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Athletics slugger Brent Rooker made his debut in MLB's Top 100 Players Right Now list, ranked 46th, and gave a fairly unsurprising answer as to who he believes should be on top of the list. While Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan surprised everyone by naming Bobby Witt Jr. above other bigger stars, Rooker, speaking on MLB Tonight, Rooker gave a more obvious answer, naming Shohei Ohtani as the best:
"I think it's Shohei (Ohtani). I think the combination of goiong 50-50 last year on top of he's going to come back and pitch this year. Just the amount of ways he can impact and change the game I think it's Shohei."
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Brent Rooker was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 2017 MLB Draft and went on to make his major league debut in 2020. However, he failed to make an impact in the majors and was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2022. Following another disappointing year, he was ultimately claimed off waivers by the Athletics in November 2022.
That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he went on to record consecutive 30+ home run seasons with them. He has grown into one of the core players in the team, making an All-Star appearance in 2023 and winning the Silver Slugger award in 2024. He has since signed a five-year, $60 million contract extension with the Athletics.
Athletics slugger Brent Rooker projected to record another 30+ home run season in 2025
Brent Rooker has revived his MLB career after joining the Oakland Athletics ahead of the 2023 season. In his two years there, the slugger has recorded consecutive seasons with over 30 home runs, and this year's FanGraphs projections has him repeating the feat.
This year's FanGraphs projections has Rooker hitting 36 home runs, which ranks sixth in all of MLB. He is projected to have more homers than several big names like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Yordan Alvarez. While he has managed to perform in a team facing huge turmoil off the field, it remains to be seen if he can repeat it as they make the move from Oakland to Sacramento this year.
