The Nice List, Angels style. Who made the cut?

#4 – Keynan Middleton –

Keynan Middleton is one of the nicest players you will meet plus he has a great sense of humor to boot.  I first met him when he was in Single-A Inland Empire as a 20-year old.  I ran into him in the clubhouse and we had a ten-minute conversation about where he is from, which was Portland, Oregon. It wasn’t even an official interview.

Flash-forward two years later I see Middleton, who had just been called up, in the Angels dugout and he sees me and says ‘Hey how you doing man’.  I didn’t even think he was talking to me, but when I realized he was I was in shock that he remembered me.  We touched base and I asked him how he was doing so far and he said things were good.

A year later after he had been anointed the Angels’ closer I went to interview him for real this time and he was just as kind and gracious. He even joked around with me.  I asked him one of those typical questions ‘How do you deal with blowing a save, like the game the other night’. Middleton looks at me deadpanned and said ‘I had forgotten all about that already, thanks for bringing it up again and reminding me about it’. I was looking very upset as I thought I had upset him which was not my intention at all.

Then Middleton cracked a big smile and said ‘I’m just kidding man’ and then he answered the question I had asked.  I also got to interview him last July when he was down in Inland Empire again as he was rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery and he was again great to talk to.  I was having a particularly bad day and Middleton’s enthusiasm and smile definitely cheered me up.

I will always have a special place in my heart for guys that I am able to watch before they make it big, and especially when they are as kind and genuine as Middleton is. Thank you Keynan!!!