Walt Weiss & Mike Yastrzemski @Braves camp + 2026 ATL Season Preview

00:00:11
Speaker 1: I'm sitting here with new manager of the Atlanta Braves, wolt Weiss. Before we get into the tough questions, is there a manager in baseball that you think can outlift you?

00:00:23
Speaker 2: I ain't going there, man. Yeah, you see the back of my card. Man looked at the date of birth.

00:00:30
Speaker 3: Huh.

00:00:31
Speaker 2: But hey, father times undefeated, but trying to keep him on his heels.

00:00:37
Speaker 4: Serious serious questions, Whose though, KP Like, who else can can keep up with Walt?

00:00:42
Speaker 3: You think manager wise?

00:00:44
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't. I don't think there is a I don't think there's a manager in the game that can keep up with the one because he's in there every single day. He cares about it, he cares about the way he looks and the way he feels. But I don't think there's a manager in baseball that could out bench press you. But gave he's as a general manager. Next topic, how how second time around managing? How difficult is it hasn't been for you to have been here and be part of a team that's been very successful in organization that's been very successful. But wanting to kind of deliver your own message, what has that message kind of been?

00:01:29
Speaker 2: I think there's been benefits to haven't been here for the last eight years. You know, they of course they had never seen me in a leadership role, but the relationships are already established. I know these guys really well, you know, get along with them very well. Now once you get in that manager seat, obviously it's a little different, but I still do believe that connecting on a personal level is really important. These guys need to trust you, they need to believe what you say, and there obviously has to be respect up and down the chaining commands, so that stuff I feel like is already intact. So I think there's a lot of benefits to having been here, even though I'm in a different seat now and no relative to the first time I did this, the circumstances are the world's apart. I was coaching high school football for four years when I took that job in Colorado and walked in blind. Really didn't know anything about the team, didn't know anything about the league. I had been out of the game, so there was a lot of learning on the fly. And look, this job is never easy, but I've set up better this time around, having bench coached for eight years and knowing the club like I do walking in this time?

00:02:43
Speaker 4: Yeah, hey, well so this is a talk show. We stayed our opinions. And every team that doesn't make the playoffs will say, oh, injuries all that. For me, usually, I think there's like a few that can actually really say that. And so last year was of course a big part of that where the rote was gutted. So then pushing it forward here you experienced that. Of course last year, what's going on. We got some some fluke injuries, some not the.

00:03:09
Speaker 3: Whole deal popping up again.

00:03:10
Speaker 4: And how do you navigate that and not just with your team, but also with the front office to see if you guys can do anything.

00:03:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, look, we I mean it's well documented what we dealt with last year, but every team deals with that too to some degree. Last year was tougher for us to overcome it because it was our starting pitching. We lost our entire rotation, so we had a hard time overcoming that, and we got hit with some bad news before camp even started, right at the beginning, you know, with Schwellenbach and Waldrip. So it kind of the beat goes on. But I got to tell you, man that the camp has been really focused. I know there's a lot of managers feeling good about their club in March. But the vibe has been great. These guys have been pros. They've dealt with the things we've had to deal with this spring already. Uh, like Champs, and it's a it's a good group of guys. I think a bunch of guys are prime for for bouncebacks. You know, some guys underperformed last year and maybe the first to tell you, but yeah, I feel like we're in a really good place, even dealing with the things we've had to deal with and and and look, going through that last year probably make us stronger, you know. But uh, the guys that are healthy on a pitching staff have looked really good this spring, So that makes me sleep a little easier. But uh, I feel good about our club.

00:04:38
Speaker 5: I do.

00:04:38
Speaker 2: And I think I think our offense is going to be good. We underperformed, especially in the first half last year. I feel good about our offense. I think it's it's going to be a really a really good lineup and a really lengthy lineup. So I think some things are around into shape here. And but but the mentality the club is really good.

00:05:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, speaking of the offensive side, I know for you know, as long as you could remember, the Braves have had a certain way of going about things and having guys go out there and play every single day. Throw Olsen out because he's an anomaly, you know, he's got this nice streak going on. But some of these other guys, Ronald, Ozzy, you know, Riley, have you had conversations about maybe getting them off their feet, allowing them the DH or maybe even just getting them off their feet for a day to try to allow them to stay healthy throughout the whole year.

00:05:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're right, KP. I mean, and that's been the that's been the culture here, and that's a good thing. And these guys love to play. They want to play. You start going around the diamond and there's some injury history that's starting to mount on most of these guys, Olsen being the outlier. So I do think, you know, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna pick spots to get these guys off their feet. And they're still gonna play a lot. They're still gonna play if they're healthy one fifty plus, you know, it's just now I'm not looking for them to play once sixty plus. So I think based on schedule matchups day after night, struggling, you know, use your eyes and you know and the information to make those decisions. When to give a guy, you know, give him a day before and off day he gets two. So all those things I'll take into consideration. But I'm going to pick my spots and give these guys a break here and there.

00:06:27
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00:06:41
Speaker 3: AJ.

00:06:41
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00:06:51
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00:07:02
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00:07:20
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00:07:28
Speaker 6: Hey, well, you guys had a DH former teammate of mine. I've never been more disappointed in someone. I mean, how do you handle the whole jerks in profar steroid thing and just I mean, I don't even I hate even bringing it up, but it's something we kind of got to talk about, and it sucks for you to have to deal with.

00:07:44
Speaker 5: And it sucks that somebody would make a decision like that.

00:07:47
Speaker 2: No, I hear you, AJ And look, man, I get it. People people got asked those questions and I signed up to sit in the seat and answer them. So look, nobody saw that coming. Obviously, he very disappointed and stunned when we got the news. But you know, I had some media members asking me, well, you said this guy was a good guy last year. I said, yeah, I stand by that. I mean he was. He was a great teammate. When he came back, I said, because of the circumstances last year, he was gonna have to win us over and certainly win me over, And he did.

00:08:24
Speaker 7: I mean he was.

00:08:26
Speaker 2: He was a great teammate, He was a leader in our clubhouse. He performed for us. Nobody saw this coming. But you know, my message to the group was this doesn't change anything about our team. As far as getting ready for the twenty sixth season, the camp has been a really good camp. The focus has been outstanding, and that's going to continue and something good is going to come out of it.

00:08:50
Speaker 5: You know.

00:08:50
Speaker 2: I use the example of twenty twenty one when when we were under five hundred the first of August and Ronald Lacune goes down for the rest of the season, tears his acl Nobody would have signed up for that and nobody would choose that option, just like we wouldn't choose to pro for our option. But we end up winning the World Series in twenty one. Those terrible circumstances led to us winning a World Series. So you never know what you know good news are bad news? Is what the chain of events are going to be so I'm expecting guys to step up. I'm expecting guys to shine because of this, and uh, I think the rest of our club is feeling the same way.

00:09:32
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, well obviously you Oh sorry, go ahead, aj oh.

00:09:35
Speaker 5: No, sorry.

00:09:36
Speaker 6: I was just gonna ask him since I played for SNIT when SNIT first. I was there when Freddy got fired and they brought SNID in and he was a heavy Bobby Cox, heavy heavy Bobby Cox.

00:09:46
Speaker 5: Are you Bobby Cox the same? Like? No hats backwards?

00:09:49
Speaker 6: You have to show the A, you have to put your your uh, you have to put your glasses on the back of your hat, you have to wear the VP top. I mean there was no some of these. I mean, listen, however you want to do it. Some teams were cutoffs and the T shirts when they take me, the braves are always full uniform. Are you still the same as the way it was with SNIT?

00:10:08
Speaker 7: Yes?

00:10:08
Speaker 2: I mean I played here under Bobby and those are some time honor traditions here and I'm gonna I'm gonna honor those and respect them. And that's out of respect for the for the Bobby Coxes and the John Scherholtz and all the people that came before us to make this brand mean something special. So it's all about respecting the brand aj and and and and I'm going to continue that now.

00:10:32
Speaker 5: You know.

00:10:32
Speaker 2: As far as my leadership style, I'm sure that's going to be different. I mean, if snit was taken over for me, I'm sure he'd say the same thing. It's gonna We're just different people, So the style and the approach to the day is going to be different. But I take I take things away from all the managers I played for, whether it's LUSA, Bobby Cox or Rene Lash and Don Baylor, all these guys and working for SNID, so uh, I take a little bit from all of them. But at the end of the day, it's my voice, it's my it's my leadership style, and so it'll it'll be different.

00:11:10
Speaker 1: I know you only had him a little bit of time here in camp before he went off and played the BBC. But what have you seen from Ronald, you know, coming off the second knee surgery, any restrictions on him moving forward, and obviously tough news with Hassan Kim getting hurt in the offseason, what have you kind of seen from guys that you have brought in to kind of man that short stop position.

00:11:29
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:11:29
Speaker 2: First with Ronald, Ronald's in a good place man, He's he's in a really good place. Two repaired knees, we don't. We could probably rack our brains, the two of us together, but in the game a long time, it's it's it's hard to remember a guy that's got both needs repaired in this sport. But he's one of those guys. He's one of the two or three percent that's just different. And he loves to play. It's evident when he when he's on the field, and he's in a really good place. Ron Ronnie, I'm really excited about what's in store for him this year and the shortstop thing. You know, we have Dubon and and Orge Matteo and camp uh both guys are are good, big big leaguers and and uh so I think you know, Alex made some sneaky signs over the winner that are gonna end up being really important for us. Whether it's Dubon and Mateo or Mike Yastremsky, there's some sneaky signs there. And and so I I feel good about where we are and then we get these guys, uh, you know at some point during the season, hopefully not too late in the season. We talked about Murphy and Hassan Kim. Uh, it makes us that much stronger.

00:12:43
Speaker 1: How far off is he from coming back?

00:12:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, it's tough putting time timelines on guys, but we're getting further along now and it's I would guess it's it's it's sometime in May. I don't know if it's when in May, but I I think you know, there's a good chance we get them before June.

00:13:03
Speaker 4: Hey, well, we didn't get to the other side of profile being out for the year, just on the field, So how do you plan to handle the dhrol We're kind of talking about playing time and opportunities here, but just wanted to get any specific thoughts about how you see this and how it could help the team because you might have a little bit more of an open space.

00:13:22
Speaker 3: It's an easier sell.

00:13:24
Speaker 4: To some of the guys that want to play every day, but you can take them off the field.

00:13:29
Speaker 2: Yeah. What I like is we have a really flexible lineup. There's a lot of versatility on the roster, and with the open DH spot, it allows me to keep Baldwin's bat in the lineup. It allows me to give Ronnie a day, you know, get off his legs and the DH and you can go around the diamond and use that DH spot from time to time. I really like that flexibility, and I think it's going to in the long run, it's going to pay dividends. But it allows you to to you know, create some some favorable matchups with with your lineup construction and that type of thing. There's there's a lot of a lot of ways you can you can move these parts around with with that uh, that DH spot being open. So uh, I really like having that flexibility.

00:14:18
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I would agree with that. You know, being an extra outfielder, you know, when that same lineup is being put out there every day and you have a stable at DH, it's hard to kind of implement that forth or maybe fit outfielder or utility and fielder. Is that something just over the last eight years being a bench coach, you've kind of understood, you know, and talk to those guys on the bench how difficult their job is and finding better ways to kind of insert them in the lineup to keep them fresh.

00:14:44
Speaker 2: Yeah, And one of my philosophies is I I don't like to leave my bench guys sitting there for for two weeks without playing, because you know, KP. Whan, we had you toward the end there and and then and you were you were in that role. Some it's it's a lot to ask of a guy that hasn't played in two weeks when all of a sudden he has to play for whatever reason and you and now you expect him to perform. It's not fair. So I like to keep the bench guys involved.

00:15:11
Speaker 7: Now.

00:15:11
Speaker 2: It helps that we have a good bench well, I think it's probably the best bench that that we've that we've had in my eight years. Here is my ninth year. Uh So it makes it a little easier to be to be able to play those guys. Uh And and the flexibility I talked about, guys are versatile, they play multiple positions. There's a lot of ways we can move this thing around. But uh, I'm a big believer in keeping your bench involved because you're gonna you're gonna need those guys, and more than likely it's going to be in a big spot or a crunch time or late in the game or what And you can't expect those guys to perform if they haven't been on the field in two weeks.

00:15:50
Speaker 6: Hey, well, can you just hold up your left arm for me like this, hold on, move it a little bit the other way so we can see it. Did your family yell at you because you have it looks like you have watch on your right hand. So did you go home and your family yell at you that you gotta switch hands because you've got the tan line on the wall?

00:16:06
Speaker 5: Yeah?

00:16:07
Speaker 2: No, you got me a j I mean, my my watch is being charged right now, or else you wouldn't see the tan line. I rarely take it off, but uh good, good pick up there. Okay, I didn't know because I eye a catcher man. That's why you have a great great managers, they see the whole field.

00:16:23
Speaker 5: Is that what you have? What a whoop? On the other hand, is that what it is?

00:16:26
Speaker 2: I got a whoop?

00:16:27
Speaker 5: Yeah? Yeah, that's that's because that's why you're such a good shape.

00:16:32
Speaker 2: Hey my whoop, I tell her when my whoop says, I'm ten years younger than I am. So that's what I'm going with. Fifty two, I'm fifty two.

00:16:39
Speaker 1: All right?

00:16:40
Speaker 6: Last one, last one now, you're Do you know what year you made the All Star Team?

00:16:45
Speaker 2: Ninety eight?

00:16:46
Speaker 5: Okay, do you know the song about the ninety eight Braves?

00:16:51
Speaker 2: Do not?

00:16:53
Speaker 5: Oh so Morgan.

00:16:53
Speaker 6: There's a country singer named Morgan Wallen that yeah, called the ninety eight Braves.

00:16:59
Speaker 2: Oh, yes, yes, I have heard that.

00:17:01
Speaker 5: Yes, how come you didn't make the song? If you made the Alcar team?

00:17:04
Speaker 6: They got Chipper Andrew the Big three pitchers, But there's not one mention of Walt Weiss in the song.

00:17:10
Speaker 2: For good reason. For good reason, man, I snuck into that. Yeah, that was my first All Star game. I made it at like thirty five years old or whatever I was. I had a really good first half that year. And yeah, that's uh. But yeah, I get it. I mean I wouldn't. I wouldn't. I wouldn't mention my name amongst those guys either.

00:17:31
Speaker 4: If you lead this team to a title, then he's gonna have to make that, right, He's gonna have to put.

00:17:36
Speaker 5: Wall He's gonna have to put Walt.

00:17:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, I leave that up for you, guys.

00:17:45
Speaker 1: I can't thank you enough for being here. Yeah, you know, I'm a big fan of yours, a big fan of the Atlanta braves and wishing you guys nothing but health first and foremost and a successful season as well.

00:17:57
Speaker 3: Appreciate you, KP.

00:17:58
Speaker 2: I was good to see you man, aj Ronnie, Appreciate you man.

00:18:05
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00:18:19
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00:18:36
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00:19:03
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00:19:05
Speaker 4: Hey, the Foul Territory Spring Training Tour is engineered by Fast and All where industry meets innovation. We love you Fast and All for hooking us up with help on this spring training tour. Look how much damage we've already done. This is week four, the beginning of week four out of the five week tour. After Braves camp Tuesday, Rays Wednesday, Orioles Twins on Thursday, Red Sox Friday, and then four more camps next week.

00:19:33
Speaker 3: A lot of action going on.

00:19:35
Speaker 4: Okay, let's talk more about the Atlanta Braves in this season preview. Okay, KP recently played for this team, AJ did at one point two. Let's get both of your thoughts on if the Braves can bounce back in twenty twenty six. It was a bad year for them and it was full of injuries. We've talked about it with many of their players. Let's look at additions and subtractions for this team and figure out if they did enough. Robert Tuarez joining Ryce el Iglesias in the back end of the bullpen, Hassan Kim is going to be out for a while, it sounds like at least maybe a couple months. And then Mike Yastremsky added to this team. Jerks and profar is gone for the year with the ped suspension. Charlie Morton's gone now, although that well, he wasn't with them last year, was he, Charlie?

00:20:28
Speaker 1: He came back. He came back at the end of the year.

00:20:32
Speaker 3: I forgot good call.

00:20:34
Speaker 4: And then Azuna is gone, who they really liked in the clubhouse. Obviously he's had his off the field stuff, but he's now with the Pirates. So add and subtract, and also KP subtracts some starters already from the beginning of the season here, including Spencer, Schwellenbach and Hirst and Waldrup. Do you think the Braves are going to be able to keep up with teams like the Phillies and Mets and maybe even the Marlins.

00:20:54
Speaker 1: I think. I mean, walking around camp I saw a couple other names too that weren't listed on you know, we just showed there guys like Carlos Crasco and Martin Perez. Those guys might be needed early in the year to kind of fill in for some of the injuries in the starting pitching. But it's never a matter of question of the talent that this team puts together. When you look at this team on paper, they have to be one of the favorites in the division. This team is built to win. They've been built to win over the last couple of years. It's just a matter if they could stay healthy. I mean, just out of the shoot, You're missing two of your starting pitchers. Murphy's on the shelf, Hassan Kim gets injured slipping on ice. You know. But what they did do is they brought in some depth. They brought in guys like Jorge Matteo and Maricio Debont that are able to kind of fill in that shortstop position. I love the addition of mike Yastremsky. I think he's a tremendous player. I think he's gonna add some power from the left side to that lineup. He plays a really good left field. But when you look at that, you know, first four names in that lineup with Ronald o'cunya, Drake Baldwin coming off the Rookie of the Year season, he had Matt Olsen, Austin Riley. When these guys are healthy, how could you not love this team?

00:22:05
Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm just surprised when you look at those numbers, the ops plus Alby's and Michael Harrison in the eighties. I mean, I know Michael got off to a bad start last year, but man, I thought he caught up in Aussie Alby's eighty eight or eighty nine.

00:22:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, a rough year. I know both of them picked it up as the season.

00:22:20
Speaker 5: But still like that's not for long.

00:22:22
Speaker 3: They went prolonged.

00:22:23
Speaker 6: Just not something that you would expect if you look at when you think of this Braves team. Right, and Drake Baldwin had an unbelievable year as Rookie of the Year last year. The key for me is the pitching bullpen is fine Iglacis. They brought in Swarez, some of the other guys that are bringing back the starters, Chris Sale and then Strider. What are they getting out of Strider? Ornaldo Lopez? What are they getting out of Hi? Bryce Elder Grant Holmes or are they getting out of there. I know they have Martine Perez, like KP said, and they Carlos Carrasco, but those aren't really guys you're counting on to win you a division, are you, especially in a division with the Phillies and the Mets.

00:22:59
Speaker 5: And the Marlins, who have the best pitching in the world.

00:23:01
Speaker 6: I've been told many times my people in the chest, so I don't want to forget about the Marlins, who have forty nine pitchers in their organization.

00:23:08
Speaker 3: Is never going to forget unless they finish number one and starting pitching er.

00:23:11
Speaker 5: But no pitching.

00:23:12
Speaker 6: They just have to they have to have like the Marlins have to have like never give up a run. Ever, because according to people in the chat KP. When we talked about the Marlins one day, they're like, the Marlins have so much starting depth pitching and they're they're never going to run out.

00:23:25
Speaker 5: I'm like, Okay, we'll see.

00:23:27
Speaker 3: I'm worried that the Braves are going to run out.

00:23:30
Speaker 4: We haven't started the season yet and there is significant trouble for this rotation.

00:23:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, you're definitely relying on a guy like Chris Sale who's obviously not getting any younger, but he's still elite at what he does. But at some point father time is going to catch up. It might not be this year or next year, but at some point it is. And there's still a little bit of, you know, concern about Spencer Strider. Is he able to pitch without the velocity? Is the velocity to come back? Rinaldo Lopez pretty much missed the entire year last here. They say he's healthy around here. I was out there talking to some guys and he looks like he's in great shape and he's healthy. But he did miss an entire year. So how many innings is he going to be able to give you? I mean, up until recently he was a guy who was pitching out of the bullpen. So the starter workload is still something we still have to figure out if he can handle year in and year out. And then you look at the two guys at the bottom of that list, and you know, like you said, you're trying to win a division here, you know, is it enough starting pitching? At some point they are going to get those other two guys back. You know, do the Braves go out and try to acquire another starting pitcher. You know, they save some money with Profar, you know, missing the entire season to the suspension. Do they go out and try to acquire someone out. Grant Holmes has been great for them too, but he's also coming off an injury at the end of last year. How healthy is he? Is he durable? Is he going to be able to hold up? And Bryce Elder one of my good friends, you know, and teammate from you know, twenty three, who was an All Star has you know, he's had his ups and downs. You know, he's he's he's shown signs of being a really good fifth starter in the major leagues and he even pitched to an All star level. But you're talking about an NL East that's a juggernaut with a lot of talent and really good arms and really good offenses. Do they have enough? I think offensively they do. I think defensively they do. The question is going to be do they have enough starting pitching? And the beauty the beautiful thing is they have a really good bullpen. They have a lot of depth in that bullpen, so maybe it takes the workload off of some of these guys. Can they get him through you know, five six, innings, maybe even four and a third, you know, with some of these guys, because you look at that bullpen and there's some some power arms and even a guy like Joey Wentz went down, So they're already going into the depth of their organization. At some point it may be too much to overcome. But you know, from everything I heard talking to guys out there, I think you know, Joey Wentz avoided serious injury. I don't know what his status is, if he's gonna be ready for opening Day, but it's just been kind of a tough couple of years for the Atlanta Braves with the injury bug.

00:26:05
Speaker 4: I don't use this word very often on our show because I think it gets overplayed and every player and team deals with it, especially early on in the season, and I hate when reporters ask it over and over again. But I do feel like the pressure meter for the Braves is high. They have all of this core locked up, right They should all be in their primes right now. Most fans have experienced a lot of winning over the past decade. There right a lot of success, a lot of playoff appearances, there's a World Series mixed in there. The team profits a lot that's public, that's known. They've got an awesome surrounding with the battery gets talked about all the time. To add all that up, and fans are expecting a winner. Like last year, they were all over the team.

00:26:49
Speaker 3: And I was one.

00:26:50
Speaker 4: I remember I went on a one of the local radio shows for a spot and I'm like, fans are kind of jaded, like it sucks they've had a bad year, but they've had many other good ones, and I was like feeling it. On socials, people are like, how dare you blah blah. I'm like, relax. There are many other fan bases that would trade places with this fan base in a heartbeat a couple.

00:27:11
Speaker 5: Years ago too. I forget twenty one.

00:27:13
Speaker 3: In twenty twenty one. It's not like it's been that long.

00:27:15
Speaker 4: But fans are hungry and they see what they have right now and feel like they're in their winning window.

00:27:19
Speaker 3: And I don't know how they feel about the off season. Roberts Wire is awesome.

00:27:24
Speaker 4: I love the move, but most fans felt like they deserved one more starter. The team kind of hinted at that, then they shied away from that, and now I think they probably wish they could go back to the start of the off season and grab another starting pitcher.

00:27:38
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think they need their starter shore maybe two starter shot depending on how the health hangs out helds up with the rest of the starter.

00:27:45
Speaker 5: So I love the lineup if the lineup's right. That's the thing.

00:27:50
Speaker 6: Their lineups have been so up and down, because remember they signed all these guys. Everyone's like, oh, they have the greatest lineup of all time, and then they've just kind of gone flat a little bit. And it's weird to say that because of all the people they have on this team. So and then you look at Listen, Ratio Dubon is a nice utility kind of player, but is he an everyday shortstop.

00:28:10
Speaker 5: I mean that's you know why I get.

00:28:13
Speaker 3: Over exposed little too. He hasn't really played every day.

00:28:15
Speaker 5: Yeah. And then Tom Smith, I mean that one fourteen.

00:28:18
Speaker 6: But I mean again, that's small sample size, and that's a that's a picking the right matchup for the guy to play. It's not an everyday player. So his lineup is very top heavy. For me, the bullpen is going to be good. I feel like with Suarez, Iglaciers and the rest of the crew down there, I just worry after sale was. I mean, Stryder's still only throwing like ninety three like he was ninety nine to one hundred before. Don't forget so worry about that a little bit. Where's Lopez? I don't know, Listen. I'm a Braves fan. I grew up a Braves fan, so I always want the Braves to do wells my last team I played for, and I still know a lot of people there, so I still like a lot of people there.

00:28:52
Speaker 5: I want him to do well. I just think that nationally East is.

00:28:54
Speaker 4: Tough, really tough, and if someone told you, hey, Braves don't make it again, you wouldn't be surprised.

00:29:00
Speaker 6: I could see this team winning ninety games if every thing goes perfect, and I could see winning seventy five games that it all doesn't go right.

00:29:08
Speaker 4: See, that would be a tornado in Atlanta. Fans would lose their minds if they put together another season like that this coming season.

00:29:19
Speaker 1: I mean, I couldn't agree with you more age. I think this team has the makings of winning the division, but I also wouldn't be surprised if they finished third in this division. Two and a lot of it is so predicated on the health of this team. You know, I was with them in twenty twenty three, and the entire team stayed healthy and historically it was one of the best offenses that you know, up until that time. I think we were the first team to hit over three hundred home runs. And it was just like everything they the lineup just worked. You know, everyone had great years. Everyone fed off each other, you know, everyone knew their role. Things were rolling. I think we won like one hundred and you know, four or five games that year. Everyone in the starting rotation for the most part, stayed healthy. You know, there was a little bit of a you know, part of the bullpen that that wasn't as strong, and I think it got exposed a little bit in the postseason. But it's such a mystery right now because they've just you know, they're coming off a bad year. They're they're obviously motivated and hungry. But going into going into spring training, you know, with the additions of Hassan Kim playing shortstop, to you know, some of the young starting pitching that they developed, on paper, it looked like this was the team to beat in the division. And already you're down four or five players. You know, we're only a couple of weeks in the camp, so I think the offense is going to have to carry this team, and hopefully you get guys like we talked about on that bottom half of that order of the Azzi Alb's of the world to kind of bounce back and just be the normal Azzi Alb's. I don't think he has to be anything better than you know, what he had been in the past. I just don't think this team could afford him being, you know, a guy you know with in the eighties and his WRC plus. But yeah, I mean it's a tough one to predict, you know. And I think last year, you know, you talk about how you can't win or lose a division in April, and in the beginning of the year, this team had no life after you know, those first seven games of the year. It was a hard thing for them to overcome. So hopefully they learned a lot from that. And definitely a tough trip they had last year going to the West Coast, playing the Padres, the Dodgers, and I think they even came home and started with the Phillies. So hopefully they have a little bit of an easier schedule to start they get off on the right foot, but a lot's going to be relied on, you know, that left arm of Chris sale To, you know, pick this team up in a big way.

00:31:38
Speaker 3: They do.

00:31:39
Speaker 4: By the way, we can finish with this. Their first series is at home against the Royals, and I'm there, You're there for.

00:31:50
Speaker 5: That time for the Saturday game.

00:31:51
Speaker 4: Yeah, then they stay home for the A's and then I mean, I'm not going to go through everything, but there's some angels mixed in there early on.

00:32:00
Speaker 5: It's a little different than a little different than last year.

00:32:03
Speaker 3: Last year, like they Dodgers.

00:32:04
Speaker 6: Madres on the West coast to start from coming from Florida.

00:32:07
Speaker 5: Yeah, right.

00:32:10
Speaker 4: On the road coming from Florida against the Dodgers and Padres now home against the Royals and the A's. Not that they're bad teams, it's just that's a big difference. They're not going to start OZ and six.

00:32:21
Speaker 6: Are they gonna The biggest question for me is and they are they better than the Mets and the Phillies with the injuries that are constructed Right now, I say no.

00:32:32
Speaker 1: I'm here with one of the newest braves, Mikeystremsky. How's it going? First? This is kind of like your first spring training with the new team. I know, you know early on your career with Baltimore, but this is really your first big league spring training with the new team. How's it going.

00:32:48
Speaker 5: It's good.

00:32:49
Speaker 7: I think the number one thing is obviously like getting acclimated to new people, new training staff, and it's about diving in headfirst and just being willing to you know, maybe you had routines somewhere else you got to change them. Maybe you had a certain time you showed up, You come in a little earlier, get to know the guys. You breakfast with three or four different groups, you know, as you know, I love to hang out in the kitchen. So it's just about it's about being around the guys and making that adjustment. And it's been great so far.

00:33:17
Speaker 5: Hey.

00:33:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, when you signed with the team, how much of the conversation was about, you know, the fit with playing time and how things would go versus the organization itself.

00:33:29
Speaker 7: Uh, it was for me, it was more about being part of a good organization about winning. At this point in my career, I wanted that second year with the third option just for for comfort, right, so I could buy into being a part of the organization so that I could not have to worry about playing time. I wanted to worry about winning. I wanted to focus on you know, how do I come into an organization with a great group that's already established and hopefully be a part of something a little bit more than what happened last year?

00:34:00
Speaker 5: Hey, how long did it take you to know everyone's name? Do you do?

00:34:02
Speaker 6: You ask them to where a name like trainers, assistant, clubhouse guys.

00:34:07
Speaker 7: You know, I actually had I had one of our guys send me a directory. So, so, like the main thing is, like, you know all the players, right, You've been playing against them for you know, however long you've been around, maybe you've crossed paths with some of them playing together. But it's like the training staff, the hitting coaches. You know, obviously it's a little easier to know Walt's name, right, Like if you don't know the manager's name coming in, that's a little tough, but it's it's just one of those things where you got to work a little harder. And those are the types of things that matter, you know, just knowing people's names and learning you know about their families, where they're from. All these sorts of things. So it's been fun.

00:34:47
Speaker 1: Yeah, good for you for doing that. I mean I had a hard time kind of towards the later part of my career. I played on ten teams, so I would be in the training room and I, yeah, I wanted to get to know everyone, but I you know, I had so many different trainers and take me like a couple of weeks into the season and I would like go to the same trainer and I'd listen in the training room. They'd be like, look, Alex, and I would like leave. It be like tlex OUs. I'd remember. But in terms of kind of fitting in here, you know, I was here a couple of years ago, didn't know any of the guys, really never played with them, and it was honestly one of the best times I had in baseball. There's so many great people here, fun people to be around. And I reached out to you and I said, you know, Riley and Olsen, they're gonna take care of you. There's some of the best people I've been around.

00:35:29
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:35:29
Speaker 7: Yeah, that's that's exactly how it is. And you know, when you when you start those relationships, right, it's always kind of like the same monotonous, like you know, you know, tell me where you're from, your whole path, your story, blah blah blah. But it's about getting out on the golf course, right, like getting out with the boys, you know, have a couple of beers, you know, let normal conversations start happening. So that way, when you show up the next week, it's not like, hey, what's your routine going to be today? You know, do you do you have to take round balls for the four hundredth time? Oh you do? Okay, great, It's like, hey, remember when you almost blew your wrist out trying to head out of a bush because you were playing for twenty bucks? You know, like Megan, just like just being normal people. And that's that's the fun stuff where it's like you have something else to laugh about. You have you don't feel like you show up and it's like, you know, Groundhog Day over and over again. So just like diving into those things and you know, not being afraid to be like, hey, like let's take all the kids at the park, you know, let's take the kids to dinner. Let's let's just kind of dive into this. So that way, it's not evolving in June or July and be like, oh, man, I wish we had been, you know, doing this stuff a little earlier. It's like, let's just start right away.

00:36:41
Speaker 4: Hey, we've had you on, so we've talked about your story of course, you know, being a late bloomer and then just being a really consistent great player in this league. For a minute, I want to take a different turn, because now you're signed up. You feel like it's kind of unfair that you finally hit free agency in your mid thirties, turning thirty six this year. You've had a great ride so far and more to go. But I'm like, damn, you can't hit free agency until your mid thirties. And you look at some of the other leagues and how guys can get there so much quicker. I don't think that the general public understands that sometimes that the clock still runs even if you're approaching thirty and you can't get to free agency for sodamn long.

00:37:20
Speaker 7: I mean, yeah, for a little bit, I looked at it like that, but I also looked at it as kind of like a pride thing, right, Like I made it to free agency. You know, at one point it was looking at it like Hey, you know, maybe you don't even make it through our maybe you don't make it through your first year, and so I'm just taking it one day at a time. Every day past that first day that I got called up is bonus to me. So I feel like I'm playing with house money still, and I think that's what keeps my spirits up free easy. You know, there's guys who get to free agency and make four hundred million. There's guys that don't get the free agency. So I'm just really excited to be in the position at I'm in and thankful every day that it's worked out the way it has, because you know, there was some rocky roads. But I think that shapes who you are. And I think that's part of why I play hard and play the way I do is because of the path that I've been down.

00:38:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, speaking of that journey, I had a front row seat to that journey. In twenty nineteen, this young twenty eight year old walks into the clubhouse in San Francisco to, you know, make his major league debut. It's it's crazy for me to sit here and think about, you know, where you started, where you've gone. But you mentioned being a free agent at you know, thirty five, thirty six years old. I was leaving the game at that age, like, how what have you done in order to allow teams to view you younger than you actually are? Because when I got thirty five thirty six, I was kind of viewed as old. You know, my speed wasn't quite the same. I wasn't moving as well. You obviously have kind of figured something out in order to you know, allow these gms, you know, confidence to sign you for two years at your current age.

00:38:55
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:38:55
Speaker 7: I mean when you when you have the same body structure as the bat boy, sometimes it helps, you know. It's like they're like, oh, the bat Boys got a little pop in there, you know, so maybe we'll let them stick around a little bit longer. But no, seriously, it's been it's been about health, right, So the best ability is availability, and you know you did that throughout your whole career. And I think that as I've gone through injuries and I've gone through playing through injuries, I've learned when to step back when to not. I think you were the first person to even mention it to me.

00:39:24
Speaker 3: I was.

00:39:26
Speaker 7: I think it was like mid August and Boach gave me an off day after he'd played me probably forty two games in a row, and I'm hitting and he goes, didn't I give you an off day. I'm like yeah, He's like get off the field. I'm like okay, And we had a conversation in there, and I'll never forget this where you go, hey, do you think you can go out there and hit a homer to left today? It's like, yeah, could you hit one to center? Yeah? Could you hit one to right? Yeah? And you're like, so, what are you proving yourself? And I was like, oh, man, you know that makes a lot of sense. Like I'd go out there and I'd waste energy for something that I didn't need. And so it's just about adapting and you know, putting your best foot forward into your body and your health, and you know, whether it be changing a diet, whether it be changing the way you lift in the offseason. That's been one of the big things for me. I changed my lifting two years ago and stayed off the aisle last year for the first time in a while knock on woods. So it's adaptation.

00:40:25
Speaker 1: I know you're a Northeast guy, you were born in the Northeast, but you're a Tennessee guy now Vandy guy live in Tennessee. How cool is it to kind of play for, you know, the hometown team. I know, brave country. Tennessee is brave country. And obviously, you know, having a wife and a young family, how nice is it for them to be a lot closer to home?

00:40:45
Speaker 5: Man?

00:40:45
Speaker 7: That is I think my wife was more excited than I was when I signed. That was like one of the crazy things was it goes from a five hour flight for a home game to a four hour drive. And that's huge because you know, now on off days, I could sneak home if I wanted to see the kids, if I hadn't seen him in a couple of days. It's just about quality of life, you know. And that's it's a little bit easier to get down to Florida for spring training. All these things kind of add up to the stresses of a season. And when you can minimize stress and you can minimize anxiety, then you're gonna be able to stay in the moment more, you're gonna enjoy it more.

00:41:21
Speaker 5: So.

00:41:21
Speaker 7: I think that was also a big part of you know, coming here.

00:41:28
Speaker 4: Question for you so last year, or maybe it was the year before, you worked with Burrow?

00:41:33
Speaker 7: Right?

00:41:33
Speaker 3: Did you work with him a lot?

00:41:35
Speaker 5: I did?

00:41:35
Speaker 3: Was that last year?

00:41:38
Speaker 7: Yeah? Last year and even into the year before he was he was still with us then.

00:41:43
Speaker 4: Okay, So talking about Paparoll by the way, for the fans, yeah, two parter here one.

00:41:48
Speaker 3: What did he work with you on? That was super helpful?

00:41:51
Speaker 4: And too did you try and get any stories out of him? Because he was the old guard of baseball player? As I justcribe, I was at a conference this weekend and people were asking about baseball players these days, and I was like, twenty years ago they were shutting down the bars and clubs. Nowadays they're playing video games. Pat Burrow was one of the front runners there.

00:42:13
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:42:13
Speaker 7: So one of his mentality on hitting was really helpful, you know, because he was he's one one, He had all this weight on his shoulders. He felt like he had so much to live up to, and he knew how to deal with the emotional side of baseball, where that's really tough to do. There are some guys that try to avoid it and not even approach talking about, you know, the emotions that go along with the game. You you know, you're trying so hard, you care so much. The game is so much failure, and he'd been through a lot, and so to hear his perspective was always really really helpful, especially in terms of keeping everything like realistic and understanding that we're not as human being supposed to be perfect. We're not supposed to be perfect in the box. So it's okay when you don't get the big hit. It's okay when you don't get you know, you don't make the big play, and your things are going to be okay and you're gonna be able to move forward. So we kept it simple in that sense. And I've got a lot of stories. I think most of them kind of fall under the category of, you know, not suitable for a work environment. But he's uh, he is a absolute character, Always kept things loose, always kept things fun, and that was that was a fun time in my career to have a guy like that around.

00:43:31
Speaker 1: I know it's only been a couple of weeks here in camp, but is there someone that you've met here in camp that kind of reminds you of yourself and have you been able to kind of take him under your wing. Maybe it's a Eli White who kind of has figured it out a little bit later, maybe you know Luke Williams, or maybe it's someone else in camp that you know you share your story with, Like, hey, I didn't really get my first taste of twenty eight look at me, you know, six seven years later.

00:43:56
Speaker 7: Yeah, as you know, I'm a huge look at me guy, you know. So that's why, you know, I love telling the story and making people understand what I'm about. But no, it's actually I've been talking a lot with Drake. You know, our lockers are right next to each other. I'm right between him and Eli, so talking to both of those guys a lot. But Drake's really curious, and so it's really cool to see a guy who had so much success in his first year. Obviously, winning Rookie of the Year is incredible, but he's constantly wanting to get better, and he's trying to learn how, you know, how to add adjustments, how to start thinking a little bit more intelligently in terms of you know, learning himself, which is, you know, hard to do. It's probably the hardest thing to do in the game is to learn who you are as a player. And so just asking me questions about, you know, stories from twenty fourteen to a surgery I had in sixteen to you know, getting called up and then getting kind of potentially sent down and go and go for five that day and how to handle that and all these different things. So it's been it's been really cool to talk to those guys.

00:45:07
Speaker 4: Hey, last one for me, did Lee call you Jungjo Lee to give you any tips? For you to give him any tips He had mentioned you in one of the interviews, like I'm gonna have to call Yas and get some help here.

00:45:20
Speaker 3: I'm moving from senator a corner.

00:45:23
Speaker 7: Yeah. We actually we talk a lot. Junkie is one of my favorite teammates of all time. Talk about a guy who was willing to just like dive in in a new country, a new environment. Our lockers were next to each other, so we had a blast and he we've talked a couple of times. We haven't dove into it too much, but I told him I'd give him a little bit of a breather while he was playing for Korea, and once he comes back, I'm sure we'll have an hour long FaceTime and you know, I'll give him the whole rundown, because you know, it's what you gotta do. You gotta spread the love. You got to spread the knowledge, and when you find good people in the you try and keep him around as long as possible.

00:46:04
Speaker 1: Yeah. So for Braves fans, this guy's been high on the West Coast in San Francisco most of his career. You guys are gonna love him. I'm excited for you to be in Atlanta, Brave. Yes, can't thank you enough to stay healthy and go put on a show.

00:46:15
Speaker 3: We'll do