Outfielder Andy Garriola Still Chasing Childhood Dreams with Knoxville Smokies

Making the jump from college to professional ball is not easy. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things to do in sports. Playing six games a week, adjusting to wood bats is one thing, and facing better and more informed pitchers can send hitters to a tough place mentally. Outfielder Andy Garriola has taken it in stride, no matter the results.

Selected by the Cubs in the 17th round of the 2022 draft out of Old Dominion, Garriola has made a steady climb through the lower levels of the system. After a brief stint in the Arizona Complex League in 2022, he made stops at Myrtle Beach and South Bend. His latest promotion brought him to Double-A Knoxville, where he’s played 19 games as of this publication. It’s been a grind, but maintaining perspective allows him to stay focused on the process even when the results aren’t ideal.

“It’s something I’ve been dealing with the last few years and getting to pro ball, not realizing how games stack up,” Garriola explained to CI. “I’ve been talking to other pro ballplayers about how to deal with a bad game. I’ve realized that at the end of the day, it’s just a game and life is still great.

“That simple sentence helps me. It’s been hard, but I’m definitely getting better with controlling those emotions.”

Growing up in a Yankees family, Garriola knew what it was like to follow a winning team with more than a few legendary players in its history. His childhood hero was Josh Hamilton, an infamous player with immense talent whose best seasons fell during Garriola’s formative years as a fan. Even though Garriola bats right-handed, he still tried to imitate Hamilton’s explosive left swing as a young child.

“I wrote him a letter when I was eight or nine,” Garriola said. “He wrote me back a letter with signed baseball cards. I forget exactly what he said, but it was something along the lines of ‘Keep chasing your dreams.’”

Those dreams took the Southern California kid all the way across the country to Old Dominion University, where he was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2019. He went on to win the 2022 Male Athlete of the Year award, among many other accolades, posting a 1.099 OPS and .715 slugging percentage as a junior. Being a student athlete comes with its challenges, but the unique experience of having your classmates as teammates is something those players remember forever.

“Having your teammates in the same class was fun,” Garriola said. “I had one night class where we had eight of us from our college team,” Garriola said. “That was a really fun time, our teacher was laid-back and chill, so we’d have a lot of fun.”

Power has always been a big part of Garriola’s game, but college helped him to develop in the home run department. He hit 10 longballs during his freshman year, then saw his sophomore season interrupted by COVID. Garriola hit 14 homers in 59 games as a sophomore in 2021, then bumped that to 25 homers as a junior. Those power numbers came as the result of hard work, and scouts were taking notice.

“I changed my technique with my stance and load,” Garriola explained. “Working with my head coach, Logan Robbins, really helped me. The weight room helped too. I was getting more muscle, [along with] the metal bats helping me get extra distance on the ball.”

It also helped that he’d gained new experience between his final two years in college. The Cape Cod Baseball League is the most prestigious summer league in the country, with many participants eventually hearing their names called in the MLB Draft. Garriola appeared in 14 games for the Cotuit Kettleers, posting a .808 OPS — the league average that year was .656 — with 11 RBI while swinging a wood bat.

“I went there after a rough regional, feeling lost with my swing,” Garriola recalled. “Mike Roberts, the dad of Brian Roberts, was my manager. He got me to do no-stride in my stance, which was kind of like making your head not move and just throwing your bat at the ball. It opened the gate for me and helped lead me into my college season, where I had an even better year.”

Coming off of his impressive stint with Cotuit and an even better season at Old Dominion, the Cubs made Garriola the 503rd overall pick in his draft. Several teams had talked with him, leaving him with some uncertainty about where and by whom he’d be chosen.

“We’re just waiting for the draft tracker to keep going because they call me,” Garriola said. “I saw my name pop up and my dad told me. I was definitely shocked. I’ll always remember that feeling. [The Cubs] called me a few minutes later, telling me the details.

“It was an awesome feeling. They really care about you. It’s just a great organization, I couldn’t be happier where I am right now.”

Garriola spent the 2023 season at Low-A Myrtle Beach, playing in 103 games with 12 home runs and 60 runs batted in. He started out there again the following year, playing in 90 games with a 132 wRC+ and 18 home runs. That earned him a promotion to High-A South Bend, where he hit three home runs in 17 games. Garriola remained in Northern Indiana to open this season and he kept hitting homers, logging eight in 63 games before being sent to Knoxville.

GRAND SLAM!!!

Andy Garriola goes yard for the first South Bend Cubs @hoosierlottery grand slam of the season!#SBCubs pic.twitter.com/gFg6WNglLz

— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) May 21, 2025

Garriola has posted a .266 wOBA during his brief stint at Double-A, but a .229 BABIP suggests he’s had some bad luck. He’s also worked to strengthen his plate discipline, lowering his strikeout rate more than three points to under 21% while walking a career-best 12.5% of the time. Those marginal improvements may not seem like much in a vacuum, but maintaining his process should see the results get better over time as well.

From the California coast to Cape Cod to Rocky Top, Garriola is still chasing those childhood dreams and pressing forward one small step at a time.

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