WATCH: Porter Hodge excited to have Ryan Pressly as mentor |
Tony Crumpton
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- Thursday, February 13 2025
Chicago Cubs pitcher Porter Hodge spoke with Elise Menaker from spring training talking about what he's learned from Ryan Pressly, the familiarity of returning to spring training and much more.
“It’s definitely nice to see that other guys are seeing the year I had,” Hodge said. “But we still don’t really know what’s going on with roles. If the best one’s going to get it or we flip-flop or whatever happens -- we’ll be fine, regardless.” Watch the interview below: Video summary/cliff-notes: 00:01 – Porter Hodge reflects on the difference between this year’s spring training and last year, noting increased comfort and familiarity with teammates. 00:27 – He values open communication with teammates about their routines and bullpen work, which helps his development. 00:54 – Hodge is excited to have veteran Ryan Pressly as a mentor, learning from his experience and approach to the game. 01:24 – Pressly has advised him to work on something new every day and focus on continuous improvement. 01:53 – Hodge appreciates Pressly’s recognition of his past performances and looks forward to their potential late-game duo. 02:23 – Discusses his first offseason as a bullpen pitcher, emphasizing adjustments in training and maintaining shoulder strength. 02:53 – Adjusted workout routines, experimenting with lifting schedules to optimize performance as a reliever. 03:22 – Working on developing a splitter, seeking advice from teammates, and refining its feel and execution. 04:11 – Plans to incorporate the splitter more in spring training while maintaining confidence in his slider and fastball. 04:40 – Excited about traveling to Japan for the first time, looking forward to the experience and finding good sushi spots.
