The Tampa Bay Rays have signed left-handed pitcher Matthew Liberatore, the No. 16 overall selection from the 2018 MLB Draft. He will join the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Rays.
Liberatore, 18, went 8-1 with a 0.93 ERA (60.1-IP, 8-ER) and 104 strikeouts as a senior at Mountain Ridge (Ariz.) High School and was Arizona's Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. He was named a first team Rawlings/Perfect Game All-American for this past season, and helped lead Mountain Ridge to the Class 6A state championship game. Last summer, he pitched 12 scoreless innings for USA Baseball's 18U National Team and recorded the win in their gold medal game over Korea.