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MMN Interview: Mets Minor League Pitcher Adam Oller

By michelle ioannou

October 13, 2020 No comments

Right-handed pitcher Adam Oller was selected by the Mets during the minor-league portion of the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. He was originally a 20th-round pick of the Pittsburg Pirates back in 2016 and joined the San Francisco Giants at the end of May 2019.

We may not have been able to see Oller pitch within the Mets organization yet, but I did get a chance to chat with him, learn more about him, and find out his perspective of this bizarre 2020 season.

Did you know going into the Rule 5 Draft there was a chance you would get drafted? What was that experience like for you?

I didn’t to be honest. I didn’t even know the Rule 5 Draft was that day nor did I know I was even eligible since I was released at the end of the season the year prior. It was a surreal experience though because I was working my offseason job as a substitute teacher when I started getting texts from previous teammates congratulating me; which I was obviously confused about since I didn’t know the draft was that day or that I was even eligible. But I ended up having to step out of class to answer the phone from my previous Farm Director (Kyle Haines) telling me the news and congratulating me, then getting calls from people in the Mets organization. And can’t forget the massive outpouring of social media attention from the amazing Mets fans out there! So all in all it was an unbelievable experience!

How was pitching in the Independent Leagues different from affiliated ball and how did it help you get back into the minor leagues?

Independent ball for me was an absolute blessing in disguise because after being released I was going to retire and go back to school but my parents talked me into trying one more year out for fun. So I ended up signing with Windy City in Chicago and almost treated it as a “victory lap” type of deal and I think that helped me the most with just having fun and not stressing over everything. Which led to me having one of the best three weeks in my career. Taking that mindset into it really helped me boost my confidence and start just going with the flow not having any expectations. So after my third start my coaches started telling me teams were interested and I realized I had a chance to get back to affiliated. The competition felt pretty similar to an A ball feel for the most part.

With their being no minor league season, what have you done to keep your arm in shape and how often are you in contact with Mets minor league coaching staff?

I have continued to follow the throwing program that the Mets have been providing me with. So essentially throwing everyday since I left including bullpens and live sessions. I keep in contact with my medical and strength trainers every week and my pitching coaches just about every day. Just working with them using video and rapsodo data to fine tune things as best we can from states away!

 

Which player did you look up to growing up and which player do you look up to now?

Growing up I wouldn’t say I necessarily idolized one player specifically; however, I did enjoy watching Derek Jeter. I appreciated the way he played the game and the amount of respect he played it with. The same can be said about now a days with Mike Trout, I just enjoy watching guys that play the game hard and the right way.

What were some of the biggest challenges of having no games to pitch in?

I would say the biggest challenge for a lot of guys this year that were in my position was just the mental aspect. Always having to stay ready and being in the unknown with everything because you never knew if or when we were ever going to go back. So constantly having to tell yourself everyday when you went into the facility to train what your purpose was. The game of baseball is a very unique thing because especially in the minor leagues, you never know where or what your going to be doing the next day and I think that really showed itself in this pandemic.

What type of prep do you typically do before a start? How does that differ for you when you’re starting then when you’re relieving?

This is an interesting question because if I had been asked this a couple years ago I could have gone into a long in depth conversation about all the different things I do to prep as a starter. But I think over the years of constantly switching back and forth between starting and relieving and spending time some seasons as a long reliever/spot starter this answer has changed. Now before a start I typically like to sit down before the game and look over the opposing starting lineup and get a feel for if I know any of the guys, look at some numbers and heat maps, and watch some film to see how best to attack them. Then I’ll sit down with my pitching coach and catcher to go over a game plan for the day based off what we’ve seen and notes I’ve taken of the opposing hitters in previous games. After that I just do my stretching, weighted balls and I’m ready to roll. As a reliever I tend to just focus who the main threats are in the lineup and see how our starter has been attacking them, what’s working and not working, that way when I go in I’m ready to attack with my best stuff.

At what point did you know there was a chance for you to one day be a pro pitcher? Who helped get you interested in baseball at a young age?

I honestly never really considered myself to be a guy that would one day play professionally. I just wanted to find a way to get my schooling paid for and if I could do it while playing that would be even better. I ended up signing to a D1 school in Louisiana (Northwestern State University) that offered me a full ride and went with it. Even then I never expected much but after having a solid freshman year and earning an All-American award I thought maybe I have a chance. Then after another good year and getting invited to play in Cape Cod I knew if I did well there I would catch some attention. I ended up doing okay in Cape Cod and went on to have the best year of my college career earning All-American status again along with several other awards. It was then that I started getting calls from organizations saying they wanted me and I realized that something I only ever dreamed of actually happening was becoming a reality.

As far as who helped me become interested I’d have to say a mixture of my parents and older brother. I grew up in a very athletic family so we all played every sport growing up but my older brother (Josh) got me into baseball. I would play up on every team to be on the same team with him and we would train together which I think is really what drove me to be better. I was always the youngest on the team since I was playing up 2 years above my age so that forced me to either get better or drowned. I was also fortunate enough to be able to play with him for 2 years in college so that made it even more competitive!

Is there a pitcher you try to model yourself after? Is there a specific catcher you would (or would) love to pitch to?

I don’t think there is a pitcher specifically that I try to model myself after because everyone is so different in many ways. I try more to pick certain aspects of guys to watch and learn from. For instance, I’ve always been extremely impressed with Justin Verlander‘s ability to dominate and stay healthy at an age when most guys in that position tend to drop off. But I tend to look at what types of pitches I throw and what kind of mechanics I have and try to piece it together by watching several different players. As well as the mental side of how guys attack hitters in certain counts based off what they see from a swing or previous at bat, and try to figure out why they did what they did in that situation.

I would have loved to throw to Brian McCann, I loved the amount of heart he showed behind the plate. He was a guy that I felt like had his pitchers back and was living and dying on every pitch out there with the pitcher. I would have loved to sit down and talk with him during a game just to hear the amount of knowledge that man probably has to pass on.