via twitter.com
The path to the majors is unpredictable. For some, like CF Mikie Mahtook, the first taste of the big leagues is more of a straight line. For his teammate, 1B Allan Dykstra, that path is full of turns and unexpected twists. On the eve of the first day of the MiLB season, the Tampa Bay Rays called up Dykstra and Mahtook the following day. Dykstra was making his MLB debut at the age of 28, six years and three teams after being drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 1st round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He spent the last four years with the Mets, playing in 117 games in Triple-A in 2014, where he batted .280/.426/.504. Mahtook also spent 2014 in Triple-A. In 132 games he .292, knocking in 68 runs with 12 home runs. He made his professional debut in 2012 splitting time between the High-A Charlotte Stone Crabs and Double-A Montgomery Biscuits. For Sandberg, and based on his tweet, this was also a personally special moment. In his first year at the helm of the Triple-A club, he spent his two-year major league career with the Rays (when they were still the Devil Rays), but spent most of his career in the minor leagues. After retiring in 2007, he took over as hitting coach for the Rays Class-A (short season) team, the Hudson Valley Renegades. He's had stints as manager for the Rookie Princeton Rays, Class-A Bowling Green Hot Rods, and the Charlotte StoneCrabs in 2014. Sandberg knows the Rays minor leagues well, developing a unique knowledge of many of the Rays up and comers. He also knows Dykstra's kind of struggles well. To be part of something that special is a reminder why the minor leagues have their own kind of poetry and excitement.