Episode 116: Ryan Rowland-Smith (ROOT Sports), Mariners Are Striking Out Too Much, And Logan Gilbert Dazzles In His 2024 Debut

[00:00:00] Welcome to episode number 116 of the Marine Layer Podcast. We welcome on Mariners' broadcaster Ryan Rollins Smith, a chat about baseball in Australia, his time as a broadcaster with the Mariners and a couple of stories from his playing days. We also have our two Mariners' storylines from the first handful of games. Here's your guys reminder, if you're listening to the show do us a big favor, download these episodes, leave us that 5 star review, leave a written review too, tell us what you like,

[00:00:30] sharing what you might want to hear more of all that stuff. If you're listening and watching on YouTube hit that big red subscribe button, it's free, it takes about a second to do. Like, comment and subscribe all across YouTube and check us out on social media too, we're an Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube shorts at Marine Layer Podcast.

[00:01:01] And we welcome you to this episode of the Marine Layer Podcast, part of the Just Baseball Podcast Network recording post game here on Monday, April 1st. Well how was it to be back at the ballpark? It looked pretty nice.

[00:01:18] Jealous question. Yeah, a little jealous. I'm not going to lie, a little jealous. Well, you should have made your way up, hot. Well, I need to allocate time to come up so that's fair. I'll I'll I soon soon.

[00:01:35] It was it was great. Like honestly, being there both as a fan and getting back to doing some media stuff too. Yeah, it's all great. Arizona was a bunch of fun as we've talked about but to actually get in the flow of the regular season. Awesome, like to see the vibe around the ballpark, you were fired up on opening night. Yeah, it's been it's been great and there is very, very good reason to be fired about this team as we talked about I am a little disappointed though in your intro today because it's the first show we've done after the start of the regular season.

[00:02:05] You only get one chance a year to do this and you didn't do it. You didn't start the show with seasons over. Yeah, I know you wanted me to do that. It's the it's the it's the South Park thing with with no family guy thing with Stevie at the Metz game. Sorry again, my cartoons mixed up.

[00:02:20] You're I mean, you're still not getting it right. It's not Stevie who the characters name and family guys stewie. Damn.

[00:02:30] Did you watch that? No, no, no, no, no, little family guy in South Park growing up. Yeah, yeah. Well, yes, opening day. Here's the first pass. Eat me. Yeah, here's the first pitch and the seasons over.

[00:02:45] Well, if you reach over replies on the live stream on Sunday. I think some people thought that and you know, dude, people are people are welcome to have that opinion.

[00:02:58] Like I want to know what goes on in these people's heads. I don't know if they're trolling or if they genuinely mean things they say when they're just firing off these outlandish takes four games into the season. It really is remarkable.

[00:03:11] Really the fact there are some people out there who think Dom Kenzone should be playing in Korea after the first now five games this season just it blows my mind before we actually get into some of the negative stuff.

[00:03:23] I just want to give a shout out that you know, I heard all this stuff secondarily through you because I'm down here in Oregon for opening weekend and you're up there at the ballpark.

[00:03:30] Everyone who came to say hello like shout it to you guys. I mean, that's awesome. I hear here all of this all this reception that Lyle was able to garner for us up at the ballpark.

[00:03:40] It's not the coolest thing ever. Like just it's just awesome that you guys are able to come out and say hello and show some face and it really does mean a lot to free guys to do that.

[00:03:50] Yeah, means the world to us. I will say like I feel very odd being on the receiving end of it because like I always say like who in the world are we?

[00:03:58] We're just two dudes who are friends who like to talk about the mariners but the fact people really enjoy it. Yeah, it really hits home to the both of us. So we appreciate a ton. I really appreciate the creativity.

[00:04:07] We had one fan who came up to us like most everybody was very nice and most people just came up and you know said love the show and love all your content. I always love watching it.

[00:04:15] We had one fan while I was out in the pen doing some fan content yell out to us and she said, Babe, it's not real. And I said, you know, that's creativity right there. Shout out to you guys.

[00:04:27] Like if you guys can think of witty things to yell out to us like you're only going to win more brownie points with the two of us. That was that was a lot of fun.

[00:04:37] That's certainly a lot of fun and there is a lot more time for a lot more fun as the season goes along. Let's get to our mariners storylines.

[00:04:46] Up first, while the mariners in the first series of the season they could not hit spin. It looked a whole lot like last year when they were facing the red socks up there, jumping it up with sweepers and sliders and cutters and sinkers and curveballs and splitters

[00:05:06] and the mariners couldn't hit any of it. And they struck out 45 times in four games to just six walks against the red socks. Is there a reason for concern?

[00:05:17] No, because it's four games into the year. We talked about this a little bit on the livestream which if those you listening to the podcast don't know this will give ourselves a little bit of a plug right here now every Sunday night at 7 p.m. going forward.

[00:05:31] TJ and I are going live on Instagram and YouTube to basically take any questions you guys have interact with you guys just more ways to build some connections within like the mariners fan base and just answer questions people have.

[00:05:44] So if you want live reactions to things go check out our livestreams every Sunday at 7 p.m. But we talked about on those live streams that yeah, it's too early in the season to be doing this. Yes for the four games they played.

[00:05:58] It was it was suboptimal to see all the swing and miss it all the breaking balls because those were similar issues to what we saw last year Ryan Davis wrote a story about this in the Seattle times.

[00:06:10] The red socks knew exactly what they were doing entering this series. Listen to what Garrett Whitlock did on Sunday for example, do through 83 pitches 23 of them were two seamers.

[00:06:21] Okay, those are the only fastballs he threw of the 83 pitches he threw 23 were two seam fastballs he threw 25 change ups 15 sliders 13 sweepers and five cutters.

[00:06:32] So red socks knew exactly what they were doing entering this series so yes for the first series it is nobody's cheering about the fact they were striking out a bunch.

[00:06:42] But this is still a roster that has been constructed to read themselves of strikeouts. This is a roster with a team that is going to punch out a lot less it just happened to occur in the first four games of the year so like look what happened on Monday, it was only five strikeouts won't wait out.

[00:06:58] I'm not saying there's not going to be games where they don't strike out every team does but for is there reason for concern overall no do I wish they hadn't struck out that many times in the first four games yes.

[00:07:10] Not not reason for concern yet I mean the you're right the red socks knew exactly what they were doing in that first series.

[00:07:16] You just use the Sunday start for for Garrett Whitlock while the entire series their pictures through 11% four seam fastballs.

[00:07:27] The whole the whole pitching staff one out of every 10 pitches was a four seam fastball if that doesn't tell you a game plan I don't know what does and it could be more polar opposite here on Monday where Tristan McKenzie's like a 50 to 60% fastball guy is

[00:07:39] below down like four miles an hour so when Dom can zone gets 91 miles an hour on the top rail to strike zone it's a little bit better than.

[00:07:48] Constant sweepers against the red socks and you know I'll give him credit week talk to a couple of Red Sox people who say you know kind of like the the red socks pitching attack of what they've

[00:07:58] what they've sort of brought in any offices and what they've been tweaking with and it's certainly worked for it worked for one one series the other big thing about that first series with this lineup there's no Mitch Garver like Mitch Garver is supposed to be in there have a league average strikeout rate above average power it's going to walk it and above the league average way to rate as well he wasn't there like that's almost an improper way to evaluate a lineup it certainly is we saw a couple things

[00:08:26] that I think were actually like very positive I thought Jorge Polanco had a bunch of good at bats within that series and you know we got hammered with questions all off season about this Julio clutch

[00:08:40] was who you're going to be clutch and yeah he was clutch yeah he was clutch he did his job he went up there the game on the line couple times he walked the first time in game number one and then game number three walked it off

[00:08:53] and that's what you want to see he was patient waited for his pitch came to him and he made him pay and it worked out yeah and you're seeing him lay off a lot of the pitches that he was swinging at last year again it's only been four games we'll see how it plays out through the course of 162 but it's a pretty good sign he didn't look like he was pressing he doesn't look like he was overmatched he was pretty relaxed in those situations and it led to some very positive results so overall couple more lineup notes that of that I noticed that

[00:09:22] that are going to change but I think these are like the biggest areas that are going to change as the team moves forward I mean we talked so much about adjustments they didn't OPS under 400 the second time through the lineup in that first series which I heard Rick bring it up today again when I was listening on the radio and Rick was like listen like listen to how this lineup operates they had that start they had the outing against Yamamoto and spring training where he carved him up the first time through they came back out with the second the second time

[00:09:51] through with the game plan and they knocked him around well they didn't do that against the red socks like three 93 OPS is that would be a good on base percentage but not a good OPS so that was innings four through six that was their OPS I qualify the second time through but it's close second to third time through the lineup is innings four through six

[00:10:12] and then three ball counts against the red socks damage counts they were four for 23 with zero extra bass hits 14 strikeouts in six walks on those counts by the way the ratio the league ratio last year on three ball counts was about a two to one walk to strike out ratio and the Mariners was split so it wasn't very good not good in damage counts not good second time through the lineup

[00:10:40] and overall flat out just not good enough for for a series but thankfully only a series and not we're not talking about April and May in the sample size.

[00:10:51] Does the red socks pitching it some credit for this I'm sure the cold weather plays some factor into it but for example I was pretty blown away with how dominant Nick Paveta looked in that start that he made Nick Paveta is about a three or four starter at least that's who he's been throughout his career he's fine

[00:11:09] he's not somebody you're going to jump for joy over but he looked like he was just carving right through that line because he was like that didn't look like a four starter that was pitching in that game against the Mariners so I don't know if Andrew Bailey I mean a lot of red socks people see what he's praising Andrew Bailey a lot who's now the red socks pitching coach for allegedly some of the work he's done with this pitching group but yeah for a rotation we expected to be pretty middle of the league in terms of production didn't look like that in the first series

[00:11:38] Paveta pitch that well because I picked him up in fantasy that's why I had I had a really good fantasy weekend and it just had to work out that way

[00:11:48] I thought everything you do fantasy wise embedding wise just goes to shit. Oh I'm good at fantasy.

[00:11:57] You know who stands on the podium alone at the top in our college hands you know. Okay, sorry. Let me let me retract my statement fantasy football and sports you're much better yet gambling's where you run into your problems when there is just direct money involved that's when you run into problems you're $2 bets that don't win you $2.50

[00:12:20] Yeah, but Nick Paveta when I pick him up off waivers. Yeah, so I mean I think the red socks pitching actually does deserve some credit. I don't think the mirrors are gonna look like that all all season by any stretch in fact like you just mentioned here on Monday looked much cleaner yes McKenzie's Vila was a little bit down but they still had a much better approach they still didn't look over matched much better to start yeah

[00:12:48] Let's let's a full series by the end of this series we'll have a it'll be a better evaluation but as I said on the stream in totality. I mean it's gonna need to be till June like yeah June by the time we can actually say this I did this offense has a problem or this offense is a problem those are the two forks will we will cross on June 1st market down before we get our second storyline let's talk to you guys about a place we love to hang out during mariner's games when we're going to play with the game.

[00:13:18] We're not at the ballpark. What do we love to do? Well, we love to head over to Pagotch's pub 85 that's over in Kirkland it's a great place to go spend some time with your friends you can have some great value drinks during happy hours of great food you want to play darts you want to watch the mariner's games you do all that stuff if you get there early during happy hour again

[00:13:37] on some great drink specials you want to get there for happy hour and then stay for the mariner's game you can get some happy hour drinks in beforehand it's a pretty good recipe for a good time that includes

[00:13:47] $3 domestic beers $4 mannies $4 blue moons $4 Mac and Jack $4 Wells and $4 house wines those happy hours are 2 to 6 p.m. on Monday through Friday go check it out that's Pagotch's pub 85 in Kirkland

[00:14:02] $4.5 is the best road to baseball is a pitching group they may be the best in baseball but we're going to focus on one guy Logan Gilbert I'll tell you what for people that are picking Logan Gilbert to go from really good to say young contender in 2024 like Jason Churchill did like a couple other people did like hyphen did people are doubling down after that first start because wow

[00:14:31] yeah wow is a pretty a pretty good way to to describe how that first start went in his he had his cutter which is the first time I've gotten a good television look of that cutter he had his cutter looking like a slider that's like the kind of effectiveness he had of that pitch and he broke it out a few times I mean even flowers and gold in the booth or booth or we're confusing it with a slider because of how much it was moving

[00:14:55] it wasn't just your eyes tricking you after one start through the one time through the rotation that fan graphs is able to judge all these all these pictures Logan Gilbert had the best cutter in baseball

[00:15:07] the best he this is first regular season game throwing that pitch and it registered a 160 soft plus stuff plus which is 60% better than league average 100 is a league average movement profile for that pitch 60% better than league average his first time throwing it I love that pitch that thing is just the way he used it because what Logan Gilbert went into his goal with that pitch was so that he would not

[00:15:37] would not get hammered so much with his fastball and in turn throw more junk more slower stuff pitches that move off the barrel that's what that pitch exactly does it's not too junky but it's junky enough to move off the barrel and not get hit very hard and man especially the fact he gets strikeouts on that pitch to was what a combination of pitches that dude has it's pretty special there he is the best number three pitcher in baseball in a rotation by far

[00:16:06] it's probably not close is there another one close number three I was even just trying to play out the scenarios in my head if everybody's healthy and Houston what you have Verlander, Franber Christian hobby air versus Logan Gilbert hobbyers had some good years I think I'm taking Logan Gilbert I am too like you can go to I don't know

[00:16:28] Dodgers I was gonna say Toronto maybe like like see what you have what you have God's men you have oh I'm already blank it never mind okay yeah maybe not Toronto I mean I was gonna say like Bassett Bassett Bassett's more the three there I would say so I like I take Logan Gilbert over Chris Bassett you have a Dodgers what Yamamoto glass now and then

[00:16:47] like Bobby Miller's he looked pretty good his first start I'm not gonna lie Logan right now probably has a slight edge on him not saying that's a forever pick but right now yeah

[00:16:58] well yeah and Bobby Miller hasn't had the track record Logan Gilbert has now you can argue when Walker Bueller comes back there's a chance but Walker Bueller hasn't

[00:17:07] pitched a full season and like in a while it's been well over a year since he's pitched a full season so he's gonna take some time to have

[00:17:15] to dial it back in and everything so for the for right now I think it has to be Logan Gilbert like who's like the

[00:17:23] no no Max breed Spencer Strider yeah the Braves don't really have a truth three behind those guys that's like Logan Gilbert

[00:17:29] yeah like I don't I don't see how it can't be Logan Gilbert I know we're jumping way ahead here but

[00:17:36] if the Mariners make the playoffs in the last decade is there even then a top three like this if Logan

[00:17:43] Gilbert continues to pitch like this oh that's you think it's in 15th of the center guard yeah DeGrom Harvey

[00:17:54] center guard that was a pretty lethal trio let's see what else it's not a good two the at the Astros

[00:18:03] in 19 were that's a good call yeah JV granky garicold okay so maybe those guys that was a

[00:18:12] pretty loaded unit point being it's not a lot the Mariners get into the playoffs is here and ride these

[00:18:17] three guys Louise George Kirby Logan Gilbert who they can go a long way very very long way the

[00:18:24] downbacks got to the world series that rotation was nowhere close to what this rotation is so yeah

[00:18:31] we're jumping way ahead here but Logan Gilbert looks unbelievably impressive through one start and

[00:18:37] I'll say this too we're talking about the cutter which he did not give up a hit on in his first

[00:18:41] star you talked about it was by stuff the best cutter in baseball already that wasn't even his

[00:18:46] primary strikeout pitch in his first downing now he wasn't throwing it as much as some other pitches

[00:18:50] but half the strikeouts came on the splitter so we know at times he can I mean we know he has a great

[00:18:56] fastball we know last year he possessed a great slider the splitters getting results the cutters now

[00:19:01] getting results look out like like like this is a ridiculous ridiculous arsenal this dude has and

[00:19:10] you so we just how he his best stuff plus pitch his best strikeout pitch and I thought his most

[00:19:15] effective pitch was neither of those two in his first turn I thought it was a slider he threw

[00:19:19] a slider eight on and he was even leaving over the plate too and they couldn't really hit it

[00:19:24] that much he's probably not going to do that too much Logan's command is not perfect he's not George

[00:19:28] Kirby he's not just gonna dot up the corners because that's not the kind of pitch he was but I

[00:19:33] thought about it this way because he had a problem early on his career he would leave like 95

[00:19:37] hour fastballs middle middle well he didn't throw very many middle middle fastballs the pitches

[00:19:42] he left middle middle were cutters and sliders pitches that mood pitches that were harder to barrel

[00:19:46] up and it was effective like the most of his fastballs ended up on the inside corner to varieties

[00:19:52] outside corner to left these that's primarily where his fastballs ended up but his I mean his

[00:19:57] cutter in a slider leaked out over the plate a little bit but since those pitches move so much

[00:20:01] it's a lot harder to hit those pitches and it gives you more room for error I mean is that not all

[00:20:06] you could ask for the all Logan Gilbert especially can ask for is to have the pitches move so much

[00:20:12] that even though his commands not perfect it still works out for him in a positive manner so like

[00:20:18] there's just so many good things to like I mean we're like we're talking three plus off speeds

[00:20:24] from that from him yeah and I'm not shocked the slider looked at great that was his best pitch last

[00:20:29] year so it's carrying over to 2024 like there's there's already a million reasons to be excited about

[00:20:35] the Mariners rotation but seeing Logan Gilbert do what he did in his first start yeah that was pretty

[00:20:40] awesome I do want to give a couple extra shout outs before we wrap up this segment too you don't

[00:20:45] need to hear from us the George Kirby looked awesome because George Kirby did what George Kirby

[00:20:49] always does aside from walking two guys in the first inning like chalk up that scorecard and put it

[00:20:56] right in a baseball hall of fame you may never see him do that again yeah yeah and but then after that

[00:21:01] it was one like no one reached second after that right there's like as the as the shirt says like

[00:21:09] what the exact words on in that shirt yeah angry Georgia's dreamland yeah

[00:21:13] no red socks stepped into his dreamland he got stomped yeah he was he was dominant and final one

[00:21:20] before we wrap this segment up gave fires looked so fucking good so far our guy little unit baby

[00:21:30] little unit he's been leaned on these first five games it doesn't matter this dude mixes the perfect

[00:21:37] combination of stuff and command out of the open and from the left side how do you hit it how do

[00:21:43] he hit it oh by the way so we were talking about this earlier I just want to bring this up now

[00:21:46] that you brought him up so we have our we had our perfect box that we put that we put spiran right where

[00:21:53] I call them the unicorn 29% strikeout rate or higher five and a half walk rate or lower 55% or higher

[00:22:01] ground ball rate over 50 innings pitch and I think I'd said that oh there's no one else that

[00:22:07] it done that and I was sitting here thinking actually Kirshah Kirshah is not done that

[00:22:15] I actually went and looked even though I did the stack I did the search on fan graphs I had to go

[00:22:19] double check no like Kirshah has never done that yeah Clay it Kirshah slammed on call a famer

[00:22:26] one of the four three best lefties of all time maybe the best depending on who you ask left handed

[00:22:32] pictures of all time he's never done that in a strikeout era as a as someone who doesn't walk any

[00:22:38] one he never hit all those benchmarks in a single season he didn't do that and I was thinking okay

[00:22:44] who's another all-time great lefty oh sandy cofax sandy cofax it was he had one season where it

[00:22:54] was close he had a like a 29% strikeout rate five and a half percent walk rate on the dot

[00:23:01] and he did that unlike eavespire he didn't 330 innings so a little bit more volume than Gabe

[00:23:09] but they didn't have ground ball rate back then so I can't confirm that like this is the kind of

[00:23:12] company we're talking about that Gabe Spirers in and he has entered 2024 looking even better

[00:23:22] than he's looked in 2023 so like if that's even possible because he had such a good year last year

[00:23:28] but he's taken another step forward at least in the first few outings he's had this year where

[00:23:32] yeah he's just mowing guys right down yeah it's it is not fair I mean a high teams don't really have

[00:23:38] high leverage lefty in the bullpen almost ever unless your name is a roaldis Chapman like you do not

[00:23:43] have a high lev- not anymore with the roaldis Chapman but in the past a high leverage lefty with

[00:23:48] like that and Spirer is he's unbelievable before we get to hyphen really fun conversation with

[00:23:57] root sports analysts former Mariner Ryan Rollinsmith let's hear a word from ticket smarter

[00:24:02] baseball is back in ticket smarter has you covered guys if you want tickets we really recommend

[00:24:07] you listen closely to this right now they have seats to more than 125,000 live events ticket

[00:24:13] smarter is the smart choice when you need tickets for concerts theater shows and sporting events

[00:24:19] think smarter think ticket smarter go to ticketsmartr.com or the ticket smarter app and use our code marine

[00:24:25] 10 for $10 off your purchase that's code marine 10 for $10 off your purchase only at ticket smarter

[00:24:33] guys go get your mariner's tickets use our code marine 10 at ticket smarter I love having Ryan

[00:24:39] Rollinsmith on because like his he like think of the house short of a turnaround it's been for

[00:24:45] Ryan Rollinsmith from the playing field to the television booth and he does it just about as well

[00:24:51] as anybody period in the root sports booth yeah he's been awesome up in that booth like knowledgeable

[00:25:00] like charismatic noses stuff yeah like he's he's awesome to listen to he's got some great stories

[00:25:06] from his playing career we get into some of that stuff and this is just a side note too but

[00:25:11] hyphens oh like since we started this whole thing he's always been incredibly supportive of the two

[00:25:16] of us and and and it's always helpful with us either at the field or when we have questions for

[00:25:21] him everything so to have him on and actually get to talk with him on an interview was a bunch of fun

[00:25:26] he's also talking about his new show that he's starting this year which sounds like it's going

[00:25:31] awesome he's got some awesome guest book for it already yeah overall really really fun conversation

[00:25:36] with hyphens and also really fun if you're not like he's Australian I mean there are not very many

[00:25:42] baseball players from australia and learning about the perspective of baseball and how it's viewed

[00:25:47] in australia and what the culture is like and how it's evolved over time is I mean it's it's

[00:25:53] some pretty interesting stuff when we dive pretty deep into it with with Ryan Rollinsmith so we're

[00:25:57] not going to keep that from you any longer let's get to our conversation with Ryan Rollinsmith

[00:26:05] all right we've got the hyphen it's Ryan Rollinsmith former mariners pitcher now analyst on

[00:26:11] root sports on Seattle sports host of the top step podcast which let's just kick it off right

[00:26:16] there you've got some exciting stuff in the works with the pod right Ryan yes I do I do and look

[00:26:22] I can talk about podcast shows all this stuff I've actually learned a lot in the last couple weeks

[00:26:27] but you know I mean you guys know you got you guys are killing it by the way we'll get to that

[00:26:31] in a second but no yeah let's kick it off with that so basically if you look behind me I mean

[00:26:36] I've got a knee on sign what else do I need to say I mean it's pretty legit when you go

[00:26:41] on sign that's for sure but no lucky enough I am doing a mariners weekly show every single week

[00:26:48] it's gonna start opening day on root sports it's gonna be on YouTube as well it's some extra content

[00:26:53] talking to players just like you guys do talking to former players some makes teammates tell on

[00:26:58] stories breaking down the mariners some of the top trends so it's gonna be fun man I can't wait

[00:27:03] I had the podcast and that was something I kicked off you know around covid and you know it

[00:27:09] went hard I really enjoyed it it was more about as you guys know it's a great way to connect with

[00:27:13] players and that was kind of how it kicked off and it's been a blast man so a chance to do this

[00:27:20] to do it you know on root sports which part of the mariners broadcast I'm really really excited

[00:27:24] so again like I said you guys know how this stuff goes it's tricky it's tricky to navigate

[00:27:30] sometimes yeah yeah you set out in your head how it's gonna be and it's completely different

[00:27:34] so we'll see about a couple months in how this show looks for sure why did putting it on

[00:27:39] root sports makes so much sense to you I think well first of all there's you know obviously as

[00:27:44] you guys know you guys do the audio and the visual side of things um I love the audio side because

[00:27:48] it can be long form I think not to get too deep in the weeds I think that when you have a chance

[00:27:54] to have a long form conversation not just sound bites um it's really important so I love that from

[00:27:59] the audio side I love that from a sit down interview with someone where it's not rushed they don't

[00:28:03] have to give the cliche answers um and you can really dive in but then on top of that too I just

[00:28:09] think like from from a visual standpoint there's so many times where you know Cal Rolly uh talking

[00:28:14] about he's you know catching uh or whatever it may be um and you don't quite get to see the

[00:28:19] the the visual side of it so I think you know doing it on root sports and having a show where

[00:28:23] I can I can get that access to a guy like Cal and go up to the ball pen and have him you know

[00:28:27] get down and some nice cameras and and see what kind of drills he does you know if it helps

[00:28:31] to kid out or whatever it may be or you know why is it so important to do certain things he might

[00:28:35] do something in April main you like man like that that made a huge difference and having a chance

[00:28:40] for him to visualize that too as a player uh I think it's really important and on top of that too

[00:28:44] as you guys know and back to the long form part of it you know TV doing a pregame show or doing

[00:28:51] you know sometimes when you're doing a game on a broadcast you have to keep it quick and that's

[00:28:55] something as we'll learn in the next you know 23rd you minutes how have a long where we're sitting

[00:28:59] on here for uh I have a tough time getting to the point and so I think that when you have a chance

[00:29:04] to do something where I can do a 30 minute show on root sports but also have the extended version

[00:29:08] on YouTube which will be like for example I'm sitting down with Felix next week uh at the Mariner's

[00:29:13] warm-up event and you know I want to talk to him for 30 minutes you know I mean the guy I got

[00:29:18] a chance to play with him when he was at the peak of his career you can't put that in a 30 minute show

[00:29:23] so I can do both which which is a real real benefit and I think that um you know doing both it really

[00:29:27] helps so uh that that was something that was important to me uh to to have the ability to do both

[00:29:33] have the long form and and have the um the more the visuals to it is really cool how are you going

[00:29:38] to choose which 30 minutes get to go on TV well that's just it man it's it's one of those ones around

[00:29:44] I can't help but like I said my my my answer's along enough my questions even you know longer like

[00:29:50] that's the hardest thing and you guys know this I'm happy to dive into it asking players certain

[00:29:56] questions it's way harder than it looks right am I right I mean you guys know you know because

[00:30:02] yeah and I know you guys do such great social content too where you ask him hey like what you're

[00:30:06] top 10 or top five or whatever it may be just so good because you get to see the personality of

[00:30:10] the player but when you sit and have that that long conversation you you feel like and um you know

[00:30:16] look I played but from being a former player walking in the club out I'm like oh man I don't

[00:30:21] want to get anyone's way here I know what that was like I'm trying to you know get my routine and

[00:30:25] whatever and I'm like in a bugger man you got 30 minutes and you want to dive in and you want

[00:30:29] to keep them you know so that not captivated but you want to keep them engaged and what you're

[00:30:33] talking about it's an art form it really is I'm still I suck at it I'm getting much better at it

[00:30:40] but but that's what like long form gives you the chance to do when you have a chance to sit down

[00:30:44] and talk but then I have someone who's making those decisions on the side someone else is deciding

[00:30:49] what five minutes out of the the 15 minutes five minutes five minutes whatever they're going to

[00:30:54] choose thank God because I'll be screwed man I'm like where do I go with this that's for sure

[00:30:58] well I was gonna ask if you have any bucket list guests for the show but it sounds like

[00:31:02] you've got one already checked off with Felix I mean you're climbing pretty high up the ladder to

[00:31:05] start here yeah I think the thing with Felix and I he's the deal like look I missed the everyone

[00:31:13] wearing the yellow Kings Court shirts and him standing I saw photos I was I think I was back

[00:31:17] in Australia at that point remember that last game you pitched at T-Mobile and you know a lot of

[00:31:23] people remember Felix in those last couple years which fair enough I mean they're the last couple

[00:31:28] years he pitched but he just he look we all know man he wasn't the same as when he was peak Felix

[00:31:34] like for example I have Brandon Morrow and Erica Fleurity joined me on the first episode and we just

[00:31:39] you talk about like trying to you know contain a subject we kept talking about peak Felix we're

[00:31:44] talking when he first came up and then you know you're talking about 50607 and then by I think by

[00:31:49] 2009 2010 man he was everything just started to click obviously made it made it all start team

[00:31:57] then you won the Saiyong in 2010 that was such a dismal year 2010 it's so hard to pitch well

[00:32:02] I'm not making excuses but when you're around just a terrible environment which it was

[00:32:07] and so we got talking about that and so I got it I was super lucky to be a teammate of his and

[00:32:12] watch him just slow down the pace man like you go into this coast hostile environment watching

[00:32:19] him warm up and then all of a sudden whack base hit walk to run his own he just slows down

[00:32:25] and you know we watched some of these young pictures I love watching body language I love watching

[00:32:28] how guys react you know George Kirby last year watching him react to certain situations good and

[00:32:33] bad and Felix just had that that presence about him it's you can't teach her that alpha thing about

[00:32:38] him where it was so fun to watch like you were not walking in the in the clubhouse I'm talking

[00:32:44] circa 2009 Felix like because he just want to watch every moment and so yeah I can't wait to sit

[00:32:49] down with him and and he seems like he's way more as you guys have noticed like came back and

[00:32:54] throughout that first pitch in the in the playoff game and then had you know the Hall of Fame last

[00:32:59] year it's nice to see him wanting wanting to come back it's a long track from where he lives so

[00:33:04] it'll be fun man would be good to see him right so I love all these ideas are thrown at it sounds

[00:33:09] like you've just you thought of so much of this ahead and the excited with the idea of getting

[00:33:13] this on root sports and and thinking of all the different ways you can present this I don't know

[00:33:18] like when in your playing career you decided that talking about baseball is what you wanted to do

[00:33:24] after you're done playing yeah like well first of all as everyone knows I come from Australia right

[00:33:30] baseball and straya no one cares about baseball you play baseball and straya runs like okay

[00:33:35] you're a professional athlete whatever now if you're a professional rugby player did yeah I mean

[00:33:40] you're the man right and as you know as insecure as as um

[00:33:46] egotistical whatever the word is but I'd go home I'm talking I was in the big leagues right

[00:33:50] and yeah I'd go home like those early years or when I was close to getting the big leagues or

[00:33:55] I'm getting talked about or whatever and um yeah everyone's like oh you know if you haven't seen

[00:34:00] you on tv yet oh man like what do you have to do around here like I love the game so much

[00:34:08] and I go back to Australia and just try and be the biggest ambassador possible because I wanted

[00:34:12] to try and grow the game right um and then it was one of these things where like when I was going

[00:34:18] to the US I'd go into this environment where like man all I want to do is talk about the game

[00:34:23] I want to be around people who love talking about the game so like any opportunity I got and this

[00:34:28] it sounds crazy because you guys are watching a generation now where they're all on social

[00:34:32] they're joining you guys you guys ask asking crazy questions on your social account and they're

[00:34:37] willing just to answer them I'm telling you you go back to like my generation and and prior to that

[00:34:42] they were to just look at like no chance like the media was the enemy when I was playing

[00:34:46] I just had this feeling like like the reason there's 40 something thousand people in a cell out

[00:34:52] is because the dude sitting over here riding the articles are saying good things that's why

[00:34:56] people standing up cheering or that's why when I've got a 60 R a people that still have my back and

[00:35:00] I just always I just respected and appreciated that and I don't mean to sound like I'm kissing us

[00:35:05] at all but you know Rick had a great relationship right out of the gates with Rick Rez you know

[00:35:10] Shannon Dreyer some of the people who were still there all the reporters I just I loved it man

[00:35:14] you think I wanted to come in and talk about Australia talk about me talk about baseball talk about

[00:35:18] anything I'm just I'm wide open I'd sit there and just have a longest chat ever and so I think

[00:35:23] when you build those relationships that helps look and and getting into this and sorry to drag

[00:35:29] this out but I think I'll get to when I sort of figure it out like you know I'd love to do this when

[00:35:33] I knew the career was starting to have a slow death but um I think it's really important players need

[00:35:39] to understand this I try until teenagers this all the time that relationships and networking just

[00:35:44] like you guys do you guys do such a good job of it it's so important it's so important it doesn't

[00:35:48] mean you have to kiss everyone's ass it means have a relationship with someone listen to someone

[00:35:51] when they talk to you if if a reporter comes in know their you know know what they're into besides

[00:35:57] right and about the Mariners it's not this thing where all of a sudden you're a player and you're on

[00:36:00] this pedestal and everyone has to you know tell you how amazing you are so I always understood that

[00:36:05] so I think when I got out of the game and I was freaking out man every player does I go to these career

[00:36:09] summits every year I talk at these MLBPA the players association summits and you've got like

[00:36:15] you know these former players I sound like man that dude had 10 years in the big leagues that guy made

[00:36:19] you know $20 million that one year and they're sitting there and they're just a deer in headlights

[00:36:23] and what to do like could they get out of the game and I think for me I was lucky as like man I'd

[00:36:26] love to get into some former broadcasting I didn't think I had a good enough career to do it to be

[00:36:30] honest with you guys and that's also my other dudes had like a similar to career to me jump on TV

[00:36:34] as like oh man okay I can do it and then I'm gonna touch with Kevin Martinez for the Mariners and

[00:36:39] he said hey come up to Seattle and meet some of these people and I loved it man it was just nice

[00:36:43] to get back to Seattle I thought no one would remember me a and then B he was like all the same

[00:36:48] people were there and I was like man this is what I want to do this is absolutely what I want to do

[00:36:52] if I get a chance to be around the game at this level you guys know how it is man you walk

[00:36:56] that afternoon on the right in front of the dugout when you're talking to players it's the best right

[00:37:00] if I get a chance to do that like as much as I possibly can I'm all in so towards the end of my

[00:37:04] career I wanted to keep it going as long as I could I got done with baseball and I need to do

[00:37:09] something with you know scares the crap out of me like it does still and something I can

[00:37:13] can strive forward and have some goals and this is it I love it.

[00:37:17] Well Seattle always did you have that circled is wanting to come back to the Pacific Northwest to

[00:37:22] do this well there was there was we don't start with that like throughout the time with the Mariners

[00:37:28] I didn't know how old you guys are what would generate what team you sort of jumped onto that

[00:37:34] you remember you what are your earliest memories by the way what's saying what year probably

[00:37:39] that era Ryan to be honest I was like nine when you were there nine 10 11 12 I think I was so

[00:37:45] that would have been right in there. I want to say I started a little bit earlier than that like

[00:37:50] unfortunately I'd say my first real memory of a full season of Mariners baseball was 04 which is

[00:37:55] right when a lot of losing started so I don't really remember 01 or even 0203 when they were

[00:38:00] right in it so I'd say right around 04 and like we've talked about before like I vivid memories

[00:38:05] of you doing that Mariners commercial where the guys come up to you it's like oh we want to give

[00:38:09] you a salute to your homeland tonight Ryan and they're talking about all these things from Austrian

[00:38:13] you're like you guys know I'm not from Austria right they're like be serious and that like so I've

[00:38:18] buried vivid memories of 09. Yeah hi listen man that that was a good and again same thing Kevin

[00:38:23] Martinez like you got to remember that like it was believe it or not that had those crazy commercials

[00:38:28] but it was pulling teeth like you go back through that string of commercials you had to have like

[00:38:33] a certain veteran player sort of give the head nod if you're a younger player to do them right like

[00:38:39] because the media is kind of like the enemy like you know the one you that crap you just take care

[00:38:42] of business you know pull your boot up and go out and punch tickets but I was always like now

[00:38:46] I want to do all this stuff it's awesome um uh because again I came from a place where no one

[00:38:50] do no one care about baseball like this is awesome man like people think I'm cool they want to do a

[00:38:54] silly commercial let's do it but um but back to you know look look I was in kind of a funky

[00:39:01] era with error with the Mariners that's for sure and you know I signed with them when I was 17 years

[00:39:07] old 2001 was my first year playing rookie ball as an 18 year old now there was and maybe maybe she

[00:39:13] might be listen Jan playing now I know Jan really well she used to work for the Mariners she was

[00:39:17] like my USA mom right so everything I needed from a visa figuring out hotels transportation all that

[00:39:24] stuff um she would do everything right so you know I kept in touch with her the whole time so like

[00:39:31] I'll be honest with you there I get done playing my last year pitching in the in the big leagues was

[00:39:35] 2014 and then coming back like Kevin asked me to go up to Seattle I was like man I want to but like

[00:39:40] I don't know anyone up I felt like I just didn't know because I had to pick some valleys like some

[00:39:44] weird weird times with um with the Mariners so you know that one of the first people I

[00:39:48] sicked out was Jan I mean she she just she works for like a lot of the international players that's

[00:39:52] what she does and she was still there and it was awesome and then I saw her then I saw this person

[00:39:56] and I saw that person it's like oh it all came back to me I'm like this is a nice community this

[00:40:00] feels like home I've been with him pretty much the Mariners my whole adult life bar you know a few years

[00:40:05] so it felt that way I felt like there was a natural fit and I'll be honest with you there too

[00:40:09] I didn't have didn't make a big enough impression anywhere else I went I only played in the big leagues

[00:40:13] with the debacks beside that so I'm like I'm not going to get that resonant they're going to give me a

[00:40:17] TV or a radio you're going to get a Seattle that was it so off that you talked about you signed

[00:40:23] with the Mariners at 17 and and like baseball wasn't that popular in Australia right so how do they

[00:40:28] find you all the way back when when they signed you um yeah so all right so when I like my he's kind

[00:40:33] of major myself bad here um late 90s when um I was a teenager it was one of these ones where like

[00:40:41] you had to be like you know top 1% like there was like always each age group and there was more

[00:40:46] dude signing back then you had to be like the top five players in the country for your age to

[00:40:51] even get a crack right um to get a chance in there and you know I was 15 16 couple what they do

[00:40:57] in Australia by the way it's super cheesy um I don't think they do it anymore thank God because

[00:41:02] it's changed a lot they used to give you like a business card right so like I never forget I was

[00:41:06] held was ice uh I think I was 15 um yeah big big left handed dude swung the bad okay through

[00:41:13] recently hard that you know you don't know when you're 15 some kids do um but the rocky scout came

[00:41:19] up and gave my mom a business card and these dudes listen guys like these scouts nothing in scouts

[00:41:24] back in Australia but they walk around like they're the GM like they walk around like they had

[00:41:27] their like rocky's polo and you know bucket hat and then I was like oh man the rocky's like

[00:41:31] that's how it was and so came up and you like you know you gave my mom like a business card and

[00:41:36] everyone's like oh man and I was like man I kept that card forever and then 12 months after that

[00:41:42] crickets right like I wasn't very good everyone was getting bigger than me I was like

[00:41:46] I just wasn't getting any stronger and then literally last second about 17 years old

[00:41:50] I got to go to nationals you play for your state right so there's six different states to

[00:41:54] get on play I got a national sum trauma like 85s 86s and you guys probably like yes so but back then

[00:42:00] it's like I was 16 what was I 16 17 years old just about to turn 17 I started trying hard

[00:42:05] and had this like big breaking ball and all of a sudden I was on the map and I started just

[00:42:09] up man this is this is close here like his college wasn't wasn't an option I just wasn't right

[00:42:14] and all of a sudden they had the Olympics in 2000 and they had all these like international

[00:42:19] scouts out and then we had this showcase they put this showcase together and I always hit bombs

[00:42:23] other how question bombs and the the twins scout said he basically said and we had to run 60s

[00:42:29] and all that right and I was just slow I was running slow but I was hit I was like man I'm

[00:42:34] hitting like out of my mind right now I never hit like that I'm not joking and so I'm hitting you

[00:42:40] guys hey man like you know nice swing how we know said it was a scout hey you're nice swing

[00:42:44] but you got big hole you get beat up by blah blah blah and again like I've said these scouts act

[00:42:48] like they're there the yeah the you know what so I was like oh man they're like hey the throne

[00:42:54] ball pins over there now again like like I said all these scouts I've never seen came to the Olympics in

[00:42:58] 2000 and so I was like all right so I go start trying to ball pen not nothing great and then a

[00:43:05] scout who I knew right after that there was some rumblings he came over and he's like hey man we

[00:43:10] want to make you an offer I was like what it goes yeah 25,000 bucks signed with the Mariners I was

[00:43:16] like I was just like you kidding me you joking and I go I'm gonna think about it my mom's like oh

[00:43:21] let's let us think about it I get drive home two hours and this is gonna age me too right I get home

[00:43:27] and my my step that sitting guys oh there's some scout on the phone with them the marinas now I'm

[00:43:31] jacking out of Marin as you knew that and and in case he listens I don't want to throw him under the bus

[00:43:37] and I guess I got 30 30 grand and I was like yeah done I was in my frame I saw up the plenty

[00:43:43] of jenny's and I was going the next year so that was it that was it and that's gonna how that

[00:43:46] happens crazy where is australian baseball culture now how how much has it grown since then I

[00:43:54] it's still not it's probably still not where you would want to see it in terms of funneling

[00:44:00] australian baseball players to america more but where would you see it is right now and what direction

[00:44:05] is it going yeah great question so late 90s really picked up where you know you had actually started

[00:44:12] to get access to like they had the Australian baseball league in the 90s and it shut down they

[00:44:15] got it back and so it started to really pick up steam and there wasn't that much competition right

[00:44:19] you only had like couple channels and it was like prime time like Sunday afternoon

[00:44:23] Friday evening that have the Pepsi cup and that's what kind of that I was like oh this is awesome

[00:44:28] and then around my time it was like just you would like it Aussies were signed for like a 100k 200

[00:44:34] k to go over there was no international cap right like there is now and then all of a sudden

[00:44:40] that's kind of how it was it kind of dipped a little bit and then you know we had some success

[00:44:45] we want I want to see a medal at the Olympics and with we thought that was going to be it all

[00:44:48] these kids are going to jump on jump on and you know they didn't and they said they put

[00:44:54] in this international cap so as you guys know the all the Latin countries you know the Dominican

[00:44:57] Venezuelan you know all those guys you know they're the first guys that get those giant signing

[00:45:03] bonuses then some of the Asian players and the scraps go out to the Aussies that's just the way it

[00:45:06] goes this is that money left by the by the time they get to the Australians and that kind of really

[00:45:10] put a damper on kids signing kids just it was so much tougher for kids to get signing professionally

[00:45:17] and then two that around 2016 that's right when I started like the show got a next-gen baseball

[00:45:22] right so I started this company who I was bringing kids over to the US and getting them to go to

[00:45:29] college I was like don't sign professionally unless it's life altering staggering money

[00:45:33] go to college like and I'm not I'm not saying I wasn't trying to be all you know down in the

[00:45:37] dumps for those like man like 99% of these kids they go to play proball for three years

[00:45:41] they get go back to Australia their buddies have done with school they're sitting again what do I

[00:45:44] do now you know it was tough so I said unless you're really ready for proball go play college baseball

[00:45:50] so I started getting in getting kids into schools of Travis Bazzani you guys know I don't know if

[00:45:55] you know Travis Oregon State he's killing it he's gonna be a top five pick in the draft he came

[00:46:00] over with next-gen baseball Jimmy Nadi he's at Stanford he's another kid he's gonna be in the

[00:46:05] draft next year we sent a kid to Columbia Gonzaga all the way down to Juco so I started doing that

[00:46:11] 2016 obviously COVID made a little tougher but I'm back on it this year I'm bringing a couple

[00:46:15] groups of kids over they got a driveline for a week they go showcase and I think that from

[00:46:20] 2016 until now the amount of kids going to go play college baseball I think baseball Australia have

[00:46:25] eased up and and pushed more towards a college route which is great so the next just why

[00:46:30] and they get a chance to mature and everything else so I think in this next so the state of baseball

[00:46:34] I it's really flatlined I think in the next from Travis the next five years you're gonna see some

[00:46:39] dudes just like in the NBA where oh this guy is Australian like when Andrew Bogg it was the first

[00:46:44] he was the first of second pick overall we're not happy all of a sudden these other all

[00:46:47] these other odds he's hearing college programs started on to the draft and then all of a sudden

[00:46:51] these Australians like basketball just took off in Australia I think that's the same thing is

[00:46:55] going to happen with his next generation I'm not trying to plug the business but the next generation

[00:47:00] of these Aussie kids come through and start getting drafted higher for sure so if Travis makes it

[00:47:05] and he makes it big he gets up to the big leagues quickly and he starts crushing it I think it's

[00:47:09] projected to go to the guardians first overall wherever he ends up in the draft this upcoming summer

[00:47:14] so like he makes it big all the T are the TVs in Australia turned baseball now they go back away

[00:47:20] from the NBA and they go to watch Travis was on a wearless plan. I think if let's say

[00:47:24] hypothetically look the NBA has a you know NBA huge like internationally it's massive right especially

[00:47:30] in Australia I don't think it'd be look when from Bogg it onwards just put it this way

[00:47:40] the on Australian TV like on some of the mainstream channels and stuff they would show the games

[00:47:46] like Ben Simmons was playing Bogg it you know they would show those games so like if it was playing

[00:47:51] on a team that show them so if it was a situation where like say let's say Tribe gets gets the big leagues

[00:47:55] here's a superstar Jimmy now I get to the big league superstar and you know you mentioned Travis

[00:47:59] on the the guardians let's say Jimmy's on the pirates whatever well all of a sudden if they start

[00:48:04] showing and profiling these Aussie players I think it's really gonna help I really do but it's tough

[00:48:09] it's it's it's always tough I think that if you can continually see you know drafty drafty

[00:48:15] in these kids these Aussie kids this I mean look it's definitely gonna grow and I think the younger

[00:48:20] kids are gonna look at that guy man I want to be just like Travis Pazana as opposed to I want to

[00:48:24] be like Mike Trout or if they you know he's the other thing too I spoke to that NBA from a you

[00:48:30] guys know this baseball struggles talked about this last half decade there's no like pop culture icon

[00:48:37] in baseball you know the NBA has it NFL has it obviously you know Taylor Swift and her boyfriend too

[00:48:44] but baseball just doesn't have that right now they had a little bit of that with Gita Aeroid

[00:48:47] Ben Aero was dating these celebrities baseball needs that countries like Australia they latch onto that

[00:48:53] unless it's if it's Travis Pazana and he's killing it kids want to be like that that's great

[00:48:57] if it's an American dude who like he's dating some you know uber celebrity coupled and there's

[00:49:02] couple of those baseball that will well I hate to say it but that's what you need honestly in Australia so

[00:49:08] yeah that's just the way it goes okay with baseball not having that like ultra figure like you

[00:49:14] were talking about like like how jitter kind of used to be like do you think show Hayes getting

[00:49:18] closer to that yeah I do I think so I don't like I think well yeah obviously when you bring up

[00:49:28] Otani's name in Australia it gets more legs than like Mike Traut right like he talked to a non I

[00:49:35] talked to plenty of non baseball fans my Traut is a ridiculous professional athlete like one of

[00:49:43] the best athletes on the planet no one in Australia knows who he is outside of baseball fans Otani

[00:49:49] gets a little bit more he makes a little bit more headway but again I know it sounds ridiculous but

[00:49:55] if you've got someone like it doesn't even have to be Otani man I'm talking like if you could be like

[00:50:01] a cold talker like who like cold talker okay all right now hold on hold on I'm talking about

[00:50:07] like someone who's like a well-known like established every day player who's dating let me come up with

[00:50:16] one this might be a good thing you can ask the players when you see him at the top of the dugout

[00:50:21] um let's try and figure that I'm gonna say like a like just like a just a regular big

[00:50:30] leaguer like not a superstar but just plays every day like I don't know like somebody like David

[00:50:34] Fletcher or somebody like that I don't know no not David Fletcher someone okay let's say like a

[00:50:39] Breggman level player okay so higher than that really good player like a like I said really

[00:50:45] good established major league player who okay is dating I don't even know who this leverage is

[00:50:50] I don't even want to old man um who's like who's like lines up close to Taylor Swift try to think

[00:50:58] do a leeper let's see do a there you go that's a good one there you go you guys are young man you

[00:51:03] you know all right say if we start a Dayton whoever that is I'm telling you Breggman jerseys

[00:51:09] everywhere Breggman jerseys walking around Westfield shopping mall in Manley you guys have no idea

[00:51:13] what I'm talking you know what I'm saying right like that's the difference and O'Tani is like a

[00:51:19] phenom as we know but if look if O'Tani was dating I know he just like they just

[00:51:24] leaked pictures of his wife um the butt just just just kind of snuck it in just like

[00:51:30] a merry now I'm watching all these like yeah I'm doing the zombie scroll through social media

[00:51:36] I'm seeing your podcast pop up every other second and then I'm seeing all these other ones

[00:51:40] I'm like everyone's showing highlights of her basketball get like it's so ridiculous like

[00:51:45] you're bought to baseball put her on Instagram I love it but um but now like look if O'Tani was

[00:51:49] dating some celebrity can you imagine like seriously that would transcend baseball it really right

[00:51:55] no you're right about that and and I will say like like no for everything you're doing with trying

[00:51:59] to grow the game of baseball in Australia I think it's really cool because again like you said

[00:52:02] it's like a country that didn't grow up with a lot of it but you're trying to kind of instill it

[00:52:07] back into your to your home country which is cool like and it is growing like I like I

[00:52:12] I know you were talking about how it's grown like and you still want to see more but it's

[00:52:15] definitely grown like it's much more prominent in like in the WBC now for a while.

[00:52:19] Well that's just it man so like the WBC and that's a great example right so

[00:52:24] I'm not gonna lie I went and did the WBC over and I was doing the the Taiwanese pull right

[00:52:30] I kept getting asked by the guys who were covering the Aussie team in Japan like give us a

[00:52:33] scatter report I'm looking down the list I'm like man they're just they have these guys who

[00:52:38] they weren't these like young exciting up and coming players that had a rostafull of dude too

[00:52:43] had had been seasoned in professional baseball all over the place but they weren't

[00:52:48] overwhelmed playing the Tokyo Dome I played there in 2017 that WBC it's overwhelming it really is

[00:52:54] with a bunch of young dudes but I'm talking like the WBC that's what I'm saying right like so

[00:52:58] in a couple of years when's the next one I should know this what 2027 right

[00:53:06] six no it'll it's gonna be before the world so we have 23 so is every three years I should

[00:53:11] know it's every four that's why I'm saying 27 I think it's 27 okay it's gonna be every four I

[00:53:15] thought they were trying to make it every three or something I switch somehow but

[00:53:21] you're right that's right yeah I think covid screwed up the schedule I think I think it's

[00:53:25] gonna be in 26 but I think the next WBC you could have these young like oh man he's a top 10

[00:53:32] prospect with you know the angels he's a top 20 prospect I think you may see that that's what

[00:53:38] I'm trying to say like I think you're going to have it just like you know infiltrated with all

[00:53:41] these young prospects who are just on the on the on the doorstep and that's massive that's really

[00:53:45] really cool if that's the case before we get off the australia topic because you do this on your

[00:53:50] podcast I wanted you to do this on ours as well can you give us an australian word of the

[00:53:55] day oh Australian Aussie word of the day um well give me give me give me like a give me a category

[00:54:02] give me give me some sort of category category let's see in reference to like let's say movie

[00:54:12] something to do with movies go to the flicks you ever heard that well okay no I never did that

[00:54:18] right so like in Australia like oh I'm gonna guess obviously Netflix kind of takes that to

[00:54:22] but in Australia no one's like oh you know I'm gonna guess in movie I'm gonna guess

[00:54:26] to see a flick I'm gonna get like basically that's how you would say it in Australia like

[00:54:31] um have you seen that flick you know like it's I guess Netflix says that right so that's

[00:54:35] that's not that's not good enough we're gonna come up with something better what about an eski

[00:54:39] do you guys know what an eski is no white deer an eski is a cooler there you go boom so the reason

[00:54:48] that's because I've got one sitting down here not full of not full of beer by the way I just

[00:54:52] it's just sitting it's been sitting here for three years but now an eski is a cooler there you go boom

[00:54:57] some has come up this good get get the get the get the eski off you go do you know how that

[00:55:02] originated uh eski Eskima I maybe a brand I don't know that's a great question I should have

[00:55:07] googled it before you ask me that because usually if I do an Aussie word of the day maybe I need to

[00:55:11] do it on the on the new version of the top step but so I used to look them up because people used

[00:55:15] to hit me up and go do you even know where that originated from so I had to give and sometimes I

[00:55:19] butcher it too sometimes I'd say oh you know this is this comes from this and someone hit me some Aussie

[00:55:24] would hit me up and say that's not true I was like oh no so yeah I'll have to find that out if

[00:55:28] you've got a computer in front of you let me know but he it's like I feel like that could be similar

[00:55:32] to like us Americans will say yeah grab the Yeti it's the same thing but Yeti is the brand of

[00:55:37] the cooler yeah that hundred yeah hundred like the brand it's got to come from a brand I'm trying

[00:55:41] to think I remember any brand when I was a kid that I guess I must have to show yeah absolutely

[00:55:46] okay speaking to your podcast there's there's two outings in your big Lee career I want to ask

[00:55:51] you about one of them kind of ties to your podcast because in the opening it's Rick Rizz talking about

[00:55:56] Rick Rizz and Dave Neha was saying Ryan Rollinsmith no matter what happens here is gonna have

[00:56:00] something to tell his grandkids about which was your first outing in the big leagues and your face

[00:56:04] in some guy by the name of junior and then on top of that you just happen to strike him out and

[00:56:09] they're talking about well Ryan Rollinsmith's gonna have a story for the rest of his life so my

[00:56:15] question is when the day comes that you have grandkids where's the poster going in their room

[00:56:20] well man see then it'll just be all these like NFTs there might be such thing as posters like

[00:56:24] it'll just be like everyone by the time my kids out grandkids hopefully I get a nine-year-old

[00:56:30] and a five-year-old I don't say hopefully in a sense I want to see a world like this but everyone

[00:56:34] will just have like VR glasses and you can just like pull it up wipe it up and it'll be like

[00:56:38] enhanced image or something or it'll just be a video so I'm going in the weeds there

[00:56:43] but no dude like I will say this like 710 ESPN were gracious enough to get me that audio clip

[00:56:51] I asked for it and boom they worked really hard to clip that out for me which was awesome

[00:56:56] and then the video too I was like oh I need to get like an HD I don't think I've lost the HD

[00:57:01] version I've just got like grainy version that just watching that I was crazy yeah I talked to some

[00:57:07] of these Australians too we had this thing back in Australia where everyone brought up their debut

[00:57:11] and it's just horror stories dude like I want to say like 70% well now I'd say 60% of

[00:57:17] debuts and in mind you I think there was like 16 to 2 or something school when I came in but usually

[00:57:23] when you have a debut man it's just like it's a September call up games get you get shelved

[00:57:29] or whatever it may be but I got super lucky with mine I really did and I was so scared going

[00:57:34] into pitch but man I got super lucky and I was just like don't walk this dude

[00:57:37] everyone's gonna hate me if I walk him everyone's team hit bombs everyone's on their feet just hoping

[00:57:42] they didn't I didn't think anyone realized it was my debut but everyone just want to see just

[00:57:47] just me just to flatten out some kerbal him just crush it to relive their childhood memories

[00:57:52] and uh show enough man like two strikes I'm like I'm just going to throw the living crap out of

[00:57:57] this breaking ball struck him out and I that was it man I couldn't believe it it was super super cool

[00:58:02] that's a show was that the longest inning warming up you'd ever had because like

[00:58:06] I remember like that inning I think the meritorious he given up six runs in that inning and you could

[00:58:12] and once they tell you to get hot you're thinking you like I don't know if you peaked up at the scoreboard

[00:58:17] and we're like oh there's a chance here there's a chance here I might get the face of him

[00:58:22] no this right probably like three or five you can look this like you have to look it out

[00:58:27] but about three weeks prior to that you know I always actually in the big leagues like about a month

[00:58:31] before that right so I come up I get called up I'm going to the big leagues right and

[00:58:36] and we'll play in the Yankees and the Yankees I'm talking like this is 07 so you had like

[00:58:40] yeah Gita Damon A. Rod um Gianby um you know all these names I'm like Matt Silley I'm like this

[00:58:47] is so scary so I get to team mobile or safeguard the time and I'm sitting in the corner of the

[00:58:51] ball pen just and I was just praying I didn't have to pitch and so I went up this as a Friday night

[00:58:56] places packed I just feel super self conscious because we've got this stupid frigging hi-finated name

[00:59:01] and worrying glasses I'm sitting in the corner of the ball pen people are looking at you like you

[00:59:05] just look like some clown right and I'm sitting there and I'm just sitting on a self like oh man

[00:59:09] I just don't I'm not now like let's wait till the next series or something I kind of remember who

[00:59:13] were playing after that maybe the angels or something I just didn't want to pitch I just wanted to sit

[00:59:16] there like kind of get get comfortable and I didn't pitch we had three days it was Friday Saturday Sunday

[00:59:21] Monday was the day off I come back in on Tuesday I get sent back down so I occurred to me

[00:59:26] like it hit me on the drive back to Tacoma I was like man that's going to be my friggin story I'm

[00:59:32] gonna get called up for three days never pitch so I've got no record of it um get sent down and

[00:59:38] never get back to the big leagues that's going to be my typical story right so I was freaking out

[00:59:43] I'm telling you a good month worth I was or three weeks I was like I just I have to get back to

[00:59:46] the bigs I have to hurry up pitch so that game comes along and I was just like really we have to face

[00:59:50] friggin Griffey coming back and uh like coming back to the big leagues I'm like uh can't we just be

[00:59:55] and we had Boston after that to the Red Sox just who were just you know killers right

[00:59:59] and so I was like oh man and so I was seeing us off the managers things I'm gonna lose uh

[01:00:04] Hargrave was the manager I didn't pitch once in that series even though I was up there I'm like

[01:00:08] usually give me a debut give me a chance to pitch and then the games get out of hand and um

[01:00:13] oh Flarey you went in someone else went in I'm like I'm not gonna pitch even when 16 is still I'm like

[01:00:18] I'm never gonna pitch sure enough the phone rings and I get loose and finally I get a chance to go in

[01:00:23] there but I will say this man you had in that lineup you had the three lefties you had with Josh

[01:00:28] Hamilton um which is named Adam Dunn Adam Dunn is in there yeah and Griffey and I'm thinking of

[01:00:35] myself did the other two like Adam Dunn it looks like a monster in the in the box um Josh Hamilton

[01:00:42] MVP yeah done all so I'm like anyone but Griffey I don't care like these other two are just

[01:00:46] scrubs competing I duck I'm facing here not right now and they said oh you can have the left

[01:00:50] okay who is it and they're like oh it's Griffey I'm like no no the sacrificial lamb I worked out

[01:00:55] well but yeah man not many people knew I had for a good month I had this like this epiphany that

[01:01:01] that's gonna be my story when I'm a granddad and tell him I could yeah I got to the big ladies

[01:01:05] like Brian now you didn't I don't see any record of it you know I had to prove to people I got

[01:01:09] to the big ladies he can be like you lose that you never pitch the big leagues but I got now I finally

[01:01:12] got that one play they would have just pulled up your baseball reference page and just been

[01:01:15] scrolling it's like well I see triple A I see like but I'm clicking on big league numbers it's

[01:01:19] just it's blank or whatever had you not exactly hey you have no idea by the way or maybe you do

[01:01:26] this how many dudes who play pro ball and they say yeah I played the big leagues or like

[01:01:30] I coach a lot of these high school kids too and then I go yeah I coach and he played the major

[01:01:35] leagues for someone so I'll have a quick glance I'm like he never actually played the major leagues

[01:01:39] so he's telling people he played the big leagues or maybe got caught up maybe never pitched

[01:01:44] whatever it's just like you know so I was like I don't I can't be that dude man if I could

[01:01:48] get to the big leagues at least once at least have my name on baseball reference where it has

[01:01:51] the big capital letters on there that's right okay the second story I wanted to ask you about

[01:01:57] your playing careers there's another game you pitched and at least in Marinor Circles is kind

[01:02:01] of famous because it happened in oh nine you're up in Toronto maybe you know where I'm going with

[01:02:06] this but Matt Tuyasasopo hits his first home run in a game that you're pitching in in Toronto

[01:02:13] and it's even more famous because of what Mike Blower said on the pregame before so my question to you

[01:02:18] is like when in that dugout or in that clubhouse did you guys find out oh the team announcer just like

[01:02:25] time traveled back from the future and gave a perfect prediction of what was going to happen on his

[01:02:30] home run remember this is pre this is pre social media so like you know as time went on I'm going

[01:02:38] sadly enough I'm going on Twitter now X and go look at the comments after I sucked one night

[01:02:43] be like oh go everyone's just blowing me up so this is before then this is 07 right and so

[01:02:49] I'm just trying to I'm trying to go back to that time because I remember I remember I remember

[01:02:53] pitching I remember um I knew who see he's the thing man he's the deal when I first got to the big

[01:02:58] leagues I wasn't quite aware of like on the team playing right so like I know I'm going to love

[01:03:03] the shop here I get the answer in just a second be get on the team playing and you've got the crew

[01:03:08] the TV crew get on I don't know who's who it no idea right I never never quite knew I didn't really

[01:03:12] care you've got the main announcers and I knew who Mike Blower was but he didn't really talk to me

[01:03:18] that much like he and I'm like I see I wonder what he says about me on on air like if he thinks I'm

[01:03:22] good if he thinks I suck yeah um the Rick Rees was always like so chatty man everywhere is I

[01:03:28] you knew everything about you so it was Dave Neha was they they just took such an interest in

[01:03:32] what you're up to and Rick Rees was like giggling like like a little key like this after the game

[01:03:37] we're like oh everyone kept talking about it and then he kept giggling giggling carrying on about it

[01:03:42] and finally I said hey like what happened and I hadn't actually heard it yet but Rick was telling

[01:03:47] he's like you won't believe this he predicted what happened and I'm thinking of myself okay he said

[01:03:51] you know he said oh look he's gonna hit the home run then I watched the clip I went got back home

[01:03:56] and I remember watching the clip going oh no no no I see I didn't realize today's later that he

[01:04:00] like predicted everything it was like that is super weird and I'll be honest with you I'm like like

[01:04:05] with blouse at that point in my career it was like I knew he was I knew he was like the color guy I

[01:04:10] knew he was in the booth all the time but I never really knew like kind of what he talked about on

[01:04:14] X he don't you don't get a chance to watch the games right I never really knew what he's person I'm

[01:04:18] like is this something does all the time like is this his thing like he predicts stuff but it was wild

[01:04:22] man's like wild that is creepy because again like I said I'm sitting down why is this Rick Rees this

[01:04:27] like this dude him and Dave knew how so he giggling about the whole thing like he probably just called

[01:04:32] said I was gonna hit her on Monday day like whatever but it was more than that that is for sure

[01:04:36] it went crazy it was nuts yeah he was he was Tony Roma before Tony Roma yeah apparently in terms

[01:04:42] of predict apparently by the way Tony Ramos he liked that he's the dude right like I don't watch

[01:04:47] enough football I really should but he's amazing right in the booth everyone I don't hear and you

[01:04:52] know it's at the level like right no I was gonna say so I would say his first season yes like

[01:04:58] you're right because people love that they were getting this like peak behind the door to how

[01:05:02] a quarterback thinks the I would say now people have kind of hopped off that train a little bit

[01:05:08] because people sometimes think he's winging it a little like he's he's clearly very smart but like

[01:05:13] I think people liked him more during his first year and he stopped predicting plays too oh and now

[01:05:18] it's funny too when when that word right like someone hops on the scene and everyone they get

[01:05:23] talked about a bunch because they're brand new and if people like them they're carrot they're whatever

[01:05:27] they're like oh we love hearing you love hearing you they don't know what something they stop talking

[01:05:30] about them and then it's something that if you're leaning in too hard to like predicting stuff like

[01:05:34] that it's always good when you can predict stuff it's great but you know just just from being like

[01:05:39] being doing that role if you go overboard it's like all right okay you just having to stab in your

[01:05:45] 50% of the time right now let's up a little bit you know me for sure

[01:05:50] Ryan if we're gonna wrap it up with a couple of mariners questions you the pitcher

[01:05:55] which mariners pitcher this season are you circling and like I'm gonna watch this guy because he

[01:05:59] is gonna be insane um I think I well well certain guy who man it's a tough one because

[01:06:09] all these thoughts in my head are going around look if okay I think Logan Gilbert is gonna be the

[01:06:18] the most sturdy guy in the ball pen the most consistent guy in the ball pen I think that it's

[01:06:23] interesting right like for the rotation you got two fifths to this rotation which just unproven

[01:06:28] I don't mean the fact we haven't seen them they're they're level that they could get to is off

[01:06:33] the charts I'm talking about Bryce Miller and Brian Wu but you're going into the situation where

[01:06:38] depth wires you don't have a whole lot of depth Emerson Hancock yeah sitting there but like usually

[01:06:42] you have in spring training you have maybe someone come in so I'm non-raster in viti mariners don't

[01:06:47] have that I mean top 10 of their prospects are all position players too so you're looking at this

[01:06:51] guy man they're like they're really going all in on these five guys so I think the X factor for

[01:06:56] this rotation of how good this team could be is gonna be Bryce Miller and Brian Wu now Brian

[01:07:01] Wu I think that has to figure out a consistent way to get left his out you know set the end of

[01:07:05] the year he just went straight 70% fastballs against lefties because he just kind of put that change

[01:07:10] up in the back pocket he had that for a second there's a game against the Yankees middle of the

[01:07:14] year where he kind of put that pitch in his back pocket I think you need some better secondary

[01:07:17] options against lefties but man if he can get that I think he could be really good because that fastball

[01:07:23] man like you know when you talk an approach angle and and deception and stuff like that and with the

[01:07:27] way he's so confident with that fastball he could be really really good I mean really excited to see

[01:07:32] what he can do and if you can really get today secondary pitches from a lefty but I love Logan

[01:07:37] Gilbert man I just think he's such a good dude that split is filthy he's got that extension on that

[01:07:43] that the top one percent in that extension so he can just throw fastballs middle of the plate

[01:07:47] and get away with it I think he's gonna have a monster year and I'm really hoping he's gonna be

[01:07:51] in all-star this year and be that guy who's like pushing 200 innings and being the guy that you

[01:07:55] like okay we want Logan game one of the playoffs for sure I'm glad you brought up Wu because like

[01:08:01] I mean I think everybody's high on this rotation but I would say like I'm a very very high man

[01:08:05] on Brian Wu just because look he's gonna be on an innings limit right because he still hasn't

[01:08:09] thrown that many innings but just you just mentioned it like like the release point of his fastball

[01:08:15] like the fastball rise he has like just the pure stuff plays up so well it just feels like he's a guy

[01:08:20] where like get him enough work in time that could be a like another truly dominant and that's what

[01:08:27] I'm talking about I think that like he the okay the glass half full answer to that to Brian Wu

[01:08:33] and talking about him and you mentioned the fastball right when you can go for a good good stack of

[01:08:38] like starts and look the scaring report always builds amounts so like if you are gonna go against lefties

[01:08:45] and you're gonna go fastball heavy 70% the K I think it was like 6% change up or something by the end

[01:08:50] of the year barely even through it and then now the 6% dropped even lower to that and then you went

[01:08:55] okay I'm gonna throw that I'm really comfortable with that breaking ball against lefties that's fine

[01:08:58] but you just have to give that that that extra look to lefties and I think that change our man is

[01:09:04] such an equalizer so I think that watching him go about his business the way he talks is demeanor

[01:09:11] you have that feeling like okay I have a little bit of a weak link here I'm gonna absolutely go and

[01:09:16] crush it I haven't heard him talk too much about it in spring training about facing lefties I mean

[01:09:20] it's not like you said they're going to figure it out I get all that a man if he can get that because

[01:09:25] he if he can get that change up over or some other secondary pitch against lefties man like

[01:09:29] you talk about like and you want to talk about workload too if you are going to go fastball heavy

[01:09:35] and go to pitch dominant against you know one side of the plate and they start stacking five lefties

[01:09:40] and you start having these six seven pitch at bats like we saw that you know George Kirby when

[01:09:43] George Kirby wasn't getting that same that same command on the inner part of the plate

[01:09:49] pitch count went through the roof the workload goes up so I think all those things you know

[01:09:53] start to come pound so with with a Brian Wu if he can figure out a weapon when he's 2-0 to lefties

[01:10:00] get a quick out here and there and put that extra thought in the head then all of a sudden you

[01:10:04] can be a little bit more efficient and then you can start pushing a little bit more on that

[01:10:07] innings limit I think he could be really great this year for sure okay Ryan so as we start to kind

[01:10:13] of wrap this up is it fair to say that like with what the Mariners had to work with like the offseason

[01:10:20] they had was pretty impressive in terms of what Jerry and Justin would be we're able to do

[01:10:26] yeah I think look it was grim in the beginning because I'm looking like okay if you count will and

[01:10:31] deal here if you kind of make some of these trades because you come and knew that yeah league wide

[01:10:35] it was going to be interesting how people spend money we saw that hey by the way anytime you say a

[01:10:40] handful of barris clients going for underneath ask why on an ethosking prize you know you've got

[01:10:45] some serious issues if you're a free agent so I'm looking at that thinking of myself and obviously

[01:10:49] Blake's not just on with the you know some of the giants but watching that process and hanging

[01:10:53] and spending some time with him is crazy some look at this guy we're the Mariners fit into this so

[01:10:58] you kind of knew that it was going to be like that and then you kind of knew that you know with

[01:11:02] Justin Holland being the GM they said second winter having a wheel and deal obviously with Jerry

[01:11:08] to put those well I think I think they did a really good job because again health wise right like

[01:11:15] you have like Mitch Hanna-Groom, Gava and Polanco each of those guys like 60 80 games last year

[01:11:20] if you can pull a good four months out of those three guys health wise I know they're on the other

[01:11:27] side of 30 but I think that the lineup man you've got tie france hitnate and then in a healthy lineup

[01:11:34] man this is really good it's really efficient it's tight it's one of these ones where if you can have

[01:11:41] the 5 6 7 pitch at bats in the middle and then get your mistakes it's so tough to pitch against

[01:11:47] the lineup is better than last year they didn't have to give up any of the pitching we all know that

[01:11:51] I think they've done a really good job and the other thing I like to about it is the fact that

[01:11:56] they're going in kind of under the radar I do like that for whatever reason it's I don't know if

[01:12:00] it's a mental thing but for this crop of players at their age I think that if you put way too many

[01:12:07] expectations on some of the unknowns I talked about two fifths of the rotation you put these

[01:12:12] crazy expectations on how the gates it can be tough you get into that first three or four weeks of

[01:12:17] the season you're looking around and you start to rub each other the wrong way in the clubhouse

[01:12:21] the fact that the the expectations a little bit more under the radar this time and you know Mitch

[01:12:26] Hanna-Groom has been way more vocal this spring training you got some dudes like Mitch Gava's in

[01:12:31] the world series last year I just think that helps out it gives them a little bit of breathing room

[01:12:35] in April made it to find their footing especially from an offense standpoint so I think they're

[01:12:40] in a really really good spot again you know finish a sentence everyone has to stay healthy but

[01:12:45] I think that what for what they got man it's pretty good and speaking of two you know the twins

[01:12:51] were in a situation with Polanko they're like waving the white we all know right like stuff that

[01:12:56] went on around yeah TV money all around the league they're basically I talked to friends with

[01:13:01] the twins and I said look we would love to kept him the man is just pounded him for a good year

[01:13:06] plus on Polanko that kept calling him and finally I said look yeah we can't we can't retain this club

[01:13:11] we've got no money to spend we don't we're in a situation where a little bit strapped you take him

[01:13:15] they didn't have to give up a whole lot for him I think he's going to be a big piece of this as well

[01:13:22] well hi then this has been awesome we appreciate all the time you gave us we enjoyed talking

[01:13:26] ball with you we're certainly excited to see the new podcast kickoff on root sports and we

[01:13:31] certainly hope to do this again soon because this has been a blast been fun fellas and I'm going

[01:13:35] to see it in front of the dugout asking was crazy questions but hey anytime man I'd love to join

[01:13:39] you guys and you have to jump on the top step as well absolutely hope you enjoyed the conversation

[01:13:48] with Ryan Rollinsmith he is the man go check out the top step podcast listen to him on root sports

[01:13:53] and on Seattle sports when he's on he'll be on throughout the year he does an awesome job

[01:13:57] with that that'll just about wrap up this edition of the marine layer podcast you guys know the drill

[01:14:03] if you want to listen to the full form podcast make sure to download our episodes leave us a five star

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