The Pittsburgh Pirates trimmed down the active Spring Training roster on Tuesday afternoon, reassigning Josh Lindblom to minor league camp. Lindblom will be assigned to Indianapolis. He made six appearances and three starts during Spring Training, posting a 4.22 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in 10.2 innings. The active roster in now at 36, though more cuts are expected to be made today. Check back for updates.
Alan Saunders, along with the rest of the Pirates media, had a chance to talk to Lindblom after the move was announced. He talked about how his Spring Training went, his role going forward, living in Indianapolis with his family and the experience he picked up by playing in Korea. Alan Saunders provided a full transcript of Lindblom’s answers below.
His Spring Training Performance
I felt like I got a lot better. Coming in to mini-camp, there were a lot of things I needed to work on. Mechanically, I’m getting back to where I feel comfortable with. I’m getting back to where I was in 2015. I think I’ve accomplished that. That was really important to me.
Coming in as one of the very few non-roster guys on the pitching staff, just seeing how much they care about guys here and seeing how much they care about guys’ careers. They them to get back where they were and they want them to be successful, not only if that’s here, or somewhere else. Coming in not really knowing what to expect, being in the situation I was in when I decided to come back, the support they’ve given me has been a pretty unbelievable experience.
Role Going Forward
They said they’re going to send me down and have me start, get me stretched out. Obviously, there might be a trickle-down effect depending on what happens with the Major League roster. As for now, I’ll get stretched out and possibly be a multi-inning reliever.
I’m comfortable with starting. I’m comfortable with relieving. Like I said the other day after the Philly game, I just love getting the ball and I love competing, no matter what role that it’s in. Wherever they hand me the ball, it’s just about going out there and getting outs.
On His Family Living in Indy
It’s a pretty cool worst-case scenario when you go to Triple-A, hang out with your kids, sleep in your own bed and live at home. Obviously, you want to be in Pittsburgh, you want to help the big club win. But there’s also work that needs to be done in Triple-A. There’s guys that I can help there. There’s things I can do to get better. It’s really a cool perspective to have.
Experience in KBO (Korean Major League)
Coming back here, you realize that there’s some really good players over there. I got better in two years over there. I learned a lot about myself and how to pitch. Bringing that back has been really beneficial to me.
