There is no doubt that the Toronto Blue Jays presently have some gaps in their bullpen. For this reason, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Ian Kadish, a strong right-handed reliever presently with the Bluefield Blue Jays.

Ian Kadish is a 6-foot-1, 193-pound RHP with the Bluefield Blue Jays

Ian Kadish is a 6-foot-1, 193-pound right-handed pitcher from Cincinnati. This year with Bluefield, Kadish has posted a 2-3 record, with a 2.55 ERA in 13 games. He has pitched over 17 innings, allowing only five earned runs, and has yet to allow a homerun. He also has an impressive strikeout / walk ratio, striking out 21, while only walking six. Even more impressive is that he has kept opponents to a .206 average.

But now to find out more about the player behind the numbers…

While most players idolize players that play the same position as they do, Kadish grew up admiring the game play of Ken Griffey Jr. He states, “Griffey Jr was my childhood hero and I tried to model my game after his.  I obviously was not nearly the hitter he was, hence why I am a pitcher now.  As for now, I admire any pitcher that is relatively the same size as I am.  As I am a smaller pitcher, I like to watch smaller pitchers and I admire them because they give me that hope.”

Kadish shared one of his favourite moments on the mound. Discussing a walk-off win for Bluefield which happened on June 30th against the Bristol White Sox. Kadish explains, “One of my recent favorite moments on the mound has to be my first professional win, which happened thanks to an amazing walk-off homerun by Art Charles.  It was such an awesome feeling and moment.  The whole team was going crazy and celebrating.  It was a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life and a moment that I will tell my kids.”

Kadish appeared in 25 games as a senior from Marshall University, pitching 30.2 innings in relief, with a 1-4 record, 4.99 ERA, with 28 strikeouts and four saves. Knowing his potential on the mound, I was curious to know what he would state his best skills and worse qualities are. He answered, “If I had to pick one skill of mine that is my best on the mound, it would have to be the way I compete.  Interestingly, that’s my worse quality as well, as I absolutely HATE losing.  I still will not let my 9 year old brother beat me in anything.  I am a very competitive person and it shows on the mound.  I don’t like to be beaten and will go to great lengths to win.”

As Kadish is very open on both Twitter, (@BearJew36) and through his blog, http://livinginthelifeofian.blogspot.com/, I thought it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on social media. Kadish, interestingly, indicated,

“Social Media can be both a good and bad thing for professional athletes. Athletes also need to be smart about it.  They need to know that they are always being watched and everything they do or say will be put under a microscope.  I definitely think it has brought the athletes and fans closer together because they can interact with each other much easier.  I do have a blog, which I have my brother Kendall to thank for the idea.  He had the idea to make a blog about everything that I would be doing to keep my family and friends up to date.  It has turned out to be much bigger than I originally thought it would be, and I am very happy about that.  My blog focuses mainly on what I am doing on a daily basis.  I try to keep it light and fun by adding some funny stories.  I’m running a little behind on my blog entries, but one of these days I will get caught up.”

If you want to hear all about the life of Ian Kadish, but cannot wait until he catches up, be sure to follow Ian on Twitter (@BearJew36) and let him know you are rooting for him!

JaysProspects would like to thank Ian Kadish for his time in taking this interview, as well as wish him the best of luck in the future!