Centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier remains in Tampa Bay, inking a reported six-year deal worth $50 million.
Tampa Bay might have snatched one of the most underrated outfielders in the entire league. As of late Tuesday night, it’s reported that the Rays are very invested in Kevin Kiermaier, one of their top-producing hitters in the line-up.
The Tampa Bay Times didn’t call the deal official, since Kiermaier must undergo a physical, along with some other legal jargon that has yet to be ironed out. Concerning the extension, the Rays are prepared enough to offer the left-handed batter six years and $50 million.
Last season, Kiermaier caught the eyes of the baseball community with his raw jumping ability. Blessed with that skill to leap, Kiermaier would commit to several robberies in the outfield, including a challenging catch that halted Manny Machado’s potential homerun in 2015.
It could have been the number switch from No. 41 to 39 that caused Kiermaier to have one of his best seasons in 2015. That kind of superstition would add up to logic, since baseball is truly a game known for increasing luck in unlikely ways.
A native of Indiana, Kiermaier would eventually transfer his talents to Illinois, where he attended Parkland College in Champlain. After being inducted as a two-time All-American in college, Kiermaier moved on and entered the 2010 MLB Junior Draft, where he was chosen by the Rays as pick No. 941.
That same round included outfielder Hunter Renfroe, a former standout at Mississippi State. As for Kiermaier, he wouldn’t get his first taste test of the MLB until 2014, when he registered 10 home runs on 87 hits in the span of 364 plate appearances.
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During the 2016 season, the Tampa Rays would trade places with an almost-equal amount of wins and losses during Opening Week. The organization remained in a tank of pseudo-equilibrium in the first three months, recording a win-loss record of 33-35 (April-June).
Overall, though, their fate was pretty much signed, sealed and delivered after those months. Evan Longoria would lead in hits (173) and batting average (.273) at the conclusion of the campaign. Kiermaier, on the other hand, would end up in fourth throughout the major batting categories.