Question & Answer with Ryan Harvey

[Laura]

http://peoriachiefs.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/PlayerManager/360.jpeg.300.jpeg

 

Ryan Harvey, the Right Fielder for the Peoria Chiefs, has graciously agreed to answer questions from posters on NSBB! If you would like to send a comment to Ryan, or if you would like to ask Ryan a question, feel free to post it here. The deadline for submitting questions is 12-noon on Wednesday, August 24. Once Ryan has had an opportunity to answer them, the responses will be posted in the Chats Forum.

 

This session will be coordinated as in accordance with The NSBB Q & A Guidelines.

 

From the Peoria Chiefs website:

Birthplace: Palm Harbor, FL

DOB: August 30, 1984

Bats: R

Throws: R

Height: 6' 5"

Weight: 225 lbs

 

Ryan blew out his right knee at a high school showcase in 2003 and missed his first professional season. He debuted in 2004 in the Arizona Rookie League batting .400 in two games before earning promotion to Boise. For the Hawks, Harvey batted .268 in 58 games with 14 homers and 43 RBI. He led the Hawks to the Northwest League Championship with four post-season homers in a three game series sweep.

 

Harvey was selected by the Cubs in the first round in 2003 [6th overall] out of Dunedin High School in Dunedin, FL. Cubs top-ranked prospect Brian Dopirak and Chicago General Manager Jim Hendry are other Dunedin HS alums.

 

 

Ryan is currently leading the Midwest League in home runs (22) and is among the league leaders in RBIs,slugging percentage and total bases. (MiLB Stats Link). Baseball America recently named him the "Best Power Prospect" in the Midwest League.

 

 

Thank you to Ryan for taking the time to interact with us on such an up close and personal level. Many thanks to Nathan Baliva, Broadcast & Media Manager for the Peoria Chiefs, for setting up the interview! As always, thanks to all of you for making NSBB such a wonderful community! :D

Edited January 8, 2006 by Laura

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Ryan, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Welcome to NSBB.

 

I want to begin by thanking you for signing a couple of autographs for me in ST 2004. I appreciate it.

 

First question:

 

It's rather a unique situation to have two top prospects in the same organization from the same high school. Even though you are at different levels, do you keep in touch with Brian Dopirak?

 

Secondly, what area of your game are you trying to improve on the most?

 

Third, who was your favorite player when you were a kid? What player or players do you seek to pattern your game after?

[Outshined_One]

Greetings Ryan! Thanks so much for taking our questions.

 

First off, how has the knee been lately? How hard was it to rehab and get back to full strength? Do you still have some adjustments to make, or are you feeling 100%?

 

Secondly, you showcased a promising arm prior to the draft as a pitcher. Do you still tinker around with pitching every now and again, or have you decided to focus solely on hitting? Also, how has pitching helped in regard to your throwing in the OF?

 

Thanks again for your time! We here wish you nothing but the best of luck from here on in your career.

[imb]

Awesome.

 

Ryan, I know you pitched some before getting drafted, right? When warming up in the outfield between innings, do you ever whip a slider or a curveball over to the centerfielder, to make him look stupid? I would.

[Jon]

Ryan-

 

What were those post-season HRs like for you at Boise? Can players get as excited for a short season Northwest League championship as they can for a high school state championship? Or is it almost more special because you guys spend so much more time around each other in the minors?

 

As the season winds down, have you started thinking about your early goals for next season and a possible return to your home state?

 

Also, do you know what you'll be doing this offseason?

 

Thanks and keep it up!

[NCCubFan]

Thanks for answering questions and helping make this the best Cubs site on the net.

 

Do you have any goals with respect to progression through the Cubs organization and timetable for making the major leagues? Has your progression pleased you to this point?

[CuseCubFan69]

Thanks for taking the questions!

 

What is your plan when you step to the plate?

 

What adjustments do you make when you have a pitcher that has a good slider or a pitch that you have a hard time handling?

 

Have you changed your batting style and approach since High School?

 

What would you tell a H.S. baseball player to make themselves better or to work on more?

 

We have seen a lot of breakdowns on the Cubs regarding fundamentals, do you feel that you are fundamentally sound and if not what do you need to work on?

 

Along the fundamental lines, what do your coaches tell you to do when you are throwing a ball home? For example, through the cutoff guy or do you just let it go and try to nail the runner?

 

Who catches your batting breakdowns more, you or the hitting coach? Do you watch yourself hitting on video?

 

Do you wish you used wood bats more in HS or have you made the adjustment pretty easily?

 

How often did you play while you were in HS? I figure since you're from Florida I was curious on how much time was spent on baseball and other sports/activites/academics.

[CubbieGirl22]

Hi and thanks for answering my questions!!

 

Who do you think was the hardest pitcher to hit off of that you batted against this year?

 

What is your favorite kind of music and band? What's your favorite love song on a date?

 

THANK YOU!!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Hey Ryan,

 

What do you think is your biggest weakness in hitting and how do you try to improve on it?

 

Nathan Baliva has said you have improved against breaking balls over the course of the season. How have you done that?

 

What was it like to hit that moving bus at the MWL home run derby?

 

Thanks for answering our questions and good luck the rest of the way!

[Chris]

First, congratulations on being named a Post-Season All-Star! What are your thoughts on being named to the Midwest League Post-Season All-Star Team with Eric patterson and Sean Gallagher?

 

In addition to your question and answer session we recently had Brian Dopirak as a guest. He said that you guys do keep in contact with one another during the season. How have you guys used one another for motivation as you work your way through the system?

 

In regards to your HR power, Brian said that you can hit a ball to the moon. What are your thoughts when you hear that? Do you know the distance of your longest HR and can you tell us the distance if you do?

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit with us! Please feel free to visit with us at NSBB at any time! Keep up the great work!

Edited August 24, 2005 by Chris

[Mark_R]

First off, Ryan, thank you for taking our questions here at NSBB!

 

It is much appreciated!

 

What are your thoughts on the organization's ability with regards to developing hitters in the system? What kind of approach is taught at the low level? We've seen on the major league level some issues with poor plate approach and it has been a major detriment to the success of the pro ballclub. I'm hoping that the coaches down in Peoria are instilling a thought process of working an AB into your favor and selecting "your pitch" to hit (which with you, usually ends up out beyond the O' Brien Field Wall).

 

Thanks Ryan and best of luck to you through the Cubs system.

 

We look forward to seeing you at many all star games in a Cub uniform!

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Ryan, thanks again for taking our questions.

 

How did it feel to win the homerun derby at the MWL all-star game? Do you ever hit a ball and think, "wow...I hit that one really far" ?

 

Finally, do you have any unusual superstitions or pregame rituals?

[rawaction]

Thanks for answering our questions, Mr. Harvey.

 

First, how long was it until you were 100% recovered from the knee surgery? You were eased along a lot in Mesa and didn't get a ton of playing time. How long did it take you to be able to feel confident in playing your entire game?

 

Secondly, how much pressure is there from being such a high draft pick and getting a sizable signing bonus, in terms of getting to the majors quickly?

 

 

Congrats on all your accolades this season, they are all well deserved, and there's much more to come!

[Joe_Cub]

Hello and thank you for answering our questions.

 

Was it tough for you to get used to playing in cold weather in Boise and Peoria? Did you ever have games snowed out before? what's the coldest game you played in? Just wondering.

 

THanks and good luck the rest of the season!

[treebird]

Thanks for answering our questions, Mr. Harvey.

 

One time I said hello to you while you were in the on-deck cirlce at O'Brien Field. You kind of looked up but not really. It was probably the highlight of my summer.

 

Anyway, my question is about your arm. Has it seemed like people run on you less and less as the season goes along? I attended several Chiefs' games this year, and it always seemed to me that teams just absolutely stopped running on you after a while, which always disappointed me.