Tuesday, March
9, 2010
Spring Training
Q&A:
Twins Outfield
Prospect Michael Harrington
Scroll down for my reaction
to the Joe Nathan news…
The Twins selected Michael Harrington out of the College
of Charleston in 2008. He went to Elizabethton and played well. He moved up to Beloit
in 2009 and struggled at the start of the season, and yet, he was one of the
organization’s leaders in doubles. He should move up to Ft. Myers to start the
2010 season. On a side note, Michael
actually returned these responses last week. On Sunday night, I got a message
from him asking to change one word in his response to Question #2. He said that
I could change the word “girlfriend” to “fiancé.” So a huge
congratulations to Michael and his fiancé.
Here is today’s Q&A with
Twins left-handed pitcher, Michael
Harrington. (To see all previous SethSpeaks.net Q&As,
click here)
(and feel free to leave
questions or comments here)
…Let the Questions Begin!
SethSpeaks: Now that you’ve had a few months to look back and reflect,
what are your thoughts on your 2009 season?
Michael Harrington: The 2009 season was disappointing, however, I learned a
lot and I'm going to take that and use it for this upcoming season.
SethSpeaks: What do you do when you’re not playing baseball or
working out in preparation for the upcoming season?
Michael Harrington: My fiancé and I like to spend time with our dogs, a golden
retriever and Pomeranian/poodle mix. I also enjoy playing the guitar and piano.
I worked at a golf course in the area as a caddy until early December and had a
good time out there.
SethSpeaks: When did you start getting ready for the 2010 season, and
what was your routine?
Michael Harrington: I started working out pretty much right when I got back.
With my work schedule I had to be flexible with getting in the gym, but I got
in there as much as I could. Once I quit working in December I was able to
focus much more on training and baseball specific things.
SethSpeaks: What are your
goals for the 2010 season? Where would you like to play, and are there any
statistics that you are looking to improve?
Michael
Harrington:
A fault of mine last year was consistency,
or lack thereof. At times I was able to put things together and do decent;
however, I need my performance to be much more consistent. My goal coming out
of spring training is to advance a level and start in Ft. Myers.
SethSpeaks: What does spring training mean for you, and what are you
looking forward to this year?
Michael
Harrington:
I think for most of us it's trying to find
a rhythm. When we're working out in the off season many of us are just facing BP
pitchers and don't get a lot of chances to face live pitching. Early on,
especially, we're working on timing and feeling comfortable again.
SethSpeaks: Who was your
favorite player to watch when you were growing up?
Michael
Harrington:
I can't remember having a
"favorite" player. I was always drawn towards the blue collar type
players. Guys like Mark Grace, Craig Biggio, Cal
Ripken Jr., etc.
SethSpeaks: What team did you grow up watching and cheering for?
Michael Harrington: Being from Iowa, most people rooted for the Cubs, White
Sox, Twins, Royals, Cardinals. My family and I were
big Twins fans.
SethSpeaks: What were your thoughts around the draft and after being
drafted by the Twins?
Michael Harrington: Because of my family and I being Twins fans already,
being drafted by them was pretty awesome. I went through the draft and the
processes that go into it my junior year, so I kind of knew what to expect my
senior year.
SethSpeaks: Best thing of career in baseball?
Michael Harrington: Some of my best friendships have been made from my first
couple years of pro ball. We have some great guys in this organization. Another
is being paid to play a game that we've all been playing since we were little.
SethSpeaks: Toughest thing of career in baseball?
Michael Harrington: It isn't easy being away from your home/family for half
of the year. The living we make right now isn't too lucrative, but we all have
the same dream of one day making it.
SethSpeaks: Funniest story in your minor league career?
Michael Harrington: Last season a couple guys got pranked
thinking they got caught with a tobacco product. That whole situation gave us
all a good laugh.
SethSpeaks: What would it mean to make your big league debut?
Michael
Harrington:
It would mean that all my hard work had
gotten me to where I wanted to be. It's what I think about every day when I'm
training.
With that, I wish a huge “Thank you” to Michael Harrington for his
time and responses to all the questions. If you would like, you can e-mail me, or feel free to leave
your comments here.