If David Price had a neuralyzer, well, you probably can guess how he’d use it.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher had a 2017 to (mostly) forget, missing significant time with an elbow injury and getting into publicized blowups with media members. In fact, Price told ESPN’s Scott Lauber he spent most of last season “mad at the world.”
“I feel like I’ve always been one to lead with my actions, and I didn’t do that very well last year,” Price told Lauber. “And I know that and understand that. I look forward to getting back to being that faucet and not being a drain.”
His quest to regain “faucet” status begins Friday night when he makes his first start of the season against the Rays in Tampa Bay, where he spent his first seven-plus seasons. Price’s friends and former teammates told Lauber they remember the pitcher as a positive, constantly upbeat person who plays the game like “a little kid.”
So, what changed in 2017? Price said his negative attitude all stemmed from his spring training elbow injury, which sent him to the disabled list twice and limited him to just 11 starts all last season.
“Some days were better than others, but overall, the DL, it’s not for me,” Price said. “I just go stir-crazy. I think I missed 40-45 days in 2013. That was tough to handle, but it wasn’t nearly what I did with last year. I’m hoping to never go through that again.”
Chicago White Sox pitcher James Shields, Price’s teammate in Tampa, told Lauber he could “see the frustration” on Price last year and “hear it in his voice.” But the 32-year-old looked healthy and effective this spring, and if he rediscovers his inner fun-loving kid, it could show on the field.
“It’s his best self,” Price’s college coach at Vanderbilt, Derek Johnson, told Lauber. “The game has a tendency to kind of wear that stuff down a little bit. But for me, being able to have fun is the best part of him and it’s what makes him great.
“If he can recapture that, (Red Sox fans) are in for a great ride.”
