I had the great pleasure of interviewing Colby Rasmus on June 7th. A very special thank you to Colby Rasmus for taking the time out of his schedule to answer some questions. Colby is a great young man, both off and on the field. He is someone that is very easy to cheer for, both for his play on the field and the way he conducts himself off the field. Best wishes to Colby for the remainder of the 2006 season!
Thank you to GRB members for their help in providing questions and to G. Keenan for transcribing the session. I would also like to thank Ben Chiswick of
The Swing of the Quad Cities for organizing the interview.
As always, thank you to all of you for making GatewayRedbirds.com such a wonderful posting community!
Please understand because of time constrants not all questions could be answered.
GRB: What's been the hardest adjustment for you now that you're playing professional baseball? Has it been seeing sliders, homesickness, the daily grind? Basically, what have you found most difficult?
Colby: Probably the daily grind. I've gotten a lot better with it now. Last year, with it being my first year, I struggled with getting out there and playing the best I can every day. At the beginning of this year I was struggling, but I'm starting to figure out how to play day to day, how to not get out there and put too much pressure on myself, and just take a good approach to the plate every time. So that was probably the hardest thing to get used to but I'm starting to get a little bit better now.
GRB: What's your mental approach to hitting for power? Do you only try to hit for power in certain counts, certain game situations, or all the time?
Colby: Well, I'll pretty much try to hit for power until I get to two strikes. If I've got no strikes or one strike I'm looking to drive the ball, but when I get two strikes I shorten up and just try to put it in play. Most of the time I try to get some extra base hits to get in scoring position, or hit a home run, basically hit for power.
GRB: What was the transition from an aluminum bat to a wooden bat like for you?
Colby: The transition wasn't that bad. A metal bat will put some holes in your swing. I didn't bother me much and it didn't take long to get used to it. The main thing that got me was just playing every day, but as far as switching from metal to wood, I actually played with wood a lot in high school so it wasn't bad.
GRB: Since you've turned professional have you made any adjustments in your approach to hitting.
Colby: The main thing for me is taking a good approach every time I get to the plate and knowing what I'm going to do when I get up there. I'll look for certain pitches in certain counts, like this year a lot I'll be 2-0, 2-1, full counts, and I don't see many fastballs in those counts. I get a lot of off-speed pitches in those counts. Last year I didn't see that as much because they'd pop fastballs when they got behind, but this year they throw a lot more changeups and off speed pitches, so one of the main things for me is having a good mindset at the plate every time and knowing what I'm trying to do.
GRB: Well along those lines then, we've noticed that there's been a jump in your plate discipline this year. I assume that that''s related to your plate approach. You've really started to get a command of the strike zone.
Colby: Exactly. That's what I mean.
GRB: You're a center fielder. What's the toughest aspect of playing the outfield?
Colby: Well one of the things I need to work on is knowing what to do with the ball in certain outs because playing in high school I always just threw everybody out, but when you get up here with certain outs you don't want to make that throw to home because a runner might be coming to second and you have to try and keep the double play in order. Or, if there are men on second and third and you don't have a shot at home you've got to throw to third. I always just threw them out instead of using my head and knowing where to throw the ball so I've been working on that a lot. The older outfielders have been helping me with that and I'm getting better at it. That's one of the main things about being an outfielder that I've got to get better at.
GRB: Who is one player in the major leagues, past or present, that best matches your style of play, your swing, or your defense? Is there one guy that you've looked up to and thought you could see yourself being or playing like? That you idolized?
Colby: I've always liked Ken Griffey Jr. He's a good outfielder; he can hit the long ball. He's a good player and I've always wanted to be the kind of player that can throw somebody out at the plate, play good in the field, hit the long ball but still hit for average. I'd like to be that kind of player.
GRB: What were your biggest goals going into this season?
Colby: One of the biggest things for me was to cut down on my strikeouts. In the instructional league the instructors talk to us about taking a good approach so I've been working on that and trying to cut down on my strikeouts, which kind of goes hand-in-hand, and it's been working out pretty good.
GRB: Do you feel that the instructors stress walks when talking about controlling the strike zone?
Colby: Not really.
GRB: What part of your game are you most proud of or satisfied with?
Colby: My hitting. Definitely my hitting.
GRB: Do you feel extra pressure being a top prospect?
Colby: Last year I did. I don't know why, but I did put pressure on myself. This year I just go out there and play and I think that's one of the main reasons I'm getting better, just going out there and playing, not thinking about anything, just playing the game.
GRB: Do you ever watch film on opposing pitchers before you face them?
Colby: No, we don't really have that at this level. I'd like to be able to do some of that stuff, like watch my swing every game and all that kind of stuff, but we don't really have that. Sometimes they video our swing, but the big guys have people who do it for them, they don't have to do it themselves. We don't have that luxury.
GRB: What's the biggest difference between rookie league and A ball?
Colby: In rookie ball there's a bunch of younger guys who don't throw a lot of strikes. They're just coming up. Up here they pump strikes in there. The guys up here are just older. Last year it didn't really feel like pro ball. It didn't feel like much of a step up. But this year it's a lot more fun. It's like real baseball again.
GRB: My guess is that the players in A ball are taking different approaches to pitching, as you say, as far as pounding the ball in there and what not.
Colby: Exactly, this is their second year, some of them have played three of four years, everybody just knows more about the game.
GRB: What's your favorite moment since becoming a pro? Game changing hit, gunning someone out, diving catch? Any particular moments that stick out?
Colby: Probably making the all-star team.
GRB: Any pitcher you've faced so far that you thought was particularly tough?
Colby: The best pitcher I've probably seen is
Nick Adenhart. The kid's good. He's mixed me up pretty good by throwing certain pitches in certain counts, pitching me differently each at bat. He's a good pitcher.
GRB: Could you walk me through a normal, routine day for you?
Colby: Well, I get up in the morning, eat breakfast, go back to sleep, wake up and go to the field. We usually have to get to the field about three, so we'll get something to eat first, then get in the cage and hit a little bit, go out on the field for batting practice, then just sit around and get prepared for the game.
GRB: We've seen the ball park that you play in. Have you been able to launch any balls into the Mississippi yet?
Colby: No, not yet. I haven't gotten into one well enough yet to hit it that far.
GRB: Do you have much of an uppercut on your swing?
Colby: No, not much, I just haven't gotten a hold of one enough yet. Most of the time the wind has been blowing in from right.
GRB: Any clubhouse practical jokes or pranks you've seen that are funny?
Colby: I'm not much of a prankster, but one of our pitchers got an injury and had to go get surgery, so the night before he went in and switched around everybody's jerseys.
GRB: Do you find it weird that St. Louis Cardinal fans keep track of your every move and that there are websites that talk about you?
Colby: There's hardcore fans out there. It's a little weird, but it's kind of cool at the same time. My dad keeps up with a lot of that stuff. I don't really look at any of it.
GRB: Any superstitions or anything like that?
Colby: I always like to put tape on my ring finger on both hands. I used to have some others but I've dropped them.
GRB: Are you a Braves fan? I know you're from Georgia.
Colby: Yeah I like the Braves. They're pretty much the only team down there so most people around us are Braves fans. Plus, my brother just got drafted by the Braves.
GRB: Who do you think is better looking, Jessica Simpson or Jessica Alba?
Colby: (laughs) Man, that's a tough one. I like Jessica Alba. She's just beautiful. So is Jessica Simpson, but she's a little air-headed so it drops her down a bit if you can't really talk to her.
edit - added the link for Nick Adenhart