1.Who are some of the toughest pitchers you’ve faced so in the Australian Baseball League?
We've only played 5 games so far, so it's a little tough. We faced a left handed reliever on Melbourne- Kazuki Miyata , and he had an awesome slider. It was really late breaking so it was hard to pick up on.
2.Where was your first Australian home run and who was it against?
My first home run was in our third game of the year against Adelaide. It was a 3-2 pitch and I got it pretty good. Our ballpark isn't very deep so when I hit it I knew it was gone.
3.Do you wear batting gloves and do you wear one under your glove when you are fielding?
I wear batting gloves when I hit, but not when I catch. I prefer to feel the glove on my hand.
4.What is the biggest stereotype about Australians?
Tough one, I'm not really sure I've found any about them. Normally it's the Aussie guys making "American" jokes.
5.Favorite thing about Australia is…?
THE BEACHES!
6.What are your goals for the Australian Baseball League?
Get better as a catcher. I'm trying to bring my receiving blocking and throwing up to speed before spring training.
7.Funny story about the Australian Baseball League?
Our third game of the year the announcer called our team onto the field and our starting pitcher wasn't ready yet. We stayed in the bullpen while the whole team was on the field.
8.How far do you think you’ll be up this year?
It's way too early to tell, I just want to go back an compete for an every day job defensively. I DH'd a lot last year and I want to show that I can catch regularly.
9.How have you adjusted to the time change?
I set my phone clock to Brisbane time a few days before I left, and made sure to try and sleep on the plane according to Brisbane time.
10.Projection for the Maple Leafs this season..
Anywhere but last? It's been hard to follow so far because the Internet cuts in and out some times.
11.Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
10 years? I don't know where I'll be next week, 10 years is a long time. I'm focused on shorter term goals.
12.Weirdest thing about the Australians…?
Some of the words they use aren't exactly "okay" in the USA.
13.When do you come back to North America?
Depends on the outcome of the year. Could be as late as February 8 if we win Brisbane its first ever Claxton Shield.
14.Do you live with a host family or do you room with anyone in Australia?
We actually got apartments, so I'm living with Tommy Coyle from my team this year. The other two Rays guys live two doors down.
15.What differences are there between the ABL and the MiLB?
Biggest one for me is the schedule, both over the season and day to day. During the season we play every day, here we play Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Monday only. On game day it's different in that we don't have major locker room facilities here, so we show up, get changed and play. It's much more similar to a college summer ball schedule day to day.
