Toronto Blue Jays prospect Riley Tirotta at the Blue Jays’ minor league complex in Dunedin, Fla. Photo: Ryan Galati

March 24, 2023

By Ryan Galati

Centennial Sports Journalism

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The road to Major League baseball for any draftee is lengthy.

For Toronto Blue Jays prospect and Dayton University graduate Riley Tirotta, it’s been longer.

While many players get drafted by teams from overseas programs or jump straight into development from high school, Tirotta’s degree in finance meant more years before hearing his name called.

A four-year program, the grueling nights of studying after several hours of intensive training may sound like a cruel struggle, but the Dayton Flyers alumnus is more than happy with his decision.

“I wouldn’t trade my fourth year of college for anything. It prepared me even more for pro ball,” Tirotta said. “Finding myself outside of the draft and pursuing through that whole next year … I proved a lot to myself there.”

The Dean’s List student’s work ethic paid dividends in the end.

In the 2021 Major League draft, Tirotta was drafted in the 12th round, 362nd overall, by the Blue Jays. That was only the start of his journey, with the Toronto draftee describing the transition as a challenging one.

“Coming from a smaller Division I [school] and coming into pro ball, it’s a big step. Not that Division I baseball isn’t good, but pro ball is a lot better,” Tirotta understated.

One of the strongest defensive players and fastest runners from the Jays’ 2021 draft class, the former Dayton third baseman puts his flexibility and early success hand-in-hand.

“I pride myself on being versatile, being able to run, being able to play multiple positions, being able to make contact a lot, and also being able to have some power,” Tirotta said.

The South Bend, Ind., native spent last season with the Blue Jays’ High-A affiliate Vancouver Canadians where he put up a .219 batting average and .314 on-base percentage.

Despite the smile on his face under the Canadians’ red hat, Tirotta’s end goal is to ultimately wear the blue cap at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Seemingly adapting to the Ontario capital’s culture by selecting Drake’s “Hold on, we’re going home” as his walk-up song, the American doesn’t know what to expect from the city in his eventual visit.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Tirotta said with a laugh. “I was in Vancouver last year and that was a completely different place to where I’m from … different food, different people, different place. I’m expecting it to be similar to Vancouver, very diverse, very Canadian.”

At 24 years of age, the road is not at its end for the prospect, but the destination is only growing closer.