Article: Q&A With Twins Catching Prospect Mitch Garver

[Seth Stohs]

It has been an interesting 12-13 months for Twins catching prospect Mitch Garver. He’s had some downs, but it has been a series of positives. Although he’s had a busy week, and now is out of the country, he took some time while waiting for his plane on Monday night to answer some questions for Twins Daily.

 

Twins Daily named Mitch Garver its 2014 Minor League Hitter of the Year after he put up big numbers for Cedar Rapids. His efforts earned him an invitation to big league spring training. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where after struggling early, he hit well over the final four months. Well enough that he was invited to participate in the Arizona Fall League. He made a strong impression for Scottsdale and helped his team to the AFL championship. He recently found out that he will again be going to big league spring training with the Twins in 2016.That championship was the end of his baseball season. He was able to start his offseason. He may have been even busier when he got home to Albuquerque. He and his fiancé were married on Saturday. On Sunday night, while sitting through a long layover at a connecting airport, Garver took the time to answer our questions about his 2015 season.

 

 

Seth Stohs (SS): How did you find out about getting the spring training invite? How quickly did you accept that??

 

Mitch Garver (MG): I woke up on a random day in the middle of December and I had a missed call from a Minnesota area code phone number. I called the number back and Terry Ryan answered the phone. I of course was a little embarrassed that I slept through a phone call from my general manager. He ended up inviting me to ML camp and I immediately accepted.

SS: What was that experience like for you, being in the big league clubhouse and working with the players and coaches?

 

MG: When I first walked in the clubhouse I was quite shy and didn’t want to do anything wrong to upset the major leaguers. After a week or so they made me feel very comfortable going about my own business. Torii Hunter was a huge presence in the clubhouse. He introduced himself to me and wanted to know who I was and I thought that was a really cool experience.

SS: You had a slow start the first two months in Ft. Myers, but something seemed to click for you about June 1st and you hit well after that. What was that adjustment to the Florida State League like for you, and was there a moment where you felt things turned to the positive for you?

 

MG: For me, this season was a good learning experience, but on September 7^th when the season ended, I flushed it and started working towards 2016. Defensively I had a really good year and I learned a lot about controlling a bullpen and starting rotation. Offensively I failed to make an adjustment early in the year and I lost the sense of who I was as a hitter. I was searching for answers and I found success in a few at-bats in late June, but by then the season was only salvageable by my standards.

SS: What were your thoughts when you got the invite to the Arizona Fall League? What were your hopes going into the Fall League?

 

MG: My manager Jeff Smith called me into his office one day and asked if I would be interested in playing in the Arizona Fall League. Obviously I knew this league was very prestigious and I had known players who had been invited in previous years so I was excited. I also saw it as an opportunity to redeem my horrible 2015. I knew that I had to play and show well in Arizona to continue climbing levels in the Twins organization. I ended up playing a very good month of baseball while learning a ton of new information along the way. It was all I could have hoped the AFL to be and more (oh yeah, and we won a championship).

SS: Now that the AFL season is complete, you won a championship, and have had a little time away from it, what was the experience like there, and did you learn anything about yourself through it?

 

MG: The major theme I pulled from the AFL is that there are a ton of extremely talented baseball players in the world, and I can compete with them. Sometimes in baseball you can lose confidence in yourself, which makes the game even more difficult than it already is. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Arizona. I played with awesome teammates in an amazing stadium during the best time of the year as far as weather is concerned. It’s also very fun to expand your horizons on the baseball players in the MiLB. I loved meeting new people, facing some of the best players in the minors right now, and competing at the highest level to win baseball games.

SS: What's the plan for the rest of the offseason? How long before you start getting into baseball activities?

 

MG: I am currently answering these questions in the Salt Lake City airport during hour three of my five-hour layover. I am answering these questions sitting next to my fiancée wife because we were married on the 19^th of December. We are in the airport because we are flying to our honeymoon in the Bahamas. We had an amazing wedding with the best friends and family that we could afford on our minor league budget. When I get back to Albuquerque it will be to focus on a big year in 2016.

I will also be attending Twins Fest and I cannot wait for this awesome experience. Minneapolis in late January is not exactly the most appealing vacation destination, but it will be worth it to meet and greet with fellow teammates and fans. Before I know it, I’ll be in Fort Myers getting ready to compete for a spot!

 

Congratulations to Mitch Garver on another solid season in 2015, a nice run in the Arizona Fall League and his wedding! Thank you for taking time to answer these questions!

 

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[glunn]

Great article, Seth.  Mitch sounds like he has a great mindset.  I hope that he continues to work hard enough to advance.

[scottz]

No picture of the wife?

[Seth Stohs]

 

No picture of the wife?

 

Not that I'd share... Sorry!

[TRex]

Wow, what a thoughtful, well-spoken young man!

 

I hope the beginning of the 2015 season wasn't too hard on him, because I personally think that having to struggle through a difficult season is really important for prospect development, especially for those in the top 15-30 range.

[diehardtwinsfan]

yeah, I have to say that I like his attitude. I particularly like how he's free to admit his struggles/failure early on, how he remedies it, and then says that it as only 'salvageable by his standards'  He doesn't strike me as someone who will be content to be just average.

 

Good luck to him. I think he's probably the best catching prospect in the system right now.

[Mike Sixel]

At first I was scared he was Joe Benson like, with the beating up of himself for his start. But I don't think that's how I read it when I re-read it. Seems like a pretty smart guy. Good luck to him.

[ashbury]

No picture of the wife?

I found this online without having to search very hard, so I don't see a problem if I post it. Congrats to the happy couple!