http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2012/11/1 ... y-jeffress
Why didn't you re-sign with the Royals?
It's not that I didn't like the Royals, the Royals team, everybody in the clubhouse, all those people were great. I just felt like the team had a lot of guys in the pen. The last year, I just sat back and watched the same guys and I felt like that was the Royals. Those guys that I'm seeing pitch now are the Royals. I didn't see a future there.
The Royals wanted to send me to Omaha with a major league spring training invite. I had to make a decision, you know, a decision. It's not about the money, it's the opportunity I see myself having, this year, and in the long term.
I seen the guys in the Blue Jays bullpen, they are good, I just think I have a better chance there. I know a couple of guys over there like I said. I'm excited to come over and play for their team.
Who do you know?
I know a couple of guys, Sean O'Sullivan, I think he was in Triple-A last year. Jesse Chavez, Carlos Villanueva, Brett Lawrie.
What do you do in the off-season?
In a couple of days, Tuesday the 13th, I will be heading to Margarita, Venezuela.
Have you pitched in Venezuela before?
No.
I've heard good and bad stories.
I have too. I'm going to try to stay on the safe side over there.
What pitches do you throw?
This year, I've added a pitch and taken away a pitch. I throw fastball, hard cutter, occasional silder, curve ball and change.
That's a fair number of pitches for a reliever.
Yeah, but the way I use them, I just show that can have all those pitches, then a certain day I need it I can throw that pitch. I used to be a starter. I took some pitches away, also, and added some pitches as well. It just works for them. The fastball and cutter those are my bread and butter and my curve ball is my strikeout pitch. I don't want you to put this on the internet. Give away my secrets, but, they'll know anyway.
It must be pretty cool to throw a ball 100 mph.
It is. It's even better when you know where it is going.
Control has been a bit of a problem.
I'm not saying that it's a good thing, I know it's not, I just need a lot of innings, I need to be throwing a lot. I can't just be sitting for awhile and come up and dominate. I'm hoping to have that chance to show that, but with the Royals I didn't throw that much. That's why I'm going to Venezuela, I get the chance to throw pretty much every day or every other day. They are calling me out early to get more work.
It is tough to throw every couple of weeks, we saw that some with the Jays last year.
It's tough. But it is the nature of the business, you know. You don't look at it that deep in it unless you know what's going on.
