Caleb Ricketts-Fightin Phils

Baseball players take different paths to reach the professional ranks. In the case of Caleb Ricketts, it meant staying in college for four years. “It helped me tremendously [to] grow as a player and a person, emotionally too. I was a totally different player than I was at 18. I’m really grateful for those four years I spent at USD,” said Ricketts. The 6’3, 225-pound catcher put up big numbers as a senior at the University of San Diego. He hit .373 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI in 56 games. The Phillies selected Ricketts in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. The left-handed hitter got off to a great start last year in Clearwater. He posted a .368 batting average while driving in 23 runs in 23 games. Unfortunately, injuries cost him about two months. Ricketts struggled after being promoted to High-A Jersey Shore. The 23-year-old hit .218 in 44 games while dealing with a wrist injury. He was able to get some more plate appearances in the Arizona Fall League. “That was an awesome experience. That was a blessing to be able to go out there and play. I definitely learned a lot from all my coaches and teammates,” remarked Ricketts. He’s ranked as the #21 prospect in the Phillies’ minor league system. Reading won its season opener 5-2 at Bowie on Friday night. The Fightin Phils scored three times in the 9th inning. Max Lazar struck out the side in the bottom half of the frame for the save. Southpaw Matt Osterberg got the start. He allowed one unearned run on two hits over 3.2 innings. Jordi Martinez picked up the win in relief. The lefty tossed 1.2 hitless innings with four strikeouts. Ricketts is confident in Reading’s pitching staff. “I think all of our guys are gonna be able to bring it to the table and help us win,” he replied.