Players go to bat for Price
Lefty spent two weeks in May rehabbing with PawSox
PAWTUCKET — The harsh talk that’s placed David Price in the eye of a Boston media storm was nowhere to be found inside the PawSox clubhouse on Thursday.
To be fair, none of the players interviewed for this story were asked to share their specific thoughts on Price’s exchange with a reporter following Wednesday’s Red SoxYankees game in New York. Not long ago, Price wore the same exact Triple-A uniform as they do day-in and day-out. His Pawtucket tenure may have boiled down to one simulated game and two rehab starts, yet the left-hander pitcher made a point to be one of the guys.
Naturally, any Triple-A player who is treated to a lavish postgame spread is going to have the star play- er’s back. On two occasions, Price supplied his temporary PawSox teammates with good eats from the Capital Grille and Outback.
“I know it’s tradition for the guys to do that, but that doesn’t mean he has to. It’s their money. It’s not coming out of the team’s pocket,” said PawSox catcher Dan Butler, who was behind the plate for all three of Price’s PawSox-related appearances. “It’s great that David would want to do that and shows what kind of person he is.”
Brian Johnson can also speak to Price being a genuinely kind and caring person. After Johnson’s nineinning mastery of the Seattle
“I know it’s tradition for the guys to do that, but that doesn’t mean he has to. It’s their money. It’s not coming out of the team’s pocket.” – Dan Butler
Mariners on May 27, Price saw Johnson standing with his proud family. With no hesitation, Price walked over to the Johnson clan and shook everyone’s hand.
“You respect him a lot because of the way he approaches all of us as teammates, people, and friends,” Johnson said before leaving McCoy Stadium in anticipation of Friday’s start for the Red Sox against Detroit at Fenway Park. “When he was down here, whether it was someone who needed socks or extra cleats … he asked what we wanted for the postgame meal. He didn’t have to do any of that. That’s where the message is lost sometimes – what people are expected to do and what they don’t have to do.”
The Price that Blake Swihart knows goes well behind the pitcher-catcher battery that was brought together for Boston’s 2016 season opener in Cleveland. Swihart was on the disabled list last month when Price made good use of the hitting tunnel inside McCoy after his scheduled start on Mother’s Day was rained out.
“He knows a lot of us from big-league camp, but came here and goofed around with us and played some ping-pong,” Swihart said. “We had a good time.”
Based on a story that Swihart shared, it sure sounds like Price is willing to go the extra mile regardless if the teammate is an upand-comer or an established veteran. To set the stage, Swihart commutes from Boston to Pawtucket. With his fiancé scheduled to fly into Boston while Swihart was rehabbing a left finger contusion in Fort Myers, it was Price who made sure the out-of-town guest could get into Swihart’s pad.
“He went to my house and dropped off the key. He lives close enough,” Swihart said. “When he was down here, we were his teammates. He didn’t walk around all bigheaded and macho. He’s a special guy and a good teammate. He takes care of everybody.”
Butler, Johnson, and Swihart had already spent time in Price’s company prior to Price’s rehab assignment. For Jantzen Witte, the PawSox infielder who wasn’t invited to bigleague camp, the stories he had heard about Price proved to be all true.
“He’s very approachable and very nice,” Witte said. “Whether you know him or not, he just seems to have all the qualities of a friend.”
Added Butler, “He’s not one of those veteran guys who you worry about going up to. He’s very easy to talk to and very open.”
The Price who showed up at McCoy for his first day with the PawSox, “beat everyone to the park. That was impressive considering he was driving from Boston,” Butler said. “That showed he was excited to be back playing again.”
Just as noteworthy, Price made it a point to feel right at home inside the PawSox clubhouse. He didn’t act the part of a stranger in a strange setting. “He’s just a fun guy,” Butler said. “Whether it’s talking about pitching or something else, he’s one of the best there is. He’ll text you in the off-season to see how you’re doing,” Johnson said. “The first day we were in spring training last year, him not knowing who I am, he came up to me. That blew my mind.”
Does that sound like a ballplayer who in some media circles doesn’t always get a fair shake?