Major League Baseball (MLB) Teams

"Even though I play professional baseball, I'm as normal as it gets."

"I can play at this level. I'm not intimidated and never have been."

"I don't like to put pressure on myself. I think I did that when I first got called up in Seattle, and I was kind of trying to do too much."

"I have a job here to do, and my job is for nine innings- or however many innings we play-to come out and do the best I can."

"I'm a good guy. I just want to go out there and play hard."

"I'm an inner-city dude. If you go down to the Inner Habor, there's a good chance you'll see me somewhere in the middle of the day."

"I'm not satisfied, I'm never satisfied."

"I'm trying to let them make mistakes and when they do, I hit them."

"I think cutting down on bad habits away from the ballpark has helped me improve at the ballpark."

"I think everybody's jumping on the bandwagon, personally. Just let me play it out and not think about all of this stuff. Every other day, people ask me, 'Why are you doing good?'"

"I thought [baseball] was the worst sport. Then everyone started getting excited about the Padres. If it weren't for that, I don't know if I would have given it a try."

"Just let me go out and keep doing what I'm doing, because, obviously, it's working."

"My drive to succeed was so high that I didn't let anything get in the way of it."

"There's comfort in knowing I can just go out and do my thing, knowing I'm in there, doing the best I can. I'm not on the bench, getting frustrated because I'm not playing. I relish this."

"When it comes to hitting, that's my strength-to go to right-center and not try to pull the ball or hook the ball."

"A lot of kids in the inner city are intrigued by football and basketball, and in inner-city San Diego, football seemed the sport where guys were making it. But baseball brought out his passion. He just loved the game." - Anson Wright

"Everything he does is impressive, every day." - Ty Wigginton

"Folks in Seattle simply can't bear to watch anymore." - Chris Jenkins

"He has tools beyond tools. He can hit. He can run. He has a great arm. He's just a very good athlete." - Willie Bloomquist

"He said he could tell when the ball left the hand, see the spin, and know it was a slider on the way. He's the only kid I ever had who could do that. It was like Tony Gwynn, like he had a sixth sense." - Matt Cleek

"He's fun to watch and he's fun to work with." - Terry Crowley

"He's such a good prospect. He's got the speed, the arm, the power." - Rick Dempsey

"He's very receptive to instruction, but I still think he's got a higher ceiling." - Dave Trembley

"If the Orioles put it together, he might even have a chance to challenge for MVP honors. He's that talented." - Johnny Damon

"They say that he has the same abilities that I have, but I think he has a little more." - Torii Hunter