My Two Cents: Bob Seymour's Long Journey from Indiana to Rays True Family Affair
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SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — There are 6-year-olds all over America who pick up a ball and bat and instantly fall in love with the game of baseball. And they dream, some day, of becoming a major-league baseball player.
I know that, because I have a power-hitting, slick-fielding eyes-wide-open grandson with the same dream.
Back in my hometown in northwest Indiana, there have been a lot of 6-year-olds like that, too. Bob Seymour, who lives in St. John, Ind., just two miles from my boyhood home in neighboring Schererville, was one of those kids.
He had that dream of playing in the big leagues, and that dream came true Friday night for the Tampa Bay Rays slugger, starting at first base against the San Francisco Giants. He's 26 years old now, and he's had quite a baseball journey. Making his MLB debut is just a start, of course, but it's also been a night in the making for 20 years.
And it's been a family affair every step of the way.
"It's funny, because when it all started in T-Ball, the first team he was on in St. John was the Rays,'' said his father, who's also Bob Seymour. Mother Zoe Ann kindly reminds me that their son is Bobby to her. His name change a few years ago from Bobby to Bob — ''just growing up, just maturing'' the first baseman says, meant nothing to his parents, sisters or fiancee Paige Pappas, who all still call him Bobby.
"You do the baseball thing all those years as a family, and you always hope for a night like this, when all that hard work he put in and all those dreams finally come true,'' father Bob said, choking back some emotional tears. "And here we are, sitting her in San Francisco, watching our son play a maor-league baseball game. It's just really hard to put into words. ''
More than a dozen family members and friends made the trip to the other Bay Area for Seymour's debut. His fiancee, Paige, was with him in Durham when he got the news he was coming to the show. It was quite a birthday present for her. They flew to San Francisco together and after some quick flight reservations, the entire group of 16 were all together down the first base line at Oracle Park for his Friday night debut.
Durham Bulls manager Morgan Ensberg called a team meeting on Thursday, and shared the news of Seymour's call-up then.
Huge Congratulations to Bobby Seymour ‘17. He has been called up to the big leagues by the Tampa Bay Rays ! @bobby_seymour3 @RaysBaseball @MiLB pic.twitter.com/czKTiRdhph
— Caravan Baseball (@CaravanBaseball) August 15, 2025
“He goes, ‘It’s your fiancee’s birthday?’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And then he goes, ‘Well, call her, tell her you love her and tell her to get a flight to San Francisco,’” Seymour said Friday afternoon in the Rays' clubhouse. “So it’s definitely a birthday we’ll remember, for sure.
“It meant everything, man. This is the ultimate goal. It’s just crazy emotions. Having Mo tell me, a guy I’ve been around since ’23, he’s been a huge part of my career. And just the Rays as a whole. It really was just a dream come true. I can’t even put words on it. But it was awesome.”
Seymour's first call was to his father, who was at the dentist. Then word traveled quickly — sort of.
“I was at the dentist and he called me, and I was thinking it was an odd time of day for him to be calling me,'' Seymour's father said. "I picked up and he said ‘you need a ticket to San Francisco.' I was, like, 'is this what I think you’re telling me?' And he said 'yeah.' I couldn’t speak. I literally could not speak, I was just so full of emotion. That’s what it was for me.’’
Seymour quickly called his wife — and Zoe Ann clicked off the call because she was at the doctor's office. He tried again, and click. He tried five times, and the call got clicked off every time. Finally, she answered.
"He called again, and I told my doctor, 'I better take this.' Zoe Ann said. "He told me about Bobby getting called up, and I took my doctor’s hand and told him ‘you are my lucky charm.’
"I had just been telling him a minute earlier that Bobby had been in Triple-A and was doing really good and I was just hoping that something good would happen for him. Bob was persistent with all the calls, so I figured it had to be important.’’
A baseball journey years in the making
Young Bob Seymour has had the typical baseball journey. He was a great high school player at Mount Carmel, was ACC Player of the Year at Wake Forest in 2021, and the Rays took him in the 13th round. Throughout high school, college and five years in the minor leagues, his parents and two older sisters have all been along for the ride — all the way to San Francisco.
"We own Jackson-Hewitts, income tax preparation, and because it was a seasonal business, it was easy taking Bobby to travel ball and all of that,'' Bob Seymour said. "It’s not tough duty. I mean, it’s baseball.
“I would go to Durham all the time. Paige would go a lot too, and if she wasn’t there, then I’d try to be there. We always wanted to have some family around. Baseball is tough, and you always need someone in your corner.''
Seymour played A ball in 2022, moved up to Double-A Montgomery in 2023 and got promoted to Durham midway through the 2024 season. This year, he's hit a minor-league-best 30 home runs at Durham, and 19 more there previously. During 162 games at Durham — the equivalent of a full major-league season — he's hit 49 homers.
He's a slugger. That's who he is. But there's more to him than that.
Surrounded by familiar faces
When Seymour arrived in San Francisco, he was surrounded by a half-dozen guys that he's grown up with in the Rays' farm system. Pitchers Ian Seymour — no relation, but there's a funny story to that — and Joe Boyle were teammates at Durham, as were outfielder Jake Mangum and Chandler Simpson. He was also with the major-leaguers in spring training for the first time this year.
The familiarity has to help.
“I would think that plays a role,'' Rays managert Kevin Cash said of all the friendly faces. "Getting off the bus,I saw him walking in the clubhouse and he was having good conversations, not just saying ‘nice to meet you' to everybody. He knows most of this group and he’s got to have some comfort with that.’’
Simpson has spent time with Seymour in Montgomery and Durham. He loves the guy.
"When I got to Double-A in Montgomery, he was there and I got to be with him for a good bit before he went to Durham,'' Simpson said. "I was with him this year in Durham for a good bit of time, and now we’re in the show together.
“He’s out there, a vocal guy, which means a lot to me since I’m kind of a quiet guy. He makes everyone feel comfortable. He jokes with you, and makes the day fun. He’s all about laughing and joking, but he also gets the job done. He’s a great guy, a really great human being.’’
Simpson marvels at Seymour's power, but he says he's a well-rounded player as well.
“Bob hits bombs, and he’s a great baseball player,'' Simpson said. "Not only is he going to hit for power, but he’s going to hit for average as well. He’s going to provide some power for us, for sure. Every time he comes to the plate, I’m expecting something big to happen.''
The 'adopted' Seymour brothers
Ian Seymour the pitcher is barely 6 feet, and Bob Seymour the first baseman is 6-foot-4 and a burly 250 pounds. They've become fast friends, and they've enjoyed sharing the Seymour surname — and have a little fun with it along the way.
“We had an umpire going for a good while last year that his family adopted me,'' Ian Seymour said of their time together in Durham. "People are always asking me if we were related, but there was nothing more to that than the fabricated story that we had for a while.
“He mashes baseballs and he always hits, so I’m so happy he’s gotten this opportunity. He’s earned it. He’s a great person and I’m so excited for him. We’ve played a lot of games together the past few years. It helps with the transition when you have more familiarity in the clubhouse. Hopefully he’s feeling that so he can go do his thing. He’s a professional at-bat for sure. He can change a game with one swing.‘’
Finding a role with the Rays
Seymour started at first base on Friday night and batted seventh. He struck out his first two at-bats, then walked and flied out to center. Cash said he'll play a lot at first base, and will DH as well. There are at-bats to be hand with All-Star first baseman Jonathan Aranda out for at least a month with a fractured wrist.
“He’ll go back and forth between first and DH, and he’ll play predominately against righties,'' Cash said. "We’ll go back and forth with him and Yandy (Diaz). We shifted to Yandy at DH a lot, but when Johnny (Aranda) went down, we had Yandy out there more but we’ve got to do right by him. I don’t feel comfortable four and five straight days in a row.
“Morgan (Ensberg, the Durham manager) said he’s comfortable around the bad and he’s good at picking balls. Obviously he’s a big target. We think all of those things work in our infielders’ favor.’’
Cash and the Rays front office have enjoyed Seymour's progress. The power numbers are off the charts, of course, and he's become a better, most disciplined hitter.
“We know when he gets the barrel to it that he can really impact the baseball,'' Cash said. "I’m excited to see him and I know he’s got some family and friends here, so it’s a pretty special day. I don’t know if I have the best answer (as to why he got called up now) but he’s made some adjustments and our information, and our said those adjustments are real.
“He can get up and play and help our club. He doesn’t have to hit a home run every single at-bat like (Junior Caminero) and (Brandon Lowe) are doing right now, but let’s have some good at bats.’’
The Rays have 39 games left and are still clinging to hopes of making the postseason. They are 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees for the final wild-card spot — they play each other Tuesday and Wednesday in Tampa — and Seymour could play a big role with Aranda out.
He's ready. And willing. There's no doubt about the able, either. Seymour is excited to be here, of course, and he's ready to make a big contribution.
"I'll try to keep that same mentality, that it's a long season and you take one day at a time and get all your work in,'' Seymour said. "We'll try to make a push here and win some games. I've been working with everyone in our hitting department, and finding some stuff that click. I'll just keep doing it. ''
And the Seymours, all of them, will be along for the ride. He may be calling himself Bob now, but he's still Bobby to those who love him the most.
"In the house, I'm still Bobby. My dad is Bob. And Paige, we've known each other since high school, she can't call me Bob either. For her, it doesn't flow very well. So it's all OK.''
Call him whatever you wish — but you can call him a major-league baseball player now, too.
Those dreams? They have indeed to come true. For that 6-year-old kid from Indiana, and the parents and sisters who have shared the journey along the way.
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Tom Brew is the publisher of ''Tampa Bay Rays on SI'' and has been with the Sports Illustrated platform since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He owns eight sites on the "On SI'' network and has written four books.
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