Here is the interview with Cincinnati Reds prospect and Pensacola Blue Wahoos RHP Michael Lorenzen that Randy Young did for us when the Blue Wahoos came through Chattanooga and he covered the series for us. Big thanks go out to both Randy and Michael for taking the time to do this.
All right, we’re talking with Michael Lorenzen. We’ve got a number of questions that the readers at RedsMinorLeagues.com have come up with, as well as myself. We’re just gonna shoot them here and get his responses. First off, what drew you to baseball?
I grew up in a baseball family, three older brothers that play baseball, so my three older brothers play baseball. One of them got drafted out of high school in the 14th round as a pitcher, and so I’ve been playing since I was 3 years old, I think.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I did not. My parents wouldn’t let me. They just felt I had a gift for baseball and so they just said stick with baseball?
It probably helped to have a dad and brother that played baseball, too, then, right?
Yeah, it definitely did. They kept me playing catch with my oldest brother, who got drafted, and I would egg him on to throw harder and throw harder. He’d get mad and pop me, and so they saw I had a chance…
All right, well take us through your transition from a top-notch college outfielder to a top-notch minor league starting pitcher? It’s quite a process.
Yeah, it’s a process. One of the biggest changes was changing my passion from playing a position to pitching, and I just kind of, the passion that I had to hit every day and to play centerfield every day turned into a passion to want to work on my craft as a pitcher and just kind of knowing that that’s what the Lord wants for me, it’s definitely helped out, so able to commit to that 100%.
Well, I saw you hit BP and you still got it.
Yeah, yeah, I still take it seriously when I hit, because I know it can help me out.
Oh, absolutely, being in the National League, that can come into play a lot and be a real handy tool. All right, now you had mentioned when we talked before about how the Reds had drafted you and had plans for you, really pushed you through the system really quick, so kind of go through the process of what they were thinking, what they did, and some of the things that took place when you were becoming a starting pitcher.
Yeah, I think they wanted to rush me a little bit as a bullpen guy, and then they saw that I had the athleticism to be a starting pitcher and they wanted to try it out, and I think it’s kind of been a bit of a surprise to everyone with how well I’ve taken on to it, so I think they’re really loving it, and now they’re just gonna, kind of ease me into the starting role now instead of rushing me so much, they’re just gonna, “All right, well, you’re doing pretty good, so we’re not gonna rush anything anymore; we’re just gonna let you keep on developing”.
How did you take it when you first really understood that the Reds were gonna go ahead and make that conversion to starting pitching?
At first, you know, it was a struggle, because I really wanted to play outfield still, so it was a little bit of a struggle, and I was kind of praying for God’s will, and obviously He wanted me to pitch, but in the back of my mind I didn’t want to pitch and I was fighting against it and, you know, Bill Bavasi (Vice President of Player Development) called me during the winter meetings and said, “Hey, we just want you to pitch. We’ve talked about it.” And so it was kind of that moment, where I was like, “All right God, if this is what You want me to do, I’m gonna do this. I’m gonna commit to it.” And ever since then it’s taken off.
Now, Tony Fossas (Dayton Dragons pitching coach), did you say, had a little bit of an influence in that?
Yeah, Tony Fossas, he was one of the guys who said he thinks I should be a starter, and he thinks that I have the ability to be a starter.
Big, strong athletic guys, you can just thrive in that role, so I guarantee that’s part of the process, what they were thinking. When did you know you that were good at baseball?
Ever since I picked one up, I guess, I don’t know. Just playing with my brothers and keeping up and playing whiffle ball with them.
You mentioned when we talked before that you had some really rough years as a teenager. If you don’t mind, tell us a little about it and what caused the change?
I didn’t grow up in a Christian family and so, you know, my three older brothers were pretty crazy growing up and were into a lot of trouble, and so I kind of really couldn’t wait to be their age when I was young so I could do all the stuff that they were doing. So , once I got to high school, it was my turn. So I got into a little bit of trouble, started drinking, started smoking weed, and started doing just stupid stuff, hanging out with the wrong people. And the way I explain it is I had my purpose on the baseball field, but outside of the baseball field I didn’t know what I was. And so it was tough. I felt like I had to fit in, and I felt like I deserved stuff because I was good at baseball. That was kind of the tough times. And growing up, when I was younger, my dad left when I was really young, but I still keep in contact with him. He still follows everything that I do and is constantly praising me for everything that’s going on, and he’s proud of me. But, so yeah, I was on the pier, at the beach at Homecoming, and we were high, and some guy was evangelizing on the pier and prayed for us there, and the Holy Spirit convicted me, and ever since, I went to church with my brother that next Monday night and gave my life to the Lord then.
And your brother had been a Christian at that time then?
Yeah, yeah, he had been seeking and seeking and seeking and, you know, he had given his life to the Lord just recently, and so me and him went to church together.
What are the top priorities in your life right now?
Top priorities, well definitely my relationship with the Lord is number one and just growing with that, and everything else kind of…that’s the foundation of everything that I do, and so that, and then right now is just being a good teammate and getting better at my craft and just kind of really focusing on it, being really detailed with everything that I do so I can get better.
So do you feel that baseball can be a platform for you then? Have you thought about that?
Yeah, definitely. It’s funny, because one time, after I gave my life to the Lord, I was in the shower actually, and I called my brother in the bathroom and I said, “Matt, get in here.” He was like, “What?”. I was like, “God just showed me why I play baseball.” And he’s like, “Why?” I’m like, “Because it’s a platform to share the gospel.” Because I knew I was really good, you know, I knew I had a future in baseball, and so I knew that, you know, I didn’t play this game for myself anymore. I didn’t play it to make a bunch of money. I play it to spread the gospel and give people hope and be a good role model.
Tell us a little bit about your website and your blog you have started.
Yeah, it started out with just text messages trying to help high school kids, help them get into the Word and show them what I’m doing and just kind of encourage them that someone else, you know, that they look up to gets into the Word every day and opens up the Bible and reads it. And, you know, it kind of grew really fast, where my list was like a hundred people. And so, what happened is I just started this website so I could post it on there and people can, it’s easier access. And, I post it on Twitter and it’s InfectedAthletes.com. The message behind it is just we’ve all been infected by sin and the cure is Christ and so, yeah, it’s just whatever I’m reading, whatever I’m studying at the time, I just kind of post what I learn and how we can apply it. The challenge is to apply it. Yeah, we can all read, we can all acknowledge a God, but the challenge, like I said, is applying the Word and living it out.
So you’ve got the right perspective, and I applaud you for that big-time. All right, tell us the story of when you met Jose Abreu of the White Sox, then with the Cuban National team, how you met, what happened in the room, and all that stuff. Where was it at and all that?
Yeah, we were trading stuff with the Cuban National team and we ended up going into that room. In Cuba, I tried to get one of his bats, tried to trade, so we tried it again in the Netherlands, and we went into this room and there were two security guards in his room making sure that we didn’t and that nobody left and it was pretty serious. You know, I was trying to ask them, “Hey, which one of you is leaving (defecting from Cuba)? Who’s leaving? Is one of you leaving?” And no one would tell me. We were all interested. I mean, all the scouts were in the Netherlands there and it wasn’t to watch the National team, it was to watch the Cuban team. So Abreu ended up signing from that team and yeah, he was the guy that loved to hit the ball the opposite way and we tried to pitch him in as much as could and, you know, it looks like he’s making some pretty good adjustments.
Tell us the story, it’s an awesome story, of Carlos Contreras, your roommate, getting the call-up to the Reds. I guess he didn’t have a phone and so, let’s hear the whole story, because it’s just a great story.
Yeah, I guess the call wasn’t going through to his phone, so Delino called me and I was taking my dog out for a walk, and we were just gonna go back up to the apartment and he called me and I looked and saw Delino DeShields and was like, “Man, why is he calling me at this time? ” I got kind of excited myself. And so, I answered it and he asked for CC and I was like, “Aww.” And so, I was like, “Is he going to the big leagues?” And he said, “Yes, sir!”. I was like, that’s awesome. So I ran up and said, “CC, there’s someone on the phone that wants to talk to you.” CC was playing a video game with the help of some Overwatch sites where you can get your boost now. He was playing Reds vs. the Blue Jays.
I hope he was beating the Blue Jays.
That’s who he pitched against.
Oh, that is bizarre, that’s a cool little twist to the story…that’s right, he did (major league debut). So, how did he react?
So, he gets the phone. Delino was messing around with him in Spanish a little bit, so he didn’t know who it was, and then finally I heard Delino say, “CC, it’s Delino. You’re going to the big leagues.” And CC goes, “Who, me?!?” Like a little kid, like a 10-year-old and Delino goes, “Yeah.” And he goes, “Cincinnati? I’m going to Cincinnati?” And Delino was like, “Yeah you’re going to the Grande League, CC.” And he was like, “Oh, my God.” And so he ended up jumping up and down and, you know, it was awesome. It was probably the best moment of his life, you know, besides giving his life to the Lord, you know, and it was definitely the best moment of my life, just watching him. I hope my reaction is just as good, that’s what I tell everyone, because his was priceless.
And you said he was kind of jumping up and down, hitting the ceiling even, or something?
Yeah, I recorded it on his iPad too. I instantly grabbed his iPad and started recording him just so he can have that memory for the rest of his life.
You mentioned that you work out with other major league pitchers during the off-season. Tell us how that came about and how that has helped your progress.
Yeah, being with the Scott Boras agency, he has a facility in southern California. He tries to give us as many resources as possible, and that’s one of the things that he has done to where guys like Jered Weaver, Gerrit Cole, James Paxton, and just a ton of other guys go there and work out like five to six days a week, and we play catch, and just being able to pick their brains and, you know, they know that that’s why they’re there too, to talk to us younger guys, so they kind of take us under their wing and teach us as much as they can. You know, being able to go throw bullpens together, watching everything that they do. You know, it built my foundation. I didn’t know what I was doing last year. Now I have a pretty good feel for what I’m doing on the mound and, you know, so that’s just the biggest part is just building that foundation and letting it move from there.
That’s cool, yeah. I know that Travis Wood works out with Cliff Lee in Little Rock, because being part of my life in Arkansas, I hear a lot about Travis Wood. Anybody from Arkansas, we’re rooting for. And he told me that he works out with Cliff Lee, and this is right after Cliff Lee won the Cy Young too. That’s awesome. So that’s pretty cool. I mean, you’re just like a sponge, just kind of glean it all in from those guys.
Exactly.
All right, and these are some questions from the readers: With the lack of starting pitching experience, what has been the biggest thing that you’ve had to work on in your transition?
Just repeating everything, really.
Repeating your delivery?
Repeating my delivery, figuring out what kind of pitcher I am, you know, what my strikeout pitch is, what I like to go to in certain counts, and really just kind of a lot of stuff that kind of all comes together. I’m not like focused on just one thing, but it all, just through experience, it comes together and so, you know, one of the biggest things is that foundation that I was able to build. And now that it’s built, everything’s kind of working a lot easier, a lot better.
Yeah, a lot smoother. And you were mentioning that, of all your pitches, you feel confident in every single one of them.
Really confident. I could tell anyone. They’ve all, I think they’re all really good.
Any one, anytime, any situation.
Anytime, any situation, I don’t care.
And that’s the development of pitching. And I want to, just on a side note, you know, I pitched a little in high school, and I’m definitely not at your level, but you know I was noticing just some things that you were doing that were up and above just learning how to pitch. I mean, you were doing slide steps, I saw that, and you don’t see younger pitchers doing that, especially when they’re first learning. Your pick-off move looked real good. You were fielding the position well, moving quick off the mound, and you were mixing up a variety of pitches, and you weren’t just relying on the fast ball. I mean, there was a great balance with all your off-speed stuff. So, that shows me that you are a pitcher, not just a thrower.
Exactly. I think that’s one of the things that I want to do. A lot of people are throwers and then, at a later time, they’re like, “I finally learned how to pitch, and that’s why I got better.” I still want to be a thrower that can pitch. You know, it’s easy to kind of get into this pitching mentality to where my fastball becomes an average fastball rather than above-average fastball, so there’s the balance that you need to find where I’m a thrower that can pitch still.
Yeah, definitely, because we’ve seen the transformation in Johnny Cueto. He was just a thrower. He could get up to 98, but I’ve seen him throw 88-mile-an-hour cutters and, yeah, you know, he can reach back when he needs to and he has a variety of pitches. His slider is so much better than it used to be, and it made him one of the top…they think he’ll make the All-Star team this year, even though he hasn’t racked up as many wins, per se, as some of the other guys, like Wainwright.
Yeah, he definitely should be an All-Star.
What are you working on that is the greatest challenge for you?
Well recently, actually just yesterday, watching video and stuff. I’m really trying to, talking to Riggins, our (pitching) coordinator, trying to use my legs a little more in my delivery, and I tried something yesterday and it felt amazing, amazing.
Just something you were trying out?
Yeah.
Because this is the time to try things out.
Exactly, exactly, so I did it in the bullpen today and, man, it felt amazing.
Do you care to disclose what that is, or do you want to keep it secret.
No, it’s just creating a little torque with my lower half, and so, I don’t know, it’s a little hard to explain, but I’m just able to use my legs a little more.
Thinking about your legs, thinking drive from your legs more than anything.
I believe the ball’s coming out of my hand a lot better, a lot less stress on my arm. You know, I haven’t had any arm trouble at all this whole season, so that’s good. You know, playing catch yesterday, I felt like I could pitch in a game yesterday.
Wow, after one day off.
Yeah.
Well, if you get a chance, watch Tom Seaver. Watch some old video of Tom Seaver. He was a National League pitcher, pitched for the Mets and pitched for the Reds in ’77 you will notice he drove with his legs so much that you could see a dirt patch on his knee, he drop and drove and used his legs that much. I’m not gonna say that’s something you want to do, but that’s another pitcher that, top-notch Cy Young winner, threw a no-hitter with the Reds, and somebody to look for as far…he would be an excellent role model.
Yeah, well I’m learning a lot, too, about short stride and long stride. I’m a short stride type pitcher. I have a long torso, short legs, and so I stab the ball and, you know, looking at someone who throws like me is Latos kind of, so I texted him and like, “Hey, you use short stride. I noticed that. Why is it?”
Aaron Harang did a short stride too.
Aaron Harang, Cliff Lee, Verlander, I did all my research on short stride, long stride, if it’s okay, and so…yeah, a lot of the time it kind of doesn’t look like I’m using my legs, because you’re a short-strider, but I definitely can get a little more out of it.
What is your favorite secondary pitch to throw and how do you feel your secondary pitches are improving?
I like both my changeup and slider, I really do. I like them both the same, I don’t know. I like both of them a lot.
And you like to see how it really affects the hitters, because I ‘ve heard, you know, even working with my pitchers in high school, when I was a high school coach, is it’s not about trying to blow people away, it’s about throwing their timing off.
Yeah, exactly, just missing barrels, missing barrels, so that second pitch of the game I do a changeup to Schebler (Lookout outfielder), and I told you I was going to do it, and he swung it out of his shoes right over the pitch. I knew it. I told our catcher, “Second pitch of the game we’re going changeup.” So, you know, I like throwing them both.
Oh yeah, now does yours’ (changeup) have some dip and dive to it a little bit? Those are the best.
Yeah, it’s got some sink, some drop and sink. Yeah, I had some right-on-right strikeouts the other day, and that’s what I’m kind of learning a lot, too, is I can get a lot of right-on-right strikeouts if I throw a slider. I kind of set them up with a slider, and then I’ll throw that changeup because it’s straight and it works really well off my fastball.
And changeups are the best pitch to throw to some awesome left-handed hitters. That’s what righties gotta do against lefties is that changeup. That’s the killer pitch.
Exactly.
Okay, last serious question, then we’ll hit the lightening fun round. Are there any other players that you model yourself after?
Yeah, you know I would say I model my…I don’t try and pitch like them, but I try to be a student like they are, I guess you could say, you know (Adam) Wainwright is someone.
Yeah, even though we don’t like him, we know he’s great and he’s come back from arm trouble to be just as good, if not better.
Yeah, he’s just, I can’t explain it, he’s just such a good veteran pitcher that he just knows exactly what he’s doing, knows what he needs to do.
Cool, calm, collected, steady, uses whatever pitch he needs to at any count.
Yeah, but he knows what pitch he needs to use. He’s just really smart. He’s an intelligent baseball player, and so, you know, that’s the kind of guy I look up to.
Hey, if you can steal from him, we are all good with that. All right, lightening round fun questions. Here we go. All right. If you were going down a scary dark ally, which teammate would you want to take with you?
Definitely Juan Duran. He’s like 6′ 8″.
Which teammate is the most competitive, they gotta win at everything? Cards, everything.
Stephenson by far.
Really, Robert Stephenson?
Most competitive.
Would you ever volunteer to play outfield in a game for the Reds ( I don’t even need to ask this question) if the Reds needed you?
100%.
Could you throw a pitch across the plate left-handed and, if so, what would be the miles per hour it would come across the plate at?
Probably like 65 mph, I guess.
Who is the best overall athlete on the team? Winker, I think, mentioned your name in his interview, because I asked him some of the same questions. If you want to say yourself, that’s not being proud.
I take a little bit of pride. So, yeah, but someone who actually surprises me with how he can handle every single position is Greeney, so he handles every position, Brodie Greene.
Brodie Greene, that’s right. He plays outfield and was a short stop, was it Texas A&M?
And he looks natural…yeah, yeah, he looks natural in every single position.
If you could change one rule about baseball, what would it be? The balk rule applies.
Man, I don’t know, I would say I like baseball the way it is, I guess. I don’t know, the catching rule is kind of funky, the new catching rule, but it’s to protect our players.
What rule is that? Catching at home plate?
Yeah, home plate. Yeah, I don’t know.
All right, that’s no problem. Winker actually said when you hit a sacrifice fly that moves a runner from like second to third, that shouldn’t count as an at-bat.
That’s a really good one.
Funniest teammate right now?
Funniest teammate, I would say Corcino, yeah, he’s awesome.
If you were an agent instead of a ballplayer, which teammate would you want to represent?
Hmmm, I guess Stephenson. He would make me the most money.
There we go, absolutely, there’s nothing wrong with that. Two more questions. We know which pitcher would make the best position player (I’m looking at him). Which position player would make the best fill-in pitcher?
Yorman or Duran, Cannon.
Worst minor league promotion that you’ve ever seen?
You know, not to bash on Jackson, but they did like critter runs, do you know what that is?
No.
We do it too. It’s where like a guy in some type of costume runs across the field and all these kids sprint after him. Our stadium gets like 200 kids that run after him and it’s pretty cool. It’s funny, but in Jackson…they had like four kids running after him.
That’s kind of anti-climactic.
Yeah, it was kind of funny watching four kids run after the guy.
All right, sounds good. Well, Michael, I appreciate it, and we’re looking forward to you going on and advancing on.