James Loney Has Revived His Career In Tampa

James Loney broke out as a potential star with the Dodgers in 2006. After a couple of good seasons his star power began to fade. He was traded to the Red Sox in the mega deal the sent Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Josh Becket to the Dodgers. He signed in Tampa this past off-season and he's been worth every penny.


When the Rays signed Loney over the winter I thought it was nothing much. I figured, they need a 1st baseman and Loney fit the part. I didn't know that Loney could potentially be an American League all-star.

Loney's batting .342 for the Rays this season which is the 2nd best average in the American League behind only the great Miguel Cabrera. Apart from Even Longoria he's been the teams best hitter. So I set out to find what he's doing differently in Tampa.

One thing that many people noticed with Loney is that he seems to have introduced a higher leg-kick in his swing. Last year with the Red Sox he would use more of a little toe tap when the pitch was delivered. He kept his hands out more over the plate.

With his new swing, Loney goes with not only the high leg kick, but he also has his hands more towards his body as the pitch is delivered. He's taking pitches that he would normally roll over on and is instead driving across the ballpark.

Now this leg kick can be traced back a few years, but that along with having his hands back is what I mainly notice when looking at his swing from this year and last year. What ever the main reason for success may be, Loney is having a great season in Tampa. And the Rays are getting what the Dodgers had hoped for.

Follow @GavinEwbank2013 Twitter.