games. Over those 65 games, the 25-year-old hit .281/.398/.535 with 14 home runs. Rooker has prodigious power, but his high strikeout rate (34.7% in 2019) and limited defensive ability may limit his upside. He did strike out a lower 23.9 percent rate in his short MLB sample, however. He'll be in the mix for a reserve or large role in the outfield and first base this spring.
Rooker, the No. 35 overall draft pick in 2017, played in only 65 games at Triple-A and was limited to just two games after mid-July due to a groin injury. Rooker has prodigious power, as evidenced by the 14 home runs in those 65 games with a .254 ISO. While his .933 OPS and 139 wRC+ look impressive, his inability to make consistent contact is a concern. He had a 34.7 K% and just a 58.3% contact rate. He's also seen as a limited defender already confined to first base, left field and designated hitter. He was also old for his level last season, and keep in mind Triple-A used the same juiced ball as MLB last season. Those considerations take away a lot of the shine from his numbers. At 25 years old, his upside in the majors would seem limited. Still, he could be one of the first players called up if there's an opening at first base or DH.
As a supplemental first-round draft pick who put up huge numbers after signing in 2017 and who is now relatively close to the majors, Rooker has plenty of supporters. However, there are some obvious flaws in his profile that should not be overlooked. He posted a 124 wRC+ last year at Double-A, but was 23 years old and still struck out at a 26.4% clip with a middling .333 OBP. Age relative to level is important, especially for a player who probably profiles best as a designated hitter. He is a mediocre defender in left field and at first base, so his bat obviously has to carry him. Rooker has as much raw power (.211 ISO at Double-A) as any player the Twins have on the farm, but he does not project to make enough quality contact to hit for a high enough average to play at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. It is possible he could make improvements in that regard at Triple-A, but if he struggles in his age-24 season, he will quickly become an afterthought.
A Mississippi State product who was the most dominant Division 1 hitter in 2017, Rooker still fell to No. 35 overall in the draft due to his first base/left field defensive limitations and his age (he's already 23). Rooker hit more home runs (18) in 62 games between the Appalachian League and Florida State League than the first six position players selected from that class combined to hit in their debuts. That says more about his age/experience relative to the players he was facing than it says about his power, which is plus, but not generational. His 29 percent strikeout rate at High-A illustrates the type of risk involved going forward. Given his age, we'll never fully buy in until he produces at the highest level, and if he falters on the way there, he isn't young enough to get the benefit of the doubt. Rooker's profile is very similar to that of A.J. Reed, which is important to remember if he's dominating at Triple-A and on the verge of a big-league promotion a year from now.
More Fantasy News
Claimed by Oakland
OFOakland Athletics
November 17, 2022
Rooker was claimed off waivers by the Athletics on Thursday.
ANALYSIS
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Designated for assignment
OFKansas City Royals
November 15, 2022
Rooker was designated for assignment by the Royals on Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Sent back to minors
OFKansas City Royals
September 9, 2022
Rooker was optioned to Triple-A Omaha by the Royals on Friday.
ANALYSIS
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Recalled from Triple-A
OFKansas City Royals
August 10, 2022
Rooker was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
ANALYSIS
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Joins Royals
OFKansas City Royals
August 2, 2022
Rooker was traded from the Padres to the Royals in exchange for Cam Gallagher on Tuesday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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