Corey Rosier May Be The Red Sox's Version of Luis Arraez

[Nick John]

After struggling in Worcester during the 2024 season, this outfielder is hitting better than before since his promotion back to Triple A. 

Corey Rosier is no stranger to the Worcester Red Sox or Polar Park. Acquired at the trade deadline in 2022 alongside Max Ferguson and Eric Hosmer from the San Diego Padres for pitcher Jay Groome, Rosier has gradually made his way through the Red Sox minor league system. In 2023, he finally made it to Worcester, where in 12 games he put together a stat line of .282/.364/.359, hitting three doubles and driving in two runs. During his short time in Worcester, he also walked four times while striking out 10 times.

That offseason, he was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League, putting up similar numbers as he hit .258/.355/.344 in 23 games. Going into 2024, there was some interest in him throughout the organization, as he earned a non-roster invite to spring training and eventually opened the season in Triple-A. Unfortunately, 2024 did not go as well for Rosier, the outfielder bouncing back and forth between Worcester and Portland along with spending nearly a month on the Development List.

Overall, Rosier would play in 88 games between Portland and Worcester, struggling at both levels as he finished the season hitting .196/.281/.278 while striking out 68 times. He was not invited back to major league camp this spring, effectively dousing any hype that surrounded him a year ago.

Now, however, Rosier seems to have found his hitting stroke in his latest stint in Worcester. After struggling to begin the year with Portland, Rosier found himself promoted a level, as the WooSox needed a body who could play the outfield, as Roman Anthony was dealing with a sore shoulder. Rosier took advantage of the opportunity, and now he's become a fixture in the lineup even with Anthony back in the fray.

Since his return to Worcester on April 20th, Rosier has appeared in 12 games, hitting .359/.419/.564 in 39 at-bats. Most importantly, he's drastically cut down on his strikeouts. In 2024, Rosier played 54 games for Worcester, striking out 45 times. This year, he's only struck out seven times in those 12 appearances.

Looking at Rosier’s numbers, the outfielder does not miss when he swings at pitches in the zone. Currently, his zone-contact rate is sitting at 87.8%, showing that if he’s swinging at something in the zone, there’s a good chance he’s either fouling it off or putting it in play. Considering his 21.3% whiff rate, Rosier is not missing many pitches. He does have a habit of pulling the ball however, currently pulling 48.1% of the balls he puts in play to the right side of the field.

His hits are not exactly rockets either, as currently he’s only barreling the ball at a 3.8% rate and has a hard-hit rate of only 42.3%, a rate that puts him close to average in Triple-A. Rosier has been a paradigmatic example of a slap hitter who’s been putting the ball in play often and getting it to land where the defender isn’t. His swing is short and compact, somewhat reminiscent of Luis Arraez of the San Diego Padres.

Though one thing with Rosier’s hot streak you shouldn’t expect to continue is his power. During a recent two-week homestand, the outfielder hit two home runs at Polar Park. He only managed two home runs in his first 66 games in Triple-A before this season. With his low rates when it comes to barreling up the ball or hitting it hard, I would not expect many more to come soon.

Rosier is an interesting player for the Red Sox as player who could be a solid fourth outfielder or even a potential utility player. It will all come down to his ability to continue to put the ball in play and utilize his plus-speed. Rosier will be Rule 5 eligible this offseason, and with their young outfield depth, it wouldn’t make sense for the organization to add him to the 40-man roster over someone like Roman Anthony. Though, should Rosier continue to play well in Worcester, he might just bring his value up for a potential deadline deal.

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