Rays’ Hicks spent teenage years in Toronto area before baseball career blossomed

TORONTO — Tampa Bay Rays catcher Liam Hicks wasn’t given the can’t-miss prospect tag growing up in Toronto. He didn’t move the needle much when he graduated high school either.

Hicks, who developed his elite bat-to-ball skills as a teen with the Toronto Mets of the Canadian Premier Baseball League, was armed with a strong work ethic and desire to improve.

He got a chance with the Mineral Area Cardinals and blossomed at the U.S. junior college level before transferring to Arkansas State, setting out on a path that took him to the pros and now all the way to the World Series.

“He had a real knack for hitting,” recalled Jordan Thompson, Mineral Area’s hitting coach and recruiting co-ordinator. “But it was the strength and athleticism that just kept growing and growing and growing.”

Now 27, Hicks landed with the Rays this season after a trade-deadline deal with Miami. He made his big-league debut with the Marlins last year as a Rule 5 pick and enjoyed a solid rookie campaign.

His numbers jumped this year with 18 homers, 82 RBIs and a .284 average. Hicks has worked well with the Rays’ pitching staff and has frequently been slotted in the heart of the batting order in the playoffs.

“He’s a really talented player, but he’s a Grade-A human being,” said Rich Leitch, vice-president of operations for the Toronto Mets. “Like this is the kind of guy you want your daughter to bring home.”

Game 1 of the Fall Classic between the Rays and Milwaukee Brewers is scheduled for Friday night at American Family Field.

Leitch remembered Hicks’ debut with the Mets — who play in a league for top Ontario juniors — as a 15-year-old who was raw but had talent.

“He was an impressive kid,” he said. “But nobody would look at him and go, ‘That guy’s (going to be) a major leaguer.'”

Now listed at five foot nine and 185 pounds, Hicks filled out for his Grade 12 year but didn’t receive any immediate offers from American schools.

Leitch, who handles college placements for the program, recalled shooting a brief video of Hicks in the batting cage and sending it to Thompson.

“Right away I was like, ‘My gosh. A beautiful swing, a left-handed hitter and he looks strong,'” Thompson said from Columbia, Mo. “I told Leitch right away, ‘Yeah we love this kid.'”

Hicks, who also played at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute in Toronto and considered attending Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., decided to head south.

He hit .440 in his sophomore season with the Cardinals before transferring to Division I with the Red Wolves. As a junior, he led the Sun Belt Conference with a .464 on-base percentage.

The Texas Rangers selected him in the ninth round of the MLB Draft that year.

“We didn’t know if all the other tools would eventually catch up,” Thompson said. “The catch tool, the run tool, the arm, defence, all of that. And even (over) the last few weeks when we watched him on TV (with the Rays), we’re so impressed at how much better he’s gotten defensively.”

After college, Hicks progressed through the minor-league levels before getting a shot with the Marlins in 2025.

“He’s the best hitter we’ve had,” Thompson said. “It didn’t matter what he did, whether he toe-tapped or leg kicked or stride/no stride, he could manipulate his timing mechanism and it never failed.

“He was still always on time.”

Hicks is the lone Canadian on Tampa Bay’s roster.

Infielder Tyler Black of Toronto and catcher Bo Naylor of Mississauga, Ont., are on the Brewers’ 40-man list but aren’t on the active roster. Doug Melvin of Chatham, Ont., is a senior adviser with the team.

Hicks led all MLB rookies in 2025 with a 0.77 walks/strikeout rate (43 BB/56 K). Among all qualified hitters, he finished with the fifth-lowest out-of-zone swing percentage (17.9), per FanGraphs.

“He fits the profile of a Rays player,” Leitch said from Whitby, Ont. “He’s an understated guy who’s just really good at baseball and all his underlying stats and metrics play out.”

Hicks also played one game for Canada at the World Baseball Classic last winter. Canada manager Ernie Whitt called him a “tremendous team player.”

“He was excited to be a part of it and fit right in with the team,” Whitt said from Detroit. “He had limited opportunities with us. But I’ll say this, he’s come up the depth chart quite a bit.”

Leitch added he feels Hicks is a great role model for young players because he “willed himself” into his position through hard work and determination.

“He always came in with a plan,” he said. “He always knew exactly what he wanted to do and he was always looking for a way to improve himself.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press