The New York Mets have had a tough go of it lately, having
not posted a winning record since the 2008 season. Their way back to relevance
will undoubtedly be aided by their young players, many of whom are still honing
their craft in the minor leagues. One pitcher who appears to be part of the
future solution is Erik Goeddel, who is getting close to getting his first
summons to the Big Apple.
The right-handed Goeddel was a 24th-round draft pick out of
UCLA in 2010. He was 2-0 with a 3.06 ERA in two
seasons as a Bruin with all 45 of his appearances coming in relief.
In his first four years in the Mets’ system, the 25-year-old
pitched exclusively as a starter, posting good numbers and advancing a level
each season. He has reached Triple-A in 2014, and is working as a reliever for
the Las Vegas 51s, returning to his collegiate roots and hoping it will help
lead him to the majors.
During his professional career, Goeddel is a combined 18-19
with a 3.84 ERA and 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings. He is off to a rough start
with Las Vegas, going 1-1 with a 15.43 ERA in four games. However, his 2.1
innings is an incredibly small sample size and he has plenty of time to settle
into his new team and role.
The hurler graciously agreed to answer some questions about
his career prior to the start of spring training. Keep reading for more on this
Mets prospect on the verge of the majors.
Erik Goeddel
Interview:
Who was your favorite
player when you were growing up, and why?: Ken Griffey Jr. I think he was
everyone’s favorite. He was the best
player in baseball for a little while, and nobody looked like they were
having more fun playing baseball than he did.
He was fun to watch and a great player to idolize.
Can you talk a little
bit about what your draft experience was like?: I had a rather unusual
draft experience. In the months leading
up to the draft, I had talked to every organization except the Mets, and at
UCLA, it is finals week during the draft.
Also, we made NCAA playoffs that year, so regionals ended Sunday night,
and the first round of the draft was Monday, and the next few rounds
Tuesday. Since I still had finals to
study for, and practice to go to, I was pretty busy.
After practicing Monday and then watching the first
round of the draft Monday night, I had to pull an all-nighter Monday night to
finish a paper I had due on Tuesday.
Right when I finished the paper at about 6 a.m. and was
maybe going to get a couple hours of sleep before the draft started back up,
the Mets area scout Spencer Graham called me up and asked me all the pre-draft
questions. This was the only contact I had ever had with the Mets. So anyways, the draft starts and I get a
bunch of calls from the White Sox asking if I'll sign in the third round for
slot. I say yes and they draft somebody else anyways. The same thing happens in the fourth
round. Then complete silence. I figure I
had overpriced myself and will just go back to UCLA for my junior year.
So a couple hours later I head to practice, and while I’m
getting changed in the clubhouse, my phone starts ringing, and its Spencer
Graham again, and he says ‘Congratulations, the Mets have drafted you,’ and
that was that.
What pitches do you
throw and which do you think you need to work on the most?: I throw a
fastball, curveball, slider, and a changeup.
My fastball and curve are definitely my most consistent pitches.
I have been throwing them the same way since I was about 10
years old. My slider and change, I
changed how I throw them part way through the 2013 season. The new way of
throwing them is definitely going to be better once I get the hang of it
completely, but I still have to fine tune them a little and get them more
consistent.
If you could back in
time and change something about your career, or do it differently, what would
that be, and why?: I would go back to when I was in high school and change
my delivery. I used to throw with
maximum effort and jerk my whole body to fling my arm forward. I’m pretty sure
that was the reason I blew out my elbow and basically missed three seasons
rehabbing and recovering from surgeries.
What is your
familiarity with baseball history?: Very familiar. My dad grew up a huge
baseball fan and passed on a lot of that knowledge of the history of the game.
Who has been your
most influential coach or manager?: I've been very lucky throughout my
career and had a lot of great coaches.
But as crazy as it sounds, I'd say the most influential coach I've had
was my little league minors coach I had when I was nine years old. His name was Tom Tracy, and at the tryouts he
saw that I had a good arm and drafted me first in the draft and made me a
pitcher. It was the first time I had ever pitched, and playing on his team that
year was when I really started liking baseball. He introduced me to pitching,
and was the reason I became passionate about baseball at such a young age.
How much thinking/worry do you do about making the major leagues, especially now that you are getting very close?: I think about it a lot. I don't really worry about it, but the closer I get the more I want it. It’s a great way to stay motivated.
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You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
You can check me out on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @historianandrew
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