Get To Know Q&A: Milwaukee has been a great fit for Mike Moustakas

The Journal Sentinel’s Todd Rosiak caught up with Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Mike Moustakas to discuss his penchant for basketball jerseys, his new teammates and whether he could see himself returning to the Brewers next season. Moustakas, who turns 30 on Sept. 11, is hitting .283 with two home runs and nine runs batted in over 15 games with Milwaukee and .253 with 22 homers and 71 RBI in 113 games between Milwaukee and Kansas City. He's currently playing on a one-year, $5.5 million contract that will pay him an additional $2.2 million in performance bonuses and includes a $15 million mutual option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout.

Q. One of the things that stands out about you in the clubhouse is you're usually wearing some sort of NBA jersey. How did that come about?

A. It actually started with Danny Duffy (in Kansas City). A couple years ago ... he bought me a Kobe (Bryant) jersey because me and him are big Lakers fans. He's a super fan. We started wearing them for cage work and stuff in the clubhouse and I've just kept wearing them since then.

Q. So far you've been spotted wearing a Magic Johnson, a Muggsy Bogues, a Jesus Shuttlesworth and, most recently, a Giannis Antetokounmpo jersey. How many do you rotate through?

A. I've only got 7-8 – a couple Duffy bought me and then just a couple random ones. And then my new one that I'm really proud of (the Antetokounmpo). That one's awesome and that's my favorite for sure. I've also got an old-school Kobe Bryant one that is one of my go-tos. Duffy probably has 8-9 in his locker every day so he's got a good rotation. A couple other guys would wear them, too, depending on what was going on. We've had football jerseys, basketball jerseys, and I just kept wearing the basketball jerseys.

RELATED: MLB standings | Wild-card picture | Brewers' remaining games

PODCAST: A rough week, and a chat with Corbin Burnes

Q. At the time of this interview, Eric Hosmer was in town with San Diego and you've already got Lorenzo Cain across the clubhouse from you. Is it feeling like old home week?

A. A little bit, definitely. It's weird seeing them in other uniforms, obviously still. Seeing Hosmer on the other side of the field is definitely weird, but it's good to see him. Obviously we played a lot of baseball and spent a lot of time together so it's nice to be able to catch up. He was able to come over and hang out for a little bit, and it was good to see him, for sure.

Q. Who would you say you became closest to during your time in Kansas City?

A. We all spent a lot of time together. That's what made us a good team, is spending a lot of time together in the minor leagues and into the major leagues. We all became really close. But I'd say Hosmer and Lo and (Jarrod) Dyson. All of them, really, to be honest with you. But Hosmer was in my wedding so I guess if there's an answer, it'd be Hosmer. I still hang out with Greg Holland and Wade Davis. Wade is one of my really good friends and so is Greg. I go on vacation with those guys. Jason Vargas is one of my best friends. We all hang out together still, so it's cool.

Q. Lorenzo Cain is an interesting guy. Can you provide any insight into him since you've spent so much time with him over the years?

A. You're not going to figure him out (laughs). You just let him show up every day and be himself because it's awesome. He's one of my favorite players just because of his story – he didn't start playing ball until his sophomore year, and it's crazy to think that there's still some untapped talent in there. As weird as it sounds, I think his best is still yet to come. He's just got so much talent and skill, it's crazy. But he's a professional. He goes out there and plays hard, plays the game the right way. Takes care of business on and off the field. That's a guy you want on your team. That's a guy you want to play with every single day.

Q. You've got a few weeks of National League play under your belt now. Has the transition been harder, easier or about what you expected as a former American League lifer?

A. It's been different. I don't know about harder or easier. Definitely different. When I'm not playing is where the challenges happen. I try to stay next to (bench coach Pat) Murphy and (manager Craig) Counsell just to learn what they do and when they double switch, or what the game is saying at that point. So I'm constantly sitting there trying to learn and trying to always be ready because I haven't played in the National League that much and I'm not used to all the ins and outs of it. Just always trying to be ready and staying on my toes.

Q. At one point during a game while you were on deck you stepped into the dugout to consult a binder, which likely was a scouting report on the pitcher. That's probably something you wouldn't have needed to do in the AL, correct?

A. No, it happens. It's a scouting report. It's just different here. Over there we had little sheets. Nowadays we get the video in there. It's just a scouting report I want to go over right before I hit. I always look at guys before the series, and when a new reliever comes in I just want to see their pitches and see what they're featuring.

Q. Transitioning into a new clubhouse is another matter. There are several ex-Royals on the team – Cain, Jeremy Jeffress, Joakim Soria, Erik Kratz – so has that helped it go smoothly for you?

A. Absolutely, 100 percent. I know a lot of these guys. I've played against a lot of them and played with a lot of them – J.J. and Manny Piña in the minor leagues, I played against (Jonathan) Schoop over there for a long time and played with Lo and just have gotten to know all these guys throughout the game. It's a bunch of great guys. We have fun and we play the game hard and I think when you're new to a club, if they have a great thing going on you just kind of want to fit in and not disturb what they've got. These guys are all awesome on and off the field, so it's been easy.

Q. As a veteran in Kansas City, did you go out of your way to try to welcome newcomers?

A. Hosmer was really good at that, bringing in the new guys. Obviously when you're a young guy you don't really know what's going on or how to approach a big-league day every single day. When I was over there I tried to make everyone feel welcome and told them just to go out and play hard. That's all you can ask for. Over here, it's the same way with these guys. All you want to do is come out and play the game and do what you can on the field. Especially right now. With where we're at, we want to make a push for the playoffs. We're going to need to go out there and play every game hard. Get every out, score every extra run because at the end of the day, that might be the difference. I think everybody in here has got that same mindset, and it's going to be a fun couple months.

Q. You won a World Series ring with the Royals in 2015. Do you ever wear it?

A. I wear it every now and then, if I'm going somewhere. I'm really proud of that ring. I'm really proud of what we accomplished over there. So yeah, I wear it every now and then if I'm going out to a nice dinner. Or if I put a suit on, I'll put it on. But that was when I was with Kansas City. Now I'm a Brewer, so we'll put it away for a while and hopefully get a new one that I can wear at the end of this year. I got an ALCS ring (in 2014) and that's obviously something else that I'm really proud of, that we accomplished out there. To go to back to back World Series, lose one year and come back and win it the next year, it's unbelievably difficult. It just shows the kind of players we had and the kind of team we had.

Q. This past off-season was tough on a number of big-ticket free agents, including yourself. Did that take a while to get over?

A. Yeah. Obviously, it didn't go the way I planned, or the way anybody had really planned. Obviously, I was a little upset early. But my wife was always in my corner telling me it's OK, everything will be all right and everything happens for a reason. She was always by my side, always boosting me up, always telling me everything was going to be all right. And everything was. The off-season didn't go according to plan, but I got to stay at home and watch my son be born. I didn't have to fly back from spring training and have to chance missing it. Once I got to spring training I put all that stuff behind me because there was nothing I could do about it except go out there and play hard. Hopefully something good comes my way at the end of this year. But I was very fortunate to go back to Kansas City, a place that I was comfortable with and with people that knew me. It was definitely interesting, but we had a good time. (Royals general manager) Dayton (Moore) is one of the best men I know and he took care of me. That guy is an unbelievable person. A great general manager. And for him to do what he did for me and my family all those years, we can't thank him enough. It was a fun ride over there, for sure.

Q. You have a mutual option for next season. Understanding a lot can happen between now and then, is there a scenario where you could see yourself possibly returning to the Brewers?

A. Absolutely. The one thing I don't do is look too far ahead. I try not to. But I love it here. I love the city, I love these fans. It's a great place to play. The front office is amazing, the coaches are awesome. When you get down to it, we spend most of our time in the clubhouse and these guys, the personnel, they're unbelievable. The players are fun to be around. We have a fun time. Yeah, I definitely could see myself staying here. But once again, I don't look too far ahead. Right now we're just trying to make it to the postseason, and we'll see what happens after that.

Q. You come across as a baseball junkie and also as someone who's very devoted to his family. Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

A. I try to play golf as much as I can during the season, during the offseason. It's fun to get away and go hit some balls a couple hours. But I've got two kids so I like to stay at home and be around them as much as possible.

Q. You haven't joined the Fortnite craze yet?

A. I'm trying, man (laughs). I'm trying. I used to play video games when I was younger but now I just don't have time.