RSN: You led the University of Utah in almost every offensive category, and were named the top player in your conference. What’s it like coming to a team where everyone was the star on their old team?
RK: Yeah, everyone used to be the man on their college team. Here, you sort of have to start at the bottom and work your way up. You really have to work on the mental things, and you have to know your role. One of the tougher things to adjust to is not playing every single game.
RSN: What other types of adjustments have you had to make in professional baseball?
RK: The wood bats are a big adjustment. In college, we use aluminum. You can get jammed with aluminum and fight the ball off for a hit. With wood you really have to center the ball on the barrel of the bat. The coaches also talk to us a lot about learning to deal with failure. College was a high all season for me, but you know you’re not going to hit .450 all year here. You’re going to have your days where you don’t get any hits. We talk a lot about how you’re going to have your bad days, and how to deal with that.
RSN: You have the reputation of being a very patient hitter. How would you describe your approach at the plate?
RK: I like to see a lot of pitches and get my bearings. I’ve had to make adjustments here [at Lowell] because the pitchers like to get ahead early. They’re more talented [than in college] and they like to get ahead of hitters. They throw a lot more strikes here. But I’m not afraid to hit with two strikes on me. I consider myself to be a top-of-the-order guy. I like to get on base and make things happen.
RSN: Your hitting coach here in Lowell, Alan Mauthe, is known for using video of established players to help hitters with their swings. Is there a Major League player that you try to emulate?
RK: I can’t really say I try to copy anyone’s swing. When you study another player, you look for checkpoints in his swing, but you don’t really try to copy it. If you try to copy it, it can really mess you up.
RSN: What do you mean by checkpoints, and why don’t you want to copy their swing?
RK: You don’t want to copy a Major Leaguers swing because there are so many different types of swings. All those guys have certain things in their swing that they all do. For example, guys start their swing in a lot of different ways—open, closed, hands high, hands low—but their hands end up in pretty much the same spot at the instant they begin their bat-path towards the ball. That’s what you would call a checkpoint.
RSN: We hear a lot about how the Red Sox have a development plan for all of their minor-league players. Have you started yours?
RK: We haven’t worked on a development plan yet. The coaches have told us that we’ll have one, so we’re aware of it, but we haven’t done anything yet. The organization’s philosophy is for you to play with what you came with. The major adjustments will be made sometime in the future.
RSN: Some have questioned your ability to stick at shortstop. What are your thoughts on that?
RK: I’ve heard that my whole life. I’ve always been a smaller kid. Even coming into college people said I would end up at second base. I consider shortstop to be my position, and I hope to stay there.
RSN: Your father played at the University of Utah, and your grandfather played at Triple-A, for the Salt Lake Bees. What type of influence did they have on you as a baseball player?
RK: My dad was my high school coach. He was the main baseball influence in my life. He’s a huge guy, and he knows I got screwed on my size [laughs]. He’s never pushed me to play because of that, but he’s always been really supportive. As for advice, he’ll put in his two cents, but I’ve done this all on my own, so he lets the coaches coach.
RSN: How about your grandfather?
RK: My grandfather passed away about six years ago. He was always really supportive, too, always positive. We never really talked fundamentals or anything. He was a humble guy. He never bragged. Our family ended up in Salt Lake because he played there at Triple-A. That’s how he met my grandmother, through baseball.
RSN: He sounds pretty humble for someone who made it that far in professional baseball. Did he ever tell you any good baseball stories?
RK: [Smiles]. There were a couple stories he’d always tell. One game he went 4-for-4 with three home runs in his first four at-bats. Then he ended up flying out to end the game. The other story he used to tell was about meeting my grandmother. He met her at the field when she came to one of his games. That’s how he brought her into his life.
RSN: Which teammates have stood out for you so far?
RK: Well, everyone is really good. Everyone was the stud on their college team, like you said. [Justin] Masterson and [Paul] Smyth were in my conference, so I had played against them before. Masterson has pretty much dominated so far, so I’d have to say him.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This interview took place in Lowell, shortly before Khoury joined the Triple-A PawSox.
RSN: What about Aaron Bates? He was recently promoted to Greenville. Did you see his promotion coming?
RK: I figured if he kept going like he was, he would move pretty fast. He earned it. Aaron is a great guy. He was really good to talk to about hitting.
RSN: How did you approach the draft? Did you have any expectations?
RK: I didn’t get drafted last year as a junior, so I was playing my senior year just to get a chance somewhere. It’s always been a dream of mine. I wanted to make as good of an impression as I could. My coaches told me not to pay attention to it, to just take each game one at-bat at time. That ended up being really good advice. It really helped me focus, and everything worked out.