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What Do Kevin McGonigle, Other Detroit Infielders Have To Prove This Spring? · Tiger Territory: A Detroit Tigers Podcast

0:09
Speaker 1: Hey, Welcome into another episode of Tiger Territory, part of
0:12
Speaker 1: the Foul Territory Network to Tigers podcast. I'm Kieren Sechley
0:15
Speaker 1: with me as always as a man who exclusively went
0:18
Speaker 1: by the name Marti Gras back when he was in
0:21
Speaker 1: high school, he is Cody Stavenagg And how you doing that?
0:25
Speaker 2: That would have been really weird. But yeah, I'm doing good.
0:28
Speaker 2: I am locked in combat. My yearly battle with Lakeland
0:31
Speaker 2: allergies finally kind of getting me down today. That's one
0:34
Speaker 2: downside of being somewhere really warm this time of year.
0:37
Speaker 2: But otherwise things are good, things are fun, Tigers can't
0:41
Speaker 2: beginning to pick up a little steam, and we're not
0:43
Speaker 2: too far away from baseball games beginning once again.
0:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, well let's just kind of start there. Since
0:51
Speaker 1: last week talked what's kind of the talk of town,
0:54
Speaker 1: what's the you know, what's going on in there in
0:56
Speaker 1: tiger Land?
0:57
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I think the initial hoopla over from Bravaldez
1:02
Speaker 2: over justin Berlander has settled down, so now it's starting
1:06
Speaker 2: to feel a little bit more like business as usual.
1:09
Speaker 2: And in that one of my big takeaways has been, oh, like,
1:14
Speaker 2: this is going to be a pretty good team, and
1:17
Speaker 2: this is easily the most settled a team has felt
1:20
Speaker 2: this time of year in my time covering the Tigers.
1:23
Speaker 2: Now say that with usual caveat, all it takes is
1:26
Speaker 2: one injury to derail all of that. Maybe almost makes
1:30
Speaker 2: you a little nervous because things seem pretty set. You
1:32
Speaker 2: know your five starters. I think for the first time
1:35
Speaker 2: in aj Hinch's tenure as manager, they innerspring with five
1:39
Speaker 2: set starters. The bullpen. I mean, there are a couple
1:41
Speaker 2: spots up for grabs in the bullpen, but a lot
1:44
Speaker 2: of that is set and position wise. You talk about
1:48
Speaker 2: running back, we'll see there could always be a wrinkler. Two.
1:51
Speaker 2: There are some young guys that we know of knocking
1:53
Speaker 2: loudly on this door. But you know what is the
1:57
Speaker 2: biggest roster battle, I'm not even sure. So you know
2:01
Speaker 2: that's kind of made like what am I really locking
2:03
Speaker 2: in on on the backfields. I mean, I've watched a
2:05
Speaker 2: lot of Kevin McGonagall, but some of the live BP
2:08
Speaker 2: sessions we've seen so far, Scoopl's really the only one
2:11
Speaker 2: of the big boys to have thrown I guess flirty
2:13
Speaker 2: through Tuesday. But it's been like a little less locking
2:17
Speaker 2: in on every little thing. Uh, And I actually think
2:20
Speaker 2: that's a sign of positive growth. Like the Tigers have
2:23
Speaker 2: a pretty good, pretty experience, pretty familiar team. Now we'll see,
2:27
Speaker 2: you know, if guys can stay healthy, and we'll see
2:29
Speaker 2: what that looks like in another couple of weeks.
2:32
Speaker 1: So is that I guess I'm asking you to be
2:35
Speaker 1: a little reflective here, Like you've obviously covered some teams
2:39
Speaker 1: that had higher you know, variables at play even at
2:44
Speaker 1: this time as were only like you know, a handful
2:46
Speaker 1: of days in the full squad. Like it's just like
2:48
Speaker 1: a lot of more mystery. And so I'm just kind
2:51
Speaker 1: of curious now that the core has been here, like
2:56
Speaker 1: here in the majors a couple you know, a couple
2:58
Speaker 1: of seasons now had some success, have you know, obviously
3:01
Speaker 1: the superstar presence and you know, with respect to Miguel Cabrera,
3:05
Speaker 1: once you started covering him, he was no longer like
3:07
Speaker 1: and obviously in his prime superstar like the School Bowl.
3:10
Speaker 1: So like all these things, like how is that different
3:13
Speaker 1: when things are settled as opposed to like who's gonna
3:19
Speaker 1: play first base? Who's going to be like you're starting
3:22
Speaker 1: center fielder? Like like like all these things that you
3:25
Speaker 1: would kind of psych you, like you specifically like psych
3:28
Speaker 1: yourself up for you know, and we observe even like
3:31
Speaker 1: the players that know that they're not like making this team,
3:34
Speaker 1: you know, certain guys or whatever, Like, how is that
3:36
Speaker 1: different this year from previous?
3:38
Speaker 2: Well, it's certainly different covering it. I mean, just the
3:40
Speaker 2: storylines are different. I remember watching every pitch Casey Miz
3:45
Speaker 2: and Trek Scooble when Matt Manning threw in live BPS
3:48
Speaker 2: like it was a life or death because that kind
3:51
Speaker 2: of was the story. This is the future of the franchise.
3:53
Speaker 2: Are these guys actually going to be good or not?
3:56
Speaker 2: What can we learn about them? Who else? Are there
3:59
Speaker 2: mis who go to merge or there young players who
4:02
Speaker 2: who've gotten better and maybe could reach a higher version
4:05
Speaker 2: of their potentials. And now it's kind of like, well,
4:08
Speaker 2: we know who the dudes are and we know almost
4:11
Speaker 2: everything about them. So amongst the players, I kind of
4:15
Speaker 2: get the sense from that, like, hey, it's time to
4:16
Speaker 2: go to work. Like it's less like guys on an
4:21
Speaker 2: individual basis trying to make the roster and more as
4:24
Speaker 2: a collective, this team's trying to win the World Series.
4:27
Speaker 2: Like I think I feel that the energy the players
4:30
Speaker 2: are given off the things they're saying, and then it's
4:33
Speaker 2: a little bit of a new challenge for me to
4:34
Speaker 2: cover it right. How to keep this interesting? What should
4:37
Speaker 2: I be locking in on? Trek Scoogle is one of
4:39
Speaker 2: the biggest stories in baseball, justin Verlander, But what do
4:42
Speaker 2: you say about either of those two guys who have
4:44
Speaker 2: been so well documented. Obviously there's still interesting things to
4:48
Speaker 2: look at on the backfield, where there's Kevin mcgonagall's defense,
4:52
Speaker 2: whether it's how you lee, whether it's some swing changes.
4:55
Speaker 2: I think Parker Meadows, jayse Young guys who are both
4:59
Speaker 2: shown up to spring being even Zach McKinstry his stride
5:02
Speaker 2: is a little different, but just kind of the focus
5:05
Speaker 2: on that minutia feels lessoned, at least to me, because
5:09
Speaker 2: it's kind of like, all right, like, we know these guys,
5:10
Speaker 2: we know they're pretty good, keep them healthy through camp.
5:14
Speaker 2: Let's play ball in San Diego.
5:16
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, and there's also probably an element of like
5:20
Speaker 1: kind of the epitome of the cliche of just kind
5:23
Speaker 1: of like you know, worry about yourself, do you or whatever?
5:26
Speaker 1: Because like like like the probably the bigger battles I
5:30
Speaker 1: guess is what I'm getting at is these internal battles
5:33
Speaker 1: for these guys to either stay healthy or you know,
5:37
Speaker 1: really really hone in on that tweak or like rEFInd
5:40
Speaker 1: your form. And obviously those things exist, you know, you know,
5:44
Speaker 1: and plenty in this camp, and we'll talk about we'll
5:47
Speaker 1: talk about those guys too. So last week or yeah,
5:52
Speaker 1: last episode, I should say, we talked about like the
5:56
Speaker 1: pressure meter for like the outfielders, and obviously this is
6:04
Speaker 1: gonna play out in the infield as well as a
6:05
Speaker 1: lot of those things that we've already you know, discussed here.
6:08
Speaker 1: So why don't we just kind of dive in onto
6:11
Speaker 1: some of these guys. You mentioned him a couple of times,
6:13
Speaker 1: and he is like the number one on the intrigue meter.
6:19
Speaker 1: He's he's a ten out of five. All right, Like
6:21
Speaker 1: everybody around baseball wants to know about Kevin McGonagall and
6:26
Speaker 1: like will he make this team? And and I think
6:28
Speaker 1: the general baseball fan is rooting for him to make
6:31
Speaker 1: this team. See the top prospect go to the major leagues,
6:33
Speaker 1: especially on a team that's expected to be competitive. Uh,
6:39
Speaker 1: this one's a little hard one for me to give
6:41
Speaker 1: a number, because in theory, It really shouldn't be a
6:45
Speaker 1: high number on a guy who's never been the Triple A. Like,
6:49
Speaker 1: like there's pressure being one of the top prospects in baseball.
6:52
Speaker 1: I understand that, but like there should this should, almost
6:57
Speaker 1: an extent, be like a little bit of a house
6:59
Speaker 1: money spring training for Kevin McGonagall. Get your feet wet,
7:03
Speaker 1: like you know, maybe you can figure out, like whether
7:06
Speaker 1: you can be a major league shortstop or not to
7:08
Speaker 1: a certain extent, and you know, get that, get the
7:11
Speaker 1: bad timing down for some top pitching, and and and
7:13
Speaker 1: and have fun. So I guess I'm gonna go. I'll
7:18
Speaker 1: go with a one point seventy five out of five
7:21
Speaker 1: because it can't be a zero because there are stakes
7:24
Speaker 1: with him, and it can't be high because he is
7:26
Speaker 1: so young. But like there is a certain expectation level
7:32
Speaker 1: that he is stepping into, and I think you have
7:34
Speaker 1: to respect that as well. So that that's my McGonagall
7:37
Speaker 1: from Afarte.
7:39
Speaker 2: You know, he popped up twice and broke his bat
7:41
Speaker 2: against cater Montero. Should we sell all Kevin McGonagall stock.
7:45
Speaker 1: I'm pumping into a three point seventy five.
7:49
Speaker 2: No, I really don't think there's a much pressure on McGonagall.
7:52
Speaker 2: There is something at stake, given he's trying to make
7:54
Speaker 2: the roster, but that's only a conversation because he is
7:58
Speaker 2: ahead of schedule and trying to get even more ahead
8:01
Speaker 2: of schedule. I think house money is a good analogy.
8:04
Speaker 2: The spring is kind of house money for Kevin McGonagall.
8:07
Speaker 2: I'm sure he's deeply motivated to try to make the
8:09
Speaker 2: team and make his big league debut, but in the
8:12
Speaker 2: broad scheme of his career, he shouldn't be feeling a
8:15
Speaker 2: whole lot of pressure with what happens to this camp,
8:18
Speaker 2: with what happens early on in when he does reach
8:21
Speaker 2: the major leagues. I think the big question is how
8:24
Speaker 2: legit is his shot or the Tiger's going to give
8:27
Speaker 2: him a real shake. I don't know, that's my answer
8:32
Speaker 2: to that, which makes me think maybe they like it's
8:34
Speaker 2: one of those things right. It would be easy for
8:36
Speaker 2: them to shut down, and they haven't quite done that.
8:39
Speaker 2: They certainly have not tacked up the idea of McGonagall
8:42
Speaker 2: making the roster, but that would be unlike the m Aj.
8:45
Speaker 2: Hinch Scott Harris. They certainly do. They want to go
8:47
Speaker 2: out of their way to avoid the feeling of pressure
8:50
Speaker 2: on young players, so I wonder if maybe that door
8:54
Speaker 2: is certainly cracked open. I also don't think it's going
8:57
Speaker 2: to be handed to him. I think if he has
8:58
Speaker 2: an eye opening spring, if he looks like you can
9:01
Speaker 2: handle short in the field like I think, the chance
9:06
Speaker 2: is there. That doesn't mean it's gonna happen. We've talked
9:09
Speaker 2: thirty six games above. Hya hasn't played in Triple A.
9:13
Speaker 2: I don't know that I would put money on it.
9:15
Speaker 2: But again, this thing hasn't been shut down. If you
9:18
Speaker 2: look at the construction of the Tigers, as many set
9:21
Speaker 2: pieces that as they they have, they're a little heavier
9:24
Speaker 2: in the outfield than the infield. We know shortstop. I mean,
9:27
Speaker 2: you're gonna see some Hobby byas you're gonna see some
9:29
Speaker 2: Zach McKinstry. But if there's one roster spot that you
9:32
Speaker 2: would feel a lot better about, I think it's that
9:34
Speaker 2: Kevin McGonagall could go seize that shortstop job. So let's
9:39
Speaker 2: let this one play out a little longer and maybe
9:41
Speaker 2: we can get a better read on it. But it's
9:45
Speaker 2: definitely one of the toxicam no doubt.
9:47
Speaker 1: Well, is there is there a simple like is there
9:53
Speaker 1: a simple lane? For McGonagall to make this team because
9:58
Speaker 1: there because because like the more I think about it,
10:01
Speaker 1: the more I try to, like I get stuck on
10:03
Speaker 1: the complications like kind of both that go like both
10:06
Speaker 1: ways here, like one of them being the prospect incentive,
10:09
Speaker 1: which I don't think plays that much of a factor,
10:11
Speaker 1: but it is a thing. You have to respect it.
10:14
Speaker 1: And then two is like everybody only talks about him
10:18
Speaker 1: right now as like defense shortstop, So like is it
10:23
Speaker 1: like could he could his bat be just is as
10:26
Speaker 1: simple as like, look, man, if this guy is one
10:27
Speaker 1: of our best nine that I can put that aj
10:30
Speaker 1: can Wright in the lineup, then he has to come
10:32
Speaker 1: up and we'll figure out the defense or is there
10:34
Speaker 1: gonna be like a he's gonna have to hold his
10:36
Speaker 1: own like like that's like the first thing that they
10:40
Speaker 1: that they kind of have to check off in order
10:42
Speaker 1: for him to like, you know, make this team if
10:45
Speaker 1: you would, because I tuck myself into it, like every
10:49
Speaker 1: single direction dude about like what would be the best
10:52
Speaker 1: thing for him? Uh, And I do agree that like
10:56
Speaker 1: they do like to keep a lot of things in house.
10:58
Speaker 1: I've been on record as saying like, look, if this
11:00
Speaker 1: was gonna be mcgonagall's like spring to make the team,
11:04
Speaker 1: we probably would get some indication, but then fromber but
11:08
Speaker 1: then justin Verlander and these like moves in silence. I'm like,
11:13
Speaker 1: what if the move in silence is like, this is
11:15
Speaker 1: like teed up for McGonagall, Like, I don't know, I
11:17
Speaker 1: talk every.
11:18
Speaker 2: Way, Yeah right, I mean we've seen him. He's taking
11:22
Speaker 2: ground balls with quote unquote the ones you know, Hovey Baias, mcinstry,
11:26
Speaker 2: cold glabor torque sometimes and then he's taken you know,
11:31
Speaker 2: other days, he's been kind of with the other minor
11:33
Speaker 2: league guys. So I asked aj Hinch about that. He's
11:36
Speaker 2: done that with a couple of the younger guys, just
11:38
Speaker 2: kind of trying to break them in, get them comfortable
11:41
Speaker 2: standing around Hovey Baias, get them comfortable with the feeling
11:44
Speaker 2: of being with the major league guys. But it's also
11:47
Speaker 2: not every day. It's also not necessarily an indication that,
11:49
Speaker 2: oh that means he's going to be on the roster,
11:52
Speaker 2: despite what headlines you might see on the internet. So
11:57
Speaker 2: we'll see. I think his best lane to make this
11:59
Speaker 2: team is proving he's a legit defensive shortstop. And I'll
12:03
Speaker 2: say He looks smoother in the field to me than
12:05
Speaker 2: he did this time a year ago. What does that
12:07
Speaker 2: mean to how it will translate to game speed? Like,
12:09
Speaker 2: I don't know, but he moves smoother. He's always had
12:13
Speaker 2: a real quick exchange. The arm seems to be plenty strong.
12:20
Speaker 2: I think that would help his case. I think the
12:21
Speaker 2: other thing is, okay, if there's an injury to really
12:24
Speaker 2: any infielder, particularly a left handed infielder, what does that
12:29
Speaker 2: mean there's not a candidate left handed? I don't think
12:32
Speaker 2: in front of Kevin McGonagall and off that. I'll say,
12:36
Speaker 2: one guy we're probably not talking about it enough, is
12:38
Speaker 2: Trey Cruise, who can play center field, who can play shortstop,
12:40
Speaker 2: who's a switch hitter and has a little more experience
12:44
Speaker 2: than McGonagall. Maybe someone to really keep an eye on
12:47
Speaker 2: this camp and we'll see what he does at the plate.
12:50
Speaker 2: Because if it's not Trey Cruz, McGonagall might just be
12:53
Speaker 2: the next guy up.
12:57
Speaker 1: It's funny. I actually I had Tray Crew's listed, so
12:59
Speaker 1: we can go there right now. I like Trey Cruse
13:01
Speaker 1: is one that's like a little bit tricky. Tricky is
13:06
Speaker 1: too strong of a word, but look, dude, I'm looking
13:09
Speaker 1: at his birthday right now. He's gonna turn twenty seven
13:11
Speaker 1: if my math is correct, this summer. So like there
13:15
Speaker 1: is an element of this is the best shot. I mean,
13:18
Speaker 1: you were added to the forty man, this is the
13:19
Speaker 1: best shot of in the spring that you've had in
13:22
Speaker 1: your entire professional career.
13:24
Speaker 2: You have.
13:24
Speaker 1: There are elements obviously they value to a certain extent
13:27
Speaker 1: because you know, the forty man, the versatility, like you said,
13:30
Speaker 1: the left hand, all that stuff. You said, I don't
13:32
Speaker 1: want to go overboard, but I kinda do. I'm gonna
13:35
Speaker 1: go three point twenty five. Like I think, like it's
13:37
Speaker 1: gotta be more on the other half, just because like
13:40
Speaker 1: he's not twenty three, you know what I mean. Like
13:43
Speaker 1: I feel like that's what I'm giving weight to and
13:46
Speaker 1: this is the best opportunity. So if I were him,
13:48
Speaker 1: I would be feeling a lot of like I have
13:51
Speaker 1: to really put my best foot forward every day because
13:54
Speaker 1: you know, these opportunities sometimes they are fleeting.
13:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think tray Cruise might have been
13:59
Speaker 2: under more pressure last year where it was a little
14:01
Speaker 2: bit like okay, like stay healthy and have a good
14:04
Speaker 2: year or you're gonna get straight passed. Up and he
14:06
Speaker 2: had a pretty good year. But now there is certainly
14:09
Speaker 2: a lot on the line because a good year could
14:11
Speaker 2: involve a lot of time in the big leagues and
14:13
Speaker 2: a total change in the way we look at his future,
14:16
Speaker 2: and a bad year could be like now you got
14:19
Speaker 2: passed up. So we will see. He checks a lot
14:23
Speaker 2: of boxes with all his versatility. I've seen him a
14:26
Speaker 2: lot more in center and with the outfielders than in
14:28
Speaker 2: the infield so far this camp he's gonna do both though,
14:32
Speaker 2: So if you want to read into that, I mean,
14:34
Speaker 2: if McGonagall starts in triple A, he's probably gonna mostly
14:37
Speaker 2: play short, which is gonna push Cruise probably to be
14:40
Speaker 2: the primary center fielder in Toledo, I would guess. But
14:43
Speaker 2: we all know there are a lot of moving parts,
14:45
Speaker 2: a lot of factors here. Yeah, I'm just gonna say
14:49
Speaker 2: it again, like Trey Cruise, Let's keep an eye on
14:51
Speaker 2: him in camp. Let's see what he does, because there's
14:53
Speaker 2: some possibilities there if he can be productive with the
14:56
Speaker 2: bat in his.
14:56
Speaker 1: Hands, sticking with up the middle. One Hobby Baiez, the
15:02
Speaker 1: one first half exclusively Hobby second half more Javier Bayez
15:08
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty five and like, wol you what you
15:12
Speaker 1: say about tray cruises up, moving parts and a lot
15:14
Speaker 1: of factors. I'm pretty sure that's Hovey's middle name when
15:19
Speaker 1: it comes to his when describing his career with the
15:22
Speaker 1: UH with the Tigers, and look, the versatility is there,
15:25
Speaker 1: we know that there is. I I would say there
15:30
Speaker 1: is some level of upside in his bat Like the
15:33
Speaker 1: moments have happened enough that I do believe it's in there.
15:37
Speaker 1: It's obviously not consistent. The second half speaks for itself.
15:40
Speaker 1: He did have some moments in the postseason, But I like,
15:44
Speaker 1: it's also hobby, So does AVI like feel pressure meters?
15:48
Speaker 1: I think he's just Hobby being Hobby. But I so,
15:51
Speaker 1: I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put this as a
15:52
Speaker 1: solid two and like he's done enough and the team
15:55
Speaker 1: has had success enough that he's no longer looked at
15:59
Speaker 1: in a purely negative ire And that's and I think
16:03
Speaker 1: that's worth noting. But at the same time, it's not
16:06
Speaker 1: like not like stoked to like put Hobby in the
16:09
Speaker 1: lineup because the offensive struggers struggles to decline metrics are there.
16:13
Speaker 2: So yeah, I don't think anyone knows what to make
16:17
Speaker 2: of Hobby. Ever, funny right this time a year ago, right,
16:23
Speaker 2: it was like, oh, or the Tiger's gonna buy out
16:25
Speaker 2: Hobby Bias, And funny, what a year can change? That
16:28
Speaker 2: conversation seems to be out the window. Except what if
16:33
Speaker 2: Hobvey Bias has a terrible first month and Kevin McGonagall
16:37
Speaker 2: gets in the big leagues and is tearing it up,
16:39
Speaker 2: and someone like Trey Cruz even exceeds expectations a little
16:43
Speaker 2: bit and Hobby's unplayable. Could that suddenly re enter the conversation. Maybe?
16:48
Speaker 1: So.
16:48
Speaker 2: I don't want to say there's no pressure on Hobby.
16:51
Speaker 2: He's in a way better spot than he was a
16:53
Speaker 2: year ago, but he still has to prove some things.
16:56
Speaker 2: And I think the big question, like no one seems
16:59
Speaker 2: to have a good idea of how or where he's
17:01
Speaker 2: going to be used. Aj Hinch says he wants to
17:03
Speaker 2: keep moving him around the field, and that's probably a
17:06
Speaker 2: hint that the best version of Hobvey maybe doesn't have
17:09
Speaker 2: to play every single day. You keep him engaged, you
17:12
Speaker 2: put him in center, but you're not leaning on him
17:14
Speaker 2: to be the everyday short stop, which then leans leads
17:17
Speaker 2: to the question like, well, who is your short shop?
17:19
Speaker 2: You know, even if it's a fifty to fifty Hobby
17:22
Speaker 2: McKinstry split, that's all Like it hasn't really been talked
17:26
Speaker 2: about that way, which is one of those reasons. I'm like,
17:28
Speaker 2: I'm not going to close the door on mcgonagal or
17:30
Speaker 2: a cruise or you know his name we have not mentioned.
17:34
Speaker 2: I feel very bad about it. Trey Sweeney, who's played
17:36
Speaker 2: more short than anyone last year, has not been talked
17:40
Speaker 2: about at all. Everyone's forgetting about him. He's changed his
17:42
Speaker 2: swing a little bit up too, So yeah, we're gonna
17:47
Speaker 2: see Hobby's in a pretty good place in camp. We'll
17:50
Speaker 2: talk about it. Since it came up, he was asked
17:53
Speaker 2: about his w WBC suspension for marijuana use and Hobby
17:59
Speaker 2: buy it. Man. This guy, for all the flak he gets,
18:03
Speaker 2: never fails to get things right. I thought Hovey just
18:06
Speaker 2: put on a masterclass of addressing this situation. He was candid,
18:10
Speaker 2: he was straightforward, he was emotional talking about what Puerto
18:14
Speaker 2: Rico means to him, credits having wood Barry ask him
18:18
Speaker 2: just straight up, like, do you have any thoughts when
18:21
Speaker 2: the fact people are still testing for marijuana in twenty
18:23
Speaker 2: twenty six, and you know he was somewhat candidate. It's
18:26
Speaker 2: not like I took steroids, he said, it doesn't. He
18:29
Speaker 2: said something to the fact that it doesn't bother me,
18:30
Speaker 2: except it does bother me. But I'm gonna keep my
18:33
Speaker 2: mouth shut. So like a little bit of a pushback
18:36
Speaker 2: Hobby that you know, the free hobby movement is in
18:40
Speaker 2: effect online and I'm all good with that. Yeah, just
18:44
Speaker 2: for all the flak he gets, man, he handled that
18:46
Speaker 2: whole situation very well, a lot of sincerity. He got
18:50
Speaker 2: a little emotional talking about Puerto Rico, and he talked
18:53
Speaker 2: about a lot about just like being excited for this year.
18:55
Speaker 2: And in terms of the Tiger signing Fromberg, JV said,
18:59
Speaker 2: it's felt like we were building to this moment from
19:02
Speaker 2: the day I got here. So props to hobby Bias
19:06
Speaker 2: for always handling things pretty well.
19:09
Speaker 1: Only Hobby Bias could have a Spring Training storyline involving
19:13
Speaker 1: a marijuana test from three years ago. I mean, like,
19:16
Speaker 1: come on, like, it's just like that. That only hobby
19:21
Speaker 1: All right, let's go to Trey Sweeney since you mentioned him,
19:23
Speaker 1: like he does feel like the forgotten man. He he's
19:28
Speaker 1: a guy that just I think literally on the depth
19:32
Speaker 1: chart and in the depth of fans minds has just
19:36
Speaker 1: kind of dropped consistently. And it really comes down to
19:41
Speaker 1: the bat. The glove like obviously didn't measure out as
19:45
Speaker 1: well as as we thought it would last season as well,
19:48
Speaker 1: but like, look, they like him because of certain metrics.
19:53
Speaker 1: They feel like they can get, you know, they can
19:55
Speaker 1: make a useful player out of them. The left handed
19:58
Speaker 1: bat is obviously an advantage, but it's only an advantage
20:01
Speaker 1: if you can do it. So like I this feels
20:04
Speaker 1: like for his placement in the organization, I can't go
20:11
Speaker 1: lower than a four yah, because like it's not necessarily
20:14
Speaker 1: about making this team, but it's about like having a
20:18
Speaker 1: stakehold in the organization. That's how I look at it.
20:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, you're right. I do think this is a
20:24
Speaker 2: This is someone who has to reassert themselves and we
20:26
Speaker 2: talked about it a lot. But he probably played more
20:29
Speaker 2: than he needed to last year. He appeared in one
20:31
Speaker 2: hundred and eighteen games, He had two hundred and ninety
20:34
Speaker 2: six at bats, and he only hit one ninety six
20:37
Speaker 2: his We remember his twenty twenty four cent in the
20:41
Speaker 2: big leagues as being successful because he had some big moments,
20:43
Speaker 2: but his OPS was six forty two and last year's
20:47
Speaker 2: OPS fell to five forty eight. He's gonna be in
20:50
Speaker 2: his age twenty six season. He's got to prove he
20:53
Speaker 2: can hit a little bit. And like I said, there
20:55
Speaker 2: are some swing adjustments, and I think there's some people
20:57
Speaker 2: optimistic that he could do a little more at the plate.
21:00
Speaker 2: But it is proven. I think it is kind of
21:02
Speaker 2: earn your spot back a little bit. So we'll see
21:06
Speaker 2: what happens with Sweeney. I don't know that I'm overly optimistic,
21:11
Speaker 2: but one thought I did have on the backfield is
21:13
Speaker 2: like between Trey Sweeney, Jace Young, and Trey Cruz, I
21:18
Speaker 2: would bet one of those guys contributes more than we
21:21
Speaker 2: are thinking today here in February, and it's like which
21:25
Speaker 2: one is it gonna be?
21:28
Speaker 1: Well, let's go right there the Jace Young because we
21:31
Speaker 1: got the h We got the news I leak late
21:33
Speaker 1: last week that he is starting to work at UH
21:37
Speaker 1: at first base, got first basement and everything. The true
21:40
Speaker 1: sign of being a first basement is you have to
21:44
Speaker 1: have a first basement. He's got one. And and look
21:49
Speaker 1: like this is a me thing, So this is not me,
21:53
Speaker 1: Like this is not like a projection on Jase, but like,
21:56
Speaker 1: I'm kind of tired of having to wait for like
22:01
Speaker 1: what I know is in there with the bat, with
22:03
Speaker 1: the adjustment that he didn't make. I'm kind of tired
22:06
Speaker 1: of waiting for it to happen, so like me mentally,
22:11
Speaker 1: So what I mean by that is, I'll be happy
22:13
Speaker 1: to see it when it happens. But like, but at
22:16
Speaker 1: the same time, it's not because of a lack of
22:19
Speaker 1: opportunity and not everything's equal. Everything's tough, it's a very
22:22
Speaker 1: tough sport. I understand all that, but he has He's
22:25
Speaker 1: not gonna go through however long his Tiger's tenure is
22:28
Speaker 1: without having an opportunity. He's had opportunity. I'm glad he's,
22:31
Speaker 1: you know, adding a little bit of defensive versatility. I
22:34
Speaker 1: don't I'm not counting him out, but I'm gonna go
22:38
Speaker 1: again with the I'm gonna go with the fourth thing
22:41
Speaker 1: because like this is another instance of guys kind of
22:44
Speaker 1: passing you up. And maybe you could argue that the
22:47
Speaker 1: first base element, while good, it's also kind of a
22:50
Speaker 1: sign that, like we gotta find more ways to be
22:52
Speaker 1: able to use you, because as presently constructed, we can,
22:56
Speaker 1: so I'm going with the four.
22:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree similar go as Tray Sweeney. There's a
23:01
Speaker 2: lot of prove it here, But unlike Tray Sweeney, Jasey Young,
23:05
Speaker 2: it's easy forget. He really hasn't played that much in
23:07
Speaker 2: the major leagues. He only has one hundred and twenty
23:09
Speaker 2: six at bats over two seasons, hasn't hit a home run,
23:12
Speaker 2: one ninety batting average. He has looked pretty overmatched in
23:16
Speaker 2: both of those stints, which is why they went to
23:18
Speaker 2: work on adjusting his swing to try to get him
23:20
Speaker 2: to handle velocity better. He had some struggles even in Toledo,
23:24
Speaker 2: but he got hot. He finished with an eight sixteen
23:27
Speaker 2: OPS in Toledo last season. He looks really comfortable with
23:30
Speaker 2: kind of this new condensed swing in terms of like BP,
23:35
Speaker 2: I'd like to see more how it's going to hold
23:37
Speaker 2: up against live pitching. But if you're looking for a
23:40
Speaker 2: reason to be optimistic, man, I think the new swing
23:42
Speaker 2: looks pretty good the first base. It can't hurt, you know.
23:45
Speaker 2: I do think he's probably still the de facto third
23:48
Speaker 2: or fourth string first baseman. Even if something were to
23:51
Speaker 2: happen to Torkelsen, Tigers could move Cole Keith over there.
23:55
Speaker 2: Even Matt Vierling is going to get a little bit
23:58
Speaker 2: of action at first toward the tail into this spring,
24:01
Speaker 2: just to keep that in his tool bag. But it
24:04
Speaker 2: makes them more usable. And let's not forget this is
24:07
Speaker 2: a guy who's hit at every level, just hasn't quite
24:10
Speaker 2: done it to the big leagues yet and hasn't had
24:12
Speaker 2: a huge sample in the big leagues. The problem now
24:15
Speaker 2: is he just has to fight uphill to get that opportunity.
24:18
Speaker 2: It's not gonna be handed to him.
24:21
Speaker 1: All right, let's go with a couple of quicker ones here, Cody.
24:25
Speaker 1: I'll go with Zach McKinstry right here, all star last year.
24:29
Speaker 1: I think this like his role is one that if
24:33
Speaker 1: Scott Harris and aj Hinch had like true serum, they
24:37
Speaker 1: would say they would love to have about four or
24:39
Speaker 1: five Zach McKinstry types like available at any point so
24:43
Speaker 1: that they don't necessarily have to, you know, they don't
24:46
Speaker 1: not say have to, but like the ability to kind
24:48
Speaker 1: of replace with younger, cheaper talent at that kind of role.
24:52
Speaker 1: With all respect to Zach, obviously like Zach a lot.
24:55
Speaker 1: He's gonna be thirty one in April, so I'm gonna
24:58
Speaker 1: give it like a they pressure, really but you got it.
25:01
Speaker 1: You coming off an all star season one point five
25:03
Speaker 1: out of five for me, like your spot is secure,
25:07
Speaker 1: but also your spot is a spot that, like other
25:11
Speaker 1: people are being groomed for very much at all times
25:13
Speaker 1: if they can do it.
25:14
Speaker 2: So yeah, that's a good way to put it. Probably
25:16
Speaker 2: the least pressure Zach McKinstry has ever felt into spring
25:19
Speaker 2: training in his life. And yet what is that? What
25:23
Speaker 2: does that mean if you don't replicate what you did
25:25
Speaker 2: last year and you reset the bar for yourself to
25:29
Speaker 2: be really high, to be all star level production, Like
25:32
Speaker 2: that conversation could change quickly with how you lee, Max Anderson,
25:37
Speaker 2: Kevin mcgonagell and others, even a guy like jayse Young coming.
25:42
Speaker 2: I think it helps. The McKinstry is so versatile defensively,
25:45
Speaker 2: it'd be a huge deal if he could hit lefties
25:48
Speaker 2: the way he did for the majority of last season.
25:51
Speaker 2: But right now entering spring, he's going to roll out there.
25:53
Speaker 2: He's going to play a lot, whether it's third, whether
25:56
Speaker 2: it's short, whether it's outfield, whether it's second. The tiger
26:00
Speaker 2: here again, I think looking at him to be an
26:01
Speaker 2: important part of this team.
26:04
Speaker 1: Labor Torres short. You know, like you know what in
26:08
Speaker 1: a contract here obviously got a little bit of pay
26:11
Speaker 1: pay bump with the qualifying offer, but we know what
26:14
Speaker 1: he is. I would say any sort of pressure is
26:17
Speaker 1: whatever kind of preparations you can make to try to
26:19
Speaker 1: be a little healthier, maybe move a little bit better.
26:21
Speaker 1: As you get older, you got to take care of
26:23
Speaker 1: your body in different ways. But labor's labor. I'm gonna
26:26
Speaker 1: give that a one. Like any pressure is really just
26:29
Speaker 1: for him to have a good season order to get
26:31
Speaker 1: probably his last payday.
26:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, there is pressure from that lens right. I mean,
26:36
Speaker 2: free agency hasn't treated him quite as well as he
26:39
Speaker 2: would have liked. He's back on a one year deal,
26:42
Speaker 2: took the qualifying offer, so you want to prove you're
26:45
Speaker 2: worth of real long term payday, here you go. He
26:49
Speaker 2: talked a lot about playing through the hernia. You know,
26:51
Speaker 2: it was tough on him in the second half last year.
26:53
Speaker 2: But even though he was playing through pain, I mean,
26:57
Speaker 2: I guess it explains it. But man, he looked slower.
26:59
Speaker 2: As he look slower, he got bigger, like it was tough,
27:03
Speaker 2: and I think he showed up to camp in good shape.
27:05
Speaker 2: And I think now The question is, like, was all
27:09
Speaker 2: the it felt like he aged five years in a month.
27:12
Speaker 2: Was that solely due to the hernia or might there
27:15
Speaker 2: have been something else at play? Can he be anything
27:18
Speaker 2: close to first half later? Can he still hit for
27:21
Speaker 2: a little more power? There are some questions there, but yeah,
27:23
Speaker 2: he's going to play second base almost every day and
27:26
Speaker 2: he's gonna be a huge part of this team.
27:28
Speaker 1: Let's go with Jamai Jones established role. Like these things
27:33
Speaker 1: can be fleeting, so like it's you know, you can't
27:36
Speaker 1: be like too comfortable, but the fact that you know,
27:38
Speaker 1: justin Henry Malloy is no longer here, the fact that
27:41
Speaker 1: they like, they obviously value Jami Jones and what he
27:45
Speaker 1: can do. They're quick to bring up, like what his
27:47
Speaker 1: skill set is, specifically talking about against lefties. So like,
27:52
Speaker 1: I feel like pretty safe with Jamai, But it is
27:54
Speaker 1: like one of those fringe roster spots that could get
27:56
Speaker 1: dicey in certain situations. So I'm going with a one
27:59
Speaker 1: point two five betify.
28:01
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go closer to three or four.
28:04
Speaker 2: I think Jami is in great shape given what he
28:06
Speaker 2: did last year, and he's not an infielder but we
28:09
Speaker 2: didn't get to him in the outfield section, so we'll
28:12
Speaker 2: talk about it here a little bit. He has played
28:13
Speaker 2: in field, but not you know, not not substantially. He's
28:16
Speaker 2: more of an outfielder, and really he's a DH. And
28:19
Speaker 2: that gets to why I think there's some pressure on
28:21
Speaker 2: him because he doesn't have the versatility that of a
28:25
Speaker 2: Zach McKinstry. He doesn't have that skill set that the
28:27
Speaker 2: Tigers love so much. He has the platoon bass skill
28:30
Speaker 2: set that they love. But if they don't feel confident
28:32
Speaker 2: using him in the field as a pretty high bar,
28:36
Speaker 2: you better have a nine to seventy ops against lefties again,
28:39
Speaker 2: otherwise that changes real quick. Like I said, the Tigers man,
28:44
Speaker 2: they're a little heavier out Some guys play both, but
28:47
Speaker 2: they're a little heavier outfield than they are infield. Riley Green,
28:51
Speaker 2: Parker Meadows, Kerry Carpenter, Winsel Perez, Matt Feerling, even some
28:54
Speaker 2: Zach mckinstrey in the outfield. And then Jami Jones if
28:58
Speaker 2: they're gonna DH Riley Green more, if they're you know,
29:00
Speaker 2: carry Carpenter. I know it's righty and lefty, but there's
29:03
Speaker 2: not that much of the pie to go around. So
29:06
Speaker 2: Jamia's gonna have to hit. He's gonna be out of
29:08
Speaker 2: spring with the WBC and Team Korea, which I talked
29:11
Speaker 2: to him about, very important to him, very great story
29:14
Speaker 2: with his mother in a way, like he enters this
29:17
Speaker 2: spring training in a world wildly different spot than he
29:21
Speaker 2: was a year ago. But he's gonna have to hit
29:25
Speaker 2: if he wants to sustain in the major leagues and
29:27
Speaker 2: stay on this roster throughout the year. He doesn't have options.
29:30
Speaker 2: I think they'd have to DFAM, So I think that
29:32
Speaker 2: that helps him, Like, I think he's gonna make this roster,
29:35
Speaker 2: but you're right if something gets weird, He's just not
29:38
Speaker 2: the most flexible player and that could present problems if
29:42
Speaker 2: he doesn't hit very well.
29:46
Speaker 1: Let's go again, trying to move a little swiftly here
29:49
Speaker 1: Hyu Lee speaking of World Baseball Classic, and and he's
29:54
Speaker 1: a guy that like another one of those opportunity guys.
29:57
Speaker 1: I wouldn't call it house money, but like, like, this
30:00
Speaker 1: is an amazing opportunity for you to kind of really
30:04
Speaker 1: put yourself on like a real major league map, which
30:07
Speaker 1: he's had some opportunities in spring training before, but but
30:10
Speaker 1: this obviously feels a little bit more real. He's in
30:12
Speaker 1: that next man up group of players. So I'll give
30:17
Speaker 1: this a three point five because you do got to
30:19
Speaker 1: prove and it is getting a little bit more crowded here,
30:21
Speaker 1: and I'll just kind of mirror Max Anderson with this
30:23
Speaker 1: as well, Like crowded group. People believe your capabilities, but
30:27
Speaker 1: you kind of show that you're gonna be like you
30:29
Speaker 1: gotta establish yourself. You're the guy to be called on.
30:31
Speaker 2: So at every point, let's go back to Jami Jones
30:35
Speaker 2: real quick, like even and even to Kevin McGonagall. If
30:37
Speaker 2: Kevin McGonagall makes the roster, someone has to come off
30:41
Speaker 2: the roster. So who are the top candidates for that? Ja,
30:44
Speaker 2: Mike Jones, maybe Wincel Perez, like guys who you feel
30:47
Speaker 2: good about and who you like, but barring injury, even
30:52
Speaker 2: Matt barring injury, that you don't just get next to
30:55
Speaker 2: roster spot because you have a good prospect. So let's
30:58
Speaker 2: keep that in mind. And I would also say keep
31:00
Speaker 2: in mind if someone other than McGonagall could unseat a
31:03
Speaker 2: Jami Jones, I think it would be a right handed
31:05
Speaker 2: bat and a right handed bat who plays the infield,
31:08
Speaker 2: So we can kill two birds with one stone, how you.
31:11
Speaker 2: Lee and Max Anderson I think are in a really
31:14
Speaker 2: similar bucket. Right handed hitting third baseman, guys who tend
31:18
Speaker 2: to farewell against lefties. They play multiple infield spots. I
31:25
Speaker 2: think Lee is probably a lot better defender than Anderson.
31:29
Speaker 2: Anderson probably is going to profile as a better hitter.
31:34
Speaker 2: Lee has a little more experience in TRIPLEA. So I
31:37
Speaker 2: think it'll be fascinating in the long run which of
31:40
Speaker 2: these guys is actually a better player. And also just
31:43
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty six, who's going to get more playing
31:45
Speaker 2: time in the major leagues. I think one, if not
31:48
Speaker 2: both of them are going to get a shot at
31:50
Speaker 2: some point, and one of them with a loud camp,
31:53
Speaker 2: could make things weird for someone like Jami Jones or
31:57
Speaker 2: someone else in this puzzle. So not necessarily pressure, but
32:03
Speaker 2: a lot of opportunity here for I think both of
32:05
Speaker 2: those guys.
32:07
Speaker 1: Easy one here, Dylan Dingler, I'm giving it a one.
32:11
Speaker 1: Like the pressure is like, look, you gotta like you
32:13
Speaker 1: gotta have you know, if you want to prove in
32:15
Speaker 1: one of the top catchers, which gold Glove winner if
32:17
Speaker 1: the bat's real obviously like there's pressure there, But in
32:21
Speaker 1: terms of like like it's Dylan Dingler. I'm not worried
32:25
Speaker 1: about Dylan Dingler, so I'm giving.
32:27
Speaker 2: That a one. Yeah, I don't know if anyone all
32:30
Speaker 2: right under like less pressure and the idea that, like,
32:33
Speaker 2: you're a really good defensive catcher and so if your
32:37
Speaker 2: bat just goes to hell, you are still going to
32:39
Speaker 2: play a whole lot, and so that's good for Dylan. Uh.
32:43
Speaker 2: The only reason there's any pressure is kind of like
32:45
Speaker 2: we talked about with Riley Green like last week, like
32:47
Speaker 2: when you become really good, that sets a very high standard.
32:51
Speaker 2: And so can he hit for average like he did
32:54
Speaker 2: last year? Is there any more power in the tank?
32:57
Speaker 2: There's now pressure to oh, hey win a gold glow
33:00
Speaker 2: in you know, do you become an All Star this year?
33:04
Speaker 2: Do you solidify yourself as one of the best five
33:06
Speaker 2: catchers in baseball? That's a really high bar. But that's
33:08
Speaker 2: the conversation. Dylan Dingler has placed himself in through being
33:12
Speaker 2: a really good player. But otherwise, you know, he should
33:16
Speaker 2: be feeling good about where he's at in camp.
33:20
Speaker 1: Stay with catcher Jake Rogers. I'm gonna give this a
33:23
Speaker 1: two point three five because I think the Tigers do
33:27
Speaker 1: value Thomas Nido. I think there is a clear hierarchy there.
33:31
Speaker 1: But like, if there is something crazy, is it that crazy?
33:36
Speaker 1: Like if Jake just has a terrible camp, Thomas like
33:39
Speaker 1: kills it, Like, is it that crazy? I don't know
33:40
Speaker 1: if it's that crazy, So I have to give it
33:42
Speaker 1: a little respect.
33:43
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's not that crazy. I agree there's a hierarchy.
33:45
Speaker 2: I think Jake's a good enough defender and important enough
33:48
Speaker 2: clubhouse presence that they're not, yeah, looking to serp him.
33:52
Speaker 2: But Thomas Needo's a legit guy who could be in
33:55
Speaker 2: the big leagues, probably one a lesser team. He's here.
33:59
Speaker 2: We'll see if he can give Jake a little bit
34:00
Speaker 2: of a push. Jake can't hit one twenty this year
34:05
Speaker 2: with no power, like he is going to have to
34:07
Speaker 2: show a little something more, probably than he did last
34:09
Speaker 2: year at the plate. He's put in some work to
34:11
Speaker 2: try to do that. We'll see how much he plays,
34:14
Speaker 2: how much he catches. I think we'll still see a
34:16
Speaker 2: lot more Dingler, But yeah, it'd be nice to see
34:18
Speaker 2: a little bit of revitalization from from Jake Rogers' bat.
34:22
Speaker 2: I think that would ease off, you know, any pressure
34:25
Speaker 2: that might loom here.
34:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know, to go back to last year,
34:29
Speaker 1: just real quick, like, I do think a healthier and
34:31
Speaker 1: I'm you know, not in the not in the body sense,
34:34
Speaker 1: but a healthier Tigers team is a team that does
34:36
Speaker 1: disperse the catching situation more than what they did down
34:40
Speaker 1: the stretch when they just had to have wins and
34:42
Speaker 1: you couldn't afford to have a black hole in the
34:44
Speaker 1: lineup last year. And Jake Rogers, so I would like
34:49
Speaker 1: to I would like to see that all right. Uhr,
34:51
Speaker 1: Tork's an interesting one. No one's really talking about him
34:53
Speaker 1: at this time last year, it was like, what the
34:55
Speaker 1: hell's going on? Is he going to be a right fielder?
34:58
Speaker 1: I do think that they're there is something too, like
35:02
Speaker 1: what is the Riley thing? What is the real you?
35:05
Speaker 1: Is certainly suitable if you can do what you did
35:07
Speaker 1: last year. I'm giving this. I'm giving this a three
35:11
Speaker 1: point six y six Tai coops career batting average because like,
35:14
Speaker 1: look man, like, yeah, i'd be better. I could see
35:17
Speaker 1: to try to get better. Defensively, you gotta maintain power
35:20
Speaker 1: and make sure that when these guys adjust to you,
35:22
Speaker 1: you can still do it. So that's my thing.
35:24
Speaker 2: I think the pressure is lower because there's just no one.
35:29
Speaker 2: You have Cole Keith who I think they would like
35:31
Speaker 2: to play a lot more third base. I guess you
35:32
Speaker 2: got Jase Young working at first, but they just don't
35:35
Speaker 2: really have another first baseman in the fold. Like Torque
35:40
Speaker 2: went from this time a year ago being on thin
35:43
Speaker 2: ice to now being like the unquestioned first baseman, and
35:46
Speaker 2: to his credit, worked really hard. I had a really
35:49
Speaker 2: good year, So I actually don't know that there's that
35:53
Speaker 2: much pressure on him. I will say, like I think
35:55
Speaker 2: we talked. The ESPN article said something this offseason like
35:58
Speaker 2: he could have an eighty or a six eight, and
36:01
Speaker 2: that is a little bit how I feel like I
36:03
Speaker 2: don't know exactly, or maybe Torque is just tork. He's
36:06
Speaker 2: gonna hit twenty five to thirty and yeah, you're gonna
36:09
Speaker 2: wish there was a little more on base, Like be
36:13
Speaker 2: nice to get a clear picture of like who this
36:15
Speaker 2: guy is on a year to year basis. It's not
36:17
Speaker 2: always so simple in baseball. So maybe a little pressure
36:21
Speaker 2: to to continue to be that guy and to not
36:24
Speaker 2: you know, not complicate this conversation. But it's funny. I
36:28
Speaker 2: think he enters camp in a really good spot and
36:32
Speaker 2: had the Tigers signed Alex Bregman last year. Where would
36:36
Speaker 2: he be? Would he be in this organization still? I mean,
36:39
Speaker 2: what a strange bit of alternate history that wou that
36:42
Speaker 2: would have created. Instead. First base is his job, not
36:48
Speaker 2: even his job to lose, Like, there's no one really
36:51
Speaker 2: clearly to take that from him unless something gets weird
36:54
Speaker 2: and Cole Keith has to shift back across the diamond.
36:56
Speaker 2: So Tork's in a good spot. Let's see if he
36:59
Speaker 2: can follow up a successful season last year.
37:03
Speaker 1: So speaking of unclear pictures, Colt Keith, Look, he's obviously
37:08
Speaker 1: a very young player. Part of this exercise is it's
37:11
Speaker 1: not necessarily pressure on them, but pressure about what they
37:14
Speaker 1: could be and what they could mean for the team.
37:16
Speaker 1: So keep that in mind when I say this, I'm
37:19
Speaker 1: gonna go I'm kind of going with a four because
37:22
Speaker 1: it's like, can you be a roughly everyday third baseman,
37:25
Speaker 1: which ironically is what you were, you know, drafted with
37:28
Speaker 1: the idea of being can you take the next step offensively?
37:31
Speaker 1: He's another guy though at the major league level that
37:34
Speaker 1: we know there's more in there. The question is will
37:37
Speaker 1: we see it?
37:38
Speaker 2: Yeah?
37:38
Speaker 1: And so like so in that sense, and because of
37:41
Speaker 1: his importance to to to line up and you know
37:44
Speaker 1: how they're constructing this team. I do feel like it's
37:47
Speaker 1: higher than just a reflective of like his status in
37:50
Speaker 1: the organization. So that's why I'm going with a four.
37:52
Speaker 1: Not because they're worried about him, but because of what
37:54
Speaker 1: he could mean if he pops.
37:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, four feels a little high to me, and just
37:59
Speaker 2: given he did some good things last year. He's he's
38:02
Speaker 2: under contract, so I don't think he's going anywhere. But
38:05
Speaker 2: I see what you're saying. The best version of the Tigers,
38:08
Speaker 2: the version of the Tigers that wins the World Series,
38:12
Speaker 2: probably has Cold Keith hitting twenty five bombs and reaching
38:16
Speaker 2: a much higher ceiling offensively. So yeah, he's an important
38:20
Speaker 2: component to this team. There's still a little bit of ambiguity,
38:24
Speaker 2: like where's he going to play? How much does he
38:26
Speaker 2: play at third? First, does he play any second? How
38:29
Speaker 2: much can you dh him given Riley and carry in
38:32
Speaker 2: the lineup. So some of these questions get easier if
38:36
Speaker 2: he's just raking, even if the third base defense isn't
38:38
Speaker 2: that good, it's more palatable if he's hitting at a
38:42
Speaker 2: higher level. You know what, there probably is some pressure
38:46
Speaker 2: to look like a legit third baseman watching him right now,
38:50
Speaker 2: The arm looks really good to me. Every now and
38:51
Speaker 2: then he has to kind of hike it, give it
38:54
Speaker 2: a little extra room, maybe take a little longer to
38:58
Speaker 2: exchange the ball. But the arms strength I think can
39:00
Speaker 2: be there. It's just how is he going to move?
39:03
Speaker 2: What's going to happen when he starts getting awkward? Pop
39:05
Speaker 2: flies over his head? But I remain pretty optimistic about
39:09
Speaker 2: Cole Keith, So I would put that at a three,
39:14
Speaker 2: with the caveat like, eh, this is kind of I
39:18
Speaker 2: think the one guy everyone has circled, like, Okay, does
39:20
Speaker 2: the guy everyone want to see take a leap this year? Yeah?
39:24
Speaker 1: And again. So we started this episode talking about, oh,
39:27
Speaker 1: you know, what are the storylines? And we just went
39:29
Speaker 1: through a lot. I don't know if you noticed that.
39:30
Speaker 1: We just went through a lot of storylines. So so
39:34
Speaker 1: a lot of intrigue left in camp. Did I missed anybody?
39:37
Speaker 1: Is there anything else you wanted to get into before.
39:38
Speaker 2: We jet out of here?
39:39
Speaker 1: Oh?
39:39
Speaker 2: I don't want to forget anyone. It's it's gonna wagh
39:42
Speaker 2: on my conscious scroll the roster real quick, because right now,
39:46
Speaker 2: my takeaway from all this talking about where guys were
39:49
Speaker 2: last year to where they were this year, to where
39:51
Speaker 2: they could be. Things change in baseball, right, It's a
39:55
Speaker 2: long season and a long game, but things changed fast.
39:58
Speaker 2: So any of the situations we just outlined, and for
40:00
Speaker 2: good or or for bad, good change in a matter
40:04
Speaker 2: of weeks, in a matter of months. In a way,
40:07
Speaker 2: everyone's still under some pressure to perform because this this
40:10
Speaker 2: is the major leagues.
40:12
Speaker 1: Well, it's like a jay said, you're at the bottom
40:14
Speaker 1: of the mountain. Well, you say, with goals? Is that?
40:17
Speaker 1: He said, with with clear goals, with clear goals, with
40:20
Speaker 1: clear goals. So I couldn't say any better myself, all right.
40:23
Speaker 2: I think again, Price is right, like the little guy
40:26
Speaker 2: who yieldles up the mountain. I hope he brought that
40:29
Speaker 2: out in the presentation. That's what instantly comes to mind.
40:32
Speaker 1: I'm sure he had some sort of prop or way
40:34
Speaker 1: to demonstrate his.
40:36
Speaker 2: Point what he showed in the video. They showed a
40:40
Speaker 2: video and he wouldn't tell us what was in it.
40:41
Speaker 2: So maybe we'll never know. Must have been something good.
40:44
Speaker 2: If you don't want us to know.
40:46
Speaker 1: Must have been, must have been? All right, we'll do
40:49
Speaker 1: pictures at in a future episode, and then we'll also
40:53
Speaker 1: talk about the labor situation that you know had some
40:56
Speaker 1: Tigers ties as well. Obviously, just maybe some more information
41:01
Speaker 1: will come out and we can talk about it like
41:02
Speaker 1: a little bit clearer the next time we got on
41:05
Speaker 1: the microphone. Cody so At, Cody staven Haagen at here
41:07
Speaker 1: and Underscore, deectly at Tiger Territory Underscore YouTube, Instagram, Apple, Spotify,
41:12
Speaker 1: You guys know what to do. We appreciate all of
41:14
Speaker 1: you having a lot of fun doing this so far
41:16
Speaker 1: through spring training so far. Cody Stavenhagen, I'm kier Sekley. Everybody,
41:19
Speaker 1: have a great day.