1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Today is March eighteenth, and this is big Fish Small Pod. 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: I'm Andrew Riddall here on the first day of game 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: action in spring training. So today at six oh five 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: pm Eastern Standard time, the Marlins will be taking on 5 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach, So keep an 6 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: eye out for that, maybe head down to the game 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: if you can. But on big Fish Small Pot of 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,560 Speaker 1: what we're checking out today is hitting the last pot. 9 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: I was perhaps a little bit harsh talking about the 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: demands of hitting the extremely high level of major league pitching, 11 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: and it is like one thing to be able to 12 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: do that not everyone in the Major League is really 13 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: like can't repeatably. And it's another thing to do that consistently, 14 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: meaning both like day to day and pitch to pitch, 15 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: catching up to that slider after a fastball, making that adjustment, 16 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: and like just doing it on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. 17 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: It's a pretty NonStop season. So like diving into that 18 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: a little bit deeper. I wanted to check out this 19 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: Marlin's forty man roster, So looking at like that half 20 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: the team today talking first, give you kind of like 21 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: a quickick rundown of like how I view this so 22 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: like Jazz with him, we're talking about his like like 23 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: jolting upper deckers off of like one hundred and one 24 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:33,720 Speaker 1: miles per hour. Not everyone has that like lightning speed 25 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: reaction to get around on a high heat. But in 26 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, he did have a two forty eight 27 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: diting average, and it showed that he really just like 28 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: hasn't been able to consistently go to the plate and 29 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: get that hit. 30 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 2: You need someone to be. 31 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: Moving the order forward, especially at this day and age, 32 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: as like, as much as it's like a single a walk, 33 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: you like, that's great and whatnot, and you do need that. Really, 34 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: it's just a matter of getting the momentum going and 35 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: making that picture work, getting that picture out of the game, 36 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: and just keeping the offense going because once you just 37 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: like once you're behind the confident starting pitcher this day 38 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: and age, you just you're done. 39 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 2: You could just done. 40 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:25,079 Speaker 1: So really this off season, Jazz, what we saw on 41 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 1: like social media, he was posting his training, like a 42 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: lot of his just like burst action and how he 43 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: spent time looking for like the smoothest swing to replicate. 44 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 2: So in other words, he was working to change. 45 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,079 Speaker 1: Something so individual that you can't really see that in 46 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: any of the projection systems, but something that we'll see 47 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: specifically how that takes form working just down the lineup. 48 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: Brian Anderson is a fairly dicey player. This year in 49 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, he had a drop in line drive percentage, 50 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: which also kind of came with less pitches pulled in 51 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: favor of more to center. That all kind of like 52 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: speaks to him not making quite the contact he wants. 53 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:12,800 Speaker 2: And that he might be a little bit behind. 54 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: That does line up really well with the fact that, 55 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: like he did have a shoulder injury that is at 56 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: this point like a recurrent injury that might be an 57 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: impediment in him actually just doing his swing of getting 58 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:30,560 Speaker 1: that like. 59 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 2: That where he wants it on the ball. 60 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: And he did have like a season injury surgery last year, 61 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: so like he has had time to rehabilitate that in 62 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: regain that like tick up he might need in his 63 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: swing to be back to like normal for him, and 64 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: we can possibly expect a much smoother effort or a 65 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: really the gritty performance from the often expressive Ryan Anderson. 66 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 2: Jesus Aguilar, He's a player. 67 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: Who might be a real benefactor of the dh freeing 68 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: him up from the demands of an everyday first base 69 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: position in some sort of a playing time split with 70 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: Garrett Cooper and Diez at first. And it is worth 71 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: note that this past year he had the highest five 72 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: ball percentage of his career, at least since his career 73 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: best All Star twenty eighteen campaign. And like, what really 74 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: sticks out to me just looking at like Baseball Reference 75 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,600 Speaker 1: is that he is a two seventeen hitter leading off 76 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: an inning, but like three twenty eight with runners in 77 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: scoring position, meaning that he performs even better when there's 78 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: like just blood in the water, and when a pitcher 79 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: has like a blank slate of an inning to assert. 80 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:48,440 Speaker 2: Himself, he's not quite up to that. 81 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: So Hazer's agular is one of those hitters that, like 82 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: his best to like blend in among a frenzy that 83 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 1: rather than be like that single assertive bat we've seen 84 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: the Marlins kind of like have that dynamic. This past year, 85 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: Starling Marte was kind of that like number one bat. 86 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: He's this aguilar was somewhere in the mix there. Obviously, 87 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: last year a lot of things went wrong, but hopefully 88 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,720 Speaker 1: this year we're looking for things to go right. 89 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 2: John Birdie. 90 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: He's you know, in spring training, which is really encouraging 91 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: considering his concussions, probably something like the number one utility 92 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: guy on the roster barring some decline in performance that 93 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: like could be attributed to a concussion, but I mean 94 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: there's nothing really to suggest that there's been any sort 95 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 1: of blow like that. He's actually you know, walking into 96 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: camp as one of the like more disciplined professional at bats. 97 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,880 Speaker 1: Admittedly like without much power, but if you're a pitcher, 98 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: he's still a guy who could be Garrett Cooper obviously 99 00:05:55,760 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: a real benefactor of the DH. Like like Agular, he's 100 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: another player that asserts loft in his swing, hitting best 101 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 1: against the ground ball pictures worst against flyball pitchers. Really 102 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: just saying that when he's going against your game plan, 103 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,039 Speaker 1: that's where you fine success, maybe making like more league 104 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: line drops up the ground balls and just higher flyballs 105 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: off the flaballs. 106 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 2: He had a. 107 00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,919 Speaker 1: UCL there, pretty unusual for a position player, but it 108 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: does kind of line up with is like the strength 109 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: of his body. He's a big guy, He's very powerful, 110 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,600 Speaker 1: so trying to make those adjustments, you know, like you're 111 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: like fastball to slider, that is something of an elbow 112 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: action could be related to that, but those small quick 113 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: adjustments might have just misplaced that torque. So limited action 114 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: at the first phase could help keep the muscles strong 115 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: throughout the year and more adapt to those maybe even 116 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: mid swing sort of adjustments. Brian de la Cruz, he 117 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: surprised us all last year with a successfully like really 118 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: aggressive approach with a lot of hard hit pitches in 119 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: a back to where he swung it the first pitch 120 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: he hit three ninety with like solid slugging numbers and 121 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: four seventeen on that first pitch, which as a rookie 122 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: even look at that, it's aggression kind of like two ways, 123 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: like a very like coming to the plate with that 124 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: sort of confidence to do what you want with the 125 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: pitcher is like great, but it's also a thing that 126 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: like it can be that he was kind of going 127 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: to the plate knowing that like the pitchers just kind 128 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: of give and give him something and not quite like 129 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: pick up those holes that will eventually be found in 130 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: the major leagues, but like ultimately he's showing that he 131 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: could have some success as a contact hitter, maybe even 132 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: like had some muscle and be like more of like 133 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: a power guy. If like that's if everything's going right. Really, 134 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: the key to his success this year to me is 135 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: that he seems to kind of be in like two 136 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: modes as a batter, So like in twenty twenty one, 137 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: he walked one out of eighty one played appearances when 138 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: he swung at the first pitch and in seventeen of 139 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: the one thirty eight where he didn't, and that is 140 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,560 Speaker 1: really kind of like a patient or aggressive mode. So 141 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: finding like a sort of like finesse between that, locking 142 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:26,880 Speaker 1: down that kind of anticipation and becoming more of an 143 00:08:26,920 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: adaptable hitter would really line him up for a great year. 144 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 1: Talking diaz Isan, first, he's yet to hit over two 145 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: hundred in a season, but he is still on the 146 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: forty man roster. 147 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 2: Just heads up there. 148 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: He's reached that like five hundred and one plate appearance mark, 149 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: so it's obvious that the change needs to be made. 150 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: This past offseason, he did work to do some targeted 151 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: training to optimize his contact, so it certainly remains to 152 00:08:56,880 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: be seen as that would go. But he is like 153 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: making an adjustment to asking that he's been doing for 154 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 1: years and years and years, So. 155 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 2: It's kind of one of those dicey things. 156 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: But you know, maybe talking leywin Ds, he is. 157 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 2: Kind of catching up to it in a phrase. 158 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: So he had like nine home runs that came with 159 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: two strikes, telling me that he's not really as certain 160 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: himself like Dai La Cruz, despite having more power and 161 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: still being like that young guy, and you expect him 162 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: to have some room to fill out his frame and 163 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,960 Speaker 1: add more muscle. But the fact that he's finding most 164 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 1: of his success deeper in counts isn't so much like 165 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: a red flag as it is indicative of him like 166 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: needing to catch up to the way he's pitched. He's 167 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: had some success at Tripoli and his struggles and like 168 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: major league pitcher might, major league baseball might be more 169 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: succinctly due to major league pitching. So it's really one 170 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: of those things that like just another year development might 171 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: be a big deal. Wrapping it up with Jose Devers 172 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: kind of like a key to what I saw of 173 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: him this past year was that he looked like he 174 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: was swinging out of his shoes, kind of like flaring 175 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: up his shoulder as a really young guy, the youngest 176 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,319 Speaker 1: hitter on the forty man roster in like a surprise 177 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: debut sort of situation, kind of out of his water, 178 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:26,000 Speaker 1: trying to meet that like crazy high demand of the 179 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: major league pitcher and really not getting there. A word 180 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: is that he's like added some muscle, so that might 181 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:35,319 Speaker 1: really help that. But with the way the roster's constructed, 182 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: with him being behind Joey Wendell and John Birdie at 183 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,320 Speaker 1: like that sort of like utility infielder role, he should 184 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: be able to start the year at Triple A and develop. 185 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 1: So that checks out on about half of this forty 186 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 1: man roster. I'll be with you on Wednesday to kind 187 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: of go over the second half of the team, including 188 00:10:56,280 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: like the catcher situation and some of the news. So 189 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: stick with us here at Fish Stripes. We'll continue to 190 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: bring you this podcast and other along the channel. But 191 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,680 Speaker 1: like I said earlier, the games start today, So six 192 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 1: oh five, first pitch for Marlin's Nationals.