Category Archives: Player Interviews

TEN MINUTES OR LESS: San Jose right fielder Mac Williamson

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The San Francisco Giants’ 3rd-round selection in 2012 didn’t always play outfield. Mac Williamson was a talented catcher and pitcher in high school — that is until he injured himself just like his grandfather said he would. Now playing right field and batting fifth for the San Jose Giants (Class-A Advanced), Williamson is in his first full season of professional ball after spending a short-season with Salem-Keizer a year ago. He sat down with me Thursday night to talk about his nickname, a slow April and the importance of team chemistry in this week’s edition of “Ten Minutes or Less.”

Due to a camera malfunction, Williamson’s response to the last question was cut short. Here’s the rest of his answer.

“… a string of bad luck for both of those guys but I definitely think they deserve a chance at the next level and I hope they get it.”

Follow on Twitter: @giant_potential

TEN MINUTES OR LESS: Q&A with San Jose lefty reliever Bryce Bandilla

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23-year old Bryce Bandilla has started his 2013 campaign with staggering numbers out of Class-A San Jose’s bullpen. | Conner Penfold/GIANT POTENTIAL

Selected in the 4th round in 2011, big 6-foot, 4-inch left-hander Bryce Bandilla is in his first full season with the San Jose Giants and thus far has dominated California League hitters. Through five games, the Sacramento, Calif. native has tallied 21 strikeouts in nine innings pitched. One thing is clear: the man loves to play baseball, and specifically, loves to relieve.

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San Jose Giants radio broadcaster Joe Ritzo spoke with me about your love for relieving. He says you’re an intense guy. Why do you like that role so much?

Usually when you come into the game, it’s a close game and as a reliever you just want to come in and shut the game down and keep the team where they are. It’s a pressure situation that I think I enjoy. The pressure is on you to get the job done and I love going out there and doing that. I love pitching in close games and pressure situations. It’s just my personality and my mentality.

Does that mean in the future, you’d like to close?

Sure, I just like to pitch. Starting, relieving, closing, whatever. I just like going out there and being on the mound.

You were in the starting rotation last season with the Augusta GreenJackets and now you’re in more of a relief role with San Jose. Ritzo mentioned you might not have liked being out there for that many innings as a starter. Any truth to that?

Coming from college to the Giants, I thought my role was going to be as a reliever but I didn’t actually mind starting. After awhile, I got used to it and settled into my role. But there’s just something about coming into the game and relieving that when the team is ahead by one run; I just love that situation. I think it fits my personality a lot better than starting. I don’t mind starting though. I liked it.

Bryce, you’re off to a hot start. I know it’s early but your numbers right now are obviously fantastic. Do you look at the numbers at all? Are you aware of your 21 strikeouts in 9 innings?

I don’t go out there and try to strike everyone out. I try to go get a win for my team or keep the lead for my team. I never go out there thinking, “Oh, I’ve got to strike people out.” I go out there with the team in mind trying to get the job done and if I strike people out, great. If I get three ground balls in a row, I get the job done the same. So, yeah I don’t really pay attention.

I was going to ask you, is your mentality to just go out there on the mound and do your thing and the strikeouts just come from that?

Exactly. The definition to me of pitching is getting outs. An out is an out. You get three outs in the inning, doesn’t matter if you strike them out, groundout, pop fly, whatever it is. But obviously as a pitcher you love striking people out. It feels good. You just know you’re dominating when you strike people out. But I go out there with one thing in mind which is to get outs for my team.

What pitch has been your best strikeout pitch?

My changeup has been pretty good lately but I’m walking people and I’d like to get that down. My fastball is working pretty good, too. It’s got a little late movement. Other than that, I throw a slider a few times for a strike. I throw it up there to just get it over. But fastball, changeup mainly and it’s been working pretty good.

Where are you topping out with your fastball?

95 MPH. Sitting around 92-93.

Favorite pitch to throw?

Fastball. I think it should be everybody’s favorite pitch. You’ve got to be able to get ahead with your fastball for any other pitch to work. I can just keep throwing fastballs up there even if my changeup isn’t working. I throw decently hard, not very hard. I just like my fastball.

Favorite specialty pitch? How did you learn those pitches?

I threw high school with just my fastball but when you get to college, you can’t do that. If you do that, you get hit a little bit. Our pitching coach Andy Lopez taught me a changeup my freshman year [at Arizona] and I kept working on it.  I used to try to throw a curveball in college but that didn’t work out. Usually I’m a changeup/fastball guy but I learned a slider now and it’s done pretty well for me. But all through college they taught me a changeup because it looks like a fastball, works in any count if you throw it with the same arm speed. So they were really big on changeup, changeup, changeup. So I just worked at it, worked at it, worked at it. When I got here, our pitching coordinator really pressed his changeup, too, so I was happy that from Arizona, I already knew that pitch well.

You said you’re trying to get your walks down. What brings you back into the zone when you get wild?

I just have to step off to the back of the mound and breathe and say, “Slow down, don’t overthrow.” When I throw balls, I’m usually opening up so I have to stay closed and stay forward to the plate and keep my head straight. Usually it helps a lot.

Growing up in Sacramento, did you follow the Giants or the A’s?

No I actually didn’t follow any of them. My mom is a big time Giants fan but I grew up liking the Braves. They were on TBS all the time. My dad, we grew up with him watching them. Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, John Smoltz. I grew up loving them. But obviously now I’m a big Giants fan and a big Giants supporter.

Any high school or college coaches whose advice or leadership have stuck with you?

Definitely. My high school coach, first of all, I was in high school and was 18, thought I was the coolest person ever. He put me down pretty well my senior year so I was happy about that. He made me into a man to get prepared to go into college and pro ball. And then my coach at Arizona, he actually really helped me become a man and prepared for anything that could come in pro ball and to not feel sorry for yourself and keep working through it. That honestly helped me a lot. He was a great coach, still is a great coach. Obviously they won last year. They are two influential baseball coaches that have helped me along so far.

Talk about some of your childhood memories as a baseball player growing up. Was there a point where you knew that baseball was something you really loved and wanted to play for a long time?

As a little kid, probably at 10-years old, I was telling my dad that I wanted to play baseball. I guess it’s funny how it works out. God gave me the talent to be here and a little hard work never hurt anybody. God has put me here so hopefully it keeps going.

Baseball players can be a bit superstitious. How do you go about things? Do you have a pregame routine you stick to?

I don’t. I just come out here and honestly, I just love this game and love competing. Any chance I get on the mound, whether we’re down 20 or up 20, I’m going on the mound with the same attitude every time. I love coming out to the ballpark and getting to pitch. I come with the attitude saying, “I’m basically going to destroy you guys if you aren’t going to be able to hit me.” That’s the attitude I have to go out with. Sometimes it doesn’t work. You can’t be spectacular every time.

Being your second year, have you developed any close relationships with teammates you’ve moved up in the system with?

Yeah actually I have a few: [Josh] Osich, [Chris] Marlowe, [Myles] Schroder, [Kyle] Crick. Those are my pretty good buddies. Me, Osich and Marlowe are pretty good buddies now.

You guys probably hunt, don’t you?

They hunt but I’ve never actually been hunting. Playing baseball in California, it was just hard to. It would’ve been a hassle. They live in Idaho and Texas so it’s easy for them to go hunting. But I love outdoors, fishing, camping. I think that’s part of why we like each other so much.

Do you set long-term goals or take things in stride?

I got in trouble looking too far into the future so I just try to keep it day-to-day. So each time I pitch, I just try to go out there and get better. There’s always something you can work on after an outing. Last outing, I walked a guy in the eighth inning and I shouldn’t do that. I have to work on that. I just think about the things I need to work on after each outing. It’s a long season. Obviously everyone wants to go to the big leagues and win a ring. That would be my long term goal but right now it’s just to go pitch each outing.

Follow on Twitter: @giant_potential

PLAYER INTERVIEW: Q&A with RHP Martin Agosta

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Agosta won 19 games in 3 years at St. Mary’s College. (Tod Fierner/SMC Athletics)

21-year old Martin Agosta was San Francisco’s second round pick in this year’s First-Year Player Draft. Agosta, a three-year starter at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, won 19 games as a Gael, leading the West Coast Conference in wins his junior year with nine. The six-foot, one-inch right-hander, humbled by the opportunity to play for his favorite team, is this week’s Player Interview.

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With San Francisco being your favorite team growing up, describe the emotion that went through your mind when they called you on draft day.

Honestly I was completely shocked and had no idea what to say to my family but it is a great honor to be selected by such a great organization.

What was the process on that day? Were you sitting at home with your family watching the draft? Describe what that was like for you.

I woke up and sat on my couch as my family and girlfriend were watching pick by pick go by until the Boston Red Sox called and said they were considering taking me with their next pick but literally as soon as I hung up the phone the Giants pick came up on the TV.

Were you anticipating being selected where you were?

Actually I was. I heard rumors of being selected anywhere from late supplemental to third so mid-second was perfectly fitting.

What’s your status at the moment? Last I heard, you were had just signed with San Francisco.

I am in the AZL (Rookie-ball) right now and I believe the plan is to stay here until instructionals but there is no plan set in stone that has been brought to me.

Describe your style of pitching and then if you could, who would you compare yourself too?

Personally I love to work fast and find that groove but it’s hard to really compare myself to one pitcher. All pitchers have a different strength that separates each other from one another. I can’t pinpoint one pitcher, though.

What are some goals you have for yourself heading into professional ball?

My goals are just to get stronger and continue to get better each day. It is pretty cliche to everyone but I’m just trying to show what I know I can do.

Do you work more on upping your velocity? Or location and control of your pitches.

I work on all. In order to be successful at this game you need to be a well-rounded player with many tools so to have velocity, location, and control of pitches is key.

How excited are you to be in the same organization as your old high school teammate Andrew Susac?

It’s pretty crazy actually. Small world.

How much are you looking forward to the possibility of having him catch you in future games?

It will be awesome to throw to him again. As great and talented of a player as he is, it is going to be hard to catch him because he is going to be moving up quickly, but hopefully one day I can throw to him again.

I heard you recently met Willie Mays. How incredible was that? What did you say to him? How was he encouraging to you?

It was really eye-opening to meet such an iconic figure in Giants history. He was actually really funny and fun to talk to. Meeting him really showed me what a great opportunity I have and how grateful I am to have it.

PLAYER INTERVIEW: Q&A with San Jose LHP Josh Osich

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23-year old Josh Osich says he only has time for baseball and fishing. Thankfully for him, when he is playing baseball, he’s throwing mid-90s fastballs from the left side with ease. I sat down with the Oregon State alum to talk about playing again with Beaver teammate Andrew Susac, locating his fastballs better, and staying loose in the clubhouse. And fishing, of course.

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So Josh you just finished lifting. Describe what that’s like for you and if you can, compare or contrast it to how hitters workout.

Everybody has their own program. No one is really the same. Pitchers? They’re on the same schedule with lifting and stuff but each lift is different for each person.

You’ve been all over the place when it comes to being in the rotation and going back to the pen. You started a little bit at Oregon State. What’s it like going back and forth like that and what’s more comfortable for you?

It kind of throws you out of your routine if you keep coming back and forth but you have to get used to it and do whatever they want you to do. But I’d rather throw out of the bullpen, I’m more comfortable there.

Coming off Tommy John in 2010, you must have gone through a grueling period of rehab. Describe that for me if you will.

It took me about 11 months, right around there. I came back strong and then I was starting in 2011 for the Beavers on Saturdays and then just towards the end I ran out of gas. My arm was pretty much just worn out because it’s not really in shape yet after Tommy John. It’s right around two years you’ll feel the best.

You did have one bright spot in 2011 after the surgery, throwing a no-hitter against UCLA. How good was that for your confidence coming out of rehab?

It felt great. Can’t really do that unless your defense is pretty good.

Well, you struck out 13 so you were doing a pretty good job yourself.

Yeah well defense still played pretty well for me. It was just one of those days where you kind of blackout and don’t really know what happened.

Have your recent injury issues stemmed from your elbow?

My Tommy John’s been good. I’ve had just about every kind of injury possible except for my shoulder…my actual shoulder.

That must be tough for you.

Yeah just got to keep grinding.

So I talked with Andrew Susac about six weeks ago. How cool is it to have your old battery mate from Oregon State here with you in San Jose?

It’s great, it makes it a lot easier to get comfortable with sitting around if you know people and stuff but I knew some guys already like Ricky [Oropesa] we played against, Mitch Beacom was here for a little bit; he played for UCLA. [Danny] Sandbrink is from Stanford. We got a whole bunch. [Alex] Burg, I’ve played with Burg before.

How does the atmosphere in the clubhouse change on a day like today when a guy like Aubrey Huff is with the club?

It’s pretty much the same. Nothing really changes. We’re always just trying to have fun. If you let the game get to you, you aren’t going to have much fun. It’s going to be a struggle for the whole year.

How do you guys have fun? How do you stay loose?

Guys always playing pranks on each other, [Bobby] Haney doing impressions of people, that’s about it.

Who’s Haney’s best impression?

 [Dan] Burkhart, or [Andy] Skeels.

What are you specifically working on right now to improve your game?

Just location of my fastball and trying to get some innings in.

Your twitter describes you as a man who only has time for baseball and fishing. How accurate of a statement is that?

Whenever I have free time, I fish. That’s pretty much all there is time for.

What’s a typical fishing day like for you?

I just wake up early and get out there before it gets hot and then you come to the field.

Fly-fishing? Lake fishing?

Whatever, really. When I’m here I bass fish and at home I fly-fish. When I was in Oregon I was out on the lake because we had a boat. Pretty much. On the 23rd I’m going ocean fishing.

You head out to the lake with some teammates?

Drew Bowlin goes fishing with me and Chris Wilson is going to go ocean fishing with me. Pretty much just hanging out, having fun, getting away from baseball.

PLAYER INTERVIEW: Q&A with Fresno shortstop Nick Noonan

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Noonan has 3 HR and 38 RBIs in the 2012 campaign. (Conner Penfold/Working Titles)

Fresno Grizzlies shortstop Nick Noonan is only 23-years old, but with five years of professional baseball under his belt, this Poway, California product is not your average minor leaguer. Drafted straight from high school in the supplemental round in 2007 (32nd overall), Noonan is in his first full season with Triple-A Fresno and is having his best all around year since his rookie season with AZL Giants. His current .297 average and 38 RBIs are both good enough for fourth best on the Grizzlies roster.

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Let’s start from the beginning. Back in 2007 you were drafted straight out of high school. What were the decisions and factors that went into making that decision?

I think with where I was drafted at, you know, being in the supplemental round, I felt it was a really good opportunity for me to sign and get into the professional system with the Giants. It was a tough decision. I was committed to Clemson and they have a great program and a good head coach but I thought with where I was drafted at that I’d have a really good opportunity.

Do you think it was the confidence you had in your game coming out of high school that made you think that you could benefit more from signing rather than going to college?

I think so. I did really well in high school and did well in the summer ball tournaments and I’d always played well against good competition so I had good confidence. But on the other hand I didn’t really know what to expect if I were to sign. So when I got out there I just realized that it was still a game and everyone’s out there trying to do the best they can. So I just kind of played loose and it worked out well.

How difficult was that jump from high school to professional ball?

It was big for me because I’d be facing what would be the top pitcher in our area every single day and that was kind of an adjustment and for the first week I really struggled. I remember thinking, “Oh my God, what the heck did I do?” These pitchers all throw hard and all have curveballs. The adjustment period came and I settled in to get my confidence going.

What was that adjustment period? One year? Two years? How long until you were be able to say, “Okay, I’m in the groove of things here”?

I think from when I started, it probably took a couple weeks to get really comfortable with the level of talent there was and then over the years I’ve always felt pretty confident. When your not doing well you start to doubt yourself but I’ve learned to move past that now. When you struggle, that’s part of the game. But you always need to be aggressive and mentally focused and just prepared for anything. Just go out there and do what you do.

Through that first difficult week that was so tough for you, did you have any mentors that you could go to for words of advice, maybe your father or an old coach that has helped you through that?

Yeah my dad and my family are always there for me. During the off season I go home and I’m always calling my dad and mom and so it’s nice to hear voices to get confidence. And sometimes it’s just not even talking about baseball and getting your mind off of it and then you get back to playing ball. It’s always nice to have family and friends there. One of my best friends, Robert, has always supported me and it’s always good to hear those little words of advice. They’re big confidence boosters to get me through some tough times.

I heard you worked on some things during Spring Training that you told the Fresno Bee have really helped you this year. Can you elaborate a little more on some of those things you’ve worked on?

I just worked on being aggressive off the fastball. This year it’s worked out. Not doubting myself and getting up there every single at-bat and just being aggressive, in smart ways obviously, but I think just being ready to hit has led to a lot of good things this year and it’s really got me back on track.

Talk about the difference in the pitching moving from Double A to Triple A.

In Richmond there are a lot of power arms; a lot of guys that throw hard and I definitely struggled in Richmond. The Eastern League is a tough place to hit. The ballparks are big, it’s hot and humid, the ball doesn’t really fly that great. But for me, there were no excuses. I was swinging at bad pitches and rolling over on balls. I had to learn how to hit and be smart with the pitchers. Being up here in Triple-A the pitchers have a really good plan of how they’re going to get guys out and so far it seems like with being patiently aggressive I’ve been able to get my hits and get back on track.

Talk about ‘patiently aggressive.” Does that mean you just sit patiently on those fastballs and when you see one you don’t hesitate?

Sometimes I wouldn’t say just sitting on fastballs, just being ready to hit a fastball. It’s hard because even though you’re looking for fastballs to drive, you’re on other pitches too and that just carries over to being ready to hit, whether it’s a fastball, a changeup or a slider. If I’m ready to hit and it’s in the zone, I’m ready to attack it and ready to do some damage with it.

Let’s go back to May 20: the day you had 8 RBIs. What was clicking for you that day?

It was a warm day in Texas and my first at-bat I saw a slider pretty well and I put a pretty good swing on it but actually fouled it off. Then he threw me another one and I just remember staying through the ball, so to speak. It’s kind of a common term in baseball for hitters, but I just felt like a was staying through the ball well that day. I got another slider and it was nice because I had a couple hits off a lefty which in the past has been kind of tough for me. That day I just kind of felt in the zone which was good, I swung at good pitches and stayed through it and happened to drive some.

Since that day, have you seen some changes in your confidence?

It was just one of those days that you can look back on and say, “Hey look, I can hang with anybody in this league.” If you don’t have that confidence, it’s going to be tough for anybody to hit here. Looking back on it, you just have to keep those days in your memory and know that I can hang with the best of them.

What are the biggest adjustments and improvements you know you have to make if you want to succeed in the big leagues?

I think adjustments are everywhere in the game. But specifically, lately in the last few games I’ve seen myself making changes from at-bat to at-bat. Whether a guy starts throwing in, backing off the plate a little bit or maybe I’m just ready for that inside pitch or the guy is throwing some sinkers away and I make the adjustment and go the other way. Seeing how they pitch me, I’ve got to make the adjustment right then and there, you can’t wait two at-bats or until the next game, you’ve got to be constantly ready to make those adjustments. I think just recently, for that example, is where I need to be.

Are there specific things you do, maybe in the cage or watching film, that you do to work specifically on that or on other things?

Yeah in the cage off of a tee, I’ll work away, on flips to work in and work on pulling the ball the right way, going opposite field the right way and not spinning off but driving balls and just putting good swings on them with the locations of different pitches.

How important is it for you as a hitter to be able to go both ways and be confident in doing so?

It’s huge. That opens the field up for a lot more hits. If you can only pull the ball, that only gives you fifty percent of the field. When that guy throws a sinker on the outside half and I can get a hit to left, now they’ve got to start pitching you and playing you different than what they thought they might be able to do. It’s no different than being able to play short or second or third. If you can hit it both ways it just improves your game that much more.

What would you say is the biggest strength of your game, and then to turn it around, what is your biggest weakness?

Strengths so far have been staying consistent within every spot that I’ve hit in the lineup this year. Whether it be hitting first or fifth or sixth, no matter what the situation has been I think I’ve kept a consistent approach and just worked on getting my hits and keeping the line moving for that next guy to come up and drive me in.

To be that consistent in each spot in the lineup, you must not have any superstitions on where you hit in the lineup.

Yeah I feel pretty comfortable with my approach and my personal ways of hitting, but like you said I have been superstitious in the past and I’ve hit well in the two hole and then moved down to hitting third and not hit as well and I’ve thought it was because I was hitting third. Well, you really only hit third for the first inning and then when you come up again you may hit fifth or sixth. So I’ve been really good at staying consistent and having that consistent approach.

Talk about a weakness, if you can think of one.

Weaknesses? Shoot, I don’t know. I know I have some…

Hey, if you can’t think of one maybe that’s a good thing. It says something about your confidence.

Well I’d like to work on some off-speed pitches. I’ve been getting hits on off-speed but to drive the ball with authority on an off-speed pitch is something that the great hitters can do and I think if I can do that more consistently, I can improve my game that much more.

One last question, we’ll stray away from baseball a bit. Other than something baseball related, what do you enjoy doing with your free time?

Lately, I’ve been enjoying going up to Millerton Lake. Having a little barbeque, getting to swim in the water, we’ve done that three or four times and it’s been a lot of fun.

That’s something you do with some teammates?

Yeah me and my roommate Charlie Culberson and Skyler Stromsmoe. We go up there and have a little barbeque and swim in the lake a little bit. I golf a lot. I plan on golfing a lot during the all-star break, probably three or four times. It’s just relaxing to enjoy a nice slow paced game.