New Astros Pitcher Ryan Weiss joins Crush City Territory

00:00:06
Speaker 1: What's up everybody? Welcome into another edition of Crush City Territory Channeler Room, joined as always by Tyler Stafford and a very special guest on this Sunday afternoon, New Astros pitcher Ryan Weiss. Ryan, appreciate you taking some time out of your off season to talk to us. How are you doing and have things settled down yet a little bit? Because I'm sure this off season has been pretty crazy for you.

00:00:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, first and foremost, thanks for having me, guys. I mean, in terms of have things settled down, I would say they have not settled down. I think that's kind of normal coming back from.

00:00:37
Speaker 3: Asia, though.

00:00:37
Speaker 2: It seems like you need at least like a week or two to get your feet like ready from jet lag, and then it's like there's just been There's been a lot going on, but it's been a lot of good so it's hard to complain.

00:00:50
Speaker 1: I would encourage everyone that's listening, whether you're on YouTube or whether you're on the audio platforms, to go give Ryan a follow on TikTok. I'm not sure, Yes, I'm in. I'm not sure how many people. I'm not sure how many of our pod listeners are TikTok people. But Ryan is a TikTok guy. His handle is Ryan M. Would highly recommend giving Ryan a follow for a couple reasons. One, it allows you to get to know him a little bit, allows you to really get some insight onto his experience in KBO and Korea. But I think it also tells your backstory probably better than you know. We could be beat around the bush with it. You know, you've got such a remarkable story of perseverance and kind of how you have gotten to this point. So I guess I wonder, given all of that, given everything you've had to endure going to Asia, everything you had to endure in your amateur life, you know, before you got to college, things like that, how fulfilling is it now to have a guaranteed major league contract in your hands, a place on a forty man roster, and a spot in a big league rotation waiting for you when you get to West Palm Beach.

00:02:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, in terms of the TikTok stuff, I I can't take any of that credit. Uh, it is my wife. She she kills it. She does such a good job. I probably don't even.

00:02:12
Speaker 3: Know how to post. But yeah, I mean in terms of like the fulfillment.

00:02:20
Speaker 2: I think if you asked me that, like a couple of years ago, I would have been like, this is everything, But now that's it's just not the I've I just feel like I've matured a lot, and I don't idolize baseball the way that I used to think, Like Christ has just become a huge part of my life and everything goes goes to him, and so I mean, it's gonna be exciting. I'm I'm excited to to get there, but I've been on a lot of different teams within the last few years, so I'm just excited to kind of get to get to know my new teammates and just talk shop in the clubhouse and honestly just go in games.

00:02:58
Speaker 4: So I have a so, you know, for those that don't know, you know, and you've been over in both China and then you know the Atlantic League as well, and then Korea. So I have a question, like, in the last two years you were dominant over there, like you were, you know, just crushing people. What is it like going from Okay, you know, obviously I've seen your your college status of you were just ridiculous. You're red shirt freshman, You're hitting bombs, striking people out or whatever. But I feel like you've had this kind of career where you've gone from okay, top of the team, like I'm the lead guy, to just a guy in the minor leagues and not even making it, then going back being this huge part of this team over here to now being on an Astros team where you know that that's not gonna be the first fifteen names on opening day that anyone is you know, thinking of, not in a bad way, but just that's the way that the team is set up. How do you, like, I could just who you are in the clubhouse depending on the people you're around. Does that make sense? Like it do you? How do you fill those roles?

00:04:08
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:04:09
Speaker 2: I think that's I mean, that's a really good question. I think the younger me, uh, try to be a little bit more like a chameleon and try to fit in in different areas.

00:04:17
Speaker 3: But now like, I'm just gonna be me. If you like that, great if not.

00:04:23
Speaker 2: Like, everyone's different, so it's like you're you in some regard, like everybody, every one of your teammates is your coworker, but at the same time they can become your brother. So it's like it's it's a it's a very interesting dynamic. And I think going to Indie ball and then going to Korea, I think that really was like super weird, going from thirty five guys with thirty guys that speak fluent English to nobody speaking fluent English or maybe like one or two guys, And so I was pretty blessed. There's a couple guys on my team that in Korea that spoke really good English, and that was really cool because they're English. Last year they like was okay, but this year, because they got to practice a lot, it got a lot better. So that was pretty cool to kind of witness. But yeah, I would just say be myself and and hopefully hopefully that's good enough.

00:05:13
Speaker 1: You last pitched an affiliated ball in Stateside, You last pitch an affiliated ball in twenty twenty three. Yeah, how different are you now? How different is the pitcher now? That was from when you were here in twenty twenty three?

00:05:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, first off, when I was in twenty end of sorry, most of twenty two and then twenty three, I was a reliever. I don't like being reliever. I believe that I'm a starter. We had some really good prospects that were coming up with the d Backs, and I kind of hit like a little I kind of hit a struggle in twenty one and that kind of kicked me to the bullpen. And those guys are doing really well now, I mean that's just kind of nature of the game. And they were thrown better than I was, so they deserved that spot and they earned it. And so being able to go act to being a starter. I like the routine. I like knowing I'm gonna get the ball every five or six days, and I I like knowing that I'm gonna be able to flip the order over hopefully on a good day four times worst case three, right, But that's I just like to compete, and I hate going to pitch for one ning or two innings because once I get a sweat going, I'm like all right, like now we're in rhythm. Like now we're kind of in the zone. Like sometimes it takes a little bit for starting pitchers. So yeah, I would just say being a starter is uh has been a lot a lot more freeing for me.

00:06:29
Speaker 3: It's been a lot more fun. Is that?

00:06:31
Speaker 1: Is that what me the astros so attractive to you is because I mean they have opportunities to start. This is not this is a place that obviously needs rotation help. And just in general, your conversations with the Astros what intrigued you the most about them because you had you had substantial interest from from a lot of other teams as well.

00:06:49
Speaker 2: Mm hmm, yeah, I would say, uh, I think the the way that Dana was speaking, just the the way that he kind of showed that he believes in me and that he he kind of, for lack of a better term, like he knows what he sees, and like I believe in myself and I know there's a lot of people that believe in a lot of other guys, but I I do best when when someone really believes in me, and when I know the coaching staff and the team is behind me.

00:07:18
Speaker 3: That really helps when.

00:07:19
Speaker 2: I whenever I'm in a situation where it's like, oh, you, if you don't do well today, you might be out the door, Like that's a different kind of pressure. Like I'd rather pitch in a championship setting to where it like it really matters and like, oh, your life's on the line, you know what I mean, Like I don't I don't really think that's fun, and that's kind of how it is in the minors, and so I was I was very willing to go back overseas. I mean, we my wife and I, we love it over there in Korea, and so we just at the end of the day decided that it had to be a really good opportunity in the States and.

00:07:45
Speaker 3: And that's kind of what it was. So that's why we that's why we decided to do it.

00:07:50
Speaker 4: Yeah, I was gonna ask. I mean, obviously I would assume that you love playing overseas. You wouldn't keep doing it if you didn't want to do. The city that you were in is Dejon Jean.

00:08:00
Speaker 3: That's right.

00:08:00
Speaker 4: Okay, So I've I've googled the you know, just trip Advisor things to do. Do you have a Dujiano World story? Do you know that place? I do not, Dude, Okay, well it's number four. So if you get back over there, it looks like Disney World, but it's an amusement park.

00:08:20
Speaker 3: I'm more of like a like we like to do a lot of things.

00:08:24
Speaker 2: But in terms of like restaurants, the nine, it's uh, it's kind of right outside of Aison outstanding. I mean, the Crean barbecue there's it just doesn't mess around. There's just no there's no comp for it. It's it's unreal.

00:08:37
Speaker 4: So, I mean what you're you're like, what are you doing other than I mean obviously I know what you're doing during games, but like what does what does life look like you for you just living over there?

00:08:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, it just depends what if we have an off day and we're home that next day, then we can one of one of the bullpen catchers and eye and with my parents that ever, we went fishing one day, just kind of scoping it out, kind of seeing what's out there, just visiting different places. There's a lot of there's a lot of bakeries, uh over there, Like sun Shin Dan is like a really famous bakery in Dejon. So we go there and just kind of walk around and just kind of try to learn stuff. I mean, it's so it's so different. It was cool when we were in Seoul just being able to go to the different museums and and things that they have out there. Like when you're walking into it, you're like this, like it's just so much bigger than you. And it's like it's just really cool because there's way more history in Korea than there is in America, which is like for Americans it's probably wild to think about.

00:09:37
Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean it's it's just super interesting, super cool.

00:09:41
Speaker 1: Did you enjoy the nickname that you got in Dejon you are? You are Dejon Jesus.

00:09:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was that was tough. I mean, especially being a follower like it was.

00:09:51
Speaker 2: I mean, it's it's obviously an honor, but like, I don't put myself in that same category at all. So it was like when people are, oh, you're like saving, It's like, y'all need to chill, Like, I'm just I'm just Ryan, Like I'm not I'm not even rying the baseball player. I'm just Ryan, Like I'm just trying to go out there and try to win a ball game. And so like when people were doing that, it was like it was kind of a way for me to lead them towards Christ in a little bit, like just trying to give God the glory. But at the end of the day, I'm like, y'all need to like, y'all.

00:10:21
Speaker 3: Need to chill.

00:10:23
Speaker 4: How the long hair and beard isn't doing you any favors that.

00:10:28
Speaker 2: Yourself only Like right here, if I show you the side and you'll start judging me it's pretty bad.

00:10:32
Speaker 1: But as someone that as someone that pitched affiliated ball for as long as you did and then went to kb oh, how can you compare maybe the talent level. I know, you haven't pitched the big leagues yet, but you've pitched Triple A, You've pitched extensively in Triple A, Double A. How would you compare the talent in KBO to affiliated ball and kind of what do you think maybe as you get back into affiliated ball and you get to the big leagues, what do you think maybe the biggest adjustments will be for you going from that league back to the big leagues.

00:11:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean in terms of the baseball we all kind of know how baseball is nowadays. It's more like they like fans and owners, like they want to see home runs. And I haven't been there in the last two years, so I can't speak too much of how the last two years have been. But they just play like solid, fundamental baseball. If there's a guy on second, they're trying to push him over or like they're trying to like have something to the right side. And so that kind of taught me to like, Okay, I gotta go in. I gotta go out Like you can't out stuff people like. I mean, you still can, like if you've got really good stuff, you can, but it just it just kind of allowed me to pitch more. And so I think the biggest adjustment coming back to the States is probably just going to be having a lot of guys that can speak English in the clubhouse.

00:11:47
Speaker 3: It sounds crazy, but that's just what it is.

00:11:49
Speaker 2: It's gonna be weird not having a translator by my side at all times.

00:11:52
Speaker 4: I think your your first batting practice with Jordan Alvarez might sound a little different than than some.

00:11:58
Speaker 3: Of the ones.

00:11:58
Speaker 2: I'm telling you that he's got Jews, but there's there's some guys out there that can.

00:12:02
Speaker 3: I can hit it too.

00:12:03
Speaker 1: Yeah, did you have a pre existing relationship with anyone with the Astros? Do you know anyone as you're walking into this clubhouse?

00:12:09
Speaker 2: I was. I was in spring training with Christian Walker in twenty two with the d Backs, but I wasn't there for long.

00:12:16
Speaker 3: So yeah, I got I got to send out pretty quickly.

00:12:20
Speaker 1: So fur Astras fans that are listening to this have have not really seen you pitch, have not really you know, know, much about your arsenal, kind of how you get guys out. Describe yourself as a pitcher, describe you know what you give us your arsenal, and give us kind of maybe what you think your strengths are when you're on the mound.

00:12:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I foreseen fastball, slider, curveball, and then change up. So I mean pretty I feel like pretty standard like a lot of guys. But I just try to compete in the zone. I don't like walking guys. I don't like giving up free bases.

00:12:54
Speaker 3: I really just want to. I just want to.

00:12:55
Speaker 2: Compete, really, and if I get beat, I want you to beat me. I don't want to beat my I don't want to give you three bases. I don't want to hit you. I don't like that's just not fun. But nobody wants to watch that either, So yeah, I just I just like to compete, no matter who it is. And I think that's what That's probably why I'm still playing this game, is just because I like to compete.

00:13:13
Speaker 4: Yeah, I got I got news for you. You also throw a sinker. You just might not know it yet, but yeah, sometime sometimes it'll go a little bit. Yeah, that's not that's part of we're in the uniform here. I think they just that just comes standard in the in the locker room, they throw a sinker at you.

00:13:29
Speaker 1: Yeah, probably, Yeah, I was gonna ask. So, Like, obviously, the astros are pretty renowned for they get pictures and they make them better. They get good pictures and make them great. They get average pictures and make them good. Like they they have got a track record of doing this for the past ten years. I guess I wonder when you were talking to them, when you were negotiating with them, or maybe even you know, when you got up here to take your physical and you got to meet some people, were they able to or did they offer you some insights as to what they may I don't know if tinker's the right word. Just some things that they want to try with you. Some pitch shape, some pitch locations. Did you guys talk about that at all or is that gonna that gonna wait till spring training?

00:14:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm that's probably gonna wait till spring I know at least that first, just kind of putting faces to names and just getting introduced to several people and then just trying to learn learn each other, learn how each other work like there's some guys that don't like coaching at all, and that's and that's fine. They do really well, and there's some guys that want everything. I'm just I'm kind of a guy. I'm very culfortable. I'll just if you got if you have a reason on why you want me to do something and why it might work, then let's just be mature, have a conversation about it and and kind of see where that goes. But yeah, I'm super interested. I know that it's a great organization, and I mean it's gonna be it's gonna be exciting. I don't know how they like, like you said, they get it. They just get guys better. I don't know how they do it. So I'm I'm kind of eager to see how that how that goes down. But yeah, hope hopefully they can they can help me and I can help them.

00:15:02
Speaker 1: It's one thing you keep mentioning about, you know, being in KBO is you know you didn't have a bunch of people around you that that spoke English? Did you get did you learn any Korean?

00:15:11
Speaker 3: Can are you?

00:15:12
Speaker 1: Can?

00:15:12
Speaker 4: You?

00:15:13
Speaker 1: How how is your Korean?

00:15:15
Speaker 3: Mine's pretty bad? Mine's pretty bad.

00:15:17
Speaker 2: I pretty much only know the bad words. And then my wife, she's pretty she's pretty fluent. Actually, she could probably hold like a fifteen to twenty minute conversation in Korean. Like it's super impressive. But yeah, I'm pretty worthless in that regard.

00:15:30
Speaker 1: I think that's how I am with spent with Baseball Spanish at this point, I know enough baseball Spanish to like, like, I know what people are saying. I know again, I know the curse words, but I don't think I know. I don't think I know much else.

00:15:41
Speaker 3: Did they?

00:15:42
Speaker 1: So, did the team give you an interpreter when you went over there? Did you have to bring one on your own?

00:15:48
Speaker 2: No, that would be really hard. I wouldn't even know how how I would navigate that. Yeah, they provided one last year, and then I ended up having the same one from last year that I did this past year, So like a year and a half with the same I was. It was really cool. I mean, you just get to know each other and it's kind of funny, like that dynamic when he comes to the mountain, because like him and I just joke around all the time usually, and then it's like when it's time for him to be serious, I'm like just kind of look at him like, are you gonna like say something weird or like you can like actually deliver the message.

00:16:16
Speaker 3: But but he was really good. I mean, I I don't think.

00:16:19
Speaker 2: I could have had this success out there, definitely without my wife, but without without him.

00:16:23
Speaker 3: I mean, he was he was awesome.

00:16:26
Speaker 4: Do you have a favorite K pop Demon Hunters song?

00:16:29
Speaker 3: Golden? I mean it's It's election of course.

00:16:31
Speaker 4: Yeah, absolutely, yeah, I'm with you.

00:16:35
Speaker 1: One thing that's always been interesting to me and I think we're seeing more and more as Japanese players obviously become more prevalent and are covered more widely in the States, is the way that well, certainly the Japanese media but also just I think Asian media at large covers the sport. They they ask very specific questions like they want to know, like specifically, like why you threw this pitch in this like they are it's a very different way if.

00:17:03
Speaker 2: You over there, like they don't and that, and it's really cool like that that's how they treat it. It's like, Okay, the how you pitched today was good, not like oh your game was good, you know what I mean?

00:17:12
Speaker 3: Like they like accounts matter, and then.

00:17:16
Speaker 1: That's why I wanted to ask you, like, again, I don't know how much media exposure you got. I mean you did obviously state side, But what was the difference in kind of the questions they were asking you and kind of what they wanted to know about what went on in the game, Because you know, from my vantage point, like when I go into a clubhouse after a game, like I'm I'm searching for the why, like why did this happen? Why did this guy have such a good game, Why did this guy have such a poor game? Or whatever. Like it's like if you've ever been in a scrum talking to Otani or talking to Yamamoto or any of these guys, it is the way they cover and talk about the game could not be different than the way American media doesn't.

00:17:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's honestly, like it's it's beautiful way they do it. They think about a different And I think I would say it was easier for me because like I just I mean, it was the catcher that did all the hard work, Like he's the one that like on the bus rides, like I can see him on his phone just like looking at the next team for.

00:18:12
Speaker 3: The next game.

00:18:13
Speaker 2: And it was like catchers are just different, like they just love baseball and the the reason on why he wants to throw a certain pitch and why, like I don't really question it. I'm a kiss guy, keep it simple, stupid, So like I just really try to trust the catcher and if if I shake and he puts it down again.

00:18:31
Speaker 3: I'm like all right, like I'm sorry, like dang, I'm sorry, and.

00:18:34
Speaker 2: So I mean, I just I mean it was pretty much them, like they're the reason why I had success. So it was I feel like those questions were easy for me to navigate because I'd be like, oh, it's my catcher.

00:18:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's always It's has always been interesting to me, like sharing press boxes now with a lot of Asian media and a lot of like especially Japanese reporters that that come in and certainly think about the game in a different way. But it's it's certainly it's I think beautiful is the perfect way to say it, because they they appreciate the art of the game when I don't think I don't think that gets appreciated a lot, just in the in the coverage state side.

00:19:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's a it's more like talent here. I feel like it's like they're just super talented, whereas there it's like your pitch is on and the way you can spin the ball and manipulate the ball, like they even the players out there, the ones that don't speak English, are coming up and asking questions and it's like that's that's like a very vulnerable place to be as someone who doesn't know the language, like asking a question and understanding the answer.

00:19:34
Speaker 3: So I mean, they just love to learn. I mean they love to learn out.

00:19:37
Speaker 2: There, and they don't really have a lot of pride, Like if a guy's working on another pitch, like he's not afraid to work on two other pitches but not use them, Like they're just not afraid.

00:19:46
Speaker 4: All right, Well, Chandler, you're going to be in there, so I'm going to text you like a two and a half minute long question to ask Ryan after his first start, just extremely detailed every thought on the game.

00:19:57
Speaker 3: We'll see who's catching me.

00:20:01
Speaker 1: I do wonder, you know, Tyler, just reference after your first start that will be your major league debut. Has that has that kind of hit you yet or or do you think it'll maybe wait till like the day it actually happens.

00:20:14
Speaker 2: Nah, I think when I was on the forty mate with the d Backs, I was I mean, I was itching.

00:20:19
Speaker 3: I was itching to get up. Same with the Royals, I was itching.

00:20:22
Speaker 2: I put so much thought into it's gonna sound funny, but like what I was gonna wear to the stadium on my debut, Like I like, I was like all into it, and now I just like I think I thought about it too much to where it was like unhealthy, and like that's why going to create was so good for me, because I just completely removed myself from like all of that. And so I mean it's like I said, it's gonna it'll be cool, I think, But like I'm just I just want to pitch. I just want to compete and hopefully we win. Like that's really all all that matters at the end of the day.

00:20:53
Speaker 1: I'm curious, what, what what allowed your mind to shift? Like was it simply going to Korea or was like what what out you to make that draft such a drastic change, because that does seem pretty like a drastic difference in the way of thinking.

00:21:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just think I was idolizing it. I don't think I was as secure in myself and and and whatnot, and I was just idolizing the thought of being a big leaguer, and I was like, it's really like I'd rather be a better person, which I try to be. I'm probably not, but I try to be a better person, and then like baseball will be what it's gonna be, and I'm just gonna I'm just gonna trust in God and trust that whatever plan he has is what I'm supposed to do. And if this is where he wants me to meet, then I just want to be able to impact people around me.

00:21:37
Speaker 3: And yeah, like what I want to say, I probably shouldn't. So yeah, that's that's probably what It's probably good.

00:21:44
Speaker 1: Good answer media training already. I don't know, Ryan, this has been excellent. I appreciate you taking We appreciate you taking time to talk to us today. We told you we keep you fifteen to twenty minutes. We're going up to twenty two minutes now, so we like to be like to be true what we say. So that's about the.

00:22:01
Speaker 4: Shortest Chandler's done, actually, because normally he lies and then we're here two and a half times what he says. So he got you out on time today. He didn't like, Yeah, that's what he was.

00:22:11
Speaker 1: Okay, don't put words in my mouth. Come on, that's not cool.

00:22:16
Speaker 3: Ryan.

00:22:17
Speaker 1: Again, this was excellent. Again, if you want to see Ryan and his wife's work on TikTok, Ryan M Ryan m Weiss on TikTok. I think that will allow a lot of you to to really appreciate kind of what it was like in KBO, what Ryan, kind of how Ryan got to this point and you can know a lot more about him before reporting to West Palm Beach in February for spring training with the Ashers. Ryan, this was great. Thank you so much for the time, and enjoy the rest of your off season.

00:22:47
Speaker 3: Sounds good, guys, Thanks for having me all right.

00:22:49
Speaker 1: Thanks Ryan,