Kevin Kiermaier insists he doesn't feel old.
Not that 30 is that big a number, but it wasn't that long ago that he was the fresh face of the Rays. And now, a thirty-something talking about how fast time has gone by.
"I feel great," Kiermaier said Friday. "I feel like I'm right in my prime with my body being at peak shape and performance. ... That's all you can ask for.
"I feel like a nice expensive bottle of wine. ... I feel like I'm aging well."
His more immediate concern is dealing with the coronavirus quarantine. As hyperactive as he is, Kiermaier is dealing with some cabin fever waiting for a hoped-for "sooner than later" start to the baseball season.
He's enjoying spending unexpected time with this wife, Marisa, and their nearly 1 {-year-old son, Karter, but otherwise, sitting still is tough.
With no gym, field or hitting cage to use, he's been focused on staying in "baseball shape," improvising with limited equipment. He runs, does "explosive movements" and "body weight workouts," uses resistance bands and light dumbbells, does pull-ups on a doorway bar.
He throws into a net and finds himself walking his Tampa house holding his bat and practicing his swing. He'll occasionally drag Marisa into the garage so he can take some cuts, but quickly points outs it's a little different routine than teammate Brandon Lowe, who has nets in his garage with wife Madison, a former college softball player, throwing to him.
"Marisa throws me Karter's Little Tykes balls that don't go anywhere," Kiermaier said. "She's just tossing me stuff. She's not Madison Lowe giving B. Lowe (batting practice)."
Otherwise, it's a challenge mentally as well.
"You find yourself at times going crazy, especially for guys like me, I'm always on the go," he said. "We all have to do whatever we have to do to stay sane in whatever way possible and not let this affect us in a negative way whatsoever. A lot easier said than done."
Kiermaier is not one for video games and isn't watching much TV. He is doing some small chores around the house, which was renovated while they were in Port Charlotte. He blows leaves off the driveway a couple times a day and is extraordinarily excited about a planned power-washing.
"Just have nothing to do," he said. "I feel like an old retired guy just trying to make time pass by."
He texts with teammates, coaches and manager Kevin Cash. Last month, Kiermaier and the family got in the car and drove 16 hours to Indiana to spend a week checking out the vacation home they bought on a lake.
He tries to be patient, figuring it's going to be at least a few more weeks until they hear anything about starting the season, and they'll get a few weeks' notice to ramp up their workouts before heading to a second "spring" training.
"It's tough," he said. "It's tough for everyone involved. We're creatures of habit. I just know I'm supposed to be playing baseball right now. I'm supposed to spending 11 hour-days at the field, and as exhausting as that sounds, I miss it. I miss it a ton. I'd do anything to slide into second base right now and cut up my knees, cut up my elbows, and get a good crowd reaction."
