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HARTFORD — Minor leaguers often spend the month of July hearing rumors, eying unfamilar scouts watching, refreshing their social media pages for the latest.
There were eyeballs on Roc Riggio last July, and on the 25th he got the news. The Yankees were trading him to the Rockies.
“When you get traded, you kind of go through all the emotions,” Riggio said. “You’re happy, you’re sad, you’re angry at times. You go through all the emotions, then once the dust settles you just realize it’s out of our control. The only thing we can control is how we go about our business every day.”
PHOTOS: CT Yard Goats unveil new stadium foods at Dunkin’ Park
So Riggio, 23, finished last season in Hartford with the Yard Goats, and he’s returning to start the new season, which opens Thursday night at Dunkin Park at 7:10 p.m. against Chesapeake, the Orioles’ affiliate.
“People had talked to me about him, that he’s a good player,” said Robinson Cancel, the Goats’ new manager. “The more I see him, the more I like him. He’s got some baseball knowledge, some power, one of those scrappy guys.”
For sure, if Hollywood came up with a new baseball movie, Riggio, from Tarzana, Calif., 5 feet 9, 180 pounds, sturdy with a scruffy beard, could be sent right out of central casting for the part of the young, scrappy second baseman. And could a ballplayer’s name sound more Hollywood than Roc Riggio?
But Riggio, and the players who accompanied him in the trade, pitchers Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, for veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon last July, are real people, trying to forge careers in the game.
“He’s just a baller, he just gets after it,” said Herring, also assigned to Hartford. “He doesn’t take plays off. I faced him a couple of times in spring training, a tough at-bat. He doesn’t give up on it. Honestly, maybe not the best term, but he’s a dirtbag, just gets after it.”
Actually, it’s a big compliment from one ballplayer to another. From age 11, Riggio worked extensively with former major-league infielder Jack Wilson, and later played for him at Thousand Oaks High.
“Jack is not only one of my good friends and good coaches, but one of my mentors,” Riggio said, “and a lot of what he has to teach me and talk about is how to mentally handle a 160-game season. Physically, I’ll always be able to perform, the attributes, they’re not going anywhere, the power’s not going anywhere, the tools aren’t going anywhere, but to stay available, to stay ready for 162 games, that could be tough. Good days, bad days, knowing how to handle a failure, being a professional.”
Drafted by Milwaukee in the 11th round out of high school, Riggio went to play college ball at Oklahoma State, hitting over .550 in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman in 2022, and .335 with 18 homers and 61 RBI in 59 games in his last season there.
New Yard Goats manager has caught legends. Now, he’s in Hartford hoping to develop some
The Yankees drafted him in the fourth round in 2023, signed him with a $693,000 bonus and Riggio got going as a professional. He started the ’25 season in Class A at Hudson Valley, then moved to Double A Somerset. After the trade, he played the last 26 games in Hartford, hitting .256 with two homers and 14 RBI, and made a particularly strong impression on manager Bobby Meacham, former big-league infielder who is now the Rockies’ field coordinator.
Now Riggio has a full season to adjust and master Double A ball, always considered the hump level on the road to the big leagues. He spent the offseason working on the details of hitting and fielding, “Doing everything in my power to improve all aspects of my game,” he said.
“You learn that you can’t take a day off. Every day you have to be mentally and physically ready to play the game. If you’re not, you’re going to get beat, you’re going to get exposed. So the biggest thing, it’s the same game, but everybody’s a little bit better, everything’s a little bit faster, you’ve got to be ready for it.”
The Yard Goats have a mix of players with Double A experience, 18 of those, such as Zach Kokoska, who led the Eastern League in home runs (20) in 2024, and Benny Montgomery, No.8 overall pick in the 2021 draft who played 86 games for the Goats last season. Others will be making the leap from Spokane, Wash., the Rockies’ Class A affiliate. Righthander Jake Brooks, who came in a trade with the Marlins, will start the opener.
The parent club is in the midst of a long rebuilding process after last season’s 43-119 finish, so there will be opportunities for young players who stand out to move up quickly.
“I just want (the fans n Hartford) to see I’m passionate,” Riggio said, “still passionate about playing the game I love. Out there every day, we have a job to do and the fans are the ones who give us our job, so I’ll be out there every day to work hard, play hard, play the game the right way — full steam ahead.”
Manager: Robinson Cancel.
Coaches: Jerry Sullivan (pitching), Zach Osborne (hitting), Michel Ryan (bench).
Pitchers: Blake Adams, Jake Brooks, Eiberson Castellano, Cade Denton, Konner Eaton, Griffin Herring, Victor Juarez, Jack Mahoney, Alberto Pacheco, Davis Palermo, Michael Prosecky, Austin Smith, Connor Staine, Carlos Torres, Fidel Ulloa, Sam Weatherly.
Catchers: Bryant Bettancourt, Cole Messina, Jimmy Obertop.
Infielders: Dyan Jorge, Aidan Longwell, Skyler Messinger, Andy Perez, Roc Riggio, Jose Torres.
Outfielders: GJ Hill, Zach Kokoska, Benny Montgomery, Braylen Wimmer.
Continue reading...
There were eyeballs on Roc Riggio last July, and on the 25th he got the news. The Yankees were trading him to the Rockies.
“When you get traded, you kind of go through all the emotions,” Riggio said. “You’re happy, you’re sad, you’re angry at times. You go through all the emotions, then once the dust settles you just realize it’s out of our control. The only thing we can control is how we go about our business every day.”
PHOTOS: CT Yard Goats unveil new stadium foods at Dunkin’ Park
So Riggio, 23, finished last season in Hartford with the Yard Goats, and he’s returning to start the new season, which opens Thursday night at Dunkin Park at 7:10 p.m. against Chesapeake, the Orioles’ affiliate.
“People had talked to me about him, that he’s a good player,” said Robinson Cancel, the Goats’ new manager. “The more I see him, the more I like him. He’s got some baseball knowledge, some power, one of those scrappy guys.”
For sure, if Hollywood came up with a new baseball movie, Riggio, from Tarzana, Calif., 5 feet 9, 180 pounds, sturdy with a scruffy beard, could be sent right out of central casting for the part of the young, scrappy second baseman. And could a ballplayer’s name sound more Hollywood than Roc Riggio?
But Riggio, and the players who accompanied him in the trade, pitchers Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, for veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon last July, are real people, trying to forge careers in the game.
“He’s just a baller, he just gets after it,” said Herring, also assigned to Hartford. “He doesn’t take plays off. I faced him a couple of times in spring training, a tough at-bat. He doesn’t give up on it. Honestly, maybe not the best term, but he’s a dirtbag, just gets after it.”
Actually, it’s a big compliment from one ballplayer to another. From age 11, Riggio worked extensively with former major-league infielder Jack Wilson, and later played for him at Thousand Oaks High.
“Jack is not only one of my good friends and good coaches, but one of my mentors,” Riggio said, “and a lot of what he has to teach me and talk about is how to mentally handle a 160-game season. Physically, I’ll always be able to perform, the attributes, they’re not going anywhere, the power’s not going anywhere, the tools aren’t going anywhere, but to stay available, to stay ready for 162 games, that could be tough. Good days, bad days, knowing how to handle a failure, being a professional.”
Drafted by Milwaukee in the 11th round out of high school, Riggio went to play college ball at Oklahoma State, hitting over .550 in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman in 2022, and .335 with 18 homers and 61 RBI in 59 games in his last season there.
New Yard Goats manager has caught legends. Now, he’s in Hartford hoping to develop some
The Yankees drafted him in the fourth round in 2023, signed him with a $693,000 bonus and Riggio got going as a professional. He started the ’25 season in Class A at Hudson Valley, then moved to Double A Somerset. After the trade, he played the last 26 games in Hartford, hitting .256 with two homers and 14 RBI, and made a particularly strong impression on manager Bobby Meacham, former big-league infielder who is now the Rockies’ field coordinator.
Now Riggio has a full season to adjust and master Double A ball, always considered the hump level on the road to the big leagues. He spent the offseason working on the details of hitting and fielding, “Doing everything in my power to improve all aspects of my game,” he said.
“You learn that you can’t take a day off. Every day you have to be mentally and physically ready to play the game. If you’re not, you’re going to get beat, you’re going to get exposed. So the biggest thing, it’s the same game, but everybody’s a little bit better, everything’s a little bit faster, you’ve got to be ready for it.”
The Yard Goats have a mix of players with Double A experience, 18 of those, such as Zach Kokoska, who led the Eastern League in home runs (20) in 2024, and Benny Montgomery, No.8 overall pick in the 2021 draft who played 86 games for the Goats last season. Others will be making the leap from Spokane, Wash., the Rockies’ Class A affiliate. Righthander Jake Brooks, who came in a trade with the Marlins, will start the opener.
The parent club is in the midst of a long rebuilding process after last season’s 43-119 finish, so there will be opportunities for young players who stand out to move up quickly.
“I just want (the fans n Hartford) to see I’m passionate,” Riggio said, “still passionate about playing the game I love. Out there every day, we have a job to do and the fans are the ones who give us our job, so I’ll be out there every day to work hard, play hard, play the game the right way — full steam ahead.”
Yard Goats Opening Day Roster
Manager: Robinson Cancel.
Coaches: Jerry Sullivan (pitching), Zach Osborne (hitting), Michel Ryan (bench).
Pitchers: Blake Adams, Jake Brooks, Eiberson Castellano, Cade Denton, Konner Eaton, Griffin Herring, Victor Juarez, Jack Mahoney, Alberto Pacheco, Davis Palermo, Michael Prosecky, Austin Smith, Connor Staine, Carlos Torres, Fidel Ulloa, Sam Weatherly.
Catchers: Bryant Bettancourt, Cole Messina, Jimmy Obertop.
Infielders: Dyan Jorge, Aidan Longwell, Skyler Messinger, Andy Perez, Roc Riggio, Jose Torres.
Outfielders: GJ Hill, Zach Kokoska, Benny Montgomery, Braylen Wimmer.
Continue reading...
