This outfielder is getting a Major opportunity to play for Rays

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TAMPA -- If everything had gone according to the Rays’ plans, Kameron Misner would be playing with Triple-A Durham right now.

Josh Lowe would be in right field. Jonny DeLuca would be in center. Christopher Morel would be in left. Richie Palacios would be getting a lot of work in the outfield, too. And the Rays would feel good about their depth options, with Misner and Jake Mangum waiting their turn in Triple-A.

Obviously, things have not gone according to plan. Palacios, Lowe and DeLuca are on the injured list. But each injury has created additional opportunities for Misner, and the 27-year-old rookie is taking full advantage. After going 0-for-2 with one walk in Thursday afternoon’s 11-1 series-finale loss to the Angels, Misner is slashing .357/.406/.643 with five extra-base hits and six RBIs.

Palacios’ fractured right ring finger gave Misner a spot on the Opening Day roster. Lowe’s right oblique strain left the Rays in need of a left-handed-hitting outfielder to fill his spot. And DeLuca’s strained right shoulder opened a vacancy in center field, one that Misner will fill against right-handed pitchers.

“I think just confidence, not just [in] myself, but knowing that the team knows I can get the job done. And I've been doing that,” Misner said. “It feels good to get a hit and look in the dugout, and everybody you've been watching for a couple years is cheering you on. It's a cool feeling.”

Of course, this all started with perhaps the coolest feeling a player can experience.

Thrust into action in the season opener at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Misner became the first player in Major League history to hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day for his first career homer. He’s also said that was his first walk-off homer at any level.

“You always want to do the best you can and help the team win. And I think that being able to walk that game off was the best-case scenario for everybody,” he said. “Very fortunate that happened, and I've been able to kind of keep it rolling.”

Misner will keep getting chances. He is arguably the best defensive outfielder the Rays have available right now. Manager Kevin Cash described DeLuca as “elite” defensively, but he said Misner “could fall into that category as well,” now that he’s getting the chance to prove it. He’s also playing a key left-handed role in the middle of the lineup with Palacios and Lowe out.

This all started with a decision Misner made late last year. After going 1-for-15 with 10 strikeouts for the Rays in August, the ostrich boot-wearing country boy born and raised on a farm in rural southeastern Missouri -- where he spent prior offseasons having his dad flip batting-practice balls to him -- spent essentially the entire winter at the Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta to refine his swing.

"I kind of figured I'd do a little less hunting and hanging out,” he said, “and get a little better at baseball."

Misner lived in Atlanta from the World Series until it was time to report to Spring Training. He worked at Maven every day, focused mainly on keeping his bat in the strike zone for longer. He trusted Tyler Krieger, who leads Maven’s hitting instruction, to translate the complex analytical and biomechanical information into something he could put into action.

“He went to work right away. He discovered last year what he was doing and needed to change at this level,” Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola said. “And credit to him, he’s putting it right into play. He’s gotten the opportunity. We need Josh back, but it’s great to have him fill the role.”

The differences are obvious. Just look at the video from Misner’s first swing he took this season and the last one he took in the Majors last year: his lone hit, off A’s closer Mason Miller. His hands are higher. He’s closed off his stance. He’s standing taller in the batter’s box. Mottola said he’s “simplified” and “more efficient.”

And the difference is equally apparent in his underlying numbers, albeit in a limited sample. According to Statcast, entering play on Thursday, Misner’s average bat speed is up 3.1 mph compared to last year, from 70.2 to 73.3. He’s making contact farther out in front of the plate, typically a good way to pull the ball in the air like Misner has done.

It’s not how they drew it up, but Misner’s making the most of it.

“I know he worked really hard this offseason, took it upon himself, took some ownership of his career. Give him a ton of credit,” Cash said recently. “And it’s nice to see a guy invest so much in that and then get some early results. ... He’s doing it at the best level to be doing it at, and he’s helping us win games.”