With Eddie Rosario a long shot to win the Final Vote contest onto the AL All-Star team — he's up against players from the Red Sox and Yankees, after all — the Twins called upon a local celebrity to endorse his candidacy.
Becca Kufrin, a Prior Lake native who is now the star of ABC's "The Bachelorette," came to Target Field to take part in the Twins' "Would you accept this Rosie?" campaign on Rosario's behalf. Kufrin posed for publicity photos with Rosario — who dressed in a tuxedo for the occasion — and met several of the Twins' players. She also threw out the first pitch, with Rosario serving as catcher and then presenting her with a rose instead of the baseball.
"I hope it works. We're going to do what we can," Molitor said of the campaign, which Rosario's teammates have adopted with gusto. "We know we're up against some tough odds, with bigger markets and maybe bigger names [such as Boston's Andrew Benintendi and the New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton]. But we'll do our part."
Said Rosario after the game: "I think it's good. I like it. I appreciate the guys trying to help me go to the All-Star Game. Even the little stuff. The other guys have more votes, but I want to try get everyone to help me get to the All-Star Game."
PHIL MILLER
