Frisco RoughRiders: Media Day Painted An Optimistic Picture

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The Frisco RoughRiders hosted their annual Media Day today. Players and coaches were made available for interviews and pictures. In talking to the RoughRiders staff and players, you could easily see that there was an optimistic outlook on the coming season. One look at the roster could assure those thoughts.

The event started off with RoughRiders manager Joe Mikulik speaking with several members of the media. Right from the start, it was easy to see that the Skipper was truly passionate about his players. He made a comment on Yohander Mendez and his family, who are in Venezuela. “My heart goes out to his family,” the Skipper said. This was in regards to the hardships that Mendez’s family is facing in their home country.

Mikulik’s passion for his players clearly comes from the deep passion he has for his family. When asked what he thought about returning to the RoughRiders for a third-straight season, the Skipper’s face lit up. “Family is important,” he told the media crowd. He commented on how being close to his nearby family was wonderful. The Skipper’s family values extend to his players, as he discussed when their families visit Dr. Pepper Park in Frisco.

“I tell them to let me know when your family is in town,” Mikulik told the press. As he was discussing setting lineups, he wanted to ensure someone didn’t ride the bench when their loved ones made a special trip to see them play. The RoughRiders manager told the crowd a story of when he was a player, and his family

1 / 4 was in town. “Several family members came to watch me (play). When they all piled into the stadium, I was on the bench.” Mikulik laughed as he remembered the story.

It was straight to business, shortly after the small talk and introductions. Catcher Jose Trevino was the largest topic of discussion. Entering this season, Trevino is ranked as the No. 7 prospect in the organization, by MLB.com. Last season, Trevino was named the Tom Grieve Minor League Player of the Year. Mikulik believes Trevino will have another successful season.

[Blake]

When discussing Trevino, the Skipper made one point very clear: Trevino is a leader in the clubhouse. Mikulik is also looking to get 100 games under Trevino’s belt this season. “Without me even appointing a captain, he (Trevino) came into my office today, and, you know, already started,” the RoughRiders manager told the media. “Every once in a while, you’ll find guys that will lead (in the Minors). But he takes it to the next level,” Mikulik added.

When it was time for Trevino to talk with the media, his leadership qualities shined. He was asked what the most important responsibility of a catcher was. “To take care of my ,” he quickly replied. He spoke of controlling the tempo, slowing down a rattled pitcher, and visiting the mound. “I want to make sure we are all on the same page when I go to the mound,” Trevino told reporters. Mikulik even commented how Trevino would “probably save Shouse (RoughRiders pitching ) a lot of visits to the mound” with his ability to work with in-game.

“I look at (Jonathan) Lucroy in the big leagues, and he’s that guy,” Mikulik stated about Trevino. It’s clear that the coaching staff and the pitchers are happy to have Trevino. He brings a lot to the table, and could easily be a key factor in bringing a Championship to the Frisco RoughRiders.

The RoughRiders Opening Day starter made his way to the media crowd next. Connor Sadzeck has locked in his career-first Opening Day start. He stands at 6’ 7” and weighs in at 240 lbs. Sadzeck is large built, and fast throwing. Right out of the gate, Sadzeck was questioned on his mix of pitches. “I’m going to be throwing my two-seamer more. Actually, (Same) Dyson told me I should throw it more,” he told the crowd. When asked about his secondary pitches, the talks got detailed.

Sadzeck stated that his curve was his best secondary pitched. He stated that he is focused on keeping it as close to a 12-6 rotation as possible. The focus for left-to-right movement would be on his slider. It’s clear that Sadzeck learned a lot from his second Spring Training with the Texas Rangers.

2 / 4 “In your first camp, your kind of star struck. In your second camp, you're ready to work,” Sadzeck stated. And it appears he learned a lot. When pitching coach Brian Shouse spoke on Sadzeck, it was all about command. The RoughRiders pitching coach will work with Sadzeck on getting the correct placement of all his pitches. The fastball will be their main focus though.

I asked Brian Shouse about Sadzeck throwing his two-seamer more. “He has to trust his stuff,” Shouse told me. “It’s the mental part of the game that we want to focus on.”

I couldn’t help but ask Shouse about Sadzeck’s size. It’s no question that he’s huge. “His size intimidates batters. And it doesn’t hurt that he can throw 95 (miles per hour),” Shouse commented. I did ask if Sadzeck’s size causes any setbacks in what Shouse is able to teach or coach him through.

“Well, I have to tell him not to stand right on top of the mound when I go out for a visit,” Shouse laughingly told me.

[Blake]

It was clear that Shouse was making every move necessary to ensure that Sadzeck was getting the proper coaching and workouts needed to improve his command. Shouse commented on how well Sadzeck took direction and coaching. He also made mention of how well the 25-year-old pitcher worked in-between starts.

The final interview of the day was with Juremi Profar. He is the younger brother of Texas Rangers’ Jurickson Profar. This 21-year-old has made quite an impression on the RoughRiders manager. “I’ve seen him play some nice third base.”

When I spoke with Profar, he stated that third base as his favorite position. However, he was quick to mention his versatility. “I’ll play wherever they need me,” he stated. Profar mentioned that other than third, second base was his next favorite position.

Profar is coming into the 2017 season focused on the basics. He wants to focus on getting hits and not letting his defense down. Last season, Profar managed only one per 9.04 plate appearances. That’s a phenomenal number that he looks to build on.

Defensively, he is well-rounded. Much like his older brother. Last season, he spent time at all three bags. RoughRiders fans could very well see much of the same kind of positional changes from several players. “Expect to see a mix of lineups,” the RoughRiders Skipper told the media. “Whatever you see Thursday night will not be the set lineup.” Mikulik was adamant about coaching players to be able to move across multiple positions.

3 / 4 The coaching staff seemed extremely optimistic about the roster going into the season. With the caliber of talent that Frisco has, I don’t blame them. This team is definitely built with high-level potential. Once the 2017 season is underway, we will truly see what each of these players are made of. One thing is for certain, the Frisco RoughRiders have a solid shot at bringing home the Championship this year.

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