Staff Ace-ves

I had the opportunity to chat with the man who’s been setting the Eastern League on fire with his arm, Pitcher of the Week Alfredo Aceves.

He has a firm handshake, makes sure he knows your name, and asks you to speak slowly because his English is still coming around.

Here’s our chat…

On how he signed with the Yankees:

“In Mexico, I played with Monterrey.  The Monterrey GM, they have to talk with the people from the teams in the States.  The Yankees, Cleveland and the Blue Jays and like four or five more.  The Yankees had to wait to see what the best post would be, so they take the best.  I had to wait too.  I can’t do anything.”

On why he was in the Mexican League for so long:

“I played with Yucatan first, then they sell me to one team, the Blue Jays.  So I go to the Dominican Republic, but I don’t like it.  I played there in the summer league, it was too hard for us.  The people, the food, and it was too far.  I was too young to be alone for the first time.  I can’t handle it, I can’t.  So the next year, I said I didn’t want to do it anymore.  If they wanted to bring me to the States, I’d go.  But the Dominican, I don’t go.  So I started my career in Mexico.  They sent me to Monterrey, traded me.  I played there one year as a starter, then the next year as a starter.  The next year, I came here.”

On what he throws:

“Fastball, curveball, change and cutter.”

On what he’s working on:

“In the bullpens, we’re working on cutters.”

On if he’s surprised he’s done so well:

“A little bit.  I don’t think too much about it.  I just live day by day, but I keep it in mind, because it’s good.  I came from Tampa, and I threw well there, and then it was two games here that were good.  Just keep calm, keep easy, work hard, keep doing my stuff.”

On what it’s like to go from having nobody know who you are to everybody knowing:

“It’s a good taste in my mouth.”