Royce Lewis and Manager Derek Shelton join FT @Twins camp

00:00:08
Speaker 1: Okay, So we're here with Derek Shelton, manager of the Minnesota Twins. He's a little angry, by the way, at our production staff because he didn't make the front end right there, the manager's meeting.

00:00:22
Speaker 2: What are we doing you guys?

00:00:24
Speaker 3: New guys in there? I don't return production. It's unbelievable.

00:00:30
Speaker 1: I'm gonna yell at producer lady for the fact that she didn't put you in.

00:00:33
Speaker 3: That's good, and we run it.

00:00:37
Speaker 1: Watch it'll be when this goes when this is Yes, but do we put you Do you have a picture of you in full Twins uniform.

00:00:46
Speaker 2: I'm sure Dustin can find a picture.

00:00:47
Speaker 1: But we only have pictures of Dustin shirtless or really tight. Yes, yeah, for super Scott to go super like so small. Really it's a contest between him and dust And that's why Scott couldn't come because the shirt cold, because they would be over there having a legs off the whole time shirt within the in the Fort Myers area. Yes, the one medium shirt.

00:01:09
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, exactly. By the way, and when we put you in, do we have to put your watch in?

00:01:14
Speaker 2: Yeah? Orris, you gotta go. A lot of guys wearing orses.

00:01:18
Speaker 1: A lot of managers. They love the manager, Yeah, do they? Because I asked Boonie about this and he was the first one I noticed.

00:01:25
Speaker 2: He's the first one. He's the og. Booneye is the og. And then I think it went to Alex and I and now it's kind of becauld.

00:01:32
Speaker 3: But do you change your watch because you changed it? If he changed the.

00:01:36
Speaker 2: I changed it on all Booney stole the yellow from me because I had the yellow first. So with uh with the oars the big one, and then Schneid's wears the big which is the actual right when it's the big blue. But yeah, I'm getting ready to place my new order it. Now there's sick but Booney Boney mixes it up more than I do.

00:01:54
Speaker 4: But you gotta be careful. Do you have to get that monitored by the league, Because when I was playing for the Rulers, Craig Council got in trouble because they sent him a letter and they said he was wearing an Apple watch, but it was really it was a Mickey Mouse watch that he wore one day and all the arms on.

00:02:12
Speaker 3: The clock were broken.

00:02:14
Speaker 4: But Major League Baseball sent him a letter that said it was a you can't wear you can't wear Apple watches on the you know when the Red Sox were doing on their cheating and all that stuff like, so do you have to get yours, take a picture of it and get it monitored by There's there's.

00:02:29
Speaker 2: No, uh, there's no. We're not getting any data here. We're just looking cool, just looking stylish. No, it's just all for show. It's it's for a cool looking band and you know shiny, So yeah, we're going that way. There's no you have said you have red Navy, red mortaring a navy. I got a sick one that has an ultimeter on it, because you know you definitely need that on the field.

00:02:55
Speaker 3: Step step you're on.

00:02:57
Speaker 2: Yeah, you got a yellow one for for the city cannects because our city cannects are blue. So yeah, I mean you gotta gotta make.

00:03:03
Speaker 3: It look cool. Okay, listen, I'm all for it.

00:03:05
Speaker 2: I'mut out to our guy vjvjs or.

00:03:10
Speaker 4: I love I love your energy.

00:03:12
Speaker 5: You seem like you're in a good mood. I never understood the pirates a decision, but I really understand Minnesota wanting you to be at the helm. There's kind of an emphasis of development versus competitiveness. How do you balance that as a manager. Obviously you've been around the organization the last couple of years as the bench coach, but how do you balance Uh, you know, the the goal moving forward.

00:03:32
Speaker 2: I think that's a goal for for every manager in markets like this Alon And it's a great question because guys are getting to the big leagues a lot faster than like when AJ and Kratzy were coming up. No, because of the fact that you've got a ton of minor league at bats. Don't take it personally. We know the Joe Maher pictures, but I think there's so much development that still goes on that we have to balance it. We have to continue to teach. It's a large focus within our camp right now is making sure that we are developing.

00:04:03
Speaker 1: Do you know these guys, how quickly do you do you learn? Because you are coming from a different organization, and then you say, well, we have to balance developing and then the big league guys, how quickly do you learn an organization?

00:04:13
Speaker 2: Well, a lot of conversations in the off season, you watch video, but still learning, you know. I got asked the question yesterday by our local media, like have you decided on this and I'm like, I've seen in person thirty at bats, forty at bats. We're at this point of spring training, so we have to use the full spring training or at least up until the last three or four days to evaluate. And then you guys, know, the evaluation of spring training is still hard because the fluctuation of innings, the fluctuation of how much you're playing. You have to rely on the back of the baseball card a little bit, because, I mean, you know this, you played for a long time. What you do in a major league game is way more important than what you do in spring training.

00:04:47
Speaker 4: Have you seen anybody that your preconceived idea was wrong or maybe you are able to make a different evaluation of them, somebody that since you've come in camp and seen.

00:04:58
Speaker 2: Well, I think with Pitcher, you get a like seeing TODs Bradley in person. You know, you don't understand ninety seven is different for everybody, but you see the ball come out of his hand, you see him attack. I mean, he goes down and pitches against New York the other day. And when you go to New York, you go to Tampa, you're gonna get a big boy lineup. You're gonna get their good players, and you're able to gauge off that you watch Luke Keishael and how he runs the bases and the intensity that he brings. I think there's little things that you're never going to find out from, you know, watching players on video or watching the new workouts until you get him in game situations.

00:05:29
Speaker 3: Has anything changed?

00:05:31
Speaker 1: Falvey? Derek Falvey was here and then all of a sudden he was right? Was he the one that brought you here? Is he the main person that was I don't think evolved in.

00:05:40
Speaker 2: I think he was part of it because of the fact that I was here before and Derek and I had a relationship. But the interview process here was intense. When you do interview, you to me with all the pole ouds, No, I'm at that.

00:05:50
Speaker 3: Joe, Carl, Tom, Billy, Bobby.

00:05:53
Speaker 2: At that point I met with Joe and then I've spent since then, spent a lot of time with Tom. But in terms of coming here and doing interview process, it's different because when you interviewed for managerial jobs, it's a situation where they don't know you. So a lot of the first part of the conversations is pleasantries. You know, how is this with this group that sat out and they knew me. I was here for two years and it was just right from the jump. So it was probably more intense than any any managerial interview I've been through.

00:06:19
Speaker 3: You won, Derek, was something you would have.

00:06:21
Speaker 5: What's something you would you want to do with the twins that perhaps you didn't do when you were managing before, Like you always want to do better than the year before, right with something in terms of development of your managerial career, would you like to take a step forward this season?

00:06:36
Speaker 2: I think there's two components to that, and one of it happened in the offseason, was just how you build your staff. The first time you build your staff, you really don't understand, you know, the complexity of a major league staff and how they interact with your players, and how you have to have different skill sets, how they have to compliment the manager. So when we built our staff this year was really cognizant of that. You know. The first two hires we made were LaTroy Hawkins, who bat high you probably played higher, you know, eighteen years in the big leagues, and then Gretty Sizemore, guy that.

00:07:06
Speaker 1: At one point, you know, every guy's doing over here. Every time AJ puts slider down, they hit it. Grady hit it in the seats, you know.

00:07:13
Speaker 2: I mean we went after major league experience first because I think the one thing that that I did learn is how important that is. We have a lot of skillspet set experts in our game today, but guys that have been around the game, that have stood in the box or stood on the mound. I felt it was really important to add to our group. So I think that's the first component. And then with today's players, and honestly, I think it's something I screwed up in Pittsburgh and need to do a better job of. Is you have a conversation with a player and then you interpret how you think they're going to interpret it, and you don't have the follow up to make sure that what was said is what was heard. And want to make sure that that I personally do a better job of that this time around.

00:07:52
Speaker 4: Do you feel like you were in a place to be able to make that follow up or did you feel like you're a little hamstrung when you were in Pittsburgh or is it just something that you're just learning now as you know the second time around too.

00:08:05
Speaker 2: No, I wasn't hamstrung at all. It was something that you learned, and you know when you get four months to go home and sit and reflect on it like I did last year and actually do this side of it where you're always right, I mean shocking. I was always right before I was on this. Okay, this is a bad so just this is the analogy of this. Using this so kratsy and a lot, I'll direct this at you because A J hasn't been wrong since two thousand and one.

00:08:30
Speaker 3: Since nineteen seventy six, seventy six, Yeah, shocking.

00:08:33
Speaker 2: I bet your wife thinks that too. I think you get a chance to sit home and reflect on it and you're like, hey, I should do this differently, and you know, I got the chance to do that's all summer.

00:08:46
Speaker 1: That's great. Krats brought out Pittsburgh. So since you're taking shots to me, it's my turn. Are you mad that they're went out and spent money because you kind of were. You kind of were in a weird spot right like you went there and you're like, oh man, we got some players and they didn't kind of And then here comes Skiens and Jones and Keller and then Bubba Chandler, and you're like, oh, here we go, and there still won't do anything. And then all of a sudden they're like, hey, Dereck, thanks, but now we're gonna go out and get Brandon Lao and right all these guys.

00:09:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm where my feet are. You know, I'm happy with where I'm at. I love the group here. I'm happy for that group. I'm happy for that fan base. You know, that fan base deserves a winner. I'm happy for Ben that they have the ability to go out and spend some money, and they've done some good things this offseason. And then on top of having Schemes which is dynamic and the best pitcher in the game or one of the best with scooball and then they have Connor Griffin coming and I mean, this kid's going to be special. He's going to be a superstar. So I'm happy for that fan base. I mean, it was my first opportunity to manage in the big leagues. I'm always going to cherish that. But the fact they're going out and doing those things, like there's no ill will at all.

00:09:48
Speaker 4: Somebody else that didn't get brought back with Pittsburgh Andrew McCutcheon. I don't know if you followed it, but do you feel like that could have been handled differently in the sense that you know what Cutch means that city and what that city means to Cutch. Do you feel like they could have handled it differently in the sense that honored him differently or is he still do you feel like he's still a viable big league piece that adds value.

00:10:13
Speaker 2: To a team. He is definitely a viable big league piece. ABS is going to be interesting with Cutch because I don't know if there's anybody in the game that dominates the strike zone as well as he does. I mean, you play as long as as he has. I think he's in his eighteenth season, and when he comes back and tells you it's a ball or strike, it's a ball or a strike. I mean, he's that good at So there's definitely a fixture in terms of the first part of that question. Kratsey, I don't know, because I don't I didn't follow it close enough. I don't know what the conversations were between Touch and the Pirates, so it'd be really hard for me to to kind of answer that.

00:10:47
Speaker 1: Let's talk about your team now, not for the pirate Craftsman's talk pirates just because he's still bitter at them for calling him up originally.

00:10:53
Speaker 2: So let's let's.

00:10:54
Speaker 3: Ignore the pirates a little bit.

00:10:57
Speaker 1: You're in Minnesota now. I came up with Minnesota right and was here for a while, and I still know a lot of people in Minnesota. Give give my friends some hope for the Twins this year in twenty twenty six, because there's I get text and phone calls and say, oh, man, Twins, here we go again.

00:11:13
Speaker 3: Give give us some hope.

00:11:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, a good, good point. I think starting pitching you, I mean, you know, even without Pablo, Yeah, even without Pablo. And that is a blow. And if there's going to be if you're going to take that, it happens early in spring training, so at least you can get your other guys work. But everybody likes to talk about, you know, all the trades that happened last year at the deadline here. But when you get a guy like Mick abelback and you watch him go out and as good as he's been in spring training, and then you have Joe Ryan, who's a top end starter, you know, you have Sime and you have Zebbi you have, you have Bailey Over, you have that group you can win with pitching, and again we're still trying to figure out our bullpen and adding pieces to it. You have Byron Buxton, you have a young player like Luke Kishel. There's a lot of good things that could happen and then very you know, honestly, we play in a division where no one has really separated themselves, which I think is a good thing, and it's going to be competitive and I'm looking forward to that. I think we made a really good move this offseason and adding Josh Bell to our group. Number one, he's a guy that you know can hit. But number two, it adds another veteran presence in our clubhouse with Buck.

00:12:19
Speaker 4: You were with the Rays before and you saw how they could develop some pitching. It's different in every organization. Have you seen anything You mentioned the bullpen. You got to figure out how that's going to work. The Twins have never gone out and bought their bullpens. I mean, I think Glenn Perkins was probably the last guy that they spent any money on. And I don't even think I said it right. It's probably not Glenn Perkins. Something of a different one. But anyway, have you seen something that they're like, Hey, trust us, these are the guys that we call up. This is the things that we look for. Or is it kind of more your melding and talking to the pitching coach and saying, hey, I want this type of guy out of the bullpen. I think it's organizational and I think we've seen over the past that you can go out and spend money on bullpen and then you know, bullpens don't function.

00:13:02
Speaker 2: It's the most valuable, volatable place in our game. One year, it goes back and forth. You know, guys are good, guys are not good. So we're just looking for that consistency. And I think the Twins, obviously over the course of the last five or six years, maybe even longer, that have done a good job identifying arms h and putting them in the right position. So it's it's as much an organizational blend as it is you know, my personal opinion or our pitching group's personal opinion on it.

00:13:30
Speaker 4: So we had Tito Francono on the other day and he was like, when he was gone out of the game, he goes he goes man that ninth inning.

00:13:37
Speaker 2: It's like a drug. He's like, I love it.

00:13:41
Speaker 4: Do you get that feeling when it's you have a lead and it's time to make them call to the bullpen and you go ahead and do it, or even if it's the eighth or the ninth inning, do you get that like adrenaline spike that Tita was talking about.

00:13:53
Speaker 2: I think you do. And you know, I think it's more to your point, it's the eighth inning, it's the ninth inning, sometimes it's the seventh inning, depending on where you're at in the order. But yeah, that's that's that rush you get. And honestly, it's something in Tito kind of highlighted. It's something you miss when you're watching a game when you're not involved in it. You don't get that same rush. And it's nice to be able to be back, to be able to get that rush in the eighth and ninth inning.

00:14:18
Speaker 5: Derek quick question before we let you go Anthony Bonda, Los Angeles. All the ladies in LA were so sad that the lot Los Angeles Dodgers let Bonda go away. So watch out Minnesota because here he comes. Two part question, what do you think he brings to a good bullpen that you had mentioned he had a lot of electric innings for LA in his time there. But also is he still setting up as the barber for your club?

00:14:41
Speaker 2: He has not set up for the barber yet. And you know, he's a guy that I actually had history with because I had him in Pittsburgh. Love the guy. I did not know that about the ladies, but that will definitely come up in a conversation, probably as soon as this interview is over. So I love that. But what he brings to our bullpen is swing and miss. I mean he has ability to get left handers out. He has ability to get right handers out. Uh you know the slider that he can throw backfoot to right handers. And when you have a left hander that is kind of neutral like Anthony is, it's a definite separator, especially with the three battered rule. But did not know the ladies component of this in LA, but that will be used against him very quickly. But he was a guy that when he came available, I was really excited to add to our bullpen.

00:15:23
Speaker 3: Yeah it's the tats.

00:15:25
Speaker 2: Just watch it's the tat. Okay, all right, there we go.

00:15:29
Speaker 1: Are you the type of manager that has to have your own thing or do you do you allow X players and managers to come back to Twins camp? No, we have got are you asking for a specific reason? Like yes, I wanted to hear you're a direct Yeah, we have a bunch of people. Morning was here before, he was at the WBC with Canada. Tonya Leva just left. I mean Moletor's coming in today. So yeah, we have we have guys around.

00:15:51
Speaker 2: Because I was.

00:15:52
Speaker 1: Wondering, does TK come in? Do you bring like TK and garden Hier.

00:15:54
Speaker 2: Now I don't know when this is being aired, but Guardy will be making an apparently very quickly.

00:16:00
Speaker 3: What about Tom Kelly?

00:16:01
Speaker 2: TK is not and but t K is around target field? And the great thing about t K did you play for t K? Yes, you're that Yes, yes I am. I'm not that great like you though, but I'm not there for a few years. And let's see how that. Uh No, but t K. I think the great thing about t K, and you would love this actually because of the fact that you were here, is at my opening press conference, t K pulled me aside and had a conversation with me about some things that he thought about should be the Twins way, and.

00:16:31
Speaker 3: It was brilliant tell me because I want to know.

00:16:33
Speaker 1: Okay, so yelling at young guys him like like the PfP don't even get it's how it started. And t K pulled me aside and talked to me about it. And we have implemented some of the things that that he felt were important, because you know, he's the ultimate twins Man. We used to go out to the little field out there and it's called the t K oh I know in the Stelly field too. The Stelly's out there now too, yes, And we used to sit out there for hours and just I would stand there.

00:17:00
Speaker 2: We're not out there for hours and we have not had anybody get screamed at first base wise. But Morty did tell me something that was really impactful during camp. He's like, you know, TK used to tell me, if I can stand out here and get on you on this field in March and you can handle it and you can't handle it, how are you going to handle it at the Metrodome in October? And it rains true the game?

00:17:22
Speaker 1: Did Morneault also tell you the story about when Tom Kelly told him, Hey, we need to go work on fielding and and Morneau looks at him and goes I got this bad.

00:17:29
Speaker 3: He was in the cage. He goes, as long as I got this, I don't need to go out.

00:17:32
Speaker 2: He left it out and that actually happened. I would like to know what the backside of that conversation from he was out there on the field.

00:17:37
Speaker 3: Let's just say the next.

00:17:42
Speaker 1: And also next time you see TK asking about David Ortiz, who's in the Hall of Fame.

00:17:46
Speaker 3: He almost killed them One day.

00:17:47
Speaker 1: We used to call it Iwo jima, the like the night field out there and we were doing pop up drills. Tom Kelly would always go to the far field. He was a manager, right, he'd go to the far field. David was playing first, I was catching. I was young, so he didn't talk to me. Hits a pop up and it falls, and he was so mad. He took his fungo and he threw it and David had to jump over it.

00:18:07
Speaker 6: That would not be good, no good to be hit him. But unfortunately he didn't hit anybody. But I got I was able to get some knowledge and listen.

00:18:19
Speaker 3: I look back on TK. When I was young, we all did not like him, But now I look back and he had a lot of really good ideas. Just maybe the execution wasn't the best.

00:18:27
Speaker 2: Well, I think the thing that we found out about TK is his ideas stand the test of time, you know. And I think with good teachers and good leaders, those messages, you know, stand the length of time. And I really appreciate I told someone. They asked me, they said, well, what was your conversation like with t K at your press conversation said it was not a conversation. It was a monologue. It was one way. It was one way directed.

00:18:50
Speaker 3: But I loved I appreciate the time that he took the time, and he cares that much about it.

00:18:54
Speaker 2: He was great.

00:18:55
Speaker 3: I looked back, So Shelton, thank you. And by the way, Molnors coming, Molly's gonna be looking for your job.

00:18:59
Speaker 2: He had this one.

00:19:00
Speaker 3: I know.

00:19:00
Speaker 1: I was sat next to him for a while. Well, Selty, thank you, man. I really wish you know them but the best. And people know this about me. One thing that I will say. People know me as a white sock, but I still consider myself there's a small sliver.

00:19:14
Speaker 3: I mean, that's a twin.

00:19:15
Speaker 2: I love that. Until you get on the south side and well, of course.

00:19:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, Chelty, Shelty, though, wait before we go, he almost didn't shake your hand. He almost didn't shake hand. I mean, I couldn't get a handshake. He's a white sock. He's a white sock. You're an al Central opponent now, so that's why he didn't do it, his little cal Rawley Randy of Rosarina.

00:19:36
Speaker 1: I'm Caldough. You're you'rery that sixty you hit. I'm advancing, you're not. Thanks Italy, Okay, all right, thank you, Chelsey all I gotta go. Yeah, I'm here with Royce Lewis twin Star. By the way, Eric, if you want to lose weight and stop eating sweetses, do like I didn't give it up for lent, so it's easy, you know, just just become Catholic overnight and just give it up for forty days and you'll over right.

00:20:14
Speaker 3: I went to Catholic school. A good food, that's training, Yeah, pretty much.

00:20:25
Speaker 2: What do you like to eat?

00:20:26
Speaker 4: I love ice cream? I love ice cream. But what's what's that thing for you that you're like? I know I shouldn't have it, but I'm I'm gonna get after.

00:20:34
Speaker 3: Yeah, I love ice cream, chocolate chip cookies. I think those are hard ones to beat. Man hogging'dss coffee is my go to really. Yeah.

00:20:42
Speaker 1: The ice cream, the ice cream you put that, you know you can put the There's these restaurants to have this thing of skillet and they bring out this cookie and then they put the ice cream on top of it and melts.

00:20:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's called a perzuki.

00:20:53
Speaker 4: It's called a perzuki. Pizza cooks.

00:20:55
Speaker 3: I'm all in on the perzuki. It's it's good in Fort Myers too. We got one like ten minutes away. So it's really Oh yeah, I know where to do. So you go there all the time. No, No, I actually haven't been there anytime. They weigh these guys in now.

00:21:06
Speaker 1: They weigh these guys in now every day when they walk in and do their body changed a lot.

00:21:11
Speaker 3: It's totally changed, even since i've you know, come up and it's just different. But it's unique and I think it's growing. You can tell.

00:21:18
Speaker 1: Okay, So I told this story the other day and I got to ask Roysis since he's we're in Twins camp. When I was at the Twins, we didn't when I first got here, we didn't even lift weights.

00:21:26
Speaker 2: We didn't even know.

00:21:26
Speaker 3: We didn't have a weight room here. We had nothing. We just we bare.

00:21:30
Speaker 1: We didn't have a string coach. Really we had one, but he was just kind of there because they didn't like it.

00:21:36
Speaker 3: We also.

00:21:39
Speaker 1: Had like no food restriction, so now they have dinner and everything here for you. Oh yeah, so do you eat three meals a day at the ballpark? Because for me, it was like we got a like hot Rod, who was one of our assistant clubies, is the equipment guy here. He's like, yeah, when you guys were here, there was peeb and jay and maybe a tuna fish sandwich.

00:21:57
Speaker 3: So what you guys get three meals a day at this place?

00:21:59
Speaker 1: Now?

00:21:59
Speaker 3: Yeah, they serve breakfast and lunch, no dinner the day games, no dinner because everyone's pretty much gone by, okay, so it's really nice. Honestly, I get the same meal every day for breakfast. Lunch is great. Breakfast it's an egg scramble with bell pepper, spinach and sausage and him, gosh, you get change. So it changed so much leaned out over here, you know what I mean? Changed so much?

00:22:20
Speaker 4: All right, last last Twins throwback question, because AJ and the Joe Mauer poster behind you are what we what what We'll discuss the whole time here, but last one. This is how much it's changed too. AJ used to have to pay for his extra sets of equipment because the team wouldn't.

00:22:41
Speaker 3: Pay for No. No, no, no, no, no no. Let's get the story straight.

00:22:46
Speaker 4: It wasn't extra.

00:22:47
Speaker 1: It was we asked for a fleece. We asked when the first fleeces came out. The Twins said, no, we play in the Metrodome.

00:22:55
Speaker 2: We don't.

00:22:55
Speaker 3: We don't have the money for it.

00:22:57
Speaker 1: It's seventy two degrees every day, so we don't need the flee And we're like, but every other team has them and they wear them when they come to the Metro.

00:23:04
Speaker 3: No, guys, we can't have it. So we had a player, Mike Fetters, buy him for the whole team. Good player, good teammate, right, good, thank you, But no, I think that's a little tough. You know, you still have eighty one games not in the Metro Dome. Thank you. I need that fleece, right. Plus it's swaggy, that's good.

00:23:18
Speaker 2: Look.

00:23:18
Speaker 1: That was when they like nowadays everyone has seven hoodies, you know, this and that, shorts and all this stuff.

00:23:24
Speaker 3: We had nothing. I like the old school baggy look. Even in the NBA you bring that kind of look back. It looks way better. The pajamas. Yeah, the pajamas.

00:23:31
Speaker 2: I like it.

00:23:32
Speaker 3: I like, how's how's camp going. It's going wonderful. Man. I feel like I've finally grown into a good routine and understood like where I need to be in camp for the season and get ready for March twenty sixth. And it's it's exciting having quality at bats for the most part. You know, I'm still human. I'm going to chase that change up that looks really enticing to it. But it's fun. It's going really good.

00:23:52
Speaker 2: What do you what do you need?

00:23:54
Speaker 4: You said, I feel like I know what I need to do to get ready for the season.

00:23:58
Speaker 2: What does that look like?

00:23:58
Speaker 4: What is the difference?

00:24:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, the biggest difference, honestly was two things. One confidence and two is a good routine. Having a great routine in which I come in every morning, I do the same thing. It's pretty much like rinse, clean, repeat, and that's all I'm doing right now in spring and it's really nice. It's pretten fun and honestly, if it makes my body feel better too, so yeah, I think for me, honestly, it was just like having a good you know routine in the off season too. That started right away, which is you know, running and feeling confident my legs again, lifting heavy so I have you know, enough power and gain that power and I feel like every day I can come to the ballpark and hit a home run and not feel like it's coming off the back week. And so those are two things for me that I focused on right as well as you know, eat and ride and just having fun with my family and taking advantage of that off season. Carried over really well into spring and have been kind of just on that repeat schedule. Up. I guess that's that, crowds.

00:24:55
Speaker 1: Sorry crowds. I thought you were going it's me. You'll put the camera on me. Oh it slash. My slack is whack today, so just ignore the slack. I'm trying to keep up and it's jumping around. So third base for you, how do you stay on the field at third base every day? Because when you're on the field, you're an unbelievable player. How do we get you to stay at third base every day?

00:25:16
Speaker 3: I think it's just going out there and playing third base every day too. This is gonna be huge, you know, playing less DH at the end of last season. That was huge and it helped me kind of be healthy for the last eighty games there where I was available and ready to go for Rocko whoever, wherever you needed me. And playing third now that I feel like I've kind of settled in and got that confidence as well. Over there, it was just so uncomfortable at first. You know, it's a totally different position than short even though yeah, I left side the endfield, but at shortstop you have that time, you have a little bit more range naturally, just by being you know, ten feet further back, whatever it is. And at thirty you really got to cut the distance and get those plays, get those short hops, and once you catch the ball, they should be out, you know. And so we're working on making those good throws. And it all starts with your feet. And I think that is is key for me, is just go out there every day and that'll help me be out there every day.

00:26:02
Speaker 1: What's the difference? Explain that to people. Is it just quicker? Is everything just quicker? The angle is different? What because you came up as a short stop, right and obviously now you're at third base, is just the angles? Is the quickness of the game what's the biggest difference that you've noticed.

00:26:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the toughest place for me are you know, going down the line farther away from first balls hit one hundred and sixteen off of you know, Stanton's bat coming at you know, and you're playing like middle depth because double play depth, and those are the kind of ones that are like you get you back on your heels a little bit more and as you settle in, you're like, okay, like, you know, I need to play underwater over here, I got plenty of time as soon as you catch it, like they should be out. And so I think, you know, the best players in the game, they kind of play so smooth over there. Manny Machado. You know, Bragman does a great job. There's a bunch of guys, but all those guys they play underwater. Keep Brian Hayes is wonderful and when you watch them, it's like slow motions. So that's that for me is the key.

00:26:53
Speaker 1: Well, then, any advice for Bobaschet because he just went from short to third with the Mets. If you could talk to Bobachet, what would your advice be for him?

00:27:00
Speaker 3: I mean, I think Bo is very talented, he'll figure it out. But I think the best thing I would say to Bo would be just, you know, cutting the distance was so huge for me, and it took me like a year and a half to figure that out myself. And so and when when what I mean by cut the distance is like, if the ball is here and you can go, you know, like let's say ninety degrees towards it to pick it up, that's two more hops. But if you go at a forty five and get it and it's only one more hop, it gives you that much more time to get the runner out it. You know, it's a longer throw. You can set your feet, take your time. And typically runners, especially in the big leagues playing on one hundred and sixty two games, they see you catch the ball and they see you set your feet right, they're probably gonna not give it one hundred and twenty percent effort down the line. So it gives you a little bit more time.

00:27:39
Speaker 4: Outsider's point of view, when people when your name's brought up, when Byron Buckston's Name's brought up, they say, man, the sky's the limit. The sky's the limit. They can stay healthy. And I've heard you say about your routine and everything and getting that under wraps. What can you and or what have you been able to glean from Byron going through the different injuries, weird injuries here and there, and then putting together a full season and then boom, Byron Boxer.

00:28:04
Speaker 2: You know he's a top ten MVP candidate.

00:28:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, Buck is amazing, man, I'll tell you that right now, real quick. But you know, the talent. I think when you have so much talent, you got a quick twitch ability. I think sometimes it's harder to harness that. And I praise the Bobby Wits and the guys that are able to you know, have that quick twitch ability but also stay healthy because they're able to harness that ability. And I think that's the name of the game, honestly, is you know, you have so much God given ability and honestly responsibility for the game to be out there and be healthy and for your team. And I think harnessing that in is something that's been huge. And I think for me this year that's the biggest takeaway as well going in the spring is I was able to harness that ability. I don't have to run one hundred and twenty percent down the line. I'm able to, you know, take my time understand when hey, I'm out. These guys are really good to They drive Mercedes too, you know, and so just play the game and have fun doing it.

00:28:54
Speaker 1: Humble Bragg by the way, too, they drive Mercedes too, not that they drive Mercedes, but too.

00:28:58
Speaker 5: Yeah, Lewis drives and Mercedes. Good to note, Royce, you have a new manager at the Helm, but it's not a guy you're unfamiliar with. Obviously, Derek Shelton's been there for the last couple of seasons. What has his managerial style have been like with you in terms of I know, guys are always talking about level of communication, open communication, and he seems to be that guy. What more can you tell us about what you've noticed as him as your skipper.

00:29:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, honestly, the huge communication piece, but also the set and the standard of you know, everyone's gonna be working hard, everyone's gonna be going on the road in spring. Everyone's well, you have to go on the road. Yeah, we've been going on the road. You got them great pants? Yeah, the great pants are in the locker room. Bucks. They don't have them great pants. He's he's on the road, he's in Houston. So, uh no, it's just set in a standard. You know, like we're a younger team obviously, and so to be able to, you know, have that opportunity to set the standard for the young guys to see a good example, you know, from Buck, from Josh Bell, from Guaranteini, all these guys that have been there, done that, Ryan, Jeffers, Joe Ryan, even like his first game, guys on the road like Temple Ba. So you know, we're not like leaning towards favorites. We're all playing as a team. He got twenty six different leaders in that locker room, and that's how we're gonna play. And Sheltey's doing a great job. Yeah, but that doesn't mean just because your leader doesn't that means you don't go on the road. Yeah, sometimes you got some time now. Yeah yeah, I guess so, but I don't feel like that. I don't I never act like that.

00:30:18
Speaker 4: Okay, So yeah, Royce, don't change, don't let him, don't let don't let that salt just get all over your all over your nice uniform. Ajl aj.

00:30:31
Speaker 1: Yeah he's got he's got LaTroy here now, trust me, he ain't seen salty yet.

00:30:36
Speaker 4: Now, there's there's some salt, But my question was gonna be Shelton was the bench coach. Derek Shelton was the bench coach when he was here. Now he's the manager. Is it hard for some guys when you see somebody that was in a different role now being the hefe Is it hard to have the same relationship because it's like, well, you know, I was this, now I'm this?

00:30:59
Speaker 3: Or has Shelton been able to.

00:31:02
Speaker 4: Meld into that, to easily ease into that role and be the same guy that he was before?

00:31:08
Speaker 3: Yeah, great question. Absolutely not with Shelta. You know, I think he was born to be a head coach. I truly do. I think he leads. He's like a born leader. He leads very well, very smooth, very easy. It's like gravitational, like everyone kind of goes towards him, asking questions, very open to you know, his style coaching, which I really you know, want to applaud him on that for one. But also the staff he put together is helping him be better persons as well. You know, having Grady Sizemore, La Troy Hawkins back here, it's gonna help all of our young guys gain some knowledge. But also just kind of calm us down a little bit when times gets stressful. There's gonna be points in season when we go, you know too and eight a ten game road stand or something crazy like that. And to have those guys that have played the game at a high level and played it very well is gonna be huge for for us going forward. No doubt. Is there anybody left from when Shelton was here? Though? Was Buck even here? Yeah? Buck was here?

00:31:58
Speaker 1: Buck was the only one, right my first big league spring training camp? Okay, so yeah, because I'm like you, I know you weren't here when in the big leagues when Shelton was here, you no, But if my first big league camp, so I met him. He's the one that sent you down. The office was Rocco, But you know, Sheldon had everything to do with it.

00:32:15
Speaker 3: Right, Actually, I'm sorry it wasn't Rocco. Oh, Molly was still here? Where is that old part? Man? He's around, he's around, he's good man. He's supposed to be here. I'm looking for I've been looking for him. I haven't seen him here yet. You're right, that's a good point. But he's I played crazy, right, what a player? Yeah? He played with some stud players, played.

00:32:35
Speaker 2: With some old people. That's what I did.

00:32:38
Speaker 3: All right before we let you go.

00:32:40
Speaker 1: I have to ask you this because I've always I've never gotten a chance to ask because you have one of the great quotes of all time, and you I don't know if it's I'm gonna attribute to you.

00:32:47
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:32:48
Speaker 1: And you said something like I don't slump, or I don't believe in slumps or do you remember what you said? There was something about like I won't go over twenty or I don't do slumps. Do you remember what you said?

00:33:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, like the word like I don't I don't think of it as like a slump. I think of it as like you know, because I think when you put yourself in that mind frame of like, oh I'm slumping, just that's like, oh, everything's going wrong for me, and it's very negative. I think that's what I was trying to portray. I think if you knew who I was as a person, you'd be like, oh, okay, like I'm not a cocky guy. I'm not gonna say I'm not dude, I'm a hitter. We're gonna get out a lot, of course, so I expect to get out. It's gonna happen a ton more. But when I said that, I meant initially like, I don't do that, that word, like, I don't put myself in that negative headspace. I really just because they're like, oh, you went over three yesterday. I was the first time you went hit list da da da. I remember all about it. Trust me, that was a tough time for me. People take my words out of context.

00:33:41
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, shoot, that's what it was awesome because what you said, though I took it the way you said it, like I don't want to talk. I'm not going to talk like that because it brings me down, makes me think bad. And I think some people were like, oh, this guy goes over five, like you know, oh we can't.

00:33:55
Speaker 3: He doesn't.

00:33:56
Speaker 1: He thinks he's too cool, right, And I didn't think it like that at all. Yeah, I wish I would have had that, cause I'm like, go for seven. I'm going, oh my gosh, Tom Kelly is not going to play me for a month.

00:34:04
Speaker 2: Oh gosh.

00:34:05
Speaker 3: It's so easy to freak out and get stressed out and bring that home. And I don't accept to do that, you know, I choose to leave it at the field, like you know, at the end of the day, it is a game that we're playing for fun, and you got to, you know, accept that blessing and just remember that how much fun you're having. Like I'm playing out there like I'm a ten year old kid, and when I'm not doing that, it does feel like I'm a alove and it's not very fun. And so I choose to, you know, play like a ten year old and not be in that negative headspace. I love it. I love it. To explain.

00:34:32
Speaker 1: Please, we're gonna talk after he leaves, and I want to learn how to do that, because that's amazing.

00:34:38
Speaker 5: Yeah, Usually it takes a much more veteran player to realize you can leave it at the game and just try to let it go. You have to have a memory of a goldfish, like Ted Lesso says, Right, Royce, we appreciate you very much, man, stay healthy. You are such a good star in this game. We're looking forward to seeing what you can do this season. Thanks for taking the time.

00:34:56
Speaker 3: Hey, thank you guys. I really appreciate it. Man, it's been great. See a j man not not salty, all right, He's pretty salty. I'm not gonna lie

00:35:10
Speaker 6: Yeah, I