Rays' No. 6 prospect headed to Futures Game -- but only after this prank

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

TAMPA -- Brody Hopkins was a little worried when Double-A Montgomery manager Kevin Boles called him into his office recently. Boles sat down the starting pitcher and told him that he and his teammates were no longer allowed to play at the nearby RTJ Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, and it was all because of Hopkins’ round the day before.

“He said that I had messed up the greens and they said that we, the Biscuits, were no longer welcome at the course,” Hopkins recalled.

Hopkins was reeling, contemplating the reaction of his manager and wondering if he really had done some damage. Then Boles dropped the act.

“He was like, 'Nah, I'm just messing with you. You made the Futures Game,’” Hopkins said. “I was like, 'What?! That's crazy.'”

But Hopkins has earned the honor as the top pitching prospect in the Rays’ system. Ranked as the club’s No. 6 overall prospect, Hopkins will get a chance to showcase his elite stuff in the prospect-laden All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park on July 12.

It has all happened pretty fast for a 23-year-old with limited pitching experience and 41 professional starts -- who was traded for a postseason hero less than a year ago.

“I was shocked. I mean, I was a sixth-round pick who barely had thrown any innings on the mound,” Hopkins said in a phone interview. “So, I mean, it's kind of shocking, kind of surreal.”

Hopkins said he immediately called his brother, TJ, who played for the Reds in 2023, before sharing the news with his parents, Timmy and Missy. He’s expecting around 15 family members and friends to make the trip to Atlanta.

“It means the world. I get to [play in] an All-Star Game at an MLB park. It's something that I've always dreamed of doing,” Hopkins said. “Obviously it's not the actual All-Star Game, but it's close to it, and I feel like I'm on the right track.”

Hopkins has put together a 3.43 ERA in 16 starts for Montgomery. He’s been tough to hit, allowing fewer than seven knocks (6.75) per nine innings, although he’s battled walks (41 in 78 2/3 innings) at times. And the Rays love his strikeout stuff, which he’s shown by racking up 94 so far this season.

“When he’s in the zone, with his stuff, it’s really hard to compete against him,” Rays assistant general manager Kevin Ibach said.

What Hopkins is doing is even more impressive when you consider his background.

A native of Summerville, S.C., Hopkins didn’t pitch until his junior year of high school, then his senior season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopkins hit and played outfield at the College of Charleston, didn’t pitch as a freshman then made two relief appearances as a sophomore.

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander transferred to Winthrop, where he was an outfielder and a pitcher. Citing his own inability to pick up breaking balls, however, Hopkins knew his future was on the mound.

“I was just a hitter that kind of took up pitching because hitting wasn't going to work,” Hopkins said.

The Mariners liked what they saw enough to select him on Day 2 of the 2023 Draft, and the Rays also appreciated his upside. He was still finding his bearings last July when Seattle traded him to Tampa Bay as part of the return for All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena.

“It's a different path,” Ibach said. “It's not someone who's been pitching since his early years, so there's a lot to dream on.”

Specifically, the Rays can dream on Hopkins’ athleticism. He’s considered the best pure athlete in the system, regardless of position. That ability allows him to implement changes and do some things other pitchers can’t. As Hopkins said, “That's what helps me be me.”

“Some people look at athleticism as being able to dunk a basketball and other things like that,” Ibach said. “I think athleticism, how it translates on the mound, it just allows him to take all the work that we put in with him in the bullpen and bring it to the mound quickly and efficiently.”

And the work is ongoing. This might sound surprising for an inexperienced pitcher, but the Rays had to pare back Hopkins’ arsenal so he can focus on his four-seam fastball (averaging 96 mph this season), cutter, curveball and changeup. He might bring back his sinker and sweeper, making him even more dynamic, but for now the priority is throwing early strikes to get ahead in the count.

“I feel like I've just been a thrower my whole life, and now I've kind of started to learn how to pitch,” Hopkins said. “And honestly, I feel like that's just all thanks to the Rays, really.”

Hopkins is also regarded as an intense competitor. When the Rays were discussing the possibility of having him pitch in a Major League Spring Training game, an idea that was ultimately scrapped because he was dealing with minor back tightness, they had to guard against the likelihood that he would come out firing, looking to light up the radar gun against big league hitters.

Could we see that side of him on the Futures Game stage?

“My main goal is just to get three outs, really,” Hopkins said. “But if it pops up, it pops up.”