Mike Vukovcan Down in Florida and out in Arizona, major league baseball teams are starting spring training in preparation for the 2026 MLB season.
This morning in Bradenton, Florida, the Pittsburgh Pirates will conduct their first spring practice.
Hopewell softball and youth baseball is sponsored by Lisa McCoy, your neighborhood State Farm agent.
It’s officially baseball season which is always a good thing!
Vikings Sports Now wanted to keep you updated on a former Hopewell star athlete who’s attempting to make his first opening day roster.
Former Vikings star left-handed pitcher Joe Rock will be in camp with the Tampa Bay Rays and he received some good news as he’s been placed on the Rays 40-man roster.
The 40-man roster is a combination of players on the 26-man regular season roster, the 7, 10, and 15-day disabled lists. In order to be on a teams’ 26-man roster, you must first be on their 40-man roster.
In other words, anyone on 40-man roster is someone the organizations values and believes they have the chance to make the major league roster.
This is good news for Rock, who will work this spring to earn a role with Tampa Bay.
Last season was big for Rock (6’6″, 220-pounds) as he made his major league debut with Tampa on June 28th. In that game against Baltimore, the big left-hander came out of the bullpen and pitched 2 innings, allowed 2 hits and striking out 4 batters.
Rock would go on to have two other appearances, against the NY Yankees (3 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs and 5 strikeouts) and vs. the White Sox (2.2 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs and 2 strikeouts).
So, in his 3 major league appearances in 2025, Rock pitched 7.2 innings, 7 hits, 2.35 ERA, 2 walks and 11 strikeouts.
Courtesy- The Beaver County Times
After graduating from Hopewell in 2018, Rock attended Ohio University and went on to be drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 2nd round of the 2021 MLB Draft. While with Ohio U., Rock finished with a career record of 10-7 with a 3.47 ERA, striking out 158 batters and holding hitters to a batting average of .239.
Courtesy Major League Baseball
In March of 2024, Rock was traded by the Rockies to the Tampa and placed on the Rays 40-man roster.
At the start of the 2025 season, Rock was ranked as the No. 22 prospect in the Rays farm system.
While at Hopewell, Rock was an all-state performer and having his best season in 2017 by going 8-3 with a 1.30 ERA and striking out 108 batters.
Congratulations Joe on this tremendous accomplishment and best of luck with Tampa Bay!!
