PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The scene looked familiar on Wednesday morning at Charlotte Sports Park.
There was Kevin Kiermaier, dressed in Rays gear, going to work on the back fields. The 35-year-old practiced throws from the outfield, making catches at the wall and reading balls off the bat with the same intensity that made him a four-time Gold Glove Award winner.
Except this time, Kiermaier wasn’t preparing himself for the start of Spring Training. He was helping the next generation of Rays outfielders, specifically speedster Chandler Simpson, as he moves into a new phase of his post-playing career.
Kiermaier, who spent 10 years with Tampa Bay as arguably the best defensive center fielder of his era, is spending the week in Rays camp as an outfield consultant looking to impart whatever outfield knowledge he can on players like Simpson, Justyn-Henry Malloy and others.
He’s done the same for others this offseason, including Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz, and now he’s hoping his new business -- “The 3-9 Effect, LLC,” named for his number -- can assist in improving the defensive skills of outfielders around baseball, not just with the Rays.
“I want to help guys who are highly motivated or might be, like, a defensive upgrade away from becoming the player they want to be,” Kiermaier said Wednesday morning outside the Rays' clubhouse. “I feel like with my routine and my knowledge and experience of playing the way I did out there -- I played it very well, but I know I can coach it at a very high level as well.
“I want the players and coaches to just kind of hear what I have to say on certain things and apply it to their game whatever way they choose.”
As outfield instructors go, you can’t do much better than Kiermaier, the 2015 American League Platinum Glove Award winner. Simpson, a college infielder who’s still relatively new to the outfield, knew that much right away.
Having spent plenty of time at Charlotte Sports Park since he was selected by the Rays in the second round of the 2022 Draft, Simpson understands Kiermaier’s defensive reputation. He’s seen Kiermaier’s name prominently featured on a wall highlighting Tampa Bay’s Gold Glove Award winners.
It’s still a work in progress, as he totaled minus-five Outs Above Average last season according to Statcast, but Simpson would like to see his name on that wall someday. Kiermaier has quickly come to appreciate the 25-year-old’s drive and work ethic as much as his skill set.
“He cares about the product he puts out there on the field, and those are the guys that I want to be around,” said Kiermaier, who spent last season as a special assistant with the Blue Jays after concluding his playing career with the Dodgers in 2024. “I’m a lucky man to have a situation like this where I can think out loud to these guys and see what they can accomplish.”
Of course, Simpson has put in plenty of defensive work on his own. He’s learning from outfield coordinator Jared Sandberg, and Tampa Bay’s new outfield instructor -- first-base coach Corey Dickerson -- has a Gold Glove Award that was a testament to his own hard work and self-improvement.
But what better way to learn than alongside someone whose game-changing defense transformed him from a 31st-round Draft pick into a 12-year big leaguer?
“Not that with other people I'm not listening, but with [Kiermaier], my ears are that much more open,” Simpson said. “Somebody that's really just finished playing, so he's done it in today's game. So definitely been a lot of learning and just taking in everything, for sure, every word that comes out of his mouth.”
Simpson’s elite speed is already a weapon at the plate and on the bases, as he beat out enough hits to bat .295 while stealing 44 bases in 109 games as a rookie last season. If he can fine-tune his game in the outfield, where he’s likely to see most of his time in left with Cedric Mullins playing center, the former top prospect could become an all-around impact player.
“Everything we asked of Chandler, he did last year,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I know he's extremely motivated and committed to coming in and continuing to improve his defense and probably mirror some of his offensive output from the Minor Leagues closer to the big leagues.”
And Kiermaier is more than happy to help Simpson along that path by preaching the same things that made him so effective for so long: preparation, intensity and attention to detail in every aspect of outfield defense.
“I'm at the point now where I want to give back to them and help the next group of young players coming up,” Kiermaier said. “I'll stay in my lane and talk about what I know, and outfield defense is my thing. So I want to help these guys in whatever way possible, and the Rays can utilize me in whatever way they wish.”