Rooker the All-Star? Slugger boosts case after red-hot series

OAKLAND -- Brent Rooker was not named to the All-Star Game when starters were unveiled earlier this week. If he’s going to make it to the Midsummer Classic for a second straight year, he’ll likely have to earn his way in through the player ballot, which he did in 2023.

Rooker continued boosting his case Thursday in a 5-0 victory over the Angels at the Coliseum to secure a three-game sweep for the A’s. The slugger reached base three times as part of a 2-for-3 day, with his RBI single in the third keying a three-run inning.

“He’s a middle-of-the-order bat for us,” manager Mark Kotsay said of Rooker. “His at-bats have been great. The improvement we’ve seen from last year to this year, he continues to get on base and be a force. He really leads this offense.”

While pitching was a main factor in what was just Oakland’s second series sweep of the season, with JP Sears following up Joey Estes’ complete-game shutout from the previous night by tossing five scoreless innings on Thursday, Rooker also had his hands all over it. He homered in the first two games and went 6-for-10 in the three-game set.

Coming off a 30-homer campaign in 2023, Rooker has improved overall as a hitter this year with more consistency at the plate, evidenced by logging at least one hit in 13 of his last 15 games.

Of those 15 games, six have come against the Angels. In fact, Rooker’s dominance against the Halos dates back to last season. Over his past 13 games against the Angels, Rooker is batting .391 (18-for-46) with seven homers, four doubles and 13 RBIs.

“I’m sure there’s some underlying things that show I match up well with their pitching staff or whatever,” Rooker said. “But there’s nothing consciously different for me that feels different facing them than any other team.”

Yordan Alvarez of the Astros was voted in at designated hitter for the American League, grabbing the spot over the Orioles’ Ryan O’Hearn. A quick look at the numbers will show Rooker is not far off from the production of Houston’s slugger. Among AL DH’s, Rooker ranks first in RBIs (50), second in doubles (15) and third in homers (17) and OPS (.880).

Whether or not he makes the All-Star Game, Rooker feels confident that his stats are at least worthy of strong consideration.

“Just being candid and being honest, I think the numbers I’ve put up this year are right in line with the rest of the guys that will be there,” Rooker said. “If I’m there, awesome. If not, it doesn’t take away from what I’ve been able to accomplish and what I’ll look to continue to do in the second half.”

Every club must have at least one All-Star representative, though if Oakland only gets one, the leading candidate is probably closer Mason Miller based on the rookie’s phenomenal start to the season.

Now that the fan vote for starters has ended, Rooker’s chances fall on how his peers around the league decide to vote on backups and pitchers. After that, the Commissioner’s Office selects six additional players for the AL and NL teams. Full 2024 All-Star rosters will be revealed on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.

After receiving little support in the fan voting, Rooker’s teammates are hoping to see him properly rewarded with a trip to Texas in two weeks.

“He’s definitely our sleeper,” Sears said of Rooker. “He’s kind of putting together the same year he had last year, just being so consistent and getting on base. I know Brent takes a lot of pride in just being able to help this team out. Seeing him just being really consistent and being him has been awesome. Hopefully, he gets a little more [All-Star] love.”

Center fielder JJ Bleday added: “[Rooker] has been going off lately. He shows up ready to play every day, and the results have been showing it. … Hopefully, they make a decision where he can get an opportunity.”