Jacob Turner's NL Central comments

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mikechamp
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Jacob Turner's NL Central comments

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These comments came from a chat with former MLB pitcher (and St. Louis' own) Jacob Turner that occurred on January 24. He played for the Tigers, Marlins, Cubs, White Sox and Nationals, as well as in Korea. He now owns a financial company that advises athletes.

A few NL Central questions, but the bonus Q&As are good as well. I tried to include those that are geared towards young player development. As always, click on the link to read the entire chat.

The link to the entire chat can be found here: https://live.jotcast.com/chat/live-chat ... 14863.html

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Thanks for doing this Jacob! What was your favorite city to play baseball in?

Jacob Turner
I am from St. Louis, so it was always special to play in STL. I also enjoyed playing in Chicago.
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As a player that got exposed to multiple organizations, is there something that sticks out to you that one organization did really well (or badly) versus the others you saw?

Jacob Turner
I thought the leadership group of the Chicago Cubs was excellent when I was there. Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein did an outstanding job communicating to players expectations and opportunities. That is all players truly want.
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Is there any truth to the statements about wanting to play on the coast rather than the Midwest? Often hear the StL can't sign a big name because of location... like when Stanton was available.

Jacob Turner
Each players has their own priorities. Sometimes it comes down to the contract, location, or purely the opportunity to win.
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Jacob, thanks for the live chat! Who was the most difficult hitter you ever faced?

Jacob Turner
I have to say Albert Pujols. I grew up a fan of him in STL and he is 4-4 off me.
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You said you were from St. Louis---assuming grew up a Cardinal fan. How does a player "turn off" his fan side as he progresses through a career. Did you ever find yourself looking at Cardinals scores when you were with a different team?

Jacob Turner
For me, the "fan side" turned off rather quick. You realize the business of the sport and find yourself rooting for your team and your friends in the league.
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Growing up were you a Cardinal or Royals fan?

Jacob Turner
Cardinals
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Favorite stadium to pitch in?

Jacob Turner
Wrigley
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Did you enjoy your time more with the Cubs or White Sox?

Jacob Turner
I enjoyed both but they offer vastly different experiences.
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What AAA city do you think would support a major league team the most?

Jacob Turner
Charlotte
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What is the best perk in being an MLB player?

Jacob Turner
The travel arrangements and amenities. The travel coordinators in the big leagues do an outstanding job setting everything up for players.
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What is your best advice for a high schooler who wants to play college ball?

Jacob Turner
Focus on creating one outlier tool. In today's game, value is driven through outlier tools more so than in years past. A tool that is noticeably better than the competition. An example in today's game is Spencer Strider's fastball or Trea Turner's speed.
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What do you know now that you wish you knew back in your playing days?

Jacob Turner
To enjoy the journey more. In life, it is easy to get caught up in the end destination, but the beauty is in the journey.
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As a pitcher, which stats did you think most fairly reflected your performance? Do you prefer FIP to ERA? Did you feel the rising emphasis on K rate was overblown, or perhaps you were coached to focus on missing bats/strikeouts?

Jacob Turner
It is hard to argue with some of the new data such as FIP. K rate is one of the things I struggled with in my career and something I worked to improve. It is such a key indicator of future success for pitchers IMO.
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Does signing a state like California or New York where the taxes are much higher play any role in a free agents decision to sign?

Jacob Turner
Certainly can be a major factor. Taxes are the largest lifetime expense for any athlete and need to be taken into account.
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What pitches would you suggest developing in high school?

Jacob Turner
I would suggest developing arm strength, a routine, and learning how to compete. Those things matter far more than a single pitch.
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Something that is talked about a lot is X organization can't develop pitchers. How much do you think the organization you're drafted by impacts a player's development?

Jacob Turner
I think in today's game with technology this plays a massive role. The teams that invest in player development win in the long run.
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You said the first time you were traded you were shocked and realized the business. How exactly did you find out? Were you "brought in" somewhere? Woken in the middle of the night by a phone call? Can you explain that human side process?

Jacob Turner
Twitter
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Do teenage pitchers throw too much? How can that be remedied?

Jacob Turner
The majority yes. The remedy is to educate coaches and get players to start doing proper training for high velocity training. Driveline has some great free content on this topic.
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What's one piece of pitching advice you'd give a youth player when first beginning to learn the craft?

Jacob Turner
Learn how to separate practice from the game. What I mean by that is understand that in the game, it is only about competing.
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Aside from a fastball, is there any specific pitch that you encourage young people to learn and any to avoid?

Jacob Turner
Changeups
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