ALL-STAR FUTURES GAME

July 13, 2024

Cam Collier

Roman Anthony

Globe Life Field

Futures Game Press Conference

Q. Your participation in that took a bit of a turn. After -- what were your thoughts through two rounds about this thing, and how did you experience that third round unfolding?

ROMAN ANTHONY: I'm going to have to apologize to Eppy in Portland because we did way too much bunting for that. Going into the last round, I had nothing to lose. I said screw it, went down and took some swings and said I'm going to go up there and get my swing off. It went pretty well.

Q. How much fun was it to kind of, like, have that momentum building in that way and see whether it was, you know, other players feeding off of it?

ROMAN ANTHONY: It was great. I fed off of it myself. We could hear it in the stadium. As I hit a couple there, it started to get louder and kind of just pumped me up, so it was really fun.

Q. You said that your parents opted out because they'd seen you take BP before. Do you think that they missed out?

ROMAN ANTHONY: They'll see it tomorrow. They'll be all right. They flew out yesterday. They'll probably be a little disappointed, but I'm sure they're getting some texts right now, and I'm sure I'll get a call saying, I'm sorry we missed it. But it's all right.

Q. What was the most challenging?

ROMAN ANTHONY: I guess bunting. For how much I bunted leading up to this with our manager back in Portland, you know, some of these guys can attest for it. I was just trying to touch it and it was going way too far. I guess the bunting part. After that, I mean, I had six points so I was in the mindset of you know what? Here we go. Whatever happens, happens.

Q. So your report says you made a name for yourself at Coors for 450. Your furthest today was 471. Did you realize how far you were hitting it and to do it at a Major League ballpark?

ROMAN ANTHONY: I didn't know how far I was hitting it. I was trying to hit it over the fence, no matter how far it went. It was great to hear. I would hope I would have more than I did in 2021. It was good to hear that.

Q. Cam, what was it like to be out there getting an MVP award from Ken Griffey, Jr., and what was the best part of the whole experience as far as being able to play in this game?

CAM COLLIER: It was definitely surreal. Ken Griffey is a player I always looked up to and wanted to meet. Somebody you watch on TV and be like, yeah, that guy, that's the guy you want to grow up and be.

Being able to get that award from him was special and being able to come to this event, do what I did, I'm definitely grateful and thankful for it.

Q. Cam, when you look at yourself and Drew and past players like Prince, how much does it help you think in your early years to have had a dad who played Major League ball?

CAM COLLIER: It's definitely like a cheat code. He's someone I can always ask about any scenario I'm going through professionally because he's done it at the highest level. Being able to have him in my corner and have the relationship that he has, have them be my relationships, definitely something great to have in my back pocket.

Q. Does your dad tell you how much harder it is to hit these days than when he was playing?

CAM COLLIER: Honestly, he says, Give me a bat right now; I'll go hit .330. I've never heard that from him.

Q. Roman, the wave of emotions, you go from looking up at 6, and you're probably thinking let's end this, get this over with, to what it became, which is kind of crazy.

ROMAN ANTHONY: First of all, congrats, Cam. That was sweet.

But that first round, I was like 0 for 4 on bunting and the lights started to get pretty bright out there. Then I saw the 6 after the second round, and I was, like, oh, man, it's staring right at me.

Like I said, I kind of went and took a deep breath and said you know what? I'm in last right now, so let's just try to climb up a little bit. And it ended up working out well.

Q. Cam, congratulations on your MVP award.

CAM COLLIER: Thank you.

Q. Who from your family was here today, and have you had a chance to talk to them since winning?

CAM COLLIER: Actually, like my mom, dad, two sisters are all here. It was definitely something cool to do in front of them and be able to look in the stands as I ran the bases, was something I'll never forget.

Q. You actually got to see them while you were rounding the bases?

CAM COLLIER: Yeah, I looked up and saw them in the second deck. They were going crazy. It was cool.

Q. To both of you, who were you most impressed by, teammates or opponents, today?

ROMAN ANTHONY: Him. That was a great swing he took. I was just sitting there, was actually just coming back up the stairs as he hit it, and, I mean, it was a great swing.

So, I mean, I've seen him for a while now. He's always been a little bit younger. But you would never know the way he plays, the way he carries himself. He's a great player, fun to watch. So I would say this guy.

CAM COLLIER: I'll piggyback. I'll say him too. Home runs are hard to do so him doing that is definitely special, for sure.

Q. This year, they tried to incorporate more Minor League baseball. You guys have your hats on, there's the dog running around. What was it like to get that piece of your Minor League community here?

CAM COLLIER: I think it was pretty cool, being able to rock my Dayton Dragons hat, and it's like a piece of my teammates coming with me. Keeping that feeling, just keeping it minor league. I kind of like it. It's something different for sure.

ROMAN ANTHONY: I think building off that, our staff, wherever we are, at whatever affiliate we're at, they don't get a whole lot of credit sometimes, especially as we move up. People don't realize how much work goes in he especially where I'm at in Portland.

Just leading up to this, our manager taking time out of his day to set up BP so we can kind of practice for this, and things like that don't go unnoticed. It's great to be able to rep the minor league teams sometimes.

Q. Cam, I know you and your draft class, especially Termarr Johnson, have been so close. You guys looked like you're having fun together. Obviously, hitting a home run helps. How much fun were you having just playing this game you love?

CAM COLLIER: Being able to get out there and play is like playing with my best friends. Definitely something that's so much fun. Like Roman said, we've been playing together since, like, '16, '17, travel ball and events when we were younger. Being able to play with your friends is definitely different. For example, Termarr, I've played with Termarr since I was 14 years old. Being able to grow and play in this game is so much fun.

Q. Roman, do you see Kyle and Marcelo freaking out? Obviously, you guys are tight. Could you feel that?

ROMAN ANTHONY: Yeah. They were pumping me up the whole time. So credit to those guys. Those guys are some of my best friends. Obviously, I spend every single day with those guys. So it's a great group we've got, and I love those guys to death.

So it's always fun when you get to come here and be with these guys. It's even more fun when you get to come with friends that you've created such a bond with over such a long period of time. So it's awesome.

Q. Cam, solo home run in the third inning. Long time until the game was over. Were you surprised when you found out you won MVP?

CAM COLLIER: Honestly, I'm not going say I was surprised, because I kind of got the vibe that I might because it was the first run. But, yeah, it was definitely a shocker coming out of there, shaking hands, being able to be MVP. Yeah, so I would say 50/50.

THE MODERATOR: Roman, Cam, thanks for coming in.