McAdam: Kyle Hart bucks the odds to make his major league debut Thursday

There are can't-miss, blue-chip prospects in the game, who rocket through the minor leagues and arrive with just a year (or less) of pro ball.

They're profiled in Baseball America, projected as likely Rookie of the Year candidates and seemingly headed for stardom.

Then there's Kyle Hart.

Hart is none of those things. He didn't get drafted until his senior year of college. He didn't get placed on a 40-man roster for the first time until last winter. And when he makes his major league debut, starting for the Red Sox Thursday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays, he'll be just three months shy of his 28th birthday.

All of which makes the long wait all the more worth it.

"I think that's the beauty of the game,'' said Hart. "I've been at every level of this game and I've seen every type of player -- come up, make it, not make, somewhere in the middle, young guys, old guys, uber-talented guys, guys maybe with less talent, more grit. I've seen a lot of different types of players. I'm proud of the type of player that I am and the player that's going to debut tomorrow (afternoon).''

Hart has never had anything handed to him. He was a 19th round pick out of the University of Indiana and has spent parts of the last five seasons in the minor leagues. When he went undrafted as a junior and returned for his senior year at Bloomington, he wondered whether a career in pro ball was within his reach.

"I still think pro ball is a difficult thing,'' he joked. "I thought about it a long time and I talked to my parents, talked to my family. Ultimately, I wanted to give it a shot. I didn't know how much I would love it. I didn't know how much happiness it would bring me. I'm glad I chose to stick with it and keep playing and I'm grateful for every opportunity I've been given and certainly the one I'm being given now -- the ultimate opportunity of pitching in the big leagues.''

There were times when the path was far from glamorous. Living in small towns, in crowded apartments and subsisting on fast food was not the way most college graduates spend their mid-20s.

"Those times you're sleeping on an air mattress and not eating the food you want to eat,'' he said, "all the while, you're not living a normal life. You're not able to do the activities that you see your friends doing. They're starting families, they're traveling the world, they're padding their IRAs. They're kind of living the life that you probably should be living.

"But those times are the ones that makes it all worth it because you can look back and say, 'None of this was handed to me,' and I earned every drop of it. Those times definitely make you appreciate the good days.''

Throughout his climb up the minor league ladder, Hart was always assigned one level lower than he expected. But that's always provided motivation.

"I thought I should be at (Low A) Greenville, they started me at extended (spring training),'' he said. "I thought I should be at (High A) Salem, they started me at Greenville. This year, I thought maybe I had a chance to start with the big league team, they started me at the alternate site. Honestly, I appreciated because that's how every year has gone and every year I've kind of sought out success.''

Hart's journey has been made longer by his lack of elite stuff. He doesn't overpower hitters or register radar gun readings in the high 90s. He needs to stay out of the fat part of the plate. The lack of velocity has limited the amount of hype from the Prospect Industrial Complex, but Hart made what he has work.

Even when the news of his promotion to the big league came wrapped in a practical joke. On Tuesday, he went into Pawtucket manager Billy McMillon's office, where he was also met by Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett and pitching coach Paul Abbott.

"They told me that I was getting fined by Major League Baseball for not wearing my mask,'' said Hart. "That's kind of a real scenario that can happen and probably has happened. So I was a little worried at first, but then they told me, 'You can go pay your fine at Fenway Park tomorrow.' So, luckily, it was just a prank and they were pulling my leg.''

The one drawback for Hart's debut will be that, in the throes of a pandemic, no fans are allowed, meaning Hart's family won't be inside the ballpark to share the moment with him.

"It totally is a disappointment,'' he admitted. "It's tough. I know it's probably tougher for the people who supported you. They want to be here. But you have to go out and do your job. They'll get their chance to watch, so we're making the best of it.''

Hart's brother, Ryan, decided he's going to be as close as protocol allows. He traveled to Boston on Wednesday night and plans to watch the game from a bar in the Fenway neighborhood.

Inside the ballpark, however, Kyle will be all business.

"My mindset is. 'They're giving me an opportunity (Thursday); I need to go pitch to earn another one,' '' said Hart. "That's going to be my mindset as long as I play this game. And hopefully, you look back and you've got six, eight, 10 years in this league. But right now, I need to go out and earn every single start, every single night.''