Living the dream
Fan favorite grew up rooting for Counsell
The Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak caught up with Milwaukee Brewers utility man Eric Sogard to discuss his popularity with fans, his eyeglasses and playing for a manager in Craig Counsell he grew up rooting for. Sogard, 31, is leading the Brewers with a .378 average, .533 on-base percentage and 1.133 OPS in 19 games this season. The team purchased his contract from Class AAA Colorado Springs on May 12. He initially signed as a free agent with the Brewers on Dec. 15.
Q. You grew up in Phoenix, so were the Arizona Diamondbacks your favorite team as a kid? Who was your favorite player?
A. I was a Red Sox fan before the Diamondbacks came to Arizona. I had family from there and my parents were from there. But once the Diamondbacks got to town we’d go to a lot of games and I was a big fan. I’m trying to remember all the guys back then. Probably Luis Gonzalez. I’ll go with Gonzo. I had a lot of them, though. Jay Bell – he wore the glasses. Counsell was great. I remember him for sure. I watched him a lot.
Q. What’s it like playing for Counsell now?
A. For myself personally, being a utility guy, playing all over – that’s what he specialized in during his career. So to have that knowledge and someone to go to if I have questions (is big). And I guess for him, he can kind of think of it as, how can he use himself in a situation and use me there. I definitely love having him as a manager. I think managers who have played before get respect from the players because they went through it. They understand what it’s like. They understand the everyday grind and how tough this game can be. He knows what it’s like to go through it all. He’s done it all in his career, so he knows what we’re all going through.
Q. He’s very even-keeled
in public. Is that the case with the team as well?
A. Absolutely. Very similar. And I think you need that throughout a long season. There’s going to be times where you’re riding high and there’s going to be times where you’re going low, and I think having that even-keeled attitude is going to kind of keep us where we need to be.
Q. You’re less than 20 games into your Brewers career and you’ve already generated a pretty good cult following here. You had the “Nerd Power” following in Oakland. Why do fans seem to gravitate toward you?
A. I feel like my physical attributes aren’t the norm – I’m not the big, tall, muscular baseball player. I’m a little shorter, I wear glasses, so once people see me out there at first glance they’re kind of surprised I’m on the field. My glasses just help me see. I think that might be a little bit of it. Hopefully the way I play, too. I hope people enjoy watching me play hard.
Q. Don’t you feel being branded as an overachiever shortchanges you, though? You obviously are incredibly gifted physically and have a terrific work ethic, otherwise you wouldn’t have stuck in the major leagues for as long as you have.
A. Not at all. I’m here, and that’s my goal – to be here and to help the team win. I’m happy to be in this clubhouse and
I’m happy to be out there and contributing. That’s what matters to me.
Q. You brought up the glasses. What’s the history there?
A. I started wearing glasses my sophomore year in high school. I would actually wear contacts for school and then when baseball practice and the games would come around, I would throw my glasses on. I see so much better with glasses than I do with contacts. I have astigmatism issues. I’ve thought about Lasik, but I see 20-10 with my glasses on so if I were to get Lasik I’d be 20-20 and that would be a little downgrade. I’m sticking with them now. I haven’t had any issues with them and they stay on when I’m diving all over the place.
Q. You’ve also played for San Diego and Oakland. Has anyone ever tried to convince you not to wear them?
A. Nobody’s ever thought otherwise. I’ve never really had any vision problems wearing them. They said, “Hey, whatever works.”
Q. Good vision is necessary to be a good hitter. You’ve shown a great ability to hit when behind even 0-2 in the count. Is that something that’s innate or learned?
A. It’s something I’ve done throughout my life. Even up until college I would take a strike every single at-bat and just see pitches and get my
timing down. I was always comfortable. My approach stays very similar throughout the whole at-bat and doesn’t change too much. I get in trouble when I start swinging too big, so I try to keep my approach simple and most importantly see the ball and get a good pitch to hit.
Q. Again on Sunday you fell behind, 0-2, in your first at-bat but still saw a total of nine pitches before striking out. That’s still a successful at-bat, correct?
A. Exactly. That’s a productive AB because I saw nine pitches and I saw every pitch that he has in his arsenal. I struck out; obviously you don’t want to strike out. But to strike out like that, you’re going up the next AB confident, and sure enough I got the opportunity with runners on and got the RBI (single).
Q. The Brewers are 7-0 now with you starting in the leadoff spot. Did you bat leadoff much during your time with the A’s?
A. Not too much. I would bounce around occasionally but I was mainly toward the back of the lineup. Again for me, my approach is similar. It doesn’t matter where I am in the order; I just do my thing.
Q. You grew up in Phoenix and played for two West Coast organizations. What do you think of the Midwest?
A. I’m enjoying it. Obviously the weather’s a little different, but I’m having a lot of fun out here. Fans and everyone have been very welcoming to me and my family, so we’re enjoying it for sure.
Q. You’re a father of two, and your daughter, Saydee, became a viral video sensation after that 10th-inning, walk-off loss the Brewers suffered in San Diego a few weeks back. At 31⁄2 years old, does she have a sense of how popular she became across the country?
A. If any 31⁄2-year-old girl can handle it, it’s her (laughs). She just loves attention. She’s the most outgoing little girl I know. She loves it. But I don’t think she knows. Maybe one day she’ll look back on it. We went out to dinner last night and there were people recognizing her, and she loved it.
Q. Has she signed any autographs yet?
A. People have asked. It’s fun.
Q. Your wife, Kaycee, was a collegiate softball player. Does it help when your spouse knows the game?
A. She played at Arizona State, where I met her. Middle infielder, lefty hitter, so very similar. She’s an athlete. It’s funny. There’s been times in the past where I’d be scuffling a little bit and then I’d kind of break out and find it and figure out what my problem was and she’d be like, “Oh, I could have told you that two weeks ago.” She’s great. She’s the best. Very supportive.