A light day for home runs – in the majors at least. The minors were a different story. Monday did have good news in one form, though. It was the day Major League Baseball welcomed Adam Rosales back to the field. There will be more on that in a minute.
For now, let’s get to the trots!
Home Run of the Day: Adam Rosales, Oakland Athletics – 19.16 seconds [video]
It didn’t take long for me to find my favorite trotter last year. The A’s Adam Rosales isn’t the biggest of home run hitters, but, when he does hit one, it’s nothing but fun. In 2010, the only home run trots clocked in under 16.5 seconds were inside-the-park home runs (17 of them) – and five Adam Rosales trots. That’s right, Rosales was on par with inside-the-park hitters five times. Of his seven home runs, the only two that weren’t under 16.5 seconds were the two non-solo home runs he hit. More than anyone else, Rosales hauls around the bases at the moment of contact on all home runs.
It was sad, then, when he went down for the season last August. That meant no more tater trots. Monday was his first day back in the big leagues and, in his second at-bat, he went yard. The trot was a bit slow – partly due to Rosales himself, but mostly due to the runner on base who just didn’t seem to know a sprinter was behind him. Monday’s trot may not have been quite as fast as we’re used to from Rosales, but I’m glad to have him back.
For the rest of today’s trots (including trot times for all home runs), head over to Baseball Prospectus.
