Kiner-Falefa‘s climb to the majors lends unique excitement

There’s always something special about watching former Riders make it to the big leagues but the excitement that came with Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s Major League debut was in a league of its own.

Kiner-Falefa, who played with the Riders in 2016 and 2017, came in as a defensive sub last night for the Rangers and went 0–1 in his first-career at-bat. He became the 141st former Riders players to make it to “the show” and the landmark 100th to debut with the Rangers.

What makes IKF’s path to the bigs so exciting is that most people wouldn’t have guessed he would end up there so soon — if ever. When he first arrived in Frisco in 2016, he was a relative unknown. Quickly though, he put himself on the map by adding catching to his defensive repertoire. He surged even more so last year by adding some power at the plate, including a team-leading 31 doubles and the first five homers of his career.

When it was all said and done, it wasn’t surprising to see the Rangers add him to the 40-man roster this past offseason. There’s legitimate reason to believe one of the other 29 organizations would have scooped him up in the Rule 5 Draft had he gone unprotected.

Some guys are a near automatic to make it to the majors. Others come out of nowhere. These are the kinds of stories that make sports so much fun. It’s easy to root for the guys that are destined for stardom but the satisfaction that comes with watching a 23-year-old from Hawaii come out of nowhere to make it to the game’s biggest stage is unmatched.

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TOMORROW’S GAME: Riders at Tulsa, 7:05 p.m.
PROBABLES: RHP Collin Wiles (0–1, 9.00) vs. LHP Caleb Ferguson (0–0, 0.00)
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