Colorado Rockies: Wilin Rosario continues baseball odyssey

It has been a long time since Wilin Rosario last appeared in the majors. The one time Colorado Rockies’ backstop was a solid power threat during his five years in Major League Baseball, but his defensive woes eventually forced him out. Aside from a stint with the Twins Triple-A team in 2019, Rosario has spent that time playing overseas.

Now he will get a chance to add another league and country to the list. According to the Taipei Times, Rosario has signed with the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League for the 2022 season.

Former Colorado Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario continues baseball odyssey

Since being let go by the Rockies, Rosario had spent time in both the Korean Baseball Organization and Nippon Professional Baseball. The one time top prospect spent time in the Mexican League last year, and has been a fixture in the Dominican Winter League. This signing adds another country to his baseball passport.

There was a time when he seemed to be a piece of the Rockies’ future. A consensus top 100 prospect ahead of the 2012 season, Rosario had a pair of strong years in 2012 and 2013. In that time, he produced a 107 OPS+, hitting 49 homers and 41 doubles in his 892 plate appearances. While his defense was questionable, Rosario’s bat more than made up for that deficiency.

That changed in his final two years in the majors. Rosario’s production began to slip, culminating with a disappointing 79 OPS+ with just six homers and 14 doubles in 242 plate appearances. He was moved to first base, with just two appearances behind the plate, but did not produce enough to warrant being anything more than a backup.

Rosario will be 33 years old at the beginning of the 2022 season. Chances are, his time in the majors has already come to an end long before anyone would have imagined. However, his baseball odyssey is one that will provide a lifetime of stories and plenty of experiences as he has plied his trade all over the world.

Wilin Rosario has added another stop in his baseball passport. The former Colorado Rockies catcher is heading to the Uni-President Lions in the CPBL.