So I’m doing that while trying to maintain speed. I tried to put on a more weight this off-season and get up around 190, whereas in the earlier days my playing weight was about 15 pounds lighter. I’m primarily looked at as a fast guy, but I have a little bit of pop too so I focus on strength as well. As a speedy player, do you focus more on your legs and lower body? Well, that’s my bread and butter. I made myself Barry Bonds! I had my power all the way up to 99, my speed to 99, my arm to 99-I was the best player in the game. I hope you didn’t make yourself into a slugger. I was like this is outrageous! So I started creating myself. They’ve got other guys running 99 and I’m running 80 something. They should go off of clocking you down to first base. One of the reasons is that they have me too dang slow in those games! They go by how many stolen bases you have and that’s not necessarily how fast you are. Really? Do you play baseball video games? Nowadays I don’t.
I was a big gamer when I was younger and still am now. Even playing video games helps with your hand-eye coordination and your thought process. I think everything you do as a kid helps you, whether it’s playing Pickle in the front yard or doing something more extreme like boxing. But this year I was able to run the beach and work out at Athletes’ Performance, an institute that specializes in fast twitch muscles and muscle contusion. I couldn’t do that last year because I had some shoulder surgeries and bouncing around affected me. How has that helped you? I was able to get in good workouts like running the beach. The whole shebang! I’ve been plagued by injuries since 2006, but this is the first time in a while where I’ve been healthy coming into the season. That’s the type of player I am-I have a little bit of speed and a little bit of pop. Was there a certain part of your game you wanted to improve during the off-season? I focused on my total game for the most part.
We caught up with Coco to talk about how he prepared for 2011, the joys of In-N-Out Burger and taking BP with Charlie Sheen. As he entered the off-season, speedster Coco Crisp received some surprising instructions from Billy Beane and the rest of the Oakland A’s brass: gain weight! It might sound counter-intuitive for a leadoff man coming off a career high in stolen bases (32 in just 75 games), but it’s all part of a master plan meant to keep Crisp on the field and the catalyst for a resurgent A’s team with eyes on an AL West crown.