Cactus Log: Healthy May makes up for lost time
By tylermaun2
By Tyler Maun/MiLB.com
GLENDALE, Arizona — White Sox prospect Jacob May was in the midst of a solid first Double-A season last June with Birmingham, batting .311 with a .718 OPS and 25 stolen bases when it was all halted. May collided with fellow Baron and MLB.com’s №47 overall prospect Tim Anderson while they were pursuing a ball in center field. The club’s №7 prospect, suffered a concussion and missed six weeks, but returned to the field for 46 more games from July through September.
After the season, May joined the United States national team for the inaugural Premier 12 tournament in Taiwan and Japan, pitting the top 12 teams in the world against each other. May returned home with a silver medal from the competition as well as valuable at-bats and innings that helped make up for what he missed during the regular season.
May is in Major League camp this spring with the White Sox, and I caught up with him on Wednesday morning at their Camelback Ranch facility in Glendale.
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What was the experience like getting to play for Team USA in the Premier 12, and how did that help you get back after missing time last season?
“That was a great experience, first and foremost, great teammates, great coaching staff. I had a blast over there. It’s always good to get at-bats. This game is a lot of repetition, and you’ve got to experience a lot of different things. It’s always good to switch up the offseason and get some more at-bats. I think I took good advantage of that, and it was perfect timing where I got home and still got to work out and gain some strength as well.
Does big league camp feel like you’re being thrown into the deep end right out of the gate, especially after while coming back from an injury last season?
“I think it would be if it weren’t for that you just have to make sure that you stay on top of your workouts during the offseason. Going over to Taiwan and Tokyo, it was good to keep me moving around and back on the field and stuff like that. Even when I got home, I continued to swing. As long as you do your work and repetition, it’s not that big of a jump into the fire situation. You just really have to stay on top of your workout regimen during the offseason.”
What would you say has changed most for you from when you were a rookie to now getting ready for a new season?
“Probably the biggest thing is just my mind-set. I’ve realized that the coaching staff has established the confidence in me that they believe in me, and I don’t have to put any added pressure on myself. When you first come into pro ball, you don’t really know what you’re getting yourself into and what you have to do to stand out. I’ve been through Spring Trainings a couple times, and throughout the season, developing relationships with the coaching staff, I’ve realized that they’ve seen me at my best and they’ve seen me at my worst. You don’t have to do anything extra or anything like that. You just have to go out there and play hard.”
How do you approach setting expectations for a new season?
“I try not to look at the numbers or anything like that. All I can do is control what I can control. I just want to go out there and play hard. I don’t really set expectations as far as time lengths or anything like that. That’s not really my job to see when I get called up. As long as I take care of my business and play as hard as I can, hopefully the results are there. That’s all I can really do is show up every day and play hard, and when my time comes, it’ll come.”
