Fanfest for MLB baseball teams is a way for to give back to the fans and reintroduce the team before heading off to spring training. In the past that has been just what it was for me, a chance to get to meet the players, get a few autographs, and listen to interviews with the players and staff. In the past few years I’ve attended four fanfest gatherings, three Oakland Athletics and one San Francisco Giants. For the most part I went into those events just excited to see the players and get my baseball fix before the season began, but this year at the A’s fanfest I had something more to be excited about as I attended an event called blogfest.
Blogfest is an event within fanfest where bloggers who sign up ahead of time are given a special credential to sit in on what I compare to a small press conference. I didn’t know much about it when I signed up other than what I read about from people I follow on twitter who attended the event last season. So when I got the email that outlined the event I was excited.
Because of a busy school schedule and work I wasn’t able to get this up as quickly as I wanted to, but I got it done. The worst part about not getting this up as quick as I wanted to is that it is probably the best and most engaging interview of the three. So without further ado.
The first one to enter was Jim Johnson towards the end of the Bob Melvin interview and he sat next to the manager while he finished taking questions. After Melvin finished and got up Sonny Gray sat down in his place and spun around in the chair prompting Johnson to say, “If the A’s had a boy band, he would be the front man wouldn’t he?” That of course prompted laughter from the bloggers.
After the laughter the first question was directed towards Gray and what adjustments he had to make after coming up during the middle of a pennant race last season. “For me the preparation was more advanced up here,” he said. “Just trying to learn the hitters and meet with Curt (Young, pitching coach) and the catchers that was a little bit of an adjustment, a good adjustment for me.”
He said that he felt that this more advanced information helped him to form a better plan and pitch towards his strengths.
After Gray finished up Johnson was asked if he would have a chip on his shoulder after being traded after back-to-back 50+ save seasons. “I wouldn’t say a chip,” he said. “I come into each season expecting to finish the season holding a trophy just like anybody else should be. I think you prepare that way and what’s done in the past is done.” He continued to say how excited his is to be here. He has seen for the last two years how much fun this team has and how it carries over to the field and he is excited to be a part of it.
The follow up question on the back of that was how close this new bullpen constructed of some of the best arms in the game compares to the bullpens of the last two years. He said to construct a quality bullpen you need guys who can fill multiple roles. “Sometimes the ninth, it is important, but sometimes it isn’t the most important sometimes there is a big out in the sixth where you need that lefty to come in,” he said. If the bullpen has guys who only fit one role, you can get into trouble if a guy is sitting out after three days in a row and his spot comes you don’t have anyone to fill that role. You have to be able to share the roles he said.
Johnson was then asked about what was harder for him, going multiple innings or going on multiple days in a row. He said he hasn’t been a multiple inning guy in a while but it doesn’t matter to him because he’s done it both ways, but he’d rather get in when he’s ready. “If I’m hot I’m hot I’m ready to go, I don’t like to sit around, just get me in the game,” he said.
The questions continued with Johnson as he was asked how he would change his focus now that he is facing the AL West teams more often as oppose to facing the AL East teams that he’s grown accustomed too. “It doesn’t matter, you see where (Robinson) Cano ended up. I mean I faced that guy probably the most in my career of anybody,” he said. “That’s something I can actually bring to help these guys out with the things I’ve done in the past that know have worked.” He continued his joking ways from earlier noting that Gray is good against everyone implying that he did not need the help. “If I make my pitches it doesn’t matter who's hitting,” so he’s not worried about new hitters as long as he’s on his game.
The good times with Johnson kept rolling and the most awkward question any reporter ever asks came up and he handled it like a pro as he was asked about the time he was hit around by the team he is now on. “At home?” he said. “Yeah I gave up like four hits in a row, yeah that was awesome.” He said we got good at the same time (Baltimore and Oakland), but even before that they always knew that it was going to be a dogfight every time they played Oakland. It always seemed to him like they were the scrappy bunch that had fun and he’s excited to be on this side of the field this time.
After the question about playing against the A’s the question switched to Gray and how going to college helped shape his MLB career. “I think it was a huge impact,” he said. “If I would’ve signed out of high school, I don’t even know if I’d still be playing baseball. I was a lot smaller and I was just so young.” He said it doesn’t work for everyone, but for him it was one of the best decisions he ever made.
On the other side Johnson went to the pros straight from high school and for him it was more of an injury risk for him to go to college. “I felt like I was physically ready to go to pro ball.” He still ended up going back to school and took classes though. Again, showing how light and funny he is he joked that Gray must be smart if he went to Vanderbilt.
Sonny was then asked how he expects to be in the rotation going into spring training. “I have no clue,” he said. “I’m just really excited to get to spring. I went to Phoenix like eight days ago and started throwing bullpens there with Curt.” He wasn’t alone, he said a lot of guys were there but he’s just ready to get things started.
The next question was directed at both pitchers, but only Gray answered about if they think about adding to their repertoire or if they just go into the season knowing what they have works. He said has a lot of things to learn. He learned so much in only 14 starts last year and he plans on learning more. He said jokingly that he would like to learn to throw a knuckleball, but his hands are too small.
Questions for Gray continued asking if his offseason surgery would slow him down or hamper his spring at all. “One thing it did do was it probably got me to sit down and not do anything for a couple months,” he said. “I probably would’ve been running around doing who knows what. It made me kind of relax and sit back and reflect and get ready again.”
Gray was then asked about individual goals for his first full season and he said he has no real personal individual goals. He believes that individual goals come from being on a good team. For him to feel accomplished would be to look back on the season and feel that there is nothing that he would change. He doesn’t really listen to what anyone has to say because being around a fun group makes it easy to just go out there and work.
He looked up to Bartolo Colon the most on the team last year. “Just the little things he’d say here and there in the locker room, his actions were a huge impact on me,” he said. “To see someone to do it for that long and the way he’s kind of changed his game completely he’s just got so much information.” He then said with a smile that he was just going to follow Johnson around and be a pain in his butt.
Johnson was then asked about the routines and theatrical shows that go on for some closers around the league and if he would be doing something similar. “I’m not much of an exhibitionist,” he said. Then he joked with the blogger who asked the questions that if he’d like to step in the box against him he could. He said he was forced into the role of closer early in his career and he struggled with it so the second time around, “The biggest thing for me was to just figure out I’m going to be myself. I don’t have to be this guy that strikes everyone out and dances around and does backflips on the mound, that’s not me.” It’s worked so far so he doesn’t plan on changing anything.
He was then asked what it was like to switch to a team that he was battling for a playoff spot with for the past two seasons. “With this team you’re always in a dogfight and sometimes it’s nice to host that dogfight,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to this opportunity.” That was followed up with if it was even a big deal to move since so many players switch teams so often and while he has only been with one team he agreed. “You’re just changing uniforms.” He has a lot of guys that he has a mutual respect for guys on this team that he’s played against so it’s nice to meet those guys and get to know them.
He was then asked if there are good hitters he owns and bad hitters that own him. Johnson said it was kind of a bad question because, “That’s me clarifying that someone is a good hitter and that someone is a bad hitter.” He continued that he at one point had Mark Teixeira’s number, but he never takes his opposition lightly. He said he doesn’t know what his numbers are against Coco Crisp but guys like him and Dustin Pedroia are guys you hate to face because even if you get them out they make you work hard every time.
The final question of the day might have been the hardest one as each struggled to find a clear answer. They were asked what the hardest thing to do as a pitcher was. Gray joked that catching a 90 mile-per-hour fastball hit back to you was hard, but a lot of it is hard. Johnson chimed in that he’s never been asked that question but, “When you get in there there’s some days where you might not feel your best but you got to make pitches and find your way.” Getting up every day and coming to the park ready to go every day is what makes someone a major leaguer he said. One of the bloggers asked Gray if it was hard to throw his curveball and he said not for him, but he does have trouble throwing a changeup.
They were then ushered out of the room and it was all over. In the end both guys were very funny and engaging. Gray seemed like he earns his little kid moniker that has been thrown around and Johnson seemed like he could end up being a fan favorite without having the theatrics that Grant Balfour had.