WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.760 --> 00:00:07.519
Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland
Guardians Radio Network. Guardians Weekly is brought

2
00:00:07.559 --> 00:00:58.719
to you by Progressive helping Guardians fans
save hundreds on car insurance. Hi,

3
00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:03.560
everyone, Welcome to Guardians Weekly.
Jim Rosen House along with you. This

4
00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:07.120
weekend. We're in Saint Petersburg,
Florida, where the Guardians are taking on

5
00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:11.159
the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. They dropped the opener of the series

6
00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:15.640
on Friday night to nothing, and
they will play again on Saturday afternoon at

7
00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:19.319
four ten Sunday at one forty to
wrap things up pre All Star Break,

8
00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:23.120
and then it is the All Star
Break until Friday. Coming up a little

9
00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:26.760
bit later on. On this week's
show, we will get a full farm

10
00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:30.359
report from Robs Orfolio, the director
of player development for the Guardians. He'll

11
00:01:30.359 --> 00:01:34.640
talk double A Akron some of the
top prospects there. We'll also visit with

12
00:01:34.760 --> 00:01:42.400
hitting coach Chris Baleka, young star
on Hell Martinez who's made quite an impression

13
00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:45.159
in a very short period of time
in the Major League. Say, and

14
00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:49.640
we'll have an All Stars segment right
now with some of the All Stars that

15
00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.879
are going to the game in Arlington
on Tuesday. Night, David Frye,

16
00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:57.799
Josh Naylor, and Emmanuel Classe,
and we'll start with David Frye. Quite

17
00:01:57.840 --> 00:02:00.400
a first half for him, and
he'll be one of five guardians on the

18
00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:07.760
American League squad Tuesday night in Texas. Named much much earlier to the starting

19
00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:14.000
lineup for that ball game was Jose
Ramirez and also Steven Kwant and then fry,

20
00:02:14.240 --> 00:02:17.319
Naylor, and Classe announced last Sunday, and we caught up with fry

21
00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:22.080
shortly after he received the news they
had made the team and asked him if

22
00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:25.560
he thought it was a possibility or
if it came as a surprise to him.

23
00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:30.520
I didn't know how it all kind
of worked. So whenever Kwan and

24
00:02:30.639 --> 00:02:32.840
Jose found out that they were starting, I kind of thought that was the

25
00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:38.560
team. So I was like,
okay, there's there's no other All Stars

26
00:02:38.599 --> 00:02:40.280
going. And then when we had
the meeting, I was like, oh,

27
00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:43.680
I guess other guys are getting voted
in And then they told me I

28
00:02:43.719 --> 00:02:46.919
made it so pretty cool. The
game is in your backyard from where you

29
00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:51.759
grew up, not far. How
close is it and how exciting is that

30
00:02:51.879 --> 00:02:54.080
for you? Yeah, it's about
fifteen twenty minutes from where I grew up

31
00:02:54.120 --> 00:02:59.520
and where me and my wife lived
now, and yeah, pretty cool.

32
00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:01.879
Have a bunch of family and friends
there would be really fun. I'm sure

33
00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:06.439
your reaction was great. What was
their reaction? They were, Well,

34
00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:07.919
it was like they told me,
like an hour before a game, so

35
00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:12.080
I was like trying to get ready
for a game and text them, and

36
00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:15.280
they were all fired up. They
were trying to get all the stuff figured

37
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:19.919
out to get to the game and
all the getting all the merchandise and stuff.

38
00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:23.639
But yeah, they're they're super excited. David Fries joining us, And

39
00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:28.319
David, you mentioned yesterday the fact
that so many of your teammates are going.

40
00:03:29.000 --> 00:03:31.120
Why does it make it that much
more special for you to be able

41
00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:35.560
to join them? Yeah, obviously. I mean everybody's been telling me how

42
00:03:35.599 --> 00:03:38.080
special of a moment that it is
to take it all in, and the

43
00:03:38.120 --> 00:03:39.400
fact that you get to do that
with your teammates and a bunch of guys

44
00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:43.879
who are doing it for the first
time like me, it is pretty cool.

45
00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.360
And I wish, like heck that
we had more guys going. I

46
00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:49.120
think we could have had and I
said the other day, I think we

47
00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:52.319
could have had pretty much our entire
bullpen on the All Star team. But

48
00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.120
the fact that we have five just
shows the group that we have and how

49
00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:59.479
well we're playing this year and hopefully
keep it rolling. And it's not done

50
00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:01.560
yet. They're they yet be more
going at some point in time. And

51
00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:05.919
you mentioned how the team has played
this year. For you, this time

52
00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:09.840
a year ago, you're just trying
to establish yourself at this level. Have

53
00:04:09.879 --> 00:04:13.080
you ever thought about it in those
terms, how far you've come in this

54
00:04:13.120 --> 00:04:15.720
game? Yeah, you know,
you tried kind of not to just try

55
00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:18.680
to take everything day by day.
But yeah, me and my wife sit

56
00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:23.480
at the house like just talking about
like, holy Cally, you said this

57
00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:26.279
time last year, we're just hoping
and praying that we stay in the big

58
00:04:26.360 --> 00:04:29.720
leagues because we're not playing at all, and just hope that we can stick.

59
00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:31.319
And then this spring training just hoping
that we make the team and maybe

60
00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:35.160
get to play every now and then. Now, this it's pretty crazy.

61
00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:40.040
Is there one aspect of your game
you think that's allowed you to get over

62
00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:44.360
that hump and become an All Star? I don't know that it's one.

63
00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:48.279
I think probably a little bit of
everything. Just I'd obviously vote and his

64
00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:51.639
staff helping me get on the field
more is a huge part of it.

65
00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:57.600
And just how much each of our
coaching staff from infield, outfield, catching,

66
00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.639
hitting, like all of it,
how much they've helped me progresses the

67
00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:04.079
last couple of seasons have gone on. And what can something like this do

68
00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:10.079
for a team that already seems to
play with so much confidence and fun when

69
00:05:10.120 --> 00:05:14.480
this type of things happened individually for
some what can it do for this team

70
00:05:14.600 --> 00:05:17.199
collectively as they head into the break. Yeah, I think kind of perfect

71
00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:20.040
time. You know, like everybody
starts looking towards the break to like,

72
00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:23.480
oh, all right, we're gonna
get a few days off and try to

73
00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:26.120
guys start to let off the gas
but a little bit. And then we

74
00:05:26.199 --> 00:05:29.519
have you know, meetings where they're
announcing All Star guys and stuff, and

75
00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:31.240
it kind of gives you a little
jolt of energy for the last week or

76
00:05:31.279 --> 00:05:35.560
so to kind of push through hopefully
when these next seven games and going to

77
00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:40.279
the break strong. David, congratulations, man, it's great news. Thanks

78
00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:44.000
a lot for coming by. Appreciate
it. That's David Frye going to his

79
00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:47.079
first All Star Game in his backyard. He was heading home to Irving,

80
00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:51.759
Texas anyway, in the Arlington suburbs
and now he'll get to play a ballgame

81
00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:57.519
on Tuesday night for the American League
at the All Star Game. Josh Naylor

82
00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:00.439
another first time All Star. What
a first half of the season it has

83
00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:04.639
been for him, as he's sitting
at twenty two home runs, already reaching

84
00:06:04.680 --> 00:06:09.639
the seventy RBI. Mark met with
the media shortly after finding out he had

85
00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:13.120
made the team, and, as
usual, not one to talk much about

86
00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:16.680
himself, he gave a lot of
credit to his teammates for putting him in

87
00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:20.759
the position to succeed. No,
it's awesome, and give a lot of

88
00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:25.199
credit to my teammates. I think
as a group, we make each other

89
00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:28.600
better every single day, and I
think a lot of other players are more

90
00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:31.519
deserving Hunter Gaddis, Kate Smith to
do what he's doing as a rookie,

91
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.680
Tim Herron, He's been incredibly great
this year for us. I think a

92
00:06:35.720 --> 00:06:38.560
lot of us should be All Stars, and you know, I'm just I'm

93
00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.319
grateful to be one and looking forward
to representing this team and my teammates and

94
00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:46.199
coaches and this organization during the game. For your first time to be able

95
00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:51.720
to be with four teammates and they
got other guys were to be part of

96
00:06:51.759 --> 00:06:59.360
a big How how sweet is that? I have an That's awesome. You

97
00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.199
get a chance to celebrate each other's
success and be with each other there and

98
00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:06.759
just soaking all the opportunities and all
the moments as a group, and each

99
00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:10.160
of our families will be there,
which is great, and it's uh yeah,

100
00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:19.399
it's just it's a cool opportunity looking
forward to it. Injury, yeah,

101
00:07:19.399 --> 00:07:21.639
I mean, I mean, it
wasn't it wasn't that bad. We

102
00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:28.600
all get hurt. You's got to
keep going in life. I guess that's

103
00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.639
just what Like my parents appreciate me
with that. Injuries, like you can

104
00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:36.000
either like shut down and give up
or spight through it and the continue on.

105
00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:39.720
And you know, this is this
is my dream as a kid to

106
00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:43.160
be in this situation being the big
leagues and dream for my brothers too.

107
00:07:44.560 --> 00:07:47.879
And you know, my parents kind
of lived through us because we worked so

108
00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:53.480
hard for them to get here.
And I just whatever happens in life,

109
00:07:53.480 --> 00:07:55.759
it kind of happen. You just
got to keep rolling with the punches and

110
00:07:56.120 --> 00:07:58.920
keep your head up and just keep
moving forward one step at a time,

111
00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:05.600
month forward to time, and things
will be all right, typically, uh,

112
00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:16.519
the first Canadian we all stars here
something like that period. That's awesome.

113
00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:20.519
I love representing Canada anyway. You
know, it was difficult as a

114
00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:22.759
kid to make it to where I
am today. Not many kids do,

115
00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:26.720
and you know, it's a blessing. We don't get scouted like you know

116
00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:31.480
American kids do or kids from other
other countries do. It's it's kind of

117
00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:35.320
difficult coming from Canada. So I
just try to be as great as I

118
00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:39.159
can on the field for the for
the next wave and you know, be

119
00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:41.759
a positive influence for that next group
coming up and you know for my younger

120
00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:46.919
brothers and stuff like that. As
difficult as it was, it was,

121
00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:52.000
I wouldn't change anything. I think
being an underdog is like a blessing.

122
00:08:52.840 --> 00:08:56.000
Just keeps you working hard and you
know, people count you out. It's

123
00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:01.519
it's fun to kind of you know, well and keep your head down and

124
00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:11.360
just keep doing well. Who does
everything and everything it's he's played so well,

125
00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:15.679
that's you know Steven basically, Yeah, tries to find a way to

126
00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:18.799
get him in the lineup, just
you know, touch on his journey and

127
00:09:18.879 --> 00:09:24.759
how cool is it someone like him
and work that he's put in and everything

128
00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:28.399
he does for his team. He's
a he's absolutely incredible. You you can

129
00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:31.639
ask David to do anything and he'll
do it. He'll play centerfield, he'll

130
00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:35.600
catch and play shortself if you want
him to. He's he's a true gamer

131
00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:37.840
in my opinion. We value him
so much, and he's come such a

132
00:09:37.879 --> 00:09:43.919
long way in his career and been
willing to just be such a versatile player

133
00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:46.279
where he'll do whatever you ask him
to do. He just wants to be

134
00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:48.480
in that lineup and help the team
win. And he's such a great teammate.

135
00:09:48.519 --> 00:09:54.120
He's such a positive person. He's
extremely outgoing, and we are We're

136
00:09:54.279 --> 00:09:56.320
so blessed to have him. I'm
so proud of him that he's an All

137
00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:01.279
Star. And you know I told
him after the whole selection stuff was done

138
00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:03.279
and he wasn't picked, I said, bro here and all Star. Like,

139
00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:05.720
whether you are a reserve or not, you're an All Star of my

140
00:10:05.720 --> 00:10:09.879
book, and I I appreciate everything
you've done for this team and me and

141
00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:15.600
this organization because you're you're a true
gamer. And I love the way he

142
00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:18.480
plays. He just hustles day in
day out. Whatever position you throw him

143
00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:20.879
at, you'll dominate. It.
Wherever you put him in the lineup,

144
00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:26.159
he's ready to just whack and he's
he's so great. That's Josh Naylor heading

145
00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:31.039
to the All Star Game for the
first time and very much deservedly so,

146
00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:37.399
going for a third consecutive time.
Guardians closer Emanuel Classe a stellar first half

147
00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:41.320
this season. E leads the American
League and saves and the other numbers across

148
00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:46.320
the board just terrific. He talked
to the media along with translator Augi Rivero

149
00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:50.519
earlier this week about how he's been
able to get the job done so consistently

150
00:10:50.639 --> 00:11:00.679
for such a long stretch. No, but vol has been the focus from

151
00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:05.000
the day one is just to execute
every single pitch and miss a lot of

152
00:11:05.080 --> 00:11:07.679
fewer pitches. So I think that's
the result of what we're trying to do

153
00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:13.320
from day one. You can't be
surprised about being on the All Stuck team.

154
00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:22.159
But but what is your reaction.
I mean, it's still important because

155
00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:24.039
it's part of the goals when I
start the season, and fortunately, like

156
00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:28.399
I mentioned before, it's been partly
focused to get things done and most important

157
00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.759
that I've been healthy to to be
able to accomplish that. It's being an

158
00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:37.399
All Star in Texas where you got
your start, meaning anything more to you

159
00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:48.039
as I'll go and Blaena probably the
Yeah, there's a little motivation, even

160
00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.360
though obviously it's not the same ballpark
what I pitched when I make my debut.

161
00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:54.440
But still there's something special for being
going back to Texas as an All

162
00:11:54.480 --> 00:12:01.120
Star picture this game last year,
missed the red carpet, seriously looking forward

163
00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:13.320
his brand carpet and anything playing for
I'm not going to have you card to

164
00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:18.360
show anything different at Silver and I
just try to be myself and bring my

165
00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:24.240
flow to the carpet. That's a
annual class one of five Cleveland Guardians.

166
00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:28.720
We'll be at the All Star Game
in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday night.

167
00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:31.000
Stay with us when we come back. Who knows, maybe a future All

168
00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:35.919
Star on hell Martinez, he's off
to a great start in his major league

169
00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:39.000
career. We'll talk to him about
it next on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio

170
00:12:39.039 --> 00:12:45.120
Network. If you're looking for a
new coach, you could cut down on

171
00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:48.720
expenses by bundling your current renters insurance
with Progressive because you know you've had this

172
00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:52.120
couch for too long. Sure you've
had good times together. But a ripped

173
00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:56.720
up cushion is not a fond memory, it's a sign. Notice how other

174
00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:01.679
people have coaches with two armrests.
Now that's literally right, No, it's

175
00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:05.480
just normal. There's a bundle year
rinds encour insurance with Progressive and put the

176
00:13:05.480 --> 00:13:09.679
savings toward a new coachh Please,
it's time we GRESSI Cactial Future. It's

177
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:13.279
company coverage provided service by affiliates and
their Partian ursy not available in the estates.

178
00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:28.840
Welcome back to Guardian's weekly Jim rosenhouse
along with you from Tropicicana Field in

179
00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:33.120
Saint Petersburg, Florida, where the
Guardians are taking on the race this weekend.

180
00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:37.080
On Hell. Martinez has had quite
a start to his major league career.

181
00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:41.440
He's been an on base machine since
joining the ball club. With ten

182
00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:46.559
games in, he has been getting
on base in that number two hole in

183
00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:48.919
the batting order, seemingly a perfect
fit there, and we talked to him

184
00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:56.000
about the keys to fitting in so
well from day one. I think it

185
00:13:56.159 --> 00:14:01.000
is on the semi game on the
same that I came to this team to

186
00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:07.399
help them win and trying to take
away like all the teams that don't matter,

187
00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:13.240
you know, like understand the game, my strand the abbos, his

188
00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:18.759
strength, and I think that's what
helped me to how this is said that

189
00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:22.080
I have and we've talked about it
before. Growing up in the game,

190
00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:26.360
having your dad having played in the
major leagues, how much has he been

191
00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:28.840
a help to you? Allah allah
i man, I can tell you how

192
00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:33.240
much, like he's been helping me. You know, he always watching every

193
00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:37.720
single game, every single bad and
most important, and they'll see someone He's

194
00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.480
always there like nesting me and working
with me, and I just want to

195
00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:46.039
thank him. When you look at
at some of your success that the play

196
00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:50.559
you've been very patient. You're drawing
your walks. How hard is that to

197
00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:54.879
do sometimes when you come up here
to be patient and not swing at pictures

198
00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:58.399
pitches. Yeah, I think,
like I said, like understand, you

199
00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:03.120
know, understand who's hitting behind me, who's hearing from me, Understand like

200
00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:07.279
where the picture or the opposite team
trying to do with me? What is

201
00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:11.200
my strength? I think all that
I'm putting it together and I think that's

202
00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:16.519
been helping me to be a little
more patient and help Martinez joining us tremendous

203
00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:20.559
at the plate and playing a lot
of outfield so far. You're a career

204
00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:24.559
infielder. How's the outfield going for
you as you play it here at the

205
00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:28.559
major league level. It's going It's
going good. You know, we got

206
00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:35.639
an excellent coaches staff. They've been
helping me a lot to like be uncomfortable

207
00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:39.960
out there in the outfield, so
flink good. What is the biggest challenge

208
00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:46.440
to being successful out there for you? That's a good question. For the

209
00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:50.639
hardest part. Yeah, that's a
good question. I think just like understanding

210
00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:54.440
it's a process, you know,
don't trying to be somebody that I'm not.

211
00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:58.320
You know, like just come outside
every single day, put the work

212
00:15:58.600 --> 00:16:03.159
control that I can control and just
learn from you know, just trying to

213
00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:08.799
bring a good energy and like trying
to help the team however I can to

214
00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:11.720
put the wing a day on the
day. I think that's what been helping

215
00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:15.639
me. And it was about a
year ago at this time. Rob Sorfolio,

216
00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:19.879
the director of player development, met
with you while you're with Columbus in

217
00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:25.639
Toledo, and that was the first
time they mentioned outfield. When they said

218
00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:27.720
that to you, what did you
think and did you think that that could

219
00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:32.679
open up a door to get here? Yeah. Honestly, at the beginning,

220
00:16:33.320 --> 00:16:37.559
I didn't. I didn't want to
go to the outfield. I think

221
00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:42.000
I was having like some issues,
like with what's going on in the season.

222
00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:47.759
But talking to my dad, talking
to my family and like let them

223
00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:51.559
know what was going on and what
the team, the organization bring to me

224
00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:56.919
to the table. I think that's
why my dad's been a big part of

225
00:16:56.960 --> 00:17:00.720
my career because he's always there,
like to get me a badge, to

226
00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:04.279
give me a hug, and to
help me understand like the game and like

227
00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:10.240
all the teams. Then that all
the all the door that that can open

228
00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:12.480
for me. So at the beginning, I didn't, I didn't want to

229
00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:15.720
go to the off field, but
then like talking to him, he made

230
00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:21.039
me understand what was going on,
and yeah, here we are. And

231
00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:22.960
I'm gonna guess he might have talked
to you a little bit about playing for

232
00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:26.960
a winning team and you've joined one
of the best teams in baseball. How

233
00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:33.000
have they helped you your teammates fit
in and feel comfortable. I'm not gonna

234
00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:38.960
lie, it's it's awesome because they
made me feel like part of the family,

235
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.079
you know, like that I'm always
like being here and belong here.

236
00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:48.599
You know, they always like trying
to reach out to me and being with

237
00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:52.720
the arm open to me if I
got concern, if I if I need

238
00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:57.640
summer bags for anything. They always
like there for me and I really appreciate

239
00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:02.240
I love it. It's been a
great stretch here for you. I'm sure

240
00:18:02.440 --> 00:18:04.880
thanks a lot for coming. I
appreciate it. Thank you. That is

241
00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:10.480
on hell Martinez off to a great
start in his major league career. Stay

242
00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:12.759
with us when we come back.
We'll talk hitting with Guardians hitting coach Chris

243
00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:41.519
Baleka. That's next on the Cleveland
Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Welcome back to

244
00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:45.880
Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosenhaus back with
you in Saint Petersburg, Florida this weekend

245
00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:49.960
where the Guardians are taking on the
Tampa Bay Rays and weekend series here heading

246
00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:52.799
into the All Star Break. And
one of the big keys for the Guardians

247
00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:57.519
that has had them atop the American
League Central Division most of the year has

248
00:18:57.640 --> 00:19:03.559
been in improved offense, as they
have been at or near the top in

249
00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:08.119
the American League in several offensive categories
after a year ago struggling mightily. Chris

250
00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.880
Paleka is the hitting coach, and
we had a chance to check in with

251
00:19:11.960 --> 00:19:17.200
him about some of the things that
he talked to his players about along with

252
00:19:17.240 --> 00:19:21.880
his staff during spring training to improve
some of those offensive numbers from a season

253
00:19:21.920 --> 00:19:26.319
ago, and The Guardian's hitting coach
says, so far, it's gone about

254
00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:30.160
as well as anyone could have envision. Yeah, you know, I think

255
00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:33.680
it's it's probably exceeded what we thought
going into it. You know, seeing

256
00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:36.279
these guys what they've done in the
off season and then taken some of the

257
00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:38.799
messaging, you know, into spring
training and then into the regular season,

258
00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:42.200
it's been a kudos to them,
you know, to that point. Also,

259
00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:45.319
don't want us to get hung up
on, you know, trying to

260
00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:48.400
be a one trick pony now either
and you know, only only selling out

261
00:19:48.440 --> 00:19:49.880
for slug or looking to do damage. You know, we still need to

262
00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:53.880
continue to prioritize the little things hit
with runners in scoring position, you know,

263
00:19:55.480 --> 00:19:57.359
capitalize on opportunities when we do,
you know, the heavy lifting.

264
00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:02.559
The season's full of ebbs and flows, and you're past the halfway point.

265
00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:04.119
Now, where are some of the
things that you keep an eye on as

266
00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.920
you get deeper into it, and
the dog days of August and all those

267
00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:11.440
things that are going to come at
you as your team tries to stay in

268
00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:14.960
a in a real good place playoff
line. You know, I think the

269
00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:18.160
biggest thing is just going to be
like volume control with these guys. You

270
00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:19.680
know, it's it's going to be
hot through the summer, so you know,

271
00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:22.000
just being smart with how much we're
working. You know, we're not

272
00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:25.839
going to stop working. It's a
young team. You know that we're we're

273
00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:29.519
still building routines for these guys,
but just being aware of you know,

274
00:20:29.640 --> 00:20:32.000
how much we're hitting on the field, what we're doing in the cage.

275
00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.400
You know, knowing that these guys
are you know, playing every day.

276
00:20:33.759 --> 00:20:37.720
You know, bulk of our guys
are playing every day. So that's probably

277
00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:40.880
one of the biggest things. But
then you know, continuing the message,

278
00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:44.359
like I said, you know,
with our decision making, continuing to message,

279
00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:45.480
you know, doing the little things
right, the way we've run the

280
00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:49.799
bases, the way we've created opportunities, but you know, continuing to put

281
00:20:49.839 --> 00:20:53.400
pressure on teams when we do get
opportunities, cashing in those runs. Chris

282
00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:57.359
Palaka joining US Guardians, hitting coach
and Chris, let's start at the top.

283
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:02.240
Yet you have too all stars in
the starting lineup for the American League,

284
00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:04.759
and we'll start with Stephen Kwan already
had a great base to work with

285
00:21:06.200 --> 00:21:08.759
heading into this season. What have
you seen him in him that's allowed him

286
00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:11.880
to elevate his game this year.
I mean, he did a great job

287
00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:15.680
this offseason, you know, taking
it very serious, but working on the

288
00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:18.519
things that we isolated you know at
the end of last season, just the

289
00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:22.400
need to get to elevate the ball
a little bit. You know, he's

290
00:21:22.680 --> 00:21:25.599
hitting the ball considerably harder than he
has done in the past. He's always

291
00:21:25.640 --> 00:21:29.319
had the elite contact, the elite
decision making, so it was really just

292
00:21:29.400 --> 00:21:33.759
leaning into those things. And you
know, I think experience also helps too.

293
00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.759
You know, him going into his
third year now, he's settling in,

294
00:21:36.839 --> 00:21:38.640
he's knowing what pitchers are trying to
do to him. He's learning to

295
00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:41.240
take those chances. You see a
lot of those, you know, some

296
00:21:41.319 --> 00:21:45.519
first pitch home runs, some of
those things where he's you know, maybe

297
00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:48.440
not ambushing a pitch, but he's
taken a shot on a pitch and then

298
00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:51.119
he can always dial it back you
know later through the at bat. Like

299
00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:53.240
we've seen the Stephen Kum that we've
had over the last couple of years,

300
00:21:53.839 --> 00:22:00.000
Jose Ramirez, it so consistent from
year to year. Have you seen anything

301
00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:03.000
knew this year that's been impressive for
him? I mean, he's he's probably

302
00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:07.720
the poster of consistency, you know, seeing what he's doing with the RBIs

303
00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:11.200
and driving those runs in. It
seems like, you know, when he's

304
00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:12.920
getting those opportunities, he's finding ways
to cash him in. It might not

305
00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:15.519
be you know, a personal result
and getting a hit, but he's finding

306
00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.599
a way to ground out to second
or fly out somewhere and take a sackfly.

307
00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:22.680
So, you know, I think
he's such a professional when it comes

308
00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:23.960
to that, you know, biggest
thing. You know, you're seeing his

309
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:26.519
power numbers tick up. You know, I think he's what at what he

310
00:22:26.559 --> 00:22:30.240
had last year, close to what
he had last year already going into the

311
00:22:30.240 --> 00:22:33.559
break here. So you know,
he's just he takes care of his body,

312
00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:34.440
he knows what he's trying to do. He has, you know,

313
00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:38.480
such great retention to pitchers. He's
face what they're trying to do to him.

314
00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:41.720
So you know, I couldn't be
more pleased with what he's doing.

315
00:22:41.119 --> 00:22:44.559
A couple of their players and we'll
keep him in the same family, the

316
00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:48.799
Naylor brothers, different challenges. I'm
sure with Josh, what do you have

317
00:22:48.839 --> 00:22:51.279
to keep an eye on with him
to keep him going in the right direction.

318
00:22:51.319 --> 00:22:52.720
And a lot of stuff with Josh
just revolves around, you know,

319
00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:56.640
his own control and his decision making, you know, much like Hosey when

320
00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:00.759
there when there's opportunities to drive runs
in to be the guy to shoulder that

321
00:23:00.960 --> 00:23:06.079
and you know, get those guys
in so you know, when when other

322
00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:07.559
teams are game planning, just like
we game plan, there's guys that get

323
00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:11.440
circled in the lineup to not let
them beat them. So you know,

324
00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:14.279
when it's Hozy or it's Josh,
you know, just the more they can

325
00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:17.480
control the zone, force them back
into the zone to do the damage that

326
00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:19.680
they do. When they start expanding
and trying to, you know, do

327
00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:22.039
too much, you know, they
might get away from their plan. And

328
00:23:22.079 --> 00:23:25.960
you know, at Bat's end,
because those guys have such great contact.

329
00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:30.720
And how about bo Here's a young
man who struggled for a while at the

330
00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:33.960
start of the season. But it
sounded from your perspective like you were pleased

331
00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:37.799
with the work and his willingness to
stay with some things. What did you

332
00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:41.319
mean by that and what have you
seen lately? You know, just he's

333
00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:45.400
done a great job. You know, he's worked through some swing changes over

334
00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:48.880
the last couple of years. I
think just him settling into something that works

335
00:23:48.880 --> 00:23:51.480
for him right now. You know, he's controlling the top of the zone.

336
00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:53.599
That's been that's been something that has
been attacked over the last couple of

337
00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:56.720
years with him being in the big
league, so, you know, him

338
00:23:56.759 --> 00:24:00.440
learning to manage that. His swing
decisions have always been good. You know,

339
00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:03.799
I think that the biggest thing is
just getting consistent at bats. You

340
00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:06.200
know, we're sticking to the same
plan in the cage. We're trying to

341
00:24:06.200 --> 00:24:10.039
help him game plan. You know, he has such you know, he

342
00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:14.000
only has so much bandwidth with you
know, all the responsibilities of catching and

343
00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:18.240
running a pitching staff that you know, what we can take off his shoulders

344
00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:19.599
is you know, getting him a
plan, you know, and then he

345
00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:22.759
takes that plan up there and tries
to execute. So, you know,

346
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:26.559
seeing him buy into that and trust
us with what we're trying to give him,

347
00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:30.079
you know, it's been really really
nice to see the changes he's made.

348
00:24:30.440 --> 00:24:33.599
As always, you've had some young
players come up and make major league

349
00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:37.200
debuts. Let's start with Daniel Schneeman, who guy seems to have a great

350
00:24:37.200 --> 00:24:40.279
idea every time he comes to the
plate. He's he's been great. A

351
00:24:40.359 --> 00:24:41.640
lot of these guys that have come
up have been great. You know,

352
00:24:41.720 --> 00:24:45.720
he's not scared. You know,
he plays with that chip on his shoulder.

353
00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.240
You know, I love the way
he goes about his business. And

354
00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:51.359
you know, the biggest thing for
him right now, he's on the fastball.

355
00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:52.680
You know, guys coming up to
the big leagues, teams don't know

356
00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:56.279
him. You know, everybody's got
computers, so they might have an idea,

357
00:24:56.359 --> 00:24:59.200
but they're still going to go out
there and shoot their tracers, try

358
00:24:59.240 --> 00:25:00.720
to figure out what they can can
and can't hit. And for him to

359
00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:04.559
come here early and get on the
fastball and show what he can do and

360
00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:08.319
show some of that impact potential that
we know he's had in Triple A or

361
00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:11.240
different levels, you know, for
that to translate the big league so quickly

362
00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:15.039
has really been really been nice to
see. And very small sample size for

363
00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:18.559
anhell Martinez, but you've got a
pretty good look in spring training. What

364
00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:22.519
is it about this kid? As
you excited? I mean I think he's

365
00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:25.559
just you know, coming into spring
training. He just physically matured. He

366
00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:29.519
looks stronger, he's he's growing into
his body. I think he's more confident.

367
00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:30.880
You know, he comes from a
pedigree. You know, his dad

368
00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:33.759
played in the Big League, so
he knows what to expect. So,

369
00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:37.240
you know, just like Schneemann,
he's not scared when he's up here taking

370
00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:40.720
as at bats. He knows what
to expect. And you know, I

371
00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:45.079
like the confidence that he's shown,
especially from from both sides of the plate

372
00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:48.119
that you know, I don't want
to say he's not taking himself too serious,

373
00:25:48.160 --> 00:25:49.559
but he's enjoying the moment and he's
going out there and he's giving us

374
00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:53.240
a chance to win. It's been
fun watching the offense developed this season for

375
00:25:53.279 --> 00:25:56.519
sure. Chris, thanks Soft for
coming back. Thanks Ros, you appreciate

376
00:25:56.519 --> 00:26:00.640
it. It's Chris Fialaika. It's
done great work so far with Guardians this

377
00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:04.160
season from an offensive standpoint, and
he'll be I'm sure, trying to figure

378
00:26:04.160 --> 00:26:07.519
out a way to get this offense
cranking again coming out of the All Star

379
00:26:07.599 --> 00:26:11.880
Break. Stay with us. We'll
have a final segment of Guardians Weekly after

380
00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:18.400
this time out on the Cleveland Clinic. Guardians Radio Network home ownership progressive.

381
00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:23.720
We know it's part of the American
dream. It's sea to shining sea and

382
00:26:23.799 --> 00:26:30.279
water damage as far as the eye
can see. It's freshly mode grass,

383
00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:34.960
an offense that was freshly vandalized by
a pack of unruly teens. It's also

384
00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:38.400
around the clock projection when you bundle
your homonado with progressive, which can help

385
00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:42.680
keep the American dream of home ownership
alive and kicking. Get a quote a

386
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:47.759
progressive dot com regression cans future in
company Aliot's other choices not build mill states.

387
00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:03.319
Jim Rows announced back with you.
We are at Tropicana Field and downtown

388
00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:07.039
Saint Petersburg for this week's edition of
Guardians Weekly, and we wrap it up

389
00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:11.599
with our weekly farm report. Rob
Sarfolio is the director of player development for

390
00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:15.160
the Guardians. We'll talk to him
in just a moment about some of the

391
00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:19.240
top prospects at Double a Akron,
but we began our conversation with Rob talking

392
00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:23.319
about the draft, which is coming
up on Sunday. The Guardians with that

393
00:27:23.480 --> 00:27:29.920
top pick overall first time in their
history that they have had that opportunity,

394
00:27:30.480 --> 00:27:33.680
and with one day away from the
draft as an organization, we talked to

395
00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:40.079
Rob about how his department is involved
in draft preparations and what some of the

396
00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:44.759
first steps for the new editions are. Yeah, so it's a fun exciting

397
00:27:44.839 --> 00:27:47.680
time to hear, especially this year, you know, if you don't get

398
00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:52.920
to pick first overall too often.
So you know, I think this year

399
00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:56.200
in particular, it's it's been a
in all the years too. It's always

400
00:27:56.200 --> 00:28:03.319
a collaborative effort in our scouting group
does a great job involving some of some

401
00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:07.400
of our group, whether it's you
know, kind of help digging into players

402
00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:11.359
during the assessment phase of the process, or you know, contacts around the

403
00:28:11.400 --> 00:28:15.279
game and you know, trying to
learn a little bit a bit about the

404
00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:18.839
players from from the environments they're coming
from. And you know, I think

405
00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:22.880
the cool thing that our organization does
a great job of is just you know,

406
00:28:22.920 --> 00:28:29.079
having people speak the same language and
and really trying to target things that

407
00:28:29.079 --> 00:28:33.279
that you know, we've had success
with in the past. And it's it's

408
00:28:33.319 --> 00:28:37.160
always a really fun time of year
to to be able to welcome twenty new

409
00:28:37.160 --> 00:28:40.720
guys. And you know, I
think some of the people know of the

410
00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:45.319
new rules across minor league baseball and
now there's a cap on how many players

411
00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.799
you can actually have in the minor
league system. And so you know,

412
00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:52.359
this in some ways a difficult time
of year for new players coming in and

413
00:28:52.519 --> 00:28:56.240
players that have been here, you
know, potentially leaving. But you know,

414
00:28:56.279 --> 00:28:59.480
when these guys do join us,
it's a it's a fun experience to

415
00:28:59.559 --> 00:29:03.559
kind of on board them to our
organization in professional baseball. It's almost like

416
00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:07.759
you know, your your first day
on a new job in some sense,

417
00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:11.480
and you know, trying to get
these guys comfortable and acclimated and learn who

418
00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:15.440
they are, and they learn who
we are, and it creates for a

419
00:29:15.880 --> 00:29:19.279
fun couple of days after the draft
once they sign, and certainly at some

420
00:29:19.400 --> 00:29:23.240
point a lot of them hoping to
move through double A acron or at least

421
00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:27.240
get there and let's start on that
offensive side. He's been there a month

422
00:29:27.440 --> 00:29:33.039
after just carving up in the Midwest
League at Lake County CJ CAFUS. It

423
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:37.359
doesn't seem like he's slowed down moving
up a level, and what are you

424
00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:41.599
seeing from him? Yeah, it's
been It's a hard thing to do to

425
00:29:41.680 --> 00:29:45.880
make that jump from high end double
A and really have little to no pullback

426
00:29:45.960 --> 00:29:49.119
on some of your offensive productions.
So this is a you know, I

427
00:29:49.160 --> 00:29:53.200
think what we hope is an advanced
hitter. And again just building on the

428
00:29:53.279 --> 00:29:59.400
draft note right there, our scouting
group did a tremendous job kind of highlighting

429
00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:03.200
some of that life last year in
the acquisition phase and be able to see

430
00:30:03.240 --> 00:30:07.200
that. And CJ just with his
work and preparation and some of the things

431
00:30:07.240 --> 00:30:12.240
he does offensively, has really allowed
him to put together an impressive first year

432
00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:17.000
in pro ball. And he's he's
jumped up to that level. We've continued

433
00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:22.200
to play him at first and then
left field, and offensively he's he's really

434
00:30:22.319 --> 00:30:26.279
just been a model of consistency by
impacting the baseball and getting on base and

435
00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:30.400
limiting you know, the times where
pitchers are beating him with swinging myths.

436
00:30:30.440 --> 00:30:34.640
So it's it's been an impressive first
season and hopefully something we can continue to

437
00:30:34.680 --> 00:30:37.759
build on. You know, I
think a challenge for these first year guys

438
00:30:37.799 --> 00:30:42.359
always is the length of the season
and and just the wear and tear and

439
00:30:42.440 --> 00:30:47.279
on physically and mentally. And he's
done a great job in that department and

440
00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:51.079
hopefully we can keep him fresh to
finish strong. Rob how different is the

441
00:30:51.079 --> 00:30:55.000
pitching that he sees on a daily
basis at Double A as opposed to High

442
00:30:55.079 --> 00:30:56.920
A. Yeah, you know,
that's a great question. It's something we've

443
00:30:57.039 --> 00:31:02.480
we've tried to look into just from
an objective standpoint, and I think where

444
00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:07.039
you see some of the biggest gains
is stuff quality and strike throwing. You

445
00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:10.559
see a little bit of that jump
from low A to High A, but

446
00:31:10.599 --> 00:31:15.200
you definitely see it from higat double
A. And that's what's really impressive about

447
00:31:15.240 --> 00:31:19.599
what CJ has been able to do
is is handle that improved just overall v

448
00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:25.680
low but just you know how competitive
guys are with multiple pitches in the strike

449
00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:27.559
zone. That's one of the big
things you see at double A. But

450
00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:33.519
so far it hasn't faced them too
much. And he's obviously someone who's been

451
00:31:33.559 --> 00:31:37.799
on the field. He's getting it
done. Another player at Double A that

452
00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:41.359
I know fans are we're excited about
after spring training has chased the louder.

453
00:31:41.759 --> 00:31:45.000
But he's really had a hard time
getting on the field. And where does

454
00:31:45.039 --> 00:31:48.960
he stand right now in terms of
being able to get back in games and

455
00:31:49.079 --> 00:31:52.720
start to show what he can do. Yeah, you know, that's that's

456
00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:56.799
the priority right now with Chase.
And he had a little bit of a

457
00:31:56.920 --> 00:32:01.599
foot injury early in the year after
about the first month, and then got

458
00:32:01.680 --> 00:32:06.720
ready to go, was played in
a game I was actually there for.

459
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:10.200
It was trying to catch a fly
ball that was in foul territory down the

460
00:32:10.279 --> 00:32:15.160
right field line, and you know, kind of collided with the wall in

461
00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:20.599
foul territory and tweaked his big toe
on his other foot, which he's been

462
00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:23.839
rehaving. So a little bit of
unlucky in that sense for Chase, but

463
00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:29.279
you know, he's been going through
his ramp up and returned to play in

464
00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:31.240
Arizona with our rehab group, and
you know, those guys are doing a

465
00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:34.839
fine job getting him ready to go, and it's actually been a good time

466
00:32:34.839 --> 00:32:37.799
for him to work on some things
that you know, we wanted to tackle

467
00:32:37.839 --> 00:32:40.559
in the off season. We had
a little bit of a window to start

468
00:32:40.599 --> 00:32:45.480
that workout in Arizona, and so
he's hopefully not far off from being back

469
00:32:45.519 --> 00:32:49.000
in a Rubber Ducks uniform and fan
seeing him back out in the field all

470
00:32:49.079 --> 00:32:52.480
right. Back on two players who
have been contributing at double A. Khalil

471
00:32:52.559 --> 00:32:59.920
Watson not too much past a year
almost of being acquired by the organization,

472
00:33:00.599 --> 00:33:04.079
and he's battling through this Double A
season. What are you seeing from him

473
00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:09.240
as he continues to develop. Yeah, just a young hitter that's doing a

474
00:33:09.359 --> 00:33:15.480
pretty impressive job adjusting to that level. And I think he's certainly on the

475
00:33:15.519 --> 00:33:20.960
younger side of position players and hitting
for for quite a bit of power.

476
00:33:21.000 --> 00:33:25.000
And hopefully we can continue to expose
Khalil and keep challenging him so that you

477
00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:28.880
know down the line he's an option
for us at the major league level,

478
00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:32.079
but a guy that can really impact
the baseball. He's hitting the middle the

479
00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:35.960
top of the lineup all year,
is again one of the younger guys in

480
00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:38.640
that level, and it's been impressive
to see him just continue to grow as

481
00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:43.759
the season's gone on. Rob Sorfolios
joining us. He's the director of player

482
00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:47.720
development for the Guardians, And this
week we are talking Double A Akron and

483
00:33:47.920 --> 00:33:52.359
we switched to the pitching side of
things. A pitcher who's no longer there.

484
00:33:52.359 --> 00:33:55.759
He's been moved up to Triple A
Columbus after impressing at Akron. Doug

485
00:33:55.880 --> 00:34:00.759
Nacasey, what do you see from
him in terms of growth here that has

486
00:34:00.799 --> 00:34:04.720
allowed him to move and now really
just be that one step away from the

487
00:34:04.759 --> 00:34:07.359
major leagues. Yeah, well,
I mean, first off, a lot

488
00:34:07.359 --> 00:34:09.960
of credit goes to Doug with the
type of worker and competitor he is.

489
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:13.679
You know, the guy that busted
his tail in the off season. You

490
00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:16.920
know, he wasn't satisfied or happy
with this season he had last year,

491
00:34:17.000 --> 00:34:22.639
especially with some of the inconsistent strike
throwing, and you know, we really

492
00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:25.960
wanted to work on some velocity development
and you know, he and you know,

493
00:34:27.159 --> 00:34:30.400
our former pitching coordinator Joel Langram put
a ton of work into that in

494
00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:32.519
the off season and we saw a
lot of that show through and they had

495
00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:37.039
that three or four week stretch where
he missed some time do a little bit

496
00:34:37.039 --> 00:34:40.480
of a shoulder flare up, but
has been great since coming back. And

497
00:34:40.760 --> 00:34:45.280
just to see some of the jumps
he's made in strike throwing while maintaining his

498
00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:50.920
bat missing ability and continuing to improve
his arsenal has been awesome. And you

499
00:34:51.000 --> 00:34:52.960
know, we were excited to give
him a challenge in Triple A. And

500
00:34:53.079 --> 00:34:58.239
how about Parker Messik, I know, a college drafted player not too long

501
00:34:58.280 --> 00:35:00.480
ago, and it seems like he's
moving up nicely. Yeah, you know

502
00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:06.920
Messic and Austin Peterson, you know
two guys we bounced up from from Lake

503
00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:09.800
County and and both guys did a
really good job just kind of taking care

504
00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:14.519
of of all those things that we
always talk about on here, Rosie,

505
00:35:14.679 --> 00:35:17.679
of guys being aggressive in the strike
zone and throwing their best stuff and you

506
00:35:17.679 --> 00:35:21.719
know, the ability to miss bats, and those guys did that at Lake

507
00:35:21.719 --> 00:35:23.800
County and it's been great to you
know, kind of similar to Cafus.

508
00:35:23.800 --> 00:35:27.719
You know, those guys went up
to a higher level against more advanced hitters

509
00:35:27.760 --> 00:35:31.639
and and they've continued to you know, really kind of showcase that same signal

510
00:35:31.719 --> 00:35:35.760
that that they did and at the
level below. And so you know,

511
00:35:35.800 --> 00:35:39.760
both those guys that have done a
great job competing and have have really made

512
00:35:39.800 --> 00:35:45.280
that transition to Double A nicely.
So you answered that question about Capus and

513
00:35:45.320 --> 00:35:50.280
what he sees from pitchers at that
next level. What's the difference pitching wise,

514
00:35:50.400 --> 00:35:53.360
What what they'll see from hitters moving
up from High A to Double A.

515
00:35:54.079 --> 00:35:58.280
Yeah, you know, it's it's
just a more advanced hitter. It's

516
00:35:58.440 --> 00:36:01.480
I think you'll see a lot of
older players. You know, you have

517
00:36:01.639 --> 00:36:06.440
prospects all throughout the levels, but
you'll see a little bit of an older

518
00:36:06.480 --> 00:36:10.280
prospect at this level with just a
more advanced feel for the strike zone,

519
00:36:10.280 --> 00:36:15.519
what their strengths are. Guys that
you know, maybe even sometimes have had

520
00:36:15.559 --> 00:36:20.519
Triple A or even major league experience. So those are some of the big

521
00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:23.760
the big elements that guys are challenged
with. And it's fun when you when

522
00:36:23.800 --> 00:36:29.559
you have guys that go up there
that stay aggressive. They aren't shell shocked

523
00:36:29.599 --> 00:36:32.960
by facing better players, but they
really know their strengths on the mound and

524
00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:38.159
are aggressive in the strike zone with
it. And one last picture will go

525
00:36:38.239 --> 00:36:43.679
with Ryan Webb. Sixteen starts,
so it sounds like he's taking the ball

526
00:36:43.719 --> 00:36:46.360
every fifth day and yeah, and
seemingly making good progress. What are you

527
00:36:46.400 --> 00:36:50.519
seeing from web he is you know
this, this is a good name.

528
00:36:50.679 --> 00:36:55.239
I'm glad you're bringing them up.
I mean he's even behind his line,

529
00:36:55.360 --> 00:37:00.880
he's with some of his velocity and
just continued secondary usage. You know,

530
00:37:00.920 --> 00:37:06.840
we've seen some nice strides in season
from Webby. You know, a talented

531
00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:09.519
player that came to us from Georgia
pishing the SEC had Tommy John when he

532
00:37:09.880 --> 00:37:13.400
when he got here. So he's
a little bit older for the level,

533
00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:17.519
but maybe right at the proper age
in terms of the number of games he's

534
00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:22.400
thrown as a professional. So it's
been fun to see Webby, who had

535
00:37:22.400 --> 00:37:28.079
a you know, a really really
impressive Arizona Fall League last year, kind

536
00:37:28.119 --> 00:37:34.079
of maintain a lot of that bat
missing upside while continuing to take some strides

537
00:37:34.119 --> 00:37:36.960
with this velocity and things. We've
challenged him and seasoned us. So this

538
00:37:37.039 --> 00:37:40.039
kid's a great competitor and has done
a really nice job for us from the

539
00:37:40.079 --> 00:37:44.760
left side. Rob, great stuff. As always, we will catch up

540
00:37:44.760 --> 00:37:46.760
with you after the All Star break, looking forward to a Rosio if you

541
00:37:46.760 --> 00:37:52.559
get a couple of days off.
That's Rob Sorfolio, the Guardians director of

542
00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:55.000
player Development, and that's going to
do it. For this week's edition of

543
00:37:55.119 --> 00:37:59.719
Guardians Weekly. As always, thanks
to Brian Matzi for all of his help

544
00:37:59.719 --> 00:38:02.639
and together our show each and every
week until next week when we join you

545
00:38:02.679 --> 00:38:08.039
from back home. The second half
begins with a series that Progressive Field against

546
00:38:08.039 --> 00:38:13.079
the Padres. This is Jim rosen
House reminding you that you've been listening to

547
00:38:13.119 --> 00:38:24.320
Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic,
Guardians Radio and Netport. Guardians Weekly has

548
00:38:24.440 --> 00:38:30.000
been brought to you by Progressive helping
Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance,