Michael Barash discusses adapting to minors, moving up Angels' system

Key quotes from Michael Barash interview

"I love (the professional life). It's definitely a grind. It's not like the college grind where you have three games on the weekend and then a couple days off, then a Tuesday game and a couple days off and another weekend series. It's everyday. That's what makes it fun. Every day is a different day. My Spanish has gotten really good in the past month and a half, especially dealing with some pitchers. It has been a lot of fun and it's crazy meeting people from different countries and different parts of the country. Getting to share this experience with them is really awesome."

"For me personally, I like to be around the guys that speak Spanish as much as a can. I know I can fit in with the guys that speak English, it's the guys that don't speak English that I'm trying to break that language barrier with. The quicker I can do that and the quicker I can go out and say something to them if they're struggling during an inning or if they need a pat on the back ... I can say something and they'll understand me. It's basically just hanging around them and taking bits and pieces. There are a couple of guys that are really fluent. My pitching coach here in Burlington is fluent in both and I try to hang around him as much as I can. My manager actually caught in the Big Leagues for a couple of years and I hang around him also because he gets it and knows the little things to say. The more I can learn and the faster I learn, the better it is for the team."

"The key to continuing success from the end of the college season to now is just sticking with my approach that I had in college. I talk to Coach Bolt all the time, just checking base with him. The biggest thing is just keeping my approach because it works. I talked to my hitting coach here and he said he loves the approach and loves the mindset I have going into each at bat. Really, it's taking what the pitcher gives you. Here in minor league baseball it's a tad bit different, guys have a little better stuff and a little better command. Other than that there really isn't a big difference. Obviously at this level as we move up it will get a little more difficult. It's just maintaining my approach, trusting my swing and getting my swings in early. Just going out there and having fun. If you start thinking about it and it starts to become a job, that's no fun."

"My first professional homerun was actually against Idaho Falls and Jace Vines and Jason Freeman were in the other dugout. First, I have that running through my head that two of my really close friends are bugging me. I can hear them hollering from the other dugout. It's a 2-2 count and he throws me a fastball in, I take it. It goes 3-2 and I'm just like, 'Just get the head out.' We are using wood bats so if you get jammed you get shattered and you have to go buy a new bat. It was a 3-2 count and he threw me a fastball and I got the head out. Honestly I thought it was just a fly ball to left, I got out of the box hard and kind of peeked up and saw the outfielder kind of gave up on it. It was actually my first career grand slam at any level, high school, little league or college. That was my first grand slam ever and what a time to hit it. My host family in Orem got the ball for me. I have the ball from my first professional hit, it was awesome - what a feeling."

"It was awesome. Vinny (Andrew Vinson) and I went out to Arizona together to do our physicals and then we flew out to Grand Junction to meet up with the team. To have him by my side the entire first month made my life so much easier. When I had one of my really good friends there, knowing I can ask him a question on what time we had to be at the field with out getting scrutinized or getting yelled out by the older guys, it was a lot of fun. He's doing great down there and catching him was a lot of fun knowing I could throw down whatever I wanted and he would execute that pitch and make me look really good. It really helped me out. It was awesome and he's doing really well."

"The pay raise from rookie ball to low-A is maybe a hundred dollars a month. It's funny, I was actually talking to my parents about it. The money is totally okay because I'm putting on a baseball uniform and going to work. How many people can say they put on a baseball uniform and go get payed to do it? What a time, it's so much fun and I love it."

"I couldn't help but break a smile when I got moved up. I'm always smiling. My manager in Orem kind of called the whole team up and three of us got sent up at the same time. When he said my name I thought it was great. There is just a satisfaction in that somebody is watching what you're doing and it's not going unnoticed. It was awesome. I got on a flight the next morning at 5:55 out of Billings, Montana and flew to South Bend, Indiana and played a game the next night."

"We are actually in the middle of an 18-straight game span. We have about two and a half weeks of 18-straight games. We love it we have a game tonight and are leaving Wednesday morning to head over to Wisconsin to play the TimberRattlers and then come back to Burlington. It's not bad. It's fun and you don't even realize it. I look for a movie on my iPad and just kind of crash. You learn to sleep in some awkward positions and get as much shut eye as I can."

"I think about Texas A&M all the time. I know the guys here give me a hard time about it because I really do believe I bleed maroon. It's a place that you really can't explain until you're a part of it. Until you're involved. You realize how great the coaching staff is and what they do for you and the facilities you have, the locker room you have. Heading over to Kyle Field on Saturday's in the fall, it's something you can't explain. I love it. It's a place I'm going to come back to, I'll be working out in College Station when this season is over. It's a place that I want to call home. I love it there and the coaching staff knows it. I try to talk to them as much as I can and reach out to whoever needs the help over in Aggieland. I feel like I can do whatever I can to help the young guys. It's a love you can't really explain."

"I think I sat in the locker room for about two hours (after the season-ending loss to TCU). I couldn't believe it was over. What really hit me was the next day. I woke up to a text from the scout that drafted me asking if I was ready to sign. I was like, 'Man, I don't know.' Obviously we didn't finish the way we wanted to finish, but I wouldn't trade that season for anything. The guys that we played with, the senior group, the coaches, everybody involved. It's something that I'll take with me for the rest of my life. It was such a fun experience. I think Aggie baseball is just getting started. Obviously we laid the foundation for what the new guys are going to do. It's their job to take it and run with it. We kind of set the precedent and it's their job to go add on it. They are going to be really good, obviously really young but really good. The talent is there. The mindset is going to be there, the coaching staff will make sure the mindset is there. They're going to be really good, I believe that. You're going to have some guys you haven't heard of but they're going to come in and make an immediate impact on the program. It's going to be awesome and I can't wait to see how they do."