Q&A: Adrian Cardenas (Part One)
Adrian Cardenas (stats here) was taken by the Phillies 37th overall in the 2006 draft out of a Miami high school. He spent 2007 with the BlueClaws, where was an all-star and a member of the US team in the Futures game, before beginning 2008 with Clearwater. He was then dealt to Oakland as part of the Joe Blanton trade in July. Cardenas was ranked as one of the top three prospects in the Phillies organization by Baseball America in 2007 and 2008, and while working out in South Carolina, he took some time to chat with BlueClaws Blog last week.
Question: What was your initial reaction to being traded?
Adrian Cardenas: I guess it was bittersweet. The Phillies believed in me and they got me to the point where I am now, but you realize that it’s not only about having fun. It’s also a business. You want to make it with the original team, and I’m old-school in that I wanted to be only with one team my whole career. But things happen for a reason and I got a chance to go to Oakland. They took me in with open arms, and I got to go to Double-A, the Fall League, and big league camp in the spring.
Q: How did you first hear the news (of the trade)?
AC: We were in Brevard County, stretching and throwing before the game, and Ichiro Kitano (trainer) comes out and says I have to go see Razor (Shines, manager). He told me I had to be scratched from the lineup. I thought I had gotten called up Reading. And Razor tells me that “It’s not official yet, but I think you’ve been traded so we can’t play you.” I said “Really?”
AC (ctd): I understand how things work so I wasn’t too surprised, because it’s a business. Ten minutes after that, I talked to Nowo (Steve Noworyta, Phillies Director of Minor Leagues) and he told me, and then I got a call from Dave Forst, the A’s Assistant GM, who welcomed me to the A’s. The next day I was in Clearwater packing and I was on a plane to Stockton, California.
Q: Do you think you’ll have an easier run to the majors in the A’s organization since they don’t have guys of the cailber of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley?
AC: The way I look at it is I have to do my part. I’m not going to say I wasn’t aware of having two all-stars in front of me, playing short and second, where I’ve played my whole life. So yes, it comes into consideration. But it’s not any easier. You have to do what you have to do. You’ll get up there some how some way if you do your job. There are so many options and so many things that can happen. With Mark Ellis and Bobby Crosby, they’re still excellent big-leaguers so you still have to perform at a high level.
Q: You played some shortstop with Oakland after playing second base with the Phillies. What was your reaction to going back there?
AC: I loved going back to short. I felt, as a young kid, I grew so much in the infield as a shortstop. That’s a tribute to hard work, the Phillies coaches, and Jason Donald in Lakewood. I always knew that if I had the chance to go back to short I was going to be a lot better the second time around. I learned a lot more. I worked on my speed and arm strength. There was a big difference from 18-21, with my body maturing and my quickness improving.
Q: You’ve played in the Gulf Coast League, Lo-A, Hi-A, and Double-A. Which move did you find the toughest?
AC: Probably either Lo-A to Hi-A or Hi-A to Double-A. As you move up, obviously the guys are a lot more consistent, make fewer mistakes, and run more balls down. In Double-A, the strike zone gets smaller, which works to my advantage. But really everyone is just a phone call away from the big leagues, so everyone can throw and the relievers especially are a lot better. There were set-up guys and one-batter specialists that you don’t see at the lower levels.
Q: Have you set a goal on how fast you want to make it to the big leagues?
AC: Ever since I got drafted I set a goal to get there by the time I was 21 (Cardenas turns 22 on October 10th, 2009). I set some other goals, like making the Fall League, which I did this year. I wanted to hit .300 (He hit .295 in 2007 with Lakewood, and .295 in 2008 with three different teams). But really if I get the chance I just want to be ready. I’ll still have to go through stuff I’ve never experienced, but ultimately it’s the same game and I just want to trust my abilities. I need to fine-tune some things with my hitting and defense. But my goal has always been to be up there by 21. I set a tough goal so I can push myself that much more.
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In part two we’ll talk about the Arizona Fall League, his friends from the Phillies organization, his time in Lakewood, and more.
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