RSN: You had a tough first season at Dallas Baptist after red-shirting at Pepperdine the year before. Why?
JC: I didn’t throw a lot [10 innings], and I wasn’t throwing real hard. I pitched a lot the summer before, and then didn’t throw at all in the fall because I was having problems with my shoulder. Nothing big. I never really had taken care of myself very well. I didn’t have a base because I hadn’t been throwing. It turned out bad for me. I had a couple innings where I gave up multiple runs. You throw in those innings [where you allow] 6, 7 runs, and your ERA is not going to be super low.
RSN: How do you account for your turnaround this year?
JC: My coach really got on me that I needed to lift more. I was, like, 170 pounds. I was real thin. I didn’t work very hard in the weight room. He said I needed to add weight if I ever wanted to do anything special. Half way through last season, I started doing it. I worked really hard over the summer and put on about 30 pounds. I’m like 200 now. Basically, I’m a different person -- physically, anyways. I went from throwing 85-88 to throwing 91-94. That makes a big difference.
RSN: Where does your fastball normally sit during a game?
JC: Mostly, in college, I was between 91 and 94. A couple games I hit 95 every now and then. And one of the games I was like 93 to 95, and hit 96. It was against Texas. That was a big game for me. [In Lowell ] I’ve been 89-92, and hit 93 a few times.
RSN: You mentioned the Texas game. It seemed like that performance really put you on the map. Would you agree with that?
JC: I was already on the map, but that made it a bigger city kind of thing. Not a big city, but it made me known a little better. It helped. [ Texas ] is a big school. My arm felt great. It was a good day for me.
RSN: When did you realize scouts were noticing you?
JC: At the beginning of the year, I played in the Texas Collegiate League, and I went to their Futures Game. Basically, scouts choose the players, and then they play in the game at the Ballpark in Arlington. Some scouts saw me at that. Once we got back to school, we had a scout day thing, and I did really good that day. I started to get a bunch of questionnaires, and I got a few phone calls randomly throughout the year.
RSN: What do you think piqued the interest of scouts? Was it the increase in velocity?
JC: Yeah. My velocity started to jump up. Through the summer, I worked out, and got to where I am now. I got a little stronger. I reached a higher level than I was at last year. Before, I had a lot of trouble throwing strikes. I had a lot of walks. I still had too many walks [this year], but I was able to focus in and throw a lot more strikes. With throwing harder and throwing strikes, it changed a lot.
RSN: What are you doing to address the walks? What can a pitcher do to help that?
JC: I’ve really just been trying to trust what I’ve been throwing. I think throughout the year I was still coming into my own, developing. When I started the year, compared to how I finished, I think I made a big improvement. My coaches worked with me a lot on the mental stuff. I started out in the pen, and then moved into the starting rotation at the end of the year. The last game wasn’t a very good one, but the Texas game, that was toward the end of the year. I had an injury, a stress fracture [in my shin] that got bad because I kept playing on it. So I pitched the last couple games with that. You got to finish up. I didn’t want to hurt my draft status by not playing the last couple games.
RSN: You’ve talked a little about your fastball. Scouting reports say you have a slider as well. How do you feel about that pitch?
JC: It’s an alright pitch. It’s gotten a lot better. I didn’t really have a good second pitch before. That’s another thing I’ve changed. This last year I worked on developing the second pitch a lot. I’m pretty comfortable with the slider now. I can throw it when I want to.
RSN: Are you working on any other pitches?
JC: Yeah, I’m playing with the changeup right now. When I get to [Fall] instructs, they’re going to have me work a lot on the changeup. I haven’t thrown it in a game [in Lowell]. I threw it in a couple games in the GCL, but I didn’t have great results with it down there. Once I got up here, I wanted to wait until I had a better feel for it. I don’t feel really comfortable with it.
RSN: Are you favoring any particular grip at the moment?
JC: Yeah, I’ve tried the circle. I’ve tried more of a split-change where you widen out those middle fingers on either side of the seams. I’ve just been trying different stuff, trying to get a feel for it.
RSN: What’s this year been like for you so far? You went from reliever to starter in college, were drafted, then you pitched in the Gulf Coast League and now Lowell.
JC: It’s pretty fun. It’s been great. I’m loving it right now. It’s great playing at this high a level. I mean, it’s not the highest level I can get to, but it’s the highest I’ve been so far. At Dallas Baptist, we played great schools, so it was good competition there. It’s not a well known school. Hopefully it will be [laughs].
RSN: Baseball America said you emerged as the best pitching prospect on a pretty talented Dallas Baptist staff. Do you agree?
JC: [Laughs] I don’t know how much I deserved to emerge, just with my stats. There were a lot of guys who pitched really well and did good. I think the fastball velocity and movement just kind of set me ahead. The projectability helped me out a lot.
RSN: You were only in the GCL for a short time, but have you seen a difference between there and the New York-Penn league?
JC: The biggest thing, I think, is that it’s more mature players. A lot of the younger guys haven’t . . . just from going to college you learn different things. You do stuff wrong when you get there, too. But I think it’s just more mature players and the way they carry themselves. It’s good talent at both levels.
RSN: Have any teammates stood out to you so far, on the field or in the clubhouse?
JC: I’m really impressed with [Kris] Negron. He plays awesome defense and great offense. He’s really impressive to me. And the way he carries himself. He acts grown up. In the clubhouse and everything, he’s just mature. I’m really impressed with a lot of guys.
RSN: Does the organization have you working on anything right now?
JC: Right now I’m just trying to throw. When we were drafted, they drafted us for a reason. I think here, they’re kind of just letting us have a feel, showing them what we can do. They’ll help us if there is some stuff that we’re doing wrong. When I first started throwing, I was coming open a lot and I was falling away toward first. And Walter Miranda down [in the GCL] had me working on staying forward, have me falling toward home instead of pulling off. That helped me a lot, because I hadn’t really thrown off a mound in a while. My last game [prior to the GCL] was March 24.
RSN: Do you have a better feel for starting or relieving? Do you have a preference?
JC: I like starting because you have more time to prepare. You get more time in between games. But I like relieving, too. When you come in, you’ve got a pressure situation -- that kind of stuff. You have an easier time focusing. I like both. I’m enjoying relieving right now, just how they have me going every couple of days. You know, throw two innings. I think it’s really good for me.
RSN: I read that you had back problems. Is that true?
JC: Yeah, back in high school. I had some surgery on it, and they cleared me two months later to play football and do whatever I felt like. It’s nothing debilitating. It doesn’t hurt me anymore.
RSN: Did you read that Baseball America said you could go as high as the third round? If so, what did you think about that?
JC: That’s what I was hoping, man. That would have been nice. I’m happy here, you know. I’m a professional baseball player. Not many people can say that.
RSN: I had read that the Tigers called you a little earlier in the draft. Did you think you’d be a Tiger?
JC: I don’t know. It was exciting to finally get a call, because I was sitting around for two and a half hours or whatever it had been. And I was thinking, man, this is no good [laughs]. [The Tigers] gave me an offer to see if I would take it. I called my agent to see what he had to say, and he wasn’t there, and I was like, ‘What am I going to do?’ He got back to me, so it wasn’t a big deal.
RSN: Did the Red Sox call you before they drafted you?
JC: I talked to Jim Robinson, the scout. I told him what the Tigers had said and told him I’d rather play for the Red Sox.
RSN: Why is that?
JC: I don’t know. I had talked to him a lot. He was real nice. I had had some interviews with him before the draft. He came to a lot of our games at Dallas Baptist. I just really like working with him. It’s mostly because of that.
RSN: What was it about Robinson that made you like working with him?
JC: He just seemed really sincere. He seemed like he actually cared. He was like “If we don’t work with you, good luck with where you go. I’m sure you’re going to be good.” He just seemed really sincere where a lot of guys were like, “Alright, thanks.” They didn’t seem to care what I had to say. They were just filling out their paperwork. He actually seemed pretty genuine.
RSN: Did he tell you what it was that he liked about you as a pitcher?
JC: He just asked me a lot of questions about my signability and what I wanted to do. Because I was a red-shirt sophomore, I could have had two more years [of college]. I’m sure he just wanted to feel out how that went. I think that’s another thing that kind of hurt my status. Some teams might not have wanted to pay me the third-round money, but they didn’t really want to take a chance on drafting me if I wasn’t going to sign.
RSN: Since you had that eligibility in front of you, what made you decide to turn pro?
JC: I just really feel ready to play at this level. I wanted to get here as soon as I could. I’m sure it’s every kid’s dream. Most kid’s dream anyways.
RSN: Is it possible that if it was another organization you would not have done it?
JC: It’s possible. The Red Sox are a great organization. I don’t have any complaints about it. I think what I’ve been through so far, being injured, they took really good care of me. They just run things well. It’s a good organization. I have other friends from school I’ve talked to, playing in different places, just stuff they’ve told me they’ve done. I’m glad I’m with the Red Sox versus being with a different team, you know?
RSN: Could you give me some examples? What have your friends encountered that gives you that perspective?
JC: Just, like, worst hotel. We stay at the Double Tree, a nice hotel. We stay in the dorms. Another team we’ve talked to, they got off the plane, and three days later, they told them to find their own place. That would have been rough. I would not have liked to show up and have to get an apartment first year. Also, I was talking to the other kids about how we’ve got all this structure that [the Red Sox] set up for us. We’ve got our shoulder programs, our stretching, all the things we go through. When I was talking to another kid, he was like, “Yeah, we kind of go out and stretch, and then we throw and do stuff on our own.”
RSN: Is that sort of regimen pretty standard as you graduate to another level in the Red Sox system?
JC: Yeah, it’s pretty standard through the organization from what I’ve heard. I think it’s pretty standard until you get to the big leagues. You know, they let them do their own thing. Those guys deserve it. I like it. I just got into working out, taking care of myself, last year. I don’t know anything. I don’t have all the answers. So it’s really nice having someone set me in the right direction.
RSN: What are you initial impressions of Red Sox Nation?
JC: I didn’t know much about the Red Sox. I’m from the west coast. I’m from California. I’m an Angels fan, kind of, and Dodgers. But, you know, it’s Red Sox now, and it’s pretty nice to be part of that. There are so many fans. Everywhere you go people are wearing Red Sox stuff. It’s not like that in California . It’s pretty neat.