Mississippi State alum opening 2018 with Double A Chattanooga Lookouts

Only two players in the history of the Southeastern Conference have won the triple crown and both of them hail from Mississippi State.

At this same time last year, Brent Rooker was on the verge of joining the exclusive club following in the footsteps of Rafael Palmeiro in 1984.

Now the year is 2018 and Rooker is already making a rapid climb through the Minnesota Twins farm system. That’s where we find the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year, SEC player of the year, and Ferriss Trophy Winner with Double A Chattanooga.

In his first season with the Lookouts, Rooker is second on the team in homeruns and RBIs, but his .245 batting average is a far cry from his days as a Bulldog.

As the first baseman continues to adjust to pro ball, he often draws back on his triple crown run. “The adjustments that I had to make even in college to have the amount of success that I had my last year have kind of carried into pro ball and kind of taking some of those things that I learned and obviously applied them to my game here because it worked then, so some of that stuff has continued to work now. And just like I said, the experience playing there is once in a lifetime. Obviously, I’m having a great time in pro ball, but playing in Dudy Noble, playing in front of those fans and that program is something that you don’t take for granted while you’re doing it because it’s a once in lifetime experience, like I said.”

In 2017, Rooker led the SEC with 23 home runs and 82 RBIs while hitting at a clip of .387. He was drafted 35^th overall by the Twins.