Latest / Cardinal Territory: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast / Team USA Hitting Coach Matt Holliday gives insights into upcoming WBC!

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Team USA Hitting Coach Matt Holliday gives insights into upcoming WBC! · Cardinal Territory: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome to another edition of Cardinal Territory.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Jim Hayes with Matt Holliday who is currently in Arizona,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and Lance lynnon gentlemen, nice to see you before we start.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: What do we do, Lance? We bet, we beg forts,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: we beg for subscribers. So if you like Cardinal Territory,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: just throwing it out there. We blew past six thousand subs.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: We want to get to seven thousand subscribers. So if
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: you like Cardinal Territory, go ahead and hit that subscribe button.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: We much appreciate it. Okay. So the US hockey team,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: big big story in sports, the biggest story. The US
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: hockey team beats Canada. Some sour grapes from our Canadian friends,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: but they beat them in overtime and won a gold
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: medal at the Olympic Game. So I got to thinking
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: what a throw it must be for those guys to
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: represent their country. And I realize I'm doing a podcast
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: with guys who have been there representing their country. Now
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: right now. Matt is coach of the US team that
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: will represent the United States at the WBC. He's a
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: hitting coach. Why don't you played for the United States.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: I know, Matt, you were also a player, but I'm
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: gonna start with you, Matt, because you're in Arizona right now.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: Tell me about where you guys are as you prepare
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: for the WBC. And of course I'm talking about Team USA.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: Well, that doesn't start until March first. I think they
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: all report here, and so we're here. Ethan's got camp
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: here and anyways, so the camp doesn't start for I
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: think everybody gets here March first, and then our first
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: practice is March second. Uh, I think we play two
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: exhibition games here on the third and the fourth, and
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: then fly to Houston. So I haven't got a chance
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: to be around the guys other than the Zoom staff
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: meetings that I've been a part of, and and uh
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: getting to hear from d row On on all his
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: interactions with guys and and and the guys seem pretty
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: fired up, I think certainly, uh, the guys that are
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: gonna be participating watching uh, the the.
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: US men's hockey gold medal.
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: Game, I think they're probably that probably adds fuel to
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: their fire and excitement to the the the upcoming w
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: b C. So it's uh, it's always an honor to
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: represent your country. I got a chance to play in
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: the first World Baseball Classic, and I was a young
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: player at the time. I didn't I didn't play all
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: that much, but you know, we had guys like King Jr.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: And you know, Roger Clemens and and UH. I was,
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: you know, I just finished my second year, so UH
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: to get a chance to be on that team and
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: UH and be part of UH. You know, I got
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: a chance to wear the USA across my chest in
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: high school.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: And it's it's quite an honor.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: So I'm looking forward to seeing, you know, seeing the
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: guys do that, and and some of them already have before,
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: and some of them it will be the first time.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: And I think the Olympics and coinciding with UH this
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: year's World Baseball Classic will add a little extra UH,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: you know, fuel or patriotism to UH to get a
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: chance to do that.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Lanks, Do you agree with that? Do you think since
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: you've been there before, we're in the USA across your
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: chest that coming off the UH the men's and women's
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: gold medal in hockey and the way the country seems
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: to be celebrating that men's went over Canada, do you
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: think that's going to add something to the US team
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: and the fire they have for this event.
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: I should have a carryover for sure. You're looking at
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: you're going straight from you know, the Olympics, kind of
• 3:58
  Speaker 4: running the WBC here. So you'll keep the uh, you know,
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: the pride up and keep it going, is my guess.
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: You know, it should be a fun tournament. There's a
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: lot of good teams, a lot of good players on
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: multiple teams here, so it's exciting time. As one of
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: you know, my more fun experiences playing the game of baseball,
• 4:16
  Speaker 4: I got the you know, the luxury of representing Team
• 4:18
  Speaker 4: USA and college and then being able to do it again,
• 4:21
  Speaker 4: you know, towards the end of my career was kind
• 4:23
  Speaker 4: of a full circle moment. When you're in high school
• 4:27
  Speaker 4: or college, I don't think you you kind of it's
• 4:29
  Speaker 4: like a cool feeling, but you don't understand it as
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: much as you should, because you know, we're young and
• 4:35
  Speaker 4: we're dumb, and we feel like we have, you know,
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: the whole world in front of us. And then at
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: the end of my career I was able to really
• 4:41
  Speaker 4: understand it and really take it in a little bit more,
• 4:44
  Speaker 4: and you know, it was one of the like I said,
• 4:46
  Speaker 4: it was one of the most fun times I've ever
• 4:48
  Speaker 4: had playing the game. And I was what thirty six,
• 4:50
  Speaker 4: thirty seven years old, and I felt like a kid again.
• 4:52
  Speaker 4: So when you're able to do that represent your country,
• 4:56
  Speaker 4: I'm gonna be with guys that you usually compete against,
• 4:58
  Speaker 4: and then you can come together as teammates. It's an
• 5:00
  Speaker 4: awesome time.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: So that for those mortals like us that haven't played
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: a sport at the highest level as you guys have.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: What's the difference between being a professional athlete and winning
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: at all and winning and also being the guy that
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: wears USA? Like as a player, is there a different
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: feeling when you're representing your country as opposed to a
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: city and an organization.
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think it's certainly a different experience.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: I yeah, I mean you you the fact that, you,
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: like Lance said, you get to play with guys from
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: around the league that you're used to playing against, and
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: you're sort of joined up on this All Star Game,
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: all Star team with a with a purpose of going
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: against you know, sort of the rest of the world. Obviously,
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: you know, this is the Olympics of baseball. I mean,
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: the way it's currently set up, there's no way for
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: for MLB players to play in the Olympics.
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: So this is essentially the Olympics for.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: For baseball, and and uh, you know, it's it's a
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: it's a different feeling.
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: I mean, certainly, winning a world championship with your team,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: uh and in the MLB is is an incredible feeling.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: And and probably you know, you go through one sixty
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: two together and and probably the ultimate prize.
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: But I think this this uh, this.
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: Tournament comes in, you know, pretty close behind uh, you know,
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: winning a World Series. So I think it's it's been
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: great for baseball. And and like I said, you know,
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: the way it's currently set up, there's there's not been
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: a way to have all the best players from around
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: the world to participate in Olympics, like the the hockey
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: has kind of figured out. So this is our Olympics,
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: and and uh in baseball, and and it'll be fun
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: to to kind of get out there and you know,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: obviously watch from from the sidelines, but I feel like
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: you're part of it a little.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Bit less for you. The difference between representing an organization
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: or a team, even if you've had the ultimate experience
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: and want it all, what's the difference between that and
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: representing the United States of America.
• 7:13
  Speaker 4: You know, you you want to represent yourself and whatever
• 7:17
  Speaker 4: you know you're you have on your chest the best
• 7:19
  Speaker 4: you can, no matter what situation is. I think when
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: the USA is on your chest, it's it's it's you know,
• 7:25
  Speaker 4: the whole country, So you have a different, uh, different reach.
• 7:29
  Speaker 4: That's the only kind of maybe pressure or the things
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: you feel is it's it's a different reach. Instead of
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: just a city that you're representing, You're representing your whole
• 7:37
  Speaker 4: entire country. You're representing everything that the country stands for,
• 7:41
  Speaker 4: and you want to put on a good show to
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: make sure that you know, you know, the whole world
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: knows that you know we could play some baseball in
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: the United States and that you know we're able to
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: come together and do the things that we're able to do.
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: And they're trying to do the same thing on their side.
• 7:54
  Speaker 4: So it's just a little bit more of a more
• 7:57
  Speaker 4: of a reach really than it is with your cities
• 8:00
  Speaker 4: and stuff like that. But you always want to play
• 8:03
  Speaker 4: well and you always want to represent whatever your you
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: have on your chest the best you can, and you
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: know when you're in when you have USA on your chest.
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: It definitely definitely has a lot bigger reach and a
• 8:12
  Speaker 4: lot of a lot of little bit of different weight
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: on that jersey at that point too.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: And life always throws curve balls at you no matter
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: where you are, what you're doing. There's always this year
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: for the WBC. It's insurance out of nowhere. Some guys
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: can't get in short. But there's always the risk Matt
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: as a young player when you played, not so much
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: now as a geezer who's coaching, but there's a risk
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: of going to represent your country and getting hurt. How
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: much does that play into whether or not you want
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: to be part of the WBC. I guess when you're young,
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: you don't even think about things like that.
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, look, you're gonna be playing baseball no
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: matter what. You know.
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: You're gonna be playing with You're in spring training with
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: your team. Obviously the intensity and the juices are turned
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: up a little bit earlier, but I think players are
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: preparing for that now, and so I think you can't
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: live your life that way.
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: I think you know, it's it's baseball. You go out
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: and you just lay it on the line.
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: You could get hurt just as easily playing in a
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: spring training game, you know, at your complex, or you know,
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: in a workout setting.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: I mean, I just don't think you live your life
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: like that.
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: You get a chance to put the USA uniform on,
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: you go out and you play, and I think that
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: that's that would be my my suggestion for anybody to
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: ask my opinion. I mean, it's something that you don't
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: get a chance to do it that many times. It
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: doesn't come around that often, and you know you're not
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: guaranteed to be good enough the next time it comes around.
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: I mean, things can happen.
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: So I think most guys, you know, outside of a
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: picture who maybe is going into his maybe his his
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: free agent year or you know.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: Look like I said, you could get hurt doing anything.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: The only thing I think that people are a little
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: hesitant about is pictures that feel, you know, playoff type
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: atmosphere in March with a picture. I mean that probably
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: a better question for Lance to answer, But that would
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: be the only thing that that I would I would
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: be slightly cautious about.
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: Is a is a picture that.
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: Feels that intensity, uh, you know, just in March tenth
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: as opposed to you know, having a couple more weeks
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: to build. Uh, But I think these guys have have
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: understood that and have been training for it and have
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: been building towards it. So I really don't think, like
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: I said, I don't think you're at any more jeopardy
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: than you are throwing and or playing.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: And you your own spring training game on your own.
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: Team much more complex for pictures, though, Lance Lamb as
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: a Matt alluded to, do you want to rape it
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: up that early? The usage can be an issue once
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: you get back to your ball club at spring training.
• 11:15
  Speaker 1: How much of a concern is that for pictures And
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: was that even taken account by Lance Lan when he played.
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: No, I wasn't worried about being heard or anything like
• 11:26
  Speaker 4: that when was a picture. When you take the take
• 11:28
  Speaker 4: the mound, I mean I got three, I think outings
• 11:32
  Speaker 4: before I even went. I think something like that. I
• 11:34
  Speaker 4: was up to four four innings before I even went,
• 11:38
  Speaker 4: and then I threw five in the in the first
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: round against Canada, So I was right on pace. Nowadays,
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: when you take the mound, even in bullpen, these guys
• 11:46
  Speaker 4: are throwing with max intensities. You know, when I was
• 11:49
  Speaker 4: coming up was a little different. Your bullpens were more
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: touch and feel. You're built into spring training this and that.
• 11:55
  Speaker 4: But guys are throwing hard miles in our first game
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: of spring training for an inning or two, so they're
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: ready to go and they're ready to do these things.
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: I think the when Matt alluded to when you're maybe
• 12:05
  Speaker 4: in the arbitration process or you know, about to be
• 12:08
  Speaker 4: into free agency, Yeah, there's a lot of risk there,
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: but that risk is also going to happen wherever you're at.
• 12:15
  Speaker 4: I thought about this way, if I'm going to blow
• 12:18
  Speaker 4: out in March mid March, I'm going to blow out
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: with Team USA on my chest, and because it's going
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: to happen, it's gonna happen no matter where it's at.
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: In my opinion, you can say, oh, this is the
• 12:29
  Speaker 4: reason why. It's like, No, if I'm on a major
• 12:32
  Speaker 4: league field playing against major league hitters, I'm going to
• 12:35
  Speaker 4: have full intensity. So if I'm going to get hurt
• 12:38
  Speaker 4: in a WBC game, I'm gonna get hurt in a
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: spring training game. That was my thought, and I think
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: that's most pitchers thoughts. It's the day of just building
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: in and slowly working your way up is kind of like, no,
• 12:51
  Speaker 4: you're getting your max ish pitches in for fifteen to twenty,
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: you know, then you have thirty to thirty five, and
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: then you just keep building fifteen to twenty pitches at
• 13:00
  Speaker 4: a time. So all you do, all I did when
• 13:04
  Speaker 4: I went when I was getting ready for WBC is
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: I was ready to just though, I was ready to
• 13:07
  Speaker 4: throw multiple innings right when I showed up to spring training.
• 13:10
  Speaker 4: So I got a little game ready a little sooner
• 13:13
  Speaker 4: intensity wise. But I mean, you're looking at guys blowing
• 13:16
  Speaker 4: out right now in spring training throwe MYBPS. So I mean,
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: if it's gonna go, it's gonna go, no matter, no
• 13:22
  Speaker 4: matter where you're at.
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  Speaker 1: Kind of rude. I think, like, if you're gonna lay
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• 16:25
  Speaker 1: the other day I'm tweeting out some stuff and the
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: Cardinals are a few games into the spring training schedule,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: and when he's in there, it seems like Mason went
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: leading off to me, good fit, that's the guy I
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: would want as my leadoff hitter. And I thought that's
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: a solid tweet, and then I got some blowbacks, so
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: I thought I wanted to check with you guys to me, like,
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: first of all, talking to win last year, he was
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: the leadoff guy for a while. He wanted to be
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: leadoff guy. He wanted the responsibility. I kind of feel
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: like this year Mason is going to unlock some things
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: because he's got two healthy knees instead of one like
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: he had last year. Utilize the speed. I think he's
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: got the experience, pitch recognition, probably better recognized pitches. Maybe
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: walk a little bit more and think at low pop
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: at the top of the batting order. So Matt Holiday,
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: am I wrong? Who would be your leadoff hitter? Uh?
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: With the Cardinals, right, Now, some people said they let
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Victor Scott the second. Maybe JJ weatherhole, how would you
• 17:27
  Speaker 1: do it if you were Holly Moore?
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, look, I think it's it's in spring training.
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: You're kind of looking at different things, right, so it's
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: a time to try what you you know, you kind
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: of look at run.
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: It out there.
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: You haven't seen JJ weatherhold against big league pitching, So
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: I think in spring training you watch how he you know,
• 17:51
  Speaker 2: his his bats are against. You know, as the spring goes,
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: he'll face you know, pitchers that are more and more
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: dialed in and and pitching him more and more like
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: they will in the regular season, so you'll have a
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: better idea where he fits in the batting order. I look,
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: I think Mason Win has all the attributes of a
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: good leadoff hitter. I don't know like Victor Scott is,
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: you know, I don't. I don't obviously he had. He
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: kind of fits the bill with the speed. It would
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: be great if he was getting on base at at
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: a three sixty to three eighty clip. And you know what,
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: doesn't you know, batting average doesn't really matter if he's
• 18:30
  Speaker 2: getting on base because he does create havoc on the basis.
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: So I mean, in a perfect world, he would be
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: your leadoff hitter.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: In my mind, because then you could hit Win second
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: and put him in a position to drive in more runs.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: But yeah, like I don't I don't see any any
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: sort of better option at this point than Mason Win
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: if he likes, if he likes to hit leadoff, if
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: he's comfortable hitting leadoff, I think that helps.
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: So I'm good with it.
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: Like I said, if if it gets to where you
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: want to lead off a left handed hitter and and
• 19:03
  Speaker 2: jj Or or Victor Scott look like they're gonna get
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: on base at a high clip, then then you can slide.
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: Mason went down a little bit. And and depending on me,
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: he go, I'm just.
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: Gonna carry on with with you, Lance, because uh, how
• 19:25
  Speaker 1: they got you got they want the left at the top.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: Is that?
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: Is that where I'm at on this, on the social
• 19:31
  Speaker 4: media on the line they want the left at the top.
• 19:33
  Speaker 4: Is that the backlash didn't matter who is just one
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: of those two JJ or Victor.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think some people were thinking maybe Mason
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: had a little more power, that you could drop him
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: down to me, you know, to me, like Victor Scott,
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: I believe that he will be a very good player.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: But I also saw this, whoever is the leadoff hit
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: there's extra pressure them and when guys are young, and
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: I think in terms of where they are in their career,
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: I think right now, Mason's a little head of Victor Scott.
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: So I wouldn't put Victor there because I think it
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: adds pressure. Am I wrong with that?
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: No, you're not wrong with that. I think that fits
• 20:18
  Speaker 4: pretty ideal. I think my big thing if you're going
• 20:21
  Speaker 4: to talk about leadoff hitters and what you're trying to establish,
• 20:25
  Speaker 4: Mason brings an energy and a competitiveness that you have
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: every day in the clubhouse and stuff like that. And
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: if you talk about, hey, you want Mason to take
• 20:36
  Speaker 4: more of a leadership role and do these things and
• 20:39
  Speaker 4: all that, you also have to say, hey, you're also
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: a leadoff hitter and you're playing shortstop every day. In
• 20:44
  Speaker 4: my opinion, and I think kind of the team will
• 20:47
  Speaker 4: go as he goes. And then as you get going
• 20:49
  Speaker 4: there and JJ finds his footing and gets comfortable, then
• 20:53
  Speaker 4: maybe against a variety and you want to separate some
• 20:56
  Speaker 4: lefties throughout the lineup, you can throw JJ up at
• 20:59
  Speaker 4: the top or something like that and then throw Mason
• 21:01
  Speaker 4: in the two hole. So I think it could vary
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: by the starting pitcher that day and stuff like that.
• 21:07
  Speaker 4: But Mason's hitting one for me every day unless he
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: needs a day off and then someone else can lead
• 21:13
  Speaker 4: off that day. That's my opinion of his personality, his
• 21:18
  Speaker 4: the way he goes about his business, the way he competes,
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: and the energy he brings every day. He's a guy
• 21:24
  Speaker 4: that can literally make a lineup go if you got
• 21:27
  Speaker 4: to put him at the top and you got to
• 21:29
  Speaker 4: let him do his thing, and I think it could
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: be it could be great for the team, and then
• 21:32
  Speaker 4: those lefties can sneak in behind him, and then you
• 21:35
  Speaker 4: can kind of mix and match as you go if
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: you want to go lefty behind him and then put
• 21:39
  Speaker 4: Herrera in the three hole, and then you can kind
• 21:41
  Speaker 4: of do your thing that way. So that would be
• 21:45
  Speaker 4: my opinion. And then it's like, Okay, you want Mason
• 21:48
  Speaker 4: further down the lineup to hit some more homers, But
• 21:51
  Speaker 4: if you're looking for your short stop to hit you
• 21:53
  Speaker 4: twenty five homers, you have a problem. In my opinion,
• 21:57
  Speaker 4: Mason is a hey, let's hit if he's twenty and
• 22:01
  Speaker 4: steals over thirty bags. We got something really good, but
• 22:04
  Speaker 4: we don't want to lose on base by him trying
• 22:06
  Speaker 4: to hit more homers. We need to get him on
• 22:08
  Speaker 4: the base, pass, let him steal, get somebody behind him
• 22:11
  Speaker 4: that can hit the ball in the gaps, and let's
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: let those guys run and then get Herrera up there
• 22:14
  Speaker 4: and do their thing. So that's my opinion.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: I think Glass springs up a good point. First, Mason
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: Win of the young players, he's a leader in there,
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: and I think you found common ground with Ali last
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: year where Ali embrace him now. But he also played
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: through most of the last season, or at least a
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: bulk of the season with a bad name. And he
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: can fly, but we didn't see a lot of that
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: on the base past. Matt. You weren't a guy who
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: stole a ton of base of lighting your curve, but
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: you had speed too. How difficult is that little nuance
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: in the game to learn to be a guy who's
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: a dependable bass fielder.
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think when you're an everyday player like
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: Mason Win and you want him on the field, I
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: think you got to pick and choose your spots. You know,
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: to run to put your you know, if he's going
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: to be out there every day, you can't be I
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: think it's it's it's one of those things where we
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: need we need you in the box, and we need
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: you at shortstop. If it's a critical point to steal
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: a base. Don't be just stealing bases to pad stats.
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: I think that that's ultimately would be my message, uh,
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: to a guy that you're counting on to play a
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: premium position and you want him out there every single day.
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: So I think it's one of those things.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: Where as you get older, you got to protect your
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: legs a little bit. You got to protect the the
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: the ability to be in the box and to be
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: on the field and then pick your spots, and when
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: when a game's on the line, Uh, you have the
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: ability to steal a base, steel base. But so I
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: think he brings so much value in other places that
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: as he gets older, he's going to have to keep
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: an eye on, you know, just his body, the wear
• 23:56
  Speaker 2: and tear of playing shortstop and being in the out
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: there every day. Uh, sometimes it's not worth it, uh
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: to be trying to steal the base in situations where
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: you know, like I said, you're not you're not patting stats.
• 24:08
  Speaker 2: You know, you steal bases when it's when it's a
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: big situation. But other than that, I need you, I
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: need you out there, and I think that sometimes you
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: just put yourself in a position to possibly get injured.
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: The more you're sliding head first, the more you're accelerating
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: and and and trying to do those things on the
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: basis your your your chance of getting hurt goes up.
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: And like I said, I think he when you're a
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: franchise shortstop that plays great defense and has uh has
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: the ability to hit the ball in the gap, I
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: think that that's more important for me than than trying
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: to steal forty or forty bases.
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: Fair enough, smart, all right, last thing, I'm gonna have
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: to circle back lanes because I think with Mason's the
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: way he's built, he's got some strength. He's only going
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: to get bigger and stronger because he's still a young
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: Guy's also got good bat speed, got some pulse power.
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: As they like to say, Pulson isn't crazy to think
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: twenty five homers nothing you need him to be at.
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: You know, thirty five forty homer guys are crazy. You
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: think that guy's twenty five homers if things.
• 25:12
  Speaker 4: Go up, and no, it's not crazy. I don't think
• 25:16
  Speaker 4: that it's something that he should force. Right with the
• 25:19
  Speaker 4: time and what he's doing right now. If you look
• 25:21
  Speaker 4: up and Mason hits two eighty five with twenty and
• 25:25
  Speaker 4: he hits doubles and still thirty bags, he is, that's
• 25:28
  Speaker 4: what you want in that position. Now when you get
• 25:31
  Speaker 4: a little older and you figure out pitches, and then
• 25:33
  Speaker 4: next thing you know, it's like, hey, twenty goes to
• 25:36
  Speaker 4: twenty five and we're still right on the same pace.
• 25:38
  Speaker 4: Some of those doubles start carrying out the ballpark. You
• 25:41
  Speaker 4: know what I'm saying, Matt instead of he'd if he
• 25:43
  Speaker 4: hits doubles and is on base, that's what he does,
• 25:46
  Speaker 4: and hey, you pick and choose your time in Mason.
• 25:49
  Speaker 4: I had him as a younger player and he is now,
• 25:51
  Speaker 4: but he would pick his times when he would go
• 25:53
  Speaker 4: for it, and but he would also put the ball
• 25:55
  Speaker 4: in place. So the more savvy he gets at knowing
• 25:59
  Speaker 4: what the pitchers are trying to do to him, the
• 26:00
  Speaker 4: time and the place for him to go try to
• 26:02
  Speaker 4: hit one or do something like that. Twenty will go
• 26:05
  Speaker 4: to twenty five. But at Busch Stadium. If you try
• 26:07
  Speaker 4: to hit every ball out of the ballpark, you will
• 26:08
  Speaker 4: fly out to the track a lot and you will
• 26:10
  Speaker 4: not be on base and your bag and the average
• 26:12
  Speaker 4: will go from two to eighty down to two forty
• 26:15
  Speaker 4: real quick. And that's the last thing that he wants
• 26:17
  Speaker 4: and the last thing the team wants. So I think
• 26:19
  Speaker 4: it's one of those things where if you look up
• 26:20
  Speaker 4: at the end of the year and he hits eighteen
• 26:22
  Speaker 4: and stills thirty baggs and hits two eighty five, he
• 26:25
  Speaker 4: had a great year, like he needs. Did doubles? Home
• 26:28
  Speaker 4: runs come when they come, and pick and choose your
• 26:30
  Speaker 4: time to go after one, and then you know he
• 26:33
  Speaker 4: has the ability with two strikes put the ballon the
• 26:34
  Speaker 4: ball whenever he wants to. So he's got the ability
• 26:37
  Speaker 4: to kind of play with pitchers, and once he learns
• 26:39
  Speaker 4: to do that, that's when that twenty to twenty five
• 26:41
  Speaker 4: will come. But don't force twenty five by trying to
• 26:43
  Speaker 4: hit him. Coach, howad that you agree with that?
• 26:46
  Speaker 7: I see?
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: I mean, look, I think when you talk about Busch Stadium,
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: twenty five homers is I mean, that's that's real power.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think that people don't recognize, especially in
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: the off gap. There's no place to get a cheapie
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: at Bush Stadium. So if you put if you put
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: Mason win uh in some of the other ballparks around
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: uh MLB and told me he was gonna hit twenty
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: five homers, I would be I would I would say
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: that's a highly you know, much much more likely, you know,
• 27:19
  Speaker 2: at Bush Stadium for him, he'd probably have to pull
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: most of those. And and to get into the mode
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: where you're trying to pull homers, like Lance said, where
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: it takes your batting average. I think we've seen it
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: a lot, and even myself included at Busch Stadium. When
• 27:34
  Speaker 2: you know that there's not much reward in the off
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: right center gap as far as hitting home runs, and
• 27:40
  Speaker 2: a lot of balls go to die, you subconsciously find
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: yourself trying to pull the ball more, knowing that that's
• 27:46
  Speaker 2: the chance you have to hit a home run.
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: And then then, like Lance said, you become much more
• 27:51
  Speaker 3: easy to pitch to.
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: The batting average comes down, the swing and miss comes down,
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: or comes up, the chase comes up, and all of
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: a sudden, you know the some of the skills that
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: he has, he's not utilizing.
• 28:03
  Speaker 3: So I'm with Lance.
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: I think that you stay with a a hit the
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: ball all over the field approach. Either's certainly gonna be
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: counts where you can take a shot to hit homers
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: or to try to pull something in the air. But
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: if that becomes your your your every at that type
• 28:20
  Speaker 2: of mentality, Uh, that's where you become very easy to
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: pitch to h They don't ever give you anything middle
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: in and you know it's hard to pull the ball
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: in the air if they never throw you the ball
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: in middle end. So I think it's it's one of
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: those things for a hitter, particularly you know, somewhat still young,
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: for him to to use the whole field and trust
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: that you know, his fast twitch will hit balls. Uh,
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: you know, he'll hit his fair share of homers. And
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: and you know you'll get some cheapies on the road
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: in the central but Bush Stadium there's there's no place
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: to to get a get a cheapye and and sometimes uh,
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: you know, you you gotta it's uh, you can't fall
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: into the trap of trying to pull everything.
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: Gentlemen, good stuff. We appreciate it. And that's gonna do it.
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: For this edition of Cardinal territory. We'll see you on
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: the next episode, and hopefully that one will suck.
• 29:12
  Speaker 6: Mhm h