Latest / Foul Territory / Hot Sheet: Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin named 2025 MiLB POY

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Hot Sheet: Pirates prospect Konnor Griffin named 2025 MiLB POY · Foul Territory

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  Speaker 1: And we are excited to announce that Baseball America's twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty five Minor League Player of the Year is Pirates
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  Speaker 1: shortstop slash center fielder Connor Griffin. I want to just
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  Speaker 1: kind of highlight a couple of things here that stand
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  Speaker 1: out about Connor Griffin. This year, Connor Griffin hit three
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  Speaker 1: thirty three That is the highest batting gaverage in full
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  Speaker 1: season minor leagues by a teenager since Vladimir Guerrero Junior
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  Speaker 1: hit three eighty two back in twenty eighteen. Connor Griffin
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  Speaker 1: also played shortstop most of the year eighty eight games
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  Speaker 1: I believe seven errors. There was only three teenage shortstop
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  Speaker 1: seventy five more games this year who had ten or
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  Speaker 1: fewer errs. Connor Griffin was one of those, and by
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  Speaker 1: the way, doing it while making some sensational catches, since
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  Speaker 1: plays that you just want to watch over and over
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  Speaker 1: and over. And on top of that, no drafted teenager
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  Speaker 1: had ever had a twenty forty season twenty homers, forty
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  Speaker 1: steals in the minor leagues. Ever, this year, Connor Griffin
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  Speaker 1: hit twenty one homers while stealing sixty five bases. Put
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  Speaker 1: it all together, and Connor Griffin. Congratulations, you are Baseball
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  Speaker 1: America's twenty twenty five Minor League Player of the Year.
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  Speaker 1: Congrats on the season, and just what has the last
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  Speaker 1: year been like for you? But this time last year,
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  Speaker 1: you're just coming out of the draft and here you are,
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  Speaker 1: You're in Double A and you know, just coming off
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  Speaker 1: of a thrilling playoff series.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's been a crazy year. But I'm super
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  Speaker 2: thankful for the Pirates taking a chance on me last
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  Speaker 2: year's draft, and it's been been a heck of a year.
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  Speaker 2: Learned so much about myself. I really feel like I
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  Speaker 2: grew as a baseball player. And now I'm back home
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  Speaker 2: and get to get into the off season, take some
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  Speaker 2: time off, and get ready to keep going next year.
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  Speaker 3: Hey, Connor, Jeff Ponce got the opportunity, obviously meet you
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  Speaker 3: or chatty a little bit last week out in Al Tuna.
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  Speaker 3: Great series that you had there. Unfortunately, guys came up
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  Speaker 3: a little short against a very talented, eerie team. Thank
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  Speaker 3: you hit six hundred during the series, so can't be
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  Speaker 3: too angry about the performance. But we talked a little
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  Speaker 3: bit when we chatted about, you know, just sort of
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  Speaker 3: the adjustments you had to make in high in low a. Uh,
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  Speaker 3: and then you know getting up to high, getting up
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  Speaker 3: to double A, your numbers in your line in comparison
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  Speaker 3: to your peers actually improved at each level. So talk
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  Speaker 3: to me a little bit about making those adjustments and
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  Speaker 3: dealing with some of the adversity.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. I just think experience is you know the most
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  Speaker 2: important thing. Uh. As as the season went on, I
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  Speaker 2: felt like I continued to stack up good days and
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  Speaker 2: you know, become the hitter and the defensive player that
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  Speaker 2: I that I became. And there's always there was always something,
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  Speaker 2: a different challenge every day that I was trying to overcome.
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  Speaker 2: But the main thing is just making sure I show
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  Speaker 2: up ready to win, ready to ready to compete every
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  Speaker 2: day and uh, try to find find some way to
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  Speaker 2: grow as a player. But uh, there was a there
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  Speaker 2: was always there's always something, and you know with the
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  Speaker 2: hitting hitting side, just making sure to be consistent. That
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  Speaker 2: was that was my biggest thing. Continue to show up
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  Speaker 2: and be consistent and be who I am every day.
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  Speaker 2: And then defensively at shortstop, it was a it was
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  Speaker 2: kind of you know big mentally for me, just you know,
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  Speaker 2: making sure I'm focused every single every single pitch and uh,
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  Speaker 2: just giving it, given, giving it my all every time
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  Speaker 2: I'm out there. So just shot to be the same
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  Speaker 2: player at every level and continue to do what I did.
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  Speaker 1: Connor, we kind of like to pour over swings look
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  Speaker 1: at all that, But one thing that jumped out to
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  Speaker 1: me probably the most looking at your swing from high
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  Speaker 1: school to now is just how physically different you are.
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  Speaker 1: How much has that kind of been a big part
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  Speaker 1: of your you know, adjustment to pro balls. Like physically
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  Speaker 1: it looks like you really kind of have filled out
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  Speaker 1: over the past, you know, twelve to sixteen months.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I think when I got drafted, I
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  Speaker 2: was right around like two hundred and ten pounds and
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  Speaker 2: now now I'm up to about two twenty five. That's
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  Speaker 2: what I got to going into spring training, So I
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  Speaker 2: think that was a huge jump for me. I started
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  Speaker 2: swinging a thirty three and a half, a little bigger
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  Speaker 2: bat than I was, and high school, I started being
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  Speaker 2: able to use my legs more just be in the
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  Speaker 2: ground and and then I always always had the power,
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  Speaker 2: but uh, it's just being consistent with the power and
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  Speaker 2: that's what eventually came from that, and it was a
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  Speaker 2: it was a great off season last year, I trained
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  Speaker 2: really hard, made sure I was eating well, and I
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  Speaker 2: wanted to get to spring training at two twenty five,
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  Speaker 2: and that's what I did, and I think it really
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  Speaker 2: I think I've benefited from it really good.
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  Speaker 3: Let's take in a little deeper, because you talked about
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  Speaker 3: this with me last week as well, working with your
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  Speaker 3: dad in the off season on your swing and cleaning
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  Speaker 3: up some things. What sort of stuff did did you
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  Speaker 3: guys focus on and clean up?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we focused a lot on the lower half, making
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  Speaker 2: sure I'm saying on my back side and not jumping
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  Speaker 2: out of it. Didn't want to make ninety five feel
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  Speaker 2: like one hundred every time I'm in the box. So
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  Speaker 2: plus it helped me see the ball a little better,
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  Speaker 2: have more time and uh. And then just really really
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  Speaker 2: focusing on direction. Uh. In high school, I think we
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  Speaker 2: talked about this that I was arm barring a little bit,
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  Speaker 2: made sure to try to be a little shorter to
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  Speaker 2: the ball and then just maintain a good direction and uh,
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  Speaker 2: and then really worked out for me. So I'm gonna
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  Speaker 2: continue to hammer down those things and super thankful for
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  Speaker 2: my dad who's helped me get to where I'm at
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  Speaker 2: and we're going to continue to work this offseason and
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  Speaker 2: try to try to continue to get better.
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  Speaker 1: So you mentioned about spring training that kind of felt
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  Speaker 1: like that was a big moment for you as far
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  Speaker 1: as like the Pirates fans and all that. The anticipation
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  Speaker 1: started building because you know, you got to play a
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  Speaker 1: lot in big league games in spring training. How important
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  Speaker 1: though was that for you? Also you got to make
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  Speaker 1: some plays, you got to get kind of that feel
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  Speaker 1: of what big league spring trainings like. Did that kind
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  Speaker 1: of really kind of springboard you into the season?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that was the biggest part of my
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  Speaker 2: season was was spring training. Uh, not even playing in
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  Speaker 2: the games, just being every day with the big league staff,
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  Speaker 2: the veterans and just you know, trying to figure out
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  Speaker 2: how to become a pro. And it was was really
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  Speaker 2: easy sitting there watching guys like Paul Skins and Andrew McCutcheon,
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  Speaker 2: you know how just watching how they go about their day.
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  Speaker 2: And uh, I learned. I learned a lot at big
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  Speaker 2: league camp and getting to get into the games and
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  Speaker 2: play a little bit in front of the fans. It
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  Speaker 2: was it was awesome. Got to kind of make a
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  Speaker 2: name for myself and and uh, and then I continued
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  Speaker 2: on to my season, and I think it I think
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  Speaker 2: it really prepared me for my for my first year
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  Speaker 2: was uh being a big league camp, so it was
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  Speaker 2: it was a great experience for me.
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  Speaker 1: Now, in spring training you did a lot of playing
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  Speaker 1: in the center field, and then obviously as the season
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  Speaker 1: went along, you played, you know, much more at short
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  Speaker 1: so a little bit it got to play both, though
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  Speaker 1: still played both. One of the things that stood out
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  Speaker 1: to me about you at shortstop, which maybe it's because
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  Speaker 1: of center field. I don't know if it's wide receiver background,
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  Speaker 1: do you have it. I don't know if you have
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  Speaker 1: that in your background or what, but your tracking of
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  Speaker 1: balls over your head at shortstop. A lot of guys
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  Speaker 1: they kind of that's that's a tough one for them.
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  Speaker 1: That seemed to be something that you almost like embraced
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  Speaker 1: was seeing that pop fly that was gonna end up
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  Speaker 1: in short set or or you know, in short left field.
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  Speaker 1: Is that kind of like where did that come from?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah? I think it just it came from me being
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  Speaker 2: an outfielder. First. I've always I've always loved outfield. I mean,
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  Speaker 2: I can say that outfield definitely comes more natural to me,
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  Speaker 2: but being as short I just I just I just
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  Speaker 2: want to make plays, and uh so when those kind
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  Speaker 2: of in between balls are right behind me, I just
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  Speaker 2: I feel like I'm a center fielder again. I go
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  Speaker 2: back and and try to track them down. But I
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  Speaker 2: think I think it is it's cool. It's really cool
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  Speaker 2: how outfield and infield kind of worked together. I feel
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  Speaker 2: like I feel like they suck me at short most
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  Speaker 2: of the year just because, uh, you know, it kept
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  Speaker 2: my my footwork sharp and if I needed to go
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  Speaker 2: to the outfield, I could. But I think in spring
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  Speaker 2: training they really didn't know whether I was going to
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  Speaker 2: play centerfield or sure, so out there just giving me
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  Speaker 2: reps at both spots, and and then when the season
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  Speaker 2: started they said, hey, let's sick it short and we'll
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  Speaker 2: let you play some centerfield if you want. But uh
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  Speaker 2: but I spent most of the year short, and I
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  Speaker 2: loved it. I feel like I feel like I became
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  Speaker 2: a really decent shortstop, and I feel like I grew
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  Speaker 2: a lot at that position, and just not not just fundamentals,
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  Speaker 2: but just you know, the mental side, where to be
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  Speaker 2: on certain plays, things like that, things that I didn't
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  Speaker 2: really think about when I was in high school. I
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  Speaker 2: just kind of tried to be an athlete and go play,
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  Speaker 2: But I really I really learned a lot, especially starting
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  Speaker 2: in spring training.
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  Speaker 3: What sort of things you know, you talked about being
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  Speaker 3: around the veterans and and you know, obviously growing as
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  Speaker 3: a player defensively offensively. What sort of things have you
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  Speaker 3: adapted or you know, maybe brought into your routine in
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  Speaker 3: terms of like your pregame work and all that sort
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  Speaker 3: of stuff that maybe is a little different than you
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  Speaker 3: know when you were in high school, and you know,
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  Speaker 3: things are a little different, and the resources and stuff
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  Speaker 3: for different things too.
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  Speaker 2: I think just the way they take care of themselves
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  Speaker 2: to start the day. They I mean they get their
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  Speaker 2: hours before even taking a swing in the cage or
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  Speaker 2: taking taking ground balls, They're they're there, They're getting their
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  Speaker 2: body loose in the gym, and I think that's something
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  Speaker 2: that I learned that helped me feel great all year,
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  Speaker 2: was having a good activation workout. And I mean I
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  Speaker 2: remember watching Paul Skien sit out, sit outside in the
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  Speaker 2: grass and stretch and do things for an hour to
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  Speaker 2: two hours before he even started to pick up a baseball.
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  Speaker 2: So I think that stuff is really important, gets your
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  Speaker 2: mind right, gets you locked in for the day, and
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  Speaker 2: I think I added that stuff to my routine and
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  Speaker 2: it kind of helped me feel good, helped me feel
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  Speaker 2: consistent every day knowing that I was doing the same
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  Speaker 2: routine every time I showed up to the field.
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  Speaker 1: Connor the other thing. I just want to kind of
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  Speaker 1: end this with this is on my end is thank
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  Speaker 1: you for joining us. But we've had a few high
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  Speaker 1: school players of the Year who've also gone on to
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  Speaker 1: be our Minor League Player of the Year. Joe Mauer,
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  Speaker 1: Byron Buxton, Bobby Witt Junior, Jackson Holiday and now you.
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  Speaker 1: That's a that's a pretty good group to be part of.
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  Speaker 1: I would so I did want to kind of ask
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  Speaker 1: you with that, who did you grow up kind of
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  Speaker 1: like who is your player that you kind of watched
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  Speaker 1: as a kid, and said, I want to be like that.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's crazy to say this, but I love watching
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  Speaker 2: Ronald Acunya junior play that that was That was a
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  Speaker 2: guy I love watching another Layer of the Year Yep,
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  Speaker 2: a lot of a lot of energy, you know, swings
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  Speaker 2: it and has a heck of an arm. So I
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  Speaker 2: just love watching how he played the game. And I
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  Speaker 2: was a Braves fan growing up. My dad's from Georgia,
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  Speaker 2: so he always had the braz On at the house,
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  Speaker 2: So that was that was definitely the guy I love
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  Speaker 2: to watch.
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  Speaker 4: Connor last one for me at the finish line you
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  Speaker 4: mentioned schemes.
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  Speaker 2: Do you keep in touch with him?
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  Speaker 4: And if so, I mean, I know Paul has been
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  Speaker 4: brilliant up in the major leagues, but is one of
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  Speaker 4: those intense gamers and he's going to tell us, as
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  Speaker 4: we've talked to him, say like last year at at
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  Speaker 4: the Awards for Rookie of the Year, that he loves
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  Speaker 4: the win and obviously the individual accomplishment, but he's like,
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  Speaker 4: not good enough. I need postseason ball and he hasn't
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  Speaker 4: seen that yet in his first couple of seasons. So
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  Speaker 4: if you have spoken to him, do you guys talk
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  Speaker 4: about what the future could look like in Pittsburgh.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's cool. He uh, he stays in touch. He'll
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  Speaker 2: he'll text me, you know, every every now and then,
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  Speaker 2: just checking in making sure everything's going well. And uh,
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  Speaker 2: when we were in spring training, we got to spend
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  Speaker 2: a lot of time together and it's just it's just
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  Speaker 2: cool to see the type of competitor he is, and
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  Speaker 2: I mean he wants to win more than anything. And uh,
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  Speaker 2: if you can get a lot of guys around him
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  Speaker 2: that you know, have that same mentality, like, it's gonna
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  Speaker 2: be a it's gonna be a fun few years. And
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  Speaker 2: I just can't wait to continue to grow as a
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  Speaker 2: player and try to try to be there as quick
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  Speaker 2: as I can, just to be around that that that
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  Speaker 2: type of player and because I just know it'll it
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  Speaker 2: makes everybody better who's around him. And the most important
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  Speaker 2: thing is winning, and we want to win bad. It
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  Speaker 2: was cool to be in Double A and make it
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  Speaker 2: to the playoffs for the altun To Curve for the
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  Speaker 2: first time since twenty eighteen, so I got my first
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  Speaker 2: taste of that. I mean, the fans even in Double
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  Speaker 2: A were you know, so excited that we made the playoffs,
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  Speaker 2: Like I can't imagine uh getting to Pittsburgh eventually and
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  Speaker 2: then doing the same thing. So that's definitely the definitely
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  Speaker 2: the main goal. But I know there's a lot of
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  Speaker 2: work to be done. I'm gonna continue to grow as
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  Speaker 2: a player and you know, continue to work hard and
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  Speaker 2: see what happens.
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  Speaker 4: Great answers, awesome to have you on. Congratulations Connor, thank
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  Speaker 4: you so much for joining us. Congratulations on the Award.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you, I appreciate it. Thanks for thanks for believing
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  Speaker 2: in me.