An Interview with Astros RHP Troy Scribner

When I saw RHP Troy Scribner at Tri-City at the end of July, I knew that I had lucked out in getting the opportunity to talk with him. The way he was pitching for the 'Cats to that point (0.77 ERA/0.788 WHIP and 12BB:57K in 47IP) told me that he wouldn't be there much longer. Indeed, after just one more start for Tri-City and he was promoted to Quad Cities.

If you've read my other interviews from my Tri-City trip, you will have noted that everyone I spoke with raved about what Scribner did there. Manager Ed Romero was no different in his praise, "Scribner has been outstanding. He's got good control and good command. He's got the good curveball and changeup. And he can throw for strikes. He's got good poise on the mound. He's very polished." Romero repeated, "He's been outstanding."

I had met Scribner very briefly earlier this season when he was called upon to help out the Corpus Christi pitching staff back in April. After seeing how quiet and reserved he was at the AA club, I was a little bit surprised by his very outgoing demeanor in Tri-City. He is a very confident young man with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

Scribner was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2013 after graduating from Sacred Heart. When I asked if he had been injured or if there were other factors involved in his not having been drafted, he bristled at the question somewhat and left me with the impression of someone who has something to prove and will use the fact that he wasn't drafted as motivation to succeed.

Troy Scribner - April 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

It turns out that he was very successful at Sacred Heart and ended up being just another senior sign with no leverage. Of his college experience he told me, "It was really great. I loved college. The baseball part of college was really successful (2.59 ERA and 1.000 WHIP, 17BB:90K in 83.1IP his senior year). I had a really good career there and I pitched a ton, pitched really well and had a great time for four years. Got to graduate and go to school. Did everything I planned on doing."

I asked Scribner what he had been told about that assignment to Corpus in April, "They told me they had some sore arms so I was just going to go and help to give some of the guys some rest because there were some injuries up there." He assumed that the assignment was temporary, "You don't usually have a guy go from rookie ball straight to Corpus Christi so I knew it wasn't going to be permanent." When I mentioned that he definitely held his own at the AA level, he responded, "I had to. Get the opportunity so I had to take advantage of it."

He also benefited from working with Corpus Christi interim Pitching Coach Doug Brocail. According to Scribner, "I had a lot of fun there and he's a phenomenal coach. He made some really drastic changes in my game so I owe him a lot."

Scribner attributes some of his 2014 success to being given the opportunity to start this season, "When I came in [this season], they were wanting me to start. That's not something I've had set in stone since I've been here. I got the chance to start, have a role throughout the whole summer. Every start I just take it upon myself to do the best that I can. It's been successful as of late. I've been hitting my spots and being consistent so it's been pretty good so far."

Of his pitch repertoire, Scribner told me, "I have a fastball, a curveball and a changeup. Upper 80's 4-seam fastball. Curveball is [around] 70-75 and change up is [around] 80. Everything works off my fastball. If I don't have that, then none of my other pitches are going to be doing anything. I guess my fastball is my best pitch. Other than that, my changeup has developed into something I can use really, really effectively for strikes, for swing and misses, for weak contact. So that one's been the big difference here." When I told him that fellow Tri-City pitcher Derick Velazquez was very complimentary of his curveball, Scribner responded, "The curveball's good when it's there, but this year, it hasn't been there every game. [Recently], I found it again. I lost it for a couple starts and then I got it back. That's still something I'm trying to get to be more consistent every start. Still working on it."

What does he feel that he needs to do to get to the next level in his development as a pitcher? "Just fine-tuning all my pitches. Every game, there's been a couple of at-bats where I lose a guy, get one or two walks a game, so I'm just trying to eliminate those from my game. That's more of a focus thing. It's not getting my pitches physically better; it's just mentally focusing the whole way instead of kind of having a lapse every once in a while. [I'm just working on] honing all my skills and my talent and my pitches to where I can get success at the next level. That's the plan."

When I asked him if there was a pitcher he had seen in the organization who had a pitch he would like to steal, he didn't pick a specific pitcher, but he does know what he would like to add to his arsenal, "I don't know who throws it in the Astros organization, but I've been working on a cutter. That's something that can complement my game pretty well so I've been working on that. But it's still a long way away."

Which Astros hitter would he least like to face in the batter's box? "I heard Singleton hits pretty well. It looks like he's got a vicious swing. I know he just got called up this year and he's brand new, but he's pretty mean-looking at the plate. I'd probably be pretty scared to face him."

There are several players he enjoyed watching during his time with the ValleyCats. "There's a bunch of guys that I love watching play. I love watching Jamie [Ritchie] catch. Jamie's a really good catcher. He's fun to watch. He's very smooth. And Alex Hernandez, the infielder, he's great to watch. He makes everything look good. He's got good hands. I love watching him play. When A. J. [Reed] was here, I loved watching him hit. He could mash, but he's gone now. [Reed was promoted to Quad Cities shortly before Scribner was.] He's a good hitter."

Who on the team makes him laugh? It turns out that there are several funny guys in the bullpen, "Thompson. Ryan Thompson. He's hilarious. Jordan Mills is funny. Chris Munnelly. We've got a great team this year. It's a really, really good group of guys and they all are really good at making you laugh so a bunch of guys are really funny."

When I asked Scribner to tell me something that most people might not know about him, the baby-faced pitcher responded, "I don't have any facial hair and I'm 23 years old. That's something that not everybody knows." "That's kind of impressive, isn't it?," he joked. Pardon Scribner if he doesn't participate in growing a playoff beard anytime soon.

Personally, I loved the answer I got from Scribner when I asked him what he would do if he couldn't play baseball, "Probably be a rock star, play the drums in a band, travel the world and play music. That would be awesome." When pressed about his drum-playing abilities, he admitted, "I [played] a little bit when I was in high school. That was just to mess around. I was never any good at it. I would love to. It's a ton of fun to play music."

Since Scribner has gotten around the organization a little bit this season, I wanted to know what he thought about the Astros farm system. He replied, "We've got an incredible amount of talent at all levels from the GCL to what I've seen in Corpus. Everybody's really, really talented. A lot of competition. Especially for the pitchers. There are a lot of hard throwers and I've never been a hard thrower so I've got to step up my game to compete with these guys. It's a tough organization to play in the minors for because there's so many players, but it's exciting to see what the future holds for this organization."

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The impression that Scribner left me with is someone who will likely defy the odds, whether it's a NDFA getting to the major leagues or an aspiring drummer making it with a rock band. And I wouldn't bet against him.

Thank you for your time, Troy, and keep dreaming big!