Los Angeles Dodgers: Rookie Jerry Sands Talks Breaking into MLB with B/R
The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently reeling from the repercussions of the battle between MLB commissioner Bud Selig and team owner Frank McCourt off the field, but that hasn't stopped rookie Jerry Sands from doing all he can to contribute on the field.
The organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2010 kicked off his big-league career with a double and a sacrifice RBI in a win over the Atlanta Braves in his debut, and he has performed admirably to keep his spot in left field while hitting .235 with five RBI thus far through the young 2011 season.
I recently had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with the Dodgers rookie about life as a Major League Baseball newcomer, his baseball idols and his hopes for the rest of the reason.
Read on to find out what this up-and-coming LA mainstay has to say about making it to the big leagues!
Jerry Sands on Reaching the Major Leagues
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What was it like coming out and being so effective in your first major league game?
It was fun. I mean, of course, you want to come out and get it out of the way. You don’t want to put more pressure than you have to on yourself, so just playing, getting my first hit in my first at-bat was big.
Did you have any family around to watch you?
I didn’t. They’re at home. They watched it on TV or the Internet and everything, They got to see it and kind of experience it a little bit, but it’ll be fun for them to come out.
You must’ve gotten plenty of text messages and phone calls then.
Yeah, oh man, my phone hasn’t really stopped ringing for a while, so it’s been crazy.
Sands on Life as a Rookie
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What’s it been like for you rising all the way to the majors so quickly?
It’s been obviously a dream for me since being young, but I still have to keep working hard. It’s tough to stay here so working hard here is a big thing, but it’s been a crazy couple years. It’s been a lot of work.
The Dodgers have had 16 players in their history win Rookie of the Year honors—the most of any MLB franchise. Do you want to be the 17th?
Yeah, definitely. I mean, that’s what I’m working for and to come up here, win some ball games, help this team and win another award would be nice. But if not, just come up here and be effective.
Jerry Sands on Chipper Jones and His Baseball Idols
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Are there any players in particular that you’ve patterned your game after?
I grew up in North Carolina, so I was a Braves fan. There were a bunch of Braves guys, watching Chipper Jones, stuff like that.
I like Vladimir Guerrero, he’s kind of the bigger outfielder, good arm, power bat, who I’ve kind of modeled my game after, but I like those guys that gave it 110 percent every day.
I mean, a little bit older, a guy like Pete Rose, “Charlie Hustle” and everything, but just those guys that kind of went out and did their thing and didn’t worry about anything else but playing hard are the guys I liked to watch.
Is it weird for you that your first series in the major leagues came against Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves?
Yeah, it’s awesome. I mean, a lot of my friends are like: “I’ll take it easy on you tonight even though you’re going against the Braves." But it’s fun. It’s awesome.
If it were to be in Atlanta, I’d go to see some family, so it’d be even crazier, but with Chipper Jones and to face Tim Hudson, guys that I’ve watched growing up, it’s been pretty crazy.
Have you had a chance to talk to Chipper?
I haven’t. I haven’t made it to third base yet, but hopefully I’ll get to meet him and some of those guys because that’s what it’s all about. Taking in this whole experience has been pretty fun.
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Sands on Facing MLB's Best Pitchers
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After getting a hit off Tim Hudson, are there any pitchers in particular that you’re looking forward to facing?
Not in general, I mean, the big-name guys are most of the guys that are nasty, so I’m just going to take every at-bat the same way. Just try and get a good pitch to hit and not miss it.
I mean, if it is a big name, it’d be awesome, but you’ve got some low-key guys that are pretty good too, so I’ll just take it every at-bat, if it were to be the best pitcher you could face, so it’s going to be a daunting task to just keep working hard and do some things, but it’s going to be a grind.
Jerry Sands on Fitting in as a Dodger
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What do you think your role on the team is going to be going forward?
It’s just been kind of brief, talking to Ned [Colletti], talking to Donnie [Mattingly], they just kind of told me that I was coming in to play, to be ready to play, and that’s what I was hoping for; coming up here and being able to get some at-bats.
Other than that, they just told me that I’d get some time, get some at-bats and stuff—nothing too extensive as far as a real definite thing, but they told me to just be ready to play.
Where do you see yourself in relation to Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp as an outfielder for the Dodgers?
They’re obviously two established guys that have been in the league for, I think, five and six years or something like that. I mean, two superstars out there, so it’s an honor to be out there in an outfield with them, so I’ve got some shoes to fill over there with the players that have played out there and those guys that are playing out there now. So it’s going to be fun being able to team up with those guys and I think we’ve got a pretty good outfield if I can play up to the standards.
Jerry Sands on Being a Rookie Sensation
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Can you ever envision “Jerry-mania” blowing up like “Fernando-mania” did back in the 1980s?
I don’t know. It’s been kind of crazy, it’s been pretty quick and it hasn’t been all that long, so I can’t really see Jerry-mania.
My friends are already talking about “Jerry-wood” and all this stuff, so it’s a little crazy. No, I’m just trying to step in and get my job done, do what I need to do.
Any rookie hazing yet?
No, not quite yet. I’m anticipating it. I’m sure there’s going to be something. It hasn’t been too bad yet.
Going Forward
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As the season goes on, the Dodgers figure to rely on Jerry Sands to prove he belongs with the big club.
The 23-year-old outfielder/first baseman has demonstrated the sort of stability and level-headedness required of any major leaguer to be a mainstay, though the power bat that he showed off in the minor leagues is still lagging behind him in his time in Los Angeles.
That being said, Sands should be a significant piece of the puzzle if the Dodgers hope to contend for the NL West amidst turmoil up top.
If Sands can build upon his flashy debut, he and the Hollywood Swingers will be in good shape to contend for the divisional crown.
If not, the crew will be that much more blue when reality sets in during the dog days of summer.
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