amag
02-25-2002, 04:33 PM
From MLB.com....
News
2/22/2002 11:11 am ET
Batting Around with Craig Paquette
By Alan Eskew
MLB.com
Craig Paquette joins the Detroit Tigers after playing the past 2 1/2 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he started at five positions last year.
Paquette, who made his Major League debut in 1993 with Oakland, signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the Tigers in December.
MLB.com Were your years with the Cardinals, which included two trips to the playoffs, satisfying?
Paquette: Yes, very satisfying. It was one of those things, where I had been stuck in Triple-A with the Mets, and never given a chance to show what I learned the last couple of years. I think going to the Pan Am Games was a real big step for me to get out and show people what I learned. And just getting over to St. Louis and getting a chance to play.
MLB.com The United States had to reach the Gold Medal game of the 1999 Pan American games to qualify for the Olympics the next year. Talk about those experiences with the Winter Olympics going on right now?
Paquette: There was so much pressure put on us and me being one of the older guys, one of the most experienced on the team, I put a lot of pressure on myself and felt that was probably the most pressure I ever had been under. I don't think there was any question that was the most pressure I've ever been put under.
I was the guy with the most big league experience on that team, hitting fourth and playing first base. I was kind the guy most guys were looking up to. I felt if we didn't get there, who are they going to blame? The older guys who have been in the big leagues before. There were a lot of 20-year-olds, who hadn't been out of A-Ball or Double-A. I was up there, three or four years in the big leagues. We won the silver. We beat Cuba the first time and lost to them in the Gold Medal game.
MLB.com Did St. Louis make you an offer to keep you after you became a free agent?
Paquette: St. Louis made an offer before anyone else made an offer. It was barely giving me a raise from what I made last year and I felt last year I had a pretty good season. I just wanted to hear offers from other teams. St. Louis had said they were going to make another offer, but that offer never came.
So it pretty much boiled down to their first offer was the only offer they ever made. And at the point they made it, there was no way I was going to sign until I heard offers from other teams. This being my one chance to explore free agency, I had to look around. Within the first week of being a free agent I got calls from 10 teams, not really making offers but saying they were interested. The day after St. Louis didn't offer me arbitration -- which meant they couldn't talk to me for a couple of more weeks -- Detroit called and made an offer I couldn't turn down.
MLB.com Did the Tigers offer the best opportunity to start or play a lot?
Paquette: Detroit didn't guarantee me at-bats. They guaranteed me if I'm playing well that I'm going to play everyday. That's all I can ask for. I don't want anything given to me and I never have. I'm looking forward to coming in here and showing I can play and earning my at-bats.
MLB.com Coming to Detroit, are you looking to be the Opening Day third baseman?
Paquette: I'm looking to play Opening Day. It doesn't matter where I play. If Dean (Palmer) is ready to play third base, I'm sure he'll be in there.
Last year in St. Louis, it just seemed like (Albert) Pujols stepped up. I still felt there was a chance for me to play out there somewhere. It just didn't work until the second half. And I got to play more the second half and I think I put up pretty good numbers (.316 after the All-Star break)."
MLB.com Is it fun coming to the park not knowing what position you are going to play?
Paquette: It takes a lot of pressure off you defensively. You are not set in stone where you are playing. I think until Dean's ready, I'm going to see a lot of time at third base. Whether that's the first day of the season, who knows?
All I can say is I'm going to be ready to play. I know I'm going to get some at-bats somewhere. I don't know where, and it really doesn't matter to me where.
MLB.com When did you start playing several positions?
Paquette: In '93 in Oakland (organization), I played third all year. In '94, I was in Triple-A and got hurt. In '95, I was in the big leagues all year and they started moving me around. In '96 with Kansas City, I played everywhere. I started left, right, third, first and even some games at shortstop.
MLB.com Do you have any hobbies you do during the winter?
Paquette: We just built a house in St. Louis. At the time I was hoping I could finish my career with St. Louis, but it didn't work out that way. We built it the way we wanted to. I love spending the time in my house with my kids. I'm not a guy who likes to go out in the wintertime. I spend all summer kind of on my own and living in hotels and being away from my family, so I think the winter time is the time to spend with my family and spend time with my kids.
I enjoy golfing, but now that I'm in St. Louis it is not exactly the place to golf in the winter time."
MLB.com You come from an athletic family. Your brother, Perry, played baseball at college, while your sister, Celeste, was a college track star. Are you competitive around each other?
Paquette: My sister was in the field events, discus and shot put. She was All-American discus thrower at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Competitive (as siblings), not really to that point. We all got along. We all played sports and were good kids and never got in trouble. I hope I can raise my kids the way my parents raised me.
News
2/22/2002 11:11 am ET
Batting Around with Craig Paquette
By Alan Eskew
MLB.com
Craig Paquette joins the Detroit Tigers after playing the past 2 1/2 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he started at five positions last year.
Paquette, who made his Major League debut in 1993 with Oakland, signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the Tigers in December.
MLB.com Were your years with the Cardinals, which included two trips to the playoffs, satisfying?
Paquette: Yes, very satisfying. It was one of those things, where I had been stuck in Triple-A with the Mets, and never given a chance to show what I learned the last couple of years. I think going to the Pan Am Games was a real big step for me to get out and show people what I learned. And just getting over to St. Louis and getting a chance to play.
MLB.com The United States had to reach the Gold Medal game of the 1999 Pan American games to qualify for the Olympics the next year. Talk about those experiences with the Winter Olympics going on right now?
Paquette: There was so much pressure put on us and me being one of the older guys, one of the most experienced on the team, I put a lot of pressure on myself and felt that was probably the most pressure I ever had been under. I don't think there was any question that was the most pressure I've ever been put under.
I was the guy with the most big league experience on that team, hitting fourth and playing first base. I was kind the guy most guys were looking up to. I felt if we didn't get there, who are they going to blame? The older guys who have been in the big leagues before. There were a lot of 20-year-olds, who hadn't been out of A-Ball or Double-A. I was up there, three or four years in the big leagues. We won the silver. We beat Cuba the first time and lost to them in the Gold Medal game.
MLB.com Did St. Louis make you an offer to keep you after you became a free agent?
Paquette: St. Louis made an offer before anyone else made an offer. It was barely giving me a raise from what I made last year and I felt last year I had a pretty good season. I just wanted to hear offers from other teams. St. Louis had said they were going to make another offer, but that offer never came.
So it pretty much boiled down to their first offer was the only offer they ever made. And at the point they made it, there was no way I was going to sign until I heard offers from other teams. This being my one chance to explore free agency, I had to look around. Within the first week of being a free agent I got calls from 10 teams, not really making offers but saying they were interested. The day after St. Louis didn't offer me arbitration -- which meant they couldn't talk to me for a couple of more weeks -- Detroit called and made an offer I couldn't turn down.
MLB.com Did the Tigers offer the best opportunity to start or play a lot?
Paquette: Detroit didn't guarantee me at-bats. They guaranteed me if I'm playing well that I'm going to play everyday. That's all I can ask for. I don't want anything given to me and I never have. I'm looking forward to coming in here and showing I can play and earning my at-bats.
MLB.com Coming to Detroit, are you looking to be the Opening Day third baseman?
Paquette: I'm looking to play Opening Day. It doesn't matter where I play. If Dean (Palmer) is ready to play third base, I'm sure he'll be in there.
Last year in St. Louis, it just seemed like (Albert) Pujols stepped up. I still felt there was a chance for me to play out there somewhere. It just didn't work until the second half. And I got to play more the second half and I think I put up pretty good numbers (.316 after the All-Star break)."
MLB.com Is it fun coming to the park not knowing what position you are going to play?
Paquette: It takes a lot of pressure off you defensively. You are not set in stone where you are playing. I think until Dean's ready, I'm going to see a lot of time at third base. Whether that's the first day of the season, who knows?
All I can say is I'm going to be ready to play. I know I'm going to get some at-bats somewhere. I don't know where, and it really doesn't matter to me where.
MLB.com When did you start playing several positions?
Paquette: In '93 in Oakland (organization), I played third all year. In '94, I was in Triple-A and got hurt. In '95, I was in the big leagues all year and they started moving me around. In '96 with Kansas City, I played everywhere. I started left, right, third, first and even some games at shortstop.
MLB.com Do you have any hobbies you do during the winter?
Paquette: We just built a house in St. Louis. At the time I was hoping I could finish my career with St. Louis, but it didn't work out that way. We built it the way we wanted to. I love spending the time in my house with my kids. I'm not a guy who likes to go out in the wintertime. I spend all summer kind of on my own and living in hotels and being away from my family, so I think the winter time is the time to spend with my family and spend time with my kids.
I enjoy golfing, but now that I'm in St. Louis it is not exactly the place to golf in the winter time."
MLB.com You come from an athletic family. Your brother, Perry, played baseball at college, while your sister, Celeste, was a college track star. Are you competitive around each other?
Paquette: My sister was in the field events, discus and shot put. She was All-American discus thrower at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Competitive (as siblings), not really to that point. We all got along. We all played sports and were good kids and never got in trouble. I hope I can raise my kids the way my parents raised me.