Shushkewich: A deeper look at Liam Hicks' breakout MLB season
Toronto Mets grad Liam Hicks (Toronto, Ont.) has enjoyed a breakout major league season, split between the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays.
October 7, 2026
By Tyson Shushkewich
Canadian Baseball Network
While folks in Ontario might be packing for the sunny shores of Florida with the winter months on the horizon, Tampa Bay Rays backstop Liam Hicks has been holding down the state from both sides of the coast this past season.
The Toronto native landed in Miami in 2025 as a Rule 5 Draft selection after being plucked from the Detroit Tigers’ farm system. Hicks not only lasted the entire season on the Marlins’ roster, but became a regular in the lineup, splitting time behind the plate, at first base and in the DH spot.
That momentum carried into 2026 when Hicks was named to Team Canada’s World Baseball Classic roster before joining his Marlins teammates for the start of the campaign. Hicks had gotten familiar with fellow Canadian Otto Lopez (Montreal, Que.) the previous season, but another familiar face joined him at LoanDepot Park in Owen Caissie (Burlington, Ont.), who was acquired during the offseason.
The start of the season was strong for Hicks, who posted a .941 OPS with three doubles and seven home runs through his first 29 games as a regular in Miami’s lineup. He cooled off somewhat in May, hitting .224 with six extra-base hits and a .692 OPS across 114 plate appearances before landing on the injured list in mid-June with a low-back strain.
Hicks made a quick trip to the injured list, returning to the big-league roster after the minimum 10 days. However, his time in Miami was coming to an end.
Boasting a surplus of catching depth, the Marlins dealt Hicks to the other side of the state, with the Tampa Bay Rays acquiring him in exchange for three prospects.
The Rays were thin at the catcher’s spot, with veteran Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia serving as the club’s primary catching duo before Hicks arrived. Tampa Bay also paid a significant price for the Canadian, sending infielder Brayden Taylor (No. 10 on the Marlins’ top prospect list), right-hander Jacob Kisting (No. 21) and infielder Adrian Santana (No. 22) to Miami.
The move made sense for both sides.
The Marlins had handed the keys to Joe Mack for everyday catching duties, while the Rays acquired a catcher who could remain in Tampa Bay for years to come, with Hicks under team control through 2030 and slated for free agency in 2031. The left-handed hitting Hicks had already shown that his 2025 season was no fluke, giving the Rays enough confidence to dip into their prospect pool to bring him in.
The move paid off.
Hicks posted a .288/.379/.440 slash line down the stretch, collecting seven doubles, four home runs and 20 RBIs while producing a .819 OPS. He logged 258 innings behind the plate for the Rays and threw out 19.2% of would-be base stealers.
Overall, Hicks shook off any concerns about a sophomore slump and established himself as a reliable option, whether at first base, the DH spot or behind the plate.
He finished the season with a .284/.367/.434 slash line and an .801 OPS, belting 18 home runs and driving in 82 runs while appearing in a career-high 142 games. He ranked in the 98th percentile in Whiff% at 11.4% and the 97th percentile in strikeout rate at 9.9%.
Hicks also squared up the baseball at a 33.2% rate, good for the 93rd percentile, while posting an impressive 11.0% walk rate. That combination helped him maintain an on-base percentage in the mid-.300s and finish the season with a 126 OPS+.
The left-handed hitter also posted a 123 wRC+, a .352 wOBA and 2.5 bWAR, finishing the year ranked ninth among MLB catchers.
Now, Hicks finds himself in his first postseason run with the Rays facing the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series.
Tampa Bay currently holds a 2-0 series lead over the Bronx Bombers and is heading to the Big Apple looking to put the series away under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium.
Hicks has started both games behind the plate, collecting one hit, one RBI and one walk in six at-bats without striking out. His lone hit came in Game 1, when he turned around a 96.9 mph Gerrit Cole fastball and sent it 383 feet to right field for a double.
His RBI came in Game 2, when a ground out to the right side brought Jonathan Aranda home from third to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.
Hicks is one of five Canadian-born players on an ALDS or NLDS roster this postseason, joining Tristan Peters (Winkler, Man.) of the Chicago White Sox, as well as Cleveland Guardians pitchers Erik Sabrowski (Edmonton, Alta.) and Cade Smith (Abbotsford, B.C.). Freddie Freeman, whose parents are Canadian, represents the lone Canuck connection on the National League side with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The move to the west side of Florida marked the second trade of Hicks’ career, and it appears he may have found a long-term home with the Rays.
Tampa Bay does have two highly regarded catching prospects who could compete for playing time in the near future: Caden Bodine, ranked No. 3 in the organization, and fellow Canadian Nathan Flewelling (Innisfail, Alta.), ranked No. 4.
For now, though, the job behind home plate appears to be Hicks’ to lose.