Rays Prospect Brody Hopkins, Fueled by Family, Talks 'Surreal' Futures Game Nod

Montgomery Biscuits right-hander and Tampa Bay Rays No. 6 prospect Brody Hopkins is one of the best pitchers in Double-A, and now he's being rewarded for it.

On Saturday, Hopkins will represent the Rays in the MLB All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park in Atlanta. Recently, the Southern League's strikeout leader revealed how he learned about his selection and his emotions surrounding it.

"Before I knew I was going, I knew it was in Atlanta, and I kind of gave my mom and dad one of those calls where I was like, imagine if I get picked for the Futures Game and it's right there in Atlanta," the South Carolina native told ABC 4. "It actually happened."

Hopkins learned he was going to the Futures Game from Montgomery Biscuits manager Kevin Boles.

"It was kind of overwhelming, but my manager called me in, and he tried to play a little trick on me, saying that I did something at the golf course and got in trouble," Hopkins told WSFA 12 in a separate interview.

Hopkins said Boles revealed he was kidding before letting him in on the good news.

"It was pretty sick, it was pretty cool, I was freaking out for a second internally because he was looking at me with a straight face. If you've ever met him, he's very serious and stern. But it was cool, it was a great moment."

#Rays prospect Brody Hopkins (@brodyhopkins11) checks in at the All-Star Futures Game office! pic.twitter.com/56A9McySEb
— Ballengee Group (@BallengeeGroup) July 12, 2025

And something he never thought he'd achieve.

“Three years ago, this would have been a dream that was on the moon – you can’t reach it," Hopkins told ABC 4. "Now it’s right in front of me, so it’s pretty surreal.”

He earned the selection based on a 4-5 record and 3.35 ERA in 17 games, including a complete game. He has struck out 98 batters in 80.2 innings.

He is the Rays' lone representative to the Futures Game. The 23-year-old initially was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. He is one of the prospects acquired by the Rays last summer in the trade that sent outfielder Randy Arozarena to Seattle.

Hopkins' older brother, TJ, drives his work ethic. The Cincinnati Reds selected TJ Hopkins with their ninth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. In 2023, Hopkins made the 40-man roster and had his MLB debut on June 3.

The 27-year-old center fielder made 25 appearances with the Reds before being designated for assignment on Dec. 14, 2023. Five days later, the Reds traded Hopkins to the San Fransico Giants, and he hasn't made it back to the majors, due in part to a season-ending labrum tear in his right shoulder in May 2024.

Currently, the elder Hopkins is on the roster of the Chicago Dogs of the American Association of Professional Baseball.

After watching his older brother's struggles, Hopkins knows firsthand how unforgiving the sport is.

"Baseball's tough, it's business, it's politics," Hopkins said in the ABC 4 interview. "Seeing my brother get released, and knowing how hard he worked, it was kind of crazy to me because it's like, damn, he's working that hard and he's falling short.

"I was like, I have to go 10 times harder because he got the short end of the stick, so that whole thing happening kind of like made me want to work harder for both of us in a way."

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