Marc Gustafson Quotations

He's got the makings, the talents, the tools of a big-league pitcher, and he's learning how to pitch. He's learning how to set hitters up. In the past, he might try to strike everybody out, because he's got such good stuff. We've got to teach him about pitching, and he's learning.

I've, personally, been interested in Jason for several years and personally tried to sign him for three years. We finally got him.

The injury, obviously, is not something you plan for and it's not something he'd plan for. It was a speed bump in his fast track. Toward the end, he was starting to clean up his mechanics a little bit, starting to get back to what we saw.

The guys that are here have the same pitches. It's not as if they're adding new quirks or new pitches to their repertoire. They're sticking with what got them here.

He's a guy that had arm trouble early in his career, but he's recovered from that nicely. He throws 89-92 mph with downhill sink, attacks the zone and gets groundballs. He has a slider and changeup that he throws for a change of pace, but it's that fastball with the downhill plane that makes him successful.

We want him to pitch in surroundings where he's comfortable and we can travel to see him pitch.

He has the mentality. He's been a closer his entire career, and nothing affects him a whole lot. But he's got good pitches. He's got the tools to make it happen and he's got the mentality that he fits in.

He looks good. He's changed his body. He's a baseball player, first and foremost. He's not too big; he's not too muscular.

You don't have to worry about slumps with him because he can always bunt to get on base.

For me, personally, he's always shown that he has the tools to catch, swing the bat and do a lot of good things. But the difference is his confidence.