Draft Pick Profile: Alfonsin Rosario Is About As Toolsy As It Gets

Alfonsin Rosario – Picture by Perfect Game

The hardest thing to do for a draft pick profile is to do one on a high school player. The reason for that is there is just not a lot of data in terms of statistics that most people would consider to be valid. It’s hard to take statistics from a high school season and translate them into a professional setting because the level of competition is just not the same. 

Thanks to the modern world of technology, there’s other data that we can use that will help us evaluate a players worth that Perfect Game does a great job of capturing and relating to the masses. Such is the case for Alfonsín  Rosario, the Cubs sixth round pick out of Lexington, South Carolina by way of the Dominican Republic.

Basic info

Age 19
Throws right
Bats right
Height 6 foot two
Weight 215
Born in the Dominican Republic
Sixth round pick 2023

The best word to describe Alfonsín Rosario is raw. Period. When you first see pictures of him, you realize very quickly that he is a physical specimen who does not look like he has an ounce of fat on his entire body. To watch him in showcases videos, you soon realize that he has extreme raw power. He also has an extremely strong arm and that he is not afraid to use it.

In high school, Rosario played both the outfield and pitched. In 2022, he participated in a national showcase with Perfect Game, and one of his outfield throws was over 100 miles an hour. For most people, he’s been on the national radar for well over a year. He was not considered an elite prospect in terms of the first couple of rounds, because he does have some things he needs to improve. Those include his approach and possibly some minor swing changes. 

Some evaluators, like Baseball America, I thought that Rosario might be better off going to Chipola Junior College in Florida, where he had committed. There he could improve his skill base and work on his approach at the plate. However, Rosario decided to sign his pro contract and will be in Mesa this year and possibly next depending on his development. He could catch on quickly, or it could take a while. We’re gonna find out in the next year.

Alfonsin Rosario clearing the seats!!!! #PGNational pic.twitter.com/nAOBERs3w6

— Perfect Game USA (@PerfectGameUSA) July 22, 2022

Here is what Perfect Game said of Rosario back in 2022.

Extra strong physical build. Right handed hitter, has an aggressive swing from a solid base, outstanding raw bat speed, has a pull side approach with lift and extension, top of the scale raw power, made Tropicana Field look small in batting practice, swung the bat well in games with 100+ mph exit velocities. 6.76 runner in the sixty. Showed the same type of raw arm strength from the outfield as raw power at the plate, 101 mph velocity with low on line carry, aggressive to the ball and uses his momentum well working through release. Will be very interesting to see how his big tools play in extended game action. Good student.

I love how they put he was good student because that means that he’s going to work hard and learn. That’s an important skill to look for in a player’s makeup and shows how much they want to improve.

A year later, some of those same attributes were still present when the Cubs took him. Here is what Dan Kantrovitz told the Marquee Sports Network about the process to get Rosario:

“He ended up coming to our workout in Myrtle Beach and we all ended up getting another look at just the raw power he has, which is enormous. He’s a guy that if everything clicks could end up being a pretty exciting player.

To sum up, there’s a lot to love, a lot to like, and a few touches to improve. How quickly he can adjust his approach will be the key as well as his ability to adapt to playing against advanced competition.

It is going to be fun!

Other Draft Profiles

2023
RD	Pick	Pos	Player	School	Bonus
1	13	SS	Matt Shaw	Maryland
2	68	SP	Jaxon Wiggins	Arkansas
3	81	SS	Josh Rivera	Florida
4	113	SP	Will Sanders	South Carolina
5	149	C	Michael Carico	Davidson
6	176	OF	Alfonsin Rosario	P27
7	206	SS	Yahil Melendez	B You Academy (PR)
8	236	OF	Brett Bateman	Minnesota
9	266	1B	Jonathon Long	Long Beach State
10	296	SP	Luis Martinez-Gomez	Temple College
11	326	OF	Zyhir Hope	Colonial Forge HS
12	356	2B/OF	Carter Trice	NC State
13	386	SP	Sam Armstrong	Old Dominion
14	416	RP	Grayson Moore	Vanderbilt
15	446	SP	Ty Johnson	Ball State
16	476	RP	Daniel Brown	Campbell
17	506	SP	Ethan Flanagan	UCLA
18	536	3B	Brian Kalmer	Gonzaga
19	566	SP	Nick Dean	Maryland
20	596	3B	Drew Bowser	Stanford