Mitch Haniger: I can remember back to when I was five or six playing Tee-Ball at Homestead Little League. I have a very big baseball family. My brother was a catcher at Georgia Tech for four years. My cousin, Nik Balog, is in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system. Alex Balog, Nik’s younger brother, is a starting pitcher for the University of San Francisco.

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BL: Growing up, who was your favorite MLB Team and MLB Player? What was the first MLB game you went to watch?

MH: My favorite team growing up was definitely the Giants. I am from the Bay Area and grew up watching them play. My first MLB game was at Candlestick Park, but I cannot recall the year. I never had a standout favorite player but I really enjoyed watching Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Ivan Rodriguez play during my childhood.

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BL: When did you decide that you wanted to become a pro baseball player? Was there a defining moment?

MH: I have always wanted to play baseball professionally and there was no defining moment. I knew I had a good chance of moving towards my dream early on in high school.

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BL: You were a standout player at San Jose Archbishop Mitty High School and you were ranked 73rd Best Senior in the country by Max Preps in 2009. You were subsequently drafted by the New York Mets in the 31st round but declined in order to play at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. How did it feel to be drafted straight from high school? Looking back at your decision to decline in order to play college baseball, would you still make the same decision again?

MH: Getting drafted out of high school was a great feeling but I knew I would end up attending Cal Poly as the draft fell into the later rounds. Yes, I would definitely make the same decision again and am very happy with how it has unfolded.

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BL: During your sophomore and junior season at Cal Poly, you were one of the most productive and all around talented players in college baseball. You were the 2012 Big West Conference Player of the Year at Cal Poly and led the conference in homers (13), RBI (64), and slugging percentage (.626).You were the 38th overall pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. You became the second highest draft pick in the history of your school. Tell us about the day you found out you were drafted, how you got the news, and did you have any idea the Milwaukee Brewers would be selecting you?

MH: On draft day I had a small group of people over at the house I was living at in San Luis Obispo. I knew the Brewers were very interested heading into the draft but did not know they were going to draft me. I did not receive a call before they picked and it was extremely exciting when I heard my name get called.

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BL: You made your pro debut with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on June 22nd skipping the rookie league and going straight to Class A ball. What was the biggest adjustment in moving from college baseball to pro baseball? How was the transition to the Minor League?

MH: The biggest transition is the amount of games you play in pro ball versus college ball. In college you might play four games a week and in pro ball you are playing every day. Learning how to mentally prepare yourself every day and take care of your body is crucial in pro ball. The Northwoods Summer League gave me a very good idea of how a pro season is and I think it prepared me very well.

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BL: Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

MH: My family has definitely been the greatest influence on my life and my baseball career. They have been extremely supportive and have drove countless hours the past few years to watch my games.

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BL: Do you have a particular life quote, verse or saying that you live by?

MH: This is one of the many quotes I try to live by, “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” Proverbs 10:4. I pride myself on my work ethic and try to be the hardest worker on every team I play for. I believe that you will be rewarded for the hard work on or off the field.

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BL: Do you have any pregame rituals?

MH: I do not have any crazy pre game rituals or superstitious things I do. I just try to stick with the same routine with the amount of swings I take before the game, stretching, and also taking some time to relax.

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BL: What is your favorite baseball movie of all time?

MH: I would probably have to go with Major League. Wesley Snipes and Charlie Sheen are hilarious in the movie. For The Love of the Game is another great baseball movie as well.

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BL: What genre of music do you like and who is your favorite artist? What is your walk-up song?

MH: I like many genres of music. I have mostly Hip-Hop, Reggae, Country, and a little Techno on my Ipod. For my college season I had the instrumental to Breathe by Fabolous right when the bass kicks in. For the Timer Rattlers I had the clean version of Ray-Ban Vision by A-Trak and Cyhi da Prynce.

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BL: Describe what your day is like in the Minor Leagues. I know you are in Rehab now, but tell us about being in Wisconsin playing everyday versus Arizona and Rehab.

The two are very different but I would rather be playing in Wisconsin! Arizona is obviously extremely hot and basically I have been trying to get back in games soon. In Wisconsin, I would usually sleep in till around 10:30 or 11:00 and then grab some lunch on the way to the ballpark around 1:00. Hit, get stretched, and relax a little bit before we get on the field for batting practice. Then game time was at 7:00. Get the win and then do it all over the next day.

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BL: Are you an Xbox or PS3 type of guy? What’s your favorite game or do you play video games?

MH: I have been playing a ton of video games in Arizona. I do not typically play often but its been addicting lately. I have been playing Xbox with my roommates. Mostly some gun game on Call of Duty and some UFC 3 as well.

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BL: I saw a photo of a shooting range in Arizona on your twitter. Have you been practicing your skeet shooting?

MH: I went skeet shooting early in August. That was actually my first time I have even done it. I found out one of my teammates in Arizona goes shooting often and begged him to take me out the next time he went. I definitely have some room to improve!

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BL: Describe yourself in one word and tell us why you chose that word.

MH: Persistent. I am very motivated to accomplish my goals in baseball on and off the field as well. I stand strong by my thoughts and beliefs and try not to let anything get in the way of them.

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BL: What do you miss most about California?

MH: Other than my family and friends, I would definitely say the weather. Summertime in California doesn’t usually consist of random thunderstorms and dust storms!

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BL: If you could be a SuperHero, who would you choose and why?

MH: Superman. Being able to fly would be the best superpower.

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BL: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

MH: I see myself starting in the outfield for the Brewers.

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BL: How do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be?

MH: I want to be remembered as a great teammate who works really hard. Someone who puts the team first and does whatever it takes to win. As far as legacy goes, I think that will be later down the road and I am currently just focusing on making my way up the minor leagues to get myself on a big league roster.