Sam Fuld: Tampa Bay Rays Outfielder Is Hitless Since Joining Twitter

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.