Former MLB All-Star John Kruk on his greatest achievement, Mets' chances & more

Baseball has always been America’s national pastime, and the 2019 Major League Baseball season promises to be nothing short of great as spring training is now underway. Will the Boston Red Sox reign again with another World Series victory? Will the Los Angeles Dodgers finally earn a title after 30-plus years of not winning one?

Former MLB All-Star and current sports analyst John Kruk spoke to me about this and plenty more within the video interview embedded below; highlights from the Q&A have been transcribed for your reading pleasure. Kruk is currently working with DICK’S Sporting Goods, a popular U.S.-based retailer which allows athletes to not only test bats, but also receive swing analysis and feedback to improve their game.

On his proudest career accomplishment:

"I think the biggest career accomplishment for me was, even though we lost the World Series, getting to play in a World Series was the best career accomplishment. I grew up in a tiny town, so I guess one of the accomplishments was getting drafted to play professionally. I thought that was a pretty neat accomplishment since I was the only one in my town that's ever been drafted in a pro sport...

Even though we lost, like I said, it was just a unbelievable experience. You know you reached the pinnacle year that year. There's only two teams left playing and all baseball fans, their eyes are on you... Even though we lost I still wouldn't trade it for the world."

On if he plays softball:

"I do not play softball. The only thing I can do right now is golf and that's because the course I belong to, I can drive right up to my ball... I try to play a sport where I don't have to walk a whole lot or move a whole lot. And I found out that golf was that sport.

I have people ask me if I still go into cages and hit. I have no desire to ever hit a baseball again as long as I live. I've done enough of it long enough that my fingers are arthritic. It's hard enough just to golf. I couldn't imagine trying to swing a baseball bat with the vibrations that come with it and take a chance that I'm not going to like golf for a while. That would really upset me."