Ten Questions with Grant Green

Green was drafted 13th overall by Oakland in 2009 out of the University of Southern California, 30 miles from where he played high school ball. And the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum won't require cross-country flights from the West Coast for friends and family to see him play.

Green's first full professional season was an unqualified success. Playing for Class A Advanced Stockton, the 6-foot-3 shortstop batted .318 with 20 homers and 87 RBIs, finishing third in the California League with 39 doubles. After the Ports were eliminated from the playoffs, Green was promoted to Double-A Midland, where he homered in his first postseason at-bat and went deep again in the Texas League Championship Series.

The 23-year-old is slated to begin 2011 back with Midland but was invited to big league camp. There, he's gotten to meet veterans like 2009 World Series MVP Hideki Matsui as well as Rich Harden. Green recently chatted with MiLB.com.

MiLB.com: How happy were you with your 2010 season? Was there anything you were worried about heading into the year?

Grant Green: It was something that I was stoked about. You can't complain about what ended up happening. It was good being in the California League because I got to see my family a lot. I had a blast with the guys, so I can't really complain that much. I was just trying to prove that the A's made the right decision picking me and just doing my best.

MiLB.com: What are your goals for 2011?

Green: Pretty much the same as last season -- just go out there and learn as much as I can. It depends on what the organization wants to do with me.

MiLB.com: If you weren't a baseball player, what would you be doing?

Green: I have a couple of buddies that are going through fire school right now and I think that would be cool to do. Either that or do what my dad does and be a physicial education teacher, teaching kids how to be more athletic.

MiLB.com: What is your favorite off-day activity?

Green: Definitely just vegging around the house. I'm a huge gamer and I love to play video games. I play the PS3, any type of Call of Duty or MLB The Show -- any type of game where I can play for a couple of hours and lose track of time. I do the "Road to the Show" mode, and I always try to become a pitcher because I think it's very interesting.

MiLB.com: How did you get the nickname "Cage Killer?" Do people still call you that?

Green: It's something that one of our pitching coaches called me, and the guys on the team saw that and they started calling me that the rest of the year. Thankfully, it hasn't followed me this spring. It's something that didn't stick, so I'm kind of happy for it.

MiLB.com: What team did you grow up rooting for? What player did you idolize?

Green: I was a huge Giants fan my whole life. My dad was born in the Bay Area and I always grew up rooting for them because it's what he instilled in me. One of my favorite players growing up was J.T. Snow -- I just loved watching him play. Also, Pete Rose. I didn't get to see him play, but I saw the tapes and I tried to emulate him, though it's tough to emulate him.

MiLB.com: Was your family excited to see you drafted by a California team?

Green: They were extremely happy. They were happy just to see me get drafted, but a California team made it better. Hopefully, when I get to Oakland they will get to see me play a lot, especially when we play the Angels; they are five minutes from there.

MiLB.com: What's been the proudest moment of your career so far?

Green: Probably setting the triples record back in college at USC. The day I did it was the day after my great-grandmother had passed away, and it was really emotional. She was a huge part of my life, and I saw it as she was up there trying to help me with it.

MiLB.com: What was it like getting invited to Spring Training and meeting veterans like Hideki Matsui and Rich Harden?

Green: It's been a pleasure seeing them. I've never seen so many people follow Matsui like they have. They don't big league anyone, they still come up to me and say hi. They are real cool guys. You can go up to them and talk to them. If you have a question, you can go up to them and ask them. They are real down-to-earth guys.

MiLB.com: What was it like to get promoted to Midland during the Texas League playoffs and then homer in your first game?

Green: It was unbelievable. It was something you always think about, "If I get promoted, what am I going to do that first at-bat?" Though I had only been with the team one day, I felt pretty good about. Any type of championship series experience, it's always something you can look back on, and the jitters are a little less the next time.