Rays Sign Top Pick Nick Bitsko
4 years agoThe Tampa Bay Rays signed right-handed pitcher Nick Bitsko, the No. 24 pick of the first round, to a $3 million signing bonus on Tuesday, slightly above the $2.831 million slot value. Bitsko recently turned 18 years old and said he has cut back on his throwing, not knowing when he will next need to be game-ready with the minor league season likely to be canceled this year due to COVID-19. The prep star from Pennsylvania moved up a year in the draft, which made him somewhat of a risky pick for teams based on the lack of first-hand information. Bitsko's combination of size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and stuff (fastball clocked at 98.5 mph), however, still made him an appealing pick later in the first round. There's risk with a young right-handed power pitcher with limited experience, but the upside is there.
Source: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
Source: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin