Step inside Joe Young’s baseball development centre and witness 16-year-old rising star Rogan Rivard heating up the batting cage, hammering balls one after another on pitches from his father Reg, a former professional player from Bonnyville.
Despite two dogs barking loudly nearby on the same property, the distinctive ping of a baseball bat is heard repeatedly, even from outside an indoor training facility in St. Paul, Alta.
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As they’ve done many times, the Rivards have driven about 40 minutes from home for a Saturday morning batting practice. On this occasion, they’re making the most of a brief July visit home for Rogan, best known as Rogy to his friends and across the baseball landscape.
In his case, that territory stretches far and wide, despite his youth. After a standout rookie season at the Vauxhall Academy of Baseball in southern Alberta, the speedy outfielder from the 2027 graduating class has spent most of this summer in Georgia, training and playing with elite-level teams in pristine ballparks.
“Don’t waste a day,” said Rivard, a member of Team Alberta for the Canada Summer Games this August in St. John’s, N.L.
“Committed to doing that extra work, I try to always keep that in the back of my head and try to make the best of every day. Don’t give away a day — that’s the motto that I live off.”
The sweat dripping down his forehead would attest to Rivard’s determination and dedication. He replicated that intensity just an hour later during a multi-faceted gym workout at home in Bonnyville.
A few days later, Rivard returned to the U.S. to participate in back-to-back high-profile events.
He was among the top uncommitted players in the nation — and beyond — at the Prep Baseball Report (PBR) Future Games near Atlanta. For that showcase, Rivard was the lone Canadian with Team Utah.
His next stop was the Future Stars Series in Houston. Rivard made such an impression that he has been invited back for the Future Stars main event this fall for the 2027 graduating class.
The fact that event’s timing — late September or early October — is dependent on the Major League Baseball playoff schedules for the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros is a measure of the magnitude of the prospect spectacle.
‘NOTHING LIKE IT’
“Oh, it was unreal,” Rivard said Aug. 2 after his late July auditions in front of hundreds of college scouts. “There was nothing like it.
“It was the most elite competition that I’ve ever faced, for sure, since all the talent was really good. Just all the best players from North America.”
More than 200 kids threw 90-plus miles per hour during the PBR showcase.
Rivard even overcame a red-eye flight from Calgary on the eve of the Future Games testing day, still managing to score exceptionally well in multiple categories. His bat speed — 86.5 mph — was off the charts.
“It was tough, not getting a good night’s sleep the night before, but you’ve just got to grind it out and go through it,” he said. “You can’t make excuses. But it went well. It was a really good experience.”
Playing in state-of-the-art ballparks, Rivard looked the part of a promising prospect during those showcases for 2027 graduates. He did likewise all summer with his Georgia club teams, climbing an age level to 17U, with players graduating in 2026.
POWER AND SPEED
Recognized for his dedication to baseball, from training religiously to adhering to a strict nutrition-focused diet, Rivard is truly a student of the game. He maximizes off-field habits to create optimum on-field success, especially his hitting power and speed on the basepaths.
No going through the motions. No fast food. No ice cream and cake. No partying.
But he couldn’t be having more fun.
“I do it because I love it,” said the solidly built Rivard, almost five-foot-nine and 165 pounds. “I wouldn’t be doing all this stuff if I didn’t love the game.
“I’ve always been one of the hardest workers on the field. I always will be.
“I love baseball because it’s my life. It’s all I do. It’s all I care about, really. My end goal is to be a Major League Baseball player.”
Of course, Rivard cares dearly about his family, too, carrying with him a photo of he and his parents and younger sister Alessia wherever he goes in his baseball travels.
“They’re my biggest supporters and I feel they’re always with me.”
He’s proud to be representing Bonnyville and Alberta, not only in the Canada Games at St. John’s, N.L., but in all parts of his journey.
After playing and training in Bonnyville, Lloydminster and Sherwood Park through his minor baseball years, he moved to Vauxhall last fall and batted leadoff as a Grade 10 freshman with the reputable academy program.
RANKS AMONG VAUXHALL’S BEST
Vauxhall’s legendary coach is Les McTavish, who was Reg Rivard’s roommate at Washington State University. For the past two decades, McTavish has mentored more than 200 players who have gone on to play collegiate and pro ball. He projects Rogy Rivard is on track for the upper echelon of that distinguished group.
“We’re going into our 20th year with Vauxhall and Rogy would rank right at the top,” McTavish said. “He would be in the top five to 10 players that have ever came through the program.
“When it comes to how he prepares his body and his mind for games, and how competitive he is. He just plays the game with high energy, fearless, which is kind of refreshing in today’s day and age, with social media and all the hype that gets put up around guys. But one thing about Rogy, he’s always ready to play, no matter what.
“He’s been raised very well by his mom and dad and certainly has a very bright future.”
Rivard was also a competitive hockey player before electing to focus on baseball and follow in the footsteps of his father. Baseball runs deep in Rogy’s family roots in Bonnyville, where the Peter Kushnir ballpark is named after his great-
grandfather.
LESSONS FROM FATHER
His father’s tutelage and guidance have been integral in Rogy’s development.
“My dad has been around it,” Rivard said. “He knows the ins and outs of everything about how players are, and why guys are so good.
“My favourite player is Corbin Carroll, a right-fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s kind of the player I look up to. I think we’re very similar. We’re both lefty outfielders and just fast. A gritty baseball player.
“I’m a fast player, I run the bases really well, and I like to steal.”
Rivard’s grit manifests in multiple ways, not the least of which is his ability to battle back from injuries. With help from the Toronto Blue Jays’ medical team, he had a screw inserted in his left arm as part of his recovery from a 2024 summer injury. He was pitching for the 15U AAA Sherwood Park Athletics at the Canada Day Classic in Okotoks.
“On the fourth pitch of the game, the growth plate on my left elbow snapped off,” he said.
“That was probably the most adversity I ever faced. I had to get surgery in July (2024), and it took a long time to heal. I ended up missing the whole fall.”
ROBOTIC ARM
During his recovery, he went from wearing “a really big cast” to a smaller cast and eventually was equipped with a robotic arm that he even wore while sleeping and eating.
“I feel like it helped quite a bit within the healing process,” said Rivard, who didn’t miss a beat when he finally made his Vauxhall debut and became a home-run threat.
Earlier in the spring of 2024, Rivard suffered a concussion when he ran into the fence in centre field while diving to catch the ball.
“I ended up hitting my head on the fence,” he said. “The ambulance had to come on the field. That was a bit of a setback, too. It just made me realize to be more aware of my surroundings and just take a breather. It for sure helped me in the long run, just to be better in that aspect.”
Rivard has been able to fine-tune his game and grow not only as a player, but also as a person. He believes living away from home with billets, and in dorms with his Vauxhall teammates, has matured him and made him less shy and more confident.
After the graduation of 11 players this spring, the Jets are counting on leadership from the likes of Rivard and two of his Canada Games teammates, Calum Andersen and Matthew Getz. Calgary’s Andersen also played in the same Future Stars Series as Rivard.
At the Canada Games tournament Aug. 10-16, they’ll see a string of past, present and future Vauxhall players representing their respective provinces.
“I’m super-excited to represent my province in that big event, the Canada Games,” Rivard said. “It’ll be an honour just to compete with that type of competition, all from Canada. It’ll for sure be one of the highlights of my career thus far.”
Before departing for Newfoundland, Team Alberta practised in Calgary, where Rivard also participated in tryouts for the annual Blue Jays national showcase.
“At the end of the day, my long-term goal is to go pro,” he said. “A short-term goal is to be on (Canada’s) junior national team in the next year or so. Just make the best of every day, just take it one day at a time, and don’t give away a day.”
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