The Rays were one of the big show stealers of the first day of the 2018 MLB draft. Matt Liberatore, Baseball America’s 2nd rated prospect in their top 500, fell to the Rays at number 16.
Obviously this was a big shock, and as the draft fell into place and Liberatore was still on the board, the Rays were certainly getting excited about the chance to get the widely considered best prep arm in the draft.
.@RaysBaseball Director of Amateur Scouting Rob Metzler was surprised and excited to see LHP Matthew Liberatore still available when the team was on the clock with the 16th overall pick in the #MLBDraft.