On September 26, 1995, the brand-new expansion franchise signed 19-year-old right-handed pitcher Adam Sisk, making him the first player in team history. Sisk was a 6-foot-4 pitcher from Edison Community College in Fort Myers, and the signing came nearly three years before Tampa Bay would play its first Major League game.
Sisk had been drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1994 out of Riverdale Baptist School in Maryland, but instead chose to attend Edison Community College. When the new Devil Rays began building their organization, Sisk became their first signing.
Unfortunately, his career with the new franchise never got off the ground. Sisk developed arm problems after signing, and the Devil Rays continued to hold onto him while the organization developed its minor league system. By May 1997, however, the team released him without him ever pitching in a professional game.
Sisk may not be a familiar name to most Rays fans, but he holds a pretty unusual place in franchise history. Before Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, Evan Longoria, or any of the other stars who would eventually wear a Tampa Bay uniform, there was Adam Sisk.
He was Player No. 1.
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