Yankees fireballing starter Nathan Eovaldi takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: What drives you?
A: How competitive I am. I enjoy winning a lot. I hate losing. I really feel like this is the year for us to win a championship.
Q: Is this a World Series team?
A: Absolutely.
Q: You were 14-3 last year, so what can you do for an encore?
A: I know, right? It’s gonna be hard to follow that up! I just want to stay healthy. … I feel like with our staff, as long as we all stay healthy, we’re gonna have a really good chance of going far this year.
Q: How high is your confidence level right now?
A: I’m real confident. I’m confident in myself, then also as a team. I feel like we’re gonna do really well this year. My arm feels great, I feel healthy, I’m ready to go. … It’s gonna be fun.
Q: Is 20 wins for you a realistic goal?
A: I believe so. Especially with the bullpen that we have backing us up behind me. I can go out there and do my job and I got Dellin [Betances], [Andrew] Miller and [Aroldis] Chapman coming in and slamming the door behind ’em.
Q: What does that do for the mindset of a starting pitcher having those guys in the bullpen?
A: The starter’s job is to go out there and go nine innings regardless who’s in the bullpen. That’s the mind frame that we have to have, go out there and do the best that we can, finish the game that we started.
Q: Can you be an ace?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Do you feel you’re ready at this stage of your career to be an ace?
A: Yes.
Q: People are talking about all the Mets’ young pitchers, this being a Mets town, what are your thoughts on that?
A: The Mets accomplished a lot, and they had almost all their starters stay healthy from the beginning of the season to the end.
Q: Can New York be a Mets town or no?
A: No, I don’t think so.
Q: Why?
A: I think just because all the World Series that the Yankees have accomplished.
Q: What is your temperament on the mound?
A: I don’t get too frustrated out there. … I get more frustrated with myself more than anything, about trying to do too much if things aren’t going right for me. So usually it’s a battle within myself.
Q: Does catcher Brian McCann help you with that battle?
A: He gives you good feedback, positive feedback a lot of the time. He’s got a really good game plan how to attack the hitters as well.
Q: Were you better at handling that frustration last year?
A: Yeah. I definitely got a lot better where I can take a step back off the mound and realize when things are starting to go south that I can step off the back of the mound and regroup and get better control of the situation.
Q: Is the split the biggest difference for you?
A: I would say so, yeah.
Q: Do you plan on using it more this year?
A: Yes.
Q: Significantly more?
A: I don’t really know how much I used it last year. I know I used it a lot, but I definitely plan on going to it a lot more this year as well.
Q: How does your fastball compare to Chapman’s?
A: (Laugh) It’s a little slower than his. … I’ve never really played catch with him, but … I don’t know.
Q: Who are other pitchers you like watching?
A: I really enjoyed watching [Jake] Arrieta last year. A lot of the guys that we have, I enjoy watching all of our staff.
Q: What is it like pitching in New York?
A: The fans are amazing, all the support that they give you. Everybody knows the Yankees so … it wasn’t like we just had a good crowd when we were at home, we also had a good crowd when we were on the road, and all the teams in our division as well.
Q: What criticism bothered you the most?
A: I don’t really listen to the criticism. Everybody’s gonna have their opinions. I know myself and I know my abilities. I don’t really let that stuff get to me.
Q: Describe your hometown of Alvin, Texas.
A: It’s a small town. Hometown of Nolan Ryan. Nice, low-key, not too much going on, just real laid back.
Q: Were you ever hailed as the next Nolan Ryan?
A: I got a lot of comparisons to him, especially once I got drafted and everything.
Q: How did you feel about those comparisons?
A: Oh, it’s an honor of course to be compared to him. But to me, I was really just focused on our high school goals. The whole time I was there in high school, our goal was to win a state championship.
Q: So you didn’t feel like you had to live up to the pressure of that?
A: No, no I didn’t feel there was any pressure to it. It’s pretty hard to live up to what he’s accomplished.
Q: Did you win the state championship?
A: No, we didn’t. I think we were two rounds away from it.
Q: You finally met Nolan Ryan last year after you had pitched against the Astros in Houston.
A: We kind of talked about the night before, he talked about my outing, and told me that my stuff really great. Just about, you know, you still have to finish your pitches out in front to get the good action that you want. He talked about following me all the way through high school to going to the minors when he was with the Rangers at the time. He said he wanted me to be a part of the Rangers, but it didn’t work out that way. … The [high school] baseball field’s named after him. … For me, he built a field basically for me that I grew up playing on. So it was just the little things I was thanking him for.
Q: You never got the chance to watch him pitch live.
A: You go to the local McDonald’s, you go inside and there’s Nolan Ryan photos, baseball bats, baseballs everywhere. Every restaurant you went to in Alvin, there was a little piece of his memorabilia there.
Q: If you had to pick the brain of one pitcher in history, who would you pick?
A: (Laugh) Probably Goose [Rich Gossage]. I enjoy talking to him a lot this spring training. He has that mentality of going right after hitters, he threw hard and attacked the zone.
Q: If you had to face one hitter in the history of baseball, who would you want to test your skills against?
A: Probably Babe Ruth.
Q: How would you work him?
A: I don’t know how I would work him (laugh). I don’t know, I’d just enjoy the challenge.
Q: Describe Tommy Lasorda during your time with the Dodgers.
A: He’s definitely gonna make you laugh, he’s got tons of stories. He bleeds Dodger Blue, and that’s it (laugh).
Q: Don Mattingly.
A: He’s definitely a players manager, which you enjoy having.
Q: Joe Girardi.
A: He’s the same way, he’s a players manager.
Q: Starlin Castro.
A: Playing against him in the past, he’s gonna help the team out a lot.
Q: What do you like about him?
A: Another great bat in the lineup.
Q: What is Alex Rodriguez like as a teammate?
A: He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. For the knowledge he has for the game. He’s able to slow the game down so much. He notices things I would never notice, and he points them out all the time. He’s helped me out become a better pitcher as well.
Q: Masahiro Tanaka.
A: He’s got some of the best offspeed I’ve ever seen from anybody. He helped me out a little bit last year with the split.
Q: Your son will be 2 in June.
A: He’s full of energy, he’s always running around, happy. I feel like everybody’ll say it, but I feel like he’s one of the best kids ever.
Q: How has fatherhood changed you?
A: I feel like I’ve had patience. I definitely have a lot more now. He keeps you on your toes. I enjoy it a lot.
Q: How did you propose to your wife?
A: Just on Valentine’s Day. We were just at home. I didn’t do anything real special. We went to dinner later that night.
Q: What Broadway shows have you seen?
A: “Rock of Ages,” and “Wicked.”
Q: Favorite movies?
A: “Sandlot,” “Happy Gilmore,” “Step Brothers.”
Q: Favorite actor?
A: “Will Ferrell.”
Q: Favorite meal?
A: Steak.
Q: Do you have a World Series dream?
A: Just winning one.
Q: What is your message to Yankees fans about what kind of team and season they should expect?
A: Championship season. A lot of winning.
Q: You’re more optimistic than most.
A: I’m tellin’ ya, we’re gonna have a great team this year. Everybody’s sleeping on us.
Q: Why is everybody sleeping on the Yankees?
A: I don’t know. I don’t know why they’re sleeping on us.
Q: When you look around the clubhouse, you see a championship team?
A: Absolutely. The players we have, all the additions we made to the team. … I think this is gonna be the year.