At a pivotal point in his young career, Tampa Bay Rays rookie first baseman Bob Seymour is having his dreams realized.
After crushing his way to the most home runs in Triple A's International League with the Durham Bulls, the Rays gave the 26-year-old slugger his shot by selecting his contract on Aug. 15.
“Man, it was an absolute dream come true,” Seymour said before Tampa Bay’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners on Monday. “Getting drafted by the Rays in ‘21; nothing but a great organization. It’s been great being up here.”
Tampa Bay selected Seymour with the 401st pick in the 13th round of the MLB Draft in 2021 out of Wake Forest. Since, he has ascended through the organization’s minor league system.
It has been three weeks since the Rays called Seymour up, and heading into Thursday’s slate of Triple-A games, he remains the IL leader in home runs with 30. With 10 big league games under his belt, Seymour is becoming acclimated to opposing pitchers at the MLB level.
“I think the biggest thing is, the first couple games, there’s a lot of nerves,” Seymour said. “But just getting back to playing the game, getting the work in the cage before and just trusting everything.”
Through 38 at-bats, Seymour is hitting .211 with four RBIs and one home run.
“It’s definitely a little transition, but it couldn’t be more exciting.”
The transition to the majors has been made easier by Seymour’s teammates, who have embraced him.
“Everybody in here has been so welcoming,” Seymour said. “Just helping me with the little things, everyone is very professional here and goes about business the right way.”
Seymour joined Tampa Bay’s roster at a difficult juncture for the club, as it struggled to put wins on the board. However, things are starting to trend in the right direction as the season winds down.
Since adding Seymour to the roster, the Rays (70-69) are 11-6 and 9-2 in their last 11 games, putting them over .500 for the first time since July 28. After completing the sweep of the Mariners on Wednesday, Tampa Bay’s chances of playing in October are still alive.
In the waning moments of the regular season, Seymour is not overlooking the short-term necessities to ensure success in the long run.
“I feel like the biggest thing is just taking one day at a time,” Seymour said. “Go out there and compete and win.”
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