Tampa Bay Rays

Rays player remembers his MLB Draft party ... where his name wasn't called

Published Jun. 9, 2016 10:40 a.m. ET

foxsports

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2015 when he won an AL Gold Glove Award (and Platinum Glove) with 42 runs saved worth 5.0 defensive WAR. He's decent at the plate, too, but the glove is definitely his meal ticket.

Kiermaier's abilities weren't always so obvious, apparently. With the MLB Draft taking place on Thursday, the Fort Wayne, Indiana native recalled the sad and funny story of his own draft day experience six years ago (transcript follows if you can't see the full story):

Bustin out the yearbook and going back in time droppin some fun facts on everybody today about my MLB draft story pic.twitter.com/3CEbL6P3ib
— Kevin Kiermaier (@KKiermaier39) June 9, 2016

Definitely something for scores of anxious young ballplayers to keep in mind the next few days. They may be a little discouraged today but in five years could turn Tropicana Field into a garden of incredible putouts and assists... or something like that.