by Tony Fiorello
If you’re a professional athlete in your first year playing at a certain level of competition, you typically fall into one of two categories.
You could be a wide-eyed rookie trying to find your way and adjust to life in the big leagues, or you could be having a productive campaign. The Bisons’ Riley Tirotta falls into the later scenario.
Tirotta, an infielder, was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of the University of Dayton. A four-year starter for the Flyers of Atlantic 10, he turned pro the same year and split time between the Dunedin Blue Jays (A), Vancouver (A+) and New Hampshire (AA) before being promoted to the Bisons this year.
Since his call-up, Tirotta hasn’t looked out of place at the AAA level. Through 38 games, he’s hit nine home runs with 25 RBIs and 24 walks in 131 at-bats, along with a batting average of .260 and an OPS of .928.
“Riley’s had a really good start,” Bisons manager Casey Candaele said. “He's putting together competitive at-bats and playing good defense. It's something that hopefully you can carry on and continue.
“You don't expect everybody to continue on that pace, but if he does he’s probably got a good future ahead of him. But most likely, you just settle down into a familiar area and just kind of grind it out. And he works hard and he plays hard, so those are good signs.”
Throughout his professional career, Tirotta has played every infield position except for shortstop and both corner outfield spots. For now though, he will stick to first base until the Herd gets a bit healthier.
“For the last few weeks, we've had some injuries – we've only had one guy off the bench and it was a catcher – and we've kind of had to piece together lineups, so we’ve been keeping those guys in the same positions and just kind of grinding it out until we get players back,” Candaele said. “We're getting a couple of guys back soon, so he'll move around a little bit more.”
Tirotta’s positional versatility will help going forward – for both his immediate and long-term future, according to Candaele.
“Unless you're a high prospect and something happens at the major league level and they expect you to come up and play every day at a certain position – very rarely does that happen anymore,” Candaele said. “Usually guys are getting called up to play multiple positions and then they work their way into a lineup and maybe get one position to play a year or two down the road. But yeah, being versatile helps you get there and I think Tirotta could definitely do some damage as a big leaguer down the road.”
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