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« Rangers Release Brendan Donnelly | Main | Boras Blast From The Past: Bill Caudill »
Kevin Slowey Q&A
Recently MLB Trade Rumors had the chance to ask a few questions of Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey. Slowey won 12 games with a 3.99 ERA last year in his first full season.
MLB Trade Rumors: Throughout your career, you've had pinpoint control and command. How did this ability come about for you? When you were a kid could you put the ball exactly where you wanted?
Kevin Slowey: I'm not sure there is any real explanation for my command, except that I've been blessed with the ability to throw strikes...It would be like trying to explain how Jesse Crain acquired the ability to throw 97, or how Josh Hamilton can hit a ball 600 feet..It is certainly something I work on, but not anything that I can really explain.
MLBTR: There's a rumor your older brother Dan was the more talented one growing up...what happened there?
Slowey: Haha, he really was the more talented one, and probably still is...especially when it came to chemistry experiments.
MLBTR: The Twins locked up your rotation-mate Scott Baker through his arbitration years with an option on his first free agent season. Are you interested in signing an extension, or do you prefer going year-to-year for now?
Slowey: For now I don't have a whole lot of say in the matter, but if it is ever in my hands I would love to stay with the Twins long term. I like everything about our organization, from my teammates down to the the die-hard fans and hope I can be a part of baseball in Minnesota for a long time.
MLBTR: Did you ever get to meet your favorite player, Andy Van Slyke? How about Greg Maddux?
Slowey: I did, my first spring training during an exhibition game in Lakeland. I've never met Maddux, but I did have the pleasure of watching him firsthand last year in San Diego.
MLBTR: How deeply do you examine your own stats? What numbers do you find the most helpful?
Slowey: Not that deeply to be honest. The best indicator of success isn't always in the numbers, but in my ability to give my team a chance to win every time out there. If I can do that, my stats should take care of themselves.
MLBTR: You had to face Nick Swisher and Milton Bradley in your first big league inning in Oakland. What was going through your head at the time?
Slowey: Haha, a lot. And very quickly too. You don't really have time to enjoy your first game until after it is over and time starts slowing back down again. Those six innings in Oakland felt like they took about 15 minutes...15 minutes I'll never forget.
MLBTR: Do you have an innings target for 2009? You had to overcome a biceps strain to start '08, but got on track pretty quickly in May.
Slowey: Not really... As I said before, isolated statistics don't mean a whole lot to me. If I was out on the mound thinking about how many innings I needed, or how many pitches I had left, I can't imagine I would have a lot of success. As long as I can continue to improve on a daily basis, I'm sure the secondary statistics will fall into place.
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I am a big fan of Slowey, but reading this sure makes you appreciate that Brian Bannister interview!
Maybe I will draft Bannister this year :)
Keep up the interviews Tim!
Posted by: MNCubsFan | March 26, 2009 at 12:54 PM
I hope the Twins lock him up.
Posted by: R.I.P. Kirby | March 26, 2009 at 12:54 PM
The Twins rotation is really shaping up nicely. The should definitely lock Slowey us well.
Keep the interviews coming, Tim!
Posted by: Umair | March 26, 2009 at 01:00 PM
He looks like a grounded kid. Looks like a perfect Twins player. Appreciates the organization and how they play. I have no doubt he will be with the Twins in the future.
Posted by: Gleb | March 26, 2009 at 01:06 PM
I really think Slowey will be the Twins' best pitcher going forward. Maybe not this year, but for sure by next year.
Posted by: Dwade | March 26, 2009 at 01:09 PM
slow ride! na naa na naa na na na. take it easy! na naa na naa na na na.
Posted by: Jon Elliot | March 26, 2009 at 01:10 PM
These interviews are great, I really like that you are interviewing such a diverse group of people. The twins have a very good, deep rotation. Slowey's K/BB ratio is ridiculous (over 5:1).
Posted by: garriscp | March 26, 2009 at 01:51 PM
Kevin Slowey is a micro-cosim of the entire twins organization. I admire the way they go about there buisness in a very classy fasion. It is truly refreshing to see that in todays professional sports.
Posted by: bummyball | March 29, 2009 at 04:52 PM
Slowey is one of the best young pitchers in the game. He's going to be a good one for a long time. I hope the Twins lock him up after this season. I don't know if he'll be the best pitcher on the staff, Liriano has some nasty stuff, and since the surgery he's learned how to pitch more rather than just trying to strike everyone out, but a rotation with Liriano, Slowey, & Baker as the top 3 for the next 5+ years sounds very nice.
Posted by: delgo | March 30, 2009 at 01:14 PM