Catcher Jordan Comadena, signed as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2009 season, took some time to reflect on his 2011 season with us over the weekend. Please do enjoy:
AC: After bouncing back and forth in between Lancaster and Lexington in 2009 and 2010, you spent the whole year at Lancaster in 2011. Did that help you in getting comfortable in 2011?
JC: Yeah, it certainly is nice to be in one spot for the entire season and not have to move around and disrupt the routine that you have set. Obviously this past season being my third in Lancaster I had a pretty solid routine that I would follow to get myself ready to go. It's also nice to be in one spot so you can really gel with your team mates and develop a nice bond.
AC: Despite a strong slash line (.295/.389/.432) for Lancaster, the coaching staff only got you 115 plate appearances in 2011. Did you get any sort of reasoning for why that was the case?
JC: Well actually coming into the season I don't think I was even going to be allotted that many. I started the year inactive and had to wait for an injury of some sort to even be on the active roster. I started playing outfield early in the season due to injuries on the club and that was what got me on the field initially. Despite my very hot start at the plate I was still deactivated a couple more times. I'm never really given any reason, I just know that its out of my control and I need to be ready when my name is called. I have a lot of pride and high expectations for myself, I expect to do well whenever I play, regardless of the time between my at bats. I keep myself ready. It is frustrating because I've shown that I can preform at a high level, I just need to continue to do what I've been doing and eventually I'll get a break.
AC: Were there any differences from Lancaster 2010, compared to the 2011 team?
JC: Every team is a little different from year to year...I've found that the quicker a team can establish an identity and its players know their roles the better and the more success they will have. The 2010 Lancaster squad was alot of fun in the second half as we made a playoff run. The 2011 team was similar in that we finally put it all together more consistently in the second half.
AC: Who do you look at from Lancaster and think, "That guy's going to be a star?"
JC: When I look back at this year, two guys stand out to me (besides Altuve who is already there, what he was doing in Lancaster was unbelievable). The first person is Jonathan Singleton - at 19 years old he is a physical specimen. He's very strong and moves very well. He's got a nice lefty stroke with power to all fields. If he continues to progress with the talent that he has now he will be a force. The other person that stood out to me was Johnny Meyer. He is the best defensive third baseman that I have ever played with or against. I would routinely be amazed at some of the plays he made look so easy. Offensively he's getting better, he drives the ball to all fields and he handles off-speed well. On top of his God-given ability, Johnny is one of the hardest workers that I've played with. He refuses to let himself fail and he will always find a way to get better each day.
AC: What are your plans for this off-season, and has there been any communication from the Astros about you moving up to Corpus?
JC: I'm living in Champaign, Illinois this year...I'm working a little and working out alot getting ready for next season. I have not had any communication with the Astros up to this point. I do hope however that another good spring by me will give me the opportunity to move up and play in Corpus next season. That is my goal to start the year.
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Big thanks to Jordan for taking the time this off-season to answer our prying questions.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
