Q&A with Twins Pitcher Trevor May

It’s been an eventful season for Twins pitcher Trevor May. There have been flashes of brilliance and moments of misery. The rookie began the season as a starter and will finish it as a late inning reliever. There is a case to be made for each role going forward.

At 26-years-old (on September 23), with a high 90s fastball and good control – 102 strikeouts versus 24 walks in 108 2/3 innings – it’s obvious May has some kind of future in the big leagues. To me, he looks like The Closer of the Future.

The 6-5, 240 lb right-hander and I met up in the Twins clubhouse last week for a quick chat.

DZ: What’s you take on the season so far? You are in contention, you have to be happy about that.

MAY: To a lot of people, except for ourselves, it’s a little bit of surprise maybe. We have a lot of the core players that we’ve had in the past few years. I think we are definitely happy with as far as we have come. We could be a little better, we could be in the driver’s seat, but right behind the driver’s seat isn’t too bad, so we are working on sneaking our way in and taking one game at a time. It’s nice to be in that position to be able to do that.

DZ: How about you personally? You were in the rotation, now you’ve got a late inning bullpen role, what’s that whole transition been like?

MAY: It’s just kind of happened to be honest…I knew someone would have to move for Ervin (Santana when his suspension ended in July) and it was me, so I was going to make the best out of the situation I am in. I think it’s a good role for me. I think I can thrive in it. I think I can help the team. I have been put out there in some situations where I was able to have success. I think it’s working out for everybody.

DZ: Was it a challenge at all; staying positive about that?

MAY: A little bit. It’s widely assumed that being moved to the bullpen is a demotion, but there is a certain situation where it isn’t and I think that I am helping plenty out there. It’s something that we saw me filling in well doing. I think it’s working out pretty well. Like I said, we have a strong starting staff and we’ve developed a pretty strong bullpen and we are scoring runs. That’s a good combination to win some ball games and go on a playoff run.

DZ: Glen Perkins went through a similar transition, did you talk to him much about that?

MAY: Yeah. I tried to pick his brain about how it worked and how it happened. He had a little more starts than I did, but it’s very similar idea. I know I have the stuff to be a good bullpen guy. It’s about putting it together. At the very minimum, if I am giving that opportunity again to start and it ultimately doesn’t work out, I have other value.

DZ: So, long term you would like to be a starter?

MAY: Absolutely.

DZ: On your twitter description, it says you are a philosopher and DJ, what can you tell me about that?

MAY: About which one, the philosopher or the DJ?

DZ: Both.

MAY: Philosopher: I write a lot. I try to work through any thoughts or problems or obstacles I have in life, write them down and work through them that way. It’s helped me immensely. It’s something I have done more this year than any year in the past. I think it’s translated into finding out some stuff about who I am and what my goals are. Being OK with what is happening and kind of embracing and letting the things that are inevitable happen and go with them. There’s that and DJ – I literally DJ. I actually have turn tables at home.

See more of David Zingler’s player interviews:
September 2: Byron Buxton
August 28: Kyle Gibson
August 23: Kevin Jepsen
August 19: Aaron Hicks
August 18: Trevor Plouffe
July 1: Blaine Boyer
June 26: Phil Hughes
June 24: Brian Dozier
June 22: Joe Mauer

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