The Rockies had to draft him twice. Now the first-round pick is breaking out in Boise.
The Colorado Rockies were so enamored with Michael Toglia that they spent two draft picks on him, including one they knew would never work.
Their persistence has paid off as Toglia starts to find his groove with the Boise Hawks. Baseball America and MLB.com recently ranked him as the No. 5 prospect in the Colorado organization, and his late surge made him a replacement pick for the Northwest-Pioneer League All-Star Game on Tuesday at the Hawks’ Memorial Stadium.
“He’s as advertised,” Boise Hawks manager Steve Soliz said of the first-round pick. “He came with high remarks, and he’s been all of that.”
The Rockies first selected the switch-hitting first baseman out of Washington’s Gig Harbor High School in the 35th round in 2016. Toglia was committed to UCLA and said the area scout admitted that he knew Toglia would never sign. But the Rockies wanted him to have the honor of getting drafted.
Three years later and with Toglia eligible for the MLB Draft again, the Rockies wasted no time circling back to the slugging first baseman in June, taking him with the 23rd overall pick in the first round. The 20-year-old signed for $2.73 million.
Some draft experts called the selection a bit of a reach, as ESPN ranked him as the 51st overall prospect. But the Rockies knew they wanted Toglia, and they weren’t letting him slip away again.
“I was surprised,” Toglia said, noting he had little predraft contact with Colorado. “I didn’t know they were going to come in again. I give a lot of props to the Rockies. It shows their persistence. When they picked me out of high school, it shows they really believed in me by taking me again. I really admire that.”
June’s draft actually marks the third time the Rockies have selected him. As a 9-year-old, a Little League team named the Rockies drafted him as well. But Toglia laughs and admits he grew up a Yankees fan.
The 6-foot-5, 226-pound slugger came to Boise with all the hype of a first-round pick, including raw power, an easy swing and the athleticism to possibly move into the outfield. He’s wasted no time showing the home run power that has Rockies executives drooling. He sent one over the fence in his second professional at-bat and entered the all-star game with seven home runs, tied for fourth in the Northwest League.
Soliz said Toglia’s polish and tools have stood out. But he said most impressive is the way he’s handled adversity.
Toglia’s batting average dropped to .204 after 29 games on July 23. Soliz said that hasn’t bothered Toglia and he’s instead taken to heart the lesson that the process is more important than the results in his first year as a professional.
The results have started to come as well. He hit .300 in his final 10 games before the all-star break to boost his average to .232. And he went 1-for-3 in Tuesday night’s game.
“That’s a big adjustment for a lot of guys,” Soliz said, “but he’s been able to make it pretty seamlessly.”
SURPRISING HOME RUN DERBY WINNER
Salem-Keizer third baseman Sean Roby had hit only one home run so far this year with the Volcanoes. But you’d never know that from the display the 21-year-old put on Tuesday to win the dual-league home run derby.
Roby got off to a slow start, hitting just two home runs in his first 2 minutes of the first round. But he finished the round on fire, blasting seven in the final 59 seconds.
That put him in the finals, where he edged Grand Junction’s Colin Simpson 18-14 for the championship belt.
Roby was a late addition to the home run derby Tuesday morning. He filled in for teammate Franklin Labour after the Giants promoted him. Labour led the Northwest League with 14 home runs this summer.
PIONEER LEAGUE TAKES WIN
The Pioneer League cranked four home runs to slug its way to an 11-7 win over the Northwest League in the fifth annual all-star game between the two short-season circuits.
Orem Owlz shortstop Jeremiah Jackson, the Pioneer League’s home run leader, led the way with a grand slam in the third inning to earn the game’s MVP honors. Ogden outfielder Jon Littell had a three-run homer in the sixth inning to break a 6-6 tie.
Boise Hawks closer Jacob Wallace led the five hometown players’ performance in front of 3,783 fans by striking out the side in the top of the ninth.
This story was originally published August 6, 2019 at 10:54 PM.
