Tampa Bay Rays centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier probably isn’t the most talented baseball player on any one field he’s ever been on but you will not find a player who gives more. Kiermaier was cut in the Pete Rose mold. If the Indiana born Kiermaier doesn’t leave it all on the field every game, then he’s had a bad game. He is a role model. Proof that you don’t have to be the most talented as long as you are the hardest worker.
More often than not, the stories that grab the headlines are the ones that glorify in the negative aspects of human nature. Why not? Everyone loves a good train wreck. In this day and age when we search for role models in a seemingly ever-shrinking pool, why does a man who does this every night not get noticed?
How is it he is not household name in this sports crazed country?
Kevin Kiermaier’s ultimate worth has always been his glove. One look at Baseball Reference will tell you this. To date, he leads baseball with a +28 Defensive Runs Saved, a statistic that measures defensive value above a regular, or replacement, player. The next two players are a combined +34. As well, according to Robbie Knopf of Rays Colored Glasses, Kiermaier leads baseball in Ultimate Zone Rating as well.
Kiermaier’s never quit mentality has also started to bring along the part of his game that ultimately seemed like it would hold him back from being an everyday player, his offense. Now the once thought of 4th outfielder. From Robbie and Rays Colored Glasses, this appraisal of Kiermaier, “He has the speed to steal 25 or 30 bases if he continues making strides with regards to reading pitchers. Kiermaier will also get more chances to play against left-handed pitching because his defense is so good, and there is reason to believe that he can produce more than a .586 OPS against them given his minor league numbers.”
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