Meet Matt Esquivel
The Ducks lead the Atlantic league in runs, and 28-year-old outfielder Matt Esquivel continues to be a steady middle-of-the-order presence. In his second season with the Ducks, he is batting .335 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs and was one of seven Ducks to make the All-Star Game. A fifth-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2001, he reached Double-A in 2006 and 2007 before spending the 2008 and '09 seasons with the York Revolution. On July 13 in York, Esquivel won the Atlantic League's Home Run Derby.
What was your best memory of playing in the Braves organization?
"My first big-league spring training game in 2007, I hit a home run my second at-bat. It was the closest I got to the big leagues."You played rookie ball with ex-Met Jeff Francoeur?"He's a good player. He had all the raw tools you would want to draft in a guy. Some of the things he did were unorthodox, but he did them at such a high level. He got along with all of the guys. And despite being a first-rounder, that was overshadowed by how good of a person and prospect he was."
Who was the best pitcher you have faced?
"[Detroit Tigers starter] Justin Verlander. I got a chance to face him in spring training. All of his pitches were lights out. He threw hard and had a nasty hammer."
Was it intimidating to face a guy like Verlander?
"It's different, let's be honest. This is my 10th year of playing professional ball. You look forward to those opportunities because you don't know how many times you will do it. If you want to be the best, you want to play against the best. Guys like that will give you a reading on where you are."What was it like winning the 2011 Atlantic League Home Run Derby?"I didn't expect to win it. I went in thinking it would be enjoyable, something I participated in one time before in Double-A. It was more of a cool feeling to go back where I used to play in York. To win it was a bonus." Favorite part of playing on Long Island?"Winning here with the guys we have in the locker room, the camaraderie. It seems like our team has many good players. Last year, we had a good team, but this year's team tops any I have ever played with."
Talk about the Ducks winning the Liberty Division's first-half title.
"It had been a goal of ours since before the season started. The guys we have now were the guys that, months ago, the organization decided they wanted back . . . The way we won the first half, the relentless effort from our position players to our pitching staff, we still have the drive to win the second half. I don't think we will let up at all.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Today: vs. Southern Maryland, 7:05 p.m.
Tomorrow: Southern Maryland, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday: Southern Maryland, 7:05 p.m.
Thursday: vs. York, 7:05 p.m.
Friday: vs. York, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: vs. York, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: at Camden, 1:05 p.m.
