When first baseman Gavin LaValley hit his 13th home run of the season for the Reds’ high-Class A affiliate in Daytona on Wednesday, second baseman Shed Long hit his ninth two innings later.
“I was like, ‘yep, I couldn’t let you get too far away from me,’” Long said Thursday afternoon. “It’s all pushing each other to be the best we can be.”
All four of the Tortugas’ infielders are hitting .283 or better entering Thursday’s game against St. Lucie.
Long leads the Tortugas with a .321 batting average. LaValley’s 13 home runs are the second-most in the Florida State League, third baseman Nick Senzel leads the Tortugas and the league with 20 doubles and shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez hit .