Meet a Prospect: Gosuke Katoh

Gosuke John Katoh was born on October, 8th 1994 in Poway California and spent his high school years at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego. Katoh is not a towering presence, unlike yesterday's showcase in our prospects month Aaron Judge, only standing 6'2" and weighing 180 lbs soaking wet but he has produced unforeseen power at the plate in his limited debut. Katoh was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft by the New York Yankees out of High School and signed quickly jump starting his professional career.

Katoh put up big numbers for Rancho Bernardo High School which included playing in 135 games in which his team put up a stunning 107-29 record in his four seasons on the Varsity team. Katoh finished with a career .411 batting average with a .524 on base percentage while bashing 181 hits, 114 RBI's, and scored 169 runs. Katoh slugged .711 in his career and smashed 25 home runs, 35 doubles, and 11 triples in his four years while taking 96 walks and striking out 57 times. Katoh is a smart base runner and base stealer as he stole 38 bags in 51 chances in High School while also doing it with the glove and a .987 fielding percentage. Katoh committed seven errors in his entire High School career and his taking that glove, and all his talents to the New York Yankees.

Katoh's a left handed batter and a second basemen by trade but the Yankees have already said that they are going to try Katoh at shortstop as early as this winter, which may not happen after his finger injury, or next season. Katoh is considered to be a wonder kid with the glove at second base but his arm is the only concern with moving him to the left side of the infield. It will be interesting to see if Katoh fills in a little bit or stays looking like a taller version of Ichiro but for now Katoh is tall and lanky with a compact swing that translates into doubles and gap hitting in the majors. Katoh hits left handed but throws right handed just in case that means something to somebody who thinks that can help him, I just always find that to be an interesting tidbit of information.

Katoh broke out in a big way in his professional debut  with the Gulf Coast Yankees 1 team finishing the season with a .310/.402/.522/.924 slash line with six home runs and 25 runs batted in. Katoh got into 50 games and saw 215 plate appearances with 57 hits, 11 doubles, five triples and four stolen bases in six chances. Obviously he needs a little bit of polishing, but what High School draft pick doesn't, as is evident with his 44 strike outs and 27 walks in 2013. Katoh has a ligament injury that ended his season in the Instructional League but the injury is said to not be serious and will not prevent him from missing time next season. Katoh will look to build on a huge 2013 and mediocre 2014 season this season in 2015. Katoh may be the next big things in New York or he may be a bust and I truly think this will be the season we find out. 

ICYMI: Interview w/ Prospect Brandon Thomas

I am extremely excited about this interview with former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket and current Yankees farm hand Brandon Thomas. I did not watch much college football when I lived in New York, although I did root for the Syracuse Orange in March Madness, but when I moved down here I got into CFB. Everyone in my town roots for the rival Georgia Bulldogs so, me being the different guy I am, started following the Yellow Jackets. It started in football, was followed by basketball, and ended up watching their baseball team. Now I am interviewing former GT players and current Yankees players and I am stoked. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed doing it. 

The Greedy Pinstripes: Brandon Thomas, former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket (my favorite college team), how are you today sir? How is your offseason going?

My offseason has been great. I've been able to work on some things and am getting ready to get started.

TGP:  How do you plan to follow up a 2013 season in which you were named the Yankees Best Athlete coming out of the draft and a solid 2014 season?

I plan on continuing to work hard, improving all areas of my game, and having a great first full pro season.

TGP: Do you miss anything about the whole college experience or anything specifically at Georgia Tech?

I really enjoyed my college career at GT.

TGP: Do you keep up with the Georgia Tech baseball and/or football teams? Another tough season and bowl loss. How much longer does Coach Paul Johnson have left?

I keep in touch with a lot of the GT Baseball players and coaches. I have a lot of great relationships from my 4 years there.

TGP: How many Varsity hot dogs or chili cheese burgers do you think you have eaten in your life?

Zero!

TGP:  What were you doing when you found out that you became a member of the New York Yankees?

Waiting in the kitchen with my Mom to find out where I would be going.

TGP:  What teams and sports did you root for and watch growing up?

I've always liked watching baseball, basketball, and football. No specific professional teams though.

TGP: Favorite restaurant to eat at?

Chipotle

TGP: What current Major League player do you think you compare to the most?

Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran are two of my favorite players

TGP: How important is family to you in your life and in your career?

Faith and family are the two most important things to me in my life.

TGP: Speaking of embarrassing please explain the picture on your Twitter of you and a bunch of your teammates half naked on a bus. I'm not judging though. 

Haha! The AC on our bus this summer broke... Not a fun 8 hours

TGP: Any parting words you would like to express to all those Georgia Bulldogs fans?

Proud that we had a winning record against the bulldogs in my GT career!

TGP: We'll finish with this one, where do you see yourself in life and your career in five years?

I see myself a few years in to my big league career in 5 years.

Thank you again to Brandon for doing this interview for us, I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can follow Brandon on Twitter by following @brandonthomas6.

Meet A Prospect: Hank Steinbrenner

Henry George "Hank" Steinbrenner III was born April, 2 1957 in Culver, Indiana to parents George and Elizabeth Steinbrenner. Hank is the older son of former Yankees principal owner George Steinbrenner and is currently involved in the day to day operations as owner of the Yankees today. Steinbrenner's little brother Hal is the other half of the Steinbrenner duo that inherited the team when The Boss passed away in 2010 and Hank also has two sisters in Jessica Steinbrenner and Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindall. Henry, or Hank, was named after his grandfather, Henry George Steinbrenner II, who made the family fortune in the shipping business. 

From 2007 to the present George Steinbrenner stepped down from the day to day operations of the New York Yankees and the job was left to both Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. It would take until November, 8 of the 2008 season before Major League Baseball owners approved the shift of power to the Steinbrenner Brothers. Hank is more like his father in the fact that he is the more outspoken Steinbrenner brother and is considered to be a bit of a hot head. He also likes to talk without speaking a lot as seen below in this quote from Hank in a 2008 interview:

"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of bullshit that is...That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans...Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."

Hank would receive a Red Sox nation membership card a few days later from  Red Sox owner John Henry and also received team newsletters, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats, and a Boston Red Sox hat autographed by none other than David Ortiz. I have to say that is a pretty awesome gesture by the Red Sox and even generated a laugh from a Yankees fan, good work.

Throw Back Thursday: Meet a Prospect Eury Perez

It's throwback Thursday so let's take a look at a former Yankee just for fun, Eury Perez.

Eury Perez was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees on Monday from the Washington Nationals and was immediately added to the 40 man roster. While Perez was officially a member of the Yankees on Monday you're REALLY not an official member until we do one of these for you so it's time for Perez to earn his first stripe right here. This is meet a prospect, the Eury Perez edition.

Eury Eduardo Perez was born on May 30, 1990 in San Luis, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Perez came up in the Washington Nationals organization and participated in the All Star Futures Game as recently as 2010. Eury was added to the 40 man roster for the Nationals after the 2011 season and was ultimately protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

Perez is a speedy type outfielder who is unlikely to hit for much power at all. In 2010 Perez stole 64 bases and followed that up with 45 in 2011, and 51 in 2012. Perez thanks to his speed is considered to be an above average defender and can play all three of the outfield positions. Perez's speed is ranked as an 80 on the normal 20-80 scale which is rare for any player to achieve.

Perez is adequate with the bat at least in Triple-A where he combined for a .301/.354/.411 triple slash in the Nats farm system in 2014. Perez was designated for assignment on September 18 of this year after the Nationals claimed Pedro Florimon from the Minnesota Twins. Perez fell all the way to the Yankees and is now a member of the greatest organization in the world after the team claimed him, designated Josh Outman for assignment, and added Perez to their 40 man roster.

Meet A Prospect: Dellin Betances

Dellin Betances was born on March 23, 1988 in Washington Heights, Manhattan in New York. Dellin was born to parents Jamie and Maria Betances after they emigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. Jamie was a boxer and drives for a car service to support Dellin and his two older brothers and younger sister. The Betances family moved to the Lower East Side of Manhattan when Dell was ten years old where Dellin attended many Yankees games with his family. One of those games he witnessed firsthand at age 10 was David Wells perfect game in 1998 while sitting with the Bleacher Creatures. This, according to Dellin, was the reason that the 6’ 9” right hander chose baseball over basketball and forces him to play summer baseball in the Youth Service League. Betances spent his High School years at Grand Street Campus School in Brooklyn, New York and could throw an 85 MPH fastball as a freshmen. By his Junior year in 2005 Betances was up to 90 MPH on the fastball while towering over his competition at 6’ 4” on his way to being named an Aflac All-American, the first player from New York City to receive the honor. Betances also played for the Team USA Junior National Team that season. By 2006 Betances was  6’ 9” and was rated as the tenth best High School prospect in all the land by SchoolSports.com.

Betances went into the 2006 MLB First Year Players Draft expecting to be chosen in the first round even though he was committed to Vanderbilt University on a full baseball scholarship. His commitment to the Vanderbilt Commodores baseball team as well as him coming out and asking for a high signing bonus made him fall in the draft and fall fast. The New York Yankees finally took a shot on the local kid in the eighth round of the draft giving him a $1 million signing bonus snatching him away from College Baseball. Dellin used that money to buy his family a house in  Teaneck, New Jersey as a thank you for all that they did. Great kid with a great makeup, local kid, seems destined to be a great Yankee, no?

Betances spent his 2007 season with the Staten Island Yankees in the New York Penn League as the Yankees third best prospect and made it all the way to Low A with the Charleston Riverdogs by the 2008 season began. Another year and another promotion for Dellin in 2009 as the Yankees fifth best prospect according to Baseball America went up to High A with the Tampa Yankees, although struggling with a 2-5 record and a 5.48 ERA in 11 starts before suffering an elbow injury in early June of that season. Betances had surgery late in 2009 which was a ligament reinforcement procedure and not the dreaded Tommy John surgery that so many power pitchers have to receive. Betances began the 2010 back in Tampa but quickly received a midseason promotion to the AA affiliate the Trenton Thunder pitching so well the Yankees added Dellin to the 40 man roster after the season. Another season another promotion for Dellin as he started the 2011 in AAA with the Scranton Wilkes Barre team. Betances was called up to the majors for the first time that season on September 8, 2011.

Betances had a pitching sessions in the street in front of his Teaneck, New Jersey home with his brother before joining up with the Yankees in Anaheim to face the Angels. Betances and fellow prospect and “Killer B” Andrew Brackman both made their Major League debuts on September 22, 2011 and Betances only saw one other appearance for the Yankees that season. Betances was sent back down to AAA for the 2012 season and after struggling in the rotation the Yankees moved Betances to the bullpen on May 10, 2013. Betances was brought up to the majors when Ivan Nova went down last season with an injury but was used very little and sent back down when Nova came off the disabled list in May. Betances pitched to a 1.46 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 49.1 IP as a reliever in AAA and was recalled back to New York on August 11, 2013. Betances spent four days with the big league club before being sent back down on August 15 and brought back as a September call up on September 1^st. Betances was seldom used for whatever reason and spent most of September sitting on the bench rather than gaining valuable experience. Most of that may have been the fact the Yankees were in a dog fight for the second Wild Card.

Dellin absolutely went off during the 2014 season setting the strikeout record for a Yankees reliever in a single season, passing Mariano Rivera, and may have had the torch passed to him from David Robertson as the closer in 2015. 

Exclusive Interview W/ Yankees Gosuke Katoh

Today we are very excited to bring you an interview with Yankees second round pick in the 2013 MLB First Year Players Draft Gosuke Katoh! Katoh burst onto the scene in a big way with huge power numbers out of High School after signing quickly out of the draft. Without further rambling from me here is the interview with Mr. Katoh. Enjoy!

TGP:  How cool was it to meet Ichiro, among the other Yankees players, last season? Is he someone that you looked up to as a young baseball player?

Gosuke Katoh: Ichiro was definitely someone I looked up to as a kid and I became a lefty hitter because of him. I modeled my swing after him as well as his lifestyle and work ethic. I obviously grew up watching the bronx bombers on TV so I was extremely nervous when I met them at Angels Stadium after the draft. However as stupid as this might sound, they are all human. They are all very nice and treated me like I was one of their own. It made me want to play along with them.

TGP: Can you share some of your memories with Jerry Coleman? We saw your touching tweet about following in his footsteps.

GK: I met Mr. Coleman unexpectedly through my agent because they both reside in San Diego. Although our meeting was short, I learned many life lessons from his experiences both on and off the field. 

TGP: Do you have a girlfriend/wife waiting for you at home while you are on the road so much?

GK: No but my family and goldfish are waiting :)

TGP: What are you doing this offseason to improve on your 2013 season?

GK: I gained 20 pounds from the end of the season and I also worked on being more balanced and making consistent contact offensively

TGP: What do you do during the offseason to keep yourself occupied?

GK: During my free time I like to just relax, listen to music, and spend time with my family and friends.

TGP:  What were your thoughts when the Yankees lost out on the Robinson Cano sweepstakes?

GK: Contrary to what everyone believes, I was actually very saddened when Cano left the Yankees. I was always a fan of him because we had a lot in common; we were both second basemen that hit lefty. I took many notes from him both defensively and offensively and even wore his number through high school. When I met him in Anaheim he was the funniest and kindest player there. He had me laughing all the time at second base when we were taking ground balls together. He kept me relaxed in front of all the other players and spectators. Even though this scenario might have been impossible, I always dreamed of being his teammate and playing together. But now that he has left I would like to fill in that spot and take the Yankees to another World Series title. 

TGP: Favorite restaurant to eat at?

GK: Chipotle

TGP: Have you seen much of Masahiro Tanaka pitching in Japan?

GK: He was a high school sensation so I had always watched him on tv during his teen years. I also watched him play at USC when Team Japan played USA in a friendly high school classic. I don't remember much but I remember how explosive his fastball was. 

TGP:  As a recent draft pick I am curious as to your thoughts on the new draft rules, draft slots, and such?

GK: I was never too worried about money to begin with. I knew that I couldn't sign because I want the money; I had to sign I wanted to start my career out of high school. The slots definitely brought the pay stubs to some players but in my opinion it was a lot less stressful because I knew what I would get if I got picked. No negotiations and a lot less work for both the advisers, players, and organization. 

TGP: I think this answer may be obvious but in my time around social media I have noticed there are two kinds of fans when it comes to prospects. You have the "prospect humpers" (myself being a self professed prospect humper) and a name yet to be determined (due to my lack of creativity) describing those who want to sell all the prospects off for the 37 year old "sure thing." Which category do you think yourself as a fan falls into?

GK: I like both. When I think of prospects I think of young energetic players like Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Yasiel Puig. However they are also obviously immature. These young prospects can learn from the veterans' experiences and wisdom so I think a good balance of both is a necessity for a championship team.

TGP: What current Major League player do you think you compare to the most?

GK: Orlando Hudson

TGP: I know you probably don't think of things like this but how long before you think we could see you in the Major Leagues? I have your ETA down as late 2016, is that accurate?

GK: Obviously the sooner the better but I will do what it takes to get to Yankee Stadium. I've been working hard to make my dream come true

TGP: If you could be the Yankees GM for a day what would you do? Don't have to really be realistic here. 

GK: Permanently change the team name to the Bronx Bombers and sign Mariano to a 1 day contract and put him in center field :)

TGP: Were you a Yankees fan growing up? If not what team did you root for?

GK: I was never a fan of one team; but I always followed all the Japanese players in the league. When Hideki Matsui was signed by the Yankees I quickly hopped on the bandwagon. Ichiro and Kuroda followed so I followed the Yanks even more. 

TGP: Where in the world did all that power come from in the GCL? 

GK: A lot of people assume that a larger frame translates to power but that is not always the case. As we all know, Force=Mass x Acceleration from newtons law of motion. From this we can see that force also comes from quickness or acceleration and not just mass or a large frame. Even though a combination of both is fantastic, I was not necessarily given the gift of mass therefore I try to be as quick as I can to the ball to put more force on the ball.

TGP: Most famous person in your cell phone?

GK: Joe Girardi (can we maybe get that Gosuke?)

TGP: Most embarrassing song in your iPod?

GK: I am proud of every song in my playlist 

TGP: We'll finish with this one, where do you see yourself in life and your career in five years?

GK: No one will ever know my future but I would definitely love to be playing at Yankee Stadium in the next couple years and bring home another World Series title. 

Thank you once again for taking the time Gosuke, there were some great answers here that the readers are sure to enjoy. We wish you nothing but luck this season and nothing but the best with your career and your life both on and off the field. You can follow Gosuke on Twitter by following @GosukeKatoh.  

Meet a Prospect: Eury Perez

Eury Perez was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees on Monday from the Washington Nationals and was immediately added to the 40 man roster. While Perez was officially a member of the Yankees on Monday you're REALLY not an official member until we do one of these for you so it's time for Perez to earn his first stripe right here. This is meet a prospect, the Eury Perez edition.

Eury Eduardo Perez was born on May 30, 1990 in San Luis, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Perez came up in the Washington Nationals organization and participated in the All Star Futures Game as recently as 2010. Eury was added to the 40 man roster for the Nationals after the 2011 season and was ultimately protected from the Rule 5 Draft.

Perez is a speedy type outfielder who is unlikely to hit for much power at all. In 2010 Perez stole 64 bases and followed that up with 45 in 2011, and 51 in 2012. Perez thanks to his speed is considered to be an above average defender and can play all three of the outfield positions. Perez's speed is ranked as an 80 on the normal 20-80 scale which is rare for any player to achieve.

Perez is adequate with the bat at least in Triple-A where he combined for a .301/.354/.411 triple slash in the Nats farm system in 2014. Perez was designated for assignment on September 18 of this year after the Nationals claimed Pedro Florimon from the Minnesota Twins. Perez fell all the way to the Yankees and is now a member of the greatest organization in the world after the team claimed him, designated Josh Outman for assignment, and added Perez to their 40 man roster.

Congratulations on the opportunity Mr. Perez, make us proud.

Meet A Prospect: Connor Spencer

The New York Yankees used their eight round pick on UC Irvine's first basemen Conner Spencer. Spencer is an extra base hit and hitting in general machine but lacks the power, to this point anyway, to probably stick at first base. Spencer, who is still playing to the best of my knowledge but don't quote me on it,  has a career .351 batting average with 36 doubles, 13 triples, and one home run in his college career.

Some players can make up for their lack of power with their defensive ability but that's not something Spencer can do either. Spencer is adequate defensively but he is no Mark Teixeira. Although UC Irvine's home field is a pitchers park just one home run in three seasons speaks volumes for the future of Spencer. It seems like he will be more organizational depth than a big time prospect in the Yankees system.

Unless the Yankees hitting guru Kevin Long can get a hold of him and find some mechanical flaw this may be a guy that was drafted simply to sign well below slot and save money for an Austin DeCarr.

Meet A Prospect: Austin DeCarr

The New York Yankees technically drafted 32 college players and seven High School players out of the 39 they drafted in this year's MLB First Year Players Draft but I say technically because of third round pick Austin DeCarr. DeCarr is technically a High School graduate but went undrafted because of being fresh off an elbow surgery, bone spurs so nothing serious, and decided to go to Salisbury Prep School rather than attending a two year or four year college. So technically he was drafted out of High School but has one more year on his arm and more experience than any other High School draftee.

DeCarr is another one of those big framed pitchers the Yankees love to draft standing at 6'2" and weighing in at 220 lbs. DeCarr uses that big body to throw in the 92-94 MPH range and can touch 96 when he has to. DeCarr also has a power curveball and a changeup, albeit raw at this point. You have to expect some control and command issues, especially with secondary pitches, with "high school" pitchers though.

Meet A Prospect: Jonathan Holder

The New York Yankees took Mississippi State product Jacob Lindgren with their first pick in the second round of the draft. Lindgren was basically a multi inning pitcher/set up man in the bullpen for Mississippi State, see Dellin Betances in this year's bullpen. With their fifth round pick they went and took the closer for the Rebels and Lindgren's teammate, Jonathan Holder.

Holder tied the single season SEC record for saves in a season with 21 and has been pitching in high leverage spots for his entire college career in the best conference in all of College Baseball. While everyone talks of Lindgren making the bullpen and the majors this season it wouldn't exactly surprise me if Holder joined him.

Holder is the big pitcher that the Yankees seem to covet standing at 6'2" and weighing 240 lbs. Holder does not blow you away and stays comfortably with a low 90's fastball and a slow breaking curveball that stays in the low 70's. That separation in velocity is sure to keep hitters guessing and second guessing at the plate, especially in the lower levels of the system.

ICYMI: Meet A Prospect Jacob Lindgren

The New York Yankees drafted Mississippi State's relief pitcher Jacob Lindgren with their first pick, 55th overall in the second round, on Thursday in the MLB First Year Players Draft. Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Lindgren as we welcome him to the family, the Yankees family.

Lindgren was a starting pitcher in his Sophomore season at Mississippi State and posted a modest 4-3 record with a 4.18 ERA in 14 starts before converting to the bullpen for his Junior season. Lindgren appeared in 24 games this season and posted a 0.81 ERA with a 16.29 K/9 ratio while allowing just 23 hits, 22 of them singles, and striking out an even 100 batters.

Lindgren struggles with command and has some questionable mechanics on a smaller frame but still strikes out plenty of batters with a hard slider and a 93-94 MPH fastball. Lindgren hides the ball well but struggles with consistency and release points at times making him a project, but a fast mover nonetheless.

The Yankees do not have a shutdown left handed relief pitcher in the system currently unless they plan on using either Manny Banuelos or Jeremy Bleich out of the pen. Lindgren is going to be a site for sore eyes in the Yankees bullpen sooner rather than later.

On the 20-80 scale that scouts use Lindgren has a 60 fastball, 65 slider, 45 command, and compares to BJ Ryan. It would not surprise me one but to see Lindgren up this September with the big league club.

Position: LHP

DOB: 03/12/1993 (Age: 21)

Height/Weight: 5'11", 205 pounds

Bats/Throws: R/L

School: Mississippi State (Junior)

Second Annual Prospects Month Is Now Over

Wow, what a month this has been. Yankees games are right around the corner and so are minor league camps around the league. It is amazing to me to think how far we have come since our first Prospects Month here on the blog. Last year on about January 24th I thought to myself "hey it would be great to make February all about prospects" and the rest is history. I rushed to get together content, write up articles, try and interview players, and bring all the prospects information I could bring. It was hectic, it was hard, my wife hated me for it, but it was done.

This year I have been working on this, granted off and on, since early November and will probably start earlier next season. It's been hectic again, it's been hard, but it's been fun. All the interviews, all the Meet a Prospect posts, the Top 28 Prospects list, all of it has been a blast. I just hope that you guys reading this enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you. Maybe next year we can get a few more of our readers involved and bring more opinions and articles.

Until next year.... now let's get to work with the big league Yankees!

Interview w/ Yankees Shortstop Cito Culver

This interview was actually done by Yankees Fans Unite but since they have merged into us and allowed us to have all their writers and posts I wanted to re-post this in case some of our readers did not see it. It is a tad outdated but it is still an interesting read. Enjoy reading about who was thought to be the eventual replacement for the Yankees captain, Derek Jeter.

Jamie F. and myself had the opportunity to have some questions answered by the New York Yankees 1st-round pick of the 2010 draft Cito Culver.  A native of Rochester, New York, Culver’s a switch-hitter who throws right-handed.  Below is our interview  with our questions in BLUE.  Enjoy.

YEAR	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2010	233	23	51	8	2	18	7	21	51	.251	.325	.330	.655
2011	312	40	69	14	2	33	10	30	57	.250	.323	.337	.660
Totals	545	63	120	22	4	51	17	51	108	.251	.323	.334	.657

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/12/2012.

1) After 2 seasons in short-season ball, what did you do this Winter to prepare for the grind of your first year in full-season ball?

After playing two season of short season ball I realized the toll it takes on your body. The everyday grind was tough to adjust to. This off-season I felt that I had to come into this year in a lot better shape so I was in the weight room more than ever before I’m trying to get my body ready for this long season.

2) You had much better results hitting right-handed last year (.324 BA) - is that your natural side and which side is more comfortable? How long have you been switch-hitting?

Since I was 3. My dad never let me hit from one side without swinging from the other.  If I tried to hit just one way my dad would stop playing with me.

3) Describe your approach at the plate. Do you like to work the count or jump on the first fastball you see?

I try to keep it as simple as I can.  Get a pitch that I can drive and go from there.  Hitting is hard enough to do. I don’t want to make it any harder.

4) You threw 95 MPH in High School. Was there ever a thought of pitching professionally and do you miss taking the mound?

No. I never wanted to pitch. I was just a hard thrower. I like playing everyday. I’ve always wanted to play shortstop.

5) How has your strength and size improved since you were drafted? Have you added weight?

Yes I have.  I’ve gained 8 pounds this off-season. And I feel better than ever.

6) You and the other H.S. kids drafted in 2010 made up the core of the Staten Island Championship team – do you guys talk about moving up together and eventually to New York?

We had a great group of guys and we have been lucky to have success as a team at a young age and we love playing with each other. We all talk about playing with each other over then next few years and how great that would be. But it’s out of our control.

7) Which of your Staten Island teammates impressed you the most?

That team had a lot of bright spots on it. And a lot of the players had something different to offer. Mason (Williams), Ben G.(Gamel), Tyler A.(Austin), Branden P.(Pinder), Bryan M.(Mitchell), Matt T.(Tracy).   These guys are all great players and I look forward to playing with them again.

8) What are your strengths as a hitter and what do you need to work on?

As a hitter I can put the bat on the ball a lot of the time. I don’t swing and miss often but I have a lot to work on. There is always room for improvement. I want to be as good as I can be and still be a student of the game.

9) Same question about your defense – what are your strengths and what do you need to improve?

My strength is my arm I think. But I love playing defense and there still is a lot more I can get better with. I’m excited to learn more about my position and be the best I can possible be.

10) What are your individual goals for this season?

I try to just play to the best of my ability and win. That is the most important thing to me.

11) Any last thoughts to tell the fans of the Yankees?

Just keep watching and cheering the Yankees we aren’t anything without the fans. Best fans in the world.