This forgotten Tigers Rule 5 sacrifice looks like the steal of the century for Rays

Two former Tigers are headed to the World Series. Ryan Vilade, to Detroit fans' chagrin, has carved out a niche with the Rays and even hit a go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the ALDS to clinch the series over the Yankees. Liam Hicks is a lesser-known figure, but undeniably the bigger loss for the Tigers.

He was a ninth-round pick for the Rangers in 2021, but came to Detroit along with pitcher Tyler Owens in their 2024 Carson Kelly trade at the deadline. He posted a .272 average and .782 OPS with the Double-A SeaWolves in 33 games, mostly buoyed by his ridiculous .414 OBP.

But when it came to the Rule 5 draft, the Tigers had to be picky. They protected pitchers Owens, Tyler Mattison, and Chase Lee — only Mattison is still with the organization. Liam Hicks and third baseman Gage Workman were taken by the Marlins and Cubs, respectively.

Workman eventually made his way back to the organization after being ping-ponged between both Chicago teams. He appeared in 16 major league games for the Tigers this year and even picked up his first two career homers, but he was shipped off to the Padres alongside Casey Mize at the deadline.

Hicks was also dealt at the deadline — Marlins to Rays — in exchange for three prospects. Now, he's become an indispensable part of Tampa's World Series run.

Former Tigers catcher and Rule 5 draft sacrifice Liam Hicks has a shot at becoming a World Series champion

Hicks is only batting .222 with a .559 OPS in nine games behind the plate for the Rays this postseason, but he plays well above-average defense at backstop and still knows how to work an at-bat even when the pressure is at its highest. He was the hero in Tampa's ALCS Game 2 over the Guardians, when he hit a two-run single to put the Rays up 3-1.

To be fair to Scott Harris, there was really no future for Hicks on the Tigers' roster, not with Dillon Dingler being set up as Detroit's catcher of the future. At the time, Jake Rogers was also still seen as an indispensable presence on the roster.

A Dingler-Eduardo Valencia combination is nothing to sniff at, especially if Dingler can bounce back from his second-half slump and Valencia's defense can improve, but it's hard not to watch as a former Tigers player gets four wins away from the top of the summit while his old team sits at home.

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