"Where Are They Now?" Featuring Wil Crowe
"Where Are They Now?" Featuring Wil Crowe Interview By: Doubledays Staff Writer Chris TrilWhat were some of your favorite memories as a Doubleday?Wil Crowe: The area, the team, it was a good little first few months. Being around some new guys and trying to learn their tendencies, their ways and
"Where Are They Now?" Featuring
Interview By: Doubledays Staff Writer Chris Tril
What were some of your favorite memories as a Doubleday?
Wil Crowe: The area, the team, it was a good little first few months. Being around some new guys and trying to learn their tendencies, their ways and trying to mesh with them to get that "team" feeling going.
Who are some of the guys you would hang around with on and off the field?
WC: Guys like Jackson Tetrault,
Where are some of the places you'd go out to eat? What was the scene like?
WC: We went to that diner in Auburn -Pavlos'. Then there's that brewery, Prison City. That was pretty good, too, a good little spot.
After you got drafted you spent some time in the Gulf Coast League. How was it making the jump into the New York-Penn League?
WC: It was kind of different. You go from hot weather to kind of colder weather. You're back in a game environment, playing under the lights, that's always fun. It was a nice little experience to go up there for a few weeks and get your feet wet in pro ball and start getting after it.
Had you played up north before?
WC: No I hadn't, that was my first time.
What kind of adjustments did you have to make to play up north?
WC: There's not much difference between playing in the south and up north. You go from 95 and hot down in Florida to like 60. It takes a week or two to get used to that weather and that's about it.
What were some of the adjustments you had to make going from college to minor league ball?
WC: You can't really take pitches off. You don't have the luxury of some of the guys not being as talented, I mean everyone in pro ball is talented. So you really got to go after guys every pitch and every play you're facing a guy that's really good. If you make a mistake you're going to pay for it, whereas in college you can get away with those things.
What are some of those things that you could get away with in college that you couldn't get away with in Auburn?
WC: You make a mistake 0-2, a guy's going to hit it. You make a mistake 3-1, a guy's going to swing and hit it. I think that's normal, but in pro ball those mistakes aren't just singles. They're homers, and they're going to do the damage to you.
I want to know about the amazing engagement experience that started here in Auburn and ended recently.
WC: When I bought the ring I had to ship it somewhere. We were always on the road and I couldn't ship it to her house or her mom's house or my house because I'd never be there. So I had to ship it to the field. I got there and I had to hide it in the locker room for two weeks or a week and a half and then finally, when I got to go home, I had it on the plane with me. The day after I got back home on September 9 I got to propose at her family's beach house. We got to decorate it up, make it all nice. It's been good, I've really enjoyed it. It was really scary because she didn't say anything for a few seconds. It felt like the longest two seconds of my life, it felt like a day went by. I had to wake her up I think, she was in shock. I asked and she didn't say anything so I had to say 'Hillary!' and then she started crying and shaking her head. So it was a good experience and a good day. I really enjoyed that and she's still here so it's going good.
Before you were drafted by the Nationals you were drafted two other times. What was your mindset when you said, 'I'm going to college' or 'Alright, this isn't the time for me, I'm going to play another year.'
WC: Well when I was in high school when I got drafted I enjoyed school. I didn't mind going to school, it wasn't a burden on me. I got some money thrown at me and, with me and my family, I wasn't in a bad situation. I had a number and I really enjoyed South Carolina so if they didn't meet my number I wasn't going to take it. So I went to school and I got the Tommy John and knew once again that I had some leverage because I was still going to be a junior on the field and I had a way to use that as a way to maybe get more money. So after my junior year which I didn't play, the draft came along and we came up with a number again. We knew that last year when I did get drafted, if I had a good year I could make a good amount of money. If they didn't reach it they didn't reach it. I think that some teams came by and were thinking about it, but I think Tommy John especially, it's a scare for some teams, so they wanted to see how I could come back from it. So when they drafted me late I knew that going back to school. I really loved it there in South Carolina, I met my fiance there, I wasn't in a rush to leave. I could get my degree and that's a big deal. So I finished my junior year and it was a good time.
What are some other things that you learned from college that you wouldn't have gotten a chance to learn in high school for your professional career?
WC: How to be a better teammate, how to go about your business, you learn how to be coachable. When you grow up, you mature, and that's a big thing about college. If you go to college you learn a lot of things, you grow up, you see the world, you're out in the world for the first time. So growing up and becoming a man is a big thing when you go to school.
Speaking of maturity, you skipped Single-A all together when you were promoted from Auburn and are now in Potomac (High A). How much of that do you contribute to your time with the Doubledays?
WC: You learn a lot there. You learn a lot from the pitching coach Tim Redding. We have tendencies and he tells you. He pitched six years in the big leagues so with him behind us, he can really break it down for us and let us know 'Hey this isn't college ball anymore. Those Judy Jam shots for singles aren't going for hits.' You get to be more aggressive, my time there in Auburn was good. I learned a few things, figured out a few things. What I learned there I'm using over here and it's paying off for me.
Did you learn any other pitches or ways to throw something differently when you had Redding and other pitchers with you?
WC: I throw five pitches so I don't really want another pitch. But you learn how different people throw different pitches and you can teach yourself different grips on the pitches you throw and learn how to throw different pitches with different conviction. When you're in the swamp and struggling with a pitch they can always tell you their pointers and maybe one of them sticks with you, stuff like that.
Can you talk about the experience of host families? What are some of the pros and cons?
WC: Host families are awesome, you're basically getting to move in with a complete stranger and they're opening their door for you. They're giving you the gratitude as a stranger as they would give their kid. They're extremely nice, they do things for you that other people just don't understand. They help you buy food, they give you a place to sleep, they pay for your rent. You're getting to a place to sleep for free and they don't even question it. They do it just out of the goodwill that they have. It's a good experience, we really appreciate what host families do and it makes our life a lot easier considering we don't have to worry about rent and having to worry about spending our very minimal paychecks already on homes and internet. It's incredible that somebody would do that for a bunch of guys for six months, seven months a year.
"Where Are They Now?" Featuring
Interview By: Doubledays Staff Writer Chris Tril
What were some of your favorite memories as a Doubleday?
Wil Crowe: The area, the team, it was a good little first few months. Being around some new guys and trying to learn their tendencies, their ways and trying to mesh with them to get that "team" feeling going.
Who are some of the guys you would hang around with on and off the field?
WC: Guys like Jackson Tetrault,
Where are some of the places you'd go out to eat? What was the scene like?
WC: We went to that diner in Auburn -Pavlos'. Then there's that brewery, Prison City. That was pretty good, too, a good little spot.
After you got drafted you spent some time in the Gulf Coast League. How was it making the jump into the New York-Penn League?
WC: It was kind of different. You go from hot weather to kind of colder weather. You're back in a game environment, playing under the lights, that's always fun. It was a nice little experience to go up there for a few weeks and get your feet wet in pro ball and start getting after it.
Had you played up north before?
WC: No I hadn't, that was my first time.
What kind of adjustments did you have to make to play up north?
WC: There's not much difference between playing in the south and up north. You go from 95 and hot down in Florida to like 60. It takes a week or two to get used to that weather and that's about it.
What were some of the adjustments you had to make going from college to minor league ball?
WC: You can't really take pitches off. You don't have the luxury of some of the guys not being as talented, I mean everyone in pro ball is talented. So you really got to go after guys every pitch and every play you're facing a guy that's really good. If you make a mistake you're going to pay for it, whereas in college you can get away with those things.
What are some of those things that you could get away with in college that you couldn't get away with in Auburn?
WC: You make a mistake 0-2, a guy's going to hit it. You make a mistake 3-1, a guy's going to swing and hit it. I think that's normal, but in pro ball those mistakes aren't just singles. They're homers, and they're going to do the damage to you.
I want to know about the amazing engagement experience that started here in Auburn and ended recently.
WC: When I bought the ring I had to ship it somewhere. We were always on the road and I couldn't ship it to her house or her mom's house or my house because I'd never be there. So I had to ship it to the field. I got there and I had to hide it in the locker room for two weeks or a week and a half and then finally, when I got to go home, I had it on the plane with me. The day after I got back home on September 9 I got to propose at her family's beach house. We got to decorate it up, make it all nice. It's been good, I've really enjoyed it. It was really scary because she didn't say anything for a few seconds. It felt like the longest two seconds of my life, it felt like a day went by. I had to wake her up I think, she was in shock. I asked and she didn't say anything so I had to say 'Hillary!' and then she started crying and shaking her head. So it was a good experience and a good day. I really enjoyed that and she's still here so it's going good.
Before you were drafted by the Nationals you were drafted two other times. What was your mindset when you said, 'I'm going to college' or 'Alright, this isn't the time for me, I'm going to play another year.'
WC: Well when I was in high school when I got drafted I enjoyed school. I didn't mind going to school, it wasn't a burden on me. I got some money thrown at me and, with me and my family, I wasn't in a bad situation. I had a number and I really enjoyed South Carolina so if they didn't meet my number I wasn't going to take it. So I went to school and I got the Tommy John and knew once again that I had some leverage because I was still going to be a junior on the field and I had a way to use that as a way to maybe get more money. So after my junior year which I didn't play, the draft came along and we came up with a number again. We knew that last year when I did get drafted, if I had a good year I could make a good amount of money. If they didn't reach it they didn't reach it. I think that some teams came by and were thinking about it, but I think Tommy John especially, it's a scare for some teams, so they wanted to see how I could come back from it. So when they drafted me late I knew that going back to school. I really loved it there in South Carolina, I met my fiance there, I wasn't in a rush to leave. I could get my degree and that's a big deal. So I finished my junior year and it was a good time.
What are some other things that you learned from college that you wouldn't have gotten a chance to learn in high school for your professional career?
WC: How to be a better teammate, how to go about your business, you learn how to be coachable. When you grow up, you mature, and that's a big thing about college. If you go to college you learn a lot of things, you grow up, you see the world, you're out in the world for the first time. So growing up and becoming a man is a big thing when you go to school.
Speaking of maturity, you skipped Single-A all together when you were promoted from Auburn and are now in Potomac (High A). How much of that do you contribute to your time with the Doubledays?
WC: You learn a lot there. You learn a lot from the pitching coach Tim Redding. We have tendencies and he tells you. He pitched six years in the big leagues so with him behind us, he can really break it down for us and let us know 'Hey this isn't college ball anymore. Those Judy Jam shots for singles aren't going for hits.' You get to be more aggressive, my time there in Auburn was good. I learned a few things, figured out a few things. What I learned there I'm using over here and it's paying off for me.
Did you learn any other pitches or ways to throw something differently when you had Redding and other pitchers with you?
WC: I throw five pitches so I don't really want another pitch. But you learn how different people throw different pitches and you can teach yourself different grips on the pitches you throw and learn how to throw different pitches with different conviction. When you're in the swamp and struggling with a pitch they can always tell you their pointers and maybe one of them sticks with you, stuff like that.
Can you talk about the experience of host families? What are some of the pros and cons?
WC: Host families are awesome, you're basically getting to move in with a complete stranger and they're opening their door for you. They're giving you the gratitude as a stranger as they would give their kid. They're extremely nice, they do things for you that other people just don't understand. They help you buy food, they give you a place to sleep, they pay for your rent. You're getting to a place to sleep for free and they don't even question it. They do it just out of the goodwill that they have. It's a good experience, we really appreciate what host families do and it makes our life a lot easier considering we don't have to worry about rent and having to worry about spending our very minimal paychecks already on homes and internet. It's incredible that somebody would do that for a bunch of guys for six months, seven months a year.