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5 Tweets with Reggie Keen

Allow me to introduce you to Reggie Keen. Reggie grew up in Danville, Virginia, where he attended and played baseball for George Washington-Danville. He stands 5-foot-10 and tips the scale at 180 pounds. Reggie was a two-time, first team All-Western Valley District selection, as well as a first team All-Northwest Region and honorable mention All-Group AAA as a senior.

Reggie stayed close to home and enrolled in Radford University in Radford, Virginia. In 2008 he set a single-season team record by collecting 84 hits. He also earned himself 2008 Big South All-Tournament honors that year. Mr. Keen put together numerous double-digit hit streaks in his college career.

The week of the 2010 draft two teams contacted Reggie (neither of whom were the Brewers) and told him to be ready on draft day. Draft day came and went and Reggie never got a call. He spent the week following the draft wondering if he would ever play competitive baseball again … and then the Milwaukee Brewers came calling.

Milwaukee signed Reggie Keen as an undrafted free agent and he reported to the rookie-level team in Helena, Montana. Reggie spent all of 2011 right here in Wisconsin playing for the Timber Rattlers in Appleton where he stole 41 bases.

As seems to be the mojo, Reggie recently tweeted that he was bored, so I replied with who I am and if he’d be interested in a quick "twitterview." He gladly agreed and this is what we came up with. Enjoy…

Me: Do you spend the offseason in VA? Or did you stick around Appleton?

RK: Yea I stay in my hometown of Danville, VA where I train and work for the most part.

Me: I read about a couple of off-season jobs you hold. Are you substitute teaching?

RK: Yea I’m still substitute teaching K-12, but no longer have the Toys R Us position. That was more seasonal during the holidays.

Me: So what is your subject specialty to teach? If not for baseball, would you be a teacher now?

RK: I teach all subjects, wherever they need me to fill. I just take over and use lesson plans to teach. And no way! Got my degree in sports marketing so I’d probably be doing something in my field but I’m pretty open-minded, so who knows what industry I’d be involved in.

Me: Are the kids in awe a bit when they learn their substitute is a pro ball player? I would be :)

RK: Yea some find out from former teachers that I’ve had that know I play ball but for the most part, I keep quiet because once they find out, they never seem to want to learn the lesson anymore and just ask me question after question.

Me: Ha. How long after the draft finished did it take for MKE to contact you about signing?

RK: It was about a week after the draft when they contacted me but felt like a year since I felt like I’d never play ball again due to me not being drafted.

Me: That had to be an empty feeling, followed by a huge weight off your shoulders. Were there any other teams you had a chance to sign with?

RK: Well two other teams had contacted me and told me to be waiting on the call come draft day, but never received one! I hadn't talked with MKE at all until the day I signed.

Me: Amazing how life works huh? Other than the glorious cheese, what was the best part about being in Wisco for the season?

RK: I enjoyed learning new cultures and meeting new ppl and seeing unfamiliar areas. Baseball-wise, achieving a few goals I set previous to the year starting.

Me: The cheese was good too huh? :) So do you know the plans for where you will start next season?

RK: Lol yea the curds were new to me, never heard of them til I got up there! I haven't heard anything of where I will start this upcoming season but I feel if I have a good spring and stay healthy I’ll potentially start in Brevard County. That’s my goal anyways!

Me: Growing up in Wisco, I can't see a life without cheese curds :) So tell me, other than speed, what's it take to swipe 40+ bases??

RK: Haha instinct! When I steal bases, I try to wait for the off-speed count and try to get the best jump possible! The first 2 or 3 steps are the most important I feel because with a great jump, you put so much pressure on the catcher to make a good throw. More times than not, he will make a tough throw for the infielders to handle giving the runner an advantage of being safe.

Me: Did you have a favorite team growing up? Or a favorite player you wanted to be like?

RK: Atlanta Braves and Andruw Jones!

Me: Awesome. One last question: in a mano y mano fight, who comes out on top, Virginia or West Virginia ? :)

RK: Hahah oh VA hands down! WV hasnt seen country-bred athletes until it matches up with VA ha! Too strong, too quick. WV don’t have a chance. Ha!

Me: That's what I'm talkin' about! Hey Reggie, I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to chat w/ me. I hope for the best for the upcoming season and your career. Brewer Nation looks forward to seeing you swipe 40 at that level :) Be kewl man. Peace!

RK: Haha no problem! And thanks! Take care.

Be sure to follow Reggie on Twitter to follow his progress to the big leagues. You can get me on Twitter here!!

Tim Thompson is a carsalesman, farmer, and huge fan of the Milwaukee Brewers. He lives in Milton area with his wife and two kids. Tim is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.