Rocchio rocking after Guardians put RubberDucks middle infielder on their 40-man roster
The key to success in baseball comes from confidence no matter what the situation, but when an organization shows you love that assurance goes through the roof.
For top-five Guardians prospect Brayan Rocchio, that morale went through the roof last November when the infielder was added to the 40-man roster.
“That’s good because it showed me that I’m closer to the big leagues,” Rocchio said. “If I continue to work harder, I can complete that goal. It’s impressive for me. They talked to me about being at that level and it gave me more confidence.”
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With the Rule 5 draft in a state of flux – it eventually was canceled for the 2022 season – Rocchio was one of 10 minor leaguers protected. He joined a list that includes current RubberDucks players Jose Tena and George Valera.
“Brayan Rocchio is playing in a very competitive league in the Venezuelan Winter League and he also built on a season that continued to get better,” Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operation Chris Antonetti told the media last fall. “As he continues to get challenged and faces better competition, he continues to elevate his performance.
"He performed better this year in Double-A than he did at High-A, and I think he was the youngest or one of the very youngest players in the league this year. Both [he and Tena] have bright futures.”
Rocchio tears it up with the Ducks
After hitting a combined .335 at the age of 17 in 2018, Rocchio turned some heads.
Fast forward to last season and the Caracas, Venezuela, native batted .265 with nine home runs and 33 RBIs at Lake County. In Akron, he hit .293 (54-for-184) with 13 doubles, four triples, six homers and 30 RBIs.
Those last 40 games for the Ducks were the difference and showed just how big an upside the No. 4 prospect in the organization had.
“It gives him a lot of confidence to hear the president of the team is counting on him,” RubberDucks manager Rouglas Odor said of Rocchio. “That says a lot about his future. It’s a huge responsibility that he’s taken very professionally. Rocchio understands that every year is different. The fact he was here has been giving him a lot of confidence. He understands the league and knows what he needs to do to improve and move on.”
As a fellow middle infielder, Tena has spent many an afternoon playing next to Rocchio, so he knows just how big a piece his teammate is to the future of the team.
“I’ve learned a lot from him,” Tena said. “We’ve both learned a lot from each other. I keep learning new things every day. I see what he does well and try to take away from that, but also give him feedback on things we can improve on.
“I feel really comfortable with him. That’s honestly the key to doing well at this sport. It’s being comfortable with your teammates, and that’s how I feel playing beside Rocchio since we’ve had so much time together.”
Roster move raises Rocchio
Tena knows just how important that is for Rocchio’s game and is confident his teammate’s game will only improve.
“That’s really important for us,” he said. “It helps us compete better. Even though we’re teammates, we’re still competing. It’s really nice to know that the team sees us playing together one day in the big leagues, god willing.”
That’s not to say the 21-year-old Rocchio is pushing himself beyond his limits.
He knows just how important development is and will continue to work on the things Odor puts in front of him with the goal of climbing the ladder.
“I’m prepared for that,” Rocchio said. “That’s what I’m working for every day. Being here in Double-A is for me to work hard so I can get to the league. That’s the goal for everybody. Being here again helps a lot with the feel of the game. The manager, the hitting coach, I know everybody. I know the field. I know every team. I’m comfortable playing in Akron.”
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Rocchio isn't getting ahead of himself, but sees end goal in sight
