Mack's Mock Pick - #71 - 2B - Roc Riggio

 

Roc Riggio

Mack's spin - 

Riggio has tremendous power for someone that is 5-9.

His biggest asset is the amount of positions he can play. They include SS, 2B, corner outfield and, yes, even catcher.

Could be quite the utility asset for some team.

 

2B      5-9     175      Thousand Oaks HS (CA) 

 

3-30-21 - Prospects Worldwide -

 

116. 2B/OF Roc Riggio | School: Thousand Oaks HS, CA | Commit: Oklahoma State | B / T: L / R | Ht: 5’9 | Wt: 180lbs | Age: 19

 

Riggio has been on an absolute tear to start the HS Season. How about 5 straight games with a HR.. (and counting as of this writing). Undersized, just 5’9, but do not let that fool you, the power is legit. This kid can flat out swing the bat and find hard contact with plus bat speed and natural loft in his swing built to get the ball in the air. An Average Hit and Power tools that should see him be able to be consistently around 20 HR or more per season. Defensively, a solid defender, fits in best at 2B but can also slide out to the OF in LF and perhaps get some reps in at 3B as well. Similar to Willie Calhoun.

  

3-23-21 - Baseball Prospect Journal -

 

There may not be a player in the 2021 MLB draft class with a bigger swing in opinions than Thousand Oaks (Calif.) High second baseman Roc Riggio.

 

No one doubts Riggio’s abilities. Riggio is an Oklahoma State commit and potential early-round pick in July’s MLB draft.

 

Some talent evaluators wonder what his future defensive position will be in the future, though. Some publications list Riggio as a second baseman while others classify him as an outfielder. A former scout told BPJ he likes Riggio best at catcher, a position Riggio played when he was younger.

 

There also are varying reports on his size. Some publications report him as 5-foot-8 and Team USA Baseball listings him as 6-foot-2. Riggio, 5-foot-9, is a strong athlete who has the skills to impact all facets of the game.

 

Offensively, Riggio is a left-handed hitter who has a quick, compact swing with the ability to hit for power. While he is one of the top prep players in California with a bright future, Riggio’s top trait is his makeup.

 

 1-14-21  -  Baseball America

 

Roc Riggio

 

Thousand Oaks (Calif.) HS OF

 

Ht: 5-9 | Wt: 180 | B-T: L-R

Commit/Drafted: Oklahoma State

Age At Draft: 19.1

 

Riggio is one of the more famous and well-known prospects in the 2021 class given his long history of performance as an underclassman and with Team USA. Because of his fame and size—he’s listed at 5-foot-9, 180 pounds—the long-time UCLA commit has been difficult for scouts to come to a consensus on. Those who buy into his profile see a baseball rat with a high IQ who makes the most of his tools with a great feel for hitting and making adjustments in the box with more power to the pull side than you would expect. Skeptics see a nice player who would become a factor in the draft in the fourth-to-sixth-round range, but one who they’d prefer to go to college in Los Angeles and prove his toolset. Riggio has a lean frame with some present strength and sees the ball deep into the zone with a solid approach and batting eye and makes good adjustments within at-bats. While he’s a solid runner, scouts don’t see a no-doubt plus runner who could handle center, which makes him a corner outfield profile, putting him under more scrutiny without plus power or a projectable frame to dream on. Still, production matters and Riggio has produced almost everywhere he’s been.

 

 11-11-20 - Prospects Live Top 300 Prospect List - ​

 

107. Roc Riggio - OF

 

Bio:

Height: 5-9

Weight: 175 lbs

Hits/Throws: L-R

Hometown: Simi Valley, CA

School: Thousand Oaks

 

Strong athlete in an undersized but pitbull like frame. Quick left handed swing with strong hands and over the fence power already. Looks to be primarily a second baseman but has played outfield as well. Riggio really struggled early on this summer, but has had a few good weeks now. Riggio is an Oklahoma State commit and one of the top players in a strong California Prep class.

 

 10-1-20  -  BA -

 

Roc Riggio, 2B, California (Thousand Oaks HS)

 

The No. 67 player in the 2021 high school class, Riggio stood out from an early age, committing to UCLA when he was in eighth grade (he's now committed to Oklahoma State) and playing for USA Baseball national teams since he was 14. There are players with more size and louder raw tools, but Riggio is a polished player with easy actions on both sides of the ball. He's 5-foot-9, 180 pounds with a smooth, compact and tightly connected swing from the left side. He has quiet hands and takes a direct path to the ball, an adjustable swing that should lead to a lot of contact, especially with his mature offensive approach and good eye for the strike zone. Riggio showed the ability to put an occasional charge into the ball—he doubled off a Solometo slider in a particularly difficult left-on-left matchup—but his offensive value should come more from his on-base skills. He finished the series 2-for-6 with a double, one walk and one strikeout. Riggio has spent time in the outfield and the infield, though he played exclusively at second base at the Future Stars Series and impressed defensively. He's an instinctive, fundamentally sound defender with good footwork, soft hands, a quick release and smooth, efficient turns on the double play pivot. He showed quick reactions off the bat as well, ranging for a groundball to his right to steal a hit from Daylan Pena, though his pure arm strength may fit better at second base than shortstop. That type of skill set from a high school player is one that draws a split camp among scouts and organizations—and Riggio will be 19 in June—but he helped himself with a strong showing here.

 

 7-21-20 -  BA -

 

Roc Riggio, OF, Thousand Oaks (Calif.) HS

 

Travel Team: East Coast Sox

Commit: Oklahoma State

Performance: 4-for-11, 1 HR, 1 2B, 3 BB, 0 K

 

Riggio has been something of a conundrum for scouts and is likely already the victim of prospect fatigue. A famous name for years now thanks to his performance as an underclassman and play with Team USA, the bar always seems high for what Riggio needs to do to impress.

 

While he might not stand out in workout-oriented showcase events, Riggio always seems to produce. His feel for the game is exceptional and he’s the type of player who stands out the more you watch him. A 5-foot-9, 180-pound outfielder, Riggio isn’t overly projectable but has a lot of strength for his frame, with over-the-fence pop to the pull side.

 

He grinds out at-bats at the plate and has an advanced understanding of the zone and of what he can do as a hitter. He makes adjustments well within at-bats, shifting his feet in the box forward and back as he sees fit and he checks a lot of mental and leadership boxes with high baseball IQ, confidence, plenty of communication in the outfield and impressive reads and routes.

 

He’ll likely continue to be difficult for scouts to figure out as they try and square his baseball skills with his body and toolset.

 

 PG -

 

Roc Riggio is a 2021 OF/C/MIF with a 5-9 175 lb. frame from Simi Valley, CA who attends Thousand Oaks. Compact athletic build with good present strength. 7.33 runner, plays faster than his sixty time. Good fundamentals in the outfield, clean approach through the ball with good glove position out front, gets on top of his throws well from an over the top arm slot. Also worked out in the middle infield with quick and active footwork and a similar over the top arm slot. Left handed hitter, hits from an open stance with a short, high contact swing approach, controlled swing the worked the middle to opposite field consistently, has shown more power in his swing approach in the past..