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Five questions with Phillippe Aumont

OTTAWA-Baseball.ca had the chance to sit-down with Philadelphia Phillies prospect and Gatineau, QC native Phillippe Aumont when the Junior National Team was in Clearwater to take on minor leaguers from the Phillies.

Aumont was in big-league camp with the Phillies at the time and has since been re-assigned to minor league camp.

BC: How is everything going in Spring Training so far and what are your expectations for the season?

PA: It’s going well right now. I’ve been working hard on my mechanics and cleaning up a few things. As for expectations I’m trying to earn a job with the Phillies, but I won’t be disappointed if they send me back to AAA. I still have some things to work on and the Phillies will know the right time to bring me up.

BC: The Phillies clubhouse is loaded with veteran players that have achieved great success at the big league level. Who do you look up to most on the Phillies?

PA: A lot of the guys in the clubhouse have different routines and do different things to get ready, so I try and take a peek at more than just one guy. Of course I look at a guy like Roy Halladay who’s got such a good routine, is really strong mentally and does everything with a purpose. I didn’t realize it as much when I was younger, but the more things you do with a purpose the more you will get out of it.

BC: It’s been five years since you were drafted (by the Seattle Mariners, 11th overall) and five years since you played for the Junior National Team. What did the JNT program do for your baseball career?

PA: Playing for the JNT was huge for my career. You’re playing against professional players and it makes you want to get to where they are. I always enjoyed competing against pro’s because it gives you an idea of where you stack up against them. I also learnt a lot about failure playing against older and more experienced players – it was a great experience.

BC: You played in a World Junior Championship (2006) and a World qualifier (2007) as a junior. What is your fondest memory from your time with the JNT?

PA: Both of those events were special and winning bronze in Cuba in 2006 was the first medal for Canada in a while (at the junior level). Every time I step on the field with the Canadian jersey on I have so much pride and am so proud to have ‘Canada’ written across my chest.

BC: A memory that sticks out for a lot of people was watching you strikeout Curtis Granderson during the 2009 World Baseball Classic in front of 50,000 fans at Rogers Centre. What was that experience like as a 20 year-old pitching in front of such a pro-Canadian crowd on Canadian soil?

PA: That one pitch (to strikeout Granderson) was the most exciting moment I’ve ever had. I yelled and I fist pumped, but I couldn’t even hear myself because it was so loud in there-everyone was standing and screaming. There was so much energy in that building, it was unbelievable.

Note: Aumont will begin the season in Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.


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