Learning to Compete: An Interview with Justin Grimm

Prior to Sunday afternoon’s matchup with the Omaha Storm Chasers, I had the chance to sit down with World Series winning relief pitcher, Justin Grimm, and pick his brain about the different aspects of how to be successful at the highest stages of baseball. Grimm passed along some wisdom about how to regain touch as a ballplayer when it feels as if it’s been lost with some of the most effective and straight-to-the-point words I’ve ever heard on the subject. “If I get back to competing…things are going to be a lot better,” told Grimm.

The interview went on for about ten minutes, where Grimm answered six questions about his life with baseball, and how baseball has changed over the past few years. Below is a transcript from the interview, including the questions I asked and the insight that Grimm provided:


Question One: When did you first begin playing baseball?

I first began playing baseball around the age of five and I’ve been playing it ever since. When I got to be about twelve years old, I kind of got burned out and didn’t want to play. My parents were in shock, and so they were like, ‘hey, let’s do it a week and if you don’t want to play after a week, you don’t have to play,’ so, I just kept going with it and I guess got my second wind. It’s been good ever since. I enjoy it, still love it today.

Question Two: Did you watch baseball as a kid?

Oh yeah, I used to watch all the time. And, believe it or not, I used to watch the Cubs all the time, because WGN was the local network. And so, I grew up watching them and the Braves as well.

Question Three: Did you have a favorite player growing up?

Yeah, absolutely. My favorite player was John Smoltz. I was a pitcher, you know, and I think I started around ten [years old], so that’s when I started following. He was the dominant power-righty, and he was a lot of fun to watch growing up. My grandparents lived outside of Atlanta, so they would always send me gear from the games, up to the house, so I would always rock it.

Question Four: The modern day offense is a lot about the longball. How does that change your mechanics in order to be successful in the big leagues?

Mechanically, I don’t think it changes anything. I think it changes the way you attack hitters and the way you pitch. Like you said, homers are up, strikeouts are [up], and I think it’s just playing that chess match. At times, you still go with your strength, because that’s what’s working best for you.

Question Five: Does the change in baseballs used in AAA change the game plan you use on the mound?

Yeah, for sure. You always have that scouting report you look at to see their heat maps, per se, and they have the same information on us. So, like I said, it’s like that chess match. But, the difference in the baseballs, I think it’s pretty obvious. I mean, [Justin] Verlander talks about it a lot. The amount of home runs is absurd. I remember pitching back in ’12, ’13, ’14, even into ’15, certain guys were hitting five, six home runs a year. Fast-forward a year or two later, they’re popping twenty [home runs], and they ain’t changing, you know, they’re not getting stronger. So, I definitely think they changed the baseballs. But, everybody’s playing with the same ball at the end of the day, it’s fair. Strikeouts are up, so I think you’re seeing a very dominant game of living and dying by the home run by some teams, more so by winning clubs than losing clubs. Even with the pitching stats, we’re seeing strikeout-heavy guys, it’s kind of the way the game is trending. I’m not sure whether I agree with that or not…I only think time will tell.

Question Six: What does it mean to you to be a Dodger?

It’s just a new opportunity for me. I wouldn’t necessarily say my opportunity has started with the Dodgers. I’m still down here, personally, trying to figure some things out for me, and what’s going to work for me. There’s been a lot of trial and error for me this year. The stuff’s there, no doubt about that, and the strikeouts are coming. At the end of the day, I kind of rest my cap on that, you know, knowing things are good. But, I think for me, it’s just getting back to that compete mode and going after hitters versus trying a few things here and there. It’s funny, just yesterday, I sat and watched two hours of video from back when I was throwing [well] to the past few years when it hasn’t gone as well. It was pretty night and day for me. I was getting down the mound a lot better then versus [more recent years]. The older you get, you feel like you have this better feel of your mechanics, and you start to try and feel things out. But, I think at the end of the day if I get back to competing, it’s all going to take care of itself. If I get down the mound again, things are going to be a lot better. That’s actually what I was doing this Spring Training. I was just going out there, competing, getting down the mound, and doing it. But, there are a lot of young arms in this organization, especially bullpen wise. And, I know we’ve got some young starters. You’re always going to have guys with stuff. So, I think [the Dodgers] are in a good position with that, and it’s been a lot of fun to watch. When you’ve got six years in the big leagues, seeing all of these guys come up from the different paths they’ve taken, it’s been a lot of fun getting to know some of the guys. I definitely think they’ve got a lot of depth here. It’s awesome.


Arrick Joel has covered the Dodgers since 2017. Follow him on Twitter at @ArrickJoel, and follow @DodgersLowDown for more.

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