Sports
SCF Manatees Baseball Alumnus Joins Tampa Bay Rays Organization, Ranked No. 7 Prospect
Michael Forret, a former State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Manatees baseball pitcher, joins the Tampa Bay Rays organization.
Michael Forret, a former pitcher of the Baltimore Orioles (Orioles) organization and the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) Manatees baseball program, joins the Tampa Bay Rays (Rays) organization. Forret is on the active roster of the Rays’ Montgomery Biscuits AA minor league team and ranked No. 7 in the Rays’ Top 30 Prospects.
The Rays traded pitcher Shane Baz for a 2026 MLB Draft day one pick and four former Orioles organization players, including Forret, outfielder Slater de Brun, catcher Caden Bodine and outfielder Austin Overn.
Forret said, “I’m super excited to join the Rays organization. I believe they will continue to help my development and teach me new things.”
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Tim Hill II, head coach, baseball, SCF, coached Forret as a freshman during the 2023 season. Hill II describes Forret as a terrific person and teammate who remains connected to SCF. He said that experts foresee Forret starting on the Rays’ major league team this season.
Proud of Forret’s success, Hill II said, “It is exciting to see him get traded to our local team in Tampa Bay. Some baseball experts predict he will make his MLB debut this summer. He is another success story for SCF, which provides opportunities for students to accomplish their goals and dreams.”
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Forret is 21 years old and from Matthews, North Carolina. He helped lead the SCF Manatees to the state final four in 2023. SCF won the 2023 Suncoast Conference. Forret finished 10-3 with 106 strikeouts and 18 walks in 86.1 innings pitched in 2023; his 10 wins were tied for the state lead, and his 106 strikeouts were second in the state. He was named the 2023 Citrus Conference Pitcher of the Year, the 2023 Florida JUCO Pitcher of the Year and a 2023 NJCAA Third Team All-American player.
The Orioles selected Forret as the 421st overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft’s 14th round. He has played for the Orioles’ Aberdeen IronBirds and Chesapeake Baysox minor league teams.
The Rays won 6-4 at their opening home game against the Chicago Cubs at the reopened Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on April 6.
