An Interview with Astros LHP David Rollins

There's something about David Rollins that makes me feel right at home. It could be the northeast Texas accent that reminds me of the town I grew up in, a town about 100 miles from Rollin's home in the Carthage area. Or it could just be his easy smile and good nature. Or it could be that he's a lefty pitcher with mid-90's velocity, a combination that will earn the key to my heart every time.

Before I talked to Rollins, I spoke with Pitching Coach Don Alexander who described Rollins as having a plus fastball and the makings of a plus slider and a plus changeup, "Ball comes out of his hand real easy. Easy velocity. Repeatable delivery. Competes. All those things you want in a starting pitcher, especially being left-handed. I'm excited about what he's doing and I'm excited about his future."

Manager Rodney Linares is also high on Rollins, "He's got good stuff. Left-hander with great angle and he's got something on the ball. 92 to 95 miles an hour. Pitches inside to right-handed hitters which a lot of lefties don't. He's aggressive." Linares wants to see increased focus from Rollins when he gets two quick outs to keep things from getting out of control, but also went on to praise Rollins for buying into the program with Alexander's teaching, saying of Rollins, "He's only gotten better."

David Rollins - May 2013

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Here's what Rollins had to say when I spoke with him earlier this month (edited for brevity and clarity):

On his velocity from the May 11th game: "Actually, last night (the 11th) was the hardest I’ve thrown all year. I was sitting at 94 and I topped out at 96. Usually I’m sitting 92, topping out at 94, and last night I think 92 was my lowest pitch I threw."

On what he's accomplished and what he's working on: "I think I’ve accomplished keeping the ball down and getting ahead of counts. We had a guy come in last week and he told us 'three pitches and get the guy out, get him out in three pitches.' It will pretty much save you a lot of trouble. [It’s] changing the mindset. The catcher sets up in one spot and you’re thinking you got to be right there perfect every time. I got the mindset my last game and last night. [It was] the first time I was thinking like that [and] I went out and I did pretty good. Then last night I did pretty good only giving up one hit. That’s what I’ve been working on a lot, keeping the ball down and actually working on getting my slider in the dirt when I’ve got 0-2 or 1-2, trying to put the guys away instead of giving up the 0-2, 1-2 hits, trying to eliminate that. Last night it really worked out for me. I could see the difference in the way I’ve been pitching the past couple of games. It’s a big difference."

Which Astros pitcher has a pitch he'd like to steal?: "I’d like to have Tyson's [Perez] cutter. He’s got a good cutter."

Which Astros hitter would he least like to face?: "I’d say [Matt] Duffy would be the one. Duffy and [Nolan] Fontana. Fontana is the only dude I’ve seen that hardly ever gets out. [Even] if he gets out, he’s always hitting the ball. He hardly ever strikes out. He’d be probably the toughest one. Him and Duff."

Who on the team makes him laugh?: "There are clowns. [Brandon] Meredith and [Chris] Epps, when they’re on their little spiel, those two are clowns. But they’re good dudes. I love having them around the field for me and in the lineup. They absolutely make me laugh all the time. Even Cruzy [Luis Cruz]. I live with Cruzy and he’s funny. He is hilarious."

What would he do if he couldn't play baseball?: "In the off-season I do baseball lessons. There’s a small town called Silver Springs, Texas. I think I was the only person that actually played pro ball besides my pitching coach that comes in and helps out the guys. When you come in, the kids are all listening, watching the whole time. I'd probably do lessons and probably get my golf game up because I’m a terrible golfer but I enjoy to play it."

Something most people don't know about him: "Well surprisingly, I can kind of cook a little bit. This off-season I moved to Dallas to start my hard training and I started working out real hard, kind of getting ready for the season and my trainer told me I had to learn how to cook. I’m pretty good with a George Foreman and a grill."

On the commuter trips in the California League: "They’re not bad. When you’re done playing, you've got to sit on a bus for about an hour, hour and a half. That’s not bad because I’d rather sleep in my own bed than a hotel bed because most of the hotel beds are terrible. I don’t mind them [the commuters]. It’s just part of the grind. You've just got to go and pay your dues."

During the interview, Rollins and I got off on a little tangent, talking about Rodney Linares who had just walked by and spoken with us. I told Rollins that I really like Rodney's style of management and he had this to say, "I love playing for him. He’s one of the better managers I’ve had. Being here with Rodney and after the trade, I just feel like I got accepted into the organization. It’s real nice."

I think the feeling is mutual. Rodney was effusive in his praise of Rollins, "He goes out there and he competes. So does Brady [Rodgers]. So does [Aaron] West. They all do to a certain point, but this kid is left-handed and the angle he creates ... they can't hit it. It's down. It looks like a strike, but it's down here and it's 95. That's good [stuff]." It sounds like I'm not the only one who's a sucker for a mid-90's throwing lefty.

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Thanks for your time, David, and best of luck as the season unfolds.