It's not going to take Pittsburgh Pirates fans long to fall in love with Jake Mangum.
They got the speedy outfielder as part of the trade with the Tampa Bay Rays that also brought Brandon Lowe to town.
Mangum is less-heralded than Lowe, but he's one of the best interviews in baseball.
He had his press conference with local media on Wednesday, and his first answer was lengthy and entertaining.
"Well, for starters, I think my favorite thing about Pittsburgh before I get there is that every professional team has the same colors," Mangum began. "I think that is the freaking coolest thing ever. So the whole city can just wear black and yellow and just fit in at every single game. I think that's the best thing. I think every major city should do that. That's something that immediately I was like, 'That's the coolest thing ever.'"
He had more to say, without there even being another question.
"I try not to be too active on social media, because it can be a bit of a bad thing if you get too into it, but the day I got traded, I just wanted to say a quick thank you to Tampa, because at the end of the day, I will always have a Tampa Bay jersey with a debut patch on it hanging in my house somewhere," Mangum continued. "Whenever I get a house. I'm still living with my parents. But when that day comes, it'll always be somewhere in the house. Next, I just wanted to say how excited I am to be with Pittsburgh."
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Mangum had even more to say as his first ever interview answer with the Pirates.
"This is what I do for a living," Mangum continued, still after the first question. "I love the game of baseball. I don't know what else I would do if I didn't play baseball. I would be in the game of baseball to some capacity. And my initial reaction was like, 'Man, these fans really responded to this and wanted to make sure that I was welcomed, and kind of gave me tips around some things.' I can't say y'all anymore. I have to say yinz. So there's a dialogue I need to work on. There's a sandwich with French fries on it. And they all want a winner. They all want a team that makes the city proud. I can't promise I'm going to go in and hit.350 with a.900 OPS, but what I can promise is I'm going to do everything I possibly can to be the best version of myself and help the team win baseball games. From what I can see, the fans are really, really wanting that, and a big thank you to the Pirates for believing in me to help that cause."
What a guy.
Pirates fans are going to root loud and clear for Mangum.
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