Interview with No-Hit Trio McCanna, Garza, and Person.
On Thursday night, three rookie pitchers in the Astros Organization were part of something awesome, they threw a no-hitter just a month or so after being drafted by the Houston Astros in the 2015 MLB Draft. To add to the link that these three pitchers will always have after this game, they also all, for the most part, played high school baseball in Astros fan territory. This territory includes most of south Texas and Louisiana, or as Jonathan Papelbon would say, the “Dirty South.”
The moral of the story is that any “Person” can be part of a no-hitter at any moment (Sorry Zac, couldn’t resist). For more about the no-hitter itself, you can check out David’s post: Houston Astros Minors Update: Three prospects work no-hitter for Tri-City. Before we get to the interviews, let’s get a little background information on the three pitchers.
The starting pitcher was McCanna, whose name might be familiar to Rice University Alumni or Houston baseball fans in general. McCanna grew up north of Houston in The Woodlands, went to Woodlands High School. He was drafted in 2012 by the San Diego Padres in the 22 round but choose to go to play for Rice instead. He was drafted by the Astros in the 2015 draft with the first pick in the 13th round.
McCanna’s stats during the no-hitter: 4 innings/ o hits/ 1 walk/ 5 strikeouts (51 pitches).
The middle guy who got the win was Garza, maybe Sooner Alumni might know him. He played high school ball at New Braunfels HS, which is northwest of Houston in New Braunfels. He went to the University of Oklahoma and was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 26th round of the 2015 draft. Unlike McCanna, Garza was not drafted prior to 2015, so this was a new experience for him.
Garza’s stats during the no-hitter: 4 innings/ 0 hits/ o walks/ 7 strikeouts (50 pitches).
Person is a Louisiana boy who played with the Astros second-overall pick Alex Bregman. Unfortunately, I did not ask him what it was like to play with Bregman at LSU. He was drafted by the Astros in the ninth round of the 2015 draft and is thought to have much promise.
Person’s stats during the no-hitter: 1 inning/ 0 hits/ o walks (15 pitches).
They all had control of the game and maintained a low pitch count. While none of these three are in the top-30 Astros prospects lists, their performance on Thursday could eventually lead to them moving up the totem pole. Let’s get to know these three kids fresh out of college.
Next: Starting Pitcher Kevin McCanna
The Starting Pitcher Kevin McCanna
CTH: As a local kid, what was it like when the Astros drafted you in this year’s draft?
McCanna: Being from Houston and getting drafted by the Astros was an awesome feeling, and I’m glad I’m able to be in such a great organization.
CTH: Walk us through what happened when you were drafted by the Padres in 2012 out of the Woodlands HS, but chose to go to Rice instead.
McCanna: I knew before the draft my senior year that I wanted to go to college. Getting started with my college degree and playing for Coach Graham at Rice was something I was really set on doing.
CTH: Who was your favorite Astros player growing up?
McCanna: Berkman.
CTH: What do you think of the tandem system for starters that the Astros use? Do you sometimes wish you could go deeper into the games?
McCanna: I like the tandem starters because it’s a way to limit my innings while also adapt to pitching every fifth day instead of every seventh day like in college.
CTH: Were you aware of the situation in your game last night? When did you realize it?
McCanna: I knew after I came out I had a no-hitter, then once Ralph (Garza) finished his four innings that’s when I realized it was actually possible for the no-hitter to happen.
CTH: What was is like when the last out was made of the combined no-hitter?
McCanna: It was an awesome feeling. I was standing next to Ralph, and when Pat Porter caught the ball, we were jumping up and down and ran out there to join the team celebrate.
CTH: Would you rather throw another no-hitter in the minors or get your first loss in the majors?
McCanna: First loss in the majors.
CTH: Tell us a little about your pitching repertoire. What is your out pitch?
McCanna: I throw a fastball, curveball, slider, and a change-up. I like to throw all four pitches to left and right handed hitters.
CTH: Did you get any slack for allowing the only runner on with a walk to lose the perfect game?
McCanna: The guys didn’t give me too much of a hard time till after the game.
Thanks, Kevin McCanna, glad you got selected by your hometown team. If you would like to follow the former Rice starting pitcher, you can do so on Twitter at @kmccanna23. Congrats on being part of the no-hitter.
CTH: You went to High School in New Braunfels, were you an Astros fan or Rangers fan?
Garza: I never really had a specific team to go for just because I came from California. I was always looking to see what the California teams were doing really instead of the Astros or Rangers.
CTH: What’s your favorite thing to do at New Braunfels? (tubing, water park, other)
Garza: I will always be up for tubing down the river or going golfing with my buds from back in the day.
CTH: Did you get a scholarship to go play in college?
Garza: Yes, I received a scholarship from the University of Oklahoma, and that ultimately was the school that was perfect for me.
CTH: Wow, you are off to a good start to your minor league career, 36 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. Do you see yourself as a power pitcher?
Garza: I never really saw myself as a power pitcher. I have tried to have that mentality in the past, and it has never worked out. I see myself more as a guy who keeps the hitters off-balance, and that also comes with trust from your catcher and work that you have put in.
CTH: In the future, do you think you will be a reliever or starter?
Garza: I hope to be a starter but if it is not in my future to start and instead to be a reliever, I will be ready for the task.
CTH: Where you aware of the situation when you came into last night’s game in the fifth inning?
Garza: I was not. I knew Kevin had been lights out and never knew until after the fact I had came out. I am glad I did not know until then.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-16Astros have return date in mind for ace Justin Verlander /
CTH: You struck out 7 hitters in four innings, were you in the zone? What is your pitching repertoire?
Garza: I was in a zone, you could say. It was an awesome feeling dominating the hitters like that the way I did. I throw a fastball, slider, and a change-up. I was really confident in throwing all those pitches that night.
CTH: Were you disappointed that your manager didn’t let you finish the game?
Garza: Not at all. I was more than happy to turn it over to Person just because I know he could get the job done.
CTH: Would you rather pitch in another minor league no-hitter, or get your first big league loss?
Garza: Another no-hitter for sure. It was the only one I have thrown in my career and it was a crazy experience.
Thanks, Ralph Garza for answering the questions, looking forward to tracking you for the next few years. If you would like to follow Ralph, you can do so at @La_Garza_32.
CTH: What has been your biggest adjustment you have had to make going from the college level to the minors?
Person: It took a while to get used to the traveling and smaller crowds. However, the Astros have a great 30-day period that allows you to mesh what you were used to in college with their philosophies and preparations to help ease you into how we do things here.
CTH: You grew up in Louisiana, were you an Astros fan?
Person: Yes, I’ve been an Astros fan for as long as I can remember.
CTH: What round did people think you would go in the draft this year? What round did you think you would go in? Surprised on the 9th round selection?
Person: I think it was generally understood that I was going 9th or 10th round, or “late top 10”.
CTH: How do you feel about the tandem system the Astros use for their minor league starters?
Person: I’m getting used to it. It allows a pitcher to develop both as a starter and as a reliever at the same time.
CTH: You have 9 walks already, is this a product of more patient hitters?
Person: My walks are more a product of in-game situations. We are trying to work in more pitches for practice since I was just a fastball/curveball guy in college. So mixing in more pitches sometimes leads to worse holes to be pitching in. Also, a couple of them were intentional because of the game situation. It’s all part of the development.
CTH: Were you aware of the no-hitter when you came into the game in the ninth inning?
Person: I was aware of it, it’s hard not to think about it, but I tried my best not to let myself worry about the no-hitter as I was preparing.
CTH: What was the feeling like when the last out was made?
Person: It’s was exciting. At first I was going to treat it like any other 27th out, but my teammates were excited and I fed off of their excitement. It was a great team experience.
CTH: Give us a feeling of your pitching repertoire, what is your out pitch?
Person: I’m a fastball/curveball pitcher for the most part. Recently learned a changeup and a slider that I’ve been working on in game situations so hopefully I’ll be a 4-pitch pitcher before too long.
CTH: Would you rather pitch in another no-hitter in the minors or get your first loss in the majors?
Person: As much as a Major League appearance would be a dream come true, I have to say that I would rather be helping my team win than helping my team lose, regardless of the level.
CTH: For your next appearance, do you know if you will start or relieve?
Person: I will be in relief again in my next appearance. Possibly starting the one following that though.
CTH: Do you see yourself as a reliever or starter in the future?
Person: Both sides have interesting pros and cons. I was a starter until my junior year at LSU, then I realized that my “stuff” is better out of the pen. On those notes, I don’t really care which role I’m playing. Both are fun and I’ll be fortunate to have the chance to do either.
Thanks to Zac Person for taking the time to answer my questions and congrats for being part of a no-hitter. If you like what he had to say, you can follow him at @Zac_Person. Good luck in your future Zac.
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