Speaker 1: Sometimes why you're listening to Fish on first on Foul's territory.
Speaker 2: Network, Fish and Filtered, episode one oh nine. We're here
Speaker 2: joined by Clayton McCallum, manager of the red hot Miami Marlins,
Speaker 2: who have a fourteen and four record in the month
Speaker 2: of June. Clayton, how are you doing? I know there's
Speaker 2: a lot to get into. Just what's this month? Then? Like,
Speaker 2: how fun has it been just coming? I'm sure it's
Speaker 2: a little more fun to coming to work when the
Speaker 2: team is playing as good as they have.
Speaker 3: Good morning, guys, fun to visit with you again, and certainly,
Speaker 3: I mean, winning is a lot more fun than losing.
Speaker 3: So it's been a it's been a good month so far,
Speaker 3: and yeah, a long way to go, but it has
Speaker 3: it's been. Guys are in a good spot right now
Speaker 3: and you know, really enjoying coming to the all park.
Speaker 4: Plan.
Speaker 2: Obviously, the big news yesterday was that the Miami Models
Speaker 2: designated Christopher Morele for assignment, activating Griffin Cone. I just
Speaker 2: talked about, you know, unfortunately the tough move to move
Speaker 2: on from Morele, who the team signed to a one
Speaker 2: year contract this past offseason, and why just do you
Speaker 2: don't think it ended up working out for him here.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it was tough.
Speaker 3: So I mean I think, you know, going into it,
Speaker 3: the hope was that you know, Christopher could come in
Speaker 3: and he still he still hit the ball hard, you know,
Speaker 3: had bat speed, maybe catch lighting in a bottle. This
Speaker 3: situation helps him be a little bit more productive than
Speaker 3: he has the last few years.
Speaker 4: He's still a talented person and.
Speaker 3: Took to first base, was open to that, and it
Speaker 3: just you know, unfortunately, the the oblique opening day. Poor
Speaker 3: guy misses opening day with that on the shelf for
Speaker 3: a little while, you know. And when he came back, Kevin,
Speaker 3: I did want to I think he deserved a shot,
Speaker 3: like to get us some regular playing time, like we
Speaker 3: were counting on coming into the season to to get
Speaker 3: regular at bats. And then as the year went on,
Speaker 3: you know, earn what you know, what you get, and
Speaker 3: he just you know, no secret, he struggled, and he
Speaker 3: was a real pro about everything.
Speaker 4: You know.
Speaker 3: We sat down week and a half or so ago
Speaker 3: and just you know, I let him know that his
Speaker 3: playing time was going to really you know, be diminished
Speaker 3: here coming up that some other players had had just
Speaker 3: performed it. And and Chris understood that and so then
Speaker 3: then it's a really tough spot then when you're not
Speaker 3: getting any type of regular opportunity and the sample has
Speaker 3: already been somewhat limited. I think, you know what, seventy
Speaker 3: five played appearances. Now it's it's a tough ass to
Speaker 3: crawl out of a hole. So that part of it
Speaker 3: was difficult. But then also it just felt like that
Speaker 3: there were players on our roster currently that were just
Speaker 3: playing very well, and you know, our best chance to
Speaker 3: win to give those guys opportunity. And then it's coincided
Speaker 3: with Griffin, you know, coming off the il. So yeah,
Speaker 3: I think Chris, I mean, he he was smiling every day,
Speaker 3: he kept working, which I appreciate that he was pro
Speaker 3: about everything. It just was you know, unfortunately his time
Speaker 3: with us just the performance wasn't wasn't.
Speaker 2: There then obviously looking ahead Clayton, a lot of injuries
Speaker 2: currently on the Steam are a couple it's Junk, Yuri
Speaker 2: and Hicks just and the updates on those guys. I
Speaker 2: think the Hicks will may come later in the week,
Speaker 2: but at least Yuri and Junk. What's the latest on them?
Speaker 3: Yeah, So Yuri will throw a pitch design today in
Speaker 3: lone depot and following that pitch design, with how he
Speaker 3: feels and comes out of it, will determine where his
Speaker 3: next appearance will will be. And with Junk, he was
Speaker 3: around the team yesterday, came up for family day and
Speaker 3: spent the day with us. He's scheduled to throw live
Speaker 3: batting practice like two ups and thirty five pitches on Tuesday, and.
Speaker 4: Next steps after that.
Speaker 3: You know, again this is you know, assuming he comes
Speaker 3: out of it feels good, would be looking to get
Speaker 3: some type of a rehab start appearance over the weekend.
Speaker 4: So that's those two.
Speaker 3: And then with Liam, Liam's gonna get some imaging today
Speaker 3: on the back just to you know, also try to
Speaker 3: have a clear up picture and an idea what's going on.
Speaker 3: He felt a little better yesterday, he was still stiff,
Speaker 3: some of the rotational moves still bothered him.
Speaker 4: We thought it was just more prudent.
Speaker 3: Right now to take the aisle stint, give this thing
Speaker 3: hopefully the minimum amount, calm down, and you know, get
Speaker 3: back a healthy version of Liam, because that's the one
Speaker 3: that you know has done some really big things this
Speaker 3: year and the one that we're gonna need moving forward
Speaker 3: to continue to stack up wins.
Speaker 5: As far as jury goes, do you guys, does the
Speaker 5: location of where he's pitching, Like you know, in Saint
Speaker 5: Louis it's going to be crazy hot in Colorado and
Speaker 5: the Sacramento those aren't the best places to pitch. Does
Speaker 5: that come into a factor of when you want to
Speaker 5: throw them to help him ease in, not ease in,
Speaker 5: but you know, give him the best answer success, especially
Speaker 5: coming off of injury.
Speaker 4: It's a good question, a Jed.
Speaker 3: I don't knowice we talk about like the location uh County, Colorado.
Speaker 3: We'll have you know, guys will be drawing straws to see,
Speaker 3: you know, who wants to take the ball there. So no,
Speaker 3: I think it's as much health. I mean, and we've
Speaker 3: been operating with you know a number of bullpen games
Speaker 3: or you know, using some guys with bulk, and you
Speaker 3: know there's potential that you know, Yuri a couple of
Speaker 3: days from now has seventy pitches, say, and you know,
Speaker 3: in some ways why not use those here if we
Speaker 3: feel like he's healthy and and capable and then just
Speaker 3: continue to you know, progress from there.
Speaker 4: So that's a possibility.
Speaker 3: And I think the it was more about if Yuri's
Speaker 3: healthy and can give us, you know, an amount within
Speaker 3: an outing that we feel like, okay, because knowing that
Speaker 3: you're gonna lose a picture when he comes back, something's
Speaker 3: going to have.
Speaker 4: To you know, have to happen.
Speaker 3: We've recovered and and does he in a spot physically
Speaker 3: to go out and compete in a major league game.
Speaker 3: And I think those will be the deciding points more
Speaker 3: than maybe the location.
Speaker 4: Clayton with the.
Speaker 1: Sorry, with the afore mentioned injury to Hicks, I'm curious,
Speaker 1: does that make Star Wars practically the everyday first baseman
Speaker 1: going forward until Hicks returns.
Speaker 3: I think Star Wars will continue to get a number
Speaker 3: of reps at first base. People still see Norby get
Speaker 3: over there some and you know, and Griff could go
Speaker 3: over there as well. But this does it potentially help
Speaker 3: Griff as he gets you know, as he gets back.
Speaker 3: I mean we keep in mind too, he played three
Speaker 3: rehab games, so he's he was ready to come back,
Speaker 3: but there's also going to be some time for him
Speaker 3: to get back, you know, used to playing on a
Speaker 3: more regular basis, and potentially does some time at first
Speaker 3: space help that transition is as well?
Speaker 4: We'll see, So yeah, I.
Speaker 3: Think it will just continue to be kind of split
Speaker 3: up mostly between Kyle and Connor potentially griff here in
Speaker 3: the you.
Speaker 4: Know the time.
Speaker 1: And then also a follow up to that, I guess is,
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're just as enamored with Joe Mack as
Speaker 1: we have been behind the plate and offensively the Pats
Speaker 1: coming together shading for more power. So my question is,
Speaker 1: I we see Ramirez, we know what he can do
Speaker 1: with the bat, we sort of know what he can't
Speaker 1: do with the glove. I'm curious this team has preached
Speaker 1: defensive versatility all year long, why not with Gus.
Speaker 3: We still think that Gus being able to catch is
Speaker 3: a big part of his value, and so he's going
Speaker 3: to continue to catch them in triple A. We have
Speaker 3: had some internal discussions about the potential of exploring that
Speaker 3: first base uh there, So there's definitely say that we
Speaker 3: said it's a potential possibility. But then also that going
Speaker 3: to moving away from the catcher position, that point is
Speaker 3: it's it's not reversible, like once we once we kick
Speaker 3: the tires, then it's then it's done. And can Gus
Speaker 3: still we believe I do, can Gus catch you know
Speaker 3: X amount of games during the season, can he catch
Speaker 3: verse left, start games, verse left behind the plate, and
Speaker 3: that's valuable And I mean to pull off first base
Speaker 3: like every day, like you have to really hit and
Speaker 3: like just DH.
Speaker 4: So there's also some.
Speaker 3: How would Gus perform offensively if you only focused on
Speaker 3: hitting and Okay, like we don't know that either, So
Speaker 3: we still feel like it's a We're at a spot
Speaker 3: where we want to continue with the catching progression. We
Speaker 3: want to keep that option open. And I think the
Speaker 3: entire time we have been discussing the possibility at some
Speaker 3: point where we do introduce or reintroduce because he's played
Speaker 3: a little bit of first in his earlier minor league
Speaker 3: days on that, but we haven't had those conversations formally.
Speaker 4: Crats.
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Speaker 5: If you guys are fourteen and four in June, what's
Speaker 5: what's the catalyst behind that?
Speaker 4: What's working?
Speaker 1: Is it.
Speaker 5: Just a culmination of the hard work just kind of
Speaker 5: coming to a head. Is it just right time, or
Speaker 5: you know what? What's the underlying reason for this team
Speaker 5: being able to perform like they have in June?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 3: And I think you have to point to a number
Speaker 3: of things. I think offensively this month we have We've
Speaker 3: had some really good games. We've seen stours here recently
Speaker 3: really pick it up. Auto has just been mister consistency.
Speaker 3: But Barito has been really good this month. Ruiz has
Speaker 3: been very good. So I think the Caseys and Joe
Speaker 3: Mack have both So I think there's been offensively some
Speaker 3: real progress and the pitching has been, for me, phenomenal.
Speaker 3: I think how so many individuals we've seen that have
Speaker 3: just taken the ball whenever it's they've been called upon
Speaker 3: to do it and whatever they're asked of and help
Speaker 3: us navigate through a stretch where we had some guys down.
Speaker 3: And then also, aj you've done that, you have to
Speaker 3: you have to get lucky some too. I mean, Schmid
Speaker 3: hit a ball yesterday in the eighth like if he
Speaker 3: hits it twenty more feet to the left, like it's
Speaker 3: it's a home run.
Speaker 6: Uh.
Speaker 4: You know, you need some make great play.
Speaker 3: So I think during stretches like this, you're also things
Speaker 3: you know kind of need to go your way, and
Speaker 3: you you you play really well, like which I do
Speaker 3: think we're playing well. I think we're playing good baseball
Speaker 3: right now, and you get some things to go your way.
Speaker 3: You're in a lot of games, you have a chance
Speaker 3: for the one break in a game to flip up
Speaker 3: on your side and now you end up winning. So yeah,
Speaker 3: a lot going our way, but I do think we're
Speaker 3: making a lot of our own moments as well.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's even more impressive when you take into the
Speaker 1: account the injuries to the starting rotation that you guys
Speaker 1: have undergone. Right, So I'm just curious. Obviously you're excited
Speaker 1: to get your back dunk maybe a little bit ways away,
Speaker 1: but you how sustainable I guess is the bullpen games
Speaker 1: because obviously you need them on the non bullpen games
Speaker 1: and because you will.
Speaker 4: Not require more roster.
Speaker 1: It was just how much longer are you guys expected
Speaker 1: to be using a bullpen day every fifth five days?
Speaker 3: I mean, I know this has been a really hot
Speaker 3: topping you guys, and you know we should go out
Speaker 3: and find just someone that hey, just go find a starter, right,
Speaker 3: just having a guy guy who started out a game
Speaker 3: before has to be better than the potential options that
Speaker 3: you might already have.
Speaker 4: And how long?
Speaker 3: How sustainable, Isaac, I don't know, We've been running it
Speaker 3: now for three weeks or so, whatever it is, we
Speaker 3: can you know, continue in the near term to go
Speaker 3: do this, And we felt like, look what happened.
Speaker 4: Happened?
Speaker 3: Yeah, Junk and Urie Boom basically down at the same time,
Speaker 3: and we were still we were stretching Tyler out at
Speaker 3: that time, and we thought, well, it's just try to
Speaker 3: get as creative as we can with ways at which
Speaker 3: to try to go win games. And I think we'll
Speaker 3: continue to look at it that way, and certainly when
Speaker 3: Uri gets back in the rotation, you know, we get
Speaker 3: jumped back, we hope relatively soon and thinks stabilized from
Speaker 3: that end a little bit, but I think the near term,
Speaker 3: until we get some of those guys back, we continue
Speaker 3: to you know, if we have an open spot, run
Speaker 3: a bullpen game, maybe open for guys or you know,
Speaker 3: cut guys short, depending on.
Speaker 4: What we have available that day.
Speaker 3: And it's really just coming into how do we think
Speaker 3: is the best way to win today's game, and then
Speaker 3: you know, we're worry about tomorrow when we get there.
Speaker 5: Talk about the mentality of the bullpen, I mean, because
Speaker 5: you know, when you lose two starters like Uri and
Speaker 5: Junk who have been producing and URI's starting to get
Speaker 5: on the rise, and then you ask the bullpen to
Speaker 5: cover all these innings and the way that they've risen
Speaker 5: to the challenge I've been in the bullpens where you
Speaker 5: go through stretches where you got to carry some of
Speaker 5: the starting staff, maybe getting some short starts, and it
Speaker 5: just seems like it bonds the bullpen even tighter and
Speaker 5: everyone's like, all right, get on our back, we're going
Speaker 5: and that's what's happening. So talk about like the mindset
Speaker 5: of the bullpen right now and what it's been able
Speaker 5: to do to help this team have a great June.
Speaker 3: Yeah, what you know better than any of us, a jman,
Speaker 3: what a a special group out there in the bullpen.
Speaker 3: I mean, they're kind of like their own little tribe
Speaker 3: within a team. And Brandon Man deserves a lot of
Speaker 3: credit for this.
Speaker 4: I think.
Speaker 3: I mean more than just this moment right now where
Speaker 3: guys are stepping up. Brandon has created a culture in
Speaker 3: the bullpen where as much as people don't like it,
Speaker 3: we don't have someone that throws the seventh inning every
Speaker 3: day and this person throws the eighth inning, and you know,
Speaker 3: we got okay, Pete's going to close the majority of
Speaker 3: our games. But you know, really these guys just go
Speaker 3: in and pitch, you know, whenever they're called upon. I
Speaker 3: think Brandon has helped you know, create that mindset and
Speaker 3: then you come into now fast forward to where we
Speaker 3: are at this point where yes, we are asking Lake
Speaker 3: Baker to start games and two days later you're going
Speaker 3: to come close the game that they're just willing to
Speaker 3: take on whatever's asked of them and very unselfishly what's
Speaker 3: in the best interest of the team. And they, yeah,
Speaker 3: they know the stakes. Guys are within it. Calus, guys
Speaker 3: are aware, they know yet we're running these games. There's
Speaker 3: gonna be a lot of them that are used and
Speaker 3: it gets taxed and you know the next day, guys
Speaker 3: are gonna have to probably be asked to you know,
Speaker 3: going back to back or and they've been great about
Speaker 3: they're also their communication with Daniel Brandon to come up
Speaker 3: with how they're feeling, and we take that into account
Speaker 3: aj you know, player self reportings.
Speaker 4: We expect them to be honest.
Speaker 3: And if guys say they're a little banged up, like
Speaker 3: we recognize what they're going through, that will appreciate that
Speaker 3: and try to take care of him.
Speaker 4: As best we can.
Speaker 3: And if guys say they can pitch, this is the
Speaker 3: big leagues, and you say you can pitch, then if
Speaker 3: there's a chance to go win a game, then you
Speaker 3: know we'll go, We'll go do that. So but yes,
Speaker 3: they have been incredible, and for me, it's it's the
Speaker 3: unselfishness they just you know, John King, this guy will
Speaker 3: do anything and he has and so you need you
Speaker 3: need guys, and you need a group down there that
Speaker 3: all they care about is is winning and protecting each
Speaker 3: other for this.
Speaker 4: To work.
Speaker 2: Playing. I'm curious with with Pete. I know, one of
Speaker 2: the big things when you guys sawn him, I was like, hey,
Speaker 2: maybe this guy could go three straight days, still have
Speaker 2: to happen, Maybe it happens later into the season. Was
Speaker 2: he available potentially for that last game or do you
Speaker 2: think that could have been an option for you guys
Speaker 2: just to see what a three straight days of Pete
Speaker 2: could look like. Or I was just still kind of
Speaker 2: just having him settle back in after the iyele stint.
Speaker 3: Yeah, he wasn't available yesterday. I think you know a
Speaker 3: few factors. I mean, it was tougher too that the
Speaker 3: day game after a night given, so that is a
Speaker 3: really short turnaround for guys, and not just Pete. But
Speaker 3: I think a lot of our pitchers talk a lot
Speaker 3: about that. There was just not as much recovery time.
Speaker 3: So if we were going to do the three in
Speaker 3: a row at this point, you know, we're still in June,
Speaker 3: that would have been a tough one to ask to
Speaker 3: turn around on a you know, day after night, on
Speaker 3: a back to back and go three in a row.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I think that those things will be on
Speaker 3: the table, you know, Kevin, as we go. And we
Speaker 3: also have to keep in mind we have over eighty
Speaker 3: games left. I believe while it's been a great run
Speaker 3: to start June, it's exciting like we have a lot
Speaker 3: of baseball ahead of us, and so I think we're
Speaker 3: to win and continue to win. It's going to take
Speaker 3: days like yesterday where yep, okay late closed the game
Speaker 3: and then we all felt great when lake I did
Speaker 3: at least ran out there to close the game. And
Speaker 3: you need those things to happen when you're going to
Speaker 3: go and sustain stretches of winning, because you do you
Speaker 3: have to use a lot of people when you're playing
Speaker 3: tight games. When my puppy Bella has something wrong, I'm
Speaker 3: not going to go around googling what to do.
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Speaker 2: One guy I wanted to ask you about was Leo Himanaz.
Speaker 2: I know some fans have been frustrated ice to play.
Speaker 2: What have you seen from Leo obviously he's a guy
Speaker 2: who you guys may be brought in to give you
Speaker 2: some help against left handed pitching and use him at
Speaker 2: third base to help you guys at that position. What
Speaker 2: has he shown you guys so far and what what
Speaker 2: is it that you guys are seeing him that has
Speaker 2: allowed you to maybe put him a pretty pretty high
Speaker 2: up in the lineup, maybe fourth, fifth spot sometimes up there.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 3: So I think one thing to keep in mind with
Speaker 3: with Laos, I mean, he missed a ton of time
Speaker 3: recently with injury one like to last year.
Speaker 4: So I think this is, you know, we had the
Speaker 4: opportunity to.
Speaker 3: Acquire Lao was that he had some under things that
Speaker 3: we really value and see is like potentially being a
Speaker 3: turn into a good major league player who and he's
Speaker 3: still very young. He makes a ton of contact, he
Speaker 3: makes good swing decisions, he has some defensive versatility. So
Speaker 3: at that point, you know, taking a chance on acquiring
Speaker 3: a player like Leo that you know that we could
Speaker 3: give some opportunity to And part of the capitalist was
Speaker 3: sending Graham down was Graham wasn't performing and this would
Speaker 3: give Leo some more opportunity at least to get in
Speaker 3: there with some more frequency for us to have a
Speaker 3: better idea of what we have in Leo.
Speaker 4: And I did I think he was movid.
Speaker 3: Bats have been have been good. I mean he you know,
Speaker 3: he hasn't. The counting numbers aren't great. He's still you know,
Speaker 3: kind of learning third base on the fly. But I
Speaker 3: think it's still with age with some of his skill set.
Speaker 3: That this is you know, acquiring guys like Leo, like
Speaker 3: this is how you get auto lopezz of the world.
Speaker 3: It's you know, it's how you end up finding some
Speaker 3: good players. And he's a fit for us, you know
Speaker 3: at this point, and believe that he'll get things turned around.
Speaker 3: He's going to continue to get some starts. And the
Speaker 3: lineup question, so usually I think now kind of how
Speaker 3: we settled and it'll be a little different here coming up,
Speaker 3: you know, co nine back in and then when we
Speaker 3: get Hicks, but somewhat trying to again keep a little
Speaker 3: bit of distance between Liam was who was hitting lead
Speaker 3: off and Stours hitting you know, third or fourth, and
Speaker 3: then the guy's other left handed hitters back behind him.
Speaker 3: So like finding the place if we have two or
Speaker 3: three right handed hitters, kind of where to space them
Speaker 3: out within and like Otto was hitting second a lot,
Speaker 3: and then okay, like we're gonna probably have a righty
Speaker 3: hit in the five hole, and if that was Burt
Speaker 3: that day, it's usually Bert it could be so Noha
Speaker 3: Jimenez has done it. And then we were running three
Speaker 3: straight lefties with a righty at the bottom of that.
Speaker 3: So it was as much a function of trying to
Speaker 3: create some spacing within the lineup while also believe in that,
Speaker 3: you know, putting less stock in what Layos numbers on
Speaker 3: the scoreboard were over seventy played appearances and what we
Speaker 3: believe like he's capable.
Speaker 7: Of doing.
Speaker 5: Now around like this time of year is whenever you
Speaker 5: start hearing talk about guys potentially being moved or what
Speaker 5: is our team going to do or we should we
Speaker 5: add there's a lot of outside noise that that seems
Speaker 5: to come in around this time. How do you get
Speaker 5: guys to continue to focus on who's on your team
Speaker 5: right now, what your team is doing right now, so
Speaker 5: that you guys can continue to put position yourself to
Speaker 5: maybe force the team to maybe do some more additions
Speaker 5: than subtractions.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's as best you can is just
Speaker 3: try to make each day feel normal, but it's it's
Speaker 3: a good thing. Like if you guys are being asked, hey,
Speaker 3: should you guys buy should Like that's great, Like okay,
Speaker 3: we're you know, and I we'd rather be doing that
Speaker 3: then the alternative. And so being in a position where
Speaker 3: you know that potentially is the case great. But also
Speaker 3: like as a player, you know this, you have no
Speaker 3: control over what's about to happen. Okay, Peter Bruce and company,
Speaker 3: they're going to decide what they want to do, and
Speaker 3: so you have to go out and play, continue to win.
Speaker 3: And you hear all the time players like, we have
Speaker 3: to go do our job, which is to win games.
Speaker 3: And I think it's as best you can some of
Speaker 3: the noise that's going to come up, and I mean,
Speaker 3: I guess its like it's more fun. It's like baseball fans,
Speaker 3: it's fun. Let's write about it, speculate about trades, and
Speaker 3: I mean the reality of it is, we all know
Speaker 3: that most of those things that you read or hear
Speaker 3: are so are way more smoke than anything else. So
Speaker 3: just whatever, let's go play baseball and let other people,
Speaker 3: you know, speculate.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's that's my least favorite part of being in
Speaker 5: the media is all the speculation that I have to
Speaker 5: do or talk about, and I'm like, nobody knows unless
Speaker 5: in those those rooms, and it's fun.
Speaker 4: I also want to talk about it.
Speaker 3: I think last year like actually may help. We had
Speaker 3: a number of players like it was their first time
Speaker 3: having their names put out there. Okay, you're Anthony Bender,
Speaker 3: like you're about to have a baby, you might get traded,
Speaker 3: you know. I mean Sandy is probably at this point
Speaker 3: like he's tired of it. I'm sure, but it's we
Speaker 3: know how many questions you're gonna be asked about Sandy
Speaker 3: and you know Fauchet. So there were a number of
Speaker 3: guys last year kind of their first time of like
Speaker 3: you know, dealing with that, which I think is a
Speaker 3: good thing for them too, because, like you said, a
Speaker 3: good players get talked about, and guys who are good
Speaker 3: are going to be put in these types of conversations
Speaker 3: and it's just like anything else until you've gone through
Speaker 3: it and kind of dealt with the edge stress that
Speaker 3: whether you know you want to go read the speculation
Speaker 3: or not, that's going to be there. So and now
Speaker 3: you come into this year and think, well, you know what,
Speaker 3: I was so worried about it. Last year nothing happened.
Speaker 3: So you know, what can I do about it? Just
Speaker 3: continue to go. And so I hope some of that
Speaker 3: of last year's you know, helped some guys this year.
Speaker 4: Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 2: I mean what you're saying, you're saying is that that
Speaker 2: we helped you out a little bit. Then last year
Speaker 2: we played a part in the morrow On success towards
Speaker 2: the second half of the season.
Speaker 3: Of course you did, right, I mean, you guys were
Speaker 3: the drives about you guys.
Speaker 4: That's hilarious.
Speaker 5: I'm wondering if you saw that Auto Lopez was fifth
Speaker 5: amongst the National League shortstops, and I want to get
Speaker 5: your thoughts on that, and what do you think about
Speaker 5: him being so far down? I personally think, you know,
Speaker 5: he should.
Speaker 4: Be further up.
Speaker 5: But what do you think about the system of how
Speaker 5: guys are voted on and how they make the All
Speaker 5: Star team or starting lineup for the All Star team.
Speaker 4: I think Auto should be an All Star.
Speaker 3: I think he has not Like Auto, Auto is having
Speaker 3: an All Star worthy season and he deserves it.
Speaker 4: I get the system.
Speaker 3: I mean, look, it's an exhibition game, right, It's it's
Speaker 3: for the fans, and I think in some ways the
Speaker 3: fans should have a lot of say and you know
Speaker 3: who goes there is it always every year is disappointed.
Speaker 3: It stinks for you know, a particular player who's having
Speaker 3: this maybe maybe the best half of his life, that
Speaker 3: has a chance to be an All Star that doesn't
Speaker 3: get it because a more noteworthy player, you know, gets
Speaker 3: selected to do this. So that part of it, Yes,
Speaker 3: it's stinks, But I think whether you know it's the
Speaker 3: home run derby, it's the All Star Game itself. I
Speaker 3: think people want to come out and see who they
Speaker 3: want to see, and Major League Baseball and those who
Speaker 3: vote on the you know, the other players like to
Speaker 3: also have to be representative of those who are having
Speaker 3: Like Auto's having an All Star worthy season, he's leading
Speaker 3: the league in hits and average that you know he
Speaker 3: should he should be there, no matter what I think.
Speaker 3: He you know, he's earned that. So I don't know,
Speaker 3: but I get that the outcry. But two, I think
Speaker 3: that fans this is there, is their right to go,
Speaker 3: and it is the way it's set up.
Speaker 1: Yeah, coming from the Dodgers, though, I'm sure you see
Speaker 1: a correlation between you know, small market team players and
Speaker 1: big markets, right Obviously you know, you guys have someone
Speaker 1: like Mookie Bets, for example, who's not having a Mookie
Speaker 1: Bets caliber season yet is earning half a million votes.
Speaker 1: It appears much more than Otto Lopez. Would you say that,
Speaker 1: would you like to see a different sort of system,
Speaker 1: because obviously it.
Speaker 4: Is for the fans.
Speaker 1: This game is for the fans, but maybe they have
Speaker 1: a little bit too much power in this case.
Speaker 4: I don't know. I don't honestly don't really think that
Speaker 4: much about it, right.
Speaker 3: I think with the fans again, they drive this like
Speaker 3: if there's not for faith, there's not fans.
Speaker 4: I mean basically every night we go out there, we're
Speaker 4: trying to.
Speaker 3: Go other to entertain fans, Like, you know, we win,
Speaker 3: more people will probably show up, right, Like, so this
Speaker 3: game is about the fans, and I think this is
Speaker 3: just a again, an exhibition game that's turned into very much,
Speaker 3: you know, seeing the Miseroskies of the world, you know,
Speaker 3: go throw it in and face Je Soto like you know,
Speaker 3: or whoever else like I guess it or Aaron Judge,
Speaker 3: you know, like that's what people want to kind of see,
Speaker 3: is I think that?
Speaker 4: And you know, if that's what they if that's what
Speaker 4: they want and they're gonna.
Speaker 3: You know, so I just hope again like there are
Speaker 3: going to be some guy squeezed out. But that's the
Speaker 3: unfortunate part of, you know, the gig.
Speaker 1: Yeah, speaking of All Star weekend, I'm curious. Last year
Speaker 1: you were in Atlanta as part of Dave Roberts staff
Speaker 1: for the twenty twenty five All Star Game, great time
Speaker 1: when Cal Stowers entered as the home run derby tiebreaker.
Speaker 1: Have you been informed if you'll be going to Philadelphia
Speaker 1: as part of his staff again in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 4: No, No, I'm not, uh, I will not be going
Speaker 4: as part of his staff this year. What goes into
Speaker 4: that decision for that?
Speaker 1: I mean, hopefully when you guys win the World Series,
Speaker 1: you'll be making that decision for yourself.
Speaker 4: But I'm curious what how exactly.
Speaker 1: Does Dave make that that those coaching decisions.
Speaker 4: I guess I would think.
Speaker 3: I mean, I think last year it was as much
Speaker 3: probably a bit of a reward for myself and my
Speaker 3: family have been on the staff in twenty four winning
Speaker 3: the World Series and then you know that staff gets
Speaker 3: to go to the All Star Game and with us
Speaker 3: not being there, I think it was you know, and
Speaker 3: also you know, being a manager now a manager on
Speaker 3: another team, a way to have myself and our family
Speaker 3: be a part of that, which I was we were
Speaker 3: all very grateful for. And you know then, I think generally,
Speaker 3: you know, the home you're in the home ballpark, that
Speaker 3: manager is usually asked to be on one of the staffs,
Speaker 3: whicheveryone it is.
Speaker 4: And you know you've so you're looking.
Speaker 3: For another manager or you know, someone within the game
Speaker 3: to kind of be a you know, like it was,
Speaker 3: you know, guest manager or you know, whatever it was.
Speaker 3: So I think my choice last year is is much
Speaker 3: just the time that we've spent in la and coming
Speaker 3: off the World Series and wanting myself and our family
Speaker 3: to be a part of that.
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Speaker 2: I'm curious, Clayton, what's it like throwing a home runner?
Speaker 2: But I think he did this in twenty three. I
Speaker 2: want to say, for someone you did. I forgot who
Speaker 2: it was, but you did it.
Speaker 4: I did. I threw I threw the Mookie bets in
Speaker 4: the home run derby and we finished last.
Speaker 3: But it was fun, you know it was It was
Speaker 3: funny because like Mookie doesn't if you watch him, he
Speaker 3: doesn't hit home runs in battye practice, Like he just
Speaker 3: doesn't mean the guy might get out, you know, one
Speaker 3: or two in a full round.
Speaker 4: I mean, he's gonna good years. You know, he's hitting
Speaker 4: over thirty.
Speaker 3: But I think his you know, he kind of got
Speaker 3: talked to the kind of a bucket list thing like
Speaker 3: they it will be asked and it's like, all right,
Speaker 3: you know what, go do a home run derby, And
Speaker 3: so I always threw to him every day, so he
Speaker 3: asked me. And we're in the cage, like you know how,
Speaker 3: like they're hitting this on time, and it's like, all right,
Speaker 3: you know you guys are up in twelve minutes or whatever. Right,
Speaker 3: So we're hitting a little bit in the cage and
Speaker 3: he's like, dude, I don't know how to hit a
Speaker 3: home run, and VP I'm like, Marcus.
Speaker 4: I can figure that out here pretty quick. Man. We
Speaker 4: got like eight minutes until it showtime.
Speaker 3: But we went out there and once you get past
Speaker 3: all like there's cameras everywhere. Uh, there's no turtle you're
Speaker 3: used to throw into, you know, it's a catcher.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 4: I mean, I honestly didn't even all the that stuff.
Speaker 3: I didn't even like once you got out there, it
Speaker 3: was just like I'm trying to get it and trying
Speaker 3: to throw it in this little specific spot for him.
Speaker 3: And when he was ready to swing, I didn't to
Speaker 3: be ready to throw. So it was a cool experience.
Speaker 3: I was again appreciated that he asked me to, you know,
Speaker 3: to do that, and yeah, so yeah, thrown in a
Speaker 3: home run derby.
Speaker 4: Can I'm.
Speaker 5: Sorry, how nervous were you?
Speaker 4: Honestly? I ah, I believe or not. I wasn't that nervous.
Speaker 4: I had practiced.
Speaker 3: Mookie didn't want to practice, like he didn't want to
Speaker 3: like practice the like just trying to hit homers. He
Speaker 3: was on a heater like at that point, so like
Speaker 3: he was just gonna hit. So the only thing we
Speaker 3: did is I threw to him and like, all right,
Speaker 3: where do you mean to throw it? And he's like,
Speaker 3: I'm kind of somewhere in here, like all right. So
Speaker 3: then I went out in the field like i'd go
Speaker 3: out at home and all right, start the clock and
Speaker 3: I would throw to one of our other coaches and
Speaker 3: just try to like hit that spot.
Speaker 4: And so no, and then you had.
Speaker 3: Before that during that day they all got a Hitlleville
Speaker 3: in the field, like you know, both teams are taking
Speaker 3: their pregame work and then the home run derby contestants
Speaker 3: come out and you had like one minute or thirty seconds,
Speaker 3: so like you I kind of like was already got
Speaker 3: to throw a few on the field and and then
Speaker 3: it was like, well, we want her to be nervous
Speaker 3: about I'm throwing a baseball, like just grab him, you know,
Speaker 3: throw it, and when you're in that I think I
Speaker 3: just wasn't thinking about that as much as like, you know, throw.
Speaker 4: Clayton.
Speaker 1: I'm curious. You guys have been red hot this month obviously,
Speaker 1: so I don't want to nitpick too much, but there
Speaker 1: is one I think you guys could have been even better.
Speaker 4: I have one, I.
Speaker 1: Guess managerial decision to pick your brain on. I'm curious
Speaker 1: in justitsburgh. Just one, well unbelievable, right, just one. And
Speaker 1: it was in Pittsburgh and as you guys the game,
Speaker 1: you guys lost, Ruiz is on second base and the
Speaker 1: ninth inning down by one, nobody out and Sonoah is
Speaker 1: up at the plate, and I'm curious, why was any
Speaker 1: bunting there to just put Ruiz ninety feet away?
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 3: I mean to be honest, like I don't even remember that,
Speaker 3: Like I don't I come, but I don't remember.
Speaker 4: Is I don't know like who we had left to pitch? Uh?
Speaker 3: I mean certainly it's like we want to really play
Speaker 3: for the tie on the road right now? It was
Speaker 3: who was coming after soh like I'd have to actually
Speaker 3: go back in and look through the entire mean, right,
Speaker 3: if I had to just get I'd say it's probably
Speaker 3: like not wanting to play for the tie on the
Speaker 3: road and our best chance being to know to go
Speaker 3: for it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so Noha was batting eighth, you had Norby on
Speaker 1: deck Hicks after that, Lopez and you guys had used
Speaker 1: a good amount of pictures that day. So I guess
Speaker 1: that and you guys won the series ended up being
Speaker 1: a moot point. Well, that was one where I was
Speaker 1: That was the only manager real quick I had for
Speaker 1: the whole month, which was pretty good.
Speaker 4: But one other question I have for both you and
Speaker 4: a J.
Speaker 1: I guess I'll start with you, Clayton, your fit, your
Speaker 1: fondest as a fan All Star memory, either watching or
Speaker 1: participating in any of the festivities. Which is your favorite
Speaker 1: All Star memory?
Speaker 5: Ah?
Speaker 4: So I have I have a couple.
Speaker 3: First, I go back, my dad and mom took me
Speaker 3: to All Star Game in Pittsburgh, and which was you know,
Speaker 3: as a kid, as you know, like an eleven, you know,
Speaker 3: twelve year old kid whatever it was at the time,
Speaker 3: to go to an Allstar I'm like, this is like, wow, man,
Speaker 3: this is so cool. And we were coming back to
Speaker 3: our hotel and meat Loaf was staying there. I remember Meatloaf,
Speaker 3: Oh I don't mean the singer, yeah, singer like Meatloaf
Speaker 3: had sang like performed at the All Star festivities or
Speaker 3: whatever in some capacity, but like, meat Love was at
Speaker 3: our hotel, went to an All Star game, which was amazing.
Speaker 3: And then the year was that Albert's last It was
Speaker 3: in La, So this was must have been twenty three.
Speaker 3: LA hosted the All Star game Dodgers did, and so
Speaker 3: Poolholtz was there, and so my son loved Albert from
Speaker 3: the time he had spent the year before with the Dodgers.
Speaker 3: Kyle loved he loved Albert. That was his guy. So
Speaker 3: to have Albert back and like, you know, after the
Speaker 3: derby sit out there and watch him go say hi
Speaker 3: to Albert on the field and hang out like that
Speaker 3: was then you kind of realize, like how lucky I
Speaker 3: am to hear I'm I'm sitting on the field with
Speaker 3: my family, my kids watching the home run derby like this.
Speaker 3: You know, this job, it doesn't get much better than this.
Speaker 3: So that was a really cool personal moment for me.
Speaker 1: And aj I'll follow it up to you same question,
Speaker 1: either growing up or when you were an All Star
Speaker 1: in twenty sixteen at Petgo Park, what would be your
Speaker 1: fondest memory during the Midsummer Classic?
Speaker 5: You know, watching the All Star Game was always really
Speaker 5: dope to me, watching the home run Derby's. There wasn't
Speaker 5: any specific moment, but just every time I would watch
Speaker 5: a home run Derby, I'd go outside and I'd go
Speaker 5: play with a ball outside because I just I just loved.
Speaker 4: Baseball so much. Man, I couldn't get enough of it.
Speaker 5: And then when I actually got to be an All
Speaker 5: Star one seeing my family there supporting me, because obviously
Speaker 5: they were a huge reason in part as to me
Speaker 5: why I was an All Star. But then the second
Speaker 5: favorite moment was whenever g was hitting homer after homer
Speaker 5: about to knock down that building and left field with
Speaker 5: all those homers, we we did like the pit stop
Speaker 5: or whatever where Mi Jose Fernandez, Marcelo Zuna we went
Speaker 5: up and start to like give him water and like
Speaker 5: they we gave a TV like a pause or whatever.
Speaker 5: Uh So doing that was fun, and I think after
Speaker 5: that every All Star Game they started to do that.
Speaker 5: People will come in and start to like give a
Speaker 5: little towel and give a little break. So being a
Speaker 5: part of that, seeing g crank homers and then just man,
Speaker 5: it was a dream of mine. It was it was
Speaker 5: a goal to be an All Star and to be
Speaker 5: able to achieve that and see my family, you know,
Speaker 5: in the stands and around, that's that to me is
Speaker 5: something that was an amazing moment and always always remember that.
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Speaker 2: Last one for you claim before we wrap up here.
Speaker 2: I'm sure you know the Tartan Army is coming too
Speaker 2: long deepot Park today. I'm sure you're gonna be asked
Speaker 2: about this a couple of times pre games, so we'll
Speaker 2: get ahead of it. What are your thoughts on this?
Speaker 2: Have you seen any of these videos like this? Seems
Speaker 2: like insane. These guys are crazy, like they they're gonna
Speaker 2: fill up the stadium. I heard they sold out like
Speaker 2: all the home run sections, so yeah, it should be
Speaker 2: not What are your thoughts on this?
Speaker 3: I'm excited about it. I think that's this is great.
Speaker 3: I did catch the clips. I guess they were at
Speaker 3: Fenway Park, uh not too long ago, and uh looked amazing.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I think we're gonna welcome it. This is uh,
Speaker 3: you know, I have another nice crowd here today, and
Speaker 3: I'm sure they're gonna be thirsty and looking for somewhere
Speaker 3: in someone to quench their thirst.
Speaker 4: So that'll be good for the vendors as well.
Speaker 3: So yeah, I can't I can't wait to be part
Speaker 3: of this.
Speaker 4: Ah. What are they the Tartans.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the Tartan Army is as I guess they're doing this.
Speaker 2: They're doing this whole march like blocks and blocks away
Speaker 2: from the ballpark at four o'clock. And then yeah, there
Speaker 2: the videos as scene is. It's chanced throughout the whole game,
Speaker 2: music throughout the whole game. So yeah, so we'll wrap
Speaker 2: it in, Clayton. Yeah, we'll wrap it up here. Clayton,
Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
Speaker 4: For doing this.
Speaker 2: We do this every month. Excited for next month's edition
Speaker 2: of Talking to You but from Isaac Clayton, uh agent myself.
Speaker 2: We'll see you guys all next week. Peace out and
Speaker 2: as always, go fish
Speaker 4: This word pl A the party po