Twenty Questions with Jake Borup

Originally posted by Chicks Dig the Long Ball.

Photo courtesy of statepress.com

Phillies pitching prospect Jake Borup joins the minor league party and played along for another round of Twenty Questions with the Baseball Ladies! (Click here to read teammate Jarred Cosart's round of Twenty Questions)

Jake was one of ten players from Arizona State University to be drafted in 2010, and was selected in the 23rd round by the Phillies. Posting impressive numbers in his young career, Borup held an 11-1 record with a 4.08 ERA over 16 games as a sophomore at ASU. Jake was invited to participate in the Florida Instructional League this past fall for the Phillies, and will most likely begin the 2010 season in Clearwater. We hope to see him in Lakewood later in the season, as well.

Jake and his wife, Kyrstin, were married over the summer and have recently found out they are expecting a baby boy! Follow Jake and Kyrstin on Twitter (@JakeBorup and @KyrstinBorup), and be sure to check out Kyrstin's blog "The Secret Life of a Baseball Player's Wife" as she documents the Borup Family's experiences at Spring Training and beyond.



What five pitchers would be in your dream starting rotation?

My top 5 would be (in no particular order): Bob Gibson, Cy Young, Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay.

What is your most embarrassing moment either on or off the field?

It happened when I was a freshman in college at Arizona State. We had team scrimmages in the fall, and this was my first time pitching in front of the coaches. I was super nervous to say the least. The first batter hits a bouncing ball over the third baseman’s head and gets a double. Well, I forgot the runner was on second and I picked over to first base, and threw it into no-man's land. It was embarrassing because the whole game pretty much stopped, and everyone was like “why’d he pick to first??” The runner literally walked home as everyone was laughing.

Do you have any "strange addictions?”

Nothing super strange. I chew my fingernails a lot. I hate it and have tried to stop. I’m thinking about dipping my fingers in vinegar as the day starts; maybe that’ll stop me. My wife will tell you I’m addicted to ESPN and Twitter.


If you cook, what's your favorite thing to make? If not, what's your favorite thing to eat?

I love to grill, so anything I can thrown on there. Chicken, steak, fish, etc… I like to throw some pasta in there with a little olive oil and garlic, maybe some red potatoes on the side. I enjoy cooking - I wish I was better at it! My favorite thing to eat is beef jerky haha. I could eat that stuff all day long. We have a great family recipe and make it all the time. I also love chips and salsa -- homemade though. None of that Pace crap.

How do you pump yourself up for a big game?

Well... I don’t really know. I think I focus more maybe, but then that’s saying I’m not focused hard every game. But typically I just focus, get calm, listen to my iPod, and try to not think about anything but visualizing great execution. It's not like football or basketball where you can just get crazy and go hit somebody or jump over someone. Pitching is gentle.

Do you watch any sports other than baseball? What are your favorites?

You better believe I watch other sports!! I love my wife and family, but sports are my passion. Competition is what drives me and I love watching it. Top sports in order:

1. NFL
2. College football
3. NBA
4. Golf
5. Ping pong :)

What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment thus far in your career?

My biggest accomplishment thus far has been getting drafted. That’s a huge step in my life and my goal since I was little was to play pro ball. Obviously my ultimate goal is to play in the Bigs, but in order to get there you have to get drafted first. That outweighs any individual performance I’ve had by far.

How do you balance work and family while trying to make it to the big show?

You have figure out your priorities. I am married with a kid on the way, and it’s important for me to provide for them - so I work! It’s also important to me to be in shape for baseball, so I create time in the morning to get all of my baseball activities taken care of (throwing, weight lifting, running). If you’re lazy or unmotivated then you won’t be able to do it. But for me, if you want something bad enough, you’ll find ways to get it done.

Do you relate more to Batman or Superman?

Batman. There is no kryptonite to my powers.

Would you rather be on Survivor or Jersey Shore?

Definitely Survivor. I like the idea of a competitive way to win something through strategy and intelligence. Jersey Shore is all fun and games, which is cool, but Survivor is more intriguing to me. I do enjoy watching Jersey Shore, though! (Shout out to Eric Pettis!)

Have you had an "I made it" moment? What was it?

I haven't in an “overall” sense. If you ever feel like you’ve made it, then you’re being complacent. You should always strive to become better in every aspect of your life; not just in sports but family, school, business, etc… Even if I threw a no-hitter in the big leagues, I would never felt like I have "made it." Any day, you could get released so you have to keep getting better. That’s what the great ones do. Ask Roy Halladay and I’m sure he’ll tell you the same thing.

Do you have a current MLB player that you look up to?

Look up to, no. But I do have pitchers that I try to take things from their game. Roy Halladay is by far my favorite pitcher to watch. He’s the best strike thrower in the game, and for me to be successful I have to throw strikes. What better pitcher is there to learn from? He throws sinking fastballs and change ups, and so do I. We have some similarities in pitching style so I study him the most.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

I don’t necessarily have a favorite but I love a couple scoops of Blue Bell Vanilla mixed with a few spoonfuls of peanut butter! I’ll do chocolate, too. But those two with peanut butter... ahhh, you can’t go wrong! Ill usually polish it off with some milk, and then eat the rest of the jar of Peanut Butter, haha.

Did you have a team you dreamed of being drafted by?

Not really, I was just excited for the fact to be drafted. It’s such a weird process with teams telling you this and that. Growing up I was a Diamondbacks fan, but I didn't necessarily wanted to get drafted by them. Now that I’m with the Phillies, I couldn’t think of a better organization to be with. They have been nothing but a class act with me so far. And plus, who wouldn’t wanna play at Citizen's Bank Park, in front of the greatest baseball fans in the world?!?!

If you didn't go into baseball, what would you be doing instead?

Golfing. Ask my wife, she gets the brunt of that. I golf a lot, and love it. I can’t imagine my life without baseball, and I’m glad I don’t have to think about that, hopefully for a while. But that’s an easy answer: I would be golfing.

What's your favorite memory from your baseball career?

Going to College World Series. I got a little taste of what it’s like to be a big leaguer. Playing in front of 25,000 people, games on ESPN, staying in nice hotels, eating great food, signing autographs, and of course meeting Erin Andrews (just kidding, honey!!). It was an awesome experience. Of course we would have loved to win the whole thing, but being there and experiencing that is something that I will never forget and hopefully I will be able to go back there when my kids are playing college ball.

In a post for Phoul Ballz, you wrote that your innings increased dramatically this year. How have you adjusted your off-season training as a result?

It didn’t really change it too much, just set my throwing schedule back about a month. I continued to run and workout during ff season to stay in shape. Most people started throwing early or mid December. I didn’t start throwing til the 10^th of January. I stopped throwing October 16^th in Instructs, and then didn’t pick up a ball for 3 months. My arm feels great and the rest has really helped out. I will be ready to throw bullpens about February 20^th and will have 2 weeks of bullpens heading into Spring Training.

Which pitchers have influenced you the most?

When I was growing up, I loved watching Curt Schilling on the D-backs. I emulated him and his split fingered fastball, so I decided to try, and now I throw a split fingered fastball, too. I played with Mike Leake at ASU for a year and he taught me how to throw a sinking fastball. My slider and changeup I came up with on my own just tinkering around with a few grips. Those guys influenced me as far as pitching grips. Lance Carter, my pitching coach in Williamsport, has helped me a lot on my mechanics, helping me stay back, balance, release points, and other things. Coach Ken Knutson, who coached Tim Lincecum in College, was at ASU and taught me a lot of great strength training drills which help increase velocity and arm strength. But by far the biggest influence has been a book by Harvey Dorfman called “The Mental ABC’s of Pitching”. You will not find a better book about getting ready to pitch, which is arguably the most vital part of pitching.

Who are your friends on the team?

I became close with Cameron Rupp, he was my roommate on the road. Funny guy and great catcher. He will play in the bigs soon. Also Eric Pettis, Garrett Claypool, Jarred Cosart, Nick Hernandez, Jeff Lanning, Siulman Lebron, Juan Sosa. To name a few

What hitters are you hungry to face in the bigs?

Well the term "hungry" doesn’t necessarily describe my desire to face them, haha, but you always want to compete against the best. I would say top three most excited to face would be 1. Albert Pujols. 2. Alex Rodriguez. 3. Hanley Ramirez. And top three ball parks I would be most excited to pitch in would be 1. Citizens Bank. 2. Yankee Stadium. 3. Wrigley Field Pin It Now!