ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.¡ªThe Tampa Bay Rays have signed right-handed pitcher Nick Bitsko, the No. 24 overall selection from the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Bitsko, 18, went a combined 4-2 with a 1.27 ERA (33-IP, 6-ER) and 68 strikeouts over his freshman and sophomore high school seasons, and entered the 2020 season as Pennsylvania¡¯s reigning Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year and a Perfect Game preseason All-American. He was ranked among the Top 20 overall players in this year¡¯s draft by several publications: No. 14 by MLB.com, No. 15 by ESPN.com, No. 16 by FanGraphs, No. 18 by The Athletic and No. 19 by Baseball America. In January, he announced his decision to graduate from high school early, making him eligible for this year¡¯s June Draft. His final high school season was scheduled to begin in April but canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of his reclassification, he was ranked by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in their 2021 high school draft rankings.

¡°Nick is an exceptionally talented young man and we are thrilled to have him in the Rays organization,¡± said Rays Senior Director of Amateur Scouting Rob Metzler. ¡°We identified him last summer as an elite power starting pitching prospect.?Nick¡¯s physical attributes¡ªsize, arm action, delivery and athleticism¡ªpaired with an advanced maturity and professional focus, should give him a great chance to compete his way through the system. This was a unique situation with a high school arm who didn¡¯t get on the mound this season.?We are very thankful for the work of Zach Clark (area scout) and Brian Hickman (regional supervisor) amongst many within the amateur scouting department that put us in position to make this selection.¡±

Bitsko attended the East Coast Pro showcase last summer, one of the premier annual showcases for high school prospects, and spent time with the USA National Team Development Program in each of the last two seasons. He became the sixth high school pitcher selected by the Rays in the first round, following Jason Standridge (No. 31) in 1997, Taylor Guerrieri (No. 24) in 2011, Blake Snell (No. 52) in 2011, Matthew Liberatore (No. 16) in 2018 and JJ Goss (No. 36) in 2019.

Bitsko was one of six selections made by the Rays in the 2020 June Draft and is the fourth to sign, joining shortstop Alika Williams and right-handed pitchers Hunter Barnhart and Jeff Hakanson. The signing deadline this year is August 1.