The Oakland Athletics have displayed a knack for producing
quality Major League pitching in recent years, with the likes of Tim Hudson,
Trevor Cahill, A.J. Griffin and Sean Doolittle just to name a few. Young Nolan Sanburn
is hoping he can be one of the next in line to emerge from their system.
Sanburn is a 22-year-old right hander who was a second-round draft
pick in 2012 out of the University of Arkansas. He was primarily a reliever
with the Razorbacks, going 6-5 with a 2.96 ERA in 46 games (four starts) with
84 strikeouts in 73 innings over two years.
Because of a polished pitch arsenal, the A’s view Sanburn as
a potential starter. He got a brief taste of pro ball last summer in
short-season Vermont, but missed the start of this season because of shoulder
surgery. He has recently returned and is
working his way back to full strength, currently pitching for Single-A Beloit.
More information on his statistics is available here: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=sanbur001nol.
I was able to catch up with Sanburn this past
offseason to ask him some questions about his baseball career. Check out what
Oakland’s pitching prospect had to say:
If you could
sit down and pick the brain of any pitcher, current or former, who would that
be and why?: Justin Verlander, because he is such
an incredibly gifted and talent pitcher. He seems to have mastered his craft
more than almost every other pitcher in baseball. Every fifth day, he goes out
and gives his team an opportunity to win that day. He competes every pitch of
every at bat, and he never gives in. I look up to him and respect him very much
as a person and as a player because he is dominant on the field while also
staying out of trouble off the field. He is a pitcher I aspire to be
like.
Leading up to
the 2012 MLB Draft, what kind of contact and recruiting were you getting from
different teams?: Leading up to the draft, I was in
contact with just about every team. But because our college team was still
playing, I rarely thought about the draft because I was so focused on winning
and getting to Omaha.
Can you run
through what your draft experience was like?: Getting drafted was
an incredible feeling! It was years of hard work, with the help of my family's
support. My approach to the draft was work and play as if it all depends on
you, and pray as if it all depends on God. I feel very blessed and fortunate to
be a part of the Oakland A’s organization, and I cannot wait for this season to
arrive.
What pitches
do you throw and which one do you hope to improve the most?: Fastball, curveball, slider and changeup. I feel that I have
developed all my pitches after attending Instructional League in the fall. Gil
Patterson (former Oakland pitching coordinator) played a huge part in my mental
and physical approach to baseball and pitching. I hope I have the opportunity
to improve on my location and my percentage of quality strikes.
With the A's
getting so much exposure from Moneyball, how has your reality matched or
differed from how the organization is portrayed in media?: The Oakland A's organization is an incredible organization to be
in. I am so thankful that the front office believed that I have what it takes
to eventually pitch in the big leagues. I am not too sure how different or
similar the movie is from real life, but I do know that I have been treated
wonderfully and been given all the tools and opportunities to be
successful.
What do you
believe sets you apart from other pitching prospects in the Oakland
organization?: There are many great pitchers in this
organization, and I believe that all of us have an opportunity to become
successful major league pitchers. But when it comes to my performance and
overall success, I make sure I am doing everything that I can to put myself in
the best position to be successful. I am always surrounding myself with coaches
and older players who have more experience and knowledge than me. I take pre
and post-injury prevention stretching very seriously, and when I throw, I make
sure every throw has a purpose. I am not as physically gifted as a lot of
players are, so I take it upon myself to make sure that I am giving it everything
that I have on and off the field. If I don’t make it to the big leagues, it
will be because I wasn’t good enough, not because I didn’t work hard
enough.
What is the
most valuable piece of advice you have ever been given?: Start becoming the man you want to be for the rest of your life,
and becoming the man your children will look up to. I believe this is the best
advice I have ever heard. Gil Patterson is an incredible man who I look up to
very much, and this is who spoke these words. I believe this statement is
important because it has nothing to do with baseball, but has everything to do
with life. Baseball is important to me, but not as important as my relationship
with Jesus Christ. If I can become more Christ-like, then I will put myself in
better position to be a great husband, a great father and great friend.
Having
aspirations to pitch in the major leagues, how difficult is it to put in the
work and time needed to get there after being drafted?: In my opinion, I don’t see playing baseball or pitching as work.
I am a 21-year-old man living an 8-year-old’s dream. My life is good! I enjoy
going to work every day and playing catch and working out and running. It’s fun
for me. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, so I am not gonna let it pass me
up because it’s difficult. I am so blessed and fortunate to be where I am. I
look forward to every chance to get on the field to play. It’s just another
opportunity to be thankful for everything the Lord has given me.
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