Tim Purpura Quotes

"You can't force a guy to stay there. But also, you want to try to do what's in the best interests of the club. You need a guy who can hit the ball out of the ballpark, not necessarily a guy who can hit a single. But it's a tough deal, being in the Minor Leagues, facing young guys that are out to get you."

"We laugh about it now, but that's his mindset -- 'What can I do to make myself better?'"

"It's kind of something we just have to live with,"

"He's making progress. With a young player, there's that adjustment period. It takes time. I give him a lot of credit. He had some tough outings and he's come back from it."

"I've run out of words to describe him. It looks like he's doing it with ease. But I know he's gutting it out, running it out. ... He's conquered the mental side of it as good as anybody I've ever seen."

"He has the physical ability to keep playing,"

"That's the beauty of Brad. He can take it. He can dish it out, but he can take it, too."

"These things are hard to put a percentage on, and say, yeah with certainty we think it's going to happen or not. But, again, with Roger, I never count him out."

"It's kind of an oddity, obviously. It's part of the whole process and nothing nobody is going to get too upset about. He's playing for his country, but we know his heart lies with us."

"Luke's a power-hitter, a left-handed hitter,"

"We can't make mistakes,"

"We have to think that through because of the nature of the injury. We don't want to get too excited about the progress he's making, put him out to early and have it reoccur on us. If it reoccurs, basically, the season will be over. We run a big risk."

"I think it's certainly been a philosophy of our organization to draft primarily college players. So far, we're doing OK."

"They can pass along a lot of information. They are two great examples of what hard work and determination can get you."

"It really came through well. We never even lost power and all of our systems are working. So we really came through better than we could have expected."

"If he goes three days, and he's making progress, but he doesn't feel he's ready to be activated, then we might extend it."

"He was making progress at the end of last year, too, so it's not like all of a sudden he's just back. He's made a steady progression, he's worked very hard, and he's back at a point where he could be a legitimate contender for these spots [in the rotation]."

"Jason is a guy with a lot of talent, and I always believed in his talent,"

"I think his commitment to the World Classic is intriguing. That gives me some indication that he thinks that he's got something left that he can go out and participate in that."

"I think his commitment to the [Classic] certainly is intriguing. I think that gives us some indication that he thinks he has something left."