MLB Playoffs: The Legend of Eddie Rosario






They’re the surprise team of the 2021 MLB Playoffs. 





The Atlanta Braves are not supposed to be where they are. They only had a two percent chance to represent the National League in the 2021 World Series. They didn’t have a winning record until August 6th. 





If it wasn’t for a spike in early season revenues, the Braves wouldn’t have made the MLB Playoffs





Atlanta Braves fans purchased tickets in a frenzy that overrode expectations. Because of that, Braves ownership gave their general manager the green light to spend the extra revenue. Like a man that got an unexpected bonus check, he set out to do just that. 





After the knee injury to All-Star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos sprang into action. 





In four hours before the July 30th trade deadline, Anthopoulos remade his outfield and added depth to his bench. 





One player they gained was Eddie Rosario. Rosario had an abdominal strain, but might return in September. He is an outfielder by trade. He hits left-handed and has above average speed. 





They viewed him at the time as a depth piece. Eddie Rosario is a player that Braves manager Brian Snitker could use as a platoon outfielder. 





Other outfielders that Alex Anthopoulos garnered were right-handed hitters Adam Duval, Jorge Soler and left-handed hitter Joc Pederson. 





They had rebuilt the Braves outfield and bench on the fly. Alex Anthopoulos had worked the phones like a bookie gone mad. He had to make deals faster than an auctioneer





When the 2021 Major League season ended, the Atlanta Braves won the National League East division. 





In the National League Division Series, the Braves played the Central Division champion Milwaukee Brewers. The Braves were again the underdog. The Brewers had a better record and won a tougher division. 





Enter Eddie Rosario. 





He did well. Rosario mostly came off the bench against the Brewers, yielding to the red-hot at the time Joc Pederson. He had a key pinch-hit double in game four. Eddie Rosario hit .308 in the NLDS with an On Base Percentage of .357. 





Those are respectable numbers for a guy that wasn’t impressive during the regular season. It was not a sign of what was to come. 





Baseball is a team game. A player can contribute, but it’s the teamwork that wins games and championships. That said, Eddie Rosario single handedly destroyed the defending 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. 





Like Godzilla rampaging through Tokyo, Eddie Rosario was unstoppable. 





In 28 at-bats, Rosario tied a postseason record, with four other players, with 14 hits. The other players needed seven games, Rosario only needed six. He hit .560 with an On Base Percentage of .607 and a Slugging Percentage of 1.040. Those are astounding numbers for Major League Baseball. 





Overall, after the Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos gained Eddie Rosario as a back-up outfielder from the Cleveland Indians, Rosario hit .331/.388/.639. 





If you don’t know what those numbers mean, they’re fantastic, stupendous and downright astonishing


Ian D'Andrea from Philadelphia, PA,  via Wikimedia Commons


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