Q and A with Mack: - OF - Tillman Pugh

Mack:  Good morning everybody. We're speaking with Mets outfield prospect Tillman Pugh, who played Kingsport and Brooklyn this past season.  Good morning Tillie. It's good to see you got through the season face intact. How are you and are you back home?

Pugh:  I'm doing very well. I'm really glad to be back home with my family and friends. It's always nice to come back to the people you love and who love you after being away for a few months.

Mack:  Tillman, the last time you and I talked was before the beginning of the 2011 season and I had you opening the season in Brooklyn. Was there something that slowed down your progress in the off-season, or was Kingsport just the first stop of many to come?

Pugh:  I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason and a mistake that I made sent me to Kingsport instead of Brooklyn at the start of the season. I didn't look at Kingsport as some kind of punishment, but as an opportunity to play for a coach I truly liked and who had the same feelings for me, someone who I shared the same passion for the game as, and someone who was very knowledgable and taught me a lot. I have no regrets and as you said I believe Kingsport was just the first stop of many to come.

Mack:  Tillie, you had a good year in Kingsport (.252/.328/.398/.727), though the pop was a little less than I'm sure you expected. That being said, yur 32 at bats with Brooklyn did produce a .531 slugging percentage. Should we expect more of this come April?

Pugh:  I was very pleased how I ended the season in Brooklyn. I believe that finishing the season strong like that and playing in a must win environment gave me the necessary confidence that I needed coming into the off season. I firmly believe that I will come out strong next year ready to play the way I know I'm capable of.

Mack:  Okay...   Let's talk 2012.   First of all, what are your plans for the off-season and is there anything in particular that you will be working on to imrpove "the game" as they say?

Pugh:  Right now I'm taking a little time off to just recuperate, just letting my body and my mind heal up from being at it everyday for 6 months. Once I start getting back into the routine I'll be working out 5 times a week lifting and running and hitting, I will also be coaching on the side to earn some cash. I will be focusing on my hitting and developing a better more consistent swing path in order to improve my game, along with my bunting and base stealing.

Mack:  It's interesting that you bring up bunting and base stealing. I'm not sure many of the fans out there realize that you are one of the fastest players in the organization. Did you have any competition on that while in K-Port?

Pugh:  Well I have definitely been blessed with some athleticism and I don't want to take any of it for granted, that is why I want to be able to do all the things I can to utilize what God has given me. I would say in Kingsport Yucabert De La Cruz had some good speed and Johnathon Clark also brought tremendous speed to the team. I never raced either one of them, but I'm sure they could give me a run for my money.

Mack:  Tillie, I'm not going to bother to ask you where you think you're going to play next spring because you'd give the standard "I'll play where they send me" answer I would give also.
That being said, the worse thing that happens is you'll get to eat some more Nathan's or deal with me in Savannah.  Is there anything you want to say to the fans out there on Mack's Mets?

Pugh:  I want to say to the fans that they are among the best fans in all of sports. Their loyalty, knowledge of the game, and desire to having winning players winning teams is second to none. I feel that my desire to win and my hatred of losing is a valuable asset to any team, and it would be a dream come true for me to one day put on a New York Mets jersey on Opening Day and take my position out in centerfield en route to the first Mets World Series since 1986


More Tillie Stuff:

82.         OF        Tillman Pugh

7-3-10: - So… you get drafted by the Mets and you sign a deal, hop in your ride and make your way to your first professional game. You step into the batters box, dig in, and, just before you’re about to hit your first professional ball, a 95mph heater smacks you right in the face.! Well, that was Pugh’s start of his professional career earlier this month for the GCL Mets. Pugh was operated on earlier this month and is now recovering. He should begin working out again in the next couple of weeks and we should see him back in the GCL Mets lineup by the end of the month.

8-14-10 -I talked earlier today to OF Tillman Pugh and was happy to find out that he has returned to the GCL Mets roster. You may remember his first game as a Met (June 21) when he took a fast ball right off his face. Those who saw it live thought he was dead, and those that saw him the next day understood why Pugh wished he was dead. He was a mess, but the 15th round pick this year told me he feels fine and his face looks totally healed.

9-1-10: - My thoughts:  Very nice person and, according to my sources, a  VERY intelligent ballplayer. You can't really judge him on what he did this past season, so the assumption is he could wind up back with the GCL team; however, that team is the new home for most of the visa-kids and late round draftees from the 2011 draft.  My guess.... Kingsport.

7-10-11: - We first started touting “Tillie” last year when he was first drafted in the 15^th round out of Sonoma State. He then got hit in the face in his first professional at bat and basically didn’t get out of first gear all year long (GCL: .230, 61-AB). This year, for K-Port he also started slow, but has heated it up the past seven games, hitting three home runs and driving in six. For the season, through Saturday, so far: .268/.339/.482/.821

8-14-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/kingsport-mets-team-report-stretch-run-edition.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MetsMerizedOnline-GetMetsmerized-NewYorkMets+%28Mets+Merized+Online%29&utm_content=Twitter - Tillman Pugh - The Mets 2010 15th round draft pick out of Sonoma State University, Is the sort of speedy young outfielder who grows up to patrol the expansive acreage of Citifield. But after a solid start to the season, Pugh has stunk, and really needs to pick it up some, and finish the season strong. AMAZING Baseball Catch by Tillman Pugh – YouTube Hopefully, Pugh can begin to showcase his talents over the next few weeks, to warrant consideration for a long season league next year. This years numbers: .261 BA, 3 HR’s and 16 RBI’s in 119 AB’s.