Eddie Rosario 'super thankful' for Twins, fans

Eddie Rosario insists that he isn't upset about the Twins' decision not to bring him back for the 2021 season following six years with the only organization he'd ever known as a professional. More than anything, he saw it as a challenge to continue to show teams that he's got what it takes to be an everyday player.

He is sad, though, that he wasn't able to hear that "Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!" chant rain down from the fans at Target Field one last time.

"That's the hard part," Rosario said. "You could notice the support they gave me every time I played there, every time I came up for an at-bat, a special at-bat, with the drive that they gave me, that energy. So it's hard."

Rosario was part of the Twins' organization for 10 years, from the day they selected him out of high school in Puerto Rico during the fourth round of the 2010 Draft, up until the day, last December, when they non-tendered him and made him a free agent for the first time in his career.

Rosario arrived in Minneapolis with a big splash in 2015, when he crushed the first pitch he saw in the big leagues for an opposite-field homer in front of his new fans. He quickly grew to love those fans over the next half-decade -- and he said that many of them still reach out to him on social media, telling him that they miss him.

"I'll always hold a special place in my heart for them, and I'll keep that with me," Rosario said.

Rosario acknowledged that it was "a little shocking" when the Twins let him walk during the offseason, after 754 hits, 121 homers and 717 games played in a Minnesota uniform over six seasons. His production stayed consistent around his .788 career OPS with the Twins, and his big arm in left field made for 53 outfield assists in that time.

Rosario even raised his walk rate to a career-best 8.2 percent in 2020 with the hopes of getting his OPS up. Still, with top prospects Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach knocking at the door, the Twins let him go and handed the left-field job to a platoon of Luis Arraez, Jake Cave and Kyle Garlick on Opening Day '21.

"I took it easy," Rosario said. "I tried to remain calm. I saw it as a challenge for me to see which teams really wanted my services and where the place would be where I'd feel more at ease and more comfortable. ... I feel really welcome [in Cleveland], and I have the opportunity in a place that I know I can play every day. I felt like it was the best match for me."

Rosario said he hadn't attached too much special significance to Monday, the first time he faced his old teammates while wearing a Cleveland uniform. If anything, he said he actually wasn't looking forward to facing José Berríos, a good friend and fellow Puerto Rican whose caliber of pitching Rosario has seen firsthand for a long time. The matchup proved fruitful, as both of Rosario's hits in the game came off Berríos. Cleveland went on to walk off in the 10th inning, 5-3.

Rosario always played with his emotions on his sleeve while in Minnesota, but he insisted there won't be any extra motivation for him on Monday. He reiterated several times that he understands the business of baseball -- and he'll always remain grateful for what the Twins did for him and his family.

"Definitely, no hard feelings," Rosario said. "On the contrary, I'm just super thankful to the organization. They're the people who gave me an opportunity for more than 10 years. They drafted me out of Puerto Rico from high school. I'll be forever grateful to the organization and all the people that I met there."