Spring training | Five questions with Pirates outfielder Jaff Decker

Q: Your first name, Jaff, isn't a usual name. Where does that come from?

A: "I'm named after my uncle. He was born in Germany. The story was my grandpa had to get back to his post -- this was the 50s -- he had to get back to his post in Germany and wrote the name (Jeff). And the German ladies couldn't really pronounce it the way, so ... it was written with an 'A' and it stuck. He (my uncle) ended up passing away in a helicopter crash in the military, so I was blessed to be named after him."

Q: What do you like to do away from the park?

A: "I like to cook at home. My girlfriend is into nutrition, so we try and make dinners good. Smoothies every day with greens in it, strawberries. ... We're making at least two smoothies a day. And then always two kinds of greens for dinner, some fish. I like to do that."

Q: What's your favorite dish to cook?

A: "I started baking my steak and then searing them on the grill, which was pretty good. Bake it as hot as you can for about (an) hour, and then you take them out and then you just sear it. Put twice-baked mashed potatoes, it's the bomb. Throw that in there. Some asparagus. I like breakfast, too. I can crush some breakfast. Some red potatoes."

Q: What do you listen to before a game to get pumped up?

A: "I listen to it all, but before the game it's Drake, Lil Wayne. ... For me, it's more like I've gotta bring it up a little bit. I'm kind of laid back."

Q: What's your relationship with music away from the park?

A: "I'm learning how to play the ukulele right now. It's pretty hard. It's all chords. It's all the same thing, but it's hard to get the strumming down."

-- Jason Dill, Herald sports writer

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Spring training | Five questions with Pirates outfielder Jaff Decker."