Latest / Foul Territory / WBC Final Preview and Predictions, Don Kelly joins FT @Pirates camp

Transcript

WBC Final Preview and Predictions, Don Kelly joins FT @Pirates camp · Foul Territory

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Good morning everybody, and welcome to foul Territory. I'm Alana
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Rizzo in for my guys, Scott Brown, of course, Eric
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Kratz is blow me in the monitor and AJ Pierszinski
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: once again continuing his tour, the Spring training Tour, brought
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: to you by Fast and All. AJ, good to see you.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: We are at Pirates camp today, not the best day
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: to be there.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: What's going on?
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: Well, it is cold.
• 0:30
  Speaker 4: It is like fifty seven degrees here and as we
• 0:34
  Speaker 4: all know, I'll be crowds to it. Floridians are soft
• 0:38
  Speaker 4: when it comes to the weather. But I will say this,
• 0:40
  Speaker 4: even some of the northern guys that are on the
• 0:42
  Speaker 4: Pirates have complained about when they walk out here how
• 0:45
  Speaker 4: cold it is. And also Mark, I mean we normally
• 0:48
  Speaker 4: have a tent, which we have, but Mark, our fearless leader,
• 0:52
  Speaker 4: has put me not only in a wind tunnel, but
• 0:54
  Speaker 4: also where there's absolutely zero sun, so I can't even
• 0:57
  Speaker 4: go to the sun.
• 0:59
  Speaker 5: Hey, hold on.
• 1:00
  Speaker 4: One second, We're just gonna have someone say hi, Yeah, hi,
• 1:03
  Speaker 4: Brandon Law, one of the just here of Buckdowns.
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: We can see your pretty Yeah, just wait, how are things?
• 1:12
  Speaker 6: Yeah?
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: You're always ready to go?
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: I agreed, agreed. Sorry, special guest appearance. But yeah, it's freezing.
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: It's freezing here.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Okay, well I know.
• 1:29
  Speaker 6: No, I was just gonna say, I think it's good
• 1:31
  Speaker 6: that's freezing because they're gonna be going up north to
• 1:34
  Speaker 6: Pittsburgh for the players, not for aj. Aj needs to
• 1:36
  Speaker 6: have his seventy two degrees and sunny. But for the players.
• 1:41
  Speaker 6: You're going up to Pittsburgh. If you go from like
• 1:43
  Speaker 6: constant eighty degrees, oh so hot, suntaye ocean, you get
• 1:47
  Speaker 6: to Pittsburgh, they're spray painting the brown spots of the
• 1:51
  Speaker 6: grass like it's it's dark and cold. The winter is
• 1:55
  Speaker 6: not coming up in Pittsburgh.
• 1:56
  Speaker 5: It is.
• 1:56
  Speaker 6: It is there, It is already there.
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: It is free.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: But you know what, you can get some foul Territory
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: gear to make yourself warm, guys.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: You can just go to foul Territory shop dot com.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Buy the gear, buy a sweatshirt, buy a hat, buy
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: all the things, buy a mug for coffee.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: I don't know, all right, a lot.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: On. I don't even have a beanie on him, Mark
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: one on today.
• 2:16
  Speaker 5: I'm not touching that thing.
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: You just threw it at me. That thing's been on
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: his head. I don't know where that head has been.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: Great guests coming up for you guys.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: While you guys figure out your clothing situation, let us
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: charge the mounds, Charging about all right, presented by Fox One.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: We're psyched that they're a part of the program. USA
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: versus Venezuela. The final is this evening. Congrats to the
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: Venezuelan team, of course, getting past the Italians of Venezuela
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: and left hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Eric Kratz versus the United
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: States and the writing Nolan McClain of the New York
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Mets team USA won a coin flip earlier. USA will
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: be the home team. What are you looking forward to
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: the most, k I'm looking.
• 3:02
  Speaker 6: Forward to just like nine innings of back and forth
• 3:07
  Speaker 6: playoff style baseball. I'm not saying it's as important as
• 3:11
  Speaker 6: the playoffs. I'm saying it's playoff style baseball where Nolan
• 3:15
  Speaker 6: mcclan gets in a little bit of an issue. He
• 3:17
  Speaker 6: gets in a jam early two runners on, he's gone,
• 3:21
  Speaker 6: you know. Unfortunately, Yes, the Mets want him to get
• 3:24
  Speaker 6: his pitch count up. The reality is he pitches well,
• 3:28
  Speaker 6: he's gonna go as long as he can. But they
• 3:31
  Speaker 6: got some dudes in the pen, and Venezuela wants to
• 3:33
  Speaker 6: do the same thing. But I don't know how many
• 3:36
  Speaker 6: of those guys they actually have that they can use.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: That's the biggest question. Who's available, who's not. We're here,
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: Mason Miller might not be available. Bednar might not be available.
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: This guy might not be available. This guy, I mean,
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: there's one dude that I don't know if he's available. Plasio,
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: the closer for Venezuela. If they have a lead, he's available,
• 3:55
  Speaker 4: would he tell us on our show he would die
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: for his team, and that was the Cubs know what
• 4:00
  Speaker 4: he would do for Venezuela if he gets the opportunity.
• 4:02
  Speaker 4: They have a wondering league going to the night and
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: Omar Lopez calls down there and says, hey, mister Plentia,
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: you're not available. He'll run on the field by himself
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: and just whoever's out there probably tackle them and take
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: the ball. That's the kind of passion that we're gonna
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: see tonight. We're gonna see that for nine innings. The
• 4:16
  Speaker 4: crowd's gonna be insane. Let's not forget. Venezuela had Usa.
• 4:20
  Speaker 4: I don't want to say beat, but they had him
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: down late in the game in the semifinals at twenty
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: twenty three until Trey Turner came up with that Grand Slam.
• 4:27
  Speaker 4: So they know what it's like to play against the US.
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: They're not afraid of the US tonight. I expect listen
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: to stars to shine, right, it's a showcase for baseball
• 4:35
  Speaker 4: on the biggest stage that we have in the spring
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: training and in the offseason. So I expect the stars
• 4:41
  Speaker 4: to shine. And yes, I don't think Nolan McClain's gonna
• 4:43
  Speaker 4: have a very long lease because Joe Ryan's there right
• 4:45
  Speaker 4: and they have a bunch of relievers that need to throw.
• 4:47
  Speaker 4: So I expect Mark de Rosa to have a short lease,
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: and I expect Omar Lopez to have a short leave
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: in Venezuela.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: But it's gonna be epic. I can't wait to watch
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: this game.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Well, what you're hoping is that the USA can put
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: up some decent numbers in terms of offense against Venezuela guys,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: because if, in fact, Mason Miller isn't available, that obviously
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: shortens your pen quite a bit. Ken Rosenthal, of course,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: wrote on the fact that Team USA closer may not
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: be available to pitch in the World Baseball Classic Final
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: because Padrey's manager, Craig Stammon said on Monday yesterday that
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: he's been in touch with Mason Miller about the usage
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: in the tournament and a decision will be made on
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: his availability for tonight's WBC final depending on how he
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: feels ahead of the game.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: I mean, big blow guys.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Or not, or we shouldn't worry about it.
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: It's a big blow for the By the way, Sorry Plancia,
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: I know I'm frozen. My brain is not working, so
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: I apologize. And I thought Joe Ryan was there. He
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: was there one time, but apparently he got called back
• 5:43
  Speaker 4: to the whole place, so the Twins won in him back.
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: So I apologize for that where everyone kills me on Twitter,
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: I apologize. We all make mistakes. But yes, this is
• 5:52
  Speaker 4: the big deal of the back end of the bullpen
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: for the US is not there because they need these
• 5:55
  Speaker 4: guys to do what they've done, which is absolutely shoving
• 5:58
  Speaker 4: get out a huge situation. Sim Miller hasn't given up
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: the hit. He just punches out the world and it's
• 6:04
  Speaker 4: a big deal. So they would love it. But they
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: also have like nine other guys that can go on
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: and close the game. But I apologize for me being cold.
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: That's okay.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: We we forgive you Eric who picks up the slack.
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: If Mason Miller isn't there, Joe Ryan, who who else?
• 6:19
  Speaker 7: Uh?
• 6:19
  Speaker 6: I mean obviously without Joe Ryan. And if if Mason
• 6:22
  Speaker 6: Miller it's not it's it depends how he wakes up
• 6:25
  Speaker 6: this morning. So if somebody has Mason Miller's phone number,
• 6:28
  Speaker 6: they can ask him, Ay, Mason, how you feeling. I
• 6:31
  Speaker 6: have a hard time if it's based on Mason Miller
• 6:33
  Speaker 6: that he's going to be like, No, I'm a little
• 6:35
  Speaker 6: too sore. I think. I think if it sounds like
• 6:38
  Speaker 6: it's in his court, he'll pitch. But I'm gonna say
• 6:42
  Speaker 6: the guys they just added. You saw Rogers came in
• 6:45
  Speaker 6: the other day and I guess that was two days ago.
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: Now, well, Garrett he got.
• 6:54
  Speaker 6: Two quick outs. Obviously the standard guys Whitlock and most
• 6:58
  Speaker 6: likely Bednar, but Whitlock is a very But they added
• 7:01
  Speaker 6: will Vest. You have Tim Hill, who's gonna be able
• 7:04
  Speaker 6: to throw a sinker from the left side. They have
• 7:07
  Speaker 6: other options. Yes, Is it always better to have a
• 7:11
  Speaker 6: dude that pumps one hundred and three On March seventeenth
• 7:14
  Speaker 6: in a game. Absolutely, but they have availability and I
• 7:19
  Speaker 6: think they're better set up than what Venezuela is, like
• 7:22
  Speaker 6: I said before, because unfortunately it went down to the
• 7:26
  Speaker 6: fact that their side of the bracket has to play
• 7:29
  Speaker 6: without the off day, and that off day allows even
• 7:32
  Speaker 6: if it allows one US pitcher to pitch again, because
• 7:35
  Speaker 6: if the game had been yesterday, all the dudes that
• 7:38
  Speaker 6: pitched in that game are not available. And so I'm
• 7:41
  Speaker 6: assuming it's very similar for run as well.
• 7:45
  Speaker 4: Uh oh, someone's calling somebody, you know what that was?
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: That was Mark de Rosa trying to figure out his
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: lineup talking to all thirty teams because what does he
• 7:53
  Speaker 4: do with Catcher?
• 7:55
  Speaker 8: Right?
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: Does he play Bregnant just because of Regez is starting?
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: Does he play cal Rawally? Does he play Will Smith
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: with the lefty righty? Does Peaker Armstrong play center? Or
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: does he put Yron Bucks in out there? These are
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: the decisions to me that are also gonna matter the
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: bullpenal figure itself out, but the who's he starting to
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: line up? Because no matter who, does he play Bryce
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: or does he play Paul Goldschmidt? Right, There's there's all
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: these things that Mark de ross has to figure out
• 8:19
  Speaker 4: the bullpenal figure itself out because of the game situations.
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: And by the way, if you haven't seen Whitlock pitch
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: until last the other day against dr that dude is
• 8:28
  Speaker 4: filthy coming out of the bullpen. He was one of
• 8:30
  Speaker 4: the best relievers in baseball last year for the Red Sox.
• 8:33
  Speaker 4: That's why he's on this team because he is absolutely filthy.
• 8:37
  Speaker 6: This one's for the dudes looking for peak bedroom performance.
• 8:41
  Speaker 7: Blue Choo is the number one chewable ed brand and
• 8:44
  Speaker 7: they just dropped their newest innovation. It is called the
• 8:47
  Speaker 7: blue Choo Gold.
• 8:49
  Speaker 4: Blue Choo Gold dissolves under your tongue and works in
• 8:51
  Speaker 4: as little as fifteen minutes peak passion and peak performance
• 8:55
  Speaker 4: in a single tablet.
• 8:57
  Speaker 7: That's right, two ingredients for blood flow make with appamorphine
• 9:01
  Speaker 7: and oxytocin to turn up the arousal and connection in
• 9:04
  Speaker 7: your brain and body. This is the future of performance. Faster, smarter,
• 9:09
  Speaker 7: and precision engineered for results. See why millions of men
• 9:13
  Speaker 7: trust blue che Now with a gold standard upgrade that's
• 9:16
  Speaker 7: changing the game for good. Make life easier and discover
• 9:19
  Speaker 7: your options at blue che dot com. And we've got
• 9:22
  Speaker 7: a special deal for our FT listeners get ten percent
• 9:24
  Speaker 7: off your first month of Blue Choo gold with quotea foul.
• 9:28
  Speaker 7: That's promo code foul. Visit blue chew dot com for
• 9:32
  Speaker 7: more details and important safety information, and we thank blue
• 9:35
  Speaker 7: Cheo for sponsoring the podcast.
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: All right, AJ, so put your managerial hat on. You're
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: talking about Durosa having to figure out who's in the lineup.
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Don't you put team A out there regardless? I'm I'm
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: putting Harper over Goldschmidt. I'm doing probably as much as
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: I whatever to say it. I'm playing cal Rawly over
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: Will Smith in terms of the offensive side of things. Right,
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: so tell me who are you playing? Are you playing Bregman?
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: Are you playing somebody else? Are you playing Harper? Are
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: you playing somebody else?
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: It's hard. I'm playing Harper. No offense to Goldie, but
• 10:08
  Speaker 3: I'm playing Harper.
• 10:10
  Speaker 4: I know a lot of This is the first time
• 10:12
  Speaker 4: ever in your life you haven't shown Dodger bias. I
• 10:16
  Speaker 4: love cal Rawley to death, but he hasn't got a hit,
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: and Will Smith has been having unbelievable at bat. So
• 10:21
  Speaker 4: I almost wonder I feel like I lean towards Will
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: Smith as much as we love Alex Bregman and Gunnar Henderson.
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: Gunnar Henderson has been hot in this tournament. I don't
• 10:30
  Speaker 4: care lefty or righty. I'm probably gonna run him out
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: there too, So I'm willing with the team that got
• 10:36
  Speaker 4: me there, which is in the semifinals, which was Gunner
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: and Will Now pcavers Buckston is a little bit different.
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: But it's not an easy choice. That's why people say, oh,
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: Mark dorros is just the whoever out there.
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: This is not an easy choice, man, I'm leaning towards
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: certain guys, but then again, I'm alsto going off recency bias.
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: I mean, yes, do you have an easy choice between
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: cal Raley, will Smith? Do you have an easy choice
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: Gunner Henderson or Alex Bregman, Pca or Byron Buckson?
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: Are you kidding me?
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: These are not tough to choices. Flip a coin if
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: you have, dude, They're both unbelieve Both of these guys
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: at every position are unbelievable. You can't go wrong.
• 11:12
  Speaker 6: Yeah, but it will be critiqued. And that's the beauty
• 11:15
  Speaker 6: of having the position at d ros In. Because I'm
• 11:18
  Speaker 6: even gonna go against what AJ said. Alex Bregman is
• 11:23
  Speaker 6: his career numbers. I should know he's offhand. He's got
• 11:26
  Speaker 6: three dangers, eight stakes. He's got a ops plus of
• 11:30
  Speaker 6: eleven hundred three thirty three nine for twenty seven against
• 11:34
  Speaker 6: against EDWARDO Doriguez. Gunner's been doing much better. Maybe Gunner's
• 11:39
  Speaker 6: ready for a pinch hit, you know, some kind of
• 11:42
  Speaker 6: that that makes that left right matchup a little bit different.
• 11:45
  Speaker 6: But to me, I gotta put Bregman in. To me,
• 11:48
  Speaker 6: I gotta have Harper in the lineup. I get it's
• 11:50
  Speaker 6: left on left, but I'm gonna flip flop. I might
• 11:53
  Speaker 6: even put Bregman hitting second, just because of his stats
• 11:57
  Speaker 6: against EDWARDO Ariguez. Seems like he's ease him well, and
• 12:01
  Speaker 6: I move Harper down a little bit so that we
• 12:03
  Speaker 6: still can keep can keep the right left. You know,
• 12:07
  Speaker 6: I wouldn't be afraid of putting Terrang in this in
• 12:11
  Speaker 6: the second spot, or give Ernie Clement a start, if
• 12:15
  Speaker 6: you're really worried about those those matchups. But to me,
• 12:19
  Speaker 6: I would say, I'd keep trag in there. I would
• 12:21
  Speaker 6: have Bragman in there, and behind a dish, I'd go
• 12:24
  Speaker 6: Will Smith.
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: Does the US have their hands full?
• 12:30
  Speaker 6: Yes?
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: Absolutely they do.
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: Yes, they do this is a big league line up, Alana,
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: This is a big league line up with big league
• 12:36
  Speaker 4: players and big league pitchers, And yes, they have their
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: hands full. Yes have you again if you haven't been
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: to one of these games and seen the atmosphere when
• 12:44
  Speaker 4: every time they get to two strikes, every Venezuelan in
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: the crowd, which say what you want. I was at
• 12:49
  Speaker 4: that semi final in twenty twenty three when Venezuela almost
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: beat the US.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: Every two strikes, every.
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: Paunch it, paunch it, paunch it, every every hitter, and
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: the way they cheer and the way they danced, it
• 13:02
  Speaker 4: just gets the Venezuela's going. And if they get a lead,
• 13:06
  Speaker 4: if they get an early lead, the pressure will start
• 13:08
  Speaker 4: mounting on the US, And every inning that goes by
• 13:11
  Speaker 4: that they're behind, it's more and more pressure on the
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: US to figure it out. So if I'm in the US,
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: I want to lead early and I want to try
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: to continue to lead. Easier said than done. But yes,
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: are they are? They up against it? Can they win?
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: One hundred percent? But is this a tough game?
• 13:26
  Speaker 5: Yes?
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: It is because Venezuel's never won one of these and
• 13:29
  Speaker 4: they are a baseball crazy country.
• 13:31
  Speaker 6: And they've made some really good moves. They made some
• 13:33
  Speaker 6: good moves last night to put Andre Semenez in. I
• 13:37
  Speaker 6: think Omar Lopez has been in games that's the manager
• 13:40
  Speaker 6: for Venezuela. If people don't know, he's been in games
• 13:43
  Speaker 6: where it's like, hey, I understand what we need in
• 13:45
  Speaker 6: this spot, pinch running Andre Semenez for Glabor Torres. Like
• 13:50
  Speaker 6: you sit there and you go, okay, this is this
• 13:53
  Speaker 6: is what the US is up against. Does US have
• 13:55
  Speaker 6: an advantage, Yeah, they have an advantage because Venezuela is
• 13:59
  Speaker 6: not going to have all their bullpen guys who really
• 14:02
  Speaker 6: got them through that game last night after cater Montero
• 14:07
  Speaker 6: was walking too many guys. It was a little erratic
• 14:09
  Speaker 6: that bullpen put them in the spot to be able
• 14:12
  Speaker 6: to come back, which they finally did. And I think
• 14:16
  Speaker 6: I think you people are people put the Team USA
• 14:20
  Speaker 6: up on this pedestal like they have so many superstars.
• 14:24
  Speaker 6: You go, you go down Venezuela's lineup and you're like,
• 14:27
  Speaker 6: oh wait, there's a dude that hit forty nine home
• 14:29
  Speaker 6: runs in there, Ronald LeCun. You's got envy an MVP,
• 14:33
  Speaker 6: could have had another m v P. You have. You
• 14:35
  Speaker 6: have guys that play ridiculous defense. You have that the
• 14:40
  Speaker 6: team they have Jackson Curio hitting ninth, and Venezuela like,
• 14:45
  Speaker 6: it is a star studded lineup and they're gonna have
• 14:49
  Speaker 6: it's gonna be It's gonna be one on the margins,
• 14:51
  Speaker 6: Which team base runs better, which team doesn't walk as
• 14:54
  Speaker 6: many guys? Which team doesn't chase out of the zone.
• 14:58
  Speaker 6: So to me, that's where the game is gonna be won.
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, don't forget about Willia or Bray you he wants
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: to be added to that list of stars as well. Guys,
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: don't forget to tune in tonight to our postgame show
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: after the USA versus Venezuela game on the Foul Territory
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: YouTube channel. And this episode is brought to you by
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Fox One. Fox one is now live stream all your
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: Fox favorites together in one place, from Major League Baseball
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: postseason to NFL on Fox to Big Nude Saturdays with
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: Fox One. You get it all live. Start your seven
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: day free trial today offers our subject to change. Go
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: to Fox one for complete terms and conditions. Fox one
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: streaming now. Since we are at Pirates Camp today, Eric,
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: let's go through some of their stats heading into the
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six season. Just as far as win projections
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: are concerned in the National League Central, some may find
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: this a little bit hard to believe, but according to fangraphs,
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: I believe it looks like the Cubs are set at
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: eighty six wins, but it's the Bucos ek at eighty
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: three and a third, their second in the division.
• 15:57
  Speaker 6: What say you? It's just so hard to increase your
• 16:02
  Speaker 6: win total that much. But I go to one thing.
• 16:07
  Speaker 6: I go to the stat that Paul Skeins would be
• 16:10
  Speaker 6: and I know this is his career, and so I
• 16:12
  Speaker 6: don't know exactly what it would be from last year.
• 16:14
  Speaker 6: He'd be forty three to one to start his career
• 16:18
  Speaker 6: if they scored three or more runs in every one
• 16:22
  Speaker 6: of his starts. So it's hard to say a team
• 16:26
  Speaker 6: is going to improve their win total that much. But
• 16:29
  Speaker 6: when you delve into it and you go, Okay, this
• 16:32
  Speaker 6: team did play good defense last year. Yes, they don't
• 16:36
  Speaker 6: have key Brian Hayes for any part of the year
• 16:38
  Speaker 6: this year, but they still played good defense. They added
• 16:42
  Speaker 6: so much offense, which was something that they were really
• 16:45
  Speaker 6: really struggling with last year. They had some spurts where
• 16:48
  Speaker 6: they would score some runs, but in general they would
• 16:51
  Speaker 6: score three, two, then they'd break out for a four
• 16:56
  Speaker 6: run game. And to me, this year, the fact that
• 16:59
  Speaker 6: they added offense and Brandon Lao in Ryan O'Hearn in
• 17:04
  Speaker 6: Marcelo Zuna, three guys that are really going to be
• 17:07
  Speaker 6: major pieces to this lineup, and I think twenty plus
• 17:10
  Speaker 6: home runs each of them would have led the team
• 17:13
  Speaker 6: in home runs last year had they been on the team.
• 17:16
  Speaker 6: I think that numbers not as crazy. I think they're
• 17:19
  Speaker 6: more of a five hundred team this year. But eighty
• 17:22
  Speaker 6: three puts them in the puts them in the conversation
• 17:26
  Speaker 6: for making a playoff, making a playoff push.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: All right, you mentioned the additional offense, You mentioned Ryan O'Hearn.
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: Of course, you mentioned Marcelo Zuna. We got Gregory Soto,
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: Jose Rikiti, which I know, whatever, it's not offense. But
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: Brandon law Password when you think about I can never
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: say his name right, but it's like just just Snixton Garcia.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: Of course I will get that right at some point
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: in my life. And hissus trabe, so so is the
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: is the addition bigger than the subtraction? Because let me
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: talk to you Eka about the losses obviously Andrew McCutcheon,
• 17:56
  Speaker 1: Tommy Famm, Johann Obeedo, Mike Burrows, Chase Shoegart, and Jack Sowinski.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: I do think the addition is bigger than the subtraction.
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: Is that fair to say?
• 18:08
  Speaker 8: I do?
• 18:08
  Speaker 6: I totally do. I think the only issue is they
• 18:12
  Speaker 6: traded away some of that pitching to get some of
• 18:17
  Speaker 6: this offense. And you see the best teams in the league.
• 18:22
  Speaker 6: You see the fact that the Phillies are like, ah,
• 18:24
  Speaker 6: we might need to add somebody else. We only have
• 18:26
  Speaker 6: six starters. The Dodgers are like, hey, we'll run in
• 18:30
  Speaker 6: the season with eight nine starters. The Greats, every one
• 18:34
  Speaker 6: of these teams that have playoff aspirations go, we're fine
• 18:38
  Speaker 6: with extra. The Blue Jays just picked up Max Schurzer,
• 18:40
  Speaker 6: and it's like, well, did you really need them? They're
• 18:44
  Speaker 6: fine with extra because every team knows they're going to
• 18:47
  Speaker 6: go through a decent amount of starting pitching. So I
• 18:49
  Speaker 6: think that would be where the additions would even remotely
• 18:53
  Speaker 6: come close to the subtractions. But I still believe that
• 18:57
  Speaker 6: the additions were way way olex out exceed the subtractions.
• 19:03
  Speaker 6: But the subtractions of losing some starting pitching death may
• 19:09
  Speaker 6: may come back to hurt them in a full one
• 19:11
  Speaker 6: hundred and sixty two game season.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, according to Baseball Reference, it's Joe Stinson Garcia.
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: We call him the past fard.
• 19:18
  Speaker 6: Obviously easy, it's so easy, especially when you see it.
• 19:22
  Speaker 6: When you see it written, You're like, I'm not seeing
• 19:25
  Speaker 6: just now.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: And I should and I should know better. I should
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: know better. I was did a little bit of the
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: stuff covering the Red Sox last year. I will get better.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: I promise you that, all right. So, in terms of
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: their Pittsburgh playoff odds, Eric, you talk about the winning
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: the division twenty five point seven percent, I think it's
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: probably fair to say, as we get into the season,
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: we're probably thinking the Cubs are going to lead the
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: NL Central, So clinching the division seven point two percent,
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: clinching the World or the wild card rather nineteen point
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: three percent, and making the postseason just under fifty percent
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: at forty five percent, winning the division twenty five point
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: seven too low?
• 20:00
  Speaker 6: Too high? Again, it feels like it's too high. It
• 20:06
  Speaker 6: feels like you have a team that's perennially hated in
• 20:10
  Speaker 6: the Brewers with these predictions, and yet they went out
• 20:13
  Speaker 6: and won the most games last year. Then they get
• 20:15
  Speaker 6: rid of Freddy Perulton, You're like, oh, no chance they're
• 20:17
  Speaker 6: gonna do it. So I have a hard time saying
• 20:21
  Speaker 6: that twenty five percent is too high. So I'm going
• 20:24
  Speaker 6: to say I'm going to say I'm saying it's too
• 20:28
  Speaker 6: it's too low. I feel like it's too high. I
• 20:30
  Speaker 6: feel like twenty five percent chance. To me, I think
• 20:33
  Speaker 6: it is a It's a two horse race in the
• 20:36
  Speaker 6: NL Central and I would give the Pirates more of
• 20:38
  Speaker 6: like a ten or fifteen percent chance to win a division.
• 20:41
  Speaker 6: It doesn't mean they're out of the playoff contention, but
• 20:44
  Speaker 6: just to win the division. I think the other teams
• 20:46
  Speaker 6: are a little bit deeper.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: It's funny that you say that you see them as
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: a five hundred team, because that would be eighty one
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: and eighty one. Now, Fangrafs is the one that has
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: them at eighty three point three, but bet MGM has
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: them at seventy eight and a half. So is bet
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: MGM two low. I mean, it's so funny because it's
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: like they're so close on either side of the line.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: What do you think about that?
• 21:06
  Speaker 6: I would love the over on that one, So I
• 21:08
  Speaker 6: appreciate you bet MGM for helping me all out on that.
• 21:12
  Speaker 6: I do like I do like the over. I feel
• 21:16
  Speaker 6: like to say they're a three games, you know, three
• 21:19
  Speaker 6: games below five hundred. Actually yeah, technically it'd be a
• 21:22
  Speaker 6: little bit, but it's to me. I take the over
• 21:25
  Speaker 6: there because I think there is a chance and they're
• 21:28
  Speaker 6: playing in the NL Central. I think there's a lot
• 21:30
  Speaker 6: of wins to be had. From the fact that the
• 21:34
  Speaker 6: Reds are losing Hunter Green but they're still going to
• 21:36
  Speaker 6: be good. The fact that the Cardinals. I think that's
• 21:40
  Speaker 6: where teams are gonna The teams that have finish above
• 21:42
  Speaker 6: five hundred in the division are the ones that are
• 21:45
  Speaker 6: gonna be able to take two of three every time.
• 21:48
  Speaker 6: From the Cardinals take this thirteen games, you know, win
• 21:52
  Speaker 6: ten of those. That could be the difference in the
• 21:54
  Speaker 6: division is how do you beat up the Cardinals Because
• 21:57
  Speaker 6: everybody else, everybody else in the vision is good. Are
• 22:02
  Speaker 6: they elite?
• 22:02
  Speaker 8: No?
• 22:03
  Speaker 6: I don't even I mean, I think the Cubs had
• 22:04
  Speaker 6: a chance to be elite, but you know, they made
• 22:07
  Speaker 6: their moves and you know they're gonna go. They're gonna
• 22:09
  Speaker 6: go with the team that they have, and I think
• 22:11
  Speaker 6: they're a little bit above average, but everybody else is
• 22:13
  Speaker 6: good besides the Cardinals.
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: I think we have the whole NL central in that
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: front end. But no Don Kelly, manager of the Pirates.
• 22:33
  Speaker 5: What's up with that?
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: You know what?
• 22:34
  Speaker 8: I haven't been doing it long enough I think to
• 22:36
  Speaker 8: make the make the clip. But maybe next year you
• 22:38
  Speaker 8: guys can get me on there. You've had a great second.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: What do you mean we did?
• 22:41
  Speaker 5: We did better, but I haven't earned that yet. I
• 22:43
  Speaker 5: don't think.
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: What do you think it takes to earn forty five
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: year forty like council at.
• 22:47
  Speaker 5: The end, I don't you know what. I don't know
• 22:50
  Speaker 5: what it takes there in that.
• 22:51
  Speaker 8: We're working through that right now in camp and we'll
• 22:54
  Speaker 8: hopefully next year.
• 22:55
  Speaker 4: I'll make it today because I walked by you earlier
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: and talked to you and Ben Charrington and it's one
• 23:00
  Speaker 4: of those days in camp that as a man, this
• 23:03
  Speaker 4: is your first time really having to do the cut,
• 23:05
  Speaker 4: so that send downs.
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: What is that like? Because I've never really asked a
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: manager what that's like.
• 23:09
  Speaker 8: It's hard, you know, I think that it's it's being
• 23:12
  Speaker 8: a player. You know, when you're coming up through and
• 23:15
  Speaker 8: you get to big Ley camp, you get sent down
• 23:16
  Speaker 8: for the first time. It's hard to be a player
• 23:18
  Speaker 8: in those settings. And I think that days like today,
• 23:20
  Speaker 8: I feel fortunate that I was on the other end
• 23:23
  Speaker 8: and understand, you know, we might not know exactly what
• 23:25
  Speaker 8: these guys are going through, but we're in the ballpark
• 23:27
  Speaker 8: and understand how hard it is for them to be
• 23:30
  Speaker 8: in camp. You have goals of making the club and
• 23:32
  Speaker 8: then to be told that you're not going to be
• 23:34
  Speaker 8: on the opening day roster, and as we know, it's
• 23:37
  Speaker 8: going to take more than the twenty six guys that
• 23:40
  Speaker 8: start off on the big league club on opening Day.
• 23:42
  Speaker 8: It's going to take a lot more than that. So
• 23:45
  Speaker 8: I think that looking back on my career, having been
• 23:48
  Speaker 8: sent down a lot, dfaid and you know, different things
• 23:51
  Speaker 8: that happened in the game that we talked about earlier.
• 23:54
  Speaker 8: You know, you feel fortunate that you've gone through some
• 23:56
  Speaker 8: of the downs as well as some of the ups.
• 24:00
  Speaker 6: What's tougher talking to them or knowing that you guys
• 24:03
  Speaker 6: already had the meeting that ah man, you know, like,
• 24:06
  Speaker 6: I think we're gonna cut him. Because as a player,
• 24:08
  Speaker 6: you walk in on Mondays or Tuesdays, whatever payday is,
• 24:11
  Speaker 6: and you're like I know people are getting cut today,
• 24:14
  Speaker 6: so you like avoid eye contact with the bench coach
• 24:16
  Speaker 6: and the manager. But you as a manager and even coaches,
• 24:20
  Speaker 6: you guys know a little bit ahead of time. It's
• 24:23
  Speaker 6: not like they walk in and like, oh he looks cuttable.
• 24:27
  Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, it does. It makes it. You try to
• 24:30
  Speaker 5: keep everything as smooth and consistent as possible.
• 24:33
  Speaker 8: Whenever you're you're sitting there and you see a guy
• 24:36
  Speaker 8: saying hi, talking to them, you know, on a daily basis,
• 24:39
  Speaker 8: try to keep it the same end. You do know
• 24:41
  Speaker 8: deep down that you've had the conversations and they're always
• 24:44
  Speaker 8: going on, you know, as far as how the team's
• 24:47
  Speaker 8: gonna shake out and who may or may not get cut,
• 24:51
  Speaker 8: And it doesn't make it any easier when you call
• 24:52
  Speaker 8: them into the office to have that conversation that they
• 24:55
  Speaker 8: are going down.
• 24:56
  Speaker 3: Are you a don Kelly's going out there type of
• 24:59
  Speaker 3: man measure?
• 25:00
  Speaker 4: You send Christopher to gron your bench coach out there, yeah,
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: and then the pitching coach out How does that which
• 25:06
  Speaker 4: one of the because I've seen both. I've seen where
• 25:07
  Speaker 4: managers walk around and then I've seen also where they
• 25:10
  Speaker 4: send the bench coach or the yeah.
• 25:12
  Speaker 8: And the grown has been, Yeah he does. He's got
• 25:16
  Speaker 8: his own office and uh he's earning that right now,
• 25:19
  Speaker 8: going out and grabbing the guys. And you're right cratzy.
• 25:22
  Speaker 8: The eye contact, guys don't wanna. Guys don't want to
• 25:26
  Speaker 8: make eye contact whenever they know the cuts are coming
• 25:28
  Speaker 8: and you want to. Sometimes it's hard to find guys too.
• 25:31
  Speaker 8: I've I've done my fairs air of hiding myself.
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: Done along those same lines. Good to be with you,
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: I'm Alana Rizzo, along those same lines. How much does
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: communication a part of this? I think guys can appreciate
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: open door policies, the level of communication, just being honest
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: with them so perhaps they know where they stand in
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: the long run and in the in the plan of
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: the organization as a whole.
• 25:56
  Speaker 8: Yeah, that's a that's a big part of it, you know,
• 25:59
  Speaker 8: when you're sitting there and you're talking to guys as
• 26:01
  Speaker 8: camp goes and just trying to be as open and
• 26:04
  Speaker 8: as transparent as you can. I think Leland has been
• 26:07
  Speaker 8: such a mentor for me as a player and then
• 26:09
  Speaker 8: getting onto this side and managing as well. And the
• 26:12
  Speaker 8: one thing that he's always said is you have to
• 26:14
  Speaker 8: tell the players the truth. If you tell them the truth.
• 26:17
  Speaker 8: They're gonna hate you for a day. If you lie
• 26:19
  Speaker 8: to them, they're gonna hate you forever. And something that
• 26:21
  Speaker 8: we try to take into account and be truthful with
• 26:24
  Speaker 8: these guys when we're talking about the roster or playing
• 26:27
  Speaker 8: time or anything that goes on on a day to
• 26:29
  Speaker 8: day basis, and that communication is a big part of it.
• 26:32
  Speaker 6: Do you miss planning spring training? Last year we hung
• 26:35
  Speaker 6: out for like thirty minutes talking about, you know, catching
• 26:38
  Speaker 6: up with family stuff, but also the fact that you
• 26:41
  Speaker 6: have to plan spring training. You had to plan it
• 26:43
  Speaker 6: all out.
• 26:45
  Speaker 5: And now you don't write I do not I do
• 26:48
  Speaker 5: not miss it either.
• 26:50
  Speaker 3: At all.
• 26:52
  Speaker 5: You know the guys that not just here that are
• 26:55
  Speaker 5: planning it, but around the league it is.
• 26:58
  Speaker 8: There's a lot that goes into spring There's a lot
• 27:00
  Speaker 8: of moving parts, not just on the big league side,
• 27:02
  Speaker 8: like you talk about the minor league side when we're
• 27:04
  Speaker 8: throwing curveballs over there that we need backup pitchers, we
• 27:07
  Speaker 8: need backup players, and we're adjusting their lineups their rosters
• 27:11
  Speaker 8: on a given day. So the field coordinators bench coaches
• 27:14
  Speaker 8: in the big leagues and then the minor league field
• 27:16
  Speaker 8: coordinators as well, that they're dealing with a lot.
• 27:18
  Speaker 5: More moving parts on that side.
• 27:20
  Speaker 8: So the uh, those guys, they earn their paychecks and
• 27:23
  Speaker 8: spring for sure, and I don't miss that part of
• 27:26
  Speaker 8: it at all.
• 27:26
  Speaker 4: What about you mentioned guys getting sent down? Guys, I'm
• 27:30
  Speaker 4: gonna ask you the name, what are we doing? What
• 27:32
  Speaker 4: are we doing a shortstop with some guy? I think
• 27:34
  Speaker 4: his name's Connor griff Connery. You've heard of him a
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: little bit, yeah, I think I've heard a little bit
• 27:39
  Speaker 4: about it all.
• 27:40
  Speaker 8: For those of you that haven't him in the office today,
• 27:42
  Speaker 8: we did not, and you know, not sure how that's
• 27:45
  Speaker 8: going to shake out. I'm just the I don't know
• 27:47
  Speaker 8: if you've had a chance to talk to him yet.
• 27:49
  Speaker 8: He is unbelievable mature, nineteen years old. And I think
• 27:53
  Speaker 8: that's the thing that, at least for me trying to
• 27:55
  Speaker 8: keep in mind is as a nineteen year old, what's
• 27:58
  Speaker 8: that like? You know, when I was team I'm sophomore
• 28:01
  Speaker 8: in college trying to, you know, figure out how to
• 28:04
  Speaker 8: get better. And here he is fighting for to make
• 28:07
  Speaker 8: a major league team. And the talent's there, the maturity
• 28:11
  Speaker 8: levels there, the work ethic is there. How do we
• 28:14
  Speaker 8: develop Connor Griffin at a rate that we know. Take
• 28:18
  Speaker 8: into account he's nineteen, he's only had a handful of
• 28:20
  Speaker 8: games at Double A. He has not played at Triple
• 28:22
  Speaker 8: A yet, and balance all of that for what's what's
• 28:25
  Speaker 8: best for him.
• 28:26
  Speaker 3: He's already proven.
• 28:27
  Speaker 4: I mean, he's he's sitting four hundred and fifty foot
• 28:29
  Speaker 4: bombs in spring training off big league got what what's
• 28:32
  Speaker 4: there for him to?
• 28:33
  Speaker 5: What do you look for?
• 28:34
  Speaker 3: I mean, I get the maturity side of it.
• 28:36
  Speaker 4: But every time I've talked to him, and I've talked
• 28:38
  Speaker 4: to him a few times, even talk to him today, he's.
• 28:40
  Speaker 3: Just there and you can tell he's different than you
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: or I or crack wait different.
• 28:46
  Speaker 5: Well, I'll tell you what. When nineteen when I.
• 28:48
  Speaker 8: Started off the first press conference when we were talking
• 28:51
  Speaker 8: about the team and they asked me about Connor Griffin,
• 28:53
  Speaker 8: and I told one of my buddies back home, I
• 28:54
  Speaker 8: was like, man, I didn't look like that like that
• 28:56
  Speaker 8: when I was nineteen, And I paused, I was like,
• 28:58
  Speaker 8: you know what, I never looked like.
• 29:00
  Speaker 5: That as far as this kid goes.
• 29:03
  Speaker 8: And when him coming up, he never really played shortstop
• 29:07
  Speaker 8: until last year. So the the bat and the at
• 29:10
  Speaker 8: bats are one thing. The development at shortstop is a
• 29:13
  Speaker 8: is another thing, and not saying he's handled himself really
• 29:15
  Speaker 8: well and there's still room for him to continue.
• 29:18
  Speaker 5: To get better and develop.
• 29:19
  Speaker 8: And I think as we take everything into account on
• 29:22
  Speaker 8: a whole, how do we put him in the best
• 29:24
  Speaker 8: position to have the best career longest best career.
• 29:29
  Speaker 3: If he's making the team, just give me a.
• 29:33
  Speaker 5: You can stop in the middle, just.
• 29:35
  Speaker 6: Blink, Just blink one time if he's going to make
• 29:39
  Speaker 6: the team, Okay, during the rest of this interview, just
• 29:41
  Speaker 6: blink one time. That's the only answer we need. But
• 29:43
  Speaker 6: my question on that is.
• 29:47
  Speaker 5: What it's windy, He's trying really hard.
• 29:52
  Speaker 6: Hey, it's just it's just truth. It's just truth. But
• 29:56
  Speaker 6: what is like what you guys are built to win? Now,
• 30:00
  Speaker 6: all the talk of the offseason, you guys made moves
• 30:02
  Speaker 6: to win. You guys have done it. You guys are
• 30:04
  Speaker 6: built to win. You have Paul Schemes, Mitch Keller, all
• 30:06
  Speaker 6: those guys in the pitching staff. Do you when you
• 30:09
  Speaker 6: have conversations about Connor Griffin and obviously conversations about a
• 30:14
  Speaker 6: forty man roster, conversations about the fact that he's young,
• 30:18
  Speaker 6: conversations about that, you know, who do we have behind him.
• 30:22
  Speaker 6: Does it ever get brought up that, well, what if
• 30:25
  Speaker 6: we don't have him for the first month and we
• 30:27
  Speaker 6: missed the playoffs by a game. Is that harder to
• 30:31
  Speaker 6: make that decision now or would it be harder to
• 30:33
  Speaker 6: live with it at the end of the season if
• 30:35
  Speaker 6: you would miss the playoffs by one game.
• 30:38
  Speaker 8: Yeah, that's fair, And I think that I don't think
• 30:41
  Speaker 8: any of us have all the answers in regards to
• 30:43
  Speaker 8: any of you know, roster decisions making the blast, just
• 30:47
  Speaker 8: putting ourselves in the best position to be able to
• 30:50
  Speaker 8: win as many games as we possibly can, and at
• 30:52
  Speaker 8: the same time, taking every single player, whether it's Connor
• 30:55
  Speaker 8: Griffin or anybody else.
• 30:58
  Speaker 5: When you're talking about Ashcraft.
• 30:59
  Speaker 8: Chin or Jared Jones coming back off of injury, how
• 31:03
  Speaker 8: do we put them in the best position individually to
• 31:06
  Speaker 8: have the most success not only this year but over
• 31:10
  Speaker 8: the longevity of their career. And I think that, you know,
• 31:12
  Speaker 8: it takes me back to last year when we were
• 31:14
  Speaker 8: talking about Greg Brown is our play by play guy,
• 31:17
  Speaker 8: and he asked me an interesting question going into the
• 31:19
  Speaker 8: last game or Paul Sken's his last start last year,
• 31:23
  Speaker 8: and he asked me if he pitches three and two
• 31:24
  Speaker 8: thirds are you're going to take him out of the
• 31:26
  Speaker 8: game because he was going to have a sub two era.
• 31:30
  Speaker 5: Taught me off guard because I did not figure that out.
• 31:32
  Speaker 8: Because to me, our number one goal is to keep
• 31:34
  Speaker 8: every player healthy, safe, and develop them as best we can.
• 31:38
  Speaker 5: Number two goal is to win the game. And then
• 31:40
  Speaker 5: the third thing that we.
• 31:41
  Speaker 8: Can accomplish as players that hopefully our guys appreciate too,
• 31:45
  Speaker 8: is we want them to accomplish any individual things that
• 31:48
  Speaker 8: they possibly can, which sub two era is fantastic. Well,
• 31:54
  Speaker 8: if we can keep Paul Skins healthy and he's at
• 31:55
  Speaker 8: a good pitch count and he gives us, which there's
• 31:59
  Speaker 8: no doubt he gives us the best.
• 32:00
  Speaker 5: Chance to win, I can't.
• 32:02
  Speaker 8: I'm not taking him out of a game even at
• 32:05
  Speaker 8: three and two thirds to accomplish at two sub two era,
• 32:08
  Speaker 8: and he ended up going out and earning even better
• 32:11
  Speaker 8: and had a one nine seven. So I think in
• 32:12
  Speaker 8: taking all of that into account, keeping guys healthy safe,
• 32:16
  Speaker 8: developed them at the pace that they need to to
• 32:18
  Speaker 8: win games, and have them accomplish personal accolades, you know,
• 32:22
  Speaker 8: is something that personally and I think as an organization
• 32:25
  Speaker 8: that we try to place value in don when.
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: You're looking at the whole Connor Griffin situation, and you're
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: also thinking about Joey Bart, who had somewhat of a
• 32:33
  Speaker 1: meteoric rise to the big leagues as well. Drafted in
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: twenty eighteen, he's making his debut a couple of years later.
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: Is that beneficial to perhaps have those guys talk Joey Bart,
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: you know, with all of the expectations that came upon
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: him getting into the big leagues so quickly, perhaps talking
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: about the pitfalls of what could happen or maybe how
• 32:50
  Speaker 1: to handle that situation.
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: Is that Does that make sense?
• 32:53
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 32:53
  Speaker 8: I mean there's there's value in all kinds and experience
• 32:56
  Speaker 8: from other players all the time. You know, when you
• 32:59
  Speaker 8: said there and you talk about things that, like I
• 33:02
  Speaker 8: referenced earlier in an interview today, like I have a
• 33:05
  Speaker 8: lot of experience in a lot of different areas being
• 33:08
  Speaker 8: a bench guy. Come you know, Cratzy and I can
• 33:10
  Speaker 8: relate on a journey to the big leagues and a
• 33:13
  Speaker 8: lot of guys don't make it when they're especially nineteen.
• 33:16
  Speaker 8: But when you're talking about even twenty one, twenty two,
• 33:18
  Speaker 8: twenty three years old to get.
• 33:20
  Speaker 5: Up there with that pressure, I can't relate to that.
• 33:22
  Speaker 8: So to have guys around that can that can help
• 33:25
  Speaker 8: with that experience and be able to give back is
• 33:29
  Speaker 8: something that you know is hugely valuable, not just from
• 33:32
  Speaker 8: Joey Bart, from a lot of guys on our team.
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: How have you relaxed today a little bit?
• 33:37
  Speaker 6: Have I?
• 33:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah? Well, O, Neil Cruz is back from WBC. He's healthy.
• 33:41
  Speaker 4: Skeemes made it through healthy as far. I mean looks
• 33:43
  Speaker 4: like I mean he was throwing a hundred against dr
• 33:45
  Speaker 4: the other night. Have you relaxed as a manager now
• 33:48
  Speaker 4: that are all your guys back? Is there someone on
• 33:50
  Speaker 4: Venezuela that I'm missing?
• 33:52
  Speaker 5: No, I believe all of our guys are are back.
• 33:54
  Speaker 6: Well.
• 33:54
  Speaker 8: Skeins isn't back yet, but he's done pitching and that
• 33:57
  Speaker 8: was fun to watch, wasn't it?
• 33:59
  Speaker 5: My goodness? What do you what?
• 34:00
  Speaker 3: Racking? That is that there?
• 34:01
  Speaker 4: As a manager, when your best pitcher, one of your
• 34:03
  Speaker 4: best players is out there playing, you guys leave camp,
• 34:06
  Speaker 4: they go there is that nerve right and now they're
• 34:08
  Speaker 4: back and healthy or not back but done in healthy?
• 34:11
  Speaker 5: Yeah? I guess so.
• 34:12
  Speaker 8: I knowing Paul and our guys like, there's nobody that
• 34:17
  Speaker 8: works harder, is more prepared and does the things like
• 34:19
  Speaker 8: his in between his starts is so impressive, how he
• 34:22
  Speaker 8: goes about it, the work that he puts in, so
• 34:25
  Speaker 8: you know that he's taking care of himself and I
• 34:28
  Speaker 8: and all of our guys do the same thing.
• 34:29
  Speaker 5: And to your point, I really.
• 34:31
  Speaker 8: Hadn't thought of that end, but yes, you know, really
• 34:35
  Speaker 8: glad to have them back and Cruise he's in there today.
• 34:38
  Speaker 8: Good to have him back in center field, and just
• 34:41
  Speaker 8: really impressive what he was able to do on on
• 34:44
  Speaker 8: that stage. I'm really looking forward to a great year
• 34:46
  Speaker 8: from him.
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: I think he can carry that over to the season.
• 34:49
  Speaker 5: I think he can't, and I don't think it's necessarily
• 34:51
  Speaker 5: from the WBC.
• 34:52
  Speaker 8: His offseason was so good and he challenged himself in
• 34:55
  Speaker 8: a way that helped him prepare for the twenty sixth season.
• 34:58
  Speaker 8: And he came into camp ready to ready to compete,
• 35:02
  Speaker 8: ready to go. And I think that he showed that
• 35:04
  Speaker 8: here before he left. And then the biggest dude I've
• 35:06
  Speaker 8: ever seen, Oh my goodness, it's crazy, isn't it. You
• 35:09
  Speaker 8: got a lot of them with him, and schemes and
• 35:11
  Speaker 8: and Connor Griffin playing shortstop at that size, were used
• 35:14
  Speaker 8: to seeing schemes and some of the pictures, but I'm
• 35:17
  Speaker 8: not used to seeing a center fielder that I say, oh,
• 35:20
  Speaker 8: I feel like Ken Rosenthal talking to schemes the other
• 35:22
  Speaker 8: and I'm like, oh my god, it's.
• 35:24
  Speaker 3: Crazy, isn't it. How about he used to play short
• 35:27
  Speaker 3: I know, insane, insane.
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: Dondie, what's your in your opinion, the biggest question mark
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: going into camp is it?
• 35:33
  Speaker 2: Is it the starting catching spot?
• 35:35
  Speaker 5: Is it?
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: You know, what do you think it is?
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: I mean, what do you need to see the final
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: nine days of the spring to Derman, who breaks camp
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: for the most part, I know a lot of your
• 35:44
  Speaker 1: positions are set, but is it the catching spot?
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: What's the biggest question mark?
• 35:48
  Speaker 8: Yeah, I would say, well catching, you know, having Henry
• 35:52
  Speaker 8: and Joey competing there, and I would say third base
• 35:55
  Speaker 8: as well with York Yorknsalez Triolo and bringing to Callahan
• 36:00
  Speaker 8: in is another spot that we still have competition at
• 36:04
  Speaker 8: and and I think that that's going to be fluid
• 36:06
  Speaker 8: through the year and how how guys are playing. And
• 36:08
  Speaker 8: I think that the guys have embraced that, They've embraced
• 36:11
  Speaker 8: that competition aspect of it, which has been fun to
• 36:14
  Speaker 8: see because you know, we haven't had that at at
• 36:19
  Speaker 8: times here with the Pirates, and I think it's exciting
• 36:21
  Speaker 8: because when you have that competition, there may be somebody
• 36:24
  Speaker 8: that goes to Triple A that that maybe deserves to
• 36:27
  Speaker 8: make the team and somebody was just playing better at
• 36:31
  Speaker 8: that time. So I think it's really exciting for where
• 36:33
  Speaker 8: we're at right now and you know what's to come
• 36:36
  Speaker 8: for us.
• 36:36
  Speaker 6: In twenty six you mentioned your manager Jimmy Leland. Who's
• 36:41
  Speaker 6: your Don Kelly to his Jimmy Leland, You're Jimmy Leland
• 36:45
  Speaker 6: and you're Don. You're Don Kelly on this team, not
• 36:49
  Speaker 6: necessarily the utility guy that can do all things, but
• 36:51
  Speaker 6: the guy that you're like, the way that Jim Leland
• 36:54
  Speaker 6: talked about you, the guy like I think you even
• 36:56
  Speaker 6: made him cry one time. Just a type of person,
• 37:00
  Speaker 6: the person that you are. But who's that guy on
• 37:02
  Speaker 6: this on this roster that could even go to Triple
• 37:05
  Speaker 6: A too?
• 37:06
  Speaker 5: Yeah, the I think that may or may not have happened.
• 37:09
  Speaker 8: I'm not sure, but I saw that bat impersonator guy
• 37:12
  Speaker 8: in person, which was pretty funny when he was doing
• 37:14
  Speaker 8: Leland for me. And it's a short period of time
• 37:17
  Speaker 8: that I've gotten to know him. But Jake Mangum is
• 37:19
  Speaker 8: that type of dude. I don't know if you guys
• 37:21
  Speaker 8: have spent much time with him, but talking about a
• 37:24
  Speaker 8: guy that's willing to do anything to help the team win.
• 37:27
  Speaker 8: Fourth outfielder, fifth outfielder, pinch run, start game, switch it,
• 37:31
  Speaker 8: laying it all out there every single day, and just
• 37:33
  Speaker 8: the way that he's approached camp and the conversations that
• 37:36
  Speaker 8: I've had, He's he's a he's a grinder man. He
• 37:39
  Speaker 8: brings it every single day and he's willing to do
• 37:41
  Speaker 8: whatever to help the team win.
• 37:42
  Speaker 3: Is Leland the guy you fashion your game most after
• 37:45
  Speaker 3: as a manager.
• 37:47
  Speaker 8: I mean, I respect the crap out of him, playing
• 37:49
  Speaker 8: for him and everything. That's how he treated me, you know.
• 37:53
  Speaker 8: And you know the teams that I was a party, we.
• 37:56
  Speaker 3: Compete against you.
• 37:57
  Speaker 4: I told him time that I told him the story
• 37:59
  Speaker 4: of the BBWAA where when I was doing TV, we
• 38:03
  Speaker 4: had the Tigers in the postseason and you get the
• 38:06
  Speaker 4: manager meeting for fifteen minutes.
• 38:07
  Speaker 3: You go in there and Leland was talking about Don.
• 38:10
  Speaker 4: You were hot one series and it was a lefty starting,
• 38:13
  Speaker 4: and I think someone asked Leland, why isn't Don Kelly starting?
• 38:17
  Speaker 3: Cigarette his voice Don Kelly couldn't.
• 38:21
  Speaker 4: Hit a lefty with a boot, or you think I'm
• 38:22
  Speaker 4: gonna play him against a lefty?
• 38:24
  Speaker 3: And I said, Jim, you know that I still play
• 38:26
  Speaker 3: in your division. He goes, Oh, You're so freaking stupid.
• 38:29
  Speaker 3: You won't remember this tomorrow. Anyways, We'll be fine. And
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: just I'm like, okay, Jim, Well, at least I know
• 38:33
  Speaker 3: where I stand with you.
• 38:34
  Speaker 4: And so I mean, do you sit there after the
• 38:36
  Speaker 4: game and he'll remember He would eat his food and
• 38:39
  Speaker 4: just se out and answer to the media as he's eating.
• 38:43
  Speaker 3: Is that is that going to be your style?
• 38:44
  Speaker 8: Well, no, I haven't had a cigarette in a while.
• 38:49
  Speaker 8: I don't say the uh the one thing that you
• 38:53
  Speaker 8: all you knew where you stood with them. I knew
• 38:55
  Speaker 8: I wasn't gonna face a lefty, although we were talking
• 38:57
  Speaker 8: about it the other day that there was one time
• 38:59
  Speaker 8: he caught me off guard in the playoffs against the Yankees.
• 39:02
  Speaker 8: He put me in as a defensive replacement to go
• 39:05
  Speaker 8: in for into right field for Maglio.
• 39:06
  Speaker 5: Maglio was leading off the next inning against C. C.
• 39:09
  Speaker 8: Sabathia and had it was I came down, I Leland
• 39:14
  Speaker 8: came walking down the dugout and he was like, hey,
• 39:16
  Speaker 8: can you bunt? And that he mumbled it and there
• 39:18
  Speaker 8: was so much going on. I was like, I was
• 39:19
  Speaker 8: like what and he goes, can you bleep bunch? And
• 39:24
  Speaker 8: I was like, I was like, well, we're gonna find out.
• 39:27
  Speaker 8: And I went up and laid down a bunt actually
• 39:29
  Speaker 8: got a base head off of it. And so that
• 39:32
  Speaker 8: was just the way his his magic was being able
• 39:35
  Speaker 8: to communicate and be clear on it and tell you
• 39:38
  Speaker 8: the truth all the time.
• 39:39
  Speaker 5: And I think so hopefully our.
• 39:41
  Speaker 8: Guys would say that about me that I would like
• 39:43
  Speaker 8: to take over into this minus a cigarette.
• 39:45
  Speaker 3: I won't you.
• 39:48
  Speaker 4: Because in Chicago, the people that don't know in Chicago,
• 39:51
  Speaker 4: the cages, the busy and cages were in the basically
• 39:54
  Speaker 4: in the home club out So at the time Jim
• 39:56
  Speaker 4: had a son who was trying to play, and Leland
• 39:59
  Speaker 4: would come over shirtless and just in his sliding shorts
• 40:02
  Speaker 4: and throwing VP in the cages.
• 40:04
  Speaker 3: So we'd walk in there, and I think he did
• 40:05
  Speaker 3: it to distract us and ruin our day. So he
• 40:09
  Speaker 3: is that is that what?
• 40:10
  Speaker 5: Won't be doing that? No, but I wouldn't put it
• 40:13
  Speaker 5: past him doing that for sure.
• 40:16
  Speaker 4: Hold on, Thank you very much for joining us good
• 40:17
  Speaker 4: luck this year, have a great team at Pittsburgh and
• 40:20
  Speaker 4: we'll be right back on Balta.
• 40:21
  Speaker 5: Thank you.