Amed Rosario has been a great pickup for Washington Nationals

In an offseason with plenty of misses, Amed Rosario has been a big hit for Mike Rizzo

Make no mistake about it, Mike Rizzo has had plenty of off seasons better than this one. A lot of his biggest moves have not worked out as intended. Nathaniel Lowe has really struggled lately and three of the bullpen arms he brought in are already gone. However, Rizzo got completely right with Amed Rosario.

In early January, the Nationals signed Rosario to a 1-year $2 million deal. It was another one of those bargain hunting contracts we have become so used to lately. However, like Jesse Winker and Jeimer Candelario before him, Rosario has been a big hit. He does not play every day, but when he plays he is impactful.

Rosario was a top prospect for the Mets, but after an up and down tenure in New York, he was included in the Francisco Lindor trade. He was a productive player in Cleveland in 2021 and 2022, putting up a 4 win season in ‘22. However, he has bounced around since then with the Nats being his sixth team since the start of 2023.

The Nationals have found a way to maximize Rosario. They have mostly protected him against right handed pitching, while making him a focal point of the offense against southpaws.

Rosario has always been much better vs lefties. For his career, he is hitting .301 with an .807 OPS vs lefties. Against righties, Rosario has a much more pedestrian .667 OPS. When you add in his bad defense, Rosario is a negative player against righties. However, he rakes against left handed pitching.

This year the numbers have been even more dramatic. Rosario is hitting .360 with a .993 OPS vs lefties, but is only hitting .238 with a .599 OPS vs righties. However, Davey Martinez is well aware of this, with Rosario having more at bats against southpaws than righties.

Yesterday, when the Nats offense looked rudderless most of the game, Rosario delivered. On a pitch that was in the other batters box, Rosario sent it the other way into the Nats bullpen. It gave the Nats a lead they would never relinquish.

After James Wood, who is very good left on left, Rosario is the most dangerous hitter in the lineup against southpaws. That is why he often hits second when the Nats face left handed pitching. The Nats are so lefty heavy and their switch hitters, Josh Bell and Keibert Ruiz are better left handed. That is why the Nats have largely struggled against lefties. Without Rosario, this problem would be way worse.

While I really enjoy how Davey is using Rosario, I do wish he was pinch hit more aggressively. Whenever guys like Jose Tena, Luis Garcia Jr., or Josh Bell come up in a big spot against a lefty reliever, Rosario should be ready to go on the bench. He is the exact type of guy who would thrive as a pinch hitter. Rosario is always ready to hit and his swing is simple.

Rosario is a true matchup weapon, and while the Nats use him well, they could weaponize him even more. He also seems like a very good veteran presence. Whenever you are at Nationals Park and looking in the dugout, Rosario is always on the top step talking to someone when he isn’t playing. That along with his ability to mash left handed pitching has made him ultra-valuable.

If the Nats end up selling at the deadline, Rosario will be coveted. While the team won’t get a kings ransom for a weak side platoon bat, teams want weapons off the bench. Rosario is the kind of guy I could absolutely see coming off the bench against a tough lefty reliever and changing a playoff series. With the Nats 4.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot, hopefully that could be for us if we get hot.

There has been a lot of focus on Mike Rizzo’s questionable moves this offseason, and rightly so. It has not been his best offseason and there have been some stinkers. However, you have to give Rizzo credit for Rosario. He had a couple down years in a row, but Rizzo knew that he could be a weapon in the right role. Now that he is being used correctly, you are seeing the best of Amed Rosario.