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Read The Transcript Of Our Chat With Former MLB Reliever Will Ohman

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If you regularly watched National League baseball from 2006-08, there’s a good chance you saw Will Ohman pitch.  The lefty reliever ranked 10th in the NL in ’06 by appearing in 78 games for the Cubs, and then second in the league with 83 appearances for the Braves in ’08.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany on a U.S. Army base, Ohman was drafted in the eighth round by the Cubs in 1998 out of Pepperdine.  He kicked off his big league career in 2000 by inducing Marquis Grissom to ground out as part of a scoreless inning.  Ohman underwent Tommy John surgery in 2002, but fully recovered and in total appeared in 483 games for the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, Orioles, Marlins, and White Sox in his ten-year career.

Ohman put together a sub-4.00 ERA in three different seasons, including a 2.91 mark in ’05.  Among lefty relievers who tossed at least 100 innings from 2005-06, Ohman ranked sixth with a 25.2 K%.  The list of Ohman strikeout victims includes Ken Griffey Jr., Todd Helton, Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, David Ortiz, Barry Bonds, David Wright, Adrian Beltre, and Derek Jeter.  In his career, Ohman held lefties to a .206 batting average.

Ohman’s website notes that he also “represented Germany in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier Tournaments in both 2012 and 2016.”  He later served as the pitching coach of the Palm Beach Cardinals.  Will now runs Ace Baseball, and he’s on Twitter @TheWillOhman.

Will told me he’s followed MLBTR since his playing days.  We were thrilled to host him for a live chat today; you can click here to read the transcript.

Also, if you’re a current or former MLB player reading this, come do a chat with us!  It’s fun and easy and only requires an hour of your time, and you choose which questions you publish and answer.  Click here to contact us.

Transcript Of Our Chat With Former Two-Time MLB All-Star Shea Hillenbrand

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Drafted in the tenth round in 1996 by the Red Sox out of Mesa Community College, Shea Hillenbrand made his MLB debut for Boston in 2001 at the age of 25.  In his sophomore season with the Red Sox, Hillenbrand hit .293/.330/.459 with 18 home runs and 83 RBI, starting for the AL All-Star team at third base.  He finished 10th in the AL in hits in ’02 and sixth in doubles.

In May of ’03, Hillenbrand was traded to the Diamondbacks for reliever Byung-Hyun Kim.  Not long after that, he hit three home runs in a game against the Rockies.  Hillenbrand hit .310/.348/.464 with 15 home runs and 80 RBI the following year for the D’Backs, with his batting average ranking 13th in the NL.

Dealt to Toronto after the ’04 season, Hillenbrand hit .291/.343/.449 with 18 home runs and 82 RBI en route to his second All-Star nod.  Hillenbrand managed to lead the AL by being hit by a pitch 22 times in ’05 as well.  He’d go on to play with the Giants, Angels, and Dodgers.

Hillenbrand wound up with a fine .284 batting average over the course of his career.  His 108 home runs included shots off Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera, Zack Greinke, and Jake Peavy.

Today, we were proud to host a live chat with Shea.  Click here to read the transcript!  Shea was honest and forthcoming and the chat is well worth reading.  And be sure to check out his website, Your All-Star Life, here.  Shea is also on Instagram @shea_hillenbrand.

If you’re a former or current MLB player and you’d like to do a one-hour chat on MLBTR, reach out to us through our contact form!  It’s a fun and easy hour where you choose which questions to answer, and we’ve had great success with Chipper Jones, Paul Sewald, Chad Cordero, and many others.

Read The Transcript Of Today’s Chat With Former MLB Reliever Alex Hinshaw

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Alex Hinshaw made his major league debut with the Giants in May 2008, striking out the first batter he faced — two-time All-Star Michael Bourn. That set the stage for a strong rookie season, as the southpaw went on to post a 3.40 ERA over 39 2/3 innings. He took the ball 48 times that year, leading the team’s relievers (minimum 20 innings) with a 26.3% strikeout rate and ranking second on the club in ERA.

Hinshaw made nine appearances in 2009 but spent the 2010-11 campaigns in the high minors of the San Francisco system. He continued pitching and was rewarded for his perseverance with a return to the big leagues in 2012. He split that season between the Padres and Cubs, making 33 cumulative appearances. Hinshaw appeared in the Blue Jays’ system, independent ball and the Venezuelan winter league over the next couple seasons and retired after the 2014 campaign.

Hinshaw comes from a rather atypical baseball background. His mother immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan. In February 2013, he told Rosie DiManno of the Toronto Star he learned to speak a bit of Farsi as part of his upbringing. A Southern California native, he went on to play college ball at San Diego State University, where Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn was serving as head coach.

MLBTR was happy to welcome Alex for a chat this afternoon. Click here to view the transcript.

If you’re a current or former MLB player who would like to do a chat with MLBTR readers, reach out through our contact form!  We’ve also had requests for a chat with a former MLB general manager, if there are any out there who would be interested.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat With Hall Of Famer Chipper Jones

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This is a big one.  Chipper Jones needs no introduction; you can simply read his Hall of Fame plaque.  Chipper is one of the best switch-hitters of all time.  Drafted first overall in 1990, he was the offensive centerpiece of the Braves dynasty in the 90s and early 2000s mainly as the team’s third baseman.  Chipper’s first full season was 1995, when the Braves won the World Series and he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting.  His accomplishments are too numerous to list, but Jones was the 1999 NL MVP and received votes in 12 other seasons.  He hit 30 home runs in six separate seasons, including 45 in ’99.  He also reached the century mark in RBI nine times.  Even as he battled injuries later in his career, Jones’ production stayed strong, and he won the 2008 batting title by hitting .364 at age 36.

Jones finished his career with a .303/.401/.529 line, hitting 468 home runs in his 19-year career.  He became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018.  We were honored to host Chipper today for a live chat.  Click here to read the transcript.  You can follow Chipper on Twitter @RealCJ10.

If you’re a current or former MLB player who would like to do a chat with MLBTR readers, reach out through our contact form!  We’ve also had requests for a chat with a former MLB general manager, if there are any out there who would be interested.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat With Mariners Reliever Paul Sewald

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Righty reliever Paul Sewald signed a minor league deal with the Mariners about a year ago.  On May 13th, when his contract was selected by the club, the promotions of Jarred Kelenic and Logan Gilbert got all the headlines.  Little did we know, Sewald would become one of the year’s best stories.  From the point of Sewald’s season debut on May 16th, he’d go on to lead all MLB relievers in strikeouts by a wide margin, with 104 in 64 2/3 innings.  Among relievers with at least 60 innings on the season, Sewald’s 39.4 K% ranked second in baseball.

Born in Las Vegas, Sewald was drafted in the 10th round by the Mets out of the University of San Diego in 2012.  He made his big league debut against the Marlins at Citi Field on April 8th, 2017.  Sewald logged 147 1/3 relief innings for the Mets before landing with the Mariners.

Deploying a sweeping slider, elevated fastballs, and a deceptive delivery, Sewald ascended to the top of the pecking order in the Mariners’ bullpen by August.  Sewald pitched in 19 of the Mariners’ last 32 games as they pushed for a playoff spot, always in the highest-leverage situations.  Sewald’s breakout 2021 season included 10 wins, a 3.06 ERA, 104 strikeouts, 11 saves, and 16 holds.  He’s slated to hold a prominent role in Seattle’s pen again in ’22.

Sewald is currently locked out by MLB, but he agreed to come chat with MLBTR readers today!  Click here to read the transcript.  And be sure to follow Paul on Twitter @ItsPaulSewald.

If there’s been one good thing for this website to come out of the lockout, it’s been these live chats with MLB players.  If you’re a current or former MLB player with some stories to tell, contact us here to set up a chat!  It’s fun and easy, and you get to choose which questions you answer.

Read The Transcript From Our Chat With Former MLB Outfielder Jody Gerut

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Drafted in the second round in 1998 by the Rockies out of Stanford, Jody Gerut joined the Indians in a 2001 trade.  He’d finish fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2003, popping 22 home runs in 127 games.  Injuries sidetracked Gerut’s career, and he missed all of the 2006-07 seasons.  Gerut stayed resilient and bounced back with a strong ’08 season for the Padres, putting up 2.9 WAR in only 100 games.

In total, Gerut played in 574 games for the Indians, Cubs, Pirates, Padres, and Brewers, smacking 59 home runs along the way while playing all three outfield positions.  Jody homered off many of the era’s great pitchers, including Pedro Martinez, Jake Peavy, and Bartolo Colon.  He also hit the first home run in the history of Citi Field when it opened in 2009 and hit for the cycle against the Diamondbacks in 2010.

Jody serves as a youth hitting coach in the Chicago suburbs in his spare time, and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him when my son took lessons.  Jody now works as a mortgage consultant, and you can find his website here.  I’ve found him friendly and insightful about hitting as well as MLB.  He was already an MLBTR reader and I was thrilled to have him for a live chat with our readers today.  Click here to read the transcript!

We’ve got another fun MLB player chat lined up for tomorrow.  All the players who have participated have enjoyed the experience.  If you’re a former or current MLB player and you’d like to join in for an hour, drop us a line!

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat With MLB Catcher Caleb Joseph

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Caleb Joseph is a seven-year MLB veteran catcher and current free agent.  He’s played in the Majors for the Orioles, Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays.  This year, he had minor league deals with the Mets and Mariners – the latter of which he attributes in part to an MLBTR post on his availability!

Drafted by the Orioles in the seventh round in 2008 out of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Caleb got the call to the Majors in 2014 when Matt Wieters went on the shelf.  His first big league hit would come several days later in the form of a single against the Tigers’ Drew Smyly.  Caleb has smoked 32 home runs in his big league career.

From 2014-18, Joseph was by far the Orioles’ leader in innings behind the dish.  He served as the Orioles’ starting catcher in three playoff games in 2014, including in the ALCS against the Royals.  In his 2014 rookie season, Joseph led all qualified AL catchers by throwing out 40.4% of attempted base-stealers.

Caleb hosted a live chat today with MLBTR readers.  He was generous with his time and gave tons of insightful and hilarious answers.  Check out the transcript here, and give him a follow on Twitter @YYZBackstop.

Aside from Caleb, we’ve held live chats recently with Chad Cordero, Dan Straily, and Christian Colon.  The player gets to decide which questions are published and answered, and all four have enjoyed the experience.  If you’re a current or former MLB player who’d like to chat with our readers, send us an email through our contact form or have your agent reach out to Tim Dierkes.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat With Former MLB Closer Chad Cordero

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The Montreal Expos drafted Chad Cordero 20th overall in 2003 out of Cal State Fullerton, and months later he was in the Majors as a member of their bullpen.  Chad had a fine season as part of the last-ever Expos team in ’04.  By the time this website launched in ’05, the inaugural Nationals season, he was the best reliever on the planet.  Cordero saved an MLB-best 47 games that year, posted a 1.82 ERA, made the All-Star team, and received MVP and Cy Young votes.

Cordero went on to save 128 games in his excellent career, all with the Expos/Nationals from 2003-07.  He also appeared briefly for the Mariners in 2010 before deciding to retire.

After enjoying our chat with fellow Fullerton alum Christian Colon, Chad reached out because he loves chatting with baseball fans.  We were thrilled to host him.  Chad was generous with his time and gave thoughtful answers to questions.  Read the transcript of the Chad Cordero chat here.

Since MLBTR readers have enjoyed our chats with MLB players, I’ll keep trying to line them up!  If you’re a current or former MLB player who would like to participate, please send us an email.  It only takes an hour, and you get to choose which questions you publish and answer!

Read The Transcript Of Dan Straily’s Chat With MLBTR Readers

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Dan Straily has put together an accomplished career as a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball as well as Korea Baseball Organization.  Straily is an eight-year MLB veteran of the A’s, Cubs, Astros, Reds, Marlins, and Orioles.  He finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 and has made at least 23 starts in four separate MLB seasons.  Straily won 14 games in 2016 with the Reds and tied for the NL lead with 33 starts for the Marlins in ’17.  He’s been on the other end of trades involving Jeff Samardzija, Dexter Fowler, and Luis Castillo, among others.

Over the past two seasons, Straily has started 62 games for the Lotte Giants of KBO with a fine 3.22 ERA, and he’s now a free agent who is free to talk to MLB teams.  You can follow Dan on Twitter @danstraily67.  Dan also runs the excellent Journeyman Podcast along with Ben Fleming.  Follow the podcast @journeyman_pod on Twitter, and listen to it on Apple Podcasts here.

Today, we proudly hosted Dan for a live chat with MLBTR readers.  Click here to read the transcript.  We’ve got several more chats coming up with MLB players, so be on the lookout!  And if you’re a current or former MLB player who would enjoy chatting with the readers of this site, drop us a line through our contact form.  It’s an easy, fun one-hour experience and you get to choose the questions you answer.

Read The Christian Colón Chat Transcript

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Former MLB infielder Christian Colón joined MLBTR readers in a live chat today.  Click here to read the transcript.

Christian is a big fan of this website and he had a good time chatting!  MLBTR congratulates him on his retirement.  If you’re a current or former MLB player and you’d be interested in holding a one-hour live chat with our readers, please send us a message through our contact form.

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