Juan Toribio at the Athletic with a great feature on Matt Duffy, his injury, his struggles, and his resurgence. If you read one thing, make it this.
Duffy talked about how his injury, and his slow recovery from it, and the pressure to preform on his new team got inside his head, to the point where he was wrong physically and pressing mentally:
“I thought my career was essentially over.”
It took the realization that achilles strains take a long time to heal and that they cannot be pushed, to give him the space to recover to where he is now (hitting over .300, with a 118 wRC+).
Rays Links
- Jayson Stark named Kevin Cash his first-half manager of the year.
- The Rays will send top prospect Wily Adames back to Triple-A Durham, where he will get everyday playing time. Adam writes about how this demotion won’t be for very long, but with Christian Arroyo nearly set to return, and Adeiny Hechavarria still on the team, the Rays infield remains a crowded place.
- Speaking of players nearly set to return from injury:
He's coming back! Our buddy Jake Faria will start for the #DurhamBulls tomorrow at the DBAP, as he continues his MLB rehab. #BULLieve
— Durham Bulls (@DurhamBulls) July 11, 2018
Tickets: https://t.co/7KrZQzP4u3 pic.twitter.com/RAEtuy4yK1
- Blake Snell really should do a better job looking at the camera when he’s having his picture taken.
Honored some deserving All-Stars today.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 12, 2018
pic.twitter.com/YekNUMM77A
- Current Rays (a bunch of them) and former Rays (Kirby Yates a hot commodity!) all in the same trade chatter roundup.
Stadium
- Let the financing talk commence in earnest. Stu Sternberg says the Rays will pay more that $150 million but maybe not much more. Bob Buckhorn says the Rays should pay more: “I think the reality is that unless the Rays are able to get to close to half, this will be a very difficult transaction to complete.”
- Mister Lizzie discussed details of the stadium design, which we are affectionaly calling “The Humidor.”
- Frank Jackson wrote a out an old scoreboard.
- I don’t think Zach Moser’s Short Relief about a new Rays stadium is very clever, but it is about a new Rays stadium, so, well, here you go. Who am I to gatekeep.
Other Links
- So this is interesting. Behind the pay wall, but Matthew Trueblood’s Rubbing Mud column is all about how Clint Hurdle’s Pirates have a problem with a rigid, distracting, toxic, machismo-centered, beanball-heavy culture. This is not Trueblood’s usual fare. I don’t follow the Pirates on the day-to-day, so I present without comment.
- Eno Sarris talked to Tommy Pham about “bat wrap.”
- David Laurila talking to managers: With the Brewers’ Craig Counsell, who is comfortable seeing the world in probabilities.
- Sheryl Ring on pace of play and player fines.
- While the league trys to hit fly balls, Eric Hosmer has become even more groundball heavy, and that’s a problem for him and the Padres.
- The Yankees are making a push to trade for Manny Machado.
- Sadly, Garret Richards has a UCL tear.