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| Adam Haseley, image- Jay Floyd |
The 21-year-old lefty batter tallied a .284 average with three home runs, 28 RBI and six stolen bases in 58 games at three levels, including the final 18 contests with Class A Lakewood.
This off-season Haseley, a native of Florida has spent much of his off-season in and around Clearwater, training at the Phils' facilities there. Recently, I spoke to the Virginia product about his initial experiences in the minors, his efforts since the season ended, meeting Roy Halladay prior to his passing and more. Read ahead for that full interview.
-Was there a standout lesson you took from your first season as a professional player that you know will stick with you for years to come?
I would say two things; one, getting
used to playing every day, in the sense of getting ready, you know,
every night and kind of finding something else that you’re involved in
besides going to the field every day. It gets kind of (repetitive).
I think it’s important to have something other than baseball that
you’re involved in, whether it’s reading or going out with teammates for
lunch or something like that- something that just mixed things up.
-Do you have any moments that mean a lot to you, from last season in the minors?
Probably my first day in Williamsport
and just kind of like taking it all in. They dropped me off at the
front gate of the locker room and I walked in and put my bags down and
kind of just thought to myself that this is where it all begins.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget getting in that day and trying to fit in
and trying to start the process as soon as I could.
-When a new guy walks into a locker
room following a draft, promotion, trade, whatever…how difficult is
that fitting in? Is it tough to learn all the names and faces?
Yeah, it’s not easy. The first day
that I got to Clearwater, they had a little mini camp after the draft, I
didn’t know anyone and a bunch of guys had been there days before me.
So, that was the hardest day just from a standpoint of trying
to get to know people and just being the new guy and not really knowing
where I was. The next two times I moved, the first time to
Williamsport and then to Lakewood, it would be a little easier because I
would know a guy or two when I got there.
-All new guys to the organization would be slated to go to the fall instructional league, following the regular season. What is that like and can you talk about the other camps you attended?
For instructs, overall it was really
beneficial, I thought. I got to meet a lot of the different coaches
and the hitting instructor for High A was there and I met a lot of
teammates, whether it was the Latin players or other players that
I didn’t play with. I thought it was good. We got to start testing
new ideas and get some more reps and travel around and play at different
locations. I really enjoyed it.
-Did you attend the strength camp or the speed camp that the Phillies hosted down there?
I attended both of those. It was good. The strength camp got underway around October 31st or November 1st and I took two weeks off from lifting after instructs, just letting the body and mind rest, so I thought November
1st was a good time to start. In the speed camp we worked a
lot of things, whether it was first jumps or form running, so it was
real good. It was a good start and I have kept training. I’ve been
working really hard and trying to get ready for
the next season.
-I know Roy Halladay had been working as a mental skills coach down there. Had you encountered him at all after signing with the Phillies?
I actually introduced myself the
Monday before he passed. He actually came and spoke to our little group
at the strength camp that afternoon and I just introduced myself
afterward and he was very encouraging and gave me a couple books
that he encouraged me to read. And I was just grateful to have met
him.
-Do you value that experience a lot?
Yeah, I was just happy that I got to
meet him the day before, just that he took the time out of his schedule
and his life to invest in us and tell us some of the important things
that he learned in his career, it was just pretty special
to me to meet him in the time that I did.
-Do you recall finding out what happened with him? Where you among teammates when the news broke about his plane crash?
Yeah, we were in Spanish class that we
were taking on Tuesdays and Thursdays it was about 3:30 or something
like that and we were getting out at 4 and one of the guys had said
something about it and we all obviously got online and had to
check.
-Was it tough to deal with at all?
It was relying on each other, trying
to make sense of it and I know a couple guys along with myself got to go
to the Threshers’ event for honoring him a few days later, so that was
pretty special.
-It's great you had the chance to meet him. Spanish class you mentioned, and I
know for the Latin guys that come up and play in the States, English
class is mandatory. Is the Spanish class for you guys mandatory or
voluntary?
It was mandatory within those two camps.
-Any previous exposure to the language? Any head start with it?
Most of us did and a lot of it was
reviewing. I took it for a couple semesters in college. It was good, it
gave us more time to bond together and it’s positive to get that
refresher on Spanish.
-Things were heating up for the Phils as of late. Can you, as a minor leaguer, get excited for or do you follow Phillies hot stove news?
Yeah,
I was trying to follow it all. I was at the Winter Meetings one night,
I was just meeting a friend up there that just graduated and was trying
to land a job. We were out in that direction a couple nights ago, so
yeah, I was trying
to follow it a little bit. There was some talk in the clubhouse for
speed camp of what might happen, so it’s been interesting.
-Since it sounds like your entire
off-season has been loaded with baseball, do you have any personal plans
you’re looking forward to before spring training begins?
There
is this event in Atlanta, it’s called Passion, it’s like a conference
for Christian students in college, so I’ll be going to that. It’s on
New Year’s Day till the third of January. That’s about it.
-Tell me more about that…do you go with college friends?
It’s
basically, the church in Atlanta is called Passion and they put on a
conference every year for 50-to-60 thousand college students from around
the country and they all come in to—it’s usually at a few different
locations, but this year
it’s at the Philips Arena in Atlanta and it’s basically a three-day
conference with different bands and different speakers and stuff like
that. I went last year and it’s pretty cool.
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