Speaker 1: Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio network.
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Speaker 2: Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosen House along
Speaker 2: with you from Guardians Spring training, goodyear Arizona, and it's
Speaker 2: great to have you with us as we talked baseball
Speaker 2: for the next hour on the radio and then in
Speaker 2: podcast form. As the Guardians continue to get closer to
Speaker 2: the start of the twenty twenty five season, one week's
Speaker 2: worth of Cactus League games are in the books, and
Speaker 2: we've seen some good performances, some very encouraging performances from
Speaker 2: starting pitchers, and we'll get to that as we move along.
Speaker 2: Good show lined up for you today is in the
Speaker 2: second half of our show, we will hear from Hunter Gaddis,
Speaker 2: who had a breakthrough year out of the bullpen for
Speaker 2: the Guardians a year ago. We'll get an update on
Speaker 2: his spring as he gets ready to roll here. Hasn't
Speaker 2: pitched in the game action yet, but so many of
Speaker 2: the relievers who pitch so often a year ago are
Speaker 2: in that slow build up in terms of game action,
Speaker 2: so we'll see him soon. On the game mound. We'll
Speaker 2: also visit with associate manager Craig Albernasi was the bench
Speaker 2: coach a year ago and as he'll tell us, the
Speaker 2: responsibilities are pretty much the same, but a title change
Speaker 2: for him and for good reason. And we'll get into
Speaker 2: that when we hear from Craig Albernaz in the second
Speaker 2: half of our show today. And also on the other
Speaker 2: side of our break, we'll visit with Chase de Lauder,
Speaker 2: who is one of the top prospects for Cleveland but
Speaker 2: has had a hard time staying healthy so far in
Speaker 2: his pro career, and we'll get an update from him
Speaker 2: on that situation as he prepares for a new season.
Speaker 2: But first, the news of the week, and it was
Speaker 2: sad news earlier this week with the passing of Guardian's
Speaker 2: owner Larry Dolan. He was ninety four years of age
Speaker 2: and had been the primary owner from the time that
Speaker 2: his family purchased the team back in the two thousand
Speaker 2: winter February fifteenth, they purchased it from Richard Jacobs, and
Speaker 2: Larry was the primary owner up until January of twenty thirteen,
Speaker 2: when Paul Dolan was approved by Major League based as
Speaker 2: the primary control person for the organization, but under the
Speaker 2: Dolan ownership sustained winning, particularly the past twelve seasons. The
Speaker 2: Guardians have the third most wins in all baseball during
Speaker 2: that time, more than a thousand victories, trailing only the
Speaker 2: Dodgers and the Yankees. And that, as so many of
Speaker 2: I'm sure our listeners know, is just the tip of
Speaker 2: the iceberg to what mister Dolan meant to the city
Speaker 2: of Cleveland, not just Cleveland Baseball, but the city of Cleveland.
Speaker 2: And no one better to fill us in and take
Speaker 2: a look back at the life and times of Larry
Speaker 2: Dolan than Guardians Senior Vice President Bob D. Bassio.
Speaker 3: Cleveland sadly lost one of its own today, Lauren in
Speaker 3: Cleveland Heights in nineteen thirty one. Lawrence J. Dolan invested
Speaker 3: his entire life in Greater Cleveland and impacted our community
Speaker 3: on so many levels. From his service to our country
Speaker 3: as a lieutenant in the United States Marines, his many
Speaker 3: philanthropic acts of kindness, career in law, business, education, and sports.
Speaker 3: Many benefited from his engagement, influence, and passion, especially in
Speaker 3: the world of sports. Larry's love of sports began on
Speaker 3: the sandlots of Cleveland heights and high school fields across
Speaker 3: our city. As a running back, defensive back and catcher
Speaker 3: at Saint Ignatia's High School, he was blessed to realize
Speaker 3: two dreams of most every Cleveland athlete of his generation.
Speaker 3: To play on the field at Cleveland Stadium, where his
Speaker 3: boyhood idol Lou Boudreau starred, and to own one of
Speaker 3: our city's professional sports teams. On Saturday, November twenty sixth,
Speaker 3: nineteen forty nine, a Chili Day at Cleveland Municipal Stadium,
Speaker 3: more than thirty thousand y such does Larry help lead
Speaker 3: Saint Ignatius to its first ever charity game victory and
Speaker 3: only second city championship in school history. As a senior
Speaker 3: running back, he tossed a touchdown pass and had an
Speaker 3: interception as a defensive back in the thirteen to nothing
Speaker 3: win over East Tech. In February two thousand, he purchased
Speaker 3: his beloved hometown baseball team. We are forever grateful for
Speaker 3: his passion in supporting the Northeast Ohio community in the
Speaker 3: Cleveland Guardians organization. Through his initial leadership, the Dolan family
Speaker 3: continues to be the longest tenured owners in franchise history.
Speaker 2: Just a tremendous piece there from Bobby d on Larry
Speaker 2: Dolan passing away at the age of ninety four. And
Speaker 2: when we look around at at members of the front
Speaker 2: office who have been with the organization for a lengthy
Speaker 2: period of time, no one worked more closely with Larry
Speaker 2: Dolan than Chris Antonetti, who is now the President of
Speaker 2: Baseball Operations and has been for quite some time and
Speaker 2: has worked in various capacities within the organization on the
Speaker 2: baseball op side. And Chris stopped by the radio booth
Speaker 2: during our broadcast on Wednesday and joined Tom Hamilton, and
Speaker 2: they talked about the life and times of Larry Dolan.
Speaker 1: Everybody with heavy hearts Chris, and yet a celebration of
Speaker 1: an incredible life of owner Larry Dolan.
Speaker 4: It really is, Tom. I mean, we have those mixed emotions,
Speaker 4: obviously a great deal of sadness, but we all have
Speaker 4: the opportunity to reflect back and think about the impact
Speaker 4: Larry has had in the broader Cleveland community, our organization
Speaker 4: and on so many individuals. You know, he meant so
Speaker 4: much to me personally, had the opportunity to know Larry
Speaker 4: for twenty five plus years and couldn't imagine working for
Speaker 4: and with a better person. I mean he led with
Speaker 4: with kindness, with humility, always treated everybody with a great
Speaker 4: deal of respect, and was a great steward for the organization.
Speaker 1: Chris. People wonder, you know, how have the Guardians been
Speaker 1: able to keep a Chris Antennetti, a m. I chern
Speaker 1: Off and others that have come through here and have
Speaker 1: stayed here. Well, it starts with the people you work for.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I would flip it the other way. I would say,
Speaker 4: it's just been such an honor and a great privilege
Speaker 4: for me to have the opportunity to continue to work
Speaker 4: for such a tremendous family. They have treated us incredibly
Speaker 4: well throughout the organization and set a great environment to
Speaker 4: come to work. So we will all miss Larry a
Speaker 4: great deal. And not only did he have impact on
Speaker 4: so many of us individually, but he cared so deeply
Speaker 4: about the organization and its place within the community and
Speaker 4: took that responsibility very seriously as a steward of you know,
Speaker 4: what is a civic treasure. And I think you know,
Speaker 4: under his leadership, we've tried not to say we're perfect,
Speaker 4: but we've tried along the way to be guided by
Speaker 4: that and be great civic partners for the community and
Speaker 4: put out a great product that our fans can be
Speaker 4: proud of.
Speaker 1: Chris, I mean, you know, he had big shoes to
Speaker 1: follow because of the great job that Dick and David
Speaker 1: Jacobs had done here. When did you first realize or
Speaker 1: was there a tip off to you that you were
Speaker 1: working for a very unique and special man.
Speaker 4: Well, from the very first moment I met him, he
Speaker 4: you know I at the time, I think I was
Speaker 4: an assistant in baseball operations, and you know, he took
Speaker 4: the time to get to know me too. You know,
Speaker 4: he always treated not only me, but everyone with a
Speaker 4: great deal of respect and curiosity, and you know, he
Speaker 4: was always interested in what their experience was and what
Speaker 4: their story was. Not something that I will, you know,
Speaker 4: continue to remember as in the way Larry treated me
Speaker 4: from the first day I was here, and hopefully I
Speaker 4: can pay that forward.
Speaker 1: Well, and uh, the old adage the appleton't fall far
Speaker 1: from the tree. I mean, Paul Dolan's same kind of man.
Speaker 4: Exactly the environment that you know Paul continues to create,
Speaker 4: and obviously Paul has been far more active over the
Speaker 4: last ten year twelve years as Hilarry has taken a
Speaker 4: step back, and he's you know, continue that and continue
Speaker 4: to build on, you know, his father's leadership of the organization.
Speaker 4: And I feel the exact same way about Paul. It
Speaker 4: feels so privileged to have the opportunity to continue work,
Speaker 4: to work for him.
Speaker 1: You talked about it the other day and saw the
Speaker 1: story and the Plain Dealer today and we were sitting
Speaker 1: in there with you when you were asked by Paul
Speaker 1: Hoyns of some of your memories, and I just thought
Speaker 1: it was a really neat story that you told about
Speaker 1: that celebration in Toronto.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and back in twenty sixteen when we had the
Speaker 4: opportunity to clinch in Toronto and advance to the World Series.
Speaker 4: The you know, the sense of joy and pride and
Speaker 4: accomplishment that you know, Paul and Larry shared together knowing
Speaker 4: that we had then the opportunity to try to secure
Speaker 4: that World Series championship that we also desperately are seeking,
Speaker 4: and just the way in which, you know, how happy
Speaker 4: they were in those moments. And as I shared, you know,
Speaker 4: I have this vivid memory of kind of coming back
Speaker 4: on the team bus looking to my right and even
Speaker 4: Larry is sitting there and Larry's holding the Al Trophy
Speaker 4: like a baby in his arms. So and Larry more
Speaker 4: than anything wanted that World Series Championship, and just for
Speaker 4: him to realize we were that close and had the
Speaker 4: opportunity to do it. Obviously, it didn't play out the
Speaker 4: way we had all hoped, but and that moment, you know,
Speaker 4: it was still a possibility, and the joy and pride
Speaker 4: that he felt was an enduring memory for me.
Speaker 1: And he also had such a quick wit, but also
Speaker 1: a great perspective in that how badly you want to win,
Speaker 1: and at the end of the day, this is still
Speaker 1: a game he did.
Speaker 4: I mean, he was as competitive as anyone, and he
Speaker 4: would ask very thoughtful, probing questions. As I mentioned the
Speaker 4: other day, he had this unique ability to distill an
Speaker 4: issue down to its essence and said, oh, yeah, okay,
Speaker 4: I hear all that, but tell me what you really mean.
Speaker 4: And I always appreciated that with him, with just the
Speaker 4: way his mind worked and the way he was able
Speaker 4: to put pieces together like that.
Speaker 1: He didn't micromanage you guys either, did.
Speaker 5: He not at all?
Speaker 4: I mean, he would stay engaged much like Paul. He
Speaker 4: stays engaged in his Cureius and asked like, how does
Speaker 4: how can he support the goals that we're trying to
Speaker 4: achieve as an organization, whether us on the business or
Speaker 4: baseball side, and then you know, allows us to continue
Speaker 4: to build those environments. And I'm like I said, I
Speaker 4: couldn't be more grateful and feel like I have the
Speaker 4: privilege to continue to do what I do with working
Speaker 4: with such an extraordinary family.
Speaker 1: President Chris Antonetti with us and his reflections of Larry Dolan,
Speaker 1: and on top of everything else, the example they are
Speaker 1: for the rest of us is husband and wife, parents,
Speaker 1: But how Larry and Eva keep giving back.
Speaker 4: It's incredible every you know, every organization, every community that
Speaker 4: they've touched, they find a way to help and make
Speaker 4: it and make it better. And that extends back to
Speaker 4: his high school days, the Saint Ignacious or his innumerable
Speaker 4: charitable causes that they were involved with, not only in
Speaker 4: the Cleveland community, but in the Dry were They're truly
Speaker 4: extraordinary people and again set so many great examples for us,
Speaker 4: not just on the business front, but on the personal
Speaker 4: and community front as well.
Speaker 2: Stuff there from Chris Antonetti and also Tom Hamilton talking
Speaker 2: about some of the great memories they have of Larry Dolan,
Speaker 2: who passed away earlier this week at the age of
Speaker 2: ninety four. Stay with us, We'll lot more to come
Speaker 2: as Guardian's Weekly continues on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
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Speaker 2: Welcome back to Guardian's Weekly. Jim Rosenhaus back with you
Speaker 2: from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardians Spring Training, where Cleveland will
Speaker 2: be back in action this afternoon. They'll take on the
Speaker 2: Chicago Cubs of your tune to this on the radio
Speaker 2: on Saturday. They'll take on the Cubs with a three
Speaker 2: to zero five first pitch over in Maysa the cubs
Speaker 2: Beautiful Ballpark there and again at the three oh five
Speaker 2: start time radio coverage for you beginning at two point
Speaker 2: fifty nine on the dot.
Speaker 1: Well.
Speaker 2: Chase de Lauder is a top prospect in the Guardians organization.
Speaker 2: Man that he have some kind of spring training a
Speaker 2: year ago really burst on the scene, but in terms
Speaker 2: of his pro career, the former first round draft pick
Speaker 2: has been limited tremendously due to injuries. In two pro seasons,
Speaker 2: He's only managed to play in ninety six games and
Speaker 2: so far has not appeared in a major league spring
Speaker 2: training game just yet. We had a chance to visit
Speaker 2: with him earlier this week and he talked about where
Speaker 2: things stand in terms of his health and where he'd
Speaker 2: like to be by the end up spring training.
Speaker 6: No, I feel great. I mean, I'm excited to goe
Speaker 6: out there with the guys. I've been out here and
Speaker 6: I got out here pretty early this winter, trying to
Speaker 6: get the body healthy, get body going, and I'm excited.
Speaker 2: And from that health standpoint, is it just maintenance now
Speaker 2: at this point, just trying to keep yourself healthy so
Speaker 2: you can show what you can do.
Speaker 6: Yeah, Yeah, I'm just trying to, you know, keep myself
Speaker 6: out there. And I think now it's more of a
Speaker 6: how do I prep for the day, how do I
Speaker 6: get in the training room early and you know, get
Speaker 6: my body ready to you know, explode on that very
Speaker 6: first pitch.
Speaker 2: So I saw you the other day live batting practice
Speaker 2: against Luis Ortiz, who has nasty stuff, and you handle
Speaker 2: it great. It seemed like you were swinging the bat
Speaker 2: well and you were saying it not that it comes easy,
Speaker 2: but it seems like you're comfortable. And where does that
Speaker 2: come from?
Speaker 6: I think that's kind of been a big focus for
Speaker 6: me the last honestly couple of years with my swing
Speaker 6: is just kind of having the same intent, the same feel,
Speaker 6: the same load every time I step in the box.
Speaker 6: And you know, this winter I've e gotten into using
Speaker 6: the traject a lot and the cages. I'm here at
Speaker 6: the facility, which is for people that don't know, it's
Speaker 6: just kind of it's a three D print of the
Speaker 6: picture comes out of the machine, you know, with his
Speaker 6: really with his like load and release and everything. So
Speaker 6: I feel like that's been a huge help and going
Speaker 6: into a live at that so far the spring just
Speaker 6: kind of feeling like I can treat it as training purposes,
Speaker 6: and I'm not kind of stepping in there and feeling
Speaker 6: like I'm thrown into the fire of like a real pitcher.
Speaker 6: It's kind of feel like I've been facing it for
Speaker 6: the last couple of months, and like we were talking,
Speaker 6: even when I take some downtime, the big focus for
Speaker 6: me is having the same consistent feeling mood every time.
Speaker 6: So I mean if even though I take a month off,
Speaker 6: I feel like I can kind of, you know, get
Speaker 6: back in the box, take a couple of swings, and
Speaker 6: honestly feels pretty similar to however long I've been playing.
Speaker 2: You mentioned the machine that you hit off of this organization,
Speaker 2: rightly or wrong. They're known for its pitching, but how
Speaker 2: about on the hitting side. What what are some of
Speaker 2: the things that that they're doing for you? And how
Speaker 2: extensive is it in terms of things that you're dispowed
Speaker 2: if you want it?
Speaker 6: Yeah, Now, these guys are great. I mean we have
Speaker 6: I mean, you guys can walk walk around our cages.
Speaker 6: We have the absolute best resources all we could ask
Speaker 6: for in the cages in it and I think the
Speaker 6: staff is unbelievable at like individualizing plans for players. You know,
Speaker 6: for instance, like my routine is going to be very
Speaker 6: different from the guy next to me routine, and so
Speaker 6: on and so forth. So those guys are great at
Speaker 6: making sure each person is getting what they need, and
Speaker 6: we have all the resources in there to do it.
Speaker 6: And you know, if you wanted to make it happen,
Speaker 6: those guys can make it happen for you.
Speaker 2: A year ago, we saw you a bunch of spring training,
Speaker 2: but you weren't in major league camp. Explained to fans
Speaker 2: the difference now the first major league camp. What is
Speaker 2: the difference.
Speaker 6: The big difference is being in the clubhouse, being around
Speaker 6: the guys on a daily basis. And I think that's
Speaker 6: the best part, you know, trying to build more meaningful connections,
Speaker 6: not just kind of you know, being with them outside
Speaker 6: and being with them in the game. It's now I
Speaker 6: can kind of I'm eeting with the guys, you know,
Speaker 6: I'm in the locker room with the guys them kind
Speaker 6: of around them all the time. And you know, I
Speaker 6: wouldn't say I lacked any confidence last spring, but I
Speaker 6: feel like, you know, being around the guys and you
Speaker 6: you know, I say what's up to Hosey in the morning,
Speaker 6: and just kind of instills that confidence that you can
Speaker 6: go out there and play with them.
Speaker 2: And when you look at the last year, or maybe
Speaker 2: even a couple of years from that mental side, how
Speaker 2: difficult has it been to stay positive and know that
Speaker 2: once you get healthy you can produce while while you're
Speaker 2: missing significant time.
Speaker 6: No, it's it's absolutely tough. I mean, for anyone that
Speaker 6: says going down is no big deal, it's it's hard.
Speaker 6: It's hard on the mind, it's hard on the body.
Speaker 6: But we have the best best staff in the world,
Speaker 6: and you know, take those days, you know, you talk
Speaker 6: to the people you need to talk to, the people
Speaker 6: you love that support you, and then you just get
Speaker 6: back to work. I mean, you trust that those guys
Speaker 6: are going to put you back in the best spot,
Speaker 6: and you trust that what you're going to do each
Speaker 6: day is going to put you back in the spot
Speaker 6: being ready to play like I was before.
Speaker 2: It's chased a lotter and man, it's exciting if he
Speaker 2: can be healthy to see what he could do. There's
Speaker 2: your power bat that everyone's looking for, and he showed
Speaker 2: it last spring. Hopefully he gets a chance to show
Speaker 2: it again this year in the Cactus League as well.
Speaker 7: Well.
Speaker 2: We come back. We'll visit with Hunter Gaddis, a key
Speaker 2: member of last season's MLB Best Bullpen and he expects
Speaker 2: to be once again in twenty twenty five. That's next
Speaker 2: down the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 1: Gaddis's vela has ticked up because he's not a starter anymore,
Speaker 1: so he can just air it out for an inny man.
Speaker 1: What a weapon he is now the kick and delivery
Speaker 1: as that was just way overmatched, was so sunk against
Speaker 1: Hunter Gaddis. Here's the O two swim struck out Perez.
Speaker 1: That's gotta be a huge shot in the arm for
Speaker 1: Hunter Gaddis. From the set. Gaddis is ready. Here it
Speaker 1: comes swinging a miss, struck him out, get him on
Speaker 1: a slider, the pitch and he sends one high in
Speaker 1: the air to rite, but this isn't deep. Will Brennan's
Speaker 1: coming in. Will Brennan makes the catch and Hunter Gaddis
Speaker 1: throws up another zero. Now the two to two pinch
Speaker 1: to earlink, strike three call and a change up. Gaddis
Speaker 1: gets out of it and Cleveland keeps the lead.
Speaker 2: Well the back the Guardians Weekly. We're in Goodyear, Arizona
Speaker 2: this weekend and we will be for the month of March,
Speaker 2: Jim Rosenhouse along with you talking baseball, and we are
Speaker 2: talking about the Guardians bullpen, a sea a go, the
Speaker 2: best in all of Major League Baseball. Big reason why.
Speaker 2: Some surprises out of that ben, including Hunter Gaddis, who
Speaker 2: for the most part throughout his career, had been a
Speaker 2: starting pitcher prior to last season, but about midway through
Speaker 2: spring training he started to see some time late in
Speaker 2: games in short spurts, and he proved to be a
Speaker 2: huge key out of the pen for the Guardians in
Speaker 2: twenty twenty four. And when the big right hander looks
Speaker 2: back on last season, he says, there were several keys
Speaker 2: that allowed him to have great success in a different role.
Speaker 8: You know, I think it was overall a good thing
Speaker 8: moving to a bullpen. I had fun. I enjoyed it,
Speaker 8: you know, I had. It's been a full season there,
Speaker 8: which is really nice, learned from a lot of the guys,
Speaker 8: and you know, overall, I really enjoyed it and looked
Speaker 8: forward to staying there for sure.
Speaker 2: If I remember correctly, this time a year ago, they
Speaker 2: were still stretching you out and it wasn't really a
Speaker 2: thing yet. But was it? In spring training where they
Speaker 2: started to say, you know what, this could be intriguing
Speaker 2: to see what he could do as a reliever.
Speaker 8: Well, I know, I had a couple opportunities in twenty
Speaker 8: three where I would come out of the pen and whatnot.
Speaker 8: And actually my last time pitching and Columbus in twenty
Speaker 8: three was out of the pen, and I threw the
Speaker 8: hardest I ever had at that point. So I think
Speaker 8: that kind of got it into some people's heads where
Speaker 8: it was like, he can do it. But yeah, I
Speaker 8: mean I came here and ramped up as a starter.
Speaker 8: I was throwing Jill was it sixty pitch bullpens and whatnot.
Speaker 8: But I think they didn't really say anything to me directly.
Speaker 8: I started just throwing one inning in the spring games,
Speaker 8: and then it kind of like, you know, three four
Speaker 8: games in, I was just throwing that one inning. I
Speaker 8: was like, okay. And then you know, when they said
Speaker 8: it last year, it was like you made the team
Speaker 8: punch you in the bullpen. I was like, all right,
Speaker 8: let's ride.
Speaker 2: When you look back on the season, you got off
Speaker 2: to a good start, just that slight hiccup of the
Speaker 2: games in Atlanta, But when you look back on it,
Speaker 2: How important were those games, especially what happened after where
Speaker 2: you settled right back in and picked it up. How
Speaker 2: important was it to know that you could have a
Speaker 2: tough one but mentally you're okay and you can go
Speaker 2: out there and still get out.
Speaker 8: Yeah. I mean, I think everything's easy when stuff's going
Speaker 8: well for you, and it's when you have that tough
Speaker 8: stretch and coming off of that. I mean, and they
Speaker 8: always say it's not about getting knocked down, its probably
Speaker 8: getting back up or whatever. I think that's very true
Speaker 8: in the bullpen for sure, because you can go out
Speaker 8: there and just not have your day and it's like
Speaker 8: you could be going again tomorrow. So you got to
Speaker 8: bounce back really well. And it was kind of a
Speaker 8: good thing that it happened, you know, and then learning
Speaker 8: from it and bouncing back and just you know, there's
Speaker 8: still a lot of games to play.
Speaker 2: You mentioned some of the good things about being in
Speaker 2: the bullpen, especially with that group by far and away
Speaker 2: best in baseball, and were you aware of that as
Speaker 2: it was happening and then after the season. I don't
Speaker 2: know if you look at numbers at all, but literally
Speaker 2: numbers wise that Cleveland's bullpen best in baseball.
Speaker 8: Yeah, I mean that's that just shows like the guy
Speaker 8: in our bullpen, we really worked well together. It showed
Speaker 8: it didn't matter whose name was called, it was to
Speaker 8: go out there and try and get a W for
Speaker 8: the team. I don't think we didn't pay too much
Speaker 8: attention to it. Like I didn't hear any talk in
Speaker 8: the clubhouse or in the bullfit about it. I think
Speaker 8: that was the good thing about it. It was just kind
Speaker 8: of we were going out there and playing ball off season.
Speaker 2: A little different for you you're from Atlanta and spend
Speaker 2: some off seasons there. He spent a lot of off
Speaker 2: seasons out here in Goodyear. But this year back in Columbus,
Speaker 2: And how was it in a northern city not too
Speaker 2: far from what we experienced in Cleveland.
Speaker 8: Yeah, it was good overall, you know, really my first
Speaker 8: time up north for a winter. A lot of snow,
Speaker 8: a lot of cold, which I don't mind the cold,
Speaker 8: but the snow was fun for about a week and
Speaker 8: then I was I was getting over it. I was
Speaker 8: tired of it.
Speaker 2: And what did you do to find out a good
Speaker 2: spot to keep your routines and what you like to
Speaker 2: do in the winter.
Speaker 8: I had a couple of connections, you know, obviously playing there,
Speaker 8: the coaches there, A couple of coaches lived there, so
Speaker 8: they were able to steer in the right direction where
Speaker 8: to go people they knew, so it was pretty seamless
Speaker 8: on you know, finding a spot to go train.
Speaker 2: But you still come out here early. And what's the
Speaker 2: benefits to that for you?
Speaker 8: Well, the weather for sure, compared to where I was
Speaker 8: in Columbus. But you know, it's just you have every
Speaker 8: resource here. You have, you know, coaches that are willing
Speaker 8: to work with you, other players out here to you know,
Speaker 8: help push you throughout each d each and every day.
Speaker 8: And you know, of course I like to get out
Speaker 8: there on the golf course. It's nice out here. How
Speaker 8: far are you bombing your drives? Oh it matters if
Speaker 8: I really didn't one, especially out here in Arizona, and
Speaker 8: I get some good role you know, I can get
Speaker 8: it out to three eighty, you know whatnot, but I
Speaker 8: like to try and just say, you know, three hundred
Speaker 8: on a good day is good.
Speaker 2: So you're making par fives a egal opportunity.
Speaker 8: Usually if it goes straight, I'm usually in a get
Speaker 8: spot to at least s go for the green on
Speaker 8: shot too.
Speaker 2: You walk into the clubhouse and guys start showing up. Obviously,
Speaker 2: everybody here is here early. How quick do you do
Speaker 2: you get that good feeling that this team had so
Speaker 2: often last year, especially toward the end in the post season.
Speaker 8: It's so good to see everybody again. Everybody's out here
Speaker 8: working again. It doesn't even feel like too long ago
Speaker 8: we were in season, so it's kind of just picking
Speaker 8: up where we left off so far and it feels good. Hunter, Thanks,
Speaker 8: thank you.
Speaker 2: That's relief pitcher Hunter Gaddis getting ready for a new season.
Speaker 2: Last year seventy eight appearances, he was six and three
Speaker 2: with an ERA of one point five seven, And that
Speaker 2: was the norm for those who worked back end of
Speaker 2: the pen, especially the young guys like Gaddis, Tim Herron,
Speaker 2: Kate Smith, you name it. They were solid. Setting up
Speaker 2: a minual Class A stay with us when we come back.
Speaker 2: We'll visit with Associate manager Craig Albernaz. That's coming your
Speaker 2: way next the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
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Speaker 2: Welcome back to Guardians Weekly, Jim rosen House along with
Speaker 2: you from Guardian Spring training in Goodyear, Arizona. We continue
Speaker 2: with our show. Our final segment visiting with associate manager
Speaker 2: Craig Albernez. A year ago he was the bench coach,
Speaker 2: a title change. We'll get to him about that shortly,
Speaker 2: but what a great career in the game of baseball
Speaker 2: for alburn As you always look for that bench coach
Speaker 2: to have that good experience. He played eight seasons of
Speaker 2: pro ball in the minor leagues, actually nine seasons, eight
Speaker 2: with Tampa Bay another with the Tigers. He's been in
Speaker 2: the coaching or managing game either in the minor leagues
Speaker 2: or the major league since twenty seventeen. A longtime teammate
Speaker 2: of Steven Votes in the Tampa Bay organization and joined
Speaker 2: him last year as a Vote got the manager's job,
Speaker 2: and he brought Craig Albernaz along with him, a bench
Speaker 2: coach a year ago, now associate manager. And when we
Speaker 2: visit with Craig earlier this week, we asked him, a
Speaker 2: title change, does it change responsibility?
Speaker 7: No, it does not change my responsibilities. It was a
Speaker 7: surprise that happened this offseason. I guess I would say,
Speaker 7: you know, Chris, Mikey Madden and Steven let me know
Speaker 7: they're going to change my title, but my responsibilities.
Speaker 2: Do not change.
Speaker 7: They they let me know that they view me more
Speaker 7: as a bench coach, and that's the way of reflecting it.
Speaker 7: So it's just it's awesome to obviously to be recognized,
Speaker 7: but as far as the day to day the same.
Speaker 2: And for fans who don't know it, for a bench
Speaker 2: coach or associate manager, whatever you want to call it,
Speaker 2: how vital is your role during the course of the
Speaker 2: game to kind of free up Steven Vote to do
Speaker 2: what he needs to do. As as far as someone
Speaker 2: who kind of keeps an eye on some stuff that
Speaker 2: could be really important.
Speaker 7: I think it's vital. I don't know. The only thing
Speaker 7: I try to do is just make sure voter is
Speaker 7: prepared the best way he can. I try to give
Speaker 7: him all the information that he needs to make any
Speaker 7: in game decision that he has to make. You know,
Speaker 7: I think it's as you're going through the game, it
Speaker 7: gets fast, you know, as vote, he has to recognize
Speaker 7: pinch hit matchups if he wants to go that way,
Speaker 7: forecast a bullpen, talk with pitch count with Carl, and
Speaker 7: he has to you know, do we have to pinch run?
Speaker 7: Like all these these scenarios. So I just try to
Speaker 7: give him all of them, lay him out, and then
Speaker 7: we talk through him. Then he has to make the
Speaker 7: best decision. So I just try to make myself over
Speaker 7: prepared for him so he's ready for anything.
Speaker 2: Obviously, trust is a big part of any manager bench
Speaker 2: coach relationship. How far back do you guys go in
Speaker 2: terms of your relationship.
Speaker 7: Yeah, we go back all the way to two thousand.
Speaker 7: Yeah we go oh eight Minor league spring training in
Speaker 7: the bullpens, get up butts kicked every day, catching all
Speaker 7: those bullpens. So yeah, so we go all the way
Speaker 7: back from there, and obviously we kind of have We're
Speaker 7: very different but also the same personalities. You know, we
Speaker 7: like to have fun. So we kept a light in
Speaker 7: spring training because as we're catching eighteen pens a day,
Speaker 7: so that we kind of just went from there and
Speaker 7: everything cultivated, you know, as we got older, got married kids.
Speaker 7: You know, our families are very close, so it's just
Speaker 7: it's just fun to kind of see this all happening.
Speaker 7: And then when you get to work with one of
Speaker 7: your best friends every days, that is nothing better.
Speaker 2: Stages of life are always interesting. You mentioned married kids,
Speaker 2: all that kind of good stuff. You guys, one of
Speaker 2: your minor league seasons shared a place and kids are
Speaker 2: coming along at that time. How how tight were things
Speaker 2: in terms of what you had to do just to
Speaker 2: get by as a minor league player.
Speaker 7: Yeah, it's it's a grind, you know, And I think
Speaker 7: that's where this was the old minor leagues too, when
Speaker 7: you know you weren't making a lot of money, which
Speaker 7: was awesome because you get to learn how to survive,
Speaker 7: not survive, but how to make ends meet with with
Speaker 7: the little space you have in the apartments, but was awesome.
Speaker 7: I mean, we just got to know each other on
Speaker 7: a different level, had some fun, you know, but also
Speaker 7: you kind of get to get a glimpse of, you know,
Speaker 7: each other being your dad, you know each other being
Speaker 7: a husband, and you kind of get to see those
Speaker 7: little interactions and it just makes your friendship little tighter
Speaker 7: in a little more lasting because you know what type
Speaker 7: of portion they really are, because you never really know.
Speaker 7: But to see that him be a husband and him
Speaker 7: being a great a great father, it's just it just
Speaker 7: means the world.
Speaker 2: You're getting ready for a new season with Cleveland, there
Speaker 2: was a distinct possibility that you would not have been
Speaker 2: back for for a great reason. Explain your off season
Speaker 2: and why you're back here after some excellent opportunities opened up.
Speaker 7: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 7: Off season started off pretty hectic in a good way,
Speaker 7: I guess, you know. I had a chance to talk
Speaker 7: with a couple of teams with their manager openings, and
Speaker 7: at the end of the day I had to I
Speaker 7: had to decline on them. It's always I don't really
Speaker 7: like talking about myself, so this is like not hard,
Speaker 7: but you know, at the end of the day, it's
Speaker 7: always humble and honored to be asked for those roles
Speaker 7: and be considered. But the support of Chris, Mike and
Speaker 7: Matt and vote was awesome during that process, And ultimately
Speaker 7: what I chose to come back is like, this place
Speaker 7: is awesome for me and my family, I'm learning a
Speaker 7: ton and for me to even be considered to take
Speaker 7: that next step and take on a job of that responsibility.
Speaker 7: I know what great looks like and what great is here.
Speaker 7: The support, the people, how everyone pours into to get
Speaker 7: you better. And also they're about the people, you know.
Speaker 7: I think a lot of that gets lost in this
Speaker 7: game nowadays, but here is always about the people. So
Speaker 7: it was it was for me, it was I wouldn't
Speaker 7: say an easy decision, but I think it was easier
Speaker 7: than I expected.
Speaker 2: And obviously for all the reasons you just outlined and
Speaker 2: for folks who work here that they know. But did
Speaker 2: you hear from people in the game and said, what
Speaker 2: are you not to you not taking you know, not
Speaker 2: having an opportunity to manage and declining.
Speaker 7: That that's a that's a funny question because I thought
Speaker 7: it would be the same way, But honestly it wasn't.
Speaker 7: I think a couple people reach out saying that, but
Speaker 7: the outpouring of support throughout the baseball community was awesome.
Speaker 7: I think they they recognized me as a person and
Speaker 7: what I'm about, and then also they recognize the the
Speaker 7: the position I'm in here with the group of people
Speaker 7: I'm around, and they feel like it's like it's a
Speaker 7: perfect match. So it was great. I wouldn't say reassurance
Speaker 7: because obviously you make your decision and I know it's right,
Speaker 7: but just to see the the baseball community kind of
Speaker 7: reach out, it's it's always great. You know, you get
Speaker 7: to hear from people you haven't heard and from from
Speaker 7: the longest time that still follow you, So that was
Speaker 7: it was always good to kind of catch up with those.
Speaker 7: But yeah, it was. It was crazy to think that
Speaker 7: that it went the other way because I thought the
Speaker 7: same thing Rosie. I was like, all crap, like everyone's
Speaker 7: going to reach out, like what do you do in
Speaker 7: Albi there's only thirty jobs. But now it was a
Speaker 7: complete opposite, which was cool.
Speaker 2: Great reflection on you and the organization for sure. Uh
Speaker 2: so you get here and the team's coming off a
Speaker 2: wonderful season a year ago, what are you seeing early
Speaker 2: in camp so far that that says, hey, this could
Speaker 2: be good again. Yeah.
Speaker 7: I mean, I think one the whole team's been out
Speaker 7: here since you know, end of January, I wouldn't say
Speaker 7: we had everyone here. So I think the commitment to
Speaker 7: their work it's unbelievable. I mean, to get out to
Speaker 7: give up their off season to come to Goodyear Arizona
Speaker 7: to get ready for the season. It just speaks to
Speaker 7: the culture that was built, you know, from the minor
Speaker 7: league's PD and you know, and then just all the
Speaker 7: coaches here in front office, but the guys here, they've
Speaker 7: been working a lot of great work. Kai Korea is
Speaker 7: running a great camp right now that everything is detailed,
Speaker 7: We're getting what we need in the communication has been
Speaker 7: outstanding and at the end of the day, like these
Speaker 7: guys are, all of our players are challenging themselves in
Speaker 7: the training environment, which we want, you know, we want
Speaker 7: to push the envelope on the training environment, whether it
Speaker 7: be you know, catching, hitting, pitching, infield, defense, outfield, you know,
Speaker 7: check the boxes on everything, just to make sure that
Speaker 7: we're really getting after it. And they are, and the
Speaker 7: players are, they're answering the bell right now. You know,
Speaker 7: we're being constants of the workload build up as we
Speaker 7: go through this spring training. You know, we want to
Speaker 7: make sure the guys are hitting the ground running with
Speaker 7: the legs underneath them when the season starts, especially opening
Speaker 7: Kansas City. So right now I think we're everyone is
Speaker 7: pushing each other and also having a lot of fun
Speaker 7: as well, because, as you know, Rosie, spring training gets
Speaker 7: to be the dog days a little bit waking up early,
Speaker 7: but everyone's having a great time.
Speaker 2: You mentioned that we're doing this, I don't know a
Speaker 2: little bit after a little bit before seven am. You've
Speaker 2: been here locked in for a couple of hours already.
Speaker 2: How different is that for for a baseball person because
Speaker 2: during the regular season that your time frame flips because
Speaker 2: of the night games.
Speaker 5: Oh this is completely one eighty.
Speaker 7: I mean I mess around with where jd Are, I
Speaker 7: head athletic trainer, and he always says his wheelhouse is
Speaker 7: between noon and one am. This is not his wheelhouse
Speaker 7: right now. I don't think it's anyone's wheehouse. I mean
Speaker 7: I was up at four fifteen today to FaceTime the
Speaker 7: kids back back home to you know, to say hi,
Speaker 7: good morning and see them off the school. So I'm
Speaker 7: actually having my first cup of coffee right now. So
Speaker 7: it is. It is completely the flip side of everything
Speaker 7: we do in this game, but you just have to
Speaker 7: get through it. But it's a great test for the
Speaker 7: boys to kind of rest their bodies, get their sleep going,
Speaker 7: and then it's always easy to kind of sleep sleep
Speaker 7: in late as opposed to the other way where That's
Speaker 7: why I think everyone dreads the night games here in
Speaker 7: spring training because you get such on a great sleep schedule,
Speaker 7: you get reacclimated, and then it's just a shock to
Speaker 7: the system when you have a night game at spring
Speaker 7: training and then you have to wake up the next
Speaker 7: day and have a day game. So you know, I
Speaker 7: think we're we have a little bit of a ways
Speaker 7: away for a night game, but that's the one kind
Speaker 7: of everyone's dreading. But yeah, this time it's tough to get.
Speaker 2: Used to all part of the cycles of the baseball calendar. Albi,
Speaker 2: thanks for coming. I appreciate it.
Speaker 7: Thanks Rosie os Ray bubing you.
Speaker 2: That's Craig Albert has always has some good stories, great
Speaker 2: perspectives and real resource on that coaching staff that did
Speaker 2: such great work a year ago. That's going to do it.
Speaker 2: For this week's edition of Guardians, Weekly. Don't forget. You
Speaker 2: can hear our show each week on the radio at
Speaker 2: seven am on Saturday mornings on WTAM in Cleveland, Wman
Speaker 2: and Mansfield and WMRN out and Marion, and eleven o'clock
Speaker 2: Saturday mornings on WKBN in Youngstown, and of course whenever
Speaker 2: you like in podcast form wherever you download your favorite podcast,
Speaker 2: and we'll do it again next week. Until then, thanks
Speaker 2: to Brian Motse for putting together our shows each and
Speaker 2: every week. This is Jim Rosenhouse reminding you that you've
Speaker 2: been listening to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians
Speaker 2: Radio Network.
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