Longoria: Bart can be ‘a special player’
Giants third baseman Evan Longoria spoke glowingly of catching prospect Joey Bart, calling him “the closest we have in terms of breaking through at the bigleague level and being an impact player right out of the chute.”
Longoria can relate to Bart, who was the second overall selection in the 2018 draft. In 2006, Longoria was the third overall pick and became the Rays’ everyday third baseman early in the 2008 season.
“I like to rag on guys but in the right way,” Longoria said. “I had a lot of guys when I was young who’d get on me a little bit, but at the same time, pull me aside and say, ‘I’m doing it for this reason. This is the way you act as a bigleaguer. This is what you have to do to become the best player you can be.’
“So I’m on Joey a little bit, kind of hard on him, but it’s because I really like him as a player. I think he has a potential to be a special player.”
That figures to come, but not necessarily at the start of
The spotlight for change is shining on the Cleveland Indians. Now that the NFL’s Washington team has retired its contentious nickname and logo, the Indians appear to be the next sports franchise that might assume a new identity.
“I understand people aren’t willing to change or so quickly, or they’re hoping this moment is going to pass. It’s not,” said activist Frances Danger, who is Muscogee (Creek) and Seminole from Oklahoma. ”And now that we’ve gotten what we needed on the (NFL) side, we’re going to start working on the rest of them. We’re not going to let up.”
Cleveland’s situation is different. First, the Indians are not feeling public heat from corporate sponsors.
The Indians didn’t promise to change their nickname. But it would be hard to imagine them going through a detailed evaluation and deciding to stick with a nickname that Native American groups have condemned for years as degrading and racist. Cleveland showed a willingness to rebrand itself when it pulled the grinning Chief Wahoo logo off its jerseys and caps.
Although the Indians seem open to a new identity, the Braves aren’t budging.
They have no plans to change their nickname, telling seasonticket holders in a letter last week that “we will always be the Atlanta Braves.” However, the team said it will review the “Tomahawk Chop” chant, borrowed in the early 1990s from Florida State’s football program. The team often gives out red foam tomahawk cutouts used by fans who “chop” during the chant.
Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton was hurt in an intrasquad game at Target Field. The oftinjured Buxton was tracking a fly by Nelson Cruz when he hurt his left leg and was carted off the field.
St. Louis reliever Jordan Hicks opted out of this season. He was diagnosed in high school with Type 1 diabetes.
Baltimore lefthander Ty Blach, a former Giant, will undergo seasonending Tommy John surgery, and shortstop Richie Martin will have an operation on his right wrist that will sideline him for two to three months.
The Tigers gave righthander Zack Godley his unconditional release. Godley, 30, is 3730 with a 4.68 ERA in five major league seasons.
AllStar outfielder Charlie Blackmon, the first major leaguer known to have tested positive for the coronavirus, returned to the Rockies for his first workout after getting the all clear. Blackmon said he was only mildly affected.