Wilin Rosario, C Colorado Rockies
2/23/1989
Height: 5’11″ Weight: 200
Wilin Rosario was signed in 2006 as a non drafted free agent out of Bonao in the Dominican Republic. The signing came just 10 days before his 17th birthday, making Rosario one of the later international signees for that period. A coup for the Rockies when you take a look at Rosario’s minor league career and future potential to date.
He began his career in the 2006 Dominican Summer League posting a .249/.309/.324 line. None too impressive considering his 56 strikeouts in only 213 AB.
2007 didn’t bring much more production and he actually took another step back with just a .209 AVG and 38 K’s in only 115 AB in the Pioneer League.
Wilin Rosario, C Rockies
But in 2008 something clicked as Rosario repeated the Pioneer and torched it for .319/.371/.532 powered by 15 doubles and 12 HR in 263 AB. His k rate dropped slightly and he finally showed the ability to at least take a walk once in awhile. So this was a big step in his development and his reputation as a power prospect began here.
2009 was another down season across the board. Just 4 HR in 203 AB and his average dropped to .266 with 55 K’s.
There has been a major pattern in Rosario’s production throughout his career and it’s not him taking time to adjust to new levels. Although his production has taken huge up and down swings. In 2010, the Rockies decided to move him to Double-A Tusla without Rosario ever showing production at High-A. It was a huge gamble that could have left Rosario as a defense only prospect. That didn’t happen. Rosario repsonded to the challenge with a .285/.341/.552, banging 19 HR in just 270 AB. He made the Futures Game and the only think that derailed an amazing season, was a torn ACL which put him on the shelf for the remainder of the 2010 season.
The output still had enough fireworks to push him way up the catching prospect ranks. All the way to #18 on our preseason Top 100 Prospect List.
18. Wilin Rosario C COL – The best all around tools for a catcher on this list. Rosario could have a power impact bat with the skills behind the plate to be a force. He K’s more than one would like to see but his power is plus and he’ll hit for around a .280 average. 19 HRs in just 270 ABs last year might be a sign of something special for Colorado.
Let’s take a look at the 2011 season and the Hit and Catch tools for Rosario.
The Bat
Rosario’s average took a hit in 2011, coming in at just .249, but he didn’t exactly get much going his way as the .273 BABIP shows. It’s his power that we’re keying on for his long term success and .208 IsoP, while down from his 2010 breakout of .267 IsoP, is still at an impressive level. He powered 21 HR with 15 doubles in just 405 AB.
He still strikes out too often to be a high average hitter and my projection of .280 AVG’s might be a little high. At least for the short term. How much plate discipline he develops under major league tutelage will determine his ultimate upside with the bat.
The Glove
Rosario is a plus prospect behind the plate with above average pop times and plus arm . He throws out well above 30% of would-be base stealers and will be a huge plus to the Rockies pitching staff in Colorado.
While he isn’t a premiere fast twitch athlete, he is more than athletic enough behind the plate and blocks well while being considered an excellent receiver.
Our Instinct
Wilin Rosario should find his way to the full time job in Colorado by midseason 2012 at the latest. The Rockies do have a potential logjam but are expected to move Chris Ianetta over the winter. If they do not, Rosario may see some additional minor league time in Triple-A, just a phone call away.
He projects as a .270 AVG/25 HR hitter with high strikeout totals. With his above average defense, that makes him a valuable commodity and he could be even better than that. He will need to work very hard on his conditioning and plate discipline over his career and if he can turn some of the strikeouts into walks and better pitches to hit, then and only then, will he be able to take the next step to the elite catcher ranks.
He has elite power. How much he will be able to utilize it will be determined by how well he can control the count and get the best pitches for him to drive.
Check back soon as we profile many more Top MLB Prospects and also get our baseball geek on and take a look at some of the later draft picks from the 2011 draft that we think could be big names on the prospect radars in the near future. While you’re here, take a look at our on going series Prospect Instinct | Bryce Harper and be a step ahead of the game. Thanks for checking Baseball Instinct. We’re working hard to bring you the best of the minor leagues and make the site the best experience it can be. So don’t hesitate to tell us what you would like to read about. Email us now at mailbag@baseballinstinct.com.
