Track and field slugger Brent Rooker defends teammate Lawrence Butler on social media

The A’s left Oakland with a whimper in 2024, finishing 17.0 games out of the playoff picture before departing for Sacramento, but there were certainly some bright spots down the stretch.

One of the biggest surprises in all of baseball in the second half of the season was the emergence of Lawrence Butler as a premier power hitter. The outfielder struggled to make his MLB debut in 2023, was sent to the minors for a month in early 2024 and then returned as a completely new player.

From July 2 to September 17, Butler batted .320 with a 1.018 OPS, collecting 20 home runs, 17 doubles, 48 ​​runs batted in, and 11 stolen bases along the way. That would put Butler on pace for 51 home runs, 43 doubles, 122 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 162 games.

Seeing that production, MLB Network called the 24-year-old a top candidate to watch in 2025 on social media Thursday. Butler’s teammate Brent Rooker took issue with that terminology.

“Guys, if we don’t count what he did in 2024 as a ‘breakup,’ then I’m not really sure what qualifies,” Rooker. published in X on Friday.

Rooker, who was named an All-Star in 2023, had a breakout season in 2024. The designated hitter hit .246 with 30 home runs, 20 doubles, 69 RBIs, four stolen bases, an .817 OPS and a 2.2 OPS. WAR in 2023, then hit .293 with 39 home runs, 26 doubles, 112 RBI, 11 stolen bases, .927 OPS and 5.6 WAR in 2024, winning a Silver Slugger and placing tenth in League MVP voting American.

Butler is under team control through 2029, while Rooker is locked up through 2027, so the duo appears to anchor the A’s lineup for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for fans in Oakland, they will add their respective highlights in Sacramento and then possibly Las Vegas.

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