The Numbers are in for Arizona's Brendan Summerhill

Arizona Wildcats' star Brendan Summerhill has signed his rookie deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Jun 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill (4) prepares to hit the ball during the seventh inning of the Super Regionals game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

During the MLB Draft Arizona Wildcats’ Brendan Summerhill projected as the No. 16 overall prospect and expected to go in the first round. Well, Summerhill did fall from 16 to 42 but was a first round pick.

Summerhill was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 42nd pick, making it back-to-back drafts an Arizona player went in the first round. Last year, Chase Davis was taken with the No. 21 overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Saturday afternoon, it was announced that the Tampa Bay Rays have signed Summerhill for $1.99 million as a signing bonus. The slot value was $2.33 million meaning that he came in under the projected number for the draft pick.

Over the past couple of years Summerhill was a .323 hitter racking up 150 total hits in 124 games while taking 465 at-bats throughout his Arizona career.

However, this past season, Summerhill struggled with injuries causing him to play in 44 games of the 57-game season. And although it's just 13 games, it is hard to get back in a groove after missing chunks at a time.

In the postseason, Summerhill struggled to get things going and went 7 of 37 from the plate while driving in three RBI in eight tournament games giving him a batting average of .189 during that stretch.

Despite the struggles, Summerhill helped  the Wildcats go on a postseason run where they got hot and made their way to the College World Series with the season coming to a close after going 0-2 against Coastal Carolina and Louisville.

It was the first time under Chip Hale that the program was able to make it to Omaha. That snapped a four-year drought for the Wildcats marking their first trip to the CWS since the 2021 season.

The injuries and lack of recent postseason success for Summerhill might have been reasons as to why he fell from 16 to 42 in the draft.

Plus, although he is a talented outfielder, many on MLB Network’s broadcast of the draft pointed to Summerhill’s lack of power over the past couple of seasons as something that might’ve scared some teams off.

While playing for Arizona, Summerhill was able to launch 14 home runs and drove in 99 RBI despite having a 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame that would make you believe there is more power in his bat.

One thing to look at for the lack of power, is the fact that Hi Corbett Field is one of the larger parks in the country and has a spacious outfield making it hard to launch a large number of home runs.

Please be sure to share your thoughts on Summerhill signing his rookie deal. To do so, follow us on our X account by clicking on the link.