Kevin Kiermaier

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Lore & Background

Kiermaier's amateur roots ran deep in Indiana, where his high school team secured a state championship during his senior year. He then enrolled at Parkland College, leading the team to an NJCAA National Championship as a freshman and earning All-American honors twice. Although recruited for football and offered a scholarship by Purdue University, he chose baseball, signing with the Rays after being selected in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB draft. His rise was rapid; in 2013, he was named the best defensive player in the organization and MVP of the Montgomery Biscuits. He debuted on September 30, 2013, in a wild-card tiebreaker game against the Texas Rangers, playing just one inning as a defensive replacement. General Manager Andrew Friedman specifically activated him for his center field defense, a trait that would define his career. That winter, Baseball America rated him the tenth-best prospect in the system.

In Their Own Story

On August 29, 2015, at Tropicana Field, Kiermaier attempted to rob Kendrys Morales of a home run against the Kansas City Royals. He leaped and perched upright on the fence but watched the ball drop 30 feet in front after deflecting off a catwalk; umpires awarded the home run anyway. That same season, he led all MLB outfielders with nine throws reaching 100 mph, while all others combined reached that speed only 27 times. He finished with 42 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), the highest since calculations began, and a career-high 6.9 WAR. Injuries plagued his later years: a fractured left hand in May 2016 against Detroit, a hip fracture in June 2017, and a torn thumb ligament in April 2018. Yet, he returned to win Gold Gloves in 2016 and 2019. In the 2020 ALDS Game 3 against the Yankees, he hit a go-ahead three-run home run, helping the Rays advance to the World Series, where he homered off Clayton Kershaw despite losing the title.

Reader's Guide

Kiermaier's career was marked by resilience and specific, high-impact defensive metrics. In 2014, he hit his first MLB home run against Mike Morin on May 18, finishing with a .263 average and 10 home runs in 108 games. He signed a six-year, $53.5 million extension prior to the 2017 season, though injuries limited him to 98 games that year; he still recorded 22 DRS, second only to Byron Buxton despite playing 300 fewer innings. By 2019, he boasted the best jump of all major league outfielders at 3.8 feet above average and won his third Gold Glove, tying Evan Longoria for the franchise record. In the shortened 2020 season, FanGraphs noted he led all center fielders in UZR (7.7) and assists (6). He concluded his Rays tenure as the longest-tenured player and the only active member managed by Joe Maddon, famously stating before the ALDS: 'They don’t like us, we don’t like them.'

Did You Know?

• Kiermaier was selected in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB draft but turned down a Purdue University football scholarship to sign with the Rays.
• In 2015, he led all Major League outfielders by reaching a throw speed of 100 mph nine times, while every other outfielder combined reached that mark only 27 times.
• He made his MLB debut on September 30, 2013, in Game 163, which was also the American League Wild Card tiebreaker game against the Texas Rangers.
• Kiermaier won four Gold Glove Awards (2015, 2016, 2019, 2023) and the Platinum Glove Award in 2015.
• During a 2015 game, he famously leaped onto the center field fence to attempt a catch that ultimately deflected off a catwalk and was ruled a home run.