Bronx is Burning

Our Player Elliott Ayala - makes the movies and more! Here is an article from the newspaper in Bridgewater, New Jersey

Oh yes he is the young, cute one in the picture from "THE BRONX IS BURNING"

ESPN TV MINI SERIES



Good Spring gets Ayala more playing time
By RYAN DUNLEAVY Staff Writer
BRIDGEWATER -- Alert the Discovery Channel: Elliot Ayala is a MythBuster.
The myth: Eight days of Atlantic League spring training is not a long enough period for a player to make any substantial progress or change preconceived notions about himself.
The bust: Ayala played every inning of the Somerset Patriots' five spring training games, proving he could be an everyday force. His two triples also made him one of the team's most exciting players.
The result: Ayala, who re-signed with the Patriots as a utility reserve after appearing in 12 games last September, has started the first four games of the season at four different positions, including batting leadoff and playing right field Tuesday night against the Road Warriors.
"I put him in there because he did have a good spring," manager Sparky Lyle said. "The way he swung the bat, I think he was a little more aggressive (than last year). We knew what we had with him."
Whatever potential Lyle saw in Ayala last season, Ayala is at least meeting it this season.
Ayala, 28, spent most of the two weeks leading up to spring training in Florida working out with his cousin, Tampa Bay Devils Rays pitcher Ruddy Lugo, at the Devils Rays minor-league facility. The extra preparation paid obvious dividends in Ayala's timing at the plate and in the field.
"Every day I come to the ballpark with the mentality that I expect to play," said Ayala, who only once has played more than 75 games in a season during his nine-year professional career. "I worked a little everywhere. I took ground balls at short, fly balls in the outfield and in the (batting) cages."
While the rest of his teammates have cooled off after a solid spring training offensively, Ayala's bat has remained hot. His four hits and .364 batting average lead the team, and his valuable speed led to one of the team's four stolen bases.
"I like to use my speed," Ayala said. "I can hit the ball in gaps and run around the bases. That's the type of player I am."