Missing Carl Crawford: The Tampa Bay Rays perspective
The world of baseball seems quite weird when a fan tries to count the years, backwards. History may have been boring for kids, but for baseball enthusiasts, it’s that much more interesting. Teams win and lose but players usually remain loyal to their side
at the end of their professional career. The fact that many ball stars make an impact at one franchise and move on to another tends to sore the heart at times and that is something the Tampa Bay Ray fans can relate to these days.
The team made it to the playoffs in 2010 and they did it with style. They beat the New York Yankees to the punch and it was a gratifying journey to the end of the regular season. For the supporters however, a lot could have happened but the bid for the World
Series was cut short by the energetic Texas Rangers.
However now, when one will look back at the Rays, they’ll recognize the year for not crashing out of the World Series pursuit, but for losing outfielder, Carl Crawford. The player who has been one of the rising stars in Major League Baseball finally moved
on from his club and it’s the Boston Red Sox who persevered in their effort to sign Crawford on a long term contract.
Philadelphia Phillies, Assistant General Manager of the player development and scouting department, Chuck LaMar was once the General Manager of the Rays and he was there when Crawford came to the side in 1999, following the second round of the First – Year
Player Draft. He remembers the player well.
"I'll never forget, we sent him to rookie ball, and our staff said, 'This is not a football player playing baseball, this is a baseball player that played football, “said Chuck. "From Day 1, when he went on the field for drills and bunting, aptitude in the
outfield - we drafted a lot of those guys, and sometimes they never become baseball players. No, this was a baseball player who just happened to have great expertise in football."
In the eyes of another Rays’ player, the move is something Carl deserved. James Shield said, "Good for him. He deserves it, for sure. To me, he's one of the best players in Major League Baseball. I've been fortunate to be in the same organization with him
for some time. I've watched him grow up from an 18 year old, to now. The only unfortunate thing is I've got to face him now."
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