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| Austin Listi with Lakewood last year, Image- Jay Floyd |
Listi, a right-handed batter, is listed at six feet tall, 210 pounds. He has eight multi-hit games this year.
A 17th round draft pick out of Dallas Baptist last year, Listi has enjoy plenty of success since turning pro, as he tallied a .262/.315/.451 slash line in 53 combined games with short-season A level Williamsport and Class A Lakewood last year.
Recently I talked with Austin about his outstanding offensive production thus far this season. Read ahead for that full interview.
-You're off to a hot start, great stats and production. What are your thoughts on what you have done in the FSL this far?
Thank you, I don’t really think about stats too often. I just try to go
out and do something that helps the team, whatever that may be. I’m
happy with my start. All glory to God for all the blessings.
-Any changes to your approach or things you worked on that are proving successful?
I’ve
tried to focus more on putting the ball in play with two strikes and
not try to kill the ball with two strikes. In college I would often
still try to drive the baseball with two strikes. It’s easier to get
away with that in college but at this level it’s much harder.
-Any
noticeable difference between the A level leagues, and/or are you
finding the promotion easy with facing a lot of the same pitchers and
such?
I
think the pitchers here in High A are more consistent with their
pitches. They can throw multiple pitches in multiple counts for the most
part. That would have to be the biggest difference I have noticed so
far. They can locate with most of their pitches.
-What feedback have you gotten from the coaches so far this year on what you are doing?
The coaches give us all praise when we deserve and they help us when we
need it. They are great about teaching us as well as complimenting us.
-I
have talked to a couple Reading and Lakewood guys about the new regime
and the focus on analytics. What have you seen with that? Is it mostly
just defensive positioning or are there other things that are being
shared with the players to improve results?
Honestly, not seeing much of anything different than I’ve seen before.
Scouting reports on the pitchers and their hitters. Typical stuff we did
in college and have done in pro ball. We get our analytics that show us
our hitting numbers and heat maps that helps a lot.
-Any
other big changes with the team this year, stemming from the new
regime? I recall reading about Kapler's focus on nutrition & diet
elsewhere...has that translated to the Phillies?
It’s hard for me to say, since this is my first full season. I was
drafted last year so I couldn’t really tell you what if anything has
changed much.
-What's the best thing about playing in Clearwater?
There
is a ton of positives about playing in Clearwater. The weather is nice,
the travel is great. The facilities are top notch. We really get taken
care of. The beach is close by, fishing all around us. There are a ton
of great things.
-Have
you gotten time with any big leaguers or ex-big leaguers during spring
or on the side at all that have left impressions on you?
Tommy
Hunter was with us for a game, he was great. He’s a good dude to have
around, he’s been in the big leagues for a while and knows his stuff.
We’ve played against some other big leaguers which is always cool to
see.
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