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Tampa Bay Rays Kevin Kiermaier: 2016 Outfield Sleeper Pick

By Bill Pivetz

Sep 20, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (39) smiles as he gets water dumped on his head after he hit the game winning RBI single during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier (39) smiles as he gets water dumped on his head after he hit the game winning RBI single during the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tampa Bay Rays had a revolving door with their outfielders. However, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier was the one constant among them. He is a sleeper in 2016.

The Tampa Bay Rays were a year removed from the playoffs when the 2015 season began. The 2014 season was a disappointment as they finished 77-85 and were looking to improve on that last season. Unfortunately, that was not the case as they went 80-82 and finished fourth in the American League East. There were some bright spots in the offense, including center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. He finished strong and is a sleeper for this season. 

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Kiermaier made his first appearance with the Rays in the Wild Card tie-breaker game in 2013. He then played in six games before permanently joining the Rays on May 31. He played in 108 games and finished with 10 home runs, 35 RBI and a .263 average.

The 2015 season was average, nothing spectacular. In his first 99 games of the season, he hit just four home runs, 18 RBI and .242/.277/.402. In the final two months of the season, 52 games, he hit six home runs, 22 RBI and hit .302/.337/.453 with seven stolen bases.

My colleague, Brad Kelly wrote about Kevin Kiermaier being a waiver wire claim at the end of August. He was one of the best hitters on this Rays team. He was tied for fourth in RBI, tied for fifth in home runs and fourth in hits. He ended up being No. 44 outfielder and No. 188 overall on the Player Rater. He even finished 17th in the AL MVP voting.

Between 2014 and 2015, Kevin Kiermaier was pretty consistent. His walk and strikeout rates varied by two percent. His line drive percentage went up 6.2 percent, his ground ball rate dropped 4.8 percent and fly ball percentage fell 1.4 percent. His batting average stayed the same, his OBP dropped a little, but not a significant amount.

Tampa Bay used 12 different outfielders throughout the season. No one played more combined games than Kiermaier did in center field, 129 games. In all of the madness and inconsistencies, he was the rock in the outfield.

Next: San Diego Padres Wil Myers: 2016 Breakout Candidate

Kevin Kiermaier was not a known name during the 2015 season. He was owned in just 14.7 percent of leagues, but it should have been a lot higher. He hit double-digit home runs and had over 15 steals. He also had 25 doubles and 12 triples, so the power and contact are there. Playing in the division with some poor starting pitching, he should be able to break through the top-40 outfielders.

Projections: 145 hits, 12 home runs, 64 RBI, 17 steals, .263 average

Draft: 24

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