Adam Rosales was a punchline more often than not when he was brought to the Rangers last season, and then proceeded to bounce back and forth between the Rangers and Oakland A's throughout the summer in a really weird turn of events.
He ended up staying put with the Rangers, and due to the long list of injuries this season, he's actually seen a fair amount of playing time this season instead of just being a bench utility infielder. And here's the thing, he's actually playing very well.
Rosales is close to putting together a career year and has a career-high .291 batting average, albeit in just 51 games, which is Rosales' fourth-highest career total. His on-base percentage is far and away a career best at .360 and he's been hitting in the top part of the Rangers' lineup for quite some time now. That says a lot about the Rangers' catastrophic season, but they've actually been scoring a lot of runs lately, and Rosales has been a big part of that.
But let's not kid ourselves. Rosales isn't on a big-league team for his bat, and he's not a gold-glove defender, either. But his defensive versatility is tremendous and he's even had a few highlight reel plays at first base recently — his position of least experience.
He can play all four infield positions and left field, making him a prime candidate to be the 25th man on the Rangers' roster next season because of his flexibility defensively. He's arbitration eligible following the season, and you'd have to think the Rangers will bring him back if they can get the price right, which they should be able to.
Is Rosales going to be a .290 hitter next season? Most likely not — far from it. But he's worth bringing back.
