Skip to main content

Exclusive: Pitching prospect Jake Thompson interview excerpts

By
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.

Follow me on Twitter for loads of prospect updates and exclusives!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

By
TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jason Knapp Q&A

By
PhoulBallz .com was fortunate enough to meet with Phillies prospect Jason Knapp just one day after he caught the attention of the baseball world with his 7 shut out innings, 14 strike out performance against the Indians' Lake County team. - I asked Jason, the Lakewood BlueClaw , for some thoughts about his big game... I had pretty good command of three pitches (fastball, curve, change up). I was on the same page with my catcher, D'Arnaud , and I ended up, ya know, I felt pretty good. - In a great performance like that, how much credit goes to Travis D'Arnaud , the catcher? More than you might expect, definitely. I didn't shake him off once. He told me what to throw and I do what I'm told. And if it works out, a lot of the credit goes to the catcher. - Does the lack of run support (Lakewood has scored 3 total runs in his 3 starts), in your few starts, increase your stress level, or enhance your focus? No, I just try to go out and do my job every outing. Ya know, we...
5 comments
Read more

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

By
While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...
6 comments
Read more