Toronto's Liam Hicks Heads to a First World Series Without the Can't-Miss Label
Liam Hicks grew up in Toronto and catches for the Tampa Bay Rays. He is headed to his first World Series after only his second season in the major leagues.
His grandmother Mary Carroll says Hicks started in hockey, but that quickly got left behind when he picked up a bat. She says he hardly put the bat down, walking around swinging it and practicing. One of her biggest highlights of the season was seeing him catch the final out against the Cleveland Guardians to clinch the American League pennant for the Rays.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The most interesting part is not the pennant-clinching catch but that Hicks wasn't seen as a can't-miss prospect. A development story is more fun when the ending wasn't obvious.
The grandmother is the real scout here. She noticed the bat never left his hand, and she got the payoff catch.