Jump to content
North Side Baseball

May 2006: Question & Answer with David Aardsma

Chris

By Chris,
in Chicago Cubs Talk

 Share
Chris Iowa Cubs

Chris

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_430911.jpg

 

David Aardsma, Relief Pitcher for the Iowa Cubs and Chicago Cubs, has graciously agreed to answer questions from posters on NSBB! If you would like to send a comment to David, or if you would like to ask David a question, feel free to post it here. The deadline for submitting questions is Friday, May 12th at noon. Once the interview has been completed, the responses will be posted.

 

This session will be coordinated as in accordance with The NSBB Q & A Guidelines.

 

David is in his first full season in the Cubs organization. The right-hander was acquired in 2005 from San Francisco in a trade that sent LaTroy Hawkins to the Giants. David was drafted by the Giants in the first round (22nd player chosen) of the 2003 draft. He attended Pennsylvania State University (State College) before transferring to Rice (TX) University, where David and the Owls won the 2003 National Championship. David retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced in the College World Series. He graduated from Cherry Creek High School in Denver, Colo., in 2000.

2005 Career Highlights:

 

David opened the season in Norwich, the Giants Double-A affiliate, before being traded to the Cubs with pitcher Jerome Williams on May 28 ... went 6-2 with a 2.93 ERA in nine games (eight starts) for Norwich (AA), striking out 30 batters in 46.0 innings ... won three consecutive starts twice, doing so April 11-21 and May 9-20 ... spent the rest of the season at West Tenn (AA) in the Cubs organization, going 4-1 with 2 saves and a 3.91 ERA in 33 games (three starts) ... made his first appearance and earned his first win in the Cubs organization May 30 - allowed a run over 5.0 innings while striking out five Birmingham batters ... was moved to the bullpen for good in mid-June and went 2-1 with a 4.93 ERA in 30 relief appearances ... struck out 29 batters in 34.2 innings on the mound ... was unscored upon in 21 of his 42 combined appearances ... struck out a season-high 7 batters June 16 in his last start of the season ... tossed 5.0 scoreless innings and earned the win against Mississippi ... following the regular season, he appeared in 12 games for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League ... struck out 18 batters in 18.2 innings.

 

(Photo & Bio courtesy of The Official Website of the Chicago Cubs.)

 

Thank you to David for taking the time to interact with us on such an up close and personal level. Best wishes to David as he works to return to the Chicago Cubs this season. As always, thank you to all of you for making NSBB such a wonderful community!

Recommended Posts

Ding Dong Johnson Cooperstown

Ding Dong Johnson

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

David,

Thanks for taking the time to answer questions for us. My first question to you is more of a rant and a question. I have attended many games in Des Moines over the years, and I have never once gotten close to walking away with a souvenir such as a foul ball, shrapnel from a broken bat, or even a hot dog shot out of one of the air cannons. If you're there the next time I am, can you hook me up?

 

Second question: When receiving word that you're heading to the big leagues, can you put into words the excitement that you feel?

 

Finally: Favorite teammate, past AND present.

CaliforniaRaisin GOAT

CaliforniaRaisin

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted

Thanks for taking your time to answer our questions, David.

 

First of all, how did it feel to get traded from the Giants system to the Cubs last season?

 

Last season, your velocity on your fastball was reportedly down, but it has returned to form this season. Do you know why it was down last season and how it came back this season?

 

I hope you're back with the big league team soon!

Flames24Rulz All-Star

Flames24Rulz

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Hey David!

 

This may seem like a pretty dumb question, but what is the biggest transition facing hitters from Triple A to the majors? Another question I have for you is what do you plan on working the most on, pitch selection wise, in your time in Iowa?

 

I'm hoping you can continue to dominate the hitters in Iowa like you did in the beginning of the season and you'll be back up here in no time!

NCCubFan MVP

NCCubFan

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

You dominated at Iowa, then had problems after being called up to the Cubs. Do you attribute that to nerves, a different approach to pitching at the major league level, or simply better hitters?

 

Hang in there; you'll be back up. Even Greg Maddux got sent down during his rookie season, so you're in good company.

vance_the_cubs_fan Cooperstown

vance_the_cubs_fan

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted

David,

 

Thanks for taking our questions. I read somewhere that you were a Cubs' fan growing up. Is that correct? If so, what did it feel like when you found out you had been traded to the team you were a fan of?

treebird All-Star

treebird

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Thanks for taking our questions, David!

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/images/players/mugshot/ph_430911.jpg

Have you seen your mugshot on Cubs.com? Were you being funny, or are you just such a cRaZy guy that you look like this all the time? Do your teammates ever give you trouble about this kind of thing?

Andy GOAT

Andy

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

David,

 

Can we endorse you with the nickname "The Aardvark"? Or is there a different name you go by in the clubhouse that you would rather be known as? Hope to see you back with the Cubs soon!

srbin84 First Round Pick

srbin84

Verified Member
Posted
Posted
Thanks for your time. I have a question out of left field. I know you started a few games in the minors last year and that it was probably just to get innings, work on pitches, build arm strength, whatever. I just wonder if you think you could build the stamina to be a full time starter? When was the last time you were a starter, and if it was just your choice, which would you want to be?
Mizzou Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Mizzou

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

What was the atmosphere like in the Cubs bullpen during games? Were Dempster and Eyre clowning around a lot?

 

Best wishes!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
The North Side Baseball Caretaker Fund
The North Side Baseball Caretaker Fund

You all care about this site. The next step is caring for it. We’re asking you to caretake this site so it can remain the premier Cubs community on the internet. Included with caretaking is ad-free browsing of North Side Baseball.

Become a Caretaker

  • Member Statistics

    6,793
    Total Members
    13,056
    Most Online
    Kevin OBrien
    Newest Member
    Kevin OBrien
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...