Rockies Pick Jackson Memorial Alum Zach Rogacki in MLB Draft

Zach Rogacki gained the respect of his high school teammates with his leadership and willingness to apply his skillset to whichever position the Jackson Memorial baseball team needed it.

On Monday, the Colorado Rockies revealed that they noticed those characteristics too, selecting Rogacki out of Binghamton University with the second pick of the ninth round in the 2025 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Coming out of Jackson Memorial, where he played both outfield and catcher as a sophomore and moved to full-time catcher as a senior, Rogacki went to Division III Alvernia University, where he was Second Team All-MAC Conference as a freshman catcher and D-III Second Team All-Region as a sophomore. His power took a leap forward in 2023, when he hit 10 doubles, four triples and eight home runs while hitting .394/.471/.628.

Rogacki transferred to Binghamton for his junior year in 2024 to try his hand as a Division I player and established himself as the starting catcher for the Bearcats. He hit .310/.404/.440 with five doubles, two home runs and 13 RBI in 24 games, which included a five-week injury absence early in the season.

This past spring, Rogacki reached the peak of his powers as a hitter, at least to this point in his baseball career. The left-handed swinging backstop hit .360/.437/.600 with 17 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 43 RBI while walking (28) more than he struck out (22). His 17 doubles and 11 sacrifice bunts led the America East Conference, while he finished second in triples, third in both hits (74) and batting average and fourth in slugging percentage.

That performance netted Rogacki an American East Conference First Team All-Conference selection as a utility player, with Rogacki playing catcher, outfield and designated hitter during the 2025 campaign. He was also named to the all-tournament team in leading Binghamton to the America East Tournament title, which included eight hits and six RBI during the tournament.

In the NCAA Regional Tournament, Rogacki started two games in right field and went a combined 3-for-8 with an RBI in Binghamton losses to Georgia and Oklahoma State.

Rogacki’s Jackson Memorial career was interrupted by the COVID pandemic in 2020, which canceled the season that spring — Rogacki’s would-be junior campaign. He was a part-time contributor as a sophomore and was set to take on a starting outfield role as a junior before COVID wiped out the season. He then took over the reins as Jackson Memorial’s starting catcher in 2021, putting him in charge of handling a loaded Jaguars pitching staff that included Matt Potok (Coastal Carolina), Zach Crotchfelt (Auburn and Texas Tech), Zach McCabe (Stockton) and Ty Beck. Rogacki hit .326/.448/.395 with three doubles and one home run, 32 runs scored and 12 RBI at the plate for a Jackson Memorial team that finished 18-8 and won the Shore Conference Class A South division championship.

The recommended slot value of pick No. 257 is $210,000 in signing bonus money.