Former Gig Harbor standout Michael Toglia – now a first baseman/outfielder with the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes – is congratulated by teammates after hitting a two-run home run in his first at-bat in the opener of a six-game series against the Tacoma Rainiers at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma , Washington, on Tuesday, August 16, 2022.
toverman@theolympian.com
Gig Harbor now has a Major League Baseball player to call its own. Gig Harbor High School graduate Michael Toglia was called up by the Colorado Rockies before Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves.
Toglia was recently called up to Triple-A Albuquerque and has been on a tear, hitting .333 with seven home runs and seven doubles. Toglia was in town playing against the Tacoma Rainiers. in August. In front of dozens of friends, family members and neighbors who came to watch him pitch in the opener of a six-game series, Toglia hit a three-run home run in his first at-bat on what would also be his 24th at-bat. birthday.
“It was a beautiful book of stories,” Toglia told The News Tribune. “It was cool how it turned out. Literally my first fight… Everyone was there. I’m glad it turned out that way. … I hit a home run in that game (in high school), I think, in the same spot. I literally think I got into the same hedge.”
After a successful collegiate career at the University of California, Toglia was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft at No. 23. He may not have expected to be drafted so soon.
“It’s right there dangling in front of your face,” Toglia said. “But at the same time, you still have to take care of your job here because that’s the only way to get to the bright light at the end of the tunnel. I shouldn’t say the end of the tunnel because the goal is to stay there. The hardest part is staying there. … There is still a very long way to go. There’s definitely a sense of achievement when you get there and it’s really exciting knowing it’s so close.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 1:23 p.m.
