From State to the Show: Former Mississippi State Baseball Star Brent Rooker Traded to Kansas City Royals
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Former Mississippi State Triple Crown winner Brent Rooker was traded by the MLB's San Diego Padres to the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday evening.
The Padres' decision to send Rooker elsewhere came just hours before the MLB trade deadline was reached. Before spending part of the 2022 season in California, he was a member of the Minnesota Twins organization for five years. Rooker has played in 67 MLB games throughout his career and has been a consistent performer in the minor leagues.
In less than one season in San Diego, Rooker played in two professional games. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder had much more success with the Twins: he started in 67 games for the organization in 2021. During that time, Rooker posted a .201 batting average with 38 hits, 25 runs scored, 16 RBI and nine home runs.
Rooker was a shining star at Mississippi State, where he was recognized as the second Triple Crown winner in SEC history after leading the league with a .387 batting average, 82 RBI and 23 home runs. The redshirt junior became the first player in conference history to record more than 20 home runs, 30 doubles and 75 RBI in a single season. Rooker was named both the National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and the SEC Player of the Year and received countless other accolades.
Rooker will likely start as a member of Kansas City's Triple-A Minor League affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers, as he has bounced between the minor and major leagues over the last few years. If he performs well in his next landing spot, then it won't be long before he can move back up to the sport's biggest stage once again.