Astros Draft Prospect Profile: Brent Rooker, OF, Mississippi State
Today we continue our series previewing the upcoming MLB Draft with Mississippi State outfielder Brent Rooker. Rooker has been a fast riser as he’s absolutely come out of nowhere this year for the Bulldogs. D1baseball.com named him their midseason player of the year and he will be in the running for the Golden Spikes award. With his spectacular play, Rooker could be an option for the Astros with their first round pick.
Measurables:
Rooker stands 6’4″ and weighs 220 lbs. He bats and throws right-handed. He’s a redshirt junior.
College Stats:
2015: 34 G (20 GS), .257 BA/.325 OBP/.378 SLG, 3 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 7 BB/17 SO
2016: 58 G (53 GS), .324 BA/.376 OBP/.578 SLG, 15 2B, 11 HR, 54 RBI, 16 BB/48 SO
2017: 46 G (46 GS), .413 BA/.509 OBP/.913 SLG, 23 2B, 19 HR, 64 RBI, 17SB/21ATT, 29 BB/36 SO
The Package:
Obviously the 2017 stats leap off the page. It’s sort of reminiscent of Andrew Benintendi coming out of Arkansas. Both were redshirts, both played mediocre baseball and then absolutely broke out of nowhere. Rooker had a solid 2016 season as well, giving himself more of a track record than Benintendi.
Rooker’s bat speed really stands out. He has a short, quick swing that should definitely translate to the next level. Rooker has a simple athletic stance. He stands pretty upright with a little rock back in his load. I see no major mechanical flaws in his swing.
He’s not the most natural looking outfielder, but he’s only made one error in three years, so he should be fine.
MLB Comp:
George Springer. First off, both have similar frames. Rooker is an inch taller and five pounds heavier than Springer. Both have plus power and both have similar swings. I’d look for Rooker to be a .270 hitter with 30-40 HR potential in the big leagues.
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**Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images**
