UTR Interview: Andrew Carignan

Andrew Carignan
Oakland Athletics

When trying to decide on a relief pitcher to interview, it was a no-brainer to try and get up with my former teammate, roommate, and current closer with the Oakland Athletics, Andrew Carignan. Carignan is the all-time saves leader at UNC, as well as a AA All-Star with the Midland Rock Hounds of the Texas League in 2008. I have played with a lot of great relievers over the years; but, AC is without a doubt the most consistently dominant at his craft. Here's the interview:

UTR: You have a a reputation as being a pretty intense closer. What goes through your mind as you enter a ball game?

AC: When I enter the game, I get myself pumped up and focused on my task at hand. I know that if I do my job, the game is over; and my team gets the W.

UTR: What it is the best part of closing out a save opportunity?

AC: The best part is being able to slam the door on the other team. They have their last chance to mount a comeback and everyone in baseball says the hardest 3 outs to get are the last 3. Essentially, my job is to get the hardest outs of the game; to get my team and the starting pitcher the win.

UTR: Say you pitch 1 inning on Tuesday and Wednesday and won't be in the mix to pitch again until Friday. Describe your typical throwing, running, lifting routine from Wednesday to Friday.

AC: It depends on a few things: how my arm and body are feeling, what part of the season it is, and how I have been throwing of late. As a closer, lifting is difficult because you don't have a set schedule like a starter. You are essentially more like a position player because you have the chance to play every day. Personally, I like to do short full body lifts 3 or 4 days a week; enough to keep my strength up, but to keep the soreness to a minimum (the season is for maintaining the off-season if for strength building). Even if I have thrown 2 days in a row and know that I'm going to have the next day off, I don't change things up too much on the lifting end.
As far as throwing on the off day goes, it all depends on how I feel. If my arm feels good, I usually like to get a normal day of throwing in and then stretch it out if I still feel really good once i get out to 120 feet. At that point, I bring it in to 60 feet and work on my off speed pitches; and, if my arm still feels strong, I usually work on the pitches that I am not happy with a little more than normal.

UTR: Over the course of your high school, college, and professional career, who has been the toughest guy to get out?

AC: Matt Wieters.

UTR: Mechanically, is there something that you focus on or remind yourself of on a consistent basis?

AC: It really depends on the season. I am always tweaking and reworking my mechanics to try to make them better. I would say, overall, it is to make sure that I keep my weight over the rubber because I tend to leak my front side. When my front side leaks and my weight is going forward too soon, it causes my arm to have to catch up to my body and creates an inconsistent arm slot; which causes me to be inaccurate.

UTR: Stretches in your career when you have been most successful, what was taking place?

AC: I think it boils down to mechanics. If my mechanics are where they should be, I am throwing strikes. If I am consistently throwing strikes, it allows me to attack hitters and get ahead; which leads to success and success leads to confidence. If I am throwing the ball well, I get more and more confident which keeps the ball rolling.

UTR: In 2006, you gave up a fluke homerun in the top of the ninth inning to go down a run in a game your team would eventually win in Alabama. What goes through your mind on the mound in a situation like that, when you still have to face hitters?

AC: It is not easy at that point. It was almost surreal; like I couldn't believe it actually happened. In that instance, its really difficult to not look ahead at what will happen "when" you win the game. It is very much a cliché in baseball to say "one pitch at a time and one out at a time;" but, it is very true. As difficult as it is, you have to be able to focus on one batter at a time and one pitch at a time. But... in the event that you do give up a homerun in the top of the 9th inning to put your team down, you need to step back, take a deep breath, and realize that you still have a job to do. I managed to get out of the inning without any more damage and then got bailed out by my teammate...and still got to celebrate.

UTR: What are the traits you like/respect the most in a catcher?

AC: I was a catcher growing up. I didn't really start pitching until my junior year in high school; so, I have some strong opinions on my battery mates. Basically, it boils down to catchers knowing their job. A catcher’s job is defense; it is to be the general on the field, but also to be the general of the entire pitching staff. Hitting for a catcher is extra and should take a backseat to defense and to knowing everything there is to know about every pitcher on the staff. Know all of their pitches, how comfortable they are throwing each pitch in each count, know what their out pitch is. Pay attention to the pitching coach and know that if a particular pitcher has a problem with letting their front shoulder fly open, causing them to throw the ball high and arm side, realize that, and take a quick trip to the mound. Tell them that to save a trip for the pitching coach. Also, know what kind of mentality every pitcher has. If he is a "head case" who is going to let a few questionable strike calls get under his skin, go out and calm him down before he pisses off the umpire by showing him up; causing him to get less calls. Similarly, know if a particular pitcher likes to work fast and has a gamer mentality and would get really pissed at you by taking meaningless trips and messing up his rhythm. Is this a lot to ask? It may be; but, all of the best catchers in the big leagues are like this. The thing about being a "pitcher's catcher" is that it doesn't take the freak abilities. All it takes is hard work and concentration; so, anyone with a good head on their shoulders can do it.

UTR: What is the one piece of advice you would give young, aspiring closers?

AC: To have a short memory and to have all of the confidence in the world in yourself every time you are on the mound. If you don't have those two things as a closer, you aren't going to accomplish all that you want to. If you are named your team's closer, it is because your coaches and teammates trust you in that role; so,don't forget that. Baseball is a game of failure which means that every time a pitcher succeeds, the hitter fails; and, every time the hitter succeeds, the pitcher fails. You aren't going to succeed every time. Hitters succeed sometimes, too, unfortunately; and, if that happens and there is a 3-2 ballgame the next day, you are going to be in there. If you are still thinking about the previous night, it is not going to go well.

UTR: You have thrived in a lot of adverse situations throughout your career. What do you think enables a pitcher, mentally, to thrive under pressure?

AC: It is an extreme confidence in me; with a little cockiness or arrogance mixed in. You also have to love to pitch in the pressure situations. I live for the pressure. I love it, and to me it is boring to pitch when there is nothing on the line. As a result, the confidence and the love of intense competition are what allow me to succeed in pressure situations.

I really appreciate Carignan taking his time to sit down and do an interview for the blog. Not only will his experience as a dominating closer benefit many of the readers; but, also, his experience as a former catcher.