San Francisco Giants: Q-and-A with prospect, Tyler Herb

 With many new faces in the San Francisco Giants camp, we were given the pleasure of talking to one of the newest, Tyler Herb.

Herb came over in a trade with the Seattle Mariners as the PTBNL for Chris Heston, and the Giants like what they saw enough to put him on the 40-man roster. Herb is their fifteenth rated prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. Here is our conversation with him:

Daniel Sperry: What went through your mind when you found out you were getting traded to the Giants?

Tyler Herb: “At first I really didn’t believe it. Just because I was a senior sign guy, who was never really sought after, it was a bit of a shock. Also, I didn’t think I was having the best of years at the time, so it was definitely a shock. But at the same time it was really cool. It’s kind of like getting drafted all over again. When you find out somebody really likes you and really wants you, that’s a good thing. It’s definitely a good thing to be wanted. So at first I was a little shocked, but definitely happy that it happened.

Q: What impressions did you have of the Giants organization before you came, and have they turned to be true?

A: I really didn’t have any expectations coming. I had heard it was a good organization. Obviously if you have several world series (victories), you’re doing something right. So I came in expecting to learn. In the past couple weeks I’ve learned a lot about the Giants organization, and how they run things, how first class they are with treating the players, especially the fanbase. The fanbase is crazy, very loyal. Wherever we go in spring training, there are giants fans everywhere. So, so far it’s been a great experience. I’m looking forward to getting to know the Giants fan base and organization even more.

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Q: What’s the experience been like for you, considering it’s your first time in a big league camp?

A: It’s much more laid back than a minor league camp. That’s the biggest thing I’ve noticed, plus the food. The food is really good over here. It’s really cool to watch guys who’ve had success in the big leagues go about there business. You just try to learn as much as you possibly can from them. You don’t really get this opportunity very often to learn from, I think one of the best staffs in the game, especially starters. We have three of the best pitchers in the big leagues, with Samardzija, Mad-Bum, and Cueto. And they all go about their business differently and it works for them. It’s definitely been cool to experience it so far, and hopefully I can stick around and learn some more.

Q: What’s it like to work alongside guys like Mad Bum, Buster Posey and all.

A: It’s really cool. You see them do their thing on TV, and you see how much success they’ve had. Even as a younger kid, you think, ‘They’re unbelievably good. They’re God-gifted talents.” And I’m sure they have some type of god-given ability, but they work their butts off, all in their own way. MadBum is in there, in the gym, every single morning at the same time, doing the same thing. So their work ethic has been what’s got them there to this point. And you see that with all these guys that have had success. They work their tails off. They don’t take any days off, and I think that’s what it truly means to be a big leaguer. Consistency comes from going in every day and being diligent with your work. If you don’t work hard, you won’t have success on the field. And I think that’s what has hit me the most.

Q: What are some goals you’ve set out for yourself this year?

A: I want to build off of what I did last year. There was a point in the season with the mariners last year that clicked for me. A mentality of trying to be as consistent as possible. I really want to reinforce that and bring as much consistency as possible. Last year, my goal every time out was to get a Quality Start. That’s what I wanted to do and people have preached to me that you don’t need to have a sub-2 ERA. If you go out there every time and give your team a chance to win, six or seven innings with three runs or less and you’re going to have a lot of people that want to play behind you, and have a lot of confidence in you.

Q: When you go out for a start, what’s your pre-start playlist.

A: Honestly I like a bit of everything. The only thing I don’t like is that really hard, screamo rock. But everything else is great. I like some rap, a little electronic stuff, country, old school rock. I’m a really big fan of some early 2000’s RnB, back when I was in middle school. That’s some good music for me.

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Q: If there was one artist you go to to get yourself pumped up, who would you go to?

A: Honestly, I don’t like to get too pumped up for games. So I’ll go for a little bit of Drake.

Q: Favorite pre-game meal.

A: Actually I typlically eat the same thing for each start. That is some brown rice, with two chicken breasts, and some spinach or broccoli.

Q: Favorite food in general?

A: Definitely Italian. Italian is the way to go.

Q: Favorite Movie?

A: It’s gotta be a James Bond movie

Q: Any of them?

A: I like the Daniel Craig ones. I think those are the ones I remember the most. And Daniel Craig is pretty good. I’ll give him that.

Q: One thing you want Giants fans to know about you

A: I’m not from California, despite the hair.

Next: Blach giving Giants a hope for future

Herb wasn’t sure where he’ll start out the year, but it’s safe to say he’ll be somewhere with Sacramento or Richmond. His transformation into a quality start machine has helped him rise the ranks with the Giants, and he has a lot of people internally impressed. If he can continue on, the big leagues could certainly be in his future. You can of course follow him on twitter @TylerHerb.