Arizona Fall League pitcher and Boston Red Sox prospect Christopher Troye, left, is doing his best to prepare for life after baseball. (Photo by Zachary BonDurant/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
GLENDALE – In professional sports, it is common to see veteran athletes start to leverage their image as they near the end of their playing days. The goal is to set themselves up to make an income once their careers are over.
Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Christopher Troye is getting ahead of the game by inserting himself into the investment industry and stepping up his social media reach before he ever throws a pitch in the big leagues.
“If you want to summarize my off-field endeavors, I’m trying to leverage my money. And I’m trying to leverage my impact,” Troye said.
The 24-year-old’s journey to making money began while he was still playing at UC Santa Barbara.
As a college sophomore, Troye did his research and decided to invest in real estate.
Troye partnered with his childhood best friend, Jake Cosgrove, who plays baseball at the University of San Francisco, and they bought their first property in Detroit.
Widely regarded as one of the best cities for real estate cash flow in the country, Troye decided that Detroit was the best place for him to place his first investment.
“When I first started I had limited access to capital. Seeing the market that I grew up in (California), I knew that I was forced to look elsewhere,” Troye said. “First and foremost, Detroit is probably one of the best cash flow markets in the country. Secondly, it’s one of the most undervalued real estate markets in the country. And that’s why I’m in Detroit investing.”
In the five years since making his first investment, Troye’s real estate portfolio has continued to grow. While he still invests with Cosgrove, Troye has found numerous business partners to help with his desire to invest.
He has partnered with his parents and the two parties now own multiple properties in Detroit. He also has partnered with a former teammate’s dad who works in luxury residential development in San Diego. Troye is now looking to rent out vacation rental properties in the San Diego area thanks to this partnership.
“We’ve always been interested in investing,” said Troye’s mom, Kym. “As Christopher got older, he asked for his college fund to purchase some property.”
Christopher “showed us his business plan, now we’re all doing well,” his dad, Dan, said.
Troye’s parents said their son is always setting high goals for himself and often achieves them. Still, Troye is not satisfied with only owning single-family homes in Detroit. He is looking to upgrade his portfolio.
“I’m looking at leveling up. I feel like I could do single-family homes in Detroit in my sleep. It doesn’t excite me as much as it used to five years ago,” Troye said. “Now I’m looking at apartment complexes and Airbnb opportunities.”
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Between his real estate investments and his baseball career, Troye has decided to fill any free time he has by building up his social media presence with the hope of creating a positive impact on the world.
Although he has under 5,000 followers across his Instagram and X accounts, he still believes that what he posts can have an impact on his audience.
On his X account, Troye often posts about his experiences of being a minor-league pitcher and a real estate investor. He gives his followers updates on his progress in both facets of his life, baseball and real estate.
“In my mind, my posts are just authentic. They are my actual thoughts,” Troye said. “The ultimate goal of my social media is to build an impact and influence as many people as I possibly can.”
When wildfires ravaged his mother’s native Hawaii in August, Troye advocated for relief efforts in Maui.
“This has always been Chris’ personality. He is always wanting to help the family and provide something for them, especially my family in Hawaii,” Kym said. “It’s really heartwarming to see him trying to be impactful.”
Troye is an ambassador for Players for the Planet. This environmental organization connects professional athletes with opportunities to serve and protect the natural world and the environment.
Players for the Planet was created by former MLB players Chris Dickerson and Jack Cassel in 2008, “to get athletes to come together and use their platform to bring about an awareness and change,” Dickerson said.
The organization has grown to 200 athlete ambassadors across all sports and includes MLB stars Tyler Glasnow, Hunter Greene, Shane Bieber and Mike Moustakas.
Ambassadors for Players for the Planet focus on numerous environmental issues such as renewable energy, food systems and conservation.
Troye got immediately involved once he joined the organization. With his Single-A Salem Red Sox teammates, he organized a stadium trash cleanup after a game that promoted recycling efforts at the ballpark.
“(Troye) is passionate about his off-field ventures and has utilized renewable energy into some of his housing projects,” Dickerson said.
“Being vocal, leading by example and being a true advocate of the organization is a lot to ask for. Chris continues to be that guy and we’re greatly appreciative of his voice and choosing to use it every time he steps in the clubhouse.”
Troye’s appreciation for nature stems back to his childhood. As a California kid, he spent a lot of time outdoors. Troye’s love for nature is an added perk to his baseball career.
“I’ve just always felt peace in nature and I’m very fortunate for my profession, baseball, to be something that I get paid to be outside,” Troye said.
At the rate that he is going, Troye could be spending a lot of time calling baseball his profession. Since getting selected in the 12th round of the 2021 draft, the right-handed pitcher has quickly moved his way through the Red Sox minor league system.
After spending the season with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, Troye received an invitation to pitch for the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League.
His fall did not get off to a good start as he gave up five runs without recording an out in his first appearance. Since then, he pitched 7.2 innings with a 1.17 ERA.
Participating in the Arizona Fall League has increased his chances of playing in the major leagues one day. Nearly 60 percent of AFL players make a MLB roster.
“I’ve got one plan and that’s to make the big leagues. Everything I’m doing off the field, which is leveraging my finances and leveraging my social media, is all plan A for me,” Troye said.