Catching up with Ross Peeples

I recently caught up with Ross Peeples, the ace of the Cyclones' 2001 staff. He was 9-3 that season, with a 1.34 ERA--leading the New York-Penn League in both categories.

Ross is playing in his sixth season with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League. He has had two elbow surgeries since last pitching for the Mets in 2003, but he is still working hard in the independent leagues, trying to catch somebody's eye. He is pitching well thus far, with a 2.25 ERA for the Barnstormers, out of the bullpen. Ross is a great, humble guy, who is committed to the community in Lancaster, and will always be remembered for his performances on Coney Island.

Read my story on Ross: Former Brooklyn ace Peeples loving life in Lancaster


Here are some of the things Ross spoke about during our conversation:

On playing in Brooklyn:
“You are just a train ride away from the big leagues. All you heard about was how much the fans care about baseball up [in Brooklyn]. To go there and play in front of 8,500 a night—I might never make it to the big leagues, but that’s the closest thing to playing in the big leagues, playing in Brooklyn.”

On being a part of the baseball’s return to Brooklyn in 2001:
“That’s everything we heard before we went up there: how they love baseball in Brooklyn. All they talked about was the Brooklyn Dodgers. Obviously, us guys that played there didn’t live when the Brooklyn Dodgers were there, all we get is what we hear about. It’s hard to explain, you have to experience it. All you they say is ‘how they love baseball in New York,’ and how it was going to be in Brooklyn before we got there, and it was all they said it was.”

On having Bobby Ojeda as his pitching coach:
“It was awesome for me. Knowing what kind of career he had and knowing what he had been through. Knowing what type of pitcher he was, it was right up my alley because I’m pretty much the same. Both lefthanded, both through in the mid-to-upper 80’s.”

On his personal favorite memory from the 2001 season:
“Game 3 meant so much because it was against the Yankees. We’re playing them during the year, and next thing you know we’re in the playoffs against each other. It was the best 2-out-of-3 and it went to Game 3, so you can’t ask for much more than that.”

On the game 3 celebration:
“The biggest memory I remember from that is the way the locker room was decorated for the champagne. You always see stuff on TV, for the World Series and all that kind of stuff, but you always thought: man, their clothes are getting wet, this is getting wet, and this is getting ruined! And to go in there and see how they do it, it kind of clicked, and I was like ‘this is how they do it!’ They treated us right, with bottles and bottles of champagne.”

On playing against Joe Mauer:
“I remember in ’02, I got called up, and I had him 0-2, and he worked it back to 2-2, and I throw a slider that was off the plate outside by six inches, and he just stayed back and just slipped over the third baseman’s head for a double. Just the at bat and the approach that he had, the plate discipline he had, it was amazing to me. And then he threw out Wayne Lydon twice in that series—and Wayne Lydon is the fastest guy I’ve ever played with. When anybody ever asks me the best batter I ever faced, I always say Mauer."

On playing against Ryan Howard:
“I never had many problems with him. I would try to get him inside, and if I get ahead in the count, I would go away with sliders and curveballs. That’s usually how I got him out. He has got a couple of hits off me, but I think overall, I have a pretty good average against him. I’ve got him out with sinkers in, but most of them have been sliders and curveballs away, off the plate, trying to get him to chase. Watching him now, his plate discipline has gotten a lot better than what it used to be. He used to swing out of the zone a lot.”


On being named Community Man of the Year in 2007:
“Being a professional athlete, I think that’s part of your job. To sign autographs, to go out to the community. The Barnstormer fans are pretty big into baseball. It’s pretty well supported. There are so many kids and families out there and just love the game. When I was young, it was always the same way going to Braves games. You always want someone’s autograph. You used to hate when they would walk down the aisle and they didn’t get to you, I think some of it is something you need to be involved in as a professional athlete, you need to go out there in the community to go sign autographs and stuff like that.”