No. 42 Pick Brendan Summerhill Excited to Be With Rays After Signing Rookie Deal

Summerhill, 21, didn’t have any expectations to end up with a specific team, but the Rays left a positive impression.

“I met with them, and the meeting was great,” Summerhill said at his signing on Saturday. “I thought very highly of them, and I’m really glad it worked out. They’re very hands-on, they care about their players, and ultimately, that’s what’s important.”

The No. 16 draft prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, Summerhill is a strong and athletic left-handed hitter with good plate discipline and the ability to play all three outfield positions. In 2025, Summerhill hit .343 (58-for-169) with four home runs and 34 RBIs in 44 games.

Before playing three seasons in Tucson, Summerhill attended Whitney Young High School in Chicago.

The school also produced Jamaal Hollis, Marcus Nettles, and Darryl Robinson, all of whom were drafted but never played in the majors. Summerhill hopes to change that.

“I take pride in it that I went to Whitney Young," he said. "So I think everyone’s kind of soaking it in, so it’s cool.”

As he gears up for life in the pros, Summerhill has a pertinent figure to lean on: his older brother, Colin Summerhill.

“Older brother’s been a good mentor,” Summerhill said. “He’s in low A right now, so he’s grinding out and just kind of laid the blueprint.”

The Los Angeles Angels signed the elder Summerhill to a free agent deal following the 2024 draft. The 23-year-old is in his first season with the Angels’ Single-A affiliate, the Inland Empire 66ers.

Brendan credits his brother for instilling a competitive nature in him, and he hopes to play against him one day at the next level.

“We’ve played on the same team before, but we’ve never played against each other,” Summerhill said. “I think that would be awesome.”

MLB.com views Summerhill as one of the steals of the draft. It’s something Summerhill doesn’t buy into too much, but he hopes he can meet expectations.

“I’m kind of always told not to buy any of that stuff, it’s just for people to read,” Summerhill said. “But it’s cool to see. Hopefully I can live up to that.”

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