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Yankees shortstop Isaiah Kiner-Falefa takes a swing at some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby. 

Q: Have you met Derek Jeter? 

A: Not yet. But I have a lot of questions to ask when I do have the opportunity. 

Q: What are you going to ask him? 

A: Just how he dealt with everything, how he showed up to the field, how he dealt with the media. … You want to know how he won, what made him so great. And for me personally, I want to know his approach at the plate. His approach was always to go to right-center, but he was able to also drive the ball. 

Q: What is the biggest adversity you’ve had to overcome? 

A: I feel like I’m going through it now. The biggest adversity is playing shortstop for the Yankees. Being a lifelong Jeter fan and holding down that position, it could be tough. So I think the biggest adversity would definitely be playing shortstop here. But I also think catching was one of the biggest challenges I had, and overcoming that made being shortstop a lot easier. 

Q: Have you watched ESPN’s “The Captain”? 

A: I’m on the fifth episode right now. 

Q: What are your thoughts so far? 

A: I love it. I love it. I think for him to go out there and put it all out there … it helped me a lot personally of what things I go through this year and just seeing how he handled it and learning from his experience and hearing the emotional side of it as well. 

Q: What specifically did you take out of it that helped you? 

A: I think the biggest thing is how to handle the criticism and the expectations. Sometimes I was thinking that it was a little unfair, and then I went back and I saw that and I realized it’s not unfair, it’s just expectation. Sometimes it could feel unfair when you’re new and you’re not used to it, it could seem like a lot. But then you watch it and you see what he has to deal with, the expectations of winning here. And a lot of that expectation comes from what that Core Four was able to do. So just understanding the greatness of what they were able to accomplish, and understanding that is why we have the fan base we have is because of the greatness that came before us. 

Q: What are your favorite motivational or inspirational sayings? 

A: I have a lot. I’ve been working with the mental coaches here, and every day they throw something else at me. I can’t think of any right now, but definitely been studying a bunch of mental quotes and whatnot. 

Q: What got you started on that? 

A: Playing here. I think dealing with everything that goes on in New York, you definitely need to have a good mental space, so just going through adversity here, I want to get better. And if you can’t get better physically, then you can take your time to get better mentally. 

Q: From the start of the season you’ve had this mental coach? 

A: Yeah, Chad Bohling, he’s here full-time. He’s awesome, he works with the Cowboys, Dallas Stars. It’s awesome to work with somebody who’s been around Jeter, who’s been around A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez], who’s been around some of those guys from those winning days in 2009. Anytime you can get some comparison from those guys, it’s definitely a big help. 

Q: Is there one lesson you’ve taken from him? 

A: To be myself and to embrace everything. I think the biggest message is to embrace the city, embrace the fans, embrace the expectations and embrace winning. 

Q: Do you like the spotlight here, the big stage? 

A: I just feel like growing up, you always want to be in those big situations, and there’s no better place to be than in a packed Yankee Stadium — you don’t get the same energy anywhere else. So being in that big spotlight with everybody jumping up and down, you look out in right field and left field in the bleacher sections, and no one’s sitting down, everybody’s engaged into the game. So you have a big moment, you have a big hit here, it’s blown up. Those are the opportunities that you live for. 

Og bleacher creature!!!! pic.twitter.com/yRotRlju1w

Q: What is one trait or intangible that has enabled you to beat the odds? 

A: I just feel like my grit. I feel like I never quit, I just play hard, I play the right way, and I think my grittiness really allows me to block everything out and really focus on what I’m good at and what makes me who I am. 

Q: What’s your definition of grit? 

A: My definition of grit is just overcoming obstacles, dealing with things, not letting things bother you, and kind of just being the guy. I think having that type of attitude where nothing can bother you, and just having that confidence and expecting a lot of yourself. I think when you go out there and you hold that grit, it gives you that edge. It’s almost like that cockiness that you need to go out there just to help the team win. 

Q: If Aaron Boone needed a catcher, could you lend your services? 

A: Yeah, hundred percent. When I was a rookie, I didn’t catch in two months before they threw me back there. I definitely could do it. 

Q: Were you good at framing? 

A: Uh, no (laugh). I wasn’t the best defensive catcher, but I tried my best. But I think with the new age of catching and the one-knee stuff and just picking and not blocking, definitely think I’d be OK. 

Q: Did guys try to run on you? 

A: That was kind of what kept me in there. … I threw a lot of guys out. 

Q: What was that feeling like? 

A: It’s a great feeling, especially when you’re not expected to do it. Guys would test me thinking I didn’t know how to catch, but being a shortstop, my transfer was always quick, so I’d always get the runners. It was just the other things that I had trouble with. 

Q: What is a the criticism that you thought was most unfair or bothered you the most? 

A: I think it comes with playing here. I expect a lot of myself, first and foremost. When you expect a lot of yourself, it’s hard to get outside criticism, but I think what I like playing here the most if you make a mistake, you definitely feel it, but you always have a chance to redeem yourself, so when you get that opportunity, it makes you focus a lot more. I remember in Texas just wasting at-bats because the energy at the stadium wasn’t there. Here the energy is so awesome and so great that you’re forced to lock it in, because if you don’t lock it in, you know you’re gonna get booed, so just having that in the back of your mind really allows guys to hone it in and reach levels of focus that they didn’t think were possible. 

Q: What were your emotions the first time you visited Monument Park? 

A: Goosebumps. Being a lifelong Yankee fan and understanding the history that this franchise has, and the greatness of players and just everything that’s happened before me, it’s pretty surreal. And just going out there and understanding the legacy. It’s something that all players that have never worn the pinstripes want to continue and want to be part of something special like all the other players out there. 

Q: When did you go? 

A: When I played for Texas, every time we played here I used it as like my way to get hot. I’d always go out there and read the plaques and understand the greatness of every player and what made them special, and just understanding the greatness of this franchise. 

Q: Some famous Yankees names, whatever comes to mind: Yogi Berra? 

A: The 10 rings. I think he’s the all-time ring leader for the Yankees. … (chuckle) Anytime you can win that many rings, you deserve to be out there. 

A: One of the all-time greats, left-handed bat. 

Q: What would you have wanted to ask Babe Ruth? 

A: I would just want to have a conversation with him. I wouldn’t know what to ask because the game was so different that way, but I would want to know how the game was. What made the game special? … How the rivalry was back in the day? … How was it being traded from Boston to the Yankees, and if it held the magnitude as it would now? … To be at the level he was compared to everybody else, there was no one else that was close for a long time, for a really long time. I think of myself as an old-school player, taking guys out on the bases, doing things that people don’t want to do. The game’s changed so much that it’d be nice to hear from the old-school guys of how it was or what was the expectation, and how they went about their business. I feel like those guys probably smoked cigarettes in the clubhouse back in the day. There’s so much different things about the game from then and now that I’d definitely want to understand the differences just for my own baseball historian sake. 

A: Great switch-hitting guy, speed guy. Another one … any time you hear these names, you just think of a Hall of Famer, you know, legend, and it’s hard to compare them all because they’re so great. 

A: Greatest manager ever, so far. Hopefully get Booney up there one day (chuckle), but Joe Torre, what he’s meant for this organization, I think the calmness, the collectiveness that he was able to bring to the clubhouse for those guys … and all those rings he’s won. 

A: Reggie Jackson. It’s a bunch of big-hitting lefties. 

A: One of the greatest catchers of all time, and I think the cool thing about Thurman Munson was his arm slot. One thing that I feel like I did when I was a catcher was I had a lower arm slot, I wasn’t like those traditional catchers who got over the top. One of our pitching coaches when I was with Texas, he said, “Hey, go watch some Thurman Munson film. He threw just like how you do.” Ever since I heard that, I was a very big fan of him, like just learning the catching position. 

A: I don’t get compared to him, but when I hit my homer a couple of days ago, a couple of reporters were like, “Bucky Dent could do it, you can do it,” so that was pretty funny to hear that. 

A: The Boss. Just watching “The Captain” recently and understanding what he wanted the organization, the franchise, to be like, I think the coolest part about it it’s what he expected of all his players. You don’t really see that too often. He was very straightforward, and it seemed like a lot of the players fed off of it in a positive way. 

Q: A quote from you: “Can’t call yourself a hustler if you ain’t dirty.” 

A: Yeah, I mean, I try to get as dirty as possible. My nickname is “The Hawaiian Hustle,” I got that back in Texas. I really like it. But when that’s your nickname, you always have to play hard. It kind of keeps me accountable. 

Q: You once said, “I play cocky.” 

A: Just believing in myself. When you’re out there, you have to believe in yourself, and you have to have a little bit of an edge, and sometimes it comes off as cocky. But here it’s mostly just internal. 

Q: Describe your on-field mentality. 

A: All I try to do every day is just play as hard as I can, no matter if it’s good or bad, the only thing that I can control every day is my effort. 

Q: What drives you? 

A: I love baseball, that’s first and foremost. At this level now, once you kind of establish yourself, the goal is to win a ring, and when you put the pinstripes on, and that’s the expectation, it makes it a lot cooler, and it gives you a different type of passion. You want to win for the fans, you want to win for yourself, but you also want to be a part of something special, and I think wearing this jersey and winning kind of sums up all of those kind of things all together. 

Q: Describe the New York Yankees Way. 

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A: I love it. The New York Yankees, they expect a lot, and when they expect a lot, expectations are high. And that’s how I am personally and that’s how I’m driven on an everyday basis. So having that from your organization top to bottom is, like, who I am and what I enjoy. Coming from Texas and a hundred-loss team, it was almost OK to lose, and I love the fact that losing is not OK here. 

Q: You’ve referred to yourself as Prospect No. 0. 

A: It was a good opportunity for me to prove some people wrong, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed not having many expectations, I enjoyed people not believing in me, and it kind of just fueled my fire and it gave me an opportunity to get better. I feel like sometimes when you get too much things going for you at a young age, you can lose focus of what you’re there for. Not being a prospect really allowed me to focus on myself and understand that I wasn’t good enough. So it really allowed me to get better. 

Q: Why do you think you were Prospect No. 0? 

A: I wasn’t highly touted, I didn’t even get an offer from University of Hawaii, which is literally like two minutes from my high school. I didn’t have a lot of hype, I didn’t go to area codes, I didn’t go to any of the big prospect stuff. It wasn’t a bad thing, it’s just how everything kind of played out. 

Q: But you always believed that you would make it here? 

A: Yeah, hundred percent. There was never a doubt, I always knew that I just always have to get better. One of the big things for me is I’m never satisfied, I always want to work, I always want to get better and I’m always looking to improve. 

Q: If you could face any pitcher in MLB history to test your skills, who would it be? 

A: I’d definitely want to face Pedro Martinez. You watch all the highlights that he’s had against the Yankees, and the dominant performances … I felt like he’s one of those old-school pitchers that could definitely compete in the game right now. 

Q: If you could pick the brain of any infielder in MLB history? 

A: No. 1 is definitely Derek Jeter, favorite player. No. 2 would be Ozzie Smith. Ozzie Smith was one of the first guys who really got me into baseball. I used to ride a dirt bike and whatnot and see him do his flips out onto the field really opened my eyes to baseball. And then I fell in love with Derek Jeter after kind of understanding the game and what kind of goes on. 

Q: When you fell in love with him, what kind of things did you observe about Jeter? 

A: His leadership, his humbleness, the way he went about his business. But I felt like he was so good mentally, and he was so good with his internal confidence, that it felt like nothing could bother him. And just the greatness of the World Series and to be able to win all those and be the leader of those teams, it just shows what kind of person he is. 

Q: Give me an example of Aaron Judge’s leadership. 

A: Whenever you’re going through something, he’s always right there. Before the games and whatnot, he will go up to a bunch of guys and ask ’em what their plan is, like he’s making sure everybody’s locked in, he’s making sure that he sets an example. And I think the coolest thing about him, he’s a lot like Jeter from what I’ve seen. I think the humbleness, the confidence, but the quiet confidence. You go in that clubhouse and he does not feel like he’s a superstar when you walk into that clubhouse. You see him outside of the clubhouse, and you see the fans and the attention that he gets, you wouldn’t expect him to act the way he acts in the clubhouse. He’s our captain. He’s willing to reach out to guys that are struggling, he’s willing to be the biggest cheerleader when someone does something good, and he produces in the big situations, which is ultimately what you want in your captain. 

Q: Well, he’s not actually named Captain. 

A: We look at him as our captain, and everybody knows that it’s his team, and he’s our guy. 

A: He’s a dog. I’ve played against him the last couple of years when he was in Oakland, and he’s definitely one of the top guys in the league. He attacks the zone, he’s got a power sinker, and he’s definitely a guy you want on the mound. After his first outing in St. Louis, he gave up a couple of runs, he’s back in the dugout yelling, “Come on boys, pick me up, pick me up.” And to hear that from a pitcher in his first outing on a new team and being that vocal just shows a lot about his character. 

Q: Football was your first love. Who were your favorite players? 

A: I really liked Terrell Owens growing up (chuckle), ’cause growing up in Hawaii, you got the 49ers right there. I loved T.O. … Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson. I just liked a lot of the West Coast guys. 

Q: Three dinner guests? 

A: Babe Ruth, Derek Jeter, Thurman Munson. 

Q: Favorite singer/entertainer? 

A: Poke. That’s just Hawaiian fish, raw fish and rice. 

Q: Fill in the blank: I’m proud of myself because … 

A: I never gave up. I never give up and I play hard. 

Q: Tell Yankees fans why they shouldn’t be concerned about the recent hitting drought. 

A: It’s definitely concerning in a way, but the thing is, hitting goes up and down throughout a year, it just so happens that it’s everybody at the same time right now. When you play this many games, it’s hard to stay hot all year. It might be better to go through this now than the ending of September and going into October. At least this gives us a month to really hone in on what we need to work on and gives us time to figure out what we need to fix before hopefully we get into the postseason. 

Q: What’s it like being a New York Yankee on the road? 

A: It’s the best thing ever. Everywhere we go on the road for the most part, we’re the home team. Our fans show up and cheer us on, on the road, and we almost outnumber every fan base we play against on the road. It’s one of the coolest things when you’re getting on the bus and you have 100 people outside your hotel waiting to see the Yankees. 

Q: Is this a World Series team? 

A: Yes. I believe it is. … Just because we’ve had some hiccups doesn’t mean we’re not the same team. 

Q: Is being a Yankee what you expected? 

A: I didn’t expect the type of following that I would get. I knew the other guys around me definitely are stars and whatnot, but didn’t expect people to appreciate what I do. … I didn’t expect how crazy things could get here. It’s kind of everything I’ve ever dreamt of.