Brayan Rocchio

Brayan Hommy Rocchio
(The Professor)

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 170 lb.

• Debut May 16, 2023

• Born January 31, 2001 in Caracas, Distrito Capital Venezuela

BR page

Biographical Information

Infielder Brayan Rocchio made h major league debut with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023 after having been signed by them (when they were still the Cleveland Indians) as an international amateur free agent back in 2017. It took him a while to make it to the majors as he was never much of a hitter, so he had to let his glove carry him forward.

In his first season, he hit .247 in 23 games with Cleveland, but spent the majority of the year in AAA with the Columbus Clippers, where he hit .280 with 7 homers and 65 RBIs in 116 games. In 2024, he took over as the Guardians' primary shortstop, appearing in 143 games but hitting just .206 with 8 homers and 36 RBIs. His OPS+ was just 76, but his defensive play at short was beyond reproach. He was a regular during the postseason that year and belied his reputation as he hit .333 in 10 games, with a pair of doubles and a homer. In 2025, he was moved off the starting shortstop job, as the Guardians wanted to get more offense from the position. He spent time back with Columbus where he worked out at second base, and mainly played there when he returned to Cleveland, with Gabriel Arias taking over at short. Still, his season ended on a great note, as he hit a three-run walk-off homer off José Corniell of the Texas Rangers, who was making his major league debut, in the bottom of the 10th inning on September 28th. The blast turned an 8-6 deficit into a 9-8 win, after the Guardians had started the day tied with the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central lead. By the time he hit his blast, the Guardians had been confirmed as the division champs, because Detroit had lost its own game, but it was still better for Cleveland to end the regular season with a win. He hit .233 in 115 games, with 5 homers and 44 RBIs, for an OPS+ of 75.

He was with the Italian national team at the 2026 World Baseball Classic but only appeared in a single game and came to bat once, not really making a contribution to Italy's Cinderella story that spring, Thomas Saggese and Sam Antonacci split most of the action at short, while Jon Berti and Antonacci split time at second. In 2026, he was back as the starting shortstop for Cleveland, with rookie Travis Bazzana being promoted to the majors a couple of week into the season to play second base. He was having his best season with the bat in the first half, as he was hitting .270 in 83 games as June ended, with an OPS+ above 100. On July 2nd, he flashed his power with the second walk-off homer of his career, banging it again off the foul pole, this time off Grant Taylor of the Chicago White Sox to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 win.

He is a huge dog lover, as he and his wife Veruska own three dogs and the special bat he designed for Players' Week-end in August of 2025 featured a picture of all three. He says he has a long-time goal of starting a foundation to help animals, particularly stray dogs, which are a huge problem in his native Venezuela.

Further Reading

• Tim Stebbins: "For Rocchio, baseball and best friends go hand in paw", mlb.com, August 31, 2025. [1]
• Tim Stebbins: "Rocchio shows Guards' fight with stunning walk-off HR in AL Central battle", mlb.com, July 3, 2026. [2]

Related Sites

• Brayan Rocchio on mlb.com