Colorado Rockies: Wilin Rosario hoping to be next Eric Thames

Wilin Rosario had a decent, if unspectacular, career with the Colorado Rockies. After spending the last two years in the Korean Baseball Organization, he is looking to become the next Eric Thames.

There was a good deal of hope that Wilin Rosario would be the future of the Colorado Rockies at catcher. He had been a top prospect in the minors, with Baseball Prospectus ranking him as high as 39th overall heading into the 2011 campaign. Rosario showed that potential in his first two full seasons, producing a combined .282/.314/.507 batting line with 49 homers and 41 doubles. However, there were reasons for concern, as he had only 40 walks in 892 plate appearances.

That lack of plate discipline caught up with Rosario in 2014 and 2015. After an excellent start to his career, Rosario posted a meager .268/.301/.427 batting line in the next two seasons. His power fell off, as he hit only 19 homers and 39 doubles. His defense behind the plate was enough for the Rockies to move Rosario to first, and he simply did not produce enough to stay in the lineup. Released after the 2015 campaign, Rosario was unable to find a job in the majors, and headed over to Korea.

Playing for the Hanwha Eagles, Rosario became an offensive force. Even though the KBO has inflated offensive numbers, Rosario managed to impress. Over the past two seasons, he has produced a .330/.390/.625 batting line, hitting 70 homers. More impressively, he showed a good deal of improvement with his batting eye, drawing 83 walks while striking out only 150 times in 1042 plate appearances.

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Given his success over the past two years, Rosario is looking to follow in the footsteps of another former major leaguer that headed to Korea to find himself. Eric Thames did not have nearly the same track record that Rosario had prior to his time overseas, but emerged as a star in the KBO. He produced a .348/.449/.715 batting line with 126 homers in three seasons, leading to a three year, $16 Million contract with the Brewers.

Rosario is likely looking to get a similar deal. Although Thames had more success in Korea, Rosario had the better track record in the majors prior to his trek overseas. The problem is, there are not a lot of teams looking for a starting catcher.

Last season, Rosario had also looked to parlay his success in the KBO into a major league opportunity. However, he was unable to find any takers, leading to his second season with Hanwha. He may well find himself in the same boat this year, as few teams are looking for starting catchers. Yet, for a team like the Nationals, who have a question mark behind the plate with the slumping Matt Wieters, Rosario could be an interesting option.

Next: Rockies 2017 review and look ahead

Wilin Rosario is hoping to make his return to the majors. If the former Colorado Rockies catcher can be the next Eric Thames, then he will be well worth every cent a prospective team would spend.