Take a few minutes to read the terrific responses that Kihle provided for our questions today. Feel free to discuss or ask questions in the Comments below.
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Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Kansas, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players?
Daniel Kihle (DK): I used to go to Opening Day with my dad and his work friends every year to the Royals games in Kansas City, but actually my favorite team to follow when I was young was the Arizona Diamondbacks because I really sat and watched my first World Series in 2001 when they won it. I remember watching Randy Johnson pitching and thought he was amazing so I followed him from that point on.
SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports?
DK: I would say some of the better memories would be my freshman year when I got to pitch the first game of regional, and we ended up winning because our first baseman hit a huge home run in the last inning to win! The other great memory was my junior season when we were the first team in our school’s history to finish with a perfect record through the regular season.
SS: You grew up less than 25 miles from Wichita State. I know you had other offers, but was it an easy decision to sign and play for the Shockers?
DK: Yes, it was very easy to make that decision. I grew up watching a lot of their games, and I always told my dad I was going to play for the Shockers one day. At the time (when I was 10) I don't really think we were serious. As time went on, it became more of a reality that I could end up playing on that field. When I got the offer, I didn't hesitate to commit right away!
SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your college years?
DK: The biggest highlight was my freshman year when we lost the first game of conference tournament and then won the next 5 or 6 games in a row and made it to a regional. It was awesome being a part of a team that pulled together and found a way to win no matter what happened. We came from behind every game I believe. It was a blast!
SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? Did you have any idea where in the draft you might be selected? What was your interaction with the Twins scout?
DK: Yes I did speak to some before the draft. No, I did not really have any clue where I would be drafted. I spoke with JR DeMercurio quite a few times before the draft, and then he called me right after I was selected.
SS: The Twins took you in the 18th round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment?
I was out on a boat at Table Rock Lake in Missouri the day that I got drafted. I was swimming around the boat just hanging out when I heard my phone go off. It was my head coach from Wichita State, Todd Butler, congratulating me on being drafted. I answered and then got another call from JR and had to switch lines and that is when I found out I was drafted to the Twins. My phone was pretty busy! I tried to respond to everyone's phone calls and texts, but I am sure I didn't get to them all. It was an exciting time.
SS: What was the adjustment like for you, from the amateur/college game to the professional game, both on and off the field?
DK: The biggest adjustment was just playing every day. In college, we get at least two days off per week so your body and mind has time to recover and get ready for the next series. I think we got three days off this whole summer. It was just a big learning experience on how to keep your mind and body ready every day. It was also strange being that far away from home and paying rent to live in a small apartment off the back of someone's house. It was all new to me!
SS: You put up solid numbers at E-Town in your pro debut last summer, walking quite a bit and showing good power. Having had time to look back, how do you feel about how you played?
DK: I feel like I did pretty well this summer. I started out really rough, but was pleased at how I adjusted the last half of the season and learned how I needed to play. Jeff Reed taught me a lot this summer and really helped me get better every day.
SS: At this stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths?
DK: I would say I am pretty good at letting go of what happened yesterday so I can just focus on what I need to do today. It is very hard to play a game if you are worried about making up for your bad game the day before. It is also hard to forget about a good game that you had the day before. Sometimes they make a player get too confident and then they don't work as hard as they need to. It is very important to keep an even head no matter what is going on.
SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve?
DK: I need to improve all aspects of my game. I wouldn't say that any area of my game is at a point that I don't need to improve it. I need to continue to improve my all-around game to help the Twins any way possible
SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career?
DK: My parents are my biggest help no doubt. They believed in me from a young age and never gave up on me. They always pushed me to play better and improve my skills, but they were always there to cheer me on along the way. My college coaches really helped me understand the level of baseball that I can and should be playing at and pushed me to get there. They are a big reason to why I got the opportunity to play professional baseball.
SS: How has your offseason been? What do you do when you’re not playing baseball?
DK: My off season has been good! I have spent a lot of time deer and duck hunting. Pretty much every day I would go out if I had to opportunity! I love getting away from everything and go sit in a tree stand or duck blind and just watch the animals.
SS: At what point did you start your preparation for the 2016 season?
DK: I took a few weeks off after Instructs and then started lifting a lot. I started running and hitting a few weeks after.
SS: Favorite baseball movie?
DK: The Rookie!
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A Big Thank You to Daniel Kihle for taking time to answer our questions. Best wishes to him in 2016! Feel free to ask questions or leave thoughts below.
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