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Brian Bogusevic was one of the pleasant surprises for Astro fans this past season. In fact he provided quite possibly the moment of the year for the Astros, on the field with his pinch-hit walk off Grand Slam against the Cubs in mid August.
Brian was gracious enough to take time out of his offseason to answer some questions for us:
Crawfish Boxes: What is the origin of your last name, Bogusevic?
Brian Bogusevic: My last name is Lithuanian. I think that it might actually have been longer at some point in time before my relatives immigrated to the U.S., if you can believe that.
Bogusevic: I think that watching and seeing the amount of preparation that takes place before a game was very important. Everything from watching video, to scouting reports, to defensive meetings take place on an everyday basis.
CB: What was the hardest part switching from a starting pitcher to position player?
Bogusevic: The hardest part was probably just getting my body accustomed to playing on an everyday basis. Playing up to 162 games in a six month period takes a huge toll on you physically.
CB: How much data do the Astros provide in preparation for opponents? and do you prefer having as much data available or just going out and playing?
Bogusevic: There is definitely a lot of data available, and I prefer to have as much information as possible. I think that it can only beneficial to be as prepared as possible.
CB: What kind of waves have the ownership and front office changes meant for you as a player, if any? And have you had the opportunity to meet the new people in charge?
Bogusevic: I had to opportunity to meet our new GM Jeff Luhnow very briefly a couple of days ago, but have not met any of the other new front office members. With where we are as an organization, I think that almost every player is in the same boat in terms of where we stand with the new management. The rebuilding process is about finding guys who can play. We all have to prove that we can be the type of player that they want in order to a part of the long term plan.
CB: What area of your game are you looking to improve upon this upcoming season?
Bogusevic: Everything! Baseball isn't a game in which you can get complacent. I think that everyone who plays this game is always trying to improve every part of their game.
CB: Thank you for your time.
A big thanks again to Brian for taking time out of his rest and relaxation period to answer some questions for us here at TCB. Also, a thank you to Beverly Hills Sports Council for setting up the interview.
If you're not doing so already follow Brian Bogusevic on twitter: www.twitter.com/