Royals acquire an outfielder who made MLB history this past season
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals acquired Rays outfielder Jordan Misner for player to be named later or cash.
- Misner batted .213 with five homers, eight steals, but posted a 72 OPS+ in 217 PAs.
- He made MLB history with an opening-day walk-off for his first career homer.
Nine years later, the Royals got their man.
The Royals on Monday traded for Rays outfielder Kameron Misner for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Misner, who grew up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, was selected in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Royals, but he didn’t sign and instead played at Mizzou.
Misner, who was designated for assignment by the Rays last week, played all three outfield positions this season. He had two defensive runs saved in center field, according to the Fielding Bible, and three defensive runs saved as a right fielder.
In 217 plate appearances, Misner batted .213 with nine doubles, five home runs and eight stolen bases. But he struck out 69 times and had 16 walks. His OPS+ was just 72.
Misner’s biggest hit came on opening day when he hit a walk-off home run against the Rockies. According to MLB.com, he was the first player in baseball history to hit a walk-off home run on opening day for his first career homer.
In three career games against the Royals, Misner batted .333 (2 for 6) with a walk.
Misner, 27, was added to the Royals’ 40-man roster, which has 36 players on it.
Rays on Kameron Misner
Misner, who is 6 foot 4 and 220 pounds, spent last offseason at the Maven Baseball Lab in Atlanta, according to a story in the Tampa Bay Times
The Rays were encouraged by what they saw when Misner, who bats and throws left-handed, got to spring training.
“We just saw him having at-bats where he just was touching the ball more often but was maintaining the impact that he’s long had,” baseball operations president Erik Neander told the Times. “If you look back over his career, probably the strikeout and the contact rate has been the thing that has held him back a little bit.
“He doesn’t swing at balls. He’s got power. He’s a great athlete. He plays good defense. Just find a way to harness the contact a little bit — and these adjustments gave him a pathway to do that.”
But the Rays have moved on from Misner, and he will get a fresh start in his home state.
