News
Batting around with David Huff
Indians' young gun talks about his life on and off the field
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
10/30/09 4:24 PM ET
David Huff didn't win a spot in the Indians' rotation out of Spring Training in '09. But by season's end, the left-handed Huff, who joined the club in mid-May, led the team and ranked fourth among AL rookies with 11 wins. In 2010, Huff hopes to remain in the rotation and build on his successful first season. But before the San Diego native embarked upon the offseason to gear up for that goal, MLB.com caught up with him to talk about his life, on and off the field: What career path would you have pursued if you couldn't be a professional ballplayer? Actually, I would have been a history teacher. That's what I was studying [at UCLA]. I'm about a year away from getting my degree. I would have coached and taught history at the same time. Do you still plan to get your degree? I'm looking this offseason to take a couple classes, here and there. Hopefully within the next couple years, I'll have my degree. Why history? For me, it's a lot of fun. My uncle's a history teacher, and he used to tell me stories. And that's what history is -- one big story. I enjoy it. Did you ever have a job growing up, away from sports? I never really had a job, but I did a lot of community service work. I helped out with some soup kitchens and did fundraising for spots. This past offseason, I got a job at a golf course cleaning clubs for tips. I'm looking to go back there again and earn a few bucks. Free golf is free golf. Whatever you've got to do to get it. You play pretty often, don't you? I try to get out four or five times a week. I get that itch. I love it. I'm just trying to get that handicap down. How is golf like pitching? Because it seems like, in both, you're always working on something. You know what, it is a lot like pitching, as far as the mental aspect and the focus you have to have for all 18 holes. The moment you feel like you're losing focus, before you know it, you end up taking a triple-bogey on a hole. Now you're like, "I've got to make all that up." So it's similar to pitching. It keeps your mind sharp. Any other hobbies? Ping-pong. Other than that, just staying out of trouble. I don't have much to do in the offseason besides getting ready for next season -- lifting weights and exercising and all that stuff to maintain and get stronger for next year. Do you plan to travel anywhere? Actually, I've been planning a trip. In the next couple years, I'm looking to backpack in Europe with my brother. We want to hit all the main spots, starting in England and then go east and work our way down, finishing up in Greece. We want to do it for like a two-week span -- two days here, two days there, hitting all the main spots. The only time I've been out of the country was this year, when we went to Toronto. So I've got a lot of ground to cover. Especially as a history buff. You think you know history here in America. But when you go over to Europe, it's incredible. I was focused on Greek history, so, for me, finishing up in Greece would be perfect. What's your most prized possession? I have this necklace. I didn't bring it with me during the season, because I didn't want to lose it. It's got this little pendant on it -- just a little rock I found when I was a kid and kept as a good-luck charm. Nerd that I was back then, I figured I'd make a necklace out of it. What were you like as a kid? Were you as competitive then as you are now? Very competitive. I tried to play every sport, I tried to be better than everyone in my class. Growing up, my older brother and his friends were always around, so I didn't really hang out with kids my age. I always hung out with the older kids. And that's still the way it is now. When I go home and have leisure time, I hang out with older guys. It kind of helped me out. Hanging out with my brother, he always taught me that I have to be better than what I am, at a competitive level. It was great. When I was in youth ball, he said, "Hey, you've got to be ready for these high school hitters. They're going to be pretty good." When I was in high school, "You've got to be ready for these college hitters." And in college, "You've got to be ready for the Majors." So it's one of those things where I've always kind of been taught at a higher level. When did you know you were really good at this? [Laughs] I think my dad knew before I did. Growing up, I was trying to play every sport. But my dad, I think when I was about 3 or 4 years old, was out in the backyard playing catch with my brother, and my brother was in his first year of kid-pitch. My dad was catching, and I said I wanted to play. So I got out there, and he's putting down signs, and I'm shaking him off. But I went to throw, and I was hitting his glove, dead-on. He didn't have to move it at all. He said, "I think we've got something here. Maybe we should pursue this." How did it feel to ascend to the big leagues this season? When you first sign a contract, they invite you here for a game, and you see all the glam of Major League Baseball. You're thinking, "All right, this is sweet." And then they send you to the Minors, and it's nothing like that. It's a letdown. And it's just that much more motivation to get up here faster. You want to be better. When you finally get here, it's such a huge relief. And you've got to work hard to stay here. What does leading the team in wins and having a double-digit win total as a rookie mean to you, especially considering you started the year in Triple-A? For me, it's good. It was a goal of mine at the beginning of the season to have 10 wins at the Major League level. So it's huge. A lot of those wins were because guys made great defensive plays behind me or the bullpen came in and closed the door. It's awesome, and I've enjoyed it. How do you feel about your chances of making the Opening Day rotation next year? Are you comfortable? I don't feel comfortable, because it's all a bunch of new guys and basically it goes on what they want and what they need and who's doing well. Say I come into Spring Training and do a terrible job. Nothing's guaranteed to me. I'm not a shoe-in. We're all fighting for those spots, so I'll have to be at my best.Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
