The Tampa Bay Rays selected Matthew Liberatore with the 16th overall pick of the 2018 MLB draft. At the start of the draft, Liberatore was expected to be among the top 5-10 picks. The Rays considered themselves fortunate to find the prep pitcher still available midway through the first round.
After signing, Liberatore made nine starts between the Gulf Coast League Rays and the Princeton Rays. He combined for 32.2 innings with a 1.38 ERA and 2.91 FIP. He struck out 29.1% of batters and walked 10.2%.
Despite the minimal professional track record and mid-first round draft position, Liberatore found himself prominently featured on top 100 lists around the industry.