What Should The Colorado Rockies Do About Catcher Wilin Rosario?

Apr 19, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario (20) before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. The Rockies won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Rockies have had a rollercoaster season up until this point in the season, dropping eight of their last ten. Starting Monday night, the team will continue their homestand as the San Diego Padres come to town. One thing that’s for certain is the Rockies will be sellers at the trade deadline, but one name that people won’t mention is catcher Wilin Rosario.

Rosario, 25, is known for his bat and to say this nicely, his below-average defense. Rosario (as of July 7th, 2014) has hit 60 home runs during his four-year career but his bat hasn’t been much of an issue. While he provides thump in the middle of a packed lineup, Rosario’s defense and baseball I.Q. has been questioned.

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During the 2012 season, Rosario committed 13 errors behind the dish which was first among National League catchers. The following season, his defense didn’t improve that much as the native of the Dominican Republic committed 9 errors. So far during the 2014 campaign, the defense has improved, but his game-calling has been horrendous. Yes, Rosario isn’t responsible for the terrible Rockies bullpen that is ranked 29th in the Majors with an ERA of 4.61, but he does has something to do with the pitches that are being called.

We all know Rosario’s bat has some thump which has shown with his eight home runs this season, but he puts together some terrible at-bats. Rosario has struck out 47 times in 219 at-bats this season, which is basically 1/5th of the time. Rosario has also been a circus on the basepaths which was on full display against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their past series.

In the eighth inning of Colorado’s 8-7 victory over the Dodgers on July 5th, Drew Stubbs would line a shot that appeared to be over the head of Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig. Puig would make a spectacular catch, forcing Rosario to re-tag up. Rosario would be halfway in between second and third when Puig made the catch. Puig would throw a strike with his rocket-arm to third, nailing the runner in Rosario for the double-play.

In my opinion, Rosario is much-better fitted for a team in the American League to utilize him as a designated hitter and a catcher. I’m not saying Colorado is interested in trading their catcher, but it shouldn’t be ruled out. With the rumors swirling around the trade deadline, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rosario’s name among the names. After all, Colorado does have a catching prospect in Tom Murphy (ranked 7th best prospect according to MLB.com) who is currently playing for the Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers.

It will be interesting to see if the Rockies do in fact move players such as Jorge De La Rosa, Michael Cuddyer, and/or Carlos Gonzalez.