How did you first get into baseball, and when did you realize you were good enough to play collegiately and beyond? ​

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Probably like most kids, I started with tee-ball at the local Little League, hitting the Fisher-Price ball in the house with my parents. I played pretty seriously, but I didn't know it would lead to a whole lot until I hit a big growth spurt in high school and started seeing a possible future. 

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I went to a pretty good high school program, and I thought it was an accomplishment to make the varsity team there. Around my sophomore or junior year, I started to realize I could compete pretty well at the high school level. I had a very good coach who helped me navigate getting to the next level. And then colleges started knocking, scouts started showing up, and it really just blew up from there.
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Are there any pitchers you looked up to when you were younger?

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Growing up, I was a Braves fan. Steve Avery was my favorite pitcher. He came up as this young gun for the Braves and helped them go from worst to first in the early 90s. 

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Randy Johnson was tall and lanky like me. I never could do as well as he could. But there was a lot to learn watching him on the mound intimidate hitters and throw that wipeout slider. Those are the two that really stand out for me.
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Before you were drafted out of the University of North Carolina, did you have interest in learning more about the MLBPA or labor unions in general?

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I don't know that I would have expected [my interest] to grow into what it did. But I remember the strike in ‘94 and all that went along with it. Something that always stuck out to me was the players saying ‘Hey, we're in a fight, and there are rights we have to protect.’ I think I gained a little appreciation for that.

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When I got to the major leagues and joined the union, that appreciation had grown. Once I got to meet people in the organization and better understand the mission, it was really easy to get behind. 
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Was your role as a team representative with the Marlins something you sought out as soon as you became a major leaguer?

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To be completely honest, I kind of got thrust into it. We had elections, and I was actually late because I was the starting pitcher that night. The doors were locked, and I thought I missed a team meeting or didn't know what time the game was. But I opened the door, and [executive director] Donald Fehr was in there with Allyne Price and a lot of familiar faces. They walked over and said, ‘Your teammates picked you to be the team rep if you’re up for it.’ 

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It took me back. At the same time, I had a little pride that they thought I was the right person. I started making connections with people in the organization. Through arbitration, dealing with grievances and the CBA, I’m very proud to have been a part of it. I can't say enough about it.

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What were your first impressions of Tony Clark?

 

Tony was in a similar stage after retirement as I’m in right now. [Executive director] Michael [Weiner] was bringing him under his wing and getting him ingratiated into the group. I remember we were at dinner in midtown Manhattan during a CBA negotiation. I was so impressed with Tony and the way he spoke, his knowledge of the issues, what we needed to accomplish and how we would get there. He's a true leader, and he’s somebody to look up to. 

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Did you face Tony Clark at any point in your career? That’s a pretty tall matchup.

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You know what? I'm not sure I did. It wasn't memorable in the sense that I don't remember him taking me deep. So hopefully it wasn't too bad for me. We can look up the matchup data later.

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[Note: they never faced in each other in their careers.]
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Having been active in union leadership and CBA negotiations until your retirement in 2022, you’ve built strong relationships with players from a labor perspective. As a Special Assistant now, what are you looking to accomplish as part of the Player Services department?

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Initially, I want to immerse myself in the organization and the culture. I saw it as a player, but that wasn’t the whole story. I’m taking a crash course on the latest economics and issues at hand. Through conversations I'm having, I’m trying to figure out where I can fit in and help [Managing Director, Player Services] Kevin Slowey and the rest of the SAs. 

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My job is to find the best way to communicate with the players. The first step is to make sure those touchpoints and regular contacts grow. The players I know are now veterans, but there are younger guys with long careers ahead of them that I'll build relationships with. Part of my role out of the gate is to use my network to get a sense of what's happening around the clubhouse, or what players think about something. I'm very excited to be able to stay in touch with the game.  

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You made your MLB debut in 2006. There’s probably a stark difference in player concerns you experienced back then versus the ones that exist today. What types of modern-day issues are you excited to focus on? 

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There are definitely new issues. Right now, technology has become such a big part of the game. We spend so much time talking about how we should navigate it and who has the rights to it. That’s not something I encountered as an issue when I first entered the game. But it’s important to understand the way it can make you better as a player, know your rights and protect yourself from it being used against you. 

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Player communication is also key to everything we do. Collective bargaining is a complicated issue. It used to be 1200 players that had to be aware, and there’s a much greater number now that the minor leaguers are with us. We’re finding ways to make sure they have all the information they need. The better educated they are, the better it is for everybody. My goal is to help the executive board, and I am fortunate to build a network with the number of player relationships I have for different reasons.

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You recently graduated from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Did that academic experience prepare you for this next step in your career? 

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I definitely think it helped. I don't know that there's one class or lesson that will really stick out. I think it's more about using all the different tools and frameworks taught to us. A baseball clubhouse is not exactly your typical business setting. I know I've got a lot to learn, and I think business school will accelerate my ability to learn new things and fit into this setting. 

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The things that stand out from the program are the incredible professors and classmates that really helped me become a better person, a better businessman and ultimately a better Special Assistant for the union. I think those relationships and experiences will really shape what I'm able to do.
 

An MLB clubhouse may not be a typical business setting, but are there certain attributes of a team’s culture that you think reflect a successful workplace? 

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Yeah, to me, it's the ability to work together and communicate. A clubhouse can be a pretty diverse place. We have players from all over the world with different backgrounds. The good teams I was on were able to do more than get along--they had fun together. They enjoyed being with each other, and they complemented each other in ways that made everyone better. Hopefully, I can add an extra ingredient to the table to make us click and be more successful as a group.

 

Finally, what do you do for fun outside of work?

 

My priority is my kids and my family. I love spending time with them. I have a 10-year-old and a six-year-old, and they take us all sorts of places and occupy a lot of our time. 

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I also like to play golf. For some reason, I don't seem to be getting any better at it, but if I can get four or five hours, that's what I would do with my free time. But really it's being in the pool with my kids, or going to a Little League practice, or going to my daughter's gymnastics, or one of their musical recitals, whatever it may be. Anything I can do with them is at the top of my list. 
 

Are your kids really into baseball?

 

My son loves it. He watches the recaps every morning. He's got a new glove he's breaking in, so we hear it popping around the house all day, and he's out hitting off the tee in the driveway. My daughter's picking up softball. My wife and I try to expose them to as many sports as possible, but I would say baseball is always going to be special to them, just because of what it did for me.