Kevin Kiermaier was drafted by the Rays in the 31st round of the 2010 MLB Draft. THIRTY-FIRST ROUND.
The Fort Wayne, Indiana native spent three (2010, 2011, 2012) years climbing the ladder in the Rays farm system and spent most of the 2013 season in Double-A and Triple-A. He performed well at the plate hitting .295/.362/.434 between the two leagues, but it was thanks to his defensive abilities — he was considered the best defender across the organization — that he stood out.
Andrew Friedman and company activated Kiermaier to both the 40 and 25-man rosters on September 30, 2013 so that he could make his major league debut in that evening's wild card tie-breaker game – the Rays' 163rd game of the season.