Skip to main content

PhoulBallz Interview: Second base prospect Josh Tobias

J Tobias 2
Josh Tobias, image- Jay Floyd

It didn't take long for second base prospect Josh Tobias to make an impact with the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers following his promotion there earlier this week. On Thursday, in his second game in the Florida State League, the switch-hitting 23-year-old notched a 4-for-4 game while drawing a walk.

Tobias was part of a chain reaction series of promotions for second basemen that saw Taylor Featherston come to the big leagues, Jesmuel Valentin go to Triple-A and Scott Kingery join the Double-A ranks after Phillies utility man Andres Blanco was sidelined with an injury this week.

An All-Star for Class A Lakewood this season, Tobias, who was the Phillies' 10th round draft choice last year, posted a .304 average with seven home runs and 55 RBI in 93 games in the South Atlantic League.

Prior to his promotion, I spoke to Josh about his All-Star experience, his progress this season, a certain BlueClaws promotion and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview.

-You were part of a trio (including Luke Leftwich and Jose Pujols) that represented the BlueClaws in the Sally League All-Star Game down in Lexington last month. What was that whole experience like for you?

It was a great experience. I mean, up in Kentucky, it was me, Leftwich and Pujols and we had a great time. We had a huge concert for us one day, so we went out and hung out there and they had a dinner for us that night as well. So, we had a blast. And the game was fun as well, with the home run derby and just hanging out with all the guys from all the different teams. So, it was a blast.

-You talked about hanging out with guys from other teams...is there any info sharing, getting advice on other pitchers from other players and things like that?

Not really. I mean, I've faced several of the guys that had already thrown in the All-Star Game, but mostly we were just having fun. We weren't really talking about the game. We were just chillin' in there. Some guys we asked how they threw when we got to up to bat and someone would say, "Yeah, I played against him. He throws this and that." So, if I were to face him again, I'd have a better idea than I did then.

-What does it mean to you to be able to do that with a couple teammates? Does that make it more special?

It definitely made it more fun. Definitely easier to get around, not being by yourself, so you have a group to go with. Yeah, it was more memorable being with two teammates, so you can share the experience together.

-What was the reaction from teammates for your All-Star nod? What was the support like for you to go represent the BlueClaws?

Oh, they were excited for me. When they announced it, they were all clapping for me and told me "congrats". They told me "go kill it and have fun". They were excited for all of us. Pujols and Leftwich were excited for me and I was excited for them.

-Very cool. There's ups and downs throughout a season. Do you feel like you've made progress and gotten to where you want to be this season?

I'm always still working on things. You can never not work on things during the season. But, I'm feeling good at the plate and in the field and I mean everybody goes through slumps and everybody goes through dry spells, but the best thing (about baseball) is you've got another game the next day. So, I'm just working on my game every day, no matter what I can do.

-Is there any feedback that you've gotten from the coaching staff lately that differs from what they were telling you early in the season?

They-- sometimes they tell us not to-- we take it a little easier now because we're kind of deep into the season, so we're not doing as much as we did in the first half, to where we're killing ourselves out there. So, now we're taking things easy and trying to keep things simple.

-You seem like one of the more fun guys on the team with the way you interact with teammates. If I were to ask the team about you, would they tell me the same thing?

Yeah, I like to have a good time. I take myself seriously, but not too seriously if that makes sense. But, I like to joke around, but in the game I get serious. I'll be the guy to come make you smile if you have a bad at bat or something like that or if you have a bad play, I'll come up there and make you laugh about it.

-A recent promotion the BlueClaws had, where the team wore jerseys with cat pictures and allowed fans to bring their feline friends to the game, got some national attention. There was a photo of you holding a cat all over the team's social media channels. Was that promotion and that attention fun for you guys?

It was awesome. The cat jerseys were a little ridiculous, but I thought they were funny. I mean, I have a cat at home, so it's cool. They asked me to hold the cat, so I did, but then it started spazzing out in my arms. I ended up dropping it. So, I dropped the cat and said, "Okay. I need to go sit down now. I've embarrassed myself enough today."

-Cats always land on their feet though, so it's all good, right?

I thought it was going to land on its head, but it did land on its feet.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

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. ...

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...