Yesterday, we heard from GM Mike Hazen about why he carried out the trade which brought third baseman Nolan Arenado to the desert. Today, it’s the turn of the player to talk about why he agreed to come to Arizona, what he brings to the table, both on and off the field, and what his […]
Yesterday, we heard from GM Mike Hazen about why he carried out the trade which brought third baseman Nolan Arenado to the desert. Today, it’s the turn of the player to talk about why he agreed to come to Arizona, what he brings to the table, both on and off the field, and what his hopes are for the coming season. [This transcrtipt has been lightly edited for clarity] And going by the background, it looks like Mr. Arenado is a fan of Quentin Tarantino!
What were your thoughts when you heard about the trade, and what do you like about coming to the Diamondbacks?
Yeah, obviously I was kind of in shock, because I feel like this process has been going on for a little bit. So I was, “Man, I can’t believe we’re finally getting to this place.” But Arizona was one of the first teams to show interest in me, and I love the way they play the game. I expanded my list and it was one of the teams that I added from last year – I put them on this year. It’s close to home for me. I’m from Orange County. So it’s easy, I got family in Arizona and I really like this team. They’re a good team. They play hard and they’re young, but I feel like I could really help this team win ball games and contribute, and obviously being around good young hungry players. I think it just helps me stay young. So it was kind of a no-brainer for me, and I was really excited about it.
When it comes to Chase Field, what’s it like hitting in that ballpark and what do you hope your game looks like offensively coming to Arizona this year?
I’ve played there for so long, you know, obviously, and I really like going there. You know when the Diamondbacks are good, the environment gets pretty electric which is always kind of fun. The batter’s eye is always great, it’s a huge batter’s eyes so it feels better to hit there. I still have high expectations for myself on the offensive side – I do, on both sides of the ball. I expect to go out there and help this team win on both sides, and that’s where my expectations are. I know the last few years haven’t gone the way I wanted, dealt with some injuries and different things. But I think some of the adjustments I’m trying to make and the adjustments that I’ve talked with the hitting coaches already about, I think they’re gonna pay dividends down the line here. I feel good about it and being in a lineup with these group of players is gonna be great. These guys can all really run, they can steal and Hopefully get in scoring position. And if I could do my job, I don’t see why I can’t be driving these guys in.
What are some of the draws, you know away from baseball or that have kind of wanted you to come to Arizona?
Close to home is always nice. I’m from Orange County: that’s great, it’s only an hour away, easy for the family, Arizona has a lot of great places to eat. When I used to play there, we used to go crash a lot of great places, and then there’s a lot of good golf too. But just like I said, it’s close to home and the baseball team’s great. Playing indoor, I think it’s gonna feel great. First and foremost that’s the most important thing on the baseball side. But you know, I’ve had spring training there for you know almost 12 years or however long I was in Colorado including the minors. so I know the area really well and it’ll feel like a second home in a sense because I’ve just been there so many times.
When you look back at the playoffs, is it fair to judge a player because of so few at-bats? How do you look back at your playoffs – and also acknowledging that you hit the heck out of that one ball against Zach Wheeler, that would have been a home run in numerous stadiums.
Well, first off, thanks for reminding me about the ball that I hit really hard that didn’t go out! But no, it’s okay: I think about that all the time, so you’re good. I played in Chase. That ball probably would go out of there, but
I don’t know how many games I’ve played in the playoffs. I’ve had 20-something at bats. I would like to experience more, and I don’t see why we can’t do it with this team. I still want to play in the playoffs. I know my numbers aren’t great, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I was prepared for it and that I’ve always been prepared for it. Just haven’t played the way I expect to. But I want that opportunity to do it again, and I don’t see why this group can’t do that, and that’s kind of why I was really open to playing here. My expectations are still high. I don’t see why I can’t go out there in the playoffs and play well if we get the opportunity.
As a vet, how would you describe your leadership style and perhaps how that has evolved throughout your career?
I’m not a very vocal person, I’m pretty quiet. I try not to talk a whole lot. I feel like when I do, hopefully, I can reach people. But I try to show who I am, by the way, I work, and the way I go about my business. I think the older I’ve gotten in this game, there’s times where I probably should be more vocal. And I plan to do that, but I still got to get comfortable with the guys – the guys got to get to know me. I got to get to know them, and see how they click and how they go. So it’s just going to take getting to know each other and then, obviously, putting in the work together. There’s a brotherhood that comes with being teammates for this long and playing a long season. So we got to just come together. I plan on getting to know these guys and showing them the love that they deserve and get after it.
Have you had a chance to connect with Torey Lavello yet, aAnd what are you looking forward to about working with him and this coaching staff?
Yeah, I’ve been able to talk to most of them. Talked to Torey last night. We had a great conversation. I talked to Dave McKay this morning. I talked to the hitting coaches yesterday, already sending a video, sharing some things that I felt last year that hurt me, and then talking about the things that made me great. We’re already trying to get on that page, just so when Spring starts, we’re already off and running. I’m planning to go out there sometimes soon, just to get to see guys and get to know them, put faces with names and stuff. The conversations are great. There’s an expectation there. There’s a standard that they have. I’ve always heard that and I’m excited to be a part of it.
What stood out to you about what the D-backs bring to baseball? What caught your eye in that regard, that made you want to be a part of this organization?
I think they play really hard. They always have. There’s a standard that you see when you play against them. It’s very familiar., it’s similar to when I first got traded to St. Louis, and the way the Diamondbacks play. It’s just smart, hard-nosed baseball And I see that with the Diamondbacks. When you watch Carroll and Perdomo and Marte and all these guys play the game, they play hard. You can tell that they have a way about them, good or bad and I really respect that. I’ve always respected that about them. They always seem prepared for games, no matter what their record is and that’s something that you can admire. The more consistent you are doing that, I think it’s just going to work out for you in the end. So like I said, it was a pretty easy decision and I’m excited about it.
This winter for you, what changed the most? Was it where you were in your career, or where you thought the Cardinals were headed?
When I opted in in St. Louis, I thought this would be a place where I would end my career. But, you know, it’s baseball and things change very fast. The scene where we were headed as the years have gone on, it’s very evident that there’s a step that they need to take, in letting these young guys go and finding out who they are and who their identity is. I think I’m just kind of in the way of that in a sense. I always felt like that last year, you know. But I loved my time there. The conversations I had was very much “We want to let some of these young guys play”, and not that I’m in the way, but we need to see what we have. We know what we have with you, but at the same time, we need to move on. It was very respectful and I was very understanding of it, and that was all there is to it. Like I said, things change fast in this game. We just move on and I’m excited for the new opportunity. It feels like a fresh start, and I just got to go out there and compete.
When you made your list, what role did looking for a team that might help you rebound, might bring out the best in you play in to that?
How the core group was, if they’re dedicated to competing and winning. And Arizona is very much like that. I’m very familiar with the NL West, from playing there for so long. I play in Chase Field a lot and having Arizona Spring training. So all those familiarities and being close to home, I feel like it was kind of a no-brainer for me.
What’s your relationship like with Torey Lovullo, and what do you know and like about him?
Yeah, well, our relationship started off pretty rocky when the 2017 wildcard game, so it wasn’t a huge fan of him or too many people over there! But, I respect Torey and all those guys, those coaches. They always seem very prepared. I always thought that even as a young player in Colorado, whenever I look in their dugout, all their coaches are very locked in. Dave McKay is very locked in. All these guys, I always have great respect for them, and the conversation I had with Torey was phenomenal. I’m excited to play for him, and hopefully make them all very proud that they made the right move.
You mentioned adjustments that you wanted to make offensively. Are you thinking some mechanical stuff or are you thinking approach-based stuff?
I think it’s mostly mechanical. Approach-based is important, but when you’re not moving properly, it’s hard to have the right approach. But I feel like the mechanical adjustments that I’m trying to make, and I’m going to make, are going to help me slow the game down, quiet my head, see the ball better, and hopefully create space for me to work out front again. And that’s when I’m at my best, when I’m pulling the ball front the right way. So, I think those adjustments that I focus on are helping. This off-season has been a lot cleaner, it’s felt really good. My expectations for myself are always going to be high; I have high expectations for myself on both sides of the ball.
As a player, what are some of the differences that you find between Florida spring training and Arizona spring training beyond the obvious travel?
It’s kind of tough. Florida is fantastic. It really is. I mean, as a veteran player, when you’re a young player taking those bus rides, it’s a little tougher. But you wake up in the morning, it’s like 70-75 degrees in Florida. Arizona is pretty cold in the morning sometimes. But they’re both great. They both have their positives, but I love both of them, they’re both great. The Arizona environment is a lot of fun. Being in Scottsdale, it’s lively. But Florida, when the weather is hot and warm, it’s easy to get loose and kind of feel fresh.
Do you happen to have any close friends or people that you know better on the Diamondbacks roster?
No, I don’t know too many of them. Just from playing against them, spending time with them. I spent a lot of time with Merrill in the WBC, got to know him a lot. Corbin Burnes, been playing against him for a long time. I admire Carroll, I admire Perdomo, and playing against Ketel Marte for a long time too. I mean, he was there when I was still in Colorado. I just admire the way these guys all play the game, their pitching staff, I have much respect for them. I always have, but I’m excited to get to really know them on a personal level and go out and compete with them.
What are some of the keys to maintaining such a high standard defensively throughout your career?
I think it just starts in the off season of training, and my agility, and all those little things. I’m someone that puts on cleats fairly early in the off season just because I want my feet and my body to get ready for it. At 34, I’ll be turning 35, I still do it to this day and it still feels great. So it’s something that I feel I need to do. My identity is in my defense and my identity is in driving runs in. So that’s something that I want to upheld until I’m done playing this game. So it’s really simple, I think it all starts in the off season and training.
How many teams were you open to going to this winter?
I mean, probably like eight, ten-ish teams probably? It was less last year. It was like five or six last year.
Did you at all bounce this idea off your former teammate Paul Goldschmidt about coming out here?
No, I didn’t. With the way this off season went, when this all came together, it happened very fast. I didn’t feel comfortable seeking advice, I guess, because if I were to seek Goldie’s advice a week ago, it would have been silent for a whole week, and then I’d be, “I don’t even know why I texted Goldie about this because there’s nothing going on.” So I didn’t really have time to find out information about it. Talking to Goldie throughout the years of when I played with him and seeing those players and talking to so many players, I kind of had an idea of how they are. Soit came fast, and when it came fast, it was just a no-brainer to say yes. I didn’t really have a whole lot of time for that.
Have you been able to have kind of a normal healthy off-season?
Yeah, I have. The off-season’s been fantastic. When I got hurt last year, when I was on the IL, I was working out differently than I have in the past. I went to go seek some answers and questions about why my body was feeling a certain way, why my arm wasn’t great. I feel like I got some of those questions answered, and I’ve kind of just carried that, you know. After the season ended this year, I didn’t stop working out. I just stayed training and moving around constantly, just because as you get older, you have to. But at the same time, I feel when I missed that much time in those games last year, I feel like I had to kind of make sure that I didn’t stop. I’ve just been working in training, and this off-season’s been great. My arm’s been feeling great, and I’m moving well, taking ground balls already. So, yeah, I’m ahead in that regard. There’s still some things, I got to get going with running the bases a little bit more and all those things. But overall, I feel really great. I feel ahead with where I’m at in my training and my body.
Watching you over the years, it’s always felt like your competitiveness, your energy has kind of played a big part in your success and kind of who you are. With the Cardinals being where they were the last couple of years, how did that factor into your production and your results?
I’m not someone to point the, you know, put blame on anybody besides myself. I got caught in some bad habits. There were some things that I felt that I could have done a better job of that I didn’t – from a swing, body standpoint, and all those things. But, it was tough losing. Playing in St. Louis when you see Bush Stadium not packed, that was a tough feeling out there. Because when I got traded there, beside the COVID part, it was packed and it was loud and it gets a lot of fun there. So the last couple of years when it wasn’t like that, it was disappointing. It comes with the territory sometimes, it’s part of the game. I appreciate those fans for even showing up when they did. It just kind of comes with the way the baseball is sometimes.
But, besides that, I’m excited – when you have a new chapter in front of you, it kind of gives you a little bit of energy, and I feel that again. I feel really anxious to get going in Arizona and get ready to play.
Category: General Sports
