First-round pick, slugging first baseman assigned to Boise Hawks. See him while you can.

The Colorado Rockies assigned their 2019 first-round selection to Boise on Friday, the first time the club has sent its top pick to make his pro debut with the Boise Hawks since the affiliation began in 2015.

First baseman Michael Toglia, the 23rd overall pick out of UCLA, signed for $2.73 million earlier this week. The 20-year-old switch hitter batted .314 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs in his junior season at UCLA, which went 52-11 and was the overall No. 1 seed in the national tournament before falling to Michigan in the Super Regional.

“I think I bring a lot to the table, and at the top of the list is my competitive edge,” the 6-5, 226-pound Toglia told the Denver Post after the MLB Draft. “I want to show that I’m a winner, and bring that to each level as I move up. I want to get to Coors Field as fast as I can.”

The Rockies also drafted him in the 35th round in 2016 out of high school in Gig Harbor, Washington, but he declined to sign with the club then.

“As a high school kid out of the Northwest who came in and competed right away for UCLA, we’ve seen the growth and maturity as a staff over the last three years,” Rockies scouting director Bill Schmidt told the Denver Post. “Not only has he had the physical development with his tools and his skills, but he’s developed the mental maturity, too, and we thought that warranted him being selected where he was.”

Toglia most likely will make his pro debut with the Hawks on the road as the team began a four-game series in Spokane on Friday. The Hawks return home for a six-game homestand June 25 to June 30 against Eugene and Salem-Keizer.

The Rockies’ second-round draft choice, Aaron Schunk out of Georgia, has been playing third base and has four hits in 20 plate appearances entering Friday. Third-round pick Jacob Wallace joined the team on Opening Day but has yet to make an appearance. Fifth-round pick Will Ethridge also was assigned to Boise on Friday.

Karl Kauffmann, a third-round pick out of Michigan and the top pitcher drafted by the organization, remains the only unsigned draft pick among the Rockies’ first eight picks as he continues playing in the College World Series.

The club also released first baseman Daniel Jipping earlier this week. Jipping was a two-time all-star with the Hawks over the previous two seasons.

The Rockies previously have assigned first-round picks to Boise on rehab assignments but not to make their debuts. Riley Pint, the fourth overall pick in 2016, and Mike Nikorak, the 17th pick in 2015, appeared with the Hawks last season. And sandwich first-round pick Robert Tyler, 38th overall in 2016, also made his pro debut in Boise.

This story was originally published June 21, 2019 at 3:13 PM.