1. If I could meet anyone in history it would be… Mickey Mantle. He’s one of the greatest players ever, and I liked the way he went about his business. He showed up to the field everyday knowing what needed to be done.
2. The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten was… From my dad. He told me that family always comes first no matter what. As long as you stick to that then not much else seems to matter.
3. My favorite baseball player of all time is… Tony Gwynn.
4. My favorite memory on the baseball field is… Probably, just because it was so early on in my life, when we won our high school state championship. We ended up winning the game 19-1 and run ruled them in a game that lasted only about an hour and 15 minutes.
5. I chose the walkup song I have now because… Honestly just because I like the beat of it. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments from guys on other teams about it so I figured I would just keep it.
6. My favorite part about being a dad is… Well, that’s really hard to pinpoint. Probably looking forward to teaching him how to hit. And teaching him things that he can know when he’s five that I didn’t learn until I was 20.
7. I came back to Kansas City… For my son. 100%, that’s it. I have to be here with him and my family because family is always first.
8. The most entertaining person in the clubhouse is… Adam Bailey. Not even a question, he is such a clown and I love it.
9. If I could change one thing about my baseball career it would be… Well I’ve always thought about this, but I would consider changing when I went into pro ball. I originally signed with LSU, so considering the circumstances I may be somewhere else in my career, but I honestly don’t really have any regrets.


This “Prime 9” with Jake Blackwood was compiled by Taylor Worthington of tbonesbaseball.com. Incidentally, “Jake Blackwood Bobblehead Night” is Tuesday, July 21. Tickets for the game are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618.