Jakub Janda talked with former Major Leaguer Pat Ahearne, who is again joining AVG Draci Brno for the upcoming European Cup.
Patick Ahearne
-born December 10 1969, San Francisco, California
-pitcher – MLB stats , MiLB stats
-runs baseball development site: thewayofbaseball.com
Jakub Janda: Patrick, how did you get to Draci Brno? What were your first thoughts when signing?
Pat Ahearne: I was working for a baseball academy in Los Angeles in 2008 and came to Europe to promote that place and myself as a coach/player. I passed through Prague and learned a little about Czech Baseball. Then, Draci manager, Arnost Nesnal and the team owner, Igor Kratochvil came to California and were able to visit me at the academy. It was after that we worked out details for me to come to Czech to play and coach.
My first thoughts in signing were about being able to help baseball develop in Europe and pass on whatever knowledge I could to the players there. I was in Prague the year before but only for a few days. I was looking forward to learning more about the country, meeting the Czech people, and enjoy the baseball.
JJ: What has persuaded you to come over this year again?
PA: The opportunity to compete in the European Cup again was the biggest persuasion. With the competition being held in Brno, it will be exciting to do something in the tournament in front of the home crowd.
JJ: I know it is tough but please compare level of Extraleague and European cup to some US level of play.
PA: It’s tough because in the U.S. professional baseball plays so many more games. It probably compares to a rookie ball or low A level in some ways. The players at that level in the U.S. are younger than a lot of the players in Czech so there are always differences between younger and more experienced players.
JJ: What do you see as a biggest improvement players in Czech made since last year?
PA: The players are better conditioned and as a result, their overall performance has improved. Pitchers seem to be more comfortable on the mound and some of the fundamentals have also gotten better.
JJ: Please, describe briefly your MLB career for our readers.
PA: I played in MLB for a short time with the Detroit Tigers. My Major League Debut was in the old Tiger Stadium versus the New York Yankees. I was able to play professionally for 16 seasons, but mostly in double-A and triple-A. I also played 7 seasons of Winter Ball in Venezuela.
JJ: How could Czech amateur players become even better?
PA: Playing time is a big issue. Baseball is a game that is always teaching you little things and if you only play a few days a week, you have less opportunity to learn the important parts of the game. There are so many things a baseball player needs to learn to be very good and they can only be taught by playing games. The game is the best teacher because if you find your self on the losing end of the scoreboard, you will have to learn why and improve that part of the game.
JJ: What do you do during the whole year? Do you hold yourself in shape? How?
PA: I work giving pitching lessons to players from age 9 all the way to adult. I’m always on the field working them out and throwing with them so it keeps me in pretty good physical shape. I also have some side work unrelated to baseball that helps with the budget.
JJ: Are you coming back in 2011?
PA: That’s a question you should direct to management of Draci and the Czech National team.
JJ: Few bulletpoints. How to be a great pitcher without throwing 90MPH.
PA: A lot of pitchers have success without throwing over 90 mph. Location is important for all pitchers, but more so without 90+ velocity. A pitcher should be able to locate his fastball down in the zone first. Next to throw a second pitch for a strike like a curve ball or change-up to keep the batters off balance. A 90+mph fastball can beat a batter in that dimension, but you also need to use change of speed and movement. The next thing is to learn how to use your stuff against certain batters and knowing how your pitches match up against particular hitters.
JJ: Thank you.
Mister-Baseball thanks Jakub Janda and Pat Ahearne for the Q&A.