Kevin Kiermaier on Turning a Corner

When Kevin Kiermaier made his MLB debut at the end of the 2013 season, he did so as a defensive replacement. The Tampa Bay Rays dynamo was 23 years old at the time, and in the eyes of many, a glove-first fourth outfielder with questionable offensive skills. A 31st-round pick in 2012 out of D-II Parkland College, he wasn’t viewed as an important part of the team’s future.

Kiermaier has done a lot to change that impression. Defense remains his greatest strength, but he’s proving he can hold his own with the bat as well. Last year, the left-handed hitter produced a better-than-expected .263/.315/.450 slash line, and he hit eight triples and 10 home runs in 108 games. This season’s numbers are following a similar track.

Kiermaier talked about the evolution of his high-energy game, including the adjustment that helped him turn a corner, during a recent series at Fenway Park.

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Kiermaier on telling me in March 2014 that he considers himself more than a defensive specialist: “Defense is one of the strongest parts of my game, if not the strongest. At the same time, I don’t want to take anything away from my offensive ability, because I know I can do a lot of good things up there at the plate. That’s pretty much what I was saying. Basically, I don’t want to just be known as a defensive guy.

“When I first got called up, they said ‘Hey, just go hold your own defensively, run the bases well, and anything you do offensively is a bonus.’ They didn’t put a whole lot of pressure on me by saying ‘You need to hit this and this.’ Because of that, I was able to go out there with a free mind and just be aggressive. Instead of putting pressure on myself, I just played the same game I’ve been playing for many years.

“To go out there and hit the way I did last year was a huge confidence builder. I kind of wanted to prove people wrong. I don’t think a whole lot of people expected me to hit ten home runs last year, have a respectable batting average, and things like that. I want to keep proving people wrong, because I feel like that’s what I’ve done my whole life – kind of prove people wrong.”

On competitiveness and making adjustments: “While I was happy with last year, I could have done a lot more. Even up to this point, this year (Kiermaier was hitting .276/.304/.500 when we spoke) – I’m fairly happy with what I’ve done, but there’s still a lot more. There have been times I could have had better at bats – more quality at bats — and I want to start being more aggressive on the bases. That’s the competitor in me coming out. When you get satisfied or content, I think that’s when things start going wrong. So I’m never satisfied. I always want more. That’s just kind of my approach on baseball.

“There are times where maybe I get a little pull happy and the coaches will tell me I need to spread the ball over the field, I know that, it’s just a matter of maturing as a hitter up there. For me, baseball is a game of adjustments. You’ve got to make adjustments on the fly, and that’s something I take a lot of pride in.

“I feel like I’m my own player. I don’t try to emulate anyone or compare myself to anyone. I’m Kevin Kiermaier and I’m not anyone else besides who I am. I’ve become very comfortable in my skin and know what I can and can’t do on the baseball field. I’m not going to wow anyone with power numbers, but I’m going to get a hustle double every now and again, and if I hit the gap, I’m going for three right out of the box.”

On how he turned the corner: “I installed a leg kick, back in the Fall League, in 2012, and that’s kind of what got me going. Actually, I reinstalled it. I had it in college, but got away from it once I got drafted, because I wanted to be a typical lead-off kind of hitter who didn’t strike out a lot and just got on base. I had a good rookie (league) year, but the next two years were very shaky. In the Fall League, I really started taking off again, hitting for occasional power and just having really good at bats. I started finding the barrel a lot more. The (leg kick) is something I feel really comfortable with.

“As a 31st round pick, I didn’t want to be this kid who had a big leg kick and struck out a lot. I struck out a lot in college, and also drew a lot of walks and hit a good amount of home runs. But that changes when you go from aluminum bats to wooden bats, so I tried making that adjustment on my own. Like I said, I had a good first year and maybe opened up a lot of eyes. But a couple years after that, I felt my stock was dropping and I had to do something different. Personally, I thought it was make-or-break time for me.

“Our hitting coordinator at the time, Steve Livesey, was OK with it because he said he loved my position when I was getting ready to hit. Like I said, I hit great (in the Arizona Fall League) and I’ve stuck with it ever since. The leg kick started everything for me.”

On his overall hitting development: “A lot of it is rhythm and timing. I can time up a fastball and still do a lot of good things with a curveball or a change-up, because my hands are still back, even if I’m a little out front. Little things like that, I didn’t do years before. Now I’m doing it better than I have in my whole life. And I think it’s showing. I’m having good at bats and feel like I’m a tough out right now.

“My swing path has gotten better, but that’s just me maturing as a hitter. I used to be hitting with a lot of arms and body, and not my hands. Now I’m a lot more handsy. Little things like that have really helped me along the way.

“I’ve learned to slow the game down and think about different situations. ‘Hey, this guy is going to throw me a changeup here, 1-0, and I’m going to take it and make him throw me a strike.’ A lot of times, I’d get too aggressive and chase out of the zone. Now I’m swinging in the zone a lot more, and trying to hit my pitch rather than pitchers’ pitches. Looking back to my low-A year, in 2011, I had no approach. I still don’t walk as much I could, but I try not to worry about walks and strikeouts. I just try to have good at bats.

“I watched a lot of big league hitters, just trying to see what their hitting philosophy was. I watched a lot of video. Over time, I’ve taken baseball a lot more seriously. I told myself, ‘You know, if I want to get to the big leagues, I’m going to have to go the extra mile.’ I put a lot of time and effort into each and every day. That’s why I’m where I am today.”