Q&A with Heston Kjerstad

With the second overall selection in the 2020 MLB First-Year Player Draft, the Orioles selected outfielder Heston Kjerstad from the University of Arkansas. A left-handed hitter with tremendous power, Kjerstad had gotten off to a torrid start in his junior campaign before the season was shortened due to COVID-19. Birdland Insider connected with the 21-year-old slugger to learn more about one of Birdland’s newest members.

What was your reaction when you got the call from Mike Elias letting you know that the Orioles were going to make you the No. 2 overall selection in the draft?

It was honestly surreal to have the opportunity to be drafted with the second overall pick. There were multiple emotions I was feeling: excitement, joy, and everything of that nature. It was definitely a surreal moment.

What are you most looking forward to in joining the Orioles organization?

Honestly, right now I’m looking forward to being able to play baseball again since our season got cut short, and also being a part of a great organization. As I’ve gotten to know Mike Elias and everyone in the organization a little bit better, it’s a great group of people and there’s a lot of great prospects coming up. I think it’s something that’s going to be really fun to be a part of for years to come.

What sets you apart as a player?

Just being a left-handed hitter [who] hits for power to all parts of the field. Another thing is just the mental side of the game. I feel like I’ve been really good at developing that and growing that part of the game, and I feel like that’s the main difference for baseball players – being able to handle a lot of failure and that all comes down to your mind.

What is your favorite baseball memory from your career at Arkansas?

I would just say the two dogpiles to go to Omaha. Those were both really fun. Winning the Super Regional and being able to accomplish something as a team, and being able to celebrate it with your teammates, too.

You were teammates with Orioles prospect Blaine Knight at Arkansas. How excited are you to be reunited with him and to hopefully one day take the field at Camden Yards together as Major Leaguers?

Oh, it’d be sweet! Blaine and I, we were good friends at Arkansas, and we’ve actually been keeping in touch more now. Being able to play in Baltimore together would be a blast.

What do you think it means to be a good teammate?

Baseball is definitely a great team sport and you’re around each other probably more than half the year if you include Spring Training and everything like that, that’s six to eight months out of the year. You have to be able to understand each one of your teammates and how to talk with them or get along with them. There’s definitely going to be times when someone is having a bad day and you have to help them through it. You just become super close. The clubhouse is a big part [of that], and the way the team plays too. If everyone comes together really well and has great chemistry, I always feel like the team always performs way better.

Can you tell us a little bit about your family and how important they are to you?

I wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it wasn’t for my family and everything my parents did for me – getting me to all the trips and and travel summer ball games and all of that. And my dad was always throwing BP and training with me. And then also being able to help me get through college, because college baseball scholarships aren’t full rides or anything like that, so I wouldn’t have been able to go to the school I went to if it wasn’t for them. My siblings have played a huge part in my life and they’ll always be there to support me no matter what happens.

Who was your biggest role model growing up?

My parents, just because they had their small family business and they worked super hard. They taught me how to work and what happens if you do work hard. You’re going to get rewarded if you do things the right way. It takes a lot of hard work to reap the benefits of something, but over time you just have to keep doing your thing day after day, whether it’s 20 or 30 years, you’ll end up reaching your goals. You’ll look back and enjoy every moment of all that hard work.

Is there a Major League player (past or present) who you have modeled your game after?

Not really, because I don’t want to try to copy someone and be a second-rate [version of] them. It’s been my whole thing throughout my career to just be myself when I’m out there on the field. When I go and hit, I just try to figure out what works for me. I may analyze other hitters, but I don’t want to swing it like them because they have a different body makeup, or different strengths and weaknesses. I just try to keep being myself and whatever that ends up being, I think it’ll be something pretty good.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your dog, Oreo?

My parents actually got her a year ago. She turned one on June 4, right before the draft. She’s a great dog. It was cool, while I was home for quarantine, I got to hang out with her a lot. She’s a Sheepadoodle, part sheep dog and part Poodle. She’s a great dog. I always FaceTime my parents, mainly to see the dog, and to also talk with them a little bit.