Trenton, New Jersey - Before Game 3 of the Eastern League Championship between the Trenton Thunder and Altoona Curve, Curve outfielder Miles Durham spoke about his highly productive season. Eastern League Manager of the Year Matt Walbeck also spoke about Durham, who finished the regular season hitting .259 with 69 runs batted in. Durham was slated to hit 8th in the lineup, but has been successful hitting in the 4,6, and 7 hole.
Matt Walbeck:
On Durham's Season: He's done a great job for us. He's been very reliable. He's been consistent on and off the field. Defensively he's made great plays for us. His throwing has gotten better. He's gotten some big hits for us. A model of consistency.
On Durham's Need To Cut Down On Strikeouts: His strikeout numbers are a little bit high, but I think over time he'll get better with it and start to recognize breaking pitches better. With that he'll probably cut down on strikeouts.
On His Plate Discipline: Much better and he's gotten better as the season has gone on. He's been able to recognize some breaking balls and lay off some pitches that he probably would have swung at early in the season. He has room for improvement, but he's certainly a big reason why we've been so successful.
On His First Full Season at Double-A: One thing- I think just getting the chance to play everyday, stay healthy...he played football in college and got a late start at baseball, so even though he's 27 now he has less experience than most 27 year old's professionally. It's just a matter of getting out there and playing on a regular basis.
Miles:
Looking Back On 2010: I just came in trying to improve on everything and get closer to being ready to move to the next level.
First Full Season At Double-A Difficulties: The first half of the season was really difficult. I had a rough time with it. I made some adjustments at the break and started seeing the ball better.
Off-Season Focus: Getting bigger and stronger and hopefully playing a little more in the winter. When I played in Hawaii a couple of years ago [it helped me because] everybody there is a pretty good player and you see different kinds of players that you haven't faced in these leagues because they're from teams all over the place. So I hope to do that again.
Comfort With Place In the Lineup: Really doesn't matter as long as I get in there everyday.