Bobby Kinne says he's excited and grateful to have his new job with the Tampa Bay Rays (2024)

BOSTON — Bobby Kinne has been to Fenway Park before as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. He said this week, however, feels a little different.

It's not every day one walks into the ballpark of one's youth, with a locker, a name and a number up in the coaches locker room.

"It's one of the cooler experiences I've had in my life, without a doubt," said Kinne, the pitching strategist for the Tampa Bay Rays. On Wednesday, the Rays were two games into a 1-1 series with the Red Sox.

"I was talking to my parents about it last night. It's great they could be here. It is something that I don't think would be possible to dream up an experience like this when I was growing up. So I never pictured it.

"But it's really, really special."

Kinne is in his sixth year with the Rays organization. After graduating from Vassar College, Kinne began as a baseball operations intern with Tampa Bay in June, 2018. Since then, he has been an advance scouting apprentice, an assistant in advance scouting and replay, and then spent two years as the coordinator of Major League Operations, before being named the major league team's pitching strategist prior to the start of the 2024 season.

"I think I've been really lucky to have the opportunities to grow here," Kinne said. "The loyalty of the organization and their ability to give me time to grow and try new things and push me in this current role and be on the roster, it's just really special. I can't really get over it.

"I'm really grateful for it and it's a bit surreal having that number. It's one of the coolest things and I'm really grateful for it."

Kinne works for Rays manager Kevin Cash, and alongside pitching coach Kyle Snyder and Rick Knapp, who is the assistant pitching coach and in charge of rehab with the big club.

So, the next question is, other than the obvious, what does the pitching strategist do?

On a day away from St. Petersburg, Kinne said his day starts fairly early.

"I get here on the first bus, whenever that is. Try to get a quick workout in and run. Run the stairs maybe, try to get up and down the stairs in right field here at Fenway," Kinne said, during a pregame interview in the Rays dugout Wednesday. "Then, it's just kind of diving into the outings from last night, what guys did and having the messaging for them going forward. Whether it's reinforcing the positive things or shedding some color on some things we can work on going forward. Then it's prepping for the game tonight with the game plan for our starting pitcher, our advance meetings and going out to the bullpen, gauging availability with Kyle Snyder and [bullpen coach] Jorge Moncada.

"Once the game starts, it's all about messaging and creating that good energy for the guys. Having a plan, sticking to it, and knowing when to pivot and help Kyle and the pitchers any way I can."

Kinne said that the difference in his job from being in St. Petersburg and being in, say, Boston, is that he gets an opportunity to spend some morning and early afternoon time either exploring a city or getting an opportunity to visit with parents Kevin and Cathleen, or older brother John, who lives within walking distance of Fenway Park.

Some of what Kinne and Snyder do with technology is somewhat easier to accomplish at Tropicana Field than it is at Fenway or Yankee Stadium or Dodger Stadium. There is more equipment at home to help them dive deeper into the outings.

"On the road, the idea is still the same," Kinne said. "The same structure of the day. My entire focus all day, when I'm at the field, is to make sure our pitchers are supported and feel like they have feedback and the resources to understand where they're at, where we want them to go and where we want them to stay."

In earlier jobs with the Rays, Kinne was at one point inside a small room watching the game on monitors and helping Cash determine whether there should be reviews of plays or calls. Last year, as coordinator of Major League Operations, he would be in dugouts. It's not quite the same as now, with the number 31 on his back.

Kinne is in the dugout for every game.

"It doesn't feel like work. It's as good of a seat as you can have at a baseball game," he said, "because you get to see all those questions you have when you sit in the stands about 'what were they thinking?' You get to hear all those conversations and learn from the staff that's been here for a long time. I'm getting an unbelievable education, seeing how our manager, bench coach, hitting coach, pitching coach all handle those in-game moments, and how players handle it too. The emotions of the game are much more vivid when you're sitting in the dugout and you feel them strongly because you're so invested."

For Bobby Kinne, "The Trop" is special because it's home. Every big league ballpark is special because they are Major League facilities. Fenway Park, however, is something else again.

"This is my favorite ballpark, hands down. It's where I learned to love baseball. It's where my parents took me and I have some of the most special memories," he said. "I wouldn't be in this job without that love of baseball. I circle [these games] because I love the ballpark, I love the city and I could not be happier when I get to spend time with my family and the people from my community."

Believe it or not, Bobby Kinne said that he doesn't mind getting some ticket requests. That could include Thursday night's series finale or the three-game series Sept. 27-29 that wraps up the regular season.

"I love that people from the Berkshires come out and the ticket sheet fills up," he said. "To share that experience with them and my joy and love for the game that they share, whether they're rooting for the Red Sox or not.

"It's just special to be able to give back to some of those people who are the reason that I'm here, and share in the joy of this job with them."