Cade Smith & Hunter Gaddis @Guardians Camp + Guards season preview

00:00:07
Speaker 1: Get excited for this season preview on the Cleveland Guardians. What we do is we make sure you're caught up on what they did in the offseason, and then we spin it forward to see what the projections say about the twenty twenty six campaign for Cleveland. So first of all, this isn't going to take long. They added three arms. Sean Armstrong who they gave some solid money to on a one year contract, Colin Holderman brought over and Connor Brogden. And guys, those three, I'm sure we'll turn into studs. I mean, some of them had good times in their career already, but we know what Cleveland does with these types of signings. On the other side, losses include Shane Bieber mid season last year and Leane Thomas's and part of the mix for twenty twenty six Jacob Junas, Will Brennan, Sam Henches and John Kenzie.

00:00:50
Speaker 2: Noel's been bouncing around a little bit too.

00:00:52
Speaker 1: So those guys are out, but primarily AJ they are running it back.

00:01:00
Speaker 3: Why not? They made the playoffs?

00:01:01
Speaker 4: Why not?

00:01:02
Speaker 3: Why not run it back?

00:01:04
Speaker 2: Well they didn't.

00:01:05
Speaker 3: Why not at all?

00:01:06
Speaker 5: They don't have a lot of money to spend.

00:01:07
Speaker 2: On towards the bottom, and well, they're.

00:01:12
Speaker 5: Counting on the young guys to take another step. Remember when we had Mike turn off on what he say they were young. We know we're going to be young, and we're leaning into it. And the younger we got, the better we got. So they're hoping those young guys take another step and continue to grow. By the way, sorry, it's freezing and it's raining here, so I am also in the rain because Mark doesn't know how to put a tent up, so I am getting wet as we speak. So that's just my Cleveland Guardians season preview is they're running it back because they're young and they expect them to take the next step. And they're in the division the El Central where that can work.

00:01:45
Speaker 6: I mean it can work because they have good pitching. But you're looking at the Guardian's projected.

00:01:50
Speaker 7: Lineup right here.

00:01:51
Speaker 6: When your fifth hitter has an NA on it, he means you're counting on somebody from the minor leagues to step up and be your protection behind Jose Ramirez, who might hit second, might hit third, But Kyle Manzardo is a solid player. To me, I always look at the Guardians and I think back to the Edwin and Carnassian signing.

00:02:17
Speaker 7: They went out, they got him.

00:02:19
Speaker 6: I think it was three years twenty a year, so three years sixty And was Edwin er karnassiun the most athletic person, the most versatile person, the most No, he was a dude that was gonna come in and give you meaningful at bats and be an aircraft carrier behind Francisco Lidoor, behind Lannie chisenhol Jan Gomes Like. They already had guys in that lineup that were going to carry the weight, and then they added Edwin. That was gonna be my question to Mike Chernoff if I had a chance, like, is there a time what's the magic bullet or what's the like do they have to get a lottery pick out and go, oh, this is the year we get to spend it. Because I think there are a lot of good young pieces to this and their value is in their pitching. But this lineup was abysmal last year at scoring runs and are they going to be abysmo again? What makes me think otherwise? You have an MVP candidate in Josey Ramirez, and you have a bunch of other guys who two years ago Yeah, they had a huge jump in there in their slug which nobody saw coming and it dropped back down to Earth. So to me, that's where the adjustment needs to be made for them. Could they have made a big acquisition? No, I guess financially not. But at what time can they do that?

00:03:46
Speaker 3: You know how?

00:03:47
Speaker 1: Sometimes we say the team is built around one player in the lineup, and if he goes down, they're in trouble. We've talked about this with guys like Judge. Is there a team that's more leveraged with the Jose Ramirez your top three or top five MVP thing?

00:04:02
Speaker 2: Aj? I mean no, they need to be a star every year. Superstar can drop off.

00:04:08
Speaker 5: I mean you could actually, I'll actually say this, you can throw Judge in there too. For me, you could throw You could throw Aaron Judge for the Yankees if he gets hurt or has a down year, that's a that's going to be a big thing for the Yankees. But yes, Jose Ramiroz and Aaron Judge, off the top of my head or the two that mean more to their organization than most.

00:04:29
Speaker 1: Here's where things get interesting. So we'll start with the fangrafts projections. On the win totals, and we'll go in order here so you can see where they put them. They have the Tigers at the top and here's their first their own win loss, just seventy five point eight from Fangrafts. We've gone over the bet MGM number, which is eighty and a half wins. So bet MGM thinks they'll be a little better than what Fangrafts has them at. And I agree with bet MGM here over Fangrafts, but we can put it next to the rest of the teams in the division. I can make an easy flip right here. Whatever call me biased, why, I just don't see it exactly. We all feel that way on Fangrafts. Move the Twins down and benham Jam has them lower than that. But seventy eight point six is where Fangrafts has the Twins a few games ahead of the Guardians. No thanks, Guardians won the division last year. That part should be shocking alone. AJA The Tigers did some things right. They added to their irritation. They have fromber in there to hopefully be a one two punch for them with Scooble, and fromber they added Berlander towards the back end here to kind of fill the riese Oulsen void that is placed there when he goes down for the season with the shoulder surgery. But then it's the Royals, the Twins, the Guardians, the White Sox. Do you think the Guardians are only going to be a seventy six win fourth place team?

00:05:43
Speaker 3: No?

00:05:44
Speaker 7: No.

00:05:44
Speaker 5: I will never been against Stephen Vote and I'll never get bet against what the Guardians.

00:05:48
Speaker 3: Have been able to do.

00:05:50
Speaker 5: How they do it, I have no idea, but they get it done every single year, and they do it right. They believe in pitching and defense and timely hitting, and they've done it for what did Mike Cheernof say? They made the playoffs seven in the last ten years? So how can you say that they're gonna win seventy six games when, like you said, Scott, they won the division last year. I think that numbers low. I think the White Sex numbers low. I think the Twins numbers too high. The Royals you can say is about right, and then the Tigers are you know, they're they're the favorite. So the numbers you can manipulate a little bit. But I'm not betting against the Guardians.

00:06:27
Speaker 7: I don't think they're a playoff team.

00:06:29
Speaker 6: I don't think they're enough of a playoff team in this division. I think I think I'd flip flop the Twins and the Guardians. I think the Royals are going to give the Tigers the biggest push this year. I think the Royals push to make adjustments. I think they're going to be a at you know, advantage Jack Kglion, I think he's gonna make the next step. I think moving the fences in could hurt them in help them a little bit. I think it'll be net zero because both teams get to play on the same fences. But I truly think this Guardians team, I don't think they did enough. And I think it took an act of God for them to be able to make it to the playoffs last year and win the division, so they would need to do that again.

00:07:19
Speaker 1: I took an act of the Tigers collapsing. Tiger still made it, and then you also had other collapses.

00:07:27
Speaker 2: I mean, too much.

00:07:30
Speaker 6: Too much has to go wrong for other teams, and I don't think. I don't think the Tigers will have that happen again.

00:07:36
Speaker 4: I think they've.

00:07:38
Speaker 6: Clearly pushed in areas that I think they should have added more offense. But we'll talk about that when we do the Tigers season. But I think this division has gotten better. I don't think the Guardians have done enough. All right, we got the Warby Parkers, I got the Raiders, but one thing that upgraded to polarized.

00:07:59
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00:08:00
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00:08:52
Speaker 5: Back here on Foul Territory with Kate Smith, Guardian's Closer Extraordinary.

00:08:58
Speaker 3: What's it like?

00:08:59
Speaker 5: First of all, we get into spring because I hate just jumping into spring training. University of Hawaii at Manoa. No, that's not even the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. How does a Canadian run into it? Or is that Honolulu is the Honolulu one?

00:09:15
Speaker 9: So they have a couple different campuses around the islands. So Manoa is the one that's just outside Honolulu.

00:09:21
Speaker 5: Okay, because I played at the University of Hawaii, the main one, the Rainbow one. The Rainbow that's it. That's the one you went to. Yeah, okay, yeah, so oh so you got to follow my footstuffs.

00:09:29
Speaker 4: I guess.

00:09:30
Speaker 5: Granted you weren't even born when I played there. I played there in nineteen ninety seven in the Winter League. They had Hawaii Winter How does a Canadian end up at the University of Hawaii?

00:09:39
Speaker 6: Uh?

00:09:39
Speaker 9: Yeah, I actually there was a guy that I played high school baseball with who was a year older than me. He ended up going there before I did, so there was a little bit of a president there already. And then I went to the Tournament twelve in Toronto, which is a big tournament that Jase put on for all sorts of Canadian baseball players coming up. And that's where the Hawaii coach saw me pitch there and then had me out for visit it.

00:10:00
Speaker 4: And not too long after.

00:10:01
Speaker 3: That, I was from Canada and you go to Hawaii though, yeah, that's automatic.

00:10:05
Speaker 9: Right, Well, I mean I knew that I wanted to be somewhere that you could be year round outside. I had had enough of the rain and the indoors batty cage is thrown into a net and stuff like that. So that's one of the things I was looking for going to college.

00:10:16
Speaker 5: You know, when I played for the Bananas last year, I caught a kid that went to uh Hawaii. Really Arch is Arch daddy afy Arch Jeez, I forgot it and I just blanked on his last name.

00:10:28
Speaker 4: But he pitched at Hawaii.

00:10:29
Speaker 5: And then I played with Colton Long, who obviously was a Rainbow Warrior legend forever. But I won a title there too, so it's okay, we have that in common. Okay, when you get when you go grew up in Canada, how do you get into baseball? I know the Blue Jays were.

00:10:45
Speaker 3: Popular or art now they're more popular probably than ever.

00:10:48
Speaker 5: But when you grow up in Canada, how do you end up getting into baseball when it's so hockey prevalent and it's hockey hockey, hockey.

00:10:54
Speaker 4: Yeah?

00:10:55
Speaker 9: Uh So both my parents played college basketball. My dad grew up just aside Toronto, so he was a fan of the Jays and then moved to just outside Vancouver.

00:11:03
Speaker 4: And so.

00:11:06
Speaker 9: They also are both pee teachers, and they emphasized just playing sports and trying them. So I played basketball and volleyball, I did a little bit track and field, and I played baseball. Really I played all four, like multiple sports, all the way up until my senior year of high school. And so I just it happened to be baseball as one that I loved. It was also the one that I had the most potential in to develop and progress the next level.

00:11:31
Speaker 6: Who's your guy? Who's your guy that you followed that you were like, I kind of liked that? Or were you not a big baseball fan while you were coming while you were growing up?

00:11:42
Speaker 9: I would say that I had other interests than just watching sports all day. But my dad would always tell me to watch Roy Halliday and.

00:11:48
Speaker 4: The way he pitched.

00:11:50
Speaker 3: You pitched nothing like Roy. No, I know, you're as big as Roy was, but Roy.

00:11:55
Speaker 5: Was more of like a sinker, curveball lit a cutter. You're just like rare back, here comes a forcing.

00:12:00
Speaker 9: But that was also before I, you know, I really developed my strength and understood that and stepped into my own. It was just more so hearing the stories about how diligent he was with his work ethic and and you know, how disciplined he was and things like that.

00:12:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, he was he crutch, I think creps. Did you play with him in Philly?

00:12:16
Speaker 6: I played with him in Toronto well, coming up through the Blue Jays and then and then played with him in Philly for three years. And you're one hundred percent like very very humble and like he does. He just assumed everybody was going to work just as hard as he did. And nobody ever ever got to that point. People say that about people, but I watched it and I he lived it out like he was diligent.

00:12:40
Speaker 7: In his work like crazy. It was awesome to see.

00:12:43
Speaker 3: Are you playing you playing WBC. No, you turned down Canada?

00:12:48
Speaker 4: Yeah I did you had to?

00:12:50
Speaker 3: Or did you?

00:12:50
Speaker 4: No?

00:12:50
Speaker 6: No?

00:12:51
Speaker 4: No, it was my decision.

00:12:52
Speaker 5: Okay, well what goes what goes into that? Because Freddy Freeman also turned down Canada? Right, so what goes into that decision of I'm not going to play? And you did it before, so it's not like it's just your first one.

00:13:03
Speaker 4: No.

00:13:04
Speaker 9: In twenty three it was a phenomenal experience, Like that was my first experience pitching in major league stadiums in front of sold out crowds in that kind of environment, and I had so much fun and enjoyed that. So just this year, being at kind of where things architecturally, I didn't feel that it was wise for me to take that time away, and so I wanted to make sure that I was here and completely president focused on the year coming up.

00:13:29
Speaker 6: Talk about here, talk about being a guardian, because when I was in the organization twenty seventeen, they had a very strict protocol on relievers. You would play high A and then you would finish the season in Double A, Double A for a whole season, and finish the season in Triple A. Did you appreciate the slow trudge or because your path went a little quicker than some other guys. Do you think it was something that maybe I could have gone faster.

00:13:58
Speaker 9: No, I'm I'm I think the timing was perfect in its own way, because when I came in this organization like I was, I was eighty eight to ninety two, I didn't have very good off site pitches. I had maybe topped out at ninety four, and I didn't know my you know, didn't know my strengths, didn't know how to pitch, didn't know how to like try and read hitters and work to my strengths in that regard. And so every subsequent season was I was learning something, I was developing something. I was building on that foundation that I have been, you know, working with with the staff here and trying to trying to take advantage of the resources they provide and dig in and just continue to build and build and build. So it never felt like it was slow or like I was Stocker should have been moving on for me.

00:14:50
Speaker 4: The whole whole, you know, way I viewed it.

00:14:53
Speaker 9: Was this is where I am because there's something that I need to learn and work on in order for me to move to the next level.

00:14:59
Speaker 4: And stick.

00:15:01
Speaker 6: The Gardiens have proven that they can create starting pitchers. But obviously you're a reliever. At what point did you know? At what point were you in Hi A Double A, Were you like dang, like, I think I get what they're saying, and I think this is going to be dominant in the big leagues because you have only dominated since you've been up in the big leagues.

00:15:24
Speaker 9: It was probably, I would say that it was probably when I was in Triple A. There there was an adjustment period when I got there, but then there was there was a stretch down the end of the year where I was starting to see things coming together and I was starting to pitch and feel like I was, you know, understanding that I have a complete arsenal on how to use it and to really work with my strengths and also compliment them with my other pitches and roll from there.

00:15:52
Speaker 5: When you start figuring it out, you come up to the big leagues. You have an incredible rookie season in twenty four right, I mean under a two VR a way more strikeouts than aning's pitched, and everyone's talking about you. You go in the postseason, you dominate, You get to you get to become a legitimate person that people talk about, and they say, oh, no, we don't want to get to Kate Smith coming into the game in the seventh or eighth inning because you had Class A behind you. Stuff happened with Class A. Then you get thrown to the closer's role. How do you just jump from a seventh eight inning guy to oh, my gosh, I have to get the last three outs of a game.

00:16:27
Speaker 9: I think that the biggest thing comes down in my faith. My identity is not in in how I perform or what I do. That's temporary. That's going to be taken for me at some point, whether I want it to be or not. And so it really is that's the thing that I'm going to be anchored on. That's the thing that I am stable in and steadying. And when I pitch, I get to go out there and just compete and have fun. So regardless of the context there, I'm sure there was a there was an adjustment. Yes, it's a it's a different situation, there's a different energy in the ballpark, but it's fun and it's it's an opportunity that you know, I got to pitch in last year that I'm grateful for and so I'm going to make sure I'm doing everything i can before the game, after the game, between the next game, during the offseason to prepare and put myself in the best position to, you know, step up and fulfill that responsibility. If they if the phone rings and my name is called.

00:17:20
Speaker 6: Explain that because you were a rookie, explain you know your faith and what the feeling, the feeling that you have because you were a rookie in some of the biggest spots and it was like, lou get kid up, like he's coming in in the playoffs. Yes, we're talking about closer and regular season now on a consistent basis, but in the playoffs, tell us how your heartbeat was rolling, and tell us like the enjoyment, because on the mound it looks like you're just like that was cool.

00:17:49
Speaker 7: That was a fun game. Thanks for letting me play.

00:17:51
Speaker 9: Guys, No, there's no doubt it is. It is so much fun. And the anticipation that's a very real thing. Like that energy builds in the bullpen as as we're watching the game and how things progress, like everyone's aware of what's going on and you know it's a close game, it's back and forth. It's gritty, like we're we're bought in. We're completely aware of what's going on there. But that was one of the big lessons I took from the WBC in twenty twenty three was going into pitch in for the first time in a sold out stadium and looking back on it and being like, oh, that was that was fun? Like I actually I enjoyed that, Like there was There's no part of.

00:18:30
Speaker 4: Me that was like that was awful.

00:18:31
Speaker 3: I never want to do that again.

00:18:32
Speaker 9: But it was seeing that actually, for whatever reason, there is something in me that thinks it's fun to be in those situations, and so I just I, you know, I enjoy that and I look forward to it. And it's really I think as simple as that is that I enjoy it.

00:18:46
Speaker 6: Are you going to have a walk out song or walk out theatrical performance.

00:18:52
Speaker 9: I think that's up to the media team how they want to do that. I'm that's not That's not what I know how to do. But yeah, there will be a song. I have some choice you have to pick. Sure, they're not gonna run you out there just so, but I'm.

00:19:03
Speaker 4: Not gonna go make the video myself, not make the video.

00:19:07
Speaker 5: But you get to pick the song right and then right now it's what fire fired up.

00:19:12
Speaker 3: You're gonna stick with that, right?

00:19:13
Speaker 4: I think I'm gonna switch it.

00:19:14
Speaker 3: You're gonna switch Breaking News two?

00:19:17
Speaker 4: Not sure yet?

00:19:17
Speaker 3: So dang, I thought we had something there. I thought we had something. I've been done a lot of Guardians games.

00:19:25
Speaker 5: The last few years because you guys, uh, you guys have been good, so I've had to. I've been there for for a Budge, had many many means with Tito before Voter got there. Now I just sit there and listen to Voter talk for like twenty minutes. He fires me up.

00:19:39
Speaker 4: He does have an act for that.

00:19:40
Speaker 6: Yes, who's your favorite? Who's your favorite? Walk out of the other closers in the league? Active, active, war or past?

00:19:55
Speaker 3: Uh?

00:19:57
Speaker 4: I think that I I I like Howsley looking out to Hell's bells.

00:20:01
Speaker 3: Yeah, but so you stole that. You can't. You can't. It doesn't work. I'm sorry, it doesn't work. No, because I was Trevor Hofflin, So you can't. I get it.

00:20:08
Speaker 5: But there's got you gotta go highway to Hell. You know, there's got to be another strong with Hell and it Besides Hell's bells. We just can't go, you know, like I told him that too when we got him on, I'm like, Brian, I love you, but you can't. You can't steal Trevor Hoffins. Sure, and it's iconic. He's in the Hall of Fame banks hundred saves. He laughed, and he still went with it. He really didn't listen to me very well.

00:20:29
Speaker 6: All right, Kate, I got I got one last one for you. You guys still do the beep test in spring training? No we don't, Okay, no you don't do it. No, we don't do it.

00:20:41
Speaker 7: Did you ever do it when you were a minor leaguer?

00:20:44
Speaker 4: I did it in high school. That was the last time. What's the beep?

00:20:49
Speaker 7: Terrible question?

00:20:50
Speaker 6: They used to do the beep test in spring training, and basically, you have to get you have to get to the to the end point and back before it beef twice. Anyway, it was a big It was a big Guardians when I played for him. It was an Indians thing. So terrible question doesn't apply anymore. I figured you would have won because pitchers usually competed for it.

00:21:10
Speaker 9: And then they shortened the time between beeps. You gotta be running faster and faster and faster.

00:21:14
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, we didn't have I never had that, so I don't even know. I never even ran a sixty when I was playing. So I one of the funniest I thought, beep test is like to check your hearing.

00:21:24
Speaker 3: No, okay, all right, I had no idea. All right, before I let you go, I gotta ask you this. Uh.

00:21:32
Speaker 5: Sebrowski was here and he's a Canadian born and he's a giant, like you, What the hell are y'all putting in your water?

00:21:38
Speaker 9: But there's been comments that we might switch our bullpen into an offensive line or something.

00:21:42
Speaker 5: And so I mean every Canadian I'm looking at a list of active Canadians are all gigantic. So what I mean besides you and Sebrowski and then Quantrell's big, Romano's a big guy, Pavetta's a big guy, Brash is a big guy.

00:21:56
Speaker 3: I don't know.

00:21:56
Speaker 5: You guys are only pitchers, so I mean you have nailor right, So he's he's the token, uh position player in the Canadian group. Everyone else is just gigantic pictures.

00:22:05
Speaker 9: Yeah, I can't speak to them, but I drank a lot of milk growing up. Maybe that has something to do with it.

00:22:10
Speaker 3: Okay, all right.

00:22:12
Speaker 7: That's okay. Hey, last one, you and I.

00:22:15
Speaker 6: This is the first guest we've ever had on the show that we're starting our fourth season here in March. You and I are the only two that have ever been on the same show that went to a Mennonite high school. I went to a Mennonite high school in Pennsylvania, Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. You went to a men in high school clearly farther away in BC.

00:22:37
Speaker 4: Mm hmm, that's wild. No school dances at those men in night high schools.

00:22:43
Speaker 7: There was no.

00:22:45
Speaker 5: Site your amish like Crats. Dude, do you have a horse and buggy growing up like Krats does?

00:22:51
Speaker 7: Totally different?

00:22:51
Speaker 4: No, totally, I know.

00:22:53
Speaker 5: Sorry, I'm just we always give Crats because he's from rural Pennsylvania where there's a lot of.

00:22:58
Speaker 9: When I told my wife that when we were dating, she was like, I told her parents, I think he might be Amish.

00:23:03
Speaker 4: No, I'm not.

00:23:04
Speaker 3: Okay, that's good, but your faith based. We love that.

00:23:06
Speaker 5: So all the best, good luck, and I can't wait to see what song you pick and what entrance that you choose yourself when you come out to.

00:23:14
Speaker 3: The to the mount.

00:23:15
Speaker 4: Thank you.

00:23:17
Speaker 5: We have Hunter Gaddis here with some of the best flow not only on his head but also on his chin right in all of Major League Baseball. And can we do we call you a setup guy extraordinary as Kate Effecion officially taking the closers, and you're the setup for Kate.

00:23:35
Speaker 4: Now, hey, I'll take whatever. I just I just like the job.

00:23:39
Speaker 5: You just like a job or the job. I like the job you started at one point, Yes, I used too, the.

00:23:47
Speaker 3: Job of starting, or the job of relieving.

00:23:49
Speaker 10: I like reliving. I like the spur of a moment going a game.

00:23:53
Speaker 3: Did you throw a bullpen today?

00:23:55
Speaker 4: I did not? I think one yesterday.

00:23:56
Speaker 3: And did you use the iPad and all the tools?

00:23:58
Speaker 4: Oh? Yeah, all the technology?

00:23:59
Speaker 3: Do you?

00:24:00
Speaker 4: Yeah? Oh?

00:24:00
Speaker 5: Man, man, man man, So are you the the throw one pitch? And then I'm I gotta see what I.

00:24:06
Speaker 10: Threw that only if I'm specifically working on something okay. Otherwise otherwise I don't touch it. If I feel good and it comes out good, good location, I don't look at.

00:24:15
Speaker 3: What are you looking for? I always asked.

00:24:16
Speaker 5: Yesterday we're in Kansas City and we had Reagan's and Waka and Stevian and you're like, Okay, what are you looking at? So when you pick up the iPad and you throw a pitch and you're like that was it? Oh, and then you say, oh, it's ninety seven point eight with this vert or horizontal? Are you looking for a specific metric?

00:24:34
Speaker 10: Yeah, not exactly vert or velo per se, Like like if it if it comes out good, like it and it feels good, I'm not gonna look at it, okay, because the only thing the numbers could maybe tell me is that it wasn't good.

00:24:47
Speaker 4: It's like, if it feels good, I'm gonna rock with it.

00:24:49
Speaker 10: But uh, it's more like if I'm coming around the ball, like on the side of my fastball and I'm not getting that it doesn't feel like I'm getting that vert I'll go look at the spin direction, say, am I on the side of it? Am I truly behind it? And if it just feels weird that day, but I'm still behind it, good, Just look at it a couple of times.

00:25:08
Speaker 4: Just make sure Hunter.

00:25:10
Speaker 6: So many people are looking at like the screens and the numbers, and you guys have six coaches watching each bullpen like there's so much going on. Do you feel like that lends to arm health for pitchers, or do you feel like it is something that could could make guys more susceptible to injuries, especially younger guys who are like, everybody's watching me. Every pitch is videoed, it's all in the iPad. I have to throw my mac's best pitch.

00:25:39
Speaker 4: Ever, I mean, it can definitely add to it.

00:25:46
Speaker 10: I wouldn't say, you know, it's easy to do it, especially the first time. It took me a couple of years to like, you know, get over. Hey, everybody's watching. The numbers are on me. But once I realized, like, hey, those numbers are there to help, just you know, hurt you. Like you're throwing eighty eight in the bullpen and then it feels good and everything's coming out good. You know, that's just as good if you're throwing hard and it's you know, it looks just as good to me. It's just it's just a bullpen to me. It's always just a bullpen to you. Well, what about when you're warming up for a game. Okay, well let's say now you're warming.

00:26:19
Speaker 4: Up for a game. Is you don't care?

00:26:21
Speaker 10: No, the only thing I care abouts on the mountain in the in the field in the game.

00:26:25
Speaker 4: Okay.

00:26:25
Speaker 5: So when you're warming up to come into the seventh eighth inning, right in a game, do the coaches stand there with the iPads.

00:26:33
Speaker 4: No?

00:26:33
Speaker 3: Not in the game, No, no, not in the bullpen. No, okay, So you warm up.

00:26:38
Speaker 5: So the first pitch of the your outing whatever, let's you throw a four seamer up right and the guy swings and misses.

00:26:44
Speaker 3: Are you a creeper of ninety seven point six twelve inches of vert?

00:26:51
Speaker 4: For sure? Look good?

00:26:52
Speaker 5: Not every time you hide it, or you just because the guys who just would hide it were worse than the guys that would just go.

00:26:59
Speaker 10: Okay, baifically. I don't have to turn around behind you. No, it's a it's up broad behind the cutcher. So it's a little it's a little maybe you get the ball back, catch it up here.

00:27:08
Speaker 4: A little peak.

00:27:08
Speaker 5: And because I remember when they first started doing that, we would yell at the picture.

00:27:12
Speaker 3: Four you don't have to look ninety two?

00:27:16
Speaker 4: What uh? You know?

00:27:17
Speaker 10: In high school and college, like I didn't have the velos like on boards and stuff. So I finally started like being able to look at it. I looked because I I like it especially if you throw hard, Yeah, it's fun.

00:27:27
Speaker 4: It's fun. Yeah.

00:27:28
Speaker 5: So when you when you punch your guys ticket, you ever look up and be like you just pointed the scoreboard.

00:27:34
Speaker 4: I never, I liked. I like to strut around, catch my breath.

00:27:37
Speaker 3: Okay, you're tired for that pitch clock?

00:27:39
Speaker 4: Yeah? Run No, what's more?

00:27:44
Speaker 6: What's more disappointing absolutely getting on one like you're like that came out good? Looking up? Oh it was actually two miles an hour slower. Or giving up a little bleeder base hit that you should have made the play on.

00:28:01
Speaker 4: It matters.

00:28:02
Speaker 10: I mean in the game, I'm just trying to get three outs. If I'm throwing ninety, if I'm throwing a hundred, three outs, three outs to me, you.

00:28:10
Speaker 4: Know you want to strike everybody.

00:28:11
Speaker 3: I don't.

00:28:11
Speaker 4: I want to for sure that three outs and a zero on the board. That's my goal.

00:28:16
Speaker 5: So if you give up like three piss missiles, three, you know, three line drives, you're like, oh, let's fine, three outs, three ounces of zero three. I may not be the happiest, but three three ounces there on the board.

00:28:28
Speaker 3: I like it. I like it. What was what was it like when you went from starter reliever?

00:28:35
Speaker 5: You say you like relieving more. To me, you come across as more of a reliever than a star. Most starters don't look the way you most relieve. You have a reliever look right, which is great.

00:28:45
Speaker 4: I love it.

00:28:46
Speaker 5: I think every reliever should look mean and tough and as nasty as they possibly can, because when you look out there as a hitter, you look at the guy and you're like, oh, look, how cute he is. Meanwhile, you know I want a guy that's out there snarling and breathing fire. So what was that trends like for you? Did they did the guardians come to you and say, look, we tried to get starter, we think your stuff plays better, or did you go to them and say, I think I'd be better as a reliever.

00:29:08
Speaker 10: I was this spring training of twenty four. I prepared the off season as a starter, you know, building up doing forty to fifty pitch bullpens and whatnot. And then we started games. I think I do an inning here through two innings, kind of building a starter, and then it was just like, hey go get one inning, Hey go get one inning, Hey go get one inning. I was like, okay, probably not starting, you know, made the team. They told me I was be in the bullpen, not no set roll, no nothing, just when my name's called go, And that's what I did. And I've really enjoyed, like spur of the moment every day I can be in the game and it's a lot more fun to me. We just talked to Mike Turnoff and I had to ask the terrible question in the room, but he said, you guys were pretty pissed when the whole class A thing came out. You're actually somebody who's down there in a pen with him when that all came out. What were your emotions and did it galvanize you as a group in the bullpen?

00:30:07
Speaker 4: Uh?

00:30:07
Speaker 10: You know, at first it was just kind of like a stun moment. Uh kind of just let it be, you know. I just kind of swept it on the rug. I still had a job to do every single day showing up, and I just tried to control it I could.

00:30:26
Speaker 3: That's a very that's a very veteran answer on Yeah.

00:30:31
Speaker 2: Well wait, I have a followed just on the season there.

00:30:34
Speaker 1: What a well, Okay, so this is kind of the fan in me here, hunter, and it's getting more to how Yeah, you guys certainly were galvanized. You came back from a ridiculous deficit to take the Tigers down for the division. I know the postseason didn't go the way the team wanted it to go, but the regular season is a freaking marathon, and usually when you see double digit deficits that late in the season, you're like, yeah, we're toasted.

00:31:01
Speaker 2: So here's my question.

00:31:02
Speaker 1: We're not going to throw any player under the bus, but you don't have to say the name of the player. There had to be one person at one moment that joke at least like, well, it's not our year, We're not winning the division. It's something right like, did you guys actually look the entire time, and every single person was like, oh, we got this. We got this, guys, fifteen in the back of the Tigers, We're getting them. Like there had to be some moment of whatever it's called brevity or something. We're like, all right, not this time.

00:31:30
Speaker 10: You know, I did one hundred percent honest, I'd never heard anybody say that we were out of it by any means. The voter did a real good job of talking to us each shit every day and just keeping our spirits up in the down moments, just you know, to take it one day at a time, and then it kind of it got I mean we had a tough time, tough stretch where it was like not as easy to show up to the park for sure, and then once when you got there, it was game time and it kind of goes away, and then we got hot and started rolling for us and it was a lot of fun to end it.

00:32:04
Speaker 6: Steven Vote's one of my good friends. We played together several different stops. What does he do that you think other managers? And I get it, you haven't had other manager a ton of other managers in the big leagues, But what does he do that brings you guys together or what's his like most endearing trait? But then you also have to say, what's the one thing that's really annoying.

00:32:28
Speaker 4: That he does.

00:32:31
Speaker 10: I mean, he's really good at just being personal with everybody. He knows everybody really well. I feel like, you know, we know him really well. Just when it's time to joke around and how fun, I mean, that's gonna be the time, and he'll do it. And then when it's game time, I think he's like a different person. He's ready, he's locked in, and I just feel like he's locked into the game. But then you see him the clubhouse after and he's hot, like high fiving, smiling and just real personal. But the only thing I guess to say, like, I don't know what you said. I was like, don't like, I don't know if that's the words. It's not that I don't like anything about him, but We'll be having fun, have a fun, and then I'll have to snap out of it, and he's like, oh, I'm your manager.

00:33:11
Speaker 4: I gotta got my job.

00:33:15
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, welcome, welcome to life in the corporate hierarchy. Yeah, it can only it can only be a player, so long in the fun stop exactly Not I understand that. No, I'm just kidding. It actually gets better as you get older. All right, I have two more before we let you go. One you said, vote gets to know you personal. So what what does he talk to you about?

00:33:34
Speaker 4: Uh? Golf? Really? Yeah, we both enjoy golf. I love golf and it's just my Uh So.

00:33:39
Speaker 5: Now that you're done, it's eleven fifty two, are you going to play fifteen? And hear that mark here, that's good man two fifteen tea time.

00:33:48
Speaker 3: Ma, It's unbelievable. Some of us can't ever get out of here.

00:33:52
Speaker 4: You gotta get it in when you can. That's right.

00:33:53
Speaker 5: I know someone's got some of us gotta You know, we gotta work twice today, Hunter. We can't all just throw a bullpens yesterday and take it easy. And then the last for me, we had Kate on or we had Kate on.

00:34:03
Speaker 4: I talked to Kate.

00:34:05
Speaker 5: He said he has a new song he's coming out to. I'm a firm believer that only the closer gets the walkout song and the fire entrance. You're not a closer yet, you might be someday. Do you think it's okay for setup man to get the fire entrance in the song?

00:34:22
Speaker 4: For sure?

00:34:23
Speaker 10: I think anybody should go, sir, we're playing a game for the fans out there to enjoy. I think a good intro and everything.

00:34:32
Speaker 4: Why not?

00:34:33
Speaker 3: Oh man, I was liking you too, and then you went ruined it. Oh come on, now, I'm not talking about.

00:34:40
Speaker 9: No.

00:34:40
Speaker 7: It's fun.

00:34:40
Speaker 2: It's like can you imagine? Can you imagine?

00:34:43
Speaker 1: It's like maybe like five years from now, like Edwin Diez isn't a closer anymore, and he's like a fifth inning guy, and like the starter gets like just destroyed and it's like ten two and it's like burn up, like, oh here, gos, it's funny.

00:35:02
Speaker 3: Do you have to have the lead when you come in to have the music?

00:35:04
Speaker 10: I don't know if you necessarily have to, but it's gotta. It's gotta be a good, enjoyable game for the fans. That's I mean, that's why we're there, That's why they show up. Okay, I mean give it to it Hunter.

00:35:15
Speaker 6: My last question, I asked Kade this, but off camera, I asked Kad Smith this, does the boneyard, the plane boneyard, which is right next to Goodyear, does it freak you out at all? Because when I played there, freaked me out because planes will take off and land there, But it's all decommissioned planes that are there, and I'm like, who is flying those? I feel like it's like the bullpen guys of of pilots?

00:35:40
Speaker 7: Am I right or wrong?

00:35:43
Speaker 4: I don't know.

00:35:43
Speaker 10: I've never even thought about it. You put way more thought into it than I have. I just see planes there, I don't.

00:35:48
Speaker 3: I actually just think it's cool that they're all there.

00:35:50
Speaker 10: It is kind of cool to see her unless you gotta play catch here and you got planes in your someone's letting go of the ball right into a white plane.

00:35:56
Speaker 4: That's not too funny.

00:35:57
Speaker 10: But now I see a bunch of the small planes I like take off and on a weddy day, even like today, you're not in there. You're not a flyer. No, I feel like I'm already over the weight them in those days.

00:36:12
Speaker 1: Hunter, this was great. Thank you for the time. Enjoy camp, Enjoy your tea time. Think of a j you know at every tea time that he doesn't get to enjoy, and feel really bad for Him's.

00:36:25
Speaker 5: Got a grind man, teams players.

00:36:29
Speaker 2: He chose to be a catcher, that's his loss.

00:36:32
Speaker 1: And now he's chosen to be a broadcaster for really a number of networks, Ours, box, et cetera.

00:36:37
Speaker 2: So he's a busy man. So enjoy your free afternoon, all right, Appreciate it.