Brian Gump Rises To The (Offspeed) Challenge

Brian Gump's experiences in the minor leagues aren't unique, but rarely are they expressed in a way fans can connect with. Post-game quotes don't capture much feeling, and features on prospects aren't normally on the front page of the sports section. So the 22 year old Phillies prospect took matters into his own hands and began a blog about his first year in professional baseball.

Drafted by the Phillies in the 26th round, the University of California product (Santa Barbara) is currently hitting .326 in the GCL, with 13 RBI under his belt.

He was nice enough to take some time to talk to me:

 

You are excelling at GCL level right now. How are you feeling at the plate? What's working so well for you?

I’m feeling alright at the plate, to be honest I have only felt really hot at the plate for about a one week period since I have been here. I've just been working on staying very focused on each at bat and living in the moment, not worrying about the last at bat or my next. I learned very quickly that I have to be aggressive early in the count because that is when I'm going to get the best pitches to hit, so that is what is working particularly well for me.

What's been the biggest surprise for you in your brief time at the pro level?

That’s a tough one because I have had a number of my friends move on to pro ball before me so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I guess the biggest surprise was the nature of the GCL. I was certainly expecting to be playing night games in front of a small crowd at least. I was under the impression that I was going to be playing short season in the NY/Penn league but at the last minute I got the news I'd be playing down here in instead because they had too many outfielders in Williamsport . I decided to take what could be perceived as a negative and turn it into a positive by looking at it as a challenge, if I can play in the heat and humidity here, I can be comfortable just about anywhere. I really feel like a stronger and more complete player because of my experience here.

The Phillies fan base is intense. Did you have a favorite team growing up? Does that type of fan passion excite you or maybe make you a little nervous?

My team growing up was the California Angels. I continued to be a fan amidst all the name changes and finally got to experience the excitement of a World Series run in 2002. Of course, the minute I got the call from the Phillies my allegiance instantaneously shifted. Honestly, I'm looking forward to moving up the ranks and experiencing and interacting with the Philly fans. I'm not nervous about it at all, I have some pretty lofty expectations for myself and I'm not a very sensitive person when it comes to criticism or pressure, its all about how you receive it. I had a quote of the day a few days ago on the blog, “We may affirm absolutely that nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion" and I certainly believe that the passion that is behind the Phillies organization is one of the main reasons for its success as a classy and winning organization.

Your blog is a way for you to describe the unique experiences of minor league life. What stands out for you so far, in terms of the lifestyle?

 
I think being so close with other guys from different countries stands out the most. I have a lot of fun with the Latin guys and I find it kind of strange, but cool, that we;re all here from such different backgrounds yet we spend more time with each other than our own families. It’s this wacky extended family that I have here, that is so unique I guess.

Who would play you in a movie if this becomes a book?

That is a tough one. I suppose there aren’t a lot of lead red headed actors in Hollywood , and especially not many this ridiculously good looking. Just kidding! The only one that comes to mind is that guy that plays Ron Weasly in the Harry Potter movies. I just looked him up and his name is Rupert Grint, what a great name.

Back to the game: Are you already feeling the difference in the kind of pitching your facing?

Me and some of the guys have talked about this a bit and I would have to say I actually haven’t felt too much of a difference. I played in the Big West in college and that is one of the premier D1 conferences in the country so I consistently saw pretty good pitching. With me being a left handed hitter, I think the biggest difference might be that there are a ton of lefty pitchers here and they will throw their changeup to me. In college, I don’t know if I ever got a changeup from a lefty, so that has introduced a new pitch that I need to be aware of when I’m hitting against lefties. In college I could essentially bet on either a fastball or slider/curve when facing a lefty.

If you have one piece of advice for young players who are not yet pros, what would it be?

I have a ton of advice that I would give, one piece of advice is pretty hard to pick. I think the main messages I would get across to the younger players is to always have a backup plan besides baseball (ie. do well in school because it makes everything that much easier when it comes to playing in college or impressing scouts, when they check your background information, have goals in your life outside of baseball) because you never know when the game will be taken away from you due to injury or whatever other circumstance. Secondly, if it’s your dream to play professional baseball then go after it! Try and do something everyday to get better. I can't tell you how many people laughed at me when I was younger when I told them I was going to be a pro baseball player when I grow up. Always work hard, it will pay off, that applies to anything in life.

"Coaching Brian was easy. It's easy to coach athletes that want to get better and are willing to listen, will buy into what you are saying and work hard at it. When you throw in his athleticism, it's easy to see why and how he has gone from player who wasn't highly recruited out of high school to the type of player he is now. You are right, he is very focused and knows what he wants. But, it's his attitude, his outlook on life and his work ethic that separates him from others. He was raised well from two great parents and that goes a long way into why he is successful."- Bob Brontsema, Brian's college coach