Well, Pham does have an eye defect, one which causes vision degeneration. Also, one that hindered his ability to play at 100 percent multiple times in the past. Good that we aren’t hearing anything about it lately.
I have never seen a player who is more driven by using slights (real or imagined) to fuel his performance. Interesting comment, but hardly surprising.
To again set the record straight, Pham never went to arbitration with the Cardinals. He was not eligible. The Cards offered Pham two years, but he turned it down. He ended up with a renewed contract with StL for 2018 and this season, took the Rays to an arbitration hearing and won.
The Cards reportedly offered him $4 MM for two years. The Rays offer would have paid him $4.07 MM over the same period, had they won the hearing. I wonder what they said about him? Wow, they really respect him more – $70 K more to be precise.
So what is the buzz, again? Too bad some just can’t be happy for Pham without cheap shots. He needed to go elsewhere and he is doing well there. As he said, he is maturing as a hitter, becoming more selective. Good for him!