I've been a dedicated follower of Brent Rooker ever since his remarkable baseball exploits at Mississippi State. It was truly exhilarating to witness his offensive prowess soar in 2023 after a challenging three years in the majors. His offensive improvements were rooted in the changes he made to his loading technique. By incorporating larger, slower movements as he prepared to swing, he managed to generate more power while maintaining excellent body control. This transformation was achieved through a switch from a simple toe tap to a more dramatic foot hover, enabling him to perform a complete hand row during the loading phase and providing him with more time to synchronize the rhythm of his upper and lower body before powerfully swinging towards the ball.

Brent Rooker's 2024 Journey - From Struggle to Stardom

2023 Offense Breakout

In 2023, Brent Rooker had a remarkable season. He batted an impressive.246 with an astounding 30 home runs and a 126 wRC+. Despite these significant improvements, he was still not a perfected player. Strikeouts have always been a part of his game, and his 32.7% strikeout rate in 2023, even after adjustments, was not unexpected. Teams are willing to accept a certain level of whiffs in exchange for increased power, but Rooker's high strikeout rate indicated a significant hole in his swing that limited his overall value.During the 2020-2023 period, Rooker had one of the steepest swings in baseball, making it easier for him to launch the ball into the air. However, unlike other steep hitters like Mike Trout and Freddie Freeman, Rooker lacked the variability to adjust his swing and reach pitches outside of his comfort zone. This left him vulnerable to high fastballs. Even with a slight drop in his VBA in 2023, he still maintained a 40% whiff rate and a.285 xwOBA on pitches at the top of the zone, ranking 16th worst out of 217 hitters who faced at least 1,500 pitches that season.

Addressing the Swing Hole in 2024

This year, across 614 plate appearances, Rooker transformed into one of the best hitters in baseball. He batted an outstanding.292 with 39 homers, a 164 wRC+, and a.510 xwOBACON (99th percentile), while his strikeout rate dropped to 28.8%. These are remarkable improvements across the board. His success can be attributed to a flatter swing, which had a positive impact on his performance at the top of the zone where pitchers were likely to target him.By analyzing his swings, it became evident that Rooker made significant changes to his initial position. He raised his hands, opened his stride leg slightly, and likely adjusted his rotational direction to improve his balance. These adjustments allowed him to have a better chance of being effective at the top of the zone and reducing the size of the hole in his game.Having higher hands not only helped him make contact deeper in the zone but also allowed him to shorten his swing length. Pitches at the top of the zone come at batters more quickly, and shorter, flatter swings give batters less distance to cover to make contact. This adjustment played a crucial role in Rooker's improvement on pitches up in the zone.

Path to Stardom

Brent Rooker's journey to stardom is a remarkable player development story. Instead of being complacent after his initial breakout in 2023, he continued to make additional adjustments to his game. Identifying and addressing the hole in his swing so quickly is a testament to his talent and gives us confidence that he will continue to be one of the top hitters in the game for a long time.