Yankees Prospect Wraps: Roc Riggio

InsideThePinstripes.com will review each of the New York Yankees’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2023 season.

No. 19: 2B Roc Riggio, Tampa Yankees (Single-A), Florida Complex League Yankees (Rookie)

Statistics for 2023: (22 games) .192/.392/.219/.611, 13 runs, two doubles, nine RBI, 22 walks, 24 strikeouts, three stolen bases.

With FCL Yankees (five games) .188/.381/.188/.569, two runs, four walks, six strikeouts.

With Tampa (17 games) .193/.395/.228/.623, 11 runs, two doubles, nine RBI, 18 walks, 18 strikeouts, three stolen bases.

Season Transactions: The Yankees selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. They assigned Riggio to the FCL Yankees on July 31. They promoted him to Tampa on Aug. 8.

Season Summary: The Yankees selected Riggio after the Oklahoma State Cowboys wrapped up their postseason run. He’s an infielder with plenty of high-level college experience. At both Rookie League and at Class-A he struggled at the plate with contact, finishing with an average below .200. The best news in his short stint was his impressive eye at the plate, as he drew nearly as many walks as strikeouts, something that carried over from his career at OSU.

Road Through the Organization: Riggio was on MLB teams radars when he came out of high school in Thousand Oaks, Calif., in 2021. But he was intent on playing at Oklahoma State, which meant teams had to wait. During his 2022 postseason he went 15-for-27 (.556) with four homers, five doubles and 17 RBIs in five games, one of the most impressive NCAA postseasons in history. The Mets got him for a $693,000 over-slot bonus after taking him in the fourth round.

What’s next: MLB.com compares Riggio’s intangibles to those of Dustin Pedroia. The plate discipline is a positive development for a college hitter that started at the lower levels of the minor league system, which may be more a product of not getting professional playing time until August. He has a quality glove and an ability to play multiple positions. It’s possible he starts the 2024 season at High-A Hudson Valley with a solid minor league Spring Training. He’s probably two years away from being a possibility in the Bronx.

2023 New York Yankees Top 30 Prospect Wraps:

No. 30 Elijah Dunham | No. 29 Danny Watson | No. 28 Edgar Barclay | No. 27 Justin Lange | No. 26 Yoendrys Gomez | No. 25 Matt Sauer | No. 24 Agustin Ramirez | No. 23 Ben Rice | No. 22: Anthony Hall | No. 21 Brendan Beck | No. 20 Jared Serna |