RSN: How would you describe yourself as a pitcher?
KJ: I like to come after guys. By that, I mean I don't try to place the ball and be perfect with every pitch. I like to throw a lot of strikes and let hitters know that I have a fastball. That's my best pitch -- I probably go 80 percent fastballs in a game.
RSN: Do you tend to work hitters inside with your fastball, or do you prefer to stay on the outside half?
KJ: Either. I like to move it around, although I'll generally go inside to guys with a longer swing. If they have a shorter, compact one, I'll go outside a little more.
RSN: Do you throw a 2-seamer or a 4-seamer?
KJ: Both. My 4-seamer is more of a strike pitch for me, and that's what I throw the majority of the time. My 2-seamer has tail and sink to it, so I use that more for outs. It's become an important pitch for me recently.
RSN: How so?
KJ: I didn't have a good 2-seamer until I got here. I went mostly with 4-seamers in college, because my 2-seamer was pretty straight. Now I'm getting a lot more cut on the ball. In college I got more outs on fly balls, but the other day in Vermont I got five out of six on ground balls. I haven't changed anything, so I don't really know what the difference is. It does seem like the seams are smaller here.
RSN: What do you throw besides a fastball?
KJ: I throw a curve and a change. My breaking stuff is coming back since I had the Tommy John surgery, but I still have a ways to go with it.
RSN: You had a few rough outings late in your college season. Was the problem more mental, or was it more physical?
KJ: More physical, I think. I had a really good stretch earlier, but my mechanics went a little at the end. It wasn't anything big -- just little nitpicky stuff -- but it was enough to affect me. A part of it was that I wasn't drilling enough, which is something you can't afford.
RSN: How would you describe your mechanics?
KJ: That’s kind of hard to say. I guess they're fairly smooth. It's not like I'm all arm or pure legs -- I'm somewhere in the middle. I know that guys who have seen me pitch say that it seems like I'm throwing easy…that my motion seems effortless.
RSN: If you were a pitching coach, what would your top priority be?
KJ: Honestly, I don't know. I suppose my big message would be to just get guys out. It wouldn't be so much about how you go about doing it -- wanting to change a guy's way of pitching or anything. Back in high school, I probably would have told you mechanics were the most important thing, but now I know that pitching is a lot more mental. My pitching coach at Wichita State, Brent Kemnitz, was great at that. He could do wonders with your mind. I guess that if I were a coach, I'd want to be like him.
RSN: You were teammates with Tommy Hottovy at Wichita State. Did you call him after the Red Sox drafted you?
KJ: Tommy actually called me right before the draft. He had talked to someone in scouting, and they told him the Red Sox were planning to take me with the 40th pick if I was still available. So he knew before I did.
RSN: When he called, did you ask him much about the Red Sox organization?
KJ: Not really, because I already knew a lot from talking to him before. I knew the organization takes good care of arms, and that they work well with pitchers. For the most part, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect when I got here.
RSN: You're from Blue Springs, Missouri. What is Blue Springs like?
KJ: It's a suburb of 40 or 50 thousand people, near Kansas City, and it's just a normal suburb…a normal town. I was actually born in West Covina, California, and we moved to Blue Springs in May of '95.
RSN: Were you drafted out of high school?
KJ: I was taken by the Angels, who took a flier on me in the 50th round. Scouts were saying that I could have gone in maybe the fifth, but there were rumors that I wanted a lot of money to go pro. I don't know where those came from. That's in the past, though. I'm happy to be here, getting my chance now.
RSN: You gave up a single to the first batter you faced in pro ball, but then struck out the next three hitters. What are your thoughts on striking out the side -- the impact it has on the game?
KJ: It’s definitely a good thing, because it shows you can get guys out. I don’t know that infielders are afraid of making errors, but if you can do it yourself, why not? I mean, I want balls put in play for outs, and I trust my fielders, but there’s nothing wrong with getting Ks. The easier the out, the better.
RSN: Personality-wise, are you a typical lefty?
KJ: Of course I am! All lefties are goofy. Actually, most pitchers are, but I guess a lot of us lefties are a whole different story. So yeah, I'm a typical lefty in a lot of ways.
RSN: What are you into away from the game?
KJ: I love music. I play video games and pool. Ping pong is a hobby I'm into. I also learned to bowl in college, which is something I did a lot on Sunday nights after Bible study.
RSN: One more: What do you know about Tommy John?
KJ: When I got hurt, I looked up everything I could about it -- things like drilling bones and taking out tendons. Stuff like that. And one of the guys at Wichita State had had it done, so I learned stuff from him, too.
RSN: I was actually referring to Tommy John, himself -- the pitcher.
KJ: I know that he got hurt, and after Dr. Jobe invented the surgery, he won 164 more big league games. He came back and had a lot of success. That's what I'm looking to do.