With the 100th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, the Tampa Bay Rays made Ryan Spikes the 17th alumni of International Week to be taken with one of the first 100 selections in the Draft since 2018.
Spikes attended three jewel events for the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series powered by Program 15, and excelled at them all. He hit a long home run at the 2020 National Combine, and also performed well on the mound.
But, it was at International Week where he really stood out; Spikes struck out two batters in just one inning on the mound, and also racked up a hit in each of the games at Fenway, including a knock off of second-rounder Anthony Solometo.
Spikes was also just at our Pre-Draft High School Combine, where he made hard contact in every at-bat.
“Spikes is a guy where there’s a little special pride for me, and I’ve only known him for a year and a half or so,” said Jeremy Booth, CEO and president of the Future Stars Series. “But, I’ve watched him grow and grow up. He has stepped into his own, he’s been unafraid and shown it’s every bit of a 60-65 bat. He’s going to have average to above-average power. For me, he gets the chance to play short. I know they drafted him as a second baseman. If he doesn’t play short and plays second, he’s a Brandon Phillips or Josh Harrison-type player, and neither one of those is a bad player to be. He’s going to make his own name, he’s going to steal some bases and have some impact at the top of somebody’s lineup. That’s the steal of the draft for me at pick 100.”
