New York Mets: 5 reasons for 2019 optimism – Part 1 Young Stars
By Ed Stein
Amed Rosario
Amed Rosario is like Santa Claus. Mets fans wait and wait for him to show up. When he does come, it’s spectacular, but like Santa, full appearances are rare. At just 23 years old, Rosario has barely scratched the surface of what he’s capable of. His play in the field is already among the tops among shortstops, with highlight-reel defensive gems becoming a frequent occurrence. Rosario’s work at the plate, however, is another story.
He is improving as shown by the increases in batting average and on-base percentage from his rookie year. Still, .256 and .295 respectively along with 119 strikeouts are low totals for a player of his skill set. The more major league pitches he sees, the better he’ll get. That’s what Gamboa believes.
“Rosario has always been a free swinger and may take another season or two at Major League level to fully learn the strike zone and be more selective at the plate,” he said. “Once he learns to be aggressive and selective at the plate, he will be a star for many years to come.”
The young Dominican has already made a believer of one important teammate. Robinson Cano gushed when talking with the Kevin Kernan of the New York Post earlier in the week.
"“He can run, he can field, he’s strong and he is going to add muscle as he gets older, that’s going to be something else. He listens, too,’’ Cano said of Rosario. “I love the kid.’’"
The part where Cano said “he listens” is probably the most important. There are few better hitters for Rosario to learn from than the eight-time All-Star. That’s another big reason why he is poised for a 2019 break out.