A dream come true took place today for a former Hopewell Vikings athlete.
Former Hopewell standout pitcher Joe Rock was promoted this morning from AAA Durham to the Tampa Bay Rays roster. This will mark Rock’s first callup to a major league roster.
Courtesy- The Beaver County Times
The 24-year-old left-handed pitcher will be used out of Tampa Bay’s bullpen after being used as starter this season for Durham. In 15 games (14 starts) this season, Rock went 3-5 with a 1.49 WHIP and struck out 63 batters in 73 innings.
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. Last season with AAA Durham, the 6’6″ Rock appeared in 27 games (23 starts) and posted a 7-8 record, pitching 139.2 innings, striking out 132 and finishing with a 4.58 ERA.
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!!
This should be something that athletes in Hopewell should lock and realize that it is possible to make it from Hopewell and play at the professional level!!