With help from CJ Abrams, Eddie Rosario puts his poor start behind him
Ask Eddie Rosario to pinpoint when he started to feel like himself again at the plate, and he will mention the Washington Nationals’ three-game series against Toronto in early May. His stats support that: He broke an 0-for-27 skid with a single May 4.
The next day, he hit the first of his four home runs in a six-game stretch, leading to National League player of the week honors. There could be a handful of reasons for his breakout that weekend, but Rosario believes an assist from a teammate helped.
“CJ [Abrams] gave me his bat,” Rosario said through an interpreter. “And since then, I felt like it changed.”
Entering that series, Rosario was hitting .086 with a .290 OPS. Since then, he is hitting .260 with an .819 OPS, lifting his season totals to .190 and .607. He has Abrams, in part, to thank.
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Abrams designs his custom bats with Overfly Sports, an El Paso company the shortstop has relied on since he was a minor leaguer with the San Diego Padres. One of his models features a light bulb-shaped knob and a cartoon alien. That was the one Rosario used, leading the 32-year-old outfielder to buy a handful just like it.
“Whatever feels good, you know?” Abrams said. “Whatever you feel comfortable with at the plate, use it.”
Maybe Abrams’s bat was all Rosario needed. Or maybe it was the weather — Rosario said he can’t hit in the cold, so he struggles early every season; he’s a career .205 hitter in March/April, by far his worst average in any month. Whatever the reason, Rosario is now hitting as the Nationals hoped he would when they signed him to a minor league contract in March. He’s a veteran who provides power, which this team has sorely lacked, and could be a trade chip when the deadline arrives in late July.
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His numbers for the season don’t paint a picture of his recent success, but the left-handed hitter has a track record of power (166 career home runs) to go with postseason experience (30 games). That could be appealing to a contender.
“Every time in my career, after about 100 at-bats, everything is more easy to see,” Rosario said. “You get your timing, and you get more comfortable at home plate.”
Rosario made a name for himself in 2021, when he was dealt from Cleveland to Atlanta at the trade deadline and then put together an impressive NL Championship Series performance that earned him MVP honors as the Braves roared to the World Series title. But Rosario missed half of the next season with an eye injury. He hit 21 home runs in 2023, but the Braves did not re-sign him.
Rosario went 3 for 8 with a double and three RBI against his former team over the weekend as the Nationals won their second series against the Braves in as many weeks. After signing in the middle of spring training, Rosario admitted his timing was off early in the season. With the Braves, his struggles might not have been as apparent, given their stacked lineup. With the Nationals, his lack of production was obvious.
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“In some instances, the pressure is off because you have a multitude of guys around you,” hitting coach Darnell Coles said. “Here, he’s one of the guys that’s expected to — and does — carry us at times. And that’s a good thing.”
Coles said Rosario has handled the responsibility of being a clubhouse leader, guiding younger players such as Abrams and second baseman Luis García Jr. Rosario isn’t one to speak up often, Coles said, but when he does, his teammates listen.
Rosario also has been leading by example in the batting cage. His routine features lots of tee work, including setting the tee in the left-handed batter’s box so he can simulate getting to inside pitches as he did last month on a home run against Seattle. Rosario continued to stick with it, even as he struggled. He believes it’s paying dividends — and having Abrams’s bats around if needed doesn’t hurt.
“I think now he’s finally got his timing,” Coles said. “With that, you get your confidence. And with confidence, you feel like he can hit anybody. And I think right now he’s doing just that.”
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