Kiermaier brings elite glove, but also questions

TORONTO — We know Kevin Kiermaier can play defence.

That’s not up for debate.

As a centre fielder with the leather, the veteran of 914 big-league games has been elite in every which way and he’s shown very few signs of slowing down as he approaches his 33rd birthday next April, even as he battled a hip injury for two seasons.

Two aspects of his profile, however, are completely up for debate.

Can he stay healthy, and can he hit enough to hang onto the everyday role that the Toronto Blue Jays have promised him?

On a mid-December day via Zoom after his one-year pact for $9 million became official, Kiermaier noted he intends to prove he can do both.

“I’m going to go out there and try to make Ross Atkins look like a genius,” Kiermaier half-joked.

Atkins’ affinity for Kiermaier and his run-preventing ways have become clear.

Not only were the Jays the only team to seriously talk everyday gig with Kiermaier after the Tampa Bay Rays decided not to pick up their longtime star’s $13-million option, but they also told him they’ve essentially tried to trade for him in the past.

“They mentioned to me they loved watching me from the other side and they said if I wasn’t a Ray, I probably would’ve been a Blue Jay. It’s just hard to make trades in the division,” Kiermaier said. “You always wonder who likes you, what other teams like you.”

A one-year deal coming off a down year was perfect for both sides.

“I had to be realistic about how teams viewed me,” Kiermaier said. “Most were talking about a one-year deal and that was okay with me. A lot of teams reached out, but no other team gave me more attention than the Blue Jays from the start and, ultimately, I signed where I wanted to end up. As a player, you just want to feel wanted and no other team seemed to want me more than the Blue Jays.”

After limping through a season-and-a-half with a bum hip, using cortisone shots to temporarily remedy the problem, Kiermaier feels rejuvenated this winter after surgery in August.

“Here I am with a new hip; it’s pumped life back into me,” he said.

“I couldn’t even hit home runs during batting practice. I realized how much you need your legs and your hips, especially. They’re so important in hitting with creating power and torque and so many different things. Even now as I’m in the batting cages, I can tell a huge difference and swinging without pain. I created so many bad habits, I feel like, with trying to maneuver around my hip.”

Even as he battled that torn labrum in his left hip that he was diagnosed with on Jan. 3, 2021, Kiermaier’s still been worth 3.6 fWAR across the 185 games he was able to play in.

It’s no secret that’s based mostly off his defensive metrics, and it’s also no secret that the Blue Jays have made a decision to trade in some offensive production (Teoscar Hernandez) in exchange for more defence as they put together their group for 2023.

On the surface, it’s not a bad strategy considering each and every team that plays deep into the postseason is almost always above average defensively.

Everyone loves the back of the baseball card and gaudy offensive statistics, but the Jays are betting on the little things helping to get them over the hump.

“I want the pitchers to know that they can attack these guys, throw the ball over the plate and if it doesn’t leave the yard and it’s in the air long enough, I’m going to catch it,” Kiermaier said. “I’m going to limit runners to bases. Guys don’t go first to third on me a whole lot. Little things like that matter and run prevention is my bread and butter.”

The plan to play Kiermaier every day shifts George Springer into right field, where the idea is less wear and tear defensively could show up in the 33-year-old’s offensive numbers.

It also gives manager John Schneider some options with Springer’s ability to go back to centre, especially if Kiermaier does the aforementioned and either lands on the IL or isn’t hitting enough at certain points to play every single day.

“They said they want me to play pretty much every day,” Kiermaier said. “They want me manning centre field out there, getting my rest when I need to but there were no platoon talks or anything like that. It seems like it’s my job to lose, I guess you could say, and I’m going to do everything in my power to go out there and play Gold Glove-calibre defence and do what I can offensively to just be a nice complement to an already great offensive team.

“From top to bottom, everyone in that lineup crushes the ball, so if they plug me in seven through nine and I go do my part down there and do what I can to help, it’s going to be a great thing. I’ll let all the big dogs drive me in, just get on base and do what I can.”

Currently the only left-handed hitter in the projected starting lineup, Kiermaier has struggled to a career .662 OPS against same-side pitching, compared to a .735 OPS against righties, but he’ll get an opportunity to turn that around to start his Jays tenure.

A battle-tested veteran of the AL East, he also repeatedly talked about how familiar and comfortable he is inside Rogers Centre, both on defence tracking balls and at the plate.

The best part for the Jays is the numbers bear out the latter.

In 47 games and 173 trips to the plate in Toronto, Kiermaier has posted a .287/.343/.490 with 20 extra-base hits.

Even better?

Two of the ballparks he’ll continue to see the most as an opponent are Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, where he’s posted slash lines of .306/.356/.506 in 51 games and .278/.335/.519 in 55 games.

Maybe Kiermaier just needed to get out of The Trop. 

The Jays as an organization know that feeling well.