Kevin Kiermaier will always remember the number 941. That was his overall draft position in the 31st round in 2010. Essentially, 30 teams passed on him 30 times before the Tampa Bay Rays gave him a chance to play in the pros.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Kiermaier said. “Once I showed up to rookie ball, I’m working with these guys who got $800,000 or $1.5 million. I’m like: ‘You know what? Those guys can’t do what I can do.’ So at that point, it was all about the opportunity and how I was going to make the best of it.