Richard Bleier made his pro debut with the Spokane Indians in 2008. He was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions. Here they are:

TexasRangersAnalyst: Tell me a little about your baseball background. Was it always what you wanted to do? How did you start playing?

Richard Bleier: I started playing baseball when I was 3 or 4 probably. They kept me in tee ball an extra year even though I was better than most of the kids in coach pitch. I’ve always had the goal to play baseball which helped me stay away from some of the other things kids my age get into.

TRA: When did you think playing pro baseball was possible for you?

RB: I think I am always the last one to catch on to those kinds of things. When I was in high school, I never thought I was going to play baseball in college until I was getting text messages from my mom during school that another college coach called the house. When I was getting looked at by pro scouts it was the same way. After my freshman year I heard about some of the kids we played against got drafted and I thought, Im better than them. But in no way did I expect to get drafted as high as I did until there were 20 scouts at every game.

TRA: When did scouts start following you when you were an amateur? Do you remember any in particular?

RB: I talked to my first pro scout my sophomore year in college. I threw a pretty good game Friday night and was in the stands Saturday doing the radar gun. He said I threw pretty well and gave me a questionnaire. After that, we had scout day my junior year and I think I struck out like 4 of the 6 hitters I face and was sitting 90-91 (I was fresh). After that all the way to June 6 it was pretty crazy with all the phone calls, workouts, and meetings with scouts.

TRA: What convinced you to sign with the Rangers rather than continuing on with something else?

RB: Like most other kids, I dreamed about playing pro baseball. With the situation I was in, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

TRA: What pitches do you throw and at what speeds? Which ones are you most comfortable with?

RB: I throw an 88-90mph sinker, an 78-80mph change-up, and an 80-83mph slider. I could easily do pretty well throwing nothing but fastballs and change-ups. Since I don’t really have the velocity as some other guys, I have to be comfortable throwing all my pitches in any counts, which I feel I am.

TRA: What was the transition to pro ball like? Was it as difficult or easy as you thought it'd be?

RB: Other than the wood bats there wasn’t too much of a difference for me. If I made my pitches, I got people out, if I made a mistake, I payed for it. My first full season will give me a better read on the differences though.

TRA: What things do the Rangers do to make the transition to pro baseball easier for players?

RB: I knew what to expect coming from college and playing summer ball in the Northwoods league my sophomore year. It sure helped that our short-season A team is the Spokane Indians. That was an amazing place to play.

TRA: What coach have you had that helped you most develop your game?

RB: I'm about 90% sure I would not be here right now if it weren’t for Dan Rosezl. He was my pitching coach at FGCU for my sophomore and junior year. When he first came in we really didn’t see eye to eye though. But eventually he really made me the pitcher I am today. He was all about attacking the strike zone and not worrying about strikeouts as much as getting people out with as little pitches as possible. Well my sophomore year I pitched 85 innings, walked 30 and hit 15. My junior year I threw 90 innings, walked like 14 or so and hit 6 or 7. That’s what made me from a good college pitcher, to a pro prospect. It was definitely a long process though, if you would have told me that he was going to be at my house on draft day my sophomore year, I probably would have laughed at you.

TRA: What aspects of your game are the strongest and weakest?

RB: My strongest aspect is my ability to throw three pitches for strikes. Like I said before, I don’t have that 95mph fastball to rely on so I have to be a finesse pitcher. My weakest point is probably holding runners on base. Being left handed people don’t really try to steal off me. I just don’t feel comfortable sometimes. It's something to work on this offseason though.

TRA: Why do you think you were so successful this year?

RB: I think I just had more of an advantage over the hitters. They were not used to hitting with wood bats and I was coming off the best season of my life. I also think my change-up developed as the season went by which helped me out.

TRA: What is your opinion of the Rangers as an organization, and, in particular, what do you think of their development plan for you?

RB: For the short time I have been in the organization I have no complaints, although I have nothing to compare it to. I like the way things are going so far though. I ended up throwing close to 160 innings on the year and it definitely caught up to me at the end of the season. They noticed that and took me off the instructional league roster.

TRA: Who are your closest friends in the Texas organization?

RB: Trevor Hurley from K-state and I were roommates all year at Spokane so we got pretty close. I was pretty close with most of the pitchers from that Spokane team though. It really was a good group of guys and it showed when we won the championship.

TRA: If you had the choice of playing for any other team, which would you choose?

RB: As much as I would want to say the Yankees, Red Sox, or any other big market team, I would honestly want to be in the organization with the oldest, least talented pitching staff at the big league level, hopefully one that is in desperate need of a solid left handed pitcher. It's all about being in the right place at the right time.

TRA: What's a normal day for you during the offseason?

RB: I'm usually up by 8 or 9 and head to the gym. After that, I really like to enjoy my offseason. I love to fish so I go fishing on my boat 4-6 times a week. If it’s too windy to go fishing, ill probably head over to the golf course and play a round. I have a job giving pitching lessons to kids at Alex Fernandez’s Strike Zone but that’s only a couple days a week.

TRA: What's the difference between the workouts you do in the season, offseason, and Spring Training?

RB: Usually my workouts in season are to maintain the strength I gained during the offseason. I like to lift and run after I pitch to flush out my body. Im not too sure about spring training workouts though since this will be my first one coming up.

TRA: Where would you like to begin the 2009 season?

RB: I try not to worry about that kind of stuff too much. I'm just going to worry about the things I can control and do my job. Hopefully it will all work out.

TRA: How much more time do you think you'll need in the minors before you're ready for the Major Leagues?

RB: I have no idea. It will probably be the same as it was when I was getting recruited for college or pro ball. I will be the last one to realize that I’m almost there.

TRA: Once you're done playing baseball, what do you see yourself doing for a living?

RB: Well, if I make it to the big leagues and don’t have to work I will probably be fishing or playing golf every day. Realistically, I am two semesters away from graduating with a criminal justice degree. I would finish that up and get a job in law enforcement somewhere.