Roster hopes rising for Sam Fuld

March 26, 2011 (Saturday)

JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Early on in spring training, Sam Fuld‘s chances of making the Tampa Bay Rays’ opening-day roster didn’t look good.

In fact, it was looking a lot like Fuld’s 2010 spring training with the Chicago Cubs, when the scrappy centerfielder hit a meek .143 with just 2 RBIs in 35 at-bats, earning him a trip down to AAA.

But after a slow start in 2011, Fuld is on fire. On Thursday (3/24/2011), for example, the 29-year-old went 1/2 with a 2-run HR and a sacrifice bunt. And in Friday’s 9-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, he went 2/3 with a double, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base.

Fuld’s surge has raised his spring training totals to a respectable .286 batting average, along with 1 HR, 8 RBIs (the team high is 10 RBIs), 4 stolen bases (tied for second on the Rays), and a .348 on-base percentage.

Often called a defensive specialist, Fuld’s Achilles heel is his bat. This time around, he has a good chance of making a team’s opening-day roster for the first time in his career.

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