Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Q&A with Tyler Robertson
Twins Minor League Pitching Prospect
Good morning everyone! I do have thoughts on the Twins series win over the Red Sox and highlights from last night's Twins minor league affiliate's games. Be sure to scroll down the page to see those.
I am really happy to present another Q&A with a Twins minor league prospect. This one is pretty exciting because it is with Tyler Robertson, a left-handed pitcher currently working with the Ft. Myers Miracle. It is exciting because after the 2007 season, I rank Robertson as the #1 prospect in my Top 50 Twins Prospects list. He dropped to #2 when the Twins acquired Deolis Guerra in the Johan Santana trade, but he is still just 20 years old and doing fairly well in the Florida State League.
The Twins drafted Robertson in the 3rd round of the 2006 draft out of his California High School. Check out these numbers. In his senior year, he was the California State Player of the Year as a Utility player. For the season, he went 9-1 with a 0.74 ERA, and he struck out 143 hitters in just 74 innings. He also hit .434 for the season.
To check out the career stats of Tyler Robertson, click here. I think you will enjoy Tyler's responses. (Click here to see previous Q&As)
Let the Questions Begin!
SethSpeaks: Growing up in California, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players?
Tyler Robertson: Randy Johnson
SethSpeaks:
Tell us a little bit about your high school career. Did you play other positions
when you didn’t pitch?
Tyler Robertson: 4 years varsity, 4 times all-league, senior year high school All-American utility player.
SethSpeaks: Did you play other sports or participate in other extracurricular activities?
Tyler Robertson: Baseball, Football and Basketball. Football Quarterback.
SethSpeaks: If you weren’t playing baseball, what would you be doing?
Tyler Robertson: College Football
SethSpeaks: The Twins took you with their 3rd round pick in 2006. Is that about where you were expecting to be drafted.
Tyler Robertson: Yes, I heard I was probably going to go between the 2nd and 4th round.
SethSpeaks: With your dad being a former Twins scout, did you ever get to go to games with him, and what were the dinner table discussions like?
Tyler Robertson: I used to go to games with him every chance I could. We talked about a lot of baseball, pitching mostly.
SethSpeaks: You signed pretty quickly with the Twins and spent the summer with the GCL Twins. How did you feel about that season, and what was the adjustment to playing baseball professionally?
Tyler Robertson: I signed the day after the draft and then took a week at home before I came out to start the GCL. I really enjoyed it. I kind of had an idea of what to expect from talking to people. I loved it. It was even better than I pictured.
SethSpeaks:
Who were/are some of the people who are most instrumental in helping you get to
this point in your career?
Tyler Robertson: Mom and Dad (family), myself, and my high school baseball coach.
SethSpeaks: How would you describe yourself as a pitcher. What would you say are your strengths, and what areas do you feel you need to most improve on as you advance?
Tyler Robertson: I throw four different pitches. Have an idea of when to throw them. Need to work on command and control, keeping a consistent delivery and arm action.
SethSpeaks: When spring training was complete last year, you were to go to Extended Spring Training. So when you were quickly summoned to Beloit, what were you hoping to accomplish last season?
Tyler Robertson: I thought I was going to be in Beloit out of spring training. When I stayed in Extended, I learned a lot and worked hard. My goal when I got to Beloit was to throw like I knew I could and show everyone that's where I belonged in the first place.
SethSpeaks: How much fun was it to play on the Snappers team as it went through the season and into the playoffs and coming up just shy of winning the title?
Tyler Robertson: It was a fun time and great experience.
SethSpeaks: What were some of your goals coming into the 2008 spring training, and what did you do over the offseason to prepare?
Tyler Robertson: Trained real hard in the offseason. My goal is to get better every day and throw the ball like I know I can.
SethSpeaks: What are your goals for the rest of this season?
Tyler Robertson: Keep getting better everyday. Have fun.
SethSpeaks: The Miracle’s starting rotation is pretty impressive with yourself, Manship, Guerra, Burnett and DeVries. Is there good competition between the five of you, or do you push each other and feed off of each other?
Tyler Robertson: It's good competition. We all pull for each other but feed off one another too. If one guy throws good, you always want to one up it your next chance. It's good fun competition.
SethSpeaks:
What are your hobbies away from the baseball field?
Tyler Robertson: Fishing, Shooting guns, working out.
SethSpeaks: Favorite Baseball Movie?
Tyler Robertson: For Love of the Game
SethSpeaks: Favorite Baseball Book?
Tyler Robertson: Three Nights in August
SethSpeaks: What will it be like to put on a Twins uniform for the first time in a regular season game?
Tyler Robertson: The best feeling in the world. A dream come true.
A huge thank you to Tyler Robertson for taking the time to answer all of these questions. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to put them in the comments below, or e-mail me and I will try to get a response. Have a great day!