Interview with Hancock

[Alan Ehlers]

Friday, October 10, 2008

Tempe Gazette reporter Jann Wenner recently sat down with Tempe phenom Markus Hancock to get his views on Tempe, his future, and what he hopes to accomplish next year.

It was a rainy day in Louisiana as Wenner met Hancock at Hancock's favorite hangout, Barnes and Noble. Hancock was eager to dispel the talk that he was rushed to the majors and that Knights GM Chris Van Hauter would ruin him.

Wenner – First off, thanks for your time Markus. I hear you are pretty busy with all sorts of speaking engagements and endorsement deals.

Hancock – Yeah, I’m pretty busy considering I was 0 –6 last year. (laughs)

Wenner – Were you happy with your performance even though you did not get any wins?

Hancock – Well, I would be lying if I said yes, but my last 4 starts were very encouraging; I think I had an ERA under 3. Overall I was pleased with the way I was throwing the ball over my last 4 starts.

Wenner – Why do you think you improved over the last 4 starts?

Hancock – It started with a meeting with Mr. Van Hauter. He told me not to worry, that I am up to stay and I will be out there every fifth day regardless. Also, Mr. Ledesma told me to stop nibbling and do not be afraid to throw your fastball early in the count. I will admit I was nervous for my first few starts, especially when you see the "Hancock Our Savior" banners hanging everywhere, plus having about 100 microphones shoved in my face on a daily basis since I signed in June. All the reporters reminded me of the first visit of the Beatles in ‘64 when they were greeted by a mob scene at Kennedy. I am not comparing myself to the Beatles but it was what it reminded me of. Anyway, Mr. Ledesma told me to be more aggressive early in the count and stop trying to nibble at corners and just trust my stuff, which I did over my last 4 starts.

Wenner – How do you see next year unfolding?
Hancock – I love our staff; I think it is one of the best in baseball. I am not trying to sound big-headed but we have me, Patrick (Hunter) Bill (Taylor), Chet (Collins) and, from what I hear, António (García). All five of us I think are capable of 15 wins and with our bullpen I think we are a contender now.

Wenner – Are you doing a Joe Willie here?

Hancock – Who?

Wenner – Joe Namath in 1969 predicted the Jets would beat the heavily favored Colts, and they did.

Hancock – Okay, I know what you mean. I will not go as far to say we will win the Planetary Extreme Championship, but I think we can contend. Mr. Van Hauter is going to get a couple of more players which he feels will complete our team; then we will be in the hunt, I believe. You have to be confident in order to succeed. I believe in my teammates and think we are developing into a championship-caliber team.

Wenner – Who are your friends on the team?

Hancock – I get along with everyone, but Patrick and I hang out a lot. We both are under the microscope so it is good we have each other to lean on. One teammate who intimidates me is Christian (Douglass). I heard he is a nice guy when you get to know him but he is a very intense individual who I was told you do not talk to on game day. I heard Gibson was the same way. But with Christian's numbers last year, who is going to mess with his pre-game ritual?

Wenner – What do you say to the people who believe that you were rushed to the majors?

Hancock – Well, they are entitled to their opinion. I do not agree with it. I mean I know I was not going to come up and strike everyone out and win 30 games right off. I know it takes time to learn the batters and such. Mr. Vega kept me on a strict pitch count so my arm would not wear down, so I have people around who are looking out for me. I do not understand why people think that I would come unglued if I get roughed up a little in the majors. I mean, I did not fall of the turnip truck. As for hurting my arm or pitch count, I could hurt my arm in AAA just as much at the major league level.

Wenner – To get off topic, what other hobbies do you have?

Hancock – I like to read and work in my garden. I listen to music and go to the theatre. I like to go to museums and art shows. I bought my first piece of art with my signing bonus. It is a Monet print which cost me $75,000 and hopefully it will go up in value.

Wenner – What kind of music do you listen to on game day?

Hancock – The Beatles of course; nobody compares to them in my book. They are true masters in every sense of the word and John Lennon was a genius. One of my great thrills was meeting Yoko Ono at an art show last week in SoHo. She was very gracious and allowed me to take my picture with her. I have it framed over my mantle. I told her I loved her art especially the humor in it and she thanked me and wished me luck in my career. Of course I do not think she had any idea who I was. (laughs)

Wenner – You better be careful meeting Yoko might break up Tempe's staff.

Hancock – (laughs) Well I hope it does not happen but maybe we should not be calling ourselves the Fab Five.

Wenner – One last question: What are you goals for your career?

Hancock – My one goal is to help my team win; I could care less about stats so I will not say I want to win 300 games and such. I would be just as happy winning ten games a year and a Planetary Extreme Championship then 20 and finishing third.

Wenner – Thanks for your time Markus.

Hancock – No problem.

[John]

Nice fleshing out of Hancock's character. Bit of a bookwork, eh? And I guess we can take it to the bank that he's up to stay!

[Coqui]

I think this is the most interesting thing to happen in PEBA since its inception. How Hancock develops will be a huge chip in the stats v. scouts debate. I see his k rate, hit rate and bb/9 rate and see problems. Chris sees the scouts and sees a superstar. I wish we could go forward a few years and see what happens.

[Tyler]

I assume, Canton, you're talking about those numbers in the majors? 'Cause based on his college stats, there's no doubt the dude is a stud.

If I'd drafted Hancock (sigh ) I probably would have had him end the year at AAA and start 2009 in the majors, not terribly different from what Chris is doing with him.

[John]

It's tough to say what we'd do in the situation. I've found myself to be surprisingly conservative in my promotions. Not one of my '08 draftees has been advanced even to Hi-A, for instance. On the other hand, the performance of my big leaguers has lessened the pressure to move prospects as quickly as possible. In Tempe, the future is now and there are opportunities for the taking. Would I be more aggressive in that situation? Almost certainly. Now I can't say for sure that I'd have him in the majors, but he certainly wouldn't be kicking back and soaking up rays with Cristián León in Mokule'ia.