He knows how to turn his aggression on and off. He's really become more of a wrestler and that will help him in judo. He has a lot of power. He picks up a 160-pound guy like it's nothing. He's got a physique on him that's amazing. He did 30 pull-ups in a row. I don't know if anyone else on the team can do that. |
He made some mistakes. You've got to remember that he's a rookie. There are veterans out there who make mistakes. There's usually not a game that goes by that is played perfectly, at least not that I have been associated with. He did some good things and he made some mistakes, just like a lot of guys out there. |
He plays with so much more confidence. Last season he essentially was our fifth starter and was out there to defend, and every now and then he'd get out in a passing lane and make a steal and make a play. But this year, he's one of the major players on the floor. He's playing with great confidence at both ends. |
He should be able to start training next week all going well which is good news as initially we thought it could have been a cracked rib because he was passing blood and was in a lot of pain. That's why the hospital kept him in overnight, but all going well he will now come into contention for the Celtic match. |
He thinks every time I talk to the team I'm talking about him, and that's simply not true. Like I'm talking to one guy. Give me a break. I might be talking about some special teams guy. He can take anything I've said and try to attach his own meaning to it, but I know I was trying to win games and make it work. |
He was a late-inning stud all through college and continued in his first pro year. He has an 88-90 fastball with a good slider. He's an outstanding strike thrower, missing bats down in the zone with a low, three-quarters delivery. He has presence, confidence and instincts on the mound with a history of success. |
He was kind of a throw-in guy in the trade to make the numbers work, but he has come in here and opened my eyes. Our big-man coach loves him, loves all the little things he does. He's a banger. He's physical. We need that. He's going to make it very interesting. I think he's already making people uncomfortable. |
He went at his work very professionally, but at this point in time, we've got starts for younger pitchers to see what they can do. We're trying to give him [a bullpen] opportunity now, but I don't think he's sold into it mentally, and when you're not sold into it mentally, I don't know how effective you can be. |
He's a stud. I love watching him pitch. He reminds me of a guy named Oscar Rivas, who ironically knocked us out of the playoffs when he was at Clear Lake my junior year. He's got those broad shoulders and throws hard. He's got a nasty breaking ball. I think he's going to be the best pitcher we'll face all year. |
He's an inspiration on and off the floor, the way he carries himself. He's been a professional all year long. He's been (criticized), even though he's scoring 30-some points a night, people are still not satisfied. Because of it, he's prepared his team for the playoffs. I want to see what the kid is capable of. |
He's dangerous. You've got to expand the zone, and I didn't do that. It was extremely frustrating at-bat for me, looking back on the game. When that happened, I threw him a fastball in, and he pulled it foul. I went right back in there, and it was in, and he's a good hitter. He hit it out. That was frustrating. |
He's done a great job for us this year, defensively especially. The No. 1 thing we need from catchers is defense. It's a huge role on the team and he's done a great job back there. And he's getting better and that's encouraging because not only has done a great job and he's getting better, but he's coming back. |
He's fine - he ate up last night and there is not a mark on him. He's totally sound and happy. We will just try and freshen him up now. The owner is coming down on Wednesday and we will discuss it then but the sensible thing to do seems to be give him a bit of a break then start working back towards Cheltenham. |
He's fun to watch, ... The way he works, you look at the radar gun and he doesn't break 86 [mph] -- and he makes guys look foolish. It's unbelievable seeing the thought process that goes behind each pitch. He has a meaning for every pitch. The catcher sets up back there and doesn't move his mitt the whole game. |
He's got to be able to show that he can counteract his (5-9) size with his speed and quickness, make plays, not turn the ball over and make open shots. And then, defensively, he has to use his speed and quickness to harass guys, make them use the clock, as opposed to getting in a position where the post him up. |