WEBVTT

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We're joined right now by today starting
center fielder for the first time this year,

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and that's Chris Taylor. Chris,
thanks a lot for the time.

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The red in your face is all
gone now for reals. Yeah, no,

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we're alive. Now, we're hot, yeah, hot, mics now,

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Chris. And you're starting in center
field for the first time this year.

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That was a place that you learned
back in twenty seventeen. How do

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you feel about that and is it
any big difference do you expect today?

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No, not really. You know, I feel pretty comfortable in center and

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left. I have experienced in both
those spots, so you know, for

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me, it's kind of similar no
matter which aut fields. A bottom man,

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I just want to be aggressive and
you know, kind of all over

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the field, just play without aggressive
mentality. So some outfielders have told me

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that left field is actually harder to
learn if you've never played there before,

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just the way the ball angle comes
at you. Yeah, I think center

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field you get the truest flight,
you know, typically, you know,

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you want your kind of take control
and know anything they can catch, you

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know, call the other guys off. So that's probably the biggest difference in

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left field. Sometimes you have to
concede that ball of the center fielder.

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I'm not gonna say you've lost a
step because it doesn't look that way.

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But how much different is it trying
to get a better jump in twenty twenty

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four than maybe twenty seventeen. I
don't think it's any different, you know,

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other than the fact that I was
playing center field almost every day.

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But no, it nothing's really changed. Were you offended by me even insinuating

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you may have lost a step?
Yeah, a little bit. What do

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you mean by that? I don't
know. I mean like it's seven years

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ago, so I imagine that you
have to get a better jump these days.

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Yeah, I feel great. Let's
just move on, okay. Chris

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Taylor is our guest, and speaking
of feeling great, it must have feled

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great to get the results that you
got yesterday. I know you've been working

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really hard. Extra base hit of
the season a big spot there. I

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mean, even at this stage of
your career, to get those results,

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how much does that help you moving
forward to build upon? Yeah? You

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know, I felt like myself yesterday, which I haven't been there in a

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while, you know, just I
thought the quality of that baths were better

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more aggressive on pitches in the zone. I felt like I was on time

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for pitches I missed a few.
The pitchers also made a few good pitches

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on me, So you know,
I just kind of felt like I was

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in control of Matt bats yesterday,
which I haven't felt that way in a

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while. So to get back to
that point and you know, kind of

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be the aggressor when I'm up there
rather than be on the defense is a

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switch of the mentality that you know, hopefully I can carry that going forward.

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Does that mean you're more aggressive early
in the counts when you say that,

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No, I think it's more just
the mindset, you know, I'm

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it's the way you know you step
in the box, you know, the

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kind of having that confidence and you
know, trusting your abilities and trusting all

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the prep you did. And you
know, no matter whether I'm on the

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defensive side of the offensive side,
I want to be aggressive. I want

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to live and die that way.
So, yeah, just fell a lot

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better. When you go through this
type of start to the season. How

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how much do you rely upon just
your consistent approach and preparation. Yeah,

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you know, I've had to make
some adjustments for sure. Obviously the the

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beginning of the season wasn't going the
way out or this season hasn't been going

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away I wanted it to. And
you know, I've kind of had a

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chance to gather. I haven't been
playing as much recently, so I've had

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a chance to kind of regroup and
work on some things. And I feel

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like I'm at a point now where
I don't have to dwell so much on

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the mechanical side of it. I
feel like I'm in a pretty good place.

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So now it's just back to,
you know, playing the game and

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doing things the right way and kind
of letting my instincts take over, you

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know, the way I used to
play, and I think I've lost that

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a little bit, you know,
especially this year or so, just trying

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to get back to that. I've
heard hitters say that it's just when you

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step in the batter's box that day, the feel is there and you've got

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that aha moment. Have you felt
that recently? Did you feel it yesterday?

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Where you have that feel and,
like you said, playing like you

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used to, relying on instincts.
Yeah, I just felt better, you

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know, felt more confident. You
know, I wasn't overthinking things, and

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you know, I wouldn't say I'm
locked in by any means, but I

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just felt like myself, which I
haven't felt that way in a while