Conversations with the Herd: Alan Roden

By: Brian Frank

Sahlen Field has seen its share of good young talent pass through this season, starting with a group of players at the beginning of the season, many of who are now starring in Toronto, to a recent wave that includes both players acquired at the major-league trade deadline and prospects moving up through the Blue Jays' system. Alan Roden falls into the latter category. The 24-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder was promoted to Buffalo from Double-A New Hampshire in early summer.

Roden, currently rated as the Blue Jays second highest outfield prospect by MLB Pipeline, wasn't always an outfielder. He grew up playing catcher, including during his first three seasons at Middleton High School in Wisconsin. He didn’t move out from behind the plate until his senior season, when he began playing shortstop – and eventually moved to the outfield.

“I grew up being catcher,” Roden said in a recent interview with The Herd Chronicles. “In high school, when I was a freshman, that was a way for me to get on the field. So that's kind of what I focused on. As I got a little bit older, it kind of just faded away and I went to outfield.”

Roden was named first team All-State his senior season at Middleton High School, slashing .465/.556/.721, including batting .520 in conference play, helping to lead Middleton to a regional title. But his biggest high school baseball moment came when he was still a catcher.

“Playing in the state tournament as a sophomore,” he said. “It was probably, at that time, the biggest game I ever played in.”

After graduating from Middleton, he attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

“Creighton's a wonderful academic school and that was something that's always been a big part of my life,” he said of his decision to attend Creighton. “It was a six-hour drive, so I could still make that trip home. Then also the coach that's there, Coach Ed Servais. On the visit I took there, just the things that he preached about becoming a good person as well as a good baseball player.”

Roden joined the Herd in mid-June. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Another advantage of attending Creighton, is playing home games at Charles Schwab Field Omaha (formerly Ameritrade Park Omaha), the same ballpark where the College World Series is held each June.

“I mean to watch those games being played (in the College World Series), and be like – I played there,” Roden said. “It’s a little bit different environment, obviously, then the College World Series, but to be able to play at that field was really cool.”

During Roden’s first year of college, he met current Bisons outfielder Will Robertson. At the time, Robertson was playing his final season at Creighton before being drafted by the Blue Jays.

“When I was a freshman, he was a junior,” Roden remembered. “He was kind of the leader of the team, so he was my idol. That season, I kind of changed my swing and mimicked him a little bit. He's always been someone that I looked up to and now that he’s my teammate again, so it's really, really cool.”

Roden redshirted during his first year of college in 2019. Then in 2020, after he played in just three games, the college season was cancelled due to the pandemic. Not playing in games during his first two years of college allowed Roden to focus solely on academics.  

“I mean, to be honest with you, I cared so much about academics and was so focused on my degree, I had never really even considered baseball after college,” he explained. “It was just like, I'm going to graduate, and then I'm going to go do my thing and keep going to school. You know, things just worked out the way they did, and I'm here.”

When college baseball resumed in 2021, Roden finally played his first full season at Creighton – and what a season he had. He slashed .378/.477/685 with 9 home runs and a 1.162 OPS – and in Big East games he slashed .421/.516/.737 for an incredible 1.253 OPS. He was named the Big East Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Big East, and First-Team Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

“There was a chance I could get drafted and get into pro ball after my junior year,” he said. “But it just was never an option for me, honestly, to not go back for the fourth year and graduate. It was just something I had to do – and the way it all worked out, it ended up being perfect.”

The next season, he was a co-winner of the Big East Player of the Year award, when he slashed .387/.492/.598 with four home runs and a 1.090 OPS in 49 games. Incredibly, he struck out just eight times that season in 242 plate appearances.

“I wish I could say conference tournament champion,” he said when asked what he considers his college highlight. “We did actually (win the Big East Tournament) my freshman year, but for me, personally, it doesn't feel like it, because I didn't travel and I wasn't able to be there personally. But, I think just playing in the Big East tournament. I think it's kind of like the high school memory. It's like, those are such big games, when it's your school and you're prideful for your team with your teammates and you truly feel part of something – the drive to win and play in those games is just super cool. I’ll hold on to those memories for a long time.”

He ended up graduating with a degree in physics, a subject he developed a love for back in Wisconsin.

“Physics was something that came across in high school,” he said. “I started studying it in high school and it was my favorite class. Going into college, it was kind of like, I'll major in physics, you know, just something to start with. Then I stuck with it and worked really hard at it. I was able to keep going with it and complete that major. It’s something I'm really, really proud of, and something that I have in my back pocket for when baseball is over.”

After graduating from Creighton, Roden spent the summer playing for the Wareham Gateman in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

“It was a little bit interesting, because it was right before the draft, so I didn't really have to play,” he explained. “It was kind of just something I wanted to do. The Cape has such an interesting reputation, I guess you could say. The fields are just run-down high school fields pretty much. It's something that I wanted to do, just to have the experience. When you're playing those games it’s a little bit weird, because I felt one foot in, one foot out, just because I knew the draft was rolling around. But, I don't regret it and would do it again for sure.”

He ended up being selected by the Blue Jays in the third round of the 2022 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft.

“I was at my host parents’ house (in the Cape Cod League),” he said of the moment he was drafted. “Luckily, I had my dad and my girlfriend with me, so I had some sense of home. But, yeah, I was at the cave and was watching the draft on the day I got picked – the second day, it was much earlier than I anticipated. I kind of anticipated being sitting around waiting all day. But it happened within the first 20 minutes, I would say. It made what would have been a long and stressful day, a very short and exciting one.”

After signing, he reported to Low-A Dunedin for his first professional season. In 25 games in the Florida State League, he slashed .233/.374/.311.

“I think the adjustment to pro ball coming from college, coming from the Big East, specifically – it was a pretty stark difference,” he said. “In Single-A Dunedin, you have some pretty electric arms. Really good stuff. Younger players still learning how to pitch and work on their command. That adjustment, just in terms of the hitting itself, was pretty significant. Then just the pro ball lifestyle of playing every day, coming to the field every day, doing all these different things, and having that be pretty much your life and what you're doing. It was an adjustment – and a necessary one for sure.”

Roden has a .988 OPS since July 13. Photo Credit: Brian Frank

The next season, he put up big numbers across two levels. He started the year at High-A Vancouver, where he slashed .321/.437/.459 in 69 games.

“I can't talk about Vancouver, without talking about the city and the crowd and the stadium,” he smiled. “It just makes it such a fun place to play. That whole experience for me was just so special. I'll never forget that, including where we stayed at UBC (University of British Columbia), just top notch. The stadium was so fun. One of the more fun baseball experiences I've ever had. I'll never forget that. I love how the fans are kind of just right on top of you and they really cheer you on.”

In mid-July, he was promoted to Double-A New Hampshire, where he continued to rake. He slashed .310/.421/.460 with six home runs in 46 games for the Fisher Cats.

“I think I had a lot of growth there,” he said. “Just continuing to learn how to develop myself as a player. I think there is a big difference between High-A and Double-A pitching, so, it’s a huge, huge step in terms of growing as a player.”

This spring, Roden was invited to attend his first major-league spring training camp.

“It was a really neat experience being able to be in the clubhouse,” he said. “To come in every day and just be around guys who have done it for a long time, who know themselves as players really well. I think that’s the thing that stuck out is they're very assured in what they're doing and their own process. So it was a really cool experience to be around them and to be able to observe and learn a few things. And to be around the coaches too. Don Mattingly obviously, and the other hitting coaches. Just to kind of see how they go about their day to day, and the things that they think about, the things that they stress on the hitting side.”

Roden returned to New Hampshire to start this season. He slashed .267/.373/.432 with seven home runs in 54 games for the Fisher Cats. He was promoted to Buffalo on June 14 – but began his time in Triple-A in a slump, hitting just .153 in his first 18 games. Going through a cold stretch right as he was entering a new level was mentally draining.

“You start to question it a little bit,” he said. “But, I think the key thing, and every player can attest to this, is trying as much as you can to not ride the wave of the season. There are going to be slumps. It just so happened that mine occurred in line with the promotion. So, it was difficult. But not riding the low wave and not riding the high wave, just trying to stay even keeled and trying to pull myself out of a slump. I’m trying to think that way even now when things have turned around a little bit. Just trying to stay even keeled.”

He’s since broken out and gotten hot. Since July 13, he’s slashing .352/.431/.557 with three home runs in 27 games.

“I made a slight adjustment with my leg kick,” he explained. “I made it a little bit simpler. I made it so my weight is a little bit more under me, as opposed to out in front of me. I think that change helped a lot. Then also adjustments in terms of my approach, trying to be a little bit more disciplined. Look at specific spots a little bit better and just be really honed in on that. I think that's helped out a lot. I think there was a little bit of chasing going on. Pressing too much at the plate, trying to do a little bit too much. So really, just applying it and honing in on a few specific things has helped a lot.”

Roden is one of many new players that have joined the Bisons in the last few months due to both promotions and trades.

“A lot of new faces,” he said. “But I think the key thing is there’s a lot of good guys and that makes it really easy to bring them in. If they're good people, it's not going to be hard to assimilate them. I think that's just the key thing – a lot of good guys and they’re fun to be around and that makes it a good environment.”