When the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a home run, Billy Cook is often at the center of the celebration. The outfielder/first baseman, who is valued for his versatility, is enjoying his role in rewarding teammates with a welder’s mask and hoisting an orange traffic cone to lead the cheers for game-changing plays. Cook spoke with TribLive Pirates beat writer Kevin Gorman about how he’s learned to love doing whatever it takes to stay in the major leagues:
What goes into the preparation to be ready at a moment’s notice for your roles as a pinch runner, late-inning defensive replacement, playing all three outfield spots and first base?
Just embracing that is the biggest piece. If you’re not starting, knowing that you’re going into the game. If you don’t, it’s more of a surprise that you’re not in than being surprised if you get put in. Basically, just keeping a routine going and doing the early work. I’ll do early work at first, then do outfield, go shag during BP, do my hitting stuff during the game and before the game just to make sure you’re ready. Keeping all of that structured has helped me a lot.
How much of your day is the early work, that you’re putting in as much time as someone who is starting?
You also have to take into account that you have to conserve your energy for the end of the game, right? But I’m going pretty hard. Me and Jake (Mangum), when we’re not starting we’re power-shagging BP, moving around and making sure we’re doing little practice things and staying sharp on them, like baserunning stuff. When you’ve done all that work, you can just go in the game and play. Once you go in the game, you’re as fresh as you can be after getting the warm-up in in the fifth or sixth inning. You’re there to finish the game.
Power shagging?
Just treat it like a game. Pick a swing and you’re going after that ball if it’s hit in your direction just like it’s a game, trying to get it in and working on situational stuff. You’re sprinting after it. Instead of trying to catch every single ball, you pick and choose. When you go after it, you go after it hard. Then you take a break and walk back and pick the next one.
How much notice do you get when you’re going to pinch-hit, pinch-run or be a defensive replacement?
They do a good job telling us. They give us the potential situations ahead of time. As you do it more, I’ve got the feel of when an opportunity would arise. So you figure that out as the game is going, getting the flow of it.
What do you have to do to get ready?
Just some stretching and stuff down below (the dugout). A little activation, high knees and the same kind of stuff you’d see me doing before the game in the grass.
How much of an adjustment was it to accept that role?
It was just an adjustment in getting ready. In the minor leagues, you’re not really pinch-hitting late or pinch-running much because you have a structure of playing this many days and then you get a day off. Here, it’s like you could play every day as a pinch runner six days in a row, so it’s about figuring out what I need to be able to do that. It just took a couple days to figure that out. You find something that works and stick with it.
Is being in the major leagues motivation enough?
Yeah, any role up here is great. You embrace the role and become the best at that role that you can be because you’re here for a reason.
You were optioned the day before the home opener to make roster room for Konnor Griffin. What was it like to transition back to the minors?
It’s just part of it. I was happy for Konnor. We got to know each other last spring training and this spring training. For him to get the opportunity, I was pumped for him. I go down and get some at-bats in and treat it the same. It’s baseball, at the end of the day. Obviously, I would rather be up here but if that’s what I had to do to get back to help the team, go get some at-bats to be ready for when I came back up here, that’s what I was going to do.
How unexpected was it that you were only at Triple-A Indianapolis for two days?
It was surprising and it was great but I felt bad because I knew it was for an injury (to Jared Triolo). You never want someone to get hurt. I was glad to be back but I’m hoping ‘Tri’ gets healthy and when he gets back, he’ll be ready to perform again because he was doing great. You just always stay ready, whether it’s up here or down there.
If there’s a fly ball hit to the warning track and up against the wall, Billy Cook is the guy you want in the outfield. What was that like for you?
It’s funny. (Bryan Reynolds) and I talked about it the other day because I went to left in that game (against the Washington Nationals on April 16) and the ball went to right that he caught to finish the game. I was like, ‘Dude, I think it’s right field. I don’t think it’s me. Whoever’s in right gets that warning track ball to finish the game.’
You’ve been a good vibes guy for this team. How did you become so connected with the Hoist the Cone celebration?
It began with the Fanatics shirt. No one knew what it was. I still don’t really know. Guys would joke around about it. One day, Jake, when we were in Cincy, got a cone for us. We made it our own thing. It’s been fun. It’s part of my role, and I’ve embraced that, too. You’ve got to bring energy. If I’m staying ready to play, part of staying ready is to keep the energy up when I’m in the dugout and part of that is with the cone.
What’s it like for you to become a central figure in those celebrations and to see how it’s taken off with the fan base?
It’s been fun but it’s not mine. It’s the whole team. You can give credit to the guys hitting the homers, the RBIs and scoring the runs. We don’t do it for pitching performances or we’d be using it all the time. It’s really just a team thing. Everyone has embraced it. I love how the city has embraced it.