Oakland Athletics slugger Brent Rooker had never been an MLB All-Star before. That was until he found out on Sunday.
The Oakland Athletics are mostly in the news cycle due in part to their subpar record so far this season and the fact that they are on the cusp of relocating to Las Vegas. But, there was some good news on the team this past weekend. Of course, the MLB All-Star Game rosters were revealed on Sunday, and there will be an Athletics representative heading to Seattle. That player is none other than slugger Brent Rooker.
On Sunday, Athletics Manager Mark Kotsay spoke with his team and asked a couple of questions.
Kotsay first asked his players to keep their hands in the air if they had been on a little league All-Star team. Then, asked if they had been on a minor league All-Star team. He asked those to raise their hands if they had ever played in the MLB All-Star Game. Kotsay said he should see two hands in the air in assistant coach Ramon Hernandez and infielder Aledmys Diaz.
Kotsay then told Rooker to keep his hand in the air, because he was going to the All-Star Game for the first time.
Athletics slugger Brent Rooker elected to first MLB All-Star Game
Rooker thanked everyone in the room and discussed how this was his first opportunity to play consistently. Kotsay then revealed that not only was Rooker selected, but he received the second-most votes from players to be the American League designated hitter. The starting designated hitter for the AL team is Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels.
This happened before the team's game against the Chicago White Sox. After receiving the news, Rooker then proceeded to show why he was deserving of a spot on the team, as he hit a two-run homer to cut Oakland's deficit to 8-5.
Rooker joined the Athletics after being claimed off waivers. He had started off the 2022 season with the San Diego Padres before getting traded to the Kansas City Royals. Before that season, he started his career with the Minnesota Twins. In those three stints, Rooker played 81 major league games.
Through 72 games this season with the Athletics, Rooker recorded a .243 batting average, a .339 on-base percentage, a .477 slugging percentage, 14 home runs, 30 runs scored, 41 RBI, and 58 hits.
After receiving an opportunity with the Athletics, Rooker made the most of it. Now, he's heading to his first MLB All-Star Game.
