After deciding to forego the MLB ranks and return to Oregon State for the 2021 campaign, pitcher Kevin Abel met with the local media via zoom to talk about his decision and what he hopes to accomplish with the Beavers next season.
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Q: Can you just walk us through your decision-making process?
Kevin Abel: "After the two draft days, it was a guarantee. I'm not selling myself short for that signing bonus ($20,000). It was kind of ridiculous in my opinion. After those two days, I knew I was coming back and I'm really excited.
It was a win-win situation for me because I was either going to start my dream of being an MLB player or continue my current dream of winning another national championship. It was a win for me to come back and it was a really easy decision."
Q: How excited are you to get back on the field?
KA: "I'm really excited. I feel like I'm finally going to be able to put together a season where I can operate at a level I know I can. I wasn't strong early in my freshman year, my sophomore year got cut short, and this past season just didn't happen.
I'm really excited to see what a whole season looks like for me and how this team comes together with all this talent. We're going to be a real powerhouse coming out of the Pac-12 next year.
Q: Where are you at health wise right now? Any restrictions?
KA: "I've been throwing for a while now. Luckily, I was deemed essential by the university for my rehab so I've been able to work out daily with our athletic trainer (Davey LaCroix) all through quarantine.
As of a couple of days ago, I'm now considered 100 percent healthy. IT's a great feeling and ready to move forward. As of right now, I'm not planning on throwing a ton during fall ball (if we have it), but I'll definitely be out there."
Q: Did you have a sense as to whether or not you were going to get drafted?
KA: "I knew with it being five rounds that it was going to be hard for teams because they had a limited number of picks and with me being a Tommy John guy, it's a risk. They haven't seen me throw since my freshman year and a team never really came forward. It wasn't a huge surprise not to go, and I'm not really too upset about it.
They (several MLB teams) told me to be healthy and win games. They know what I'm capable of but it just wasn't the right time. It's up to me from here on out. I want to win as many games as possible and take this team to winning the last game of the year again."
