Red Sox outfield prospect Corey Rosier got his first taste of baseball at the Triple-A level last week.
In need of outfield depth at Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox promoted Rosier from Double-A Portland on Thursday. The speedy 23-year-old was well aware that his first stint with the WooSox was going to be short-lived, telling reporters (including Tommy Cassell of The Telegram & Gazette) at Polar Park that he was just looking “to take the opportunity and run with it.”
Rosier made his WooSox debut later that night, coming on as a defensive replacement for starting outfielder Wilyer Abreu in the eighth inning. He popped out in his lone plate appearance. On Friday, Rosier made his first start, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and two strikeouts out of the nine-hole. He also threw out a runner at second base in the fifth inning to make up for an earlier fielding error.
After sitting on Saturday, Rosier made one more start in right field for Sunday’s series finale against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Batting out of the nine-hole yet again, the left-handed hitter went 0-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, and a strikeout. He was also hit by a pitch in the fifth inning, which preceded a two-run home run off the bat of Nick Sogard.
All told, Rosier went 1-for-6 (.167) with a single, two runs scored, two walks, and three strikeouts in his first three games with the WooSox. He reached base in four of his nine trips to the plate. Defensively, the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder recorded one outfield assist and one fielding error while logging 20 innings between left and right field.
On the heels of his first go-around in Worcester, Rosier was added back to Portland’s roster on Wednesday, effectively switching places with the recently-promoted Ceddanne Rafaela. With the Sea Dogs this season, Rosier has batted a stout .307/.354/.452 (117 wRC+) to go along with 12 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 18 RBIs, 29 runs scored, 26 stolen bases, 13 walks, and 43 strikeouts across 182 plate appearances. He has also registered four outfield assists in 408 1/3 cumulative innings between the two corner spots.
Rosier, who turns 24 in September, is in his first full season as a member of the Red Sox organization. The Maryland native was acquired from the Padres alongside fellow prospect Max Ferguson and veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer in the trade that sent pitching prospect Jay Groome to San Diego last August.
A former 12th-round draft selection of the Mariners out of UNC Greensboro in 2021, Rosier is well-regarded for his speed. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen went as far to rate Rosier’s speed tool as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale in his latest Red Sox prospects rankings.
“Rosier has several catalytic qualities: he’s an 80 runner with a good idea of the strike zone and he’s difficult to make miss within it,” Longenhagen wrote earlier this month. “Though he’ll occasionally ambush a middle-in pitch, Rosier mostly rips grounders to the right side and then hauls ass to first base. Despite his speed, he’s a poor outfield defender who makes a lot of routine plays look difficult and adventurous.”
Longenhagen also noted that he “loves the edge” Rosier (his No. 38 Boston prospect) plays with and “thinks his speed and contact ability will make him rosterable, but he basically has no position, which is going to severely limit his role.”
Outside of Longenhagen’s list for FanGraphs, Rosier is not currently regarded by any other notable publication (Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, SoxProspects.com) as one of the top 40 or so prospects in Boston’s farm system. That likely has to do with how much he relies on his speed in all aspects of his game.
Still, Rosier is undoubtedly an intriguing prospect who has been recognized by the Red Sox’ player development staff for his efforts so far in 2023. That much was made evident by him getting the opportunity to make a brief cameo with the WooSox, though that probably won’t be the last we see of him in Worcester this year.
(PIcture of Corey Rosier: Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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