MLB Fan Cave

Pirates Joel Hanrahan and Kevin Correia answer questions on Facebook and Twitter during a recent visit to the MLB Fan Cave.

Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers Kevin Correia and Joel Hanrahan, each enjoying excellent seasons on the mound, visited the MLB Fan Cave this morning. In addition to answering fan questions directly on Facebook and Twitter, Kevin and Joel were also nice enough to sit down for an interview with us.

MLB Fan Cave: Welcome to the MLB Fan Cave, Joel and Kevin. Thanks for spending some time with us.

MLB Fan Cave: Joel, congrats on your success so far this spring. What adjustments have you made on the mound that has led to your great start this season?

Joel: Throwing strikes and being more aggressive in throwing strikes has been the key. Not trying to strike out as many guys on the first pitch and focusing on the control element of pitching has really helped.

MLB Fan Cave: Joel, you’re one of the most active Pirates players on Twitter . Tell us about your tweeting experiences.

Joel: It’s really fun to interact with the fans, which is my favorite part about Twitter. They are very resourceful. I’ll often throw out questions and they will answer them for me real quick. For instance, I’ll ask questions like, “What’s a good movie to rent?” or something like that, and they’ll get back to me with a good answer right away. I even asked for advice on which driver I should choose, Ping or Titleist. I ended up getting a nice new Titleist driver thanks to Twitter.

MLB Fan Cave: Big golfer? What’s your handicap?

Joel: Handicap? My driving. I’m probably best at the par threes.

MLB Fan Cave: Kevin, speaking of hobbies off the field, you're known for being a big surfer. How often do you surf now?

Kevin: I was sponsored by a local surf shop when I was younger and used to do it every day. The waves haven’t been that good in Pittsburgh lately, that’s for sure, but I try to get out as often as I can when I am home in San Diego.

MLB Fan Cave: Could you have gone pro in surfing?

Kevin: I was pretty good, but I’m definitely a baseball player first.

MLB Fan Cave: So, it’s travel week at the MLB Fan Cave. What’s your favorite place to go on vacation?

Kevin: Been to Hawaii a few times. I’m really into the beach and obviously surfing. Any time I can get outside, and near some water, to go on vacation is a great thing. I really enjoy getting together with buddies and playing golf. We have to travel so much during the season that even just sitting in my apartment in San Diego can feel like vacation sometimes.

Joel: I don’t really go on vacations.

MLB Fan Cave: Guys, what songs are in your iPod playlist right now?

Joel: I have a country/alternative mix going on right now, with Slipknot, Styx, Avenged Sevenfold, Foreigner, Zac Brown band, Jason Aldean, and Easton Corbin.

I just saw the ZBB down in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium. It was a great show.

Kevin: For me, I currently have Foster the People, Broken Bells, Middle Class Rat, Young the Giant, and Ritual in my playlist.

I just like listening to random music or alternative. If I hear it, I will listen and give it a shot. I listen to Pandora or XM all time, just trying to find new music when I can. I like country and stuff, too, which is popular in the clubhouse

MLB Fan Cave: We hear that your teammate Charlie Morton is a pretty talented musician in his own right. Does he play his guitar and sing in the clubhouse a lot?

Joel: Charlie is pretty talented as a musician. He plays a little bit and he can sing a little bit. He’s always singing something, but not usually playing the guitar as much in the clubhouse.

MLB Fan Cave: Do you guys have any musical talents?

Joel: Zero musical talents. I can put the iPod on the thing, and then can play it. That’s the extent of my music talent. Andrew McCutchen, though, is one of the best dancers I’ve ever seen and has some music skills. He can free style and is definitely the coolest McCutchen on the team.

MLB Fan Cave: Joel, do you guys frequently visit any baseball blogs or sites?

Joel: I read MLB Trade Rumors every day. It provides updates for all the transactions in one quick place. I go on there on my phone all the time, because you find out about any deals and transactions. I’m definitely an active reader of that site, but other than that, I don’t really read too many other baseball websites.

MLB Fan Cave: How do you like playing for first-year manager Clint Hurdle?

Joel: I really enjoy playing for Clint. He holds us all accountable and has a lot of energy. Not only that, he treats guys one through 25 on the roster exactly the same. That’s a great quality to have in a leader.

MLB Fan Cave: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Kevin: Growing up in San Diego, I was a big Padres fan and would root for Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman. I also really liked Ken Caminiti. I just really liked my hometown Padres.

Joel: I grew up in Iowa but ended up moving to Florida and became a fan of the Braves and White Sox. My favorite players were Carlton Fisk and Frank Thomas. I also really liked Nolan Ryan.

MLB Fan Cave: Why the White Sox, being in Florida?

Joel: I don’t know. I liked their hat. The Sox one.

MLB Fan Cave: Thanks for your time, guys. Keep up the great pitching the rest of the way.