Visalia Rawhide third baseman A.J. Vukovich is in his first pro season after being drafted in the fourth round in 2020 (119 overall). Vukovich comes from East Troy, WI and just turned 20 years old. Batting in the middle of the Rawhide order, Vukovich is leading the team in hits (61) and doubles (15) and is second in HRs (9). I had a chance to talk to A.J. this past weekend and saw right away that he is a positive-energy guy who is driven to work hard to succeed. We discussed the move to central California and the adjustments to full-season baseball among other things:
YOU’VE BEEN HERE A FEW MONTHS NOW, DO YOU LIKE VISALIA?
Yeah, I love it.
IS THE COMMUNITY SIMILAR TO WHERE YOU COME FROM AT ALL?
You want to know what, yeah, it is. During Spring Training when they said I was coming here I wasn’t exactly sure what Visalia would be like just because it is in California. I’d been to Los Angeles a few times but nothing north of there so I wasn’t sure what it would be like. But honestly it does remind me, sort of, where I’m from. It has that community feel to it and you can tell the community likes the Rawhide and really appreciates its baseball team.
IS THE AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT ASPECT SIMILAR?
It is, it is very similar. When I was driving in here for the first time coming down the freeway, I would say about two hours that way (South) it’s all farm fields, so that reminded me a lot of home, actually. I live about 30 minutes outside of Milwaukee but there’s a lot of that kind of stuff in Wisconsin too. It doesn’t feel like an LA sort of feel out here compared to what I maybe thought it would be.
FROM A BASEBALL STANDPOINT, WHAT KIND OF ADJUSTMENTS HAVE YOU HAD TO MAKE FOR THE PANDEMIC?
Honestly, it hasn’t been a whole lot different. I think earlier on in the year it was a little different. We just had to get Covid tested and other stuff a few times a week but a lot of us had gotten the vaccine. It was provided if we wanted it, and some stuff has opened up since then for us. So not much is really different. I’d say that the training staff and coaches have done a good job of staying on top of it, and if there are any issues, they’re taken care of right away. But I would say for the most part they do a good job of just letting us focus on baseball and if anything happens, they’re quick to jump on something if something does come up.
HOW HAS IT BEEN TO HAVE THESE NEW 6-GAME SCHEDULES AND TRAVEL SCHEDULES?
I really like it, actually. I wasn’t sure how it was going to be when I first looked at the schedule but, from a hitter’s standpoint, I like being able to face the same team six days in a row and see what kind of pitching they have and see the same arms consistently. And hitting in the same hitting environment six games in a row, I think, does factor into it. Getting used to the ballpark, especially on the road, and just, like I said, the pitching and the environment, the park and the dimensions. I think you get used to it and I like it, personally.
AND AS FOR THE TRAVEL, THIS IS YOUR FIRST PRO SEASON, HOW IS THAT GOING?
Really, I don’t think it’s bad at all and the coaches have said that this league is pretty good for travel. Fresno’s a commuter, only about 45 minutes, and everything else, I think the farthest is about four or maybe four and a half hours. So that’s not really too bad at all, it could be much worse. I think the travel is cool and I like the feel of the California League, being able to see northern California and southern California. I like being able to see all the different parts, so I think it’s cool.
AT THIS POINT OF THE SEASON, ARE YOU RUNNING INTO A GRIND, COMING OFF OF A HIGH SCHOOL SEASON AND NOW GETTING INTO THE HEAT OF A FULL SEASON?
I had a little bit of a high school season, our season got shut down, but I was still working out. I went to an instructional league with the D-Backs in September through the middle of November and then I had the whole off season. But this part of the season, I think it is getting to that point where, this is my first pro season…we have probably about 20 spring training games under out belts and it’s a little past the midway part here in the heat…it does become a grind but, like our coach says, a lot of it is just mental. If you’re taking care of your body and hydrating, being smart about what you’re doing, I think a lot of times it’s just mental. You just have to grind it out, go out there for nine innings and give the best effort that you have. Take care of yourself at night, get the proper rest. But, overall, I think I’m doing good for this part of the year. I just continue to listen to my trainers and coaches, eat right. I think a lot of that has to do with it.
YOUR NUMBERS HAVE BEEN VERY CONSISTENT THIS YEAR, A LITTLE UPTICK IN JUNE, AND NO BIG DROPOFFS ALL SEASON. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO STAY CONSISTENT?
I got off to a little bit of a slow start in May, but I think a lot of it comes down to just trusting my preparation. When I first came here, it’s my first pro season, I’m excited, first time with the D-Backs, just maybe trying to do a little bit too much. But the coaches do a good job of putting me in situations where I am going to succeed, and I just trust in what I can do. Getting used to the speed of the game, the game slows down a little bit. I do a lot of drills in the cage and I’m working on stuff every day to figure out how I can be consistent. I don’t want to be known as a guy that is a home-run-or-strikeout guy, hit or miss. I want to be as consistent as I can, get on base and do everything I can to help the team win. And trying to be as much of a team player as I can helps with that. Not trying to do too much, just letting the game come to me will help me be more consistent.
YOU MENTIONED EARLIER ABOUT TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY. YOU’RE ABLE TO GET GOOD NUTRITION EVERYDAY?
Yeah, for sure. Our clubhouse manager Orlando, he does a really good job. He’s always getting food to us at the right time. We have fruit bowls before every game with a spread of food. He always has food before and after the game ready to go for us. He does a really good job of that, there’s water everywhere, hydration packets. I’m never walking around thinking, “geez, I’m hungry” or “I need some water.” Everything is good that way.
(THANKS TO JILL GEARIN AND THE VISALIA RAWHIDE FOR SETTING UP THE INTERVIEW)
