TIROTTA BECOMING A VALUABLE PIECE FOR BISONS

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 by trade, 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 last year.

Since his call-up, Tirotta hasn’t looked out of place at the AAA level. In 85 games in 2024 games, he hit 12 home runs with 49 RBIs and 45 walks in 287 at-bats, along with a batting average of .240 and an OPS of .785.

“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.”

That success has carried over into 2025. Through 39 games, Tirotta has hit six homers while batting in 17 runs and has had 15 walks in 139 at-bats. His average has improved at a mark of .259 and his OPS has been similar to what he put up a year ago at .784.

“He has one of the best approaches at the plate on the team,” bench coach Cesar Martin said. “He had some good swings tonight (a two-for-four outing against Worchester on May 16), especially on the double down the line to get an RBI. It was a really good performance.

“Credit to him – he's a guy who wants to get better every day. He puts the work in, in the cage and on defense as well.”

Throughout his professional career, Tirotta has played every infield position except for both corner outfield spots. Tirotta’s positional versatility will help going forward – for both his immediate and long-term future.

“He’s basically a super utility guy, and he knows that,” Martin said. “He prepares very well at every position that he plays, and tonight was his first time playing shortstop for us. He also has the ability to play in the outfield, but he just hasn’t played there yet. He’s very versatile, and it serves him well.”

Candaele agreed.

“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.”