An exclusive player interview with Drew Sutton

Over at the NLB, Dave is cranking out some great material thus far. Today, a post dropped that is a sign of things to come.

Dave sat down with Drew Sutton; former Cincinnati Red and current Boston Red Sox player. I still remember the night that Sutton hit the grand slam home run he speaks of in the interview. Here are some highlights:

What’s one thing that most people don’t know about Drew Sutton?

I have insecurities just as much as a high school or college player does which people wouldn’t think cause I’ve made it to the big leagues.  All guys have insecurities, we just hide it well.  There are days when I go into the cage before the game and feel horrible and think to myself “Oh man, it’s gonna be a long day.” You just have to go into the game with whatever swing you have and make the most of it.

The trick is to not have your confidence be based on how you’re playing, but based on knowing how you can play.

What’s the best advice you’ve heard on hitting a curveball?
Dusty Baker was my manager with the Reds and he said that when he was coming up to the big leagues he couldn’t figure out how to hit a curveball.  One day he was watching ESPN and Rod Carew talking about hitting a curveball. Carew said that when you hit a curveball, you have to hit it with an imagination. You can’t hit a curveball where you see it, you have to hit it where it’s going. After Dusty heard that, he started hitting breaking balls a lot better.

Way to bring it strong, Dave. I love the answer Sutton gives about Dusty Baker describing how he learned to hit a curveball. I’ve never heard it described that way (then again, I’ve never had Major League instruction either) but if you think about it, that’s what it’s like.

Dave is down in Florida for Spring Training as we speak. Check out Next Level Ballplayer for more of the same in-depth stuff. Or give him a follow on twitter.