Ty Wigginton

Lore & Background

Wigginton attended Chula Vista High School in Chula Vista, California, and was a letter-man in football and baseball. He graduated in 1995. He attended UNC-Asheville and played for three years. He still holds the school's records for most home runs in a game, most runs in a season, and most doubles in a season. He was selected in the 17th round by the New York Mets in the 1998 Major League Baseball draft. On December 7, 2010, Wigginton signed a two-year deal with the Colorado Rockies with an option for a third year. On April 20, 2011, he collected his 1000th career hit, a home run off of Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants. On June 28, 2011, he helped the Rockies win 3–2 in 13 innings with a walk-off hit. On November 20, 2011, the Rockies traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later or cash.

In Their Own Story

The July night air over Coors Field hung thick and still, the kind of warm Colorado evening where the mountains beyond the outfield wall looked almost close enough to touch. Wigginton stood in the batter's box, third base to his left, the dirt of the Rocky Mountain Interscholastic infield packed firm under his cleats. The pitcher wound up. Wigginton's eyes tracked the ball from the release point, his hips coiling, and then the crack—sharp, resonant, the kind of sound that carries to the upper deck. The ball rose over the warning track, over the lights, into the darkening sky above the Rockies. The crowd noise swelled. Wigginton didn't watch it go. He was already trotting the bases, helmet in hand, grinning at the third-base coach who was already screaming at him to run. That was the Ty Wigginton of Denver: the swing, the celebration, the unapologetic joy of a ball going far in the thin air.

Reader's Guide

Ty Wigginton played for the Colorado Rockies only during the 2011 season. He signed a two-year deal on December 7, 2010, and was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on November 20, 2011. He was not a first-round draft pick; he was selected in the 17th round of the 1998 draft. He did not play for the Rockies in the mid-2000s or for four seasons.

Did You Know?

• Wigginton was selected in the 17th round of the 1998 MLB draft by the New York Mets.
• He collected his 1000th career hit as a member of the Rockies on April 20, 2011.
• Wigginton once delivered his son at home with the help of a 9-1-1 operator, using a shoelace to tie the umbilical cord.