Oakland Athletics center fielder Sam Fuld had one of the most impressive plays of his career on Saturday.
During the fourth inning in a game against the Kansas City Royals, the 32-year-old Fuld caught a line drive in center field, then proceeded to throw a laser to home plate, doing a barrel roll in the process. The throw ended up getting to catcher Derek Norris just before Alex Gordon, who was tagged out at home plate.
[MLB.com]
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Sam Fuld lost his tooth in the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 win against the Seattle Mariners Friday night. Although the win helps in their battle for the playoffs with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, all the buzz is about the little outfielder that looks more like he plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning than the Rays.
Fuld entered the game in the eighth inning to pinch hit for Sean Rodriguez with the Rays trailing by a run. He hit a single through the hole at shortstop.
That’s when the mystery of the missing tooth began.
The television broadcast showed Fuld without his smile that fans have come to love. Social media was full of inquiries about the location of his missing tooth.
“I wish I had a good story like I was out skating this morning. It all comes back to May or whatever when I banged my head into J.J. Hardy. It chipped my crown, and I’m trying to get a permanent one going but it’s been a while. I’ve had this temporary thing in there and it keeps popping out.”
After a request from the media for him to say, “Super Sam Fuld,” the story got better.
“Today I decided to chew some gum—real bright idea—and the next thing I know it’s in my gum and the gum became really crunchy. The crown just broke into a bunch of pieces, and that was that. The problem is I got a hit tonight so I’m thinking of leaving it out.”
Even some of Fuld’s teammates weren’t fully aware of the fake tooth.
“I just found out that he had a fake tooth our last homestand, I had no idea,” said Evan Longoria. “This clubhouse has a bunch of characters, it’s really what keeps it light around here. For him to be walking around without a tooth and to think it’s the funniest thing is the world is awesome.”
After the saga of the missing tooth, Fuld would go on to score on an Evan Longoria single starting the Rays eighth inning rally.
Johnny Damon would score the game-winning run on a Ben Zobrist single to center field.
Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes obtained first-hand.
You can follow him on Twitter @JWilburg
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Sam Fuld came as a much-needed spark following a dismal start by the defending AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays. The relatively unknown outfielder came to the Rays as part of the trade for Matt Garza.
He jumped on the scene and got the opportunity to start following Manny Ramirez’s retirement from baseball. He took that opportunity and has made the most of it.
Fuld and the Rays became common sights and have comfortably lead the majors in ESPN “Web Gems,” which showcase outstanding defensive highlights. From his grab against the White Sox to his performance in his first visit to Fenway, he hasn’t disappointed fans.
In fact, fans have even started buying his No. 5 Rays jersey to the ballpark to cheer him on in the same way they used to cheer for Carl Crawford.
He even developed what is likely to be the most viral following of any Rays player on Twitter.
The Twitter trend #LegendOfSamFuld became a battle cry for fans of the Rays and Fuld alike. That also marks where the story takes a downhill turn.
Fuld was batting .350 and had 10 stolen bases prior to creating his Twitter account, @SamFuld5. Although the account was a success with almost 5,000 followers in less than three days his hitting has suffered.
His first tweet was: “My teammate @DAVIDprice14 convinced me to join Twitter. Love the #legendofsamfuld tweets. Keep em coming. Thanks for all the support!”
Following his dismal performance in the double-header in Minnesotal he sent out a follow-up that said: “0 for Twitter today, had a feeling I would jinx myself. But big sweep for us!”
Fuld has yet to record a hit since David Price convinced him to join the social network. If the jinx on Fuld wasn’t enough, Price had his worst outing in almost two years on his first appearance on the mound following the recommendation.
If Sam Fuld truly is Superman, then Twitter has become his kryptonite.
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Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Sam Fuld is off to an unbelievable start. He’s hitting .366 with 11 runs, a home run, eight RBI, and nine stolen bases. The question is whether you should continue to ride his hot bat (and legs) or try to sell high on him?
My money is on holding. He has a stranglehold on the Rays’ leadoff spot. He’s hitting .369 out of that slot, including .360 leading off. While he hasn’t walked a lot (four times), he’s only struck out six times in 71 at-bats.
With his speed and ability to put the ball in play, he should continue to hit for a good average. I don’t think he’s a .360+ hitter, but he had a solid .285 average in the minor leagues.
He also plays for one of the most aggressive teams in baseball. The stolen base total is legit, and if he can continue to get on base at a solid clip, he has a good chance of stealing 30+ bases.
I’d like to see a few more runs scored given his high average, but remember that Evan Longoria is on the shelf. When he returns, that should bolster the Rays’ lineup that has struggled at times.
If you get an amazing offer for Fuld, I wouldn’t hesitate to move him. I’m just not sure he’s the type of player that can net even trade value. Other owners are probably skeptical that his success will come crashing down at any moment. With only 131 big league at-bats and a .252 average heading into the season, the concerns are legitimate.
There always seems to be players that everybody would like to have on their team, but aren’t willing to take the risk to trade for. I think Sam Fuld is one of those players.
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As a 7′ outfielder who kills Yankees and Red Sox by the hundreds with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse, Tampa Bay Rays’ Sam Fuld burst onto the fantasy baseball landscape with a 4-6 performance against the rival Sox, including two doubles and a home run.
The legend of Sam Fuld spread across the Internet like a sneezing Panda video on YouTube, with fans likening the scrappy Fuld to a mix between Ryan Braun and William Wallace.
Now that cooler heads have prevailed and fans now realize that Fuld is a tenth round journeyman outfielder who is only starting because Manny Ramirez abruptly quit, I think it is an opportune time to take a closer look at Fuld’s fantasy potential.
In 163 major league at bats, the Stanford University Product has a .264 batting average with 11 doubles, two home runs and eight stolen bases. Prior to this season in which Joe Maddon has used him as a leadoff hitter, Fuld stole only two bags for the Cubs and was not thought of as a base stealing threat.
Perhaps a move to the right system is what Fuld needed to become fantasy-relevant, as the once powerful Rays are suddenly impotent with the injury to Evan Longoria and the retirement of the aforementioned Ramirez.
Will Fuld steal 50 bases and mash 30 home runs? Certainly not, however as an everyday leadoff hitter for the Rays he does have some fantasy value in deeper mixed and AL-only leagues. It appears that Maddon realizes how poor his offense will be this season and will employ an aggressive base running method to generate runs, leading me to believe that Fuld could possibly steal 30 bases and score around 80 runs.
This article was originally published on www.kramericasports.com, the home of free fantasy baseball news, rankings and advice.
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Sam Fuld is a Durham, N.H. native and alumnus of Exeter Academy. On Monday night, he made his first career visit to Fenway Park as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays got their second win of the season by defeating the Red Sox 16-5. Fuld stood out in a game surrounded by conversation about Carl Crawford facing his former team, Johnny Damon’s return to Fenway and of course the Manny Ramirez saga.
Fuld went 4-6 with three runs and two RBI in the Rays’ win, and was a single shy of becoming the second Rays player to hit for the cycle. Fuld has continued to turn heads since his arrival in Tampa.
He was drafted in 2004 by the Chicago Cubs in the 10th round, and made his major league debut on September 5, 2007. He came to the Rays as part of the trade for pitcher Matt Garza.
Fuld has surpassed most expectations so far.
It was expected that he would compete and have a chance for a backup outfield roster spot. After he made his first Opening Day roster this season, the sudden retirement of Manny Ramirez opened a window of opportunity that Fuld has taken full advantage of.
On April 7th he got his first start in left field. He also batted leadoff for the first time in his career.
Fuld’s speed will make him a perfect fit for the way the Rays have played under Joe Maddon. Coming into Monday night’s game against Boston, his five steals led the American League.
Fuld had three 20-steal seasons in the minors but only two steals in 98 games with the Cubs.
Along with his speed, he has shown a killer defensive instinct. Fuld may not be Carl Crawford but he has been making some sensational plays in left field for the Rays.
He made the MLB Network’s play of the week with his diving catch at the warning track Friday at U.S. Cellular Field against the Chicago White Sox. His catch came with the bases loaded and ended the fourth inning.
The Rays may not be the team they were in 2010, but with players like Sam Fuld developing they will work their way back to the top of the American League East.
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