KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Few Royals players have been shown as much love in the social media world as the Royals' Johnny Giavotella.
As the undisputed fan favorite to win the second base job the past two years, Giavotella admits he is sometimes a little awed by the way fans have campaigned for him on Twitter.
But in the end, he certainly doesn't mind, because he's a big fan and loyal user of Twitter anyway.
"I enjoy reading the responses I get from fans," Giavotella says. "I don't know how many I got when I got called up. Quite a bit. It's pretty cool. I know there's a following. But I just try to stay focused and centered and know I have a job to do.
"I enjoy the encouragement and all the excitement from (social media). It's fun. I don't feel any extra pressure to please the fan base. I'm here now and it's a great feeling and I hope to help us win games. But I love how great the fans are on Twitter."
As of Tuesday night, Giavotella had 12,921 followers on Twitter (@Gio2bKC), and when he finally got called up oSaturday, and then got three hits in a Royals win Sunday, he Tweeted:
The three hits were great, he says, but the Royals' pulsating 9-8 win was even better.
"The hits helped us win, so that's what matters," he says.
With the initial excitement of his call-up now subsiding, Giavotella must turn his attention toward keeping the job, his third try at doing so in three years.
"I actually feel less pressure now than I did before," he says. "I have a good rapport with the guys in the clubhouse. I've been here before. I've played with these guys before, so that takes pressure off. I can't think that this is my big opportunity. I just have to play my game and help the team win and everything will take care of itself."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com
