ATLANTA — There are certain things an athlete can prepare themselves for in a career. They know at some point they’re going to get injured. They know at some point they’re going to get old and slow down. They know at some point management is going to tell them, “You’re really not worth what you think you’re worth.”
Advertisement
But there’s at least one thing no athlete can anticipate: It’s the day where suddenly everything looks fuzzy and you can’t see the ball … and not at the age of 40-something but 29. Because this is what happened to Eddie Rosario, and only a few months after he had the greatest week of his career, hitting .560 with three home runs in the NLCS against the Dodgers to help launch the Braves to their first World Series title in 26 years.
“It was difficult — I won’t lie,” Rosario said Tuesday. “I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”
Rosario just became the sixth Brave to be named NL Player of the Week this season. The other five, you could see coming: Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ronald Acuña Jr, Michael Harris II, Sean Murphy. Not Rosario.
He hit .164 in July. He hit .212 in a miserable 2022 season. He was hitting .242 hitting two weeks ago. Nobody was chanting, “Eddie, Eddie,” unless it was followed by an unflattering word.
Then two weeks ago, Rosario went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs and three runs against the Yankees — because suddenly the Yankees are good for what ails everybody else — and everything changed.
October Eddie appears to be back. That was evidenced Tuesday night when Rosario made a sliding catch of a fly ball in the first inning. (“Amazing,” Acuña said.) He cracked a two-run homer in the second (his 20th of the season), reached base three times and added a sacrifice in the Braves’ 3-2 win over the Mets.
Eddie Rosario in the last 12 games before this at-bat: 17 for 42, 3 HRs, 4 doubles, 13 RBI, .405/.444/.714, 1.159 OPS.
And then this …— Jeff Schultz (@JeffSchultzATL) August 22, 2023
“I feel good at home plate right now,” he said. “Everything I swing at, I’m right there.”
Don’t understate the significance of this. The Braves’ offense flows from many faucets, so if Rosario never came around before October they might be fine in that area. But Rosario’s recent 13-game run, punctuated by POW honors and hitting .422 over the past two weeks, is significant for this team. He gives Atlanta another threat low in the batting order. Rosario has proven himself in past Octobers with a career postseason batting average of .308, with a .908 OPS, and this season has been about looking ahead to October for a while now.
Advertisement
“I put so much work in in the offseason to get back to be the player I used to be,” Rosario said. “Losing that time with the injury from last season really had an impact on me. I’m happy. But I’m not just going to settle for the results that I’m getting now. I want more.”
The best stories are the unexpected ones. The Braves’ World Series title in 2021 was filled with them, and none seemed less plausible than Rosario. General manager Alex Anthopoulos acquired him at the trade deadline for the gooey remains of Pablo Sandoval. Rosario wound up being not merely a fourth outfielder or Spackle for the bench but also a difference down the stretch.
But after the Series, after the parade, at some point in the offseason, Rosario began having problems with his right eye. He suffered from blurriness and swelling. He hoped the problems would subside but they continued into spring training and the first two weeks of the season. He belatedly confessed to the team he was having vision problems. Eventually — and after Rosario stuck out four times in his last six at-bats to drop his average to .068 in 15 games — the Braves called a medical timeout. An eye doctor recommended laser surgery. Rosario was sidelined for three months. When he returned he could see but he was still a mess.
“It was one of those things where you almost have to start all over again, and you have to just try to see the ball and pick it up,” he said. “I definitely had some moments where I felt frustrated with it.”
His confidence was shaken. His timing was off. Even off-speed pitches “felt like they were coming at me faster,” than they really were, he said.
Manager Brian Snitker saw the problems up close. “A little glitch in your eyesight is a huge thing in this sport,” he said.
Actually, any sport. Or job. Or in life.
Advertisement
Rosario, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, does most of his interviews in Spanish. But he understands and speaks enough English that he periodically will respond to reporters without a translator if he feels comfortable. He did that when asked how he dealt with the pressure related to his struggles and whether he decompresses around family members.
“I don’t want to (bring negative things) in my house,” he said. “It’s not good for me or my family. Every day is a new day. Today is a new day. I go play baseball. Let’s go. I don’t put too much (attention) on what happened last night.”
Eddie Money for the lead!
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2023
Well, about Tuesday night: Rosario homered in his first at-bat, reached base on a strikeout/wild pitch in his second, singled in his third and sacrificed a runner over in his fourth. In the last 13 games, he is 19-for-45 (.422) with four homers, four doubles and 15 RBIs. Over the past seven, he’s 13-for-24 (.542) with a 1.125 OPS. The other night against the Giants, he crushed a first-pitch, go-ahead, screaming, 441-foot, two-run homer to give the Braves a 6-5 win.
Every day is new. Every at-bat is new. Like a cleansing. Literally.
Rosario squirts a little water on his face before every at-bat. It’s a fairly new part of his routine.
“It’s just one of those things that helps me out,” he said. “It sort of wakes me up. I have a little more clarity and I can focus in.”
Seeing helps. It took a little while but October Eddie may have arrived early for him.
(Photo: Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
