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Exclusive: Pitching prospect Jake Thompson interview excerpts

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This post originally appeared on PhillyLongDrive.com.

I recently wrote a feature on Phillies righty pitching prospect Jake Thompson, who has been dominant of late with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.


The feature, which can be read over at PhoulBallz.com, includes comments from both Thompson and his pitching coach Dave Lundquist, with both men describing the what has made the difference in helping the 22-year-old standout get on track and become a hot buzz name among the organization's promising future contributors.

Here, I've included some interview excerpts from my time chatting with Jake last week. Read ahead for those exclusive quotes.

J Thompson
Jake Thompson, image- Jay Floyd
-Offering thoughts on what he does between starts to stay sharp and prepare for his next outing...
I’m not a big film guy. You know, unless there’s something specific that I’m trying to find. I don’t watch much film. I’m pretty basic. Obviously, I’ve got to get my running in every day and two to three lifts per week and then a lot of contrast and arm care, treatment stuff like that to stay fresh.

-Speaking about working with Lundquist...
Me and Lundy we work every day. We talk every day. Just making sure everything stays intact and you don’t want to concentrate on one thing too much and another slips away. We just try to keep the entire thing put together.

-I asked Thompson if there's anyone on the IronPigs' roster that he might learn from as a mentor...
I wouldn’t necessarily say a mentor, but all the veterans would have, both position player and pitchers, they’re all open. None of them are guarded or anything like that. I think (James) Russell’s a good guy to talk to. He’s got five or six years in the big leagues. He knows how to get guys out. (Edward) Mujica’s real good. Frank Herrmann is another highly intelligent pitcher, a good guy to talk to when you need something from him.

-Talking about why he doesn't feel snubbed to not be named as an International League All-Star...
For me that’s not what matters to me anyway. Just my personal growth as a pitcher. I’m extremely satisfied with where I’m at, especially just struggling out of the gate like I did and getting to a point where I’m comfortable and finally feeling good.

-Sharing insight on if there was anyone on the big league roster in spring training that he picked up a lot from...
I loved talking with (Jeremy Hellickson) and Charlie (Morton). They’ve had a lot of success and have been up there a while. Both are extremely intelligent and the cool thing for me is that they were extremely open and welcoming and would do anything for you and that’s the kind of people you need in the clubhouse.

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