AJ Lee - July 2019
Photo by Jayne Hansen
Ozney Guillen, Tri-City ValleyCats manager, has been impressed during the early going with Lee's approach to the game, "The confidence that he has is awesome and I think he's taken really well to everything we do here. He's done a really good job of being able to implement that into his game. He's driving the ball a lot more than he used to in college so that's always a plus. He's awesome to work with. Always wants to learn. Always want to push forward. The good thing is that he knows he's a 34th rounder and he's not fighting against it. He's just going along with the current and getting better and just trying to do everything the right way."
I also found Lee to be very relaxed in his approach to the game. Of his early success, he said, "I think the biggest thing for me is just playing the game that I've always been playing, getting on base a lot, stealing some bases, spraying the field, not trying to do too much. I think just staying (within) what I can control and what I do has helped me a lot so far. So I'm just going to keep sticking with it and see what happens."
Asked what a scout might say about him, Lee said, "I think they would say that my strengths are (that) I have a pretty high baseball IQ; I'm pretty versatile on defense; I can spray the ball around the yard; and I can use my legs a little bit with the speed. The weaknesses are probably the power. The power's definitely not the best. I mean there's a little bit there, but it's not something that jumps off the page to you. I think the biggest thing for me is just having a high knowledge of the game and understanding situations and just having that good baseball IQ and being able to use it."
AJ Lee - July 2019
Photo by Jayne Hansen
The one thing that Lee is working on in order to set himself apart is his consistency on the field, "There's been glimpses where I'm really good and there's times when I'm really bad. So just trying to find a consistent spot and stay there, something that works for me everyday and just puts me in a more consistent spot to be successful. Again, not trying to do too much, but just trying to find what works for me on a night in and night out basis."
In a change of subject, I had to ask Lee about his twitter handle "Squish Lee." Yeah that was a nickname I got in 2017 from a couple of the older guys on my Maryland team. It's just based off an old TV show we used to watch. I said I wanted to be like a character and they just changed my name up. His name was Smash so they just started calling me Squish because I'm a lot smaller than him. It kind of just stuck and it seems to be following me," said Lee.
Lee learned much more in his time at the University of Maryland than just baseball. "It was good. I had an amazing four years there. Had an amazing staff there. It was definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made. I wouldn't trade those four years for anything. I definitely grew as a baseball player, as a man. They taught me a lot of things there that I'm going to carry with me throughout my entire life. It's helping me on the field and off the field. I can't thank them enough for all they've done for me there, Rob Vaughn and the staff there. It was a great four years and I was glad I was able to experience it, especially with them."
Lee called his draft experience "very, very relaxed." He told me, "When I got the call that I'd been drafted, I was eating Chipotle with my girlfriend in my apartment back in Maryland. We were just hanging around. I was actually in the middle of my food when I got the call. My parents didn't know or anything. I was shocked so I called them. I think they were more excited than I was. I didn't really know how to react right away. Then I went to see my grandparents to tell them the news. Spent the next couple of days before I left just seeing people in my family before I left, just to see them one last time before I was gone for a couple months. It was really relaxed. It wasn't any pressure at all." He had been in contact with the Astros in the weeks leading up to the draft so it didn't come as a complete surprise. "But again, it was no pressure on me. I was going to be happy either way it went so I just tried not to pay too much attention to it and not put too much pressure on myself," said Lee.
Of his experience as a pro thus far, Lee said, "I would say the biggest surprise is just the culture thing. Not necessarily within the Astros organization culture-wise, but the culture of stepping into a new locker room with a bunch of guys that you don't really know. You've got guys speaking different languages. So at first it was a little bit of a shock to me, but I adjusted pretty quickly. I'm starting to learn some Spanish so I can talk to these guys a little more. It's been a fun ride so far. I'm just excited to continue and keep it going."
Off field, I didn't get much out of Lee about his interests, but he enjoys spending time with his friends and his girlfriend (who conveniently lives in New York and has been able to visit Lee in the Troy, New York location of the ValleyCats).
But I did find out a little about his major (Family Science) and what Plan B would have been had he not been drafted by the Astros. If he hadn't been picked up, he said, "Honestly, I wanted to work with underprivileged kids, like inner-city kids, just give them a resource that maybe they don't have just to try to get them higher education, get them involved in sports or something like that."
It was refreshing to talk with a player who doesn't let himself be defined by the game of baseball. He is working hard and enjoying the ride, but ultimately, he seems to know that his success in life is not solely dependent upon baseball. His ability to sit back and enjoy the game without putting undue pressure on himself, his ability to play hard and smart and still have fun, could ultimately be just the right formula to help a 34th rounder stand out from the crowd. But just because he doesn't take things too seriously doesn't mean that he doesn't care ...
Thank you for your time, AJ, and best of luck as the season continues to unfold.He played 183 games as a Terp— Maryland Baseball (@TerpsBaseball) May 25, 2019
In his last, @AJ_Lee02 went 4-for-5 and homered in his last at bat
He was greeted by every person in the dugout
He deserved it. He earned it. pic.twitter.com/LeoUV7PzCw
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