Rooker never envisioned himself making an MLB All-Star team, especially after an ugly rookie season with the Twins in 2021. “I thought that was going to be it for him,” said his dad, Terry Rooker.…
OAKLAND — Even on his worst nights — especially on his worst nights — Brent Rooker knew that when he stepped off the baseball field, rolled into the clubhouse and looked at his cell phone, he’d see a text message from his dad, Terry.
“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t get in the game, or if he only gets an at-bat and strikes out, it doesn’t matter,” said Terry Rooker. “He’s here. His peers put him here. Other players voted him here… I’ll be the fat guy in the stands crying.” “He was getting pretty good attention from some good-sized schools to go play football,” Terry Rooker said. “That’s what he really wanted or thought he really wanted to do. He loved football. And then Mississippi State caught a whiff of him and came to watch him play baseball.”
His self-doubt became worse after the 2021 season, his first year given ample opportunity in the big leagues. It was a disaster. He hit .201 with a .688 OPS while striking out 70 times in 189 at-bats, numbers that indicate a player is severely overmatched. “But you have to have that belief, keep going in Triple-A and maybe somebody else will give me a shot.”
Everidge said Rooker was talented enough, strong enough and experienced enough. He just needed some confidence.
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