Lyle and TJ welcome on Mariners broadcaster Gary Hill Jr. to talk about the Mariners resurgent weekend offensively, which trends he's buying into, other contenders in the American League, and more (16:44).
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00:00 --> 00:03 [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome to episode number 390 of the Marine Lair podcast.
00:03 --> 00:09 [SPEAKER_02]: We welcome on Mariners Broadcaster Gary Hill Jr. to talk about the 2026 Mariners season so far.
00:09 --> 00:16 [SPEAKER_02]: What he's seen from the resurgence of the Mariners offense over the weekend and a couple other tidbits that we've seen from this Mariners team.
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01:01 --> 01:22 [SPEAKER_02]: And we welcome you to the episode of the Marine Lair of podcast part of the just baseball podcast network recording here on Tuesday afternoon April 14th how funny is it that we said on Monday's episode the one thing that was missing from the Mariners weekend was seeing Josh Nailer do something offensively and then he crushes two home runs on Monday.
01:24 --> 01:25 [SPEAKER_01]: Thank goodness, man.
01:25 --> 01:28 [SPEAKER_01]: That was so awesome to see.
01:28 --> 01:29 [SPEAKER_01]: Like no jokes, no nothing.
01:29 --> 01:32 [SPEAKER_01]: Just to see Nailer have those at Bats and have those two homers.
01:33 --> 01:35 [SPEAKER_01]: It just gives you such a sigh of relief.
01:35 --> 01:38 [SPEAKER_01]: It just reminds you that, yeah, of course, this is a really good hitter.
01:38 --> 01:39 [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, he's gonna be okay.
01:40 --> 01:41 [SPEAKER_01]: You know he's gonna lock in.
01:41 --> 01:45 [SPEAKER_01]: And to do that on Monday, really, really nice sign.
01:45 --> 01:50 [SPEAKER_02]: Just from a timing perspective, we are recording this before Tuesday's game against the Padres.
01:50 --> 01:55 [SPEAKER_02]: We will talk about the entire Padres series on Friday's podcast, so we do our mailbag.
01:55 --> 02:00 [SPEAKER_02]: So this only has the Houston series in context, so maybe Josh Nailer hits more home runs on Tuesday night as well.
02:01 --> 02:09 [SPEAKER_02]: And this is just evergreen and you could say, man, while on TJ had the best analysis on Josh Nailer for Tuesday night's game, and they didn't even watch it.
02:09 --> 02:10 [SPEAKER_02]: How crazy is that?
02:11 --> 02:15 [SPEAKER_02]: The funniest thing I saw from this for Monday's game when he hit the two home runs.
02:15 --> 02:18 [SPEAKER_02]: Josh decided that he was gonna try something different.
02:18 --> 02:34 [SPEAKER_02]: I think look out land and grab this from the the TV broadcast Or Josh knew it says he's been trying different things to break himself out of the slump and get himself going So he tried to do a leg kick on in month on Monday and he's like what's the worst thing that can happen?
02:34 --> 02:36 [SPEAKER_02]: I can go over for again been there done that.
02:37 --> 02:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Maybe keeps the leg kick
02:39 --> 02:41 [SPEAKER_01]: And then did you see what he said about it after the game?
02:42 --> 02:44 [SPEAKER_01]: He said he said when he was asked about it.
02:44 --> 02:46 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I didn't like it.
02:47 --> 02:48 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, you hit two home runs doing it.
02:49 --> 02:50 [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't like the leg kick?
02:50 --> 02:51 [SPEAKER_01]: No, he said I didn't.
02:51 --> 02:54 [SPEAKER_01]: Also, it was on the first pitch twice.
02:56 --> 02:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Was the first to bat the first pitch?
02:58 --> 02:59 [SPEAKER_01]: I think so.
02:59 --> 03:00 [SPEAKER_01]: I know we did.
03:00 --> 03:09 [SPEAKER_01]: I know he hammered on back to back pitches, which again, that is a conversation with Naylor and its own right, that he's really not seeing a lot of pitches early in the year.
03:09 --> 03:13 [SPEAKER_01]: He is swinging early and often and, you know, hasn't drawn a ton of walks as a result.
03:13 --> 03:15 [SPEAKER_01]: I think he hammered on back to back pitches.
03:15 --> 03:18 [SPEAKER_01]: I can't remember if the first to bat was just on the first pitch or not.
03:18 --> 03:19 [SPEAKER_01]: No, you're right.
03:19 --> 03:21 [SPEAKER_01]: So it was on the second pitch.
03:21 --> 03:30 [SPEAKER_02]: Okay, yeah, and then the next bat first pitch, but what a leg kick allows you to do a funny little funny enough goes right back to the bat speed argument.
03:30 --> 03:38 [SPEAKER_02]: What you do with a leg kick is you're trying to get off a really good swing and give yourself as much power in your lower half as possible.
03:39 --> 03:44 [SPEAKER_02]: Right, and what Josh Taylor essentially did was get off two of his best swings of the season and hit the ball over the fence.
03:45 --> 03:47 [SPEAKER_01]: But it really is the most nailer quote of all time.
03:47 --> 03:49 [SPEAKER_01]: You're like, yeah, I hit two homers.
03:49 --> 03:49 [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't like it.
03:50 --> 03:51 [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't like the
03:52 --> 03:53 [SPEAKER_01]: What does Josh never like?
03:54 --> 03:56 [SPEAKER_01]: I was just thinking the same thing when I brought this up.
03:57 --> 03:57 [SPEAKER_01]: What do you like?
03:58 --> 03:59 [SPEAKER_01]: His family?
03:59 --> 04:00 [SPEAKER_01]: He likes his family.
04:01 --> 04:02 [SPEAKER_01]: That can tell.
04:02 --> 04:02 [SPEAKER_01]: Of course, yeah.
04:03 --> 04:05 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he likes Mariners fans.
04:05 --> 04:05 [SPEAKER_01]: He does.
04:05 --> 04:09 [SPEAKER_02]: Anything else?
04:09 --> 04:10 [SPEAKER_02]: Hockey?
04:11 --> 04:11 [SPEAKER_02]: He loves hockey?
04:12 --> 04:13 [SPEAKER_02]: All he likes jerseys?
04:14 --> 04:15 [SPEAKER_02]: Cleats?
04:17 --> 04:19 [SPEAKER_02]: So fashion, we could say, like fashion.
04:20 --> 04:44 [SPEAKER_02]: I think he likes music maybe or maybe not because remember the Mariners asked him about his favorite artist last year and he said well, I don't have a favorite artist He said he said, I don't have a favorite anything Hmm I don't know man Yeah, that's a great question Oh, we should probably add in his teammates, but Oh, yeah, he probably definitely likes his teammates
04:44 --> 04:50 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so that's another thing Josh Naylor likes, but it is a funny list if you tried to just rattle off.
04:50 --> 04:52 [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, what are the things we know Josh Naylor likes?
04:52 --> 04:54 [SPEAKER_01]: It's like, well, not a lot.
04:55 --> 04:57 [SPEAKER_02]: No, we should have asked Gary that question.
04:58 --> 05:03 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, honestly, maybe, but before we get to Gary though, can I bring up two players?
05:03 --> 05:05 [SPEAKER_01]: None of which are Mariners, but are relevant to the Mariners.
05:07 --> 05:17 [SPEAKER_01]: One is Yordan Alvarez, who despite the Mariners sweeping the Astros, Yordan had a ridiculous weekend again in his own right, which just has piled on to what's been a ridiculous start of the year forum, he's fully back.
05:18 --> 05:21 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know how much you or anybody else has looked into this.
05:22 --> 05:26 [SPEAKER_01]: I think we all know you're on one of the best hitters in baseball when he's healthy and it is best.
05:27 --> 05:33 [SPEAKER_01]: For me, it always goes in some order, judge, show, hey, you're on in terms of most fearsome hitters in the game.
05:34 --> 05:41 [SPEAKER_01]: Jordan is also already inserting himself into the upper echelon names of one of the greatest hitters of all time.
05:41 --> 05:56 [SPEAKER_01]: Because if you were to look at WRC+, which when you want to compare hitters in different eras, that's probably the metric you have to use, because WRC+, as a stat, is measured to try to neutralize eras, saying it doesn't matter the area you played in.
05:56 --> 05:59 [SPEAKER_02]: And it's an average stat, not an accumulation stat.
06:00 --> 06:02 [SPEAKER_02]: That's, it's, that's how it's different from war.
06:02 --> 06:11 [SPEAKER_02]: You're trying to compare players war from the 2010s versus the 2000s to the 1900s, totally different game.
06:12 --> 06:20 [SPEAKER_01]: Babe Ruth putting up 14 wins facing Milkman every night is a little different than Aaron Judge putting up 10 wins having to face skins and scuba and crochet, et cetera.
06:21 --> 06:25 [SPEAKER_01]: So war doesn't take Aaron into account, but WRC plus does.
06:26 --> 06:31 [SPEAKER_01]: By WRC plus for his career, you're not an alver as is tied for 11th.
06:31 --> 06:32 [SPEAKER_01]: It is nuts.
06:33 --> 06:33 [SPEAKER_01]: Who's in front of him?
06:34 --> 06:39 [SPEAKER_01]: I'll pull up the list as we speak, but it is a crazy list.
06:39 --> 06:47 [SPEAKER_01]: So as we said, Babe Ruth sits in first, he's at 197, followed by Ted Williams, Judge.
06:47 --> 06:52 [SPEAKER_01]: And by the way, this is minimum, I think a thousand at bats is what I did.
06:53 --> 06:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, yeah, I think it's minimum a thousand at bats to try to get all the names in there.
06:58 --> 07:02 [SPEAKER_02]: That feels kind of low, no, because you can cross a thousand at bats in two seasons.
07:04 --> 07:05 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you want me to do two thousand?
07:06 --> 07:08 [SPEAKER_01]: Is it games?
07:08 --> 07:10 [SPEAKER_01]: No, it's, you can do a baths.
07:10 --> 07:13 [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I just did 2000 of bats, because that's more, that's more.
07:13 --> 07:14 [SPEAKER_01]: Okay, regardless.
07:14 --> 07:15 [SPEAKER_02]: That's like five seasons.
07:15 --> 07:18 [SPEAKER_02]: That can, that can be five seasons for some players.
07:18 --> 07:18 [SPEAKER_01]: Sure.
07:19 --> 07:31 [SPEAKER_01]: So as we said, Babe Rootson first, Ted Williams is second, judges third, Garrix, Garrix fourth, Rogers Horne's B5, Barry Bonds is sixth, Manel seventh, and then,
07:32 --> 07:37 [SPEAKER_01]: Trout, Cobb, and Joe Jackson are all tied for eighth at 165.
07:38 --> 07:40 [SPEAKER_01]: You're on Alvarez, it's just behind them at 164.
07:41 --> 07:46 [SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, I think a day ago or so, he was at 165, which would have made him tied for eighth.
07:47 --> 07:48 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's insane.
07:49 --> 07:51 [SPEAKER_01]: So who's he ahead of?
07:51 --> 07:53 [SPEAKER_01]: Again, I just read it to you.
07:53 --> 07:55 [SPEAKER_01]: He is ahead of, oh, who's he ahead of?
07:55 --> 07:57 [SPEAKER_01]: Sorry, I just read it behind.
07:57 --> 07:58 [SPEAKER_01]: Here you go.
07:59 --> 08:03 [SPEAKER_01]: The guys that are just trailium, Stan Musiel, Jimmy Fox, Juan Soto.
08:03 --> 08:08 [SPEAKER_01]: So if you wanna talk about somebody in his own era, he's ahead of Soto, who people obviously revere as a hitter.
08:09 --> 08:17 [SPEAKER_01]: You've got Tris Speaker, you've got Show Hay behind him, you've got Willie Mays behind him, you've got Frank Thomas behind him, you've got Frank Robinson behind him.
08:18 --> 08:19 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, this is nuts.
08:20 --> 08:24 [SPEAKER_01]: He is legitimately in the upper echelon of the all-time great hitters.
08:25 --> 08:32 [SPEAKER_02]: It makes more sense than why George Kirby fights to stay on the mound in Monday's game, trying to go eight complete innings.
08:32 --> 08:34 [SPEAKER_02]: He has seven and two thirds.
08:35 --> 08:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Dan Wilson comes out to the mound for George.
08:38 --> 08:41 [SPEAKER_02]: George just tells him to go back to the dugout and let him finish the inning.
08:42 --> 08:49 [SPEAKER_02]: The problem for George Kirby is that to get to finish off the eighth inning, he was going to have to, okay, I just pulled up the list myself.
08:49 --> 08:54 [SPEAKER_02]: So I have a little bit more context on this.
08:55 --> 09:02 [SPEAKER_02]: Um, so George Kirby has to face Yordon Alvarez to get the final out of the eighth inning.
09:03 --> 09:04 [SPEAKER_02]: He's facing Yordon for the fourth time.
09:04 --> 09:06 [SPEAKER_02]: We talked about George's struggle.
09:06 --> 09:07 [SPEAKER_02]: It's third time through the line of last year.
09:07 --> 09:08 [SPEAKER_02]: This is fourth time.
09:08 --> 09:10 [SPEAKER_02]: This is one of the best hitters in baseball.
09:11 --> 09:17 [SPEAKER_02]: And George Kirby, the guy with, I believe, the lowest career active walk for a percentage walks Yordon Alvarez on four pitches and gets pulled out of the game.
09:18 --> 09:20 [SPEAKER_02]: Like that's the kind, that's the kind of player.
09:20 --> 09:20 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
09:21 --> 09:41 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, I didn't really understand why they didn't just put Spire in there to go left on left with the Ordon, but I mean, Kirby fought his way to stay in that may have been why that he really tried to plead his case to stay in the game, but didn't end up making much of a difference because he walked on and sure it got a little dicey at the end of that inning, but Brash got out of it and no harm, no foul, Mariners still win.
09:41 --> 09:44 [SPEAKER_01]: But seriously, the list of the all-time great hitters is crazy.
09:45 --> 09:49 [SPEAKER_01]: To think that you're not Alvarez is essentially
09:49 --> 09:50 [SPEAKER_01]: It's insane.
09:50 --> 09:52 [SPEAKER_01]: That's legitimately insane.
09:52 --> 10:02 [SPEAKER_02]: That's how good this guy is and Barry Bond's might have had some help I'd have Jordan and Jordan Doesn't really have hasn't had that kind of help.
10:02 --> 10:04 [SPEAKER_02]: Oh, it's clear as far as we know no.
10:05 --> 10:05 [SPEAKER_02]: No.
10:06 --> 10:09 [SPEAKER_02]: That's kind of great is so in that sense it's
10:09 --> 10:22 [SPEAKER_01]: in terms of just pure hitters, it would be judge and then you're on and then you look at the pitching that babe was facing Ted Williams was facing Garig and Horne's B and Manel were facing cob was facing and you compare it to you're on.
10:23 --> 10:23 [SPEAKER_01]: It's crazy.
10:24 --> 10:25 [SPEAKER_01]: It is seriously crazy.
10:25 --> 10:32 [SPEAKER_01]: The other guy I want to highlight before we get to our interview with Garry Hill, who was awesome by the way, as always is
10:32 --> 10:40 [SPEAKER_01]: A guy that the Mariners are going to now see in this upcoming series, and you'll have possibly seen them once already by the time this podcast comes out.
10:40 --> 10:41 [SPEAKER_01]: That's Mason Miller.
10:43 --> 10:54 [SPEAKER_01]: So if you're just a true baseball fan like TJ and I are, you obviously just love watching all the greats in the game play, and when you get to see them on TV, you take advantage of it.
10:55 --> 11:02 [SPEAKER_01]: But if you are a listener of this podcast and you are somebody who really just cares
11:03 --> 11:04 [SPEAKER_01]: wins and losses.
11:04 --> 11:06 [SPEAKER_01]: Take a significant effect on you.
11:06 --> 11:07 [SPEAKER_01]: Let me do you a favor.
11:08 --> 11:12 [SPEAKER_01]: If the Mariners are trailing after eight innings, turn the game off.
11:12 --> 11:14 [SPEAKER_01]: It's over.
11:14 --> 11:17 [SPEAKER_01]: If they're not winning after eight innings against the Padres, they're done.
11:18 --> 11:31 [SPEAKER_01]: Mason Miller as we currently said, yes, we're only a couple weeks into the year, but people are already talking about the idea of this guy potentially don't lock it in, but potentially winning aside young as a reliever based on what he's doing right now.
11:31 --> 11:36 [SPEAKER_01]: Because so far through, yes, a small sample, he has not given up a run.
11:37 --> 11:40 [SPEAKER_01]: He's given up one hit, he's given up one walk.
11:40 --> 11:44 [SPEAKER_01]: He has struck out 19 across seven innings.
11:45 --> 11:48 [SPEAKER_01]: As we currently set, Tage, I mean, you've got to hear some of these numbers.
11:49 --> 11:53 [SPEAKER_01]: His strikeouts per nine is over 23.
11:53 --> 11:55 [SPEAKER_02]: Low, his strikeout rate is 79%.
11:57 --> 12:03 [SPEAKER_01]: He is punching out basically 80% of the batters he's currently seeing, and it gets better than that.
12:04 --> 12:08 [SPEAKER_01]: Here's the one that honestly made my jaw drop the most, because I didn't even know this was possible.
12:09 --> 12:11 [SPEAKER_01]: Mason Miller has a zero we are out in the year.
12:11 --> 12:21 [SPEAKER_01]: His fit, his fielding independent pitching, negative 1.58, how is that even possible, dude?
12:23 --> 12:28 [SPEAKER_01]: like they're they're actually saying Mason Miller is giving runs back to himself with his bit.
12:30 --> 12:34 [SPEAKER_02]: It's pretty crazy indeed.
12:35 --> 12:38 [SPEAKER_02]: I'm I'm looking at the war leader boards among pictures in Major League Baseball right now.
12:38 --> 12:42 [SPEAKER_02]: I have the top 30 pulled up.
12:42 --> 12:43 [SPEAKER_02]: He is the only reliever on here.
12:44 --> 12:52 [SPEAKER_02]: Every guy in front of him has thrown at least 10 more innings than
12:53 --> 12:59 [SPEAKER_02]: 0.7 fangrafts wins of our replacement, which is pretty shy with with pitcher war.
13:00 --> 13:01 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but it's it's insane.
13:02 --> 13:09 [SPEAKER_02]: And to think like back to the deadline last year when the podries gave up a top five prospect in baseball.
13:10 --> 13:16 [SPEAKER_02]: in Leo DeVries, a switchheading shortstop who's, he's in AA right now at 19 years old.
13:16 --> 13:20 [SPEAKER_02]: And he could debut this year, which is crazy.
13:20 --> 13:23 [SPEAKER_02]: As a 19 year old, he is one of those generational prospects.
13:23 --> 13:25 [SPEAKER_02]: The Padre's gave up that to get a reliever.
13:26 --> 13:28 [SPEAKER_02]: You and I are sitting here like, what?
13:29 --> 13:31 [SPEAKER_02]: Like, at this point, like Mason Miller's really good.
13:31 --> 13:33 [SPEAKER_02]: We know he's a dog, he throws really hard.
13:33 --> 13:35 [SPEAKER_02]: Nice dude.
13:36 --> 13:39 [SPEAKER_02]: The kind of guy you would want on your team for a while.
13:40 --> 13:43 [SPEAKER_02]: The instant reaction we have to that is, oh, they'll just make him a starter.
13:44 --> 13:44 [SPEAKER_02]: That's how it's worth it.
13:45 --> 13:53 [SPEAKER_02]: You just, yep, his stuff doesn't play up quite as much, but six innings of 98 miles an hour and a devastating slider, still pretty good.
13:53 --> 13:55 [SPEAKER_02]: Still works, still very valuable.
13:56 --> 13:58 [SPEAKER_02]: And then he starts doing this, and I said,
13:59 --> 14:00 [SPEAKER_01]: maybe maybe he won't start.
14:02 --> 14:03 [SPEAKER_01]: Let me say it again.
14:03 --> 14:07 [SPEAKER_01]: If you're a Mariners fan, you're not interested in watching other players across the league.
14:07 --> 14:09 [SPEAKER_01]: You really only care about the Mariners.
14:10 --> 14:13 [SPEAKER_01]: And this team is losing through eight innings in this series, especially if it's a safe situation.
14:14 --> 14:15 [SPEAKER_01]: Turn the game off.
14:15 --> 14:16 [SPEAKER_01]: Because,
14:17 --> 14:18 [SPEAKER_01]: you're wasting your time, it's over.
14:19 --> 14:21 [SPEAKER_01]: You will not be scoring runs against Mason Miller.
14:21 --> 14:28 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, the two of us, as baseball purists, and I know a lot of our listeners are like that, too, I love to watch Mason Miller.
14:28 --> 14:30 [SPEAKER_01]: He's fascinating, he's breathtaking.
14:31 --> 14:31 [SPEAKER_01]: So I want to watch him.
14:32 --> 14:41 [SPEAKER_01]: But if you're somebody that isn't that interested and Moore is just worried about, well, the managers are just going to piss me off beyond belief if they lose, then yeah, turn the game off.
14:41 --> 14:46 [SPEAKER_02]: Over this weekend, or during this week,
14:49 --> 14:51 [SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, four balls in play against base and Miller.
14:53 --> 14:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, no.
14:54 --> 14:56 [SPEAKER_02]: So there's a chairly over one game.
14:57 --> 15:02 [SPEAKER_01]: There's a chance I don't see him every night and because of that, that factors end, but even if they do, no.
15:04 --> 15:05 [SPEAKER_02]: What if I lowered it to three?
15:08 --> 15:10 [SPEAKER_02]: Hmm, now it gets a little more interesting.
15:11 --> 15:12 [SPEAKER_02]: So let's say he faces the minimum.
15:13 --> 15:16 [SPEAKER_02]: Six spatters can three of them put the ball in play.
15:16 --> 15:29 [SPEAKER_02]: It means he only strikes out 50%, no, he strikes out 80% He has this season, but I would say the murders all they would need to do is knock his strike out right down to 50% to hit this number.
15:30 --> 15:33 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, if it stays with the 80% strike out right for the year, the answer is still now.
15:34 --> 15:37 [SPEAKER_02]: And that's assuming he faces the minimum, doesn't walk anybody.
15:37 --> 15:37 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
15:37 --> 15:38 [SPEAKER_02]: Remember, they don't need hits.
15:39 --> 15:41 [SPEAKER_02]: They literally just need to put the ball in play.
15:41 --> 15:42 [SPEAKER_02]: Correct.
15:43 --> 15:48 [SPEAKER_01]: He has been legitimately marvellous through.
15:48 --> 15:50 [SPEAKER_02]: He's throwing harder than I think he ever has.
15:51 --> 15:51 [SPEAKER_01]: I think.
15:52 --> 15:54 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I didn't even double check this.
15:54 --> 15:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Let's see.
15:55 --> 16:00 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's at some 103's, which we know he does plenty, but yeah.
16:00 --> 16:02 [SPEAKER_02]: Again, average on his force, yeah.
16:02 --> 16:03 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, he's throwing right now.
16:03 --> 16:04 [SPEAKER_02]: The hardest he's ever thrown in his career.
16:04 --> 16:09 [SPEAKER_02]: 2024 is through 101.1, last year he threw 101.2.
16:09 --> 16:11 [SPEAKER_02]: This year he's throwing 101.4.
16:12 --> 16:14 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
16:14 --> 16:15 [SPEAKER_02]: He's nuts.
16:15 --> 16:21 [SPEAKER_01]: So those are two players of the highlight that aren't even mariners, but I figured it was worth talking about them, especially Mason Miller ahead of this Padre series.
16:22 --> 16:24 [SPEAKER_02]: As always, a good conversation with Gary.
16:24 --> 16:31 [SPEAKER_02]: We talked about the Mariners' resurgence in this past week and offensively, how much we're buying into the Mariners' bats at this moment.
16:31 --> 16:33 [SPEAKER_02]: Trends we like to see.
16:33 --> 16:36 [SPEAKER_02]: The offense is performance against left-handed pitching.
16:36 --> 16:41 [SPEAKER_02]: A whole lot of different topics we talked about with Gary Hill Jr. We'll keep you guys any longer.
16:41 --> 16:44 [SPEAKER_02]: Let's get you to that conversation with Gary Hill Jr.
16:46 --> 16:51 [SPEAKER_02]: All right, we got Mariners broadcast or Gary Hill Jr. on with us recurring guest, Gary.
16:51 --> 16:52 [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for taking some time to join us.
16:53 --> 17:01 [SPEAKER_02]: We're recording before the first game of this Padre series, which means it's the second year of the better cup as a Seattle native.
17:01 --> 17:04 [SPEAKER_02]: This has to be the thing you're most looking forward to all season, right?
17:05 --> 17:09 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, absolutely, because no one knows this, but I actually take the guitar home.
17:09 --> 17:11 [SPEAKER_00]: So I've had it in my possession this entire past year.
17:12 --> 17:13 [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I love it.
17:14 --> 17:14 [SPEAKER_00]: I love it.
17:14 --> 17:15 [SPEAKER_00]: You serious?
17:15 --> 17:16 [SPEAKER_00]: No, I'm not.
17:16 --> 17:17 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not serious.
17:17 --> 17:18 [SPEAKER_02]: We're not being right though.
17:18 --> 17:23 [SPEAKER_00]: I would, I would care a lot more if it was if I did get to take that home.
17:23 --> 17:31 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's fun, you know, because, you know, the Mariners have, as we know, the Mariners have no really hated rival.
17:31 --> 17:34 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I guess we consider the Astros that at this point.
17:34 --> 17:38 [SPEAKER_00]: But I do kind of think that this is a team you play twice a year.
17:39 --> 17:42 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's kind of fun to have something added on the line.
17:43 --> 17:46 [SPEAKER_00]: It's funny because, you know, it's hard to hate the Padres.
17:47 --> 17:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Right?
17:47 --> 17:49 [SPEAKER_00]: San Diego is a great spot.
17:49 --> 17:50 [SPEAKER_00]: There are fun team.
17:51 --> 17:52 [SPEAKER_00]: The building's great.
17:52 --> 17:54 [SPEAKER_00]: Everything is super fun about the Padres.
17:54 --> 17:59 [SPEAKER_00]: So there's not a lot of hate there, but I enjoy when the Mariners play the Padres.
17:59 --> 18:01 [SPEAKER_00]: So I like coming here.
18:01 --> 18:25 [SPEAKER_02]: But the thing about a rivalry right is you want like a rival where there is there really is something at St. Like when we look at the Mariners and the Astros they are competing for a West Division title, which is a playoff spot There is reason to dislike the other team if they beat you and it happened to the Mariners in 2022 and ever since as we were talking about pre-recording the Mariners of one of these games Unfortunately with the Padres
18:25 --> 18:29 [SPEAKER_02]: I can't think of anything besides a regular season winner loss that is at stake.
18:29 --> 18:35 [SPEAKER_02]: There's no playoffs, there's no tie breakers, there's just like the trophy.
18:36 --> 18:40 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, until they meet in the world series, there'll be nothing on the line like that.
18:40 --> 18:42 [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, but you're right about that.
18:42 --> 18:47 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I've been, I think about tie breakers all the time now because
18:48 --> 18:52 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, the last few years we've seen this, it keeps coming down to the wire.
18:52 --> 19:01 [SPEAKER_00]: Whether you're talking about, uh, if you're in a wildcard push or if you're playing for home field or if you're trying to win the division, and so it's different.
19:01 --> 19:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Could you play your division so much?
19:03 --> 19:06 [SPEAKER_00]: But I was thinking about it in the Yankees series where the Mariners play in the Yankees.
19:06 --> 19:09 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's a team you only get a crack at twice.
19:09 --> 19:14 [SPEAKER_00]: And you think about the Mariners and the Yankees and the end of the year and who knows what it's going to look like.
19:14 --> 19:18 [SPEAKER_00]: But it could be the Mariners and the Yankees fighting for home field when it's all said and done.
19:19 --> 19:21 [SPEAKER_00]: And the tiebreakers could matter when it's all said and done.
19:21 --> 19:33 [SPEAKER_00]: So when I think about the first month of the season, for example, like I always just think, hey, hang around, don't bury yourself, just play okay.
19:33 --> 19:38 [SPEAKER_00]: But there's also a part of me now where I have to take
19:38 --> 19:41 [SPEAKER_00]: into, you know, I have to take into account.
19:42 --> 19:45 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, Cleveland, you could be fighting with Cleveland for a wild card.
19:45 --> 19:46 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't know.
19:46 --> 19:51 [SPEAKER_00]: And these games may matter more than some others when you get to September.
19:51 --> 19:52 [SPEAKER_00]: Now I don't think that.
19:54 --> 19:55 [SPEAKER_00]: You can't manage differently.
19:55 --> 20:06 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're Daniel Wilson or the Mariners, like you can't change the way you go about a game in April, but from our perspective, looking on the outside, like it does feel like those kinds of games carry more meaning.
20:06 --> 20:06 [SPEAKER_00]: Right?
20:07 --> 20:11 [SPEAKER_00]: Then a game against the Padres, even though there's a guitar on the line.
20:11 --> 20:18 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to say two things with that one you beat me to the punch line because I was going to say the same thing you said, which is, yeah, I like the pod rays.
20:18 --> 20:18 [SPEAKER_01]: I like the team.
20:19 --> 20:20 [SPEAKER_01]: I like the city.
20:20 --> 20:22 [SPEAKER_01]: There's a bunch of players that are exciting.
20:22 --> 20:23 [SPEAKER_01]: So good.
20:23 --> 20:23 [SPEAKER_00]: You can farm.
20:23 --> 20:24 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
20:24 --> 20:24 [SPEAKER_00]: The whole thing's great.
20:25 --> 20:28 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I love their city connects for what it's worth.
20:28 --> 20:31 [SPEAKER_01]: I know they're a little polarizing, but I love them too.
20:32 --> 20:35 [SPEAKER_01]: I was actually going to save this to later, but since we're already on the topic now, I'll bring it up.
20:35 --> 20:37 [SPEAKER_01]: Aside from the mariners,
20:37 --> 20:40 [SPEAKER_01]: Who's really jumping out to you in the American League?
20:40 --> 20:46 [SPEAKER_01]: Whether it was your perception of them preseason or your perception of them two weeks in, like who else really jumped out as contenders to you?
20:47 --> 20:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, contenders.
20:48 --> 20:54 [SPEAKER_00]: So, I guess, I think context is always important to start a season.
20:55 --> 20:58 [SPEAKER_00]: So, nothing is really changed in terms of the teams.
20:58 --> 20:59 [SPEAKER_00]: I think are good.
21:01 --> 21:05 [SPEAKER_00]: School, I think it's a lot of the same teams we expected to be good.
21:09 --> 21:19 [SPEAKER_00]: The thing that kind of alters my perception early is context, and we've seen that, I think, with two teams so far this year.
21:20 --> 21:21 [SPEAKER_00]: Two teams we expected would be good.
21:22 --> 21:26 [SPEAKER_00]: And now you look at it and say, oh, things may be changing a little.
21:26 --> 21:27 [SPEAKER_00]: And the Astros being won.
21:29 --> 21:33 [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, the Astros have a similar record to the Mariners.
21:33 --> 21:38 [SPEAKER_00]: But for me, when I think about kind of the start the Mariners have had,
21:41 --> 21:45 [SPEAKER_00]: There were good players, just not playing well, right?
21:46 --> 21:51 [SPEAKER_00]: When you look at Cal and Julio and Nailer, and look at the middle lineup, those are guys that you're going to hit.
21:51 --> 21:55 [SPEAKER_00]: So the middle lineup is not going to go two weeks with one home run combined.
21:56 --> 21:57 [SPEAKER_00]: When you start moving forward.
21:57 --> 22:01 [SPEAKER_00]: So I was confident that the Mariners would hit and play better.
22:02 --> 22:04 [SPEAKER_00]: Now you look at the Astros and it's like, whoa.
22:05 --> 22:07 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they're losing a guy a game, seemingly.
22:07 --> 22:11 [SPEAKER_00]: Like they've on this last trip, they sent their rotation home.
22:11 --> 22:13 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it was like one guy on a plane after another.
22:14 --> 22:16 [SPEAKER_00]: They lost a couple of position players.
22:16 --> 22:23 [SPEAKER_00]: And the pitching thing, when you look at it, big picture, it looks like they're in trouble.
22:24 --> 22:27 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, Hunter Brown's not coming back any time soon.
22:28 --> 22:32 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I look at them and there could be a problem there.
22:32 --> 22:36 [SPEAKER_00]: I look at the Toronto Blue Jays with all of their injury issues.
22:36 --> 22:40 [SPEAKER_00]: And I had questions about them anyway,
22:42 --> 22:45 [SPEAKER_00]: They'll ask, but shit, you know, they've lost some firepower.
22:46 --> 22:47 [SPEAKER_00]: The injury is on top of that.
22:47 --> 22:56 [SPEAKER_00]: So I would say my perception and a couple of teams have changed the other way, but not necessarily changed who's a contender or not.
22:57 --> 22:57 [SPEAKER_00]: At least not yet.
22:57 --> 22:59 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's still too early for that.
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24:06 --> 24:16 [SPEAKER_02]: All right, so off of both of those teams, Gary, between the Mariners and the Astros, what were some of the takeaways besides the things you just laid out this week on maybe on a more specific basis?
24:16 --> 24:18 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, it was good to see the Mariners score some runs.
24:18 --> 24:19 [SPEAKER_00]: That was great.
24:19 --> 24:21 [SPEAKER_00]: That was a pretty grim road trip.
24:21 --> 24:22 [SPEAKER_00]: The Mariners were on.
24:22 --> 24:24 [SPEAKER_00]: They just, they just didn't play well, right?
24:24 --> 24:26 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, they just weren't very good offensively.
24:26 --> 24:32 [SPEAKER_00]: And the disappointing part, I think, and that trip is, it was all one run games for the most part.
24:32 --> 24:40 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you're talking about like one swing in each of those games and the Mariners, with the way they pitched, it should have been a good road trip.
24:40 --> 24:45 [SPEAKER_00]: So if you're looking at a glass of full, hey, they're close, they just need to score.
24:45 --> 24:47 [SPEAKER_00]: So they did against Houston.
24:47 --> 24:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Houston helped them out.
24:48 --> 24:52 [SPEAKER_00]: They walked them a ton in the series as we all saw.
24:52 --> 24:54 [SPEAKER_00]: But it does feel like.
24:54 --> 24:57 [SPEAKER_00]: the middle of the order is moving in the right direction.
24:58 --> 25:01 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, Julio put together a couple really good back to back games.
25:01 --> 25:09 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, hard hit balls everywhere, base hits, a board, we saw Calgo deep, we saw Randy Gooddeep, Nailer, of course, hit a couple homerons.
25:09 --> 25:10 [SPEAKER_00]: Nailer's too has been hitting the ball hard.
25:10 --> 25:13 [SPEAKER_00]: I just don't think he's at anything to show for it yet.
25:13 --> 25:18 [SPEAKER_00]: So, it feels like the middle of the order is moving in the right direction, which is great.
25:19 --> 25:21 [SPEAKER_00]: The starting pitching was,
25:21 --> 25:35 [SPEAKER_00]: excellent in the final two games and that should not be overlooked because you know as as bad as the astros pitching his fan there off it's been great i mean they've been the best offence and baseball this year
25:35 --> 25:58 [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, I thought about it after the Mariners came back in one game two of the series, a game that they really had no business winning, but from the Astros perspective, I mean, what a gut punch, because then you lose that game, and then you're staring at Gilbert, and you're staring at Kirby the next two days, and it played out exactly how Mariners fans hoped it would, where those two dominated a great lineup.
25:59 --> 26:02 [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, when I was thinking
26:03 --> 26:09 [SPEAKER_00]: I think starting pitching health and effectiveness was gonna be a big key to winning the division.
26:10 --> 26:17 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, a lot of what the Mariners did last year was in spite of the injuries to the rotation and some of the ineffectiveness of the rotation.
26:18 --> 26:22 [SPEAKER_00]: And the top three have been excellent for the most part.
26:22 --> 26:50 [SPEAKER_00]: I think Gilbert's last start was very encouraging as well, and especially to hear him talk about it after, in terms of being more efficient and being more aggressive and going after guys, because I think even going back to last year, you know, a lot of those, we saw the swing and miss, we saw the dominance, but the starts were short, right?
26:50 --> 26:54 [SPEAKER_00]: We think three guys down in the back of the bullpen because they all pitch back to back days.
26:54 --> 27:02 [SPEAKER_00]: So those are kind of some of the things I've been thinking about, uh, small picture for the series, but also big picture moving forward.
27:03 --> 27:09 [SPEAKER_02]: Was that Swing Julio had on Saturday night, one of the best early season, early season Swings we've ever seen from him?
27:09 --> 27:27 [SPEAKER_02]: Like the weather is, it's still not perfect, it's better than it was the first weekend, but as Julio said, it's been really cold, so it's been hard to get off good swings and hit good pitches, but not only that, he obliterates that ball to center field in a comeback and a clutch situation to a game the Mariners eventually won.
27:27 --> 27:30 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, speaking of myself, Garra, I think that was one of the most impressive things.
27:30 --> 27:31 [SPEAKER_02]: I've seen from him.
27:31 --> 27:33 [SPEAKER_02]: in the month of April and his entire career.
27:34 --> 27:35 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that was awesome.
27:35 --> 27:37 [SPEAKER_00]: He crushed it to center.
27:37 --> 27:38 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think you're right.
27:38 --> 27:41 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that is one of the best early season swings that we've seen.
27:41 --> 27:48 [SPEAKER_00]: And now, you know, I'm coming to left wondering given the last couple of games we've seen from him.
27:48 --> 27:54 [SPEAKER_00]: And we know when he gets locked in, like he can go and go for a while, is this the start of something?
27:55 --> 27:58 [SPEAKER_00]: Like is this what we're going to see in April?
27:58 --> 28:16 [SPEAKER_00]: Because I've always thought, and I don't think I'm alone on this, is at the end of the year, we always look up, and 30, 30 guy, the numbers look great, and one of the best players in the game, he's top 10 MVP, and all those things come with what has traditionally been a slow start.
28:16 --> 28:21 [SPEAKER_00]: What if he's locked in now, what if this is happening now in mid-April, and
28:22 --> 28:26 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, are we talking 40, like what are we talking about at the end of the year?
28:26 --> 28:27 [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's what's super exciting.
28:27 --> 28:31 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm anxious to see what happens in this Padre series with him.
28:31 --> 28:33 [SPEAKER_00]: But, and maybe that was the spark.
28:33 --> 28:35 [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe it was that one swing that got it gone.
28:35 --> 28:39 [SPEAKER_00]: Because he is rope in the ball pretty hard right now.
28:39 --> 28:43 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's fun to think about if he got cooking early.
28:44 --> 28:48 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, it's something that I think it was overlooked a little and they start to the season.
28:48 --> 28:50 [SPEAKER_00]: It might just taste some good pitching.
28:51 --> 28:53 [SPEAKER_00]: Like the Yankees staff is really good.
28:53 --> 29:06 [SPEAKER_00]: The Rangers, although we never really think of them yet as a pitching team, because traditionally like forever, going back to Iván Rodriguez and Wang Gonzalez, like they've always been a team that bashed, but they've
29:06 --> 29:13 [SPEAKER_00]: Since they moved in the new building, the identity is completely flipped, like they are pitching team and not necessarily hitting team anymore, but they can really pitch.
29:14 --> 29:15 [SPEAKER_00]: Cleveland can always pitch.
29:15 --> 29:23 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it was a tough start, tough draw to start the season just in terms of the arms they faced.
29:23 --> 29:29 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think, yes, the Mariners struggled, I also think the opposition played a part in that as well.
29:29 --> 29:42 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, and if you want to add on to the idea of Julio just starting hot, which we're all in the same boat here, because TJ and I have spent so much time talking about, that the year Julio gets off to a hot start is the year he legitimately wins an MVP.
29:42 --> 29:46 [SPEAKER_01]: And if this is the start of something, then that conversation I think gets very real.
29:46 --> 29:58 [SPEAKER_01]: Parlayed with, and I'm sure you know this, is you're all prepped and ready for this series with Padre's, is he's got some pretty ridiculous numbers in San Diego, so maybe this does continue into the Padre series.
29:58 --> 30:05 [SPEAKER_00]: And the Mariners in general have played really well against San Diego and they took five six last year from the Padres, they're pitching in particular.
30:05 --> 30:17 [SPEAKER_00]: It's funny I was looking back at the Padres series here last year in San Diego and the Mariners took all three and they gave up three earned runs in the series and you say that and it's like, oh man, woo and
30:17 --> 30:35 [SPEAKER_00]: Kirby and Gilbert they must have rolled they was early in the season it was a it was an Evans handcock in woo three game set against the Padre swear they allowed three in runs and so we'll see what they roll out with Wugon tonight now one of the I think also
30:35 --> 30:57 [SPEAKER_00]: things that have been impressed with early on is the bullpen and part of that is they've gotten good innings so the bullpen hasn't had to throw a 10 innings so far so they've been able to spot guys they have not been in it they've had the luxury of not throwing guys a ton back to back kind of easing guys into the season which I think is a good thing and the bullpen has responded they've been really good it's promising
30:57 --> 30:59 [SPEAKER_01]: It's speaking of the bullpen.
31:00 --> 31:01 [SPEAKER_01]: I'm just curious from your perspective.
31:01 --> 31:03 [SPEAKER_01]: Because you're right, they have been really good.
31:03 --> 31:07 [SPEAKER_01]: And those five main guys have really been sharp early on.
31:07 --> 31:09 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, brash hasn't allowed a run, et cetera.
31:10 --> 31:18 [SPEAKER_01]: But the season continues to go on, and you talked about, for example, the Mariners playing in a lot of close games early, which obviously when that happens, you're going to be pretty dependent on your bullpen.
31:19 --> 31:24 [SPEAKER_01]: Aside from the main five, and Muno's brash, fire, Ferreira, Bizarreau, who we all know,
31:24 --> 31:42 [SPEAKER_01]: Is there somebody either that we've seen early on or maybe that we haven't even seen yet that you saw on spring training and is down in the minor leagues that as the year goes on could put themselves into that second rider bucket, a guy that maybe nobody's expecting early in the year to be really really impactful both on arm but turns himself into one.
31:42 --> 31:43 [SPEAKER_00]: That's a great question.
31:44 --> 31:47 [SPEAKER_00]: I saw a few guys that I was intrigued by.
31:47 --> 31:49 [SPEAKER_00]: Wilcox was one of them.
31:49 --> 31:55 [SPEAKER_00]: I thought he looked really good in spring and the marina's, he ended up with the marina's after like day one.
31:55 --> 31:57 [SPEAKER_00]: So he's already here and we've seen him a few times.
31:57 --> 32:01 [SPEAKER_00]: So he was certainly one, Zulueda.
32:01 --> 32:04 [SPEAKER_00]: who we saw in spring is a really live arm.
32:04 --> 32:06 [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's really interesting.
32:06 --> 32:09 [SPEAKER_00]: Hoppy who's in Tacoma as well.
32:09 --> 32:12 [SPEAKER_00]: He didn't have a great spring, but he's got a big arm.
32:13 --> 32:21 [SPEAKER_00]: And he's the kind of guy that come into the Mariners, and we've seen it a million times with different guys, is I just find it really intriguing.
32:21 --> 32:27 [SPEAKER_00]: When he has that kind of raw stuff and you know, get him in the system for a while and see what happens.
32:27 --> 32:30 [SPEAKER_00]: So those are kind of three guys that jump out.
32:31 --> 32:52 [SPEAKER_00]: uh... and you know Chris one leg of me and the kind of the last two guys in the bullpen they've done their job so far i've been impressed with both of them and you know the matters are pretty uh... cautious i think is is the right word early in the season with the a side of the bullpen like
32:52 --> 33:10 [SPEAKER_00]: they ease guys in in terms of back to back you'll never see them throw three games in a row but pitch count they they're very careful with those guys which I think is a good thing and it leaves us to kind of questioning sometimes like in a game like oh why is this seems like a natural spot for player X but
33:10 --> 33:17 [SPEAKER_00]: Sometimes, and I think there's nuance to this, sometimes when you think about a bullpen, it's not available or not available.
33:17 --> 33:27 [SPEAKER_00]: It's not available or available for one better, or available for a couple of matters, or available, break glass only.
33:27 --> 33:33 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, those kinds of things, I always think there's nuance to when it comes to bullpen, but I think,
33:33 --> 33:44 [SPEAKER_00]: Then being careful has left some extra innings for legumina and Chris Well to kind of pick up the slack and so far they've done a pretty good job in that role, which has been really helpful.
33:44 --> 33:49 [SPEAKER_02]: While I both think that the Mariners are going to add this bullpen at the deadline, it'd be kind of surprised if they don't.
33:50 --> 33:58 [SPEAKER_02]: I also think they should consider adding to their bullpen when Bryce Miller comes back, and they're going to have to take one of their starters currently in the rotation.
33:58 --> 34:01 [SPEAKER_02]: Out of the rotation when Bryce comes back and puts them in the bullpen.
34:02 --> 34:05 [SPEAKER_02]: How do you get a sense of this situation when Bryce gets healthy?
34:05 --> 34:12 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I always feel like these situations, and I would say the same thing about Cole Emerson.
34:13 --> 34:16 [SPEAKER_00]: I always feel like these situations always work themselves out.
34:17 --> 34:20 [SPEAKER_00]: I feel like we always have, we is in the baseball world.
34:20 --> 34:26 [SPEAKER_00]: We always have, like, whoa, what's going to happen when so-and-so comes back, because somebody else is pitching really well.
34:27 --> 34:31 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's always a great problem to have, but I always feels like it works itself out.
34:31 --> 34:34 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I never feel like, oh, everyone's pitching great at the same time.
34:34 --> 34:35 [SPEAKER_00]: What are we going to do?
34:35 --> 34:39 [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, there's always, there's usually an injury.
34:39 --> 34:41 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's usually it when it comes to starting pitching.
34:42 --> 34:49 [SPEAKER_00]: Uh, I think what's great about what we see from handcocks so far, because the way he's pitching, you're clearly not taking him out of the rotation.
34:49 --> 34:51 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, that's, that's just not happening with the way he's throwing.
34:52 --> 34:54 [SPEAKER_00]: But it gives,
34:54 --> 34:59 [SPEAKER_00]: the Mariners time I think with Miller is you can really take your time with him coming back.
35:00 --> 35:18 [SPEAKER_00]: There's there's no rush you're not in a position like oh no we need to get Miller back in the rotation right now because Hancock the way he's throwing has afforded you time to really work his way back and be healthy because I think that's the most important thing when Miller is right
35:18 --> 35:46 [SPEAKER_00]: he's excellent and we saw at the end two years ago he's one of the best pictures in the game you look at his final run he was great and last year we saw glimpses like in the playoffs he was really good but never quite right during the season so I think most importantly with this situation is to just take the time with Miller and make sure he's good because the other part of that is
35:46 --> 35:49 [SPEAKER_00]: you know, the Hancock Miller at the end of the rotation right now.
35:50 --> 35:58 [SPEAKER_00]: I know we're all watching Kate Anderson and Sloan with interest every time they take them out in AA, but there's not a lot of depth outside of that.
35:58 --> 36:01 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think taking the time with Miller and making sure he's right is the most important thing.
36:01 --> 36:06 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think it's all gonna work itself out at the end of the day.
36:06 --> 36:16 [SPEAKER_02]: I hope so, because you arrive at the situation here where if Emerson Hancock is the guy that gets moved out of the rotation, would you said the way he's throwing he can't, but he's got options.
36:16 --> 36:19 [SPEAKER_02]: So you have to choose one of two things.
36:19 --> 36:21 [SPEAKER_02]: He's either going to Tacoma to say a starter.
36:22 --> 36:30 [SPEAKER_02]: So when he's ready when you need him and the depth remains, or as I've pitched to Lyle, this idea, if the stuff is this good in the rotation.
36:30 --> 36:50 [SPEAKER_02]: what better way to add a lever jarm than put him in the bullpen, the fastball plays up and the sweeper plays up and the already really good shape that he's refined this season gets even better in a short bullpen roll and makes your team better and puts all of your best pitchers on your roster at the same time instead of just trying to hedge against injury on the other side.
36:50 --> 36:54 [SPEAKER_02]: Like that's kind of where I come at with this and then Lyle has a different perspective on it.
36:54 --> 36:58 [SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, maybe you can be a third party on this guy because this will be interesting because we talk about it.
36:58 --> 36:59 [SPEAKER_01]: We'll settle that.
36:59 --> 37:00 [SPEAKER_01]: It's so big right.
37:00 --> 37:02 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, because we talked about this a time.
37:02 --> 37:08 [SPEAKER_01]: And my take on this is, like, sound enough idea, but I said, you can't do that may.
37:08 --> 37:12 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, that's my take is when Bryce Miller comes back.
37:12 --> 37:21 [SPEAKER_01]: I don't think Emerson can be moved to the bullpen in May if the idea is to make a mature reliever because one it slashes your depth when you'll probably need Emerson to be starting games again.
37:21 --> 37:33 [SPEAKER_01]: And if you all of a sudden shortness workload where he's just throwing one in examples, I say it's hard to get stretched back out mid-season from starter to reliever then back to starter, which is why I said
37:33 --> 37:44 [SPEAKER_01]: If this is the conclusion you land on, say, in late August or September, when maybe Kate and Sloan are a little closer, it becomes a more interesting conversation to me.
37:44 --> 37:47 [SPEAKER_01]: But I said in May, I just don't see how you could do that.
37:47 --> 37:52 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, especially, I guess with the way it's throwing, I mean, he's putting up zeroes every time he goes out.
37:52 --> 37:54 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think you'd want to mess with that at all.
37:54 --> 38:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, you can't expect him to pitch at this same exact level because he's been great.
38:02 --> 38:04 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, his first couple starts were incredible.
38:05 --> 38:16 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I actually talked to Emerson about all of this before the season to get his take on, you know, what, what it's like going from the bullpen and rotation and that sort of thing.
38:16 --> 38:45 [SPEAKER_00]: To his credit, he is willing to do whatever the team wants, which good for him, like I think that attitude is great, because he really enjoys being a starter, but as he told me, if they asked him to go to the bullpen, he would go to the bullpen, like anything to help the team, which we saw last year, which I think is it's great to have that kind of guy on your team that's willing to do whatever the team asks.
38:45 --> 38:45 [SPEAKER_00]: go to the bullpen.
38:45 --> 38:48 [SPEAKER_00]: I was, we were talking to you for the season.
38:48 --> 38:59 [SPEAKER_00]: So I was asking the question, hey, if you started the season in the pan, but needed to go to the rotation, how hard is it to stretch yourself out and get into the rotation?
38:59 --> 39:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Is that's what kind of surprised me?
39:00 --> 39:01 [SPEAKER_00]: He said,
39:01 --> 39:05 [SPEAKER_00]: It really isn't that difficult to get stretched out.
39:05 --> 39:08 [SPEAKER_00]: He said during each study we just do it in a game.
39:09 --> 39:11 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, he would just go out, like he did last year.
39:11 --> 39:13 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't remember it last year.
39:13 --> 39:25 [SPEAKER_00]: He had one of those where he took the ball and threw, I don't know, three or four innings out of the gates and it would be like one of those kind of things where he would just build up in games.
39:25 --> 39:30 [SPEAKER_00]: And he said, he seemed to think it wouldn't take that long to get him back.
39:30 --> 39:31 [SPEAKER_00]: ready to be starting.
39:31 --> 39:40 [SPEAKER_00]: Which I thought was really interesting and maybe it's probably different for certain guys, but for him he didn't seem to think it would take that much.
39:41 --> 39:51 [SPEAKER_00]: I, you know, feel right, and for playing a theoretical game and he continued pitching like this and Bryce Miller was ready to come back and he looks great.
39:51 --> 40:08 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, and if everyone is pitching well, I mean, maybe to six man at that point because one of the things I think about a lot is I think you have to think about this as a month longer season.
40:08 --> 40:09 [SPEAKER_00]: I think you're for the matters.
40:09 --> 40:11 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think you can come out and say that, right?
40:12 --> 40:12 [SPEAKER_00]: You can't.
40:13 --> 40:14 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, we're going to play a month longer.
40:14 --> 40:25 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think in the back of your mind, you have to think about the innings with Gilbert and Wu and Kirby, which clearly
40:25 --> 40:28 [SPEAKER_00]: last year Kirby and Gilbert Mitch so much time.
40:28 --> 40:31 [SPEAKER_00]: It didn't matter when the Mariners got to the end of the season like they were a full go.
40:32 --> 40:34 [SPEAKER_00]: It didn't matter on endings and then we'll get hurt at the end.
40:34 --> 40:37 [SPEAKER_00]: So his endings were at the at the doors.
40:37 --> 40:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, so this was never a conversation last year with the rotation, but theoretically if this entire rotation stays healthy during the course of the season.
40:47 --> 40:52 [SPEAKER_00]: and the Mariners as we all hope make this long playoff run.
40:52 --> 40:55 [SPEAKER_00]: I think innings may become part of conversation.
40:55 --> 41:03 [SPEAKER_00]: And so if you do have six healthy guys, maybe that helps, you know, here and there, maybe dip into a six man at some point during the season.
41:03 --> 41:04 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
41:04 --> 41:10 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's an option if everyone's pitching great, but that usually doesn't happen at the same time.
41:10 --> 41:11 [SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know how likely that is.
41:11 --> 41:33 [SPEAKER_01]: The long season thing I think is real because you're right Kirby and Gilbert did miss time last year and Miller did miss time last year So those guys weren't quite as built up and didn't throw as many innings were if they're all healthy this year Yeah, I mean it's it's a good point that you're gonna want them fresh and not worn out when they get to October So the idea yeah, I mean I think it's
41:33 --> 41:37 [SPEAKER_01]: If everybody keeps pitching like this, certainly seems in the realm of possibility.
41:38 --> 41:41 [SPEAKER_01]: Side note by the way, just go back to your conversation with Emerson.
41:41 --> 41:43 [SPEAKER_01]: He really is the best, isn't he?
41:43 --> 41:49 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, so down to earth, so selfless, easy to root for, and then when you see a pitch like this, yeah, it's pretty awesome.
41:50 --> 41:51 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm really happy for him.
41:51 --> 41:57 [SPEAKER_00]: He's just a great dude, and he got this opportunity this year, and it felt like,
41:58 --> 41:58 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, this is the time.
41:59 --> 42:01 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the time to make it happen.
42:01 --> 42:05 [SPEAKER_00]: Like he's had opportunities and the rotation of both of them been up and down, that sort of thing.
42:05 --> 42:09 [SPEAKER_00]: And to me what is most encouraging is he's a different guy.
42:09 --> 42:11 [SPEAKER_00]: When you kind of look at how he's gone about it.
42:11 --> 42:20 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he's with the four steam upstairs and the arm angle, he's kind of got a Castile thing work and I think with that and then I think it's made it's too seem more effective.
42:20 --> 42:22 [SPEAKER_00]: You look at the numbers and it seems been great.
42:22 --> 42:27 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's, he's throwing it last, but I think it's more effective
42:27 --> 42:55 [SPEAKER_00]: the forcing upstairs and of course the sweeper that's been a game changer we've talked to Jerry to put about it and sprang and he said it's made the difference form because you think about him in the years past and you know it was kind of the two seem and the change up you know everything was was north south and now he's got something that hitters have to think about east west and and Jerry said that's really made the huge difference form as we've seen a lot of funny swings on that pitch it's with all the movement it's been super effective.
42:56 --> 43:05 [SPEAKER_01]: Honestly, that's why it's why it's why I was so encouraged by his last art even though by the numbers It wasn't his best outing because I said look tough matchup Astros are a really good offense.
43:06 --> 43:18 [SPEAKER_01]: They had a two-seamer pretty well, which Emerson's really relied on early on here But I said even despite the one inning you look up at the end and it's like, oh, he had 12 swings in misses He was still you know, you're still getting his with it wasn't
43:18 --> 43:21 [SPEAKER_01]: kind of back to the 2024, 2025 version of Emerson.
43:22 --> 43:24 [SPEAKER_01]: It was, oh no, he still looked sharp out there.
43:24 --> 43:27 [SPEAKER_01]: It was just one inning where the Astros got a little bit of the best of them.
43:27 --> 43:38 [SPEAKER_01]: So to see him have an outing like that, where results Warren is crazy, but like the process you'd want out of him was still down, I think that was pretty encouraging as to, oh, this can keep going, this can continue.
43:39 --> 43:40 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I feel like sustainable.
43:41 --> 43:46 [SPEAKER_00]: This is not, this is not feel like a, oh, he's, he's gotten really lucky and his first couple starts.
43:47 --> 43:51 [SPEAKER_00]: I think with the changes he's made, he looks like a different guy.
43:51 --> 44:01 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, the last couple times, he didn't in the first one, Holes Velo, but he's held, he's held some Velo later in the starts too, which is not something that's always happened in starts before.
44:01 --> 44:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Sure.
44:02 --> 44:06 [SPEAKER_02]: Can you tell from what we've seen so far the season if we're seeing a better version of Brian Wu?
44:08 --> 44:10 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh man, that's such a great question.
44:12 --> 44:14 [SPEAKER_00]: I love watching Brian Wu pitch.
44:15 --> 44:22 [SPEAKER_00]: It is just remarkable when he takes them out and does what he does.
44:23 --> 44:24 [SPEAKER_00]: There's no secrets, man.
44:25 --> 44:27 [SPEAKER_00]: Like come get it.
44:28 --> 44:31 [SPEAKER_00]: And he dominates every time.
44:31 --> 44:37 [SPEAKER_00]: And he just rolls you into the, he makes it look so easy as you're watching a game.
44:38 --> 44:41 [SPEAKER_00]: It just feels like he's never gonna give up a run.
44:41 --> 44:45 [SPEAKER_00]: To the point where, yeah, I think it was a Cleveland game where he's just cruising.
44:45 --> 44:51 [SPEAKER_00]: And he makes, he makes a two run lead feel like, oh, this is.
44:51 --> 44:55 [SPEAKER_00]: This game is over, and then the other team scores just like, whoa, what happened?
44:55 --> 44:56 [SPEAKER_00]: Brian, we'll just give it over on.
44:57 --> 45:01 [SPEAKER_00]: I think this is the best version because
45:01 --> 45:04 [SPEAKER_00]: I just think he's so he's so comfortable with himself.
45:04 --> 45:06 [SPEAKER_00]: He knows himself so well at this point.
45:06 --> 45:07 [SPEAKER_00]: He knows what he's great at.
45:07 --> 45:20 [SPEAKER_00]: But I also think he hasn't proved the sweeper, too, because he's still, he's not a guy that has, like Kirby or Gilbert that has added and changed and always tankered, like he has stayed the same, but he's worked on his secondary.
45:20 --> 45:22 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think that has helped him as he's moved on.
45:23 --> 45:31 [SPEAKER_00]: But he's at the point where, I don't know what you guys, but every time he takes them out, it's just books, six innings.
45:31 --> 45:50 [SPEAKER_00]: No runs, one run, two run, it's like, it feels automatic every time he takes them out, which is remarkable to think about, you know, watching what the Astros just went through, and, you know, watching the Angels play earlier, who would be desperate.
45:50 --> 45:54 [SPEAKER_00]: They'd be desperate for producing an Emerson Hancock at this point, right?
45:55 --> 45:56 [SPEAKER_00]: Desperate.
45:56 --> 45:59 [SPEAKER_00]: to produce an Emerson Hancock in their own system.
45:59 --> 46:03 [SPEAKER_00]: And every, you know, we watch the rotation go through.
46:03 --> 46:07 [SPEAKER_00]: All these guys that were produced in house, right?
46:07 --> 46:07 [SPEAKER_00]: It's incredible.
46:08 --> 46:12 [SPEAKER_00]: And Wu has been, Wu's been just remarkable.
46:12 --> 46:14 [SPEAKER_00]: I know he's top five sion last year.
46:14 --> 46:22 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think the expectations should be that he's gonna land in there again, because it's, it's amazing.
46:23 --> 46:25 [SPEAKER_01]: He's my favorite to watch in the rotation.
46:25 --> 46:40 [SPEAKER_01]: I hate to play favorites, but I say a planet is like, he is, first greatest Logan is, and his fascinating is Kirby is, and it's, you know, as durable as Luis's been through his career, and, you know, the Bryce Miller factor when he's back, I'm just like, I just love to watch Brian Woo pitch for all the reasons you outlined.
46:40 --> 46:44 [SPEAKER_01]: And in terms of TJ's question about him getting better and how does he get better?
46:45 --> 47:11 [SPEAKER_01]: it almost feels unfair because of the year he had last year but that being said every year he's done something drastically better right it's like what was the story after his rookie years like well he was getting really crushed by lefties can he fix that long term year two oh live of the switch he had no problem against lefties year three it's uh well he's got the stuff he had a great end of the year in twenty four but can he be durable can he stay on the field can he throw the innings
47:10 --> 47:13 [SPEAKER_01]: six plus settings for 25 straight starts.
47:13 --> 47:17 [SPEAKER_01]: So now you sit here in 26 and it's like, can he actually do this again?
47:17 --> 47:21 [SPEAKER_01]: Can there be something drastic that he improves yet again for as good as he already is?
47:21 --> 47:24 [SPEAKER_01]: And maybe that's the sweeper to your point.
47:24 --> 47:25 [SPEAKER_01]: Like the usage is up a little bit.
47:25 --> 47:27 [SPEAKER_01]: Like maybe he starts to get more swing and miss on that pitch.
47:28 --> 47:32 [SPEAKER_01]: But it's just fascinating because for how effortless he is and how easily he does it.
47:32 --> 47:37 [SPEAKER_01]: It still feels like, you know, he just keeps proving everybody wrong.
47:37 --> 47:39 [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm almost waiting to see him do it again.
47:39 --> 47:49 [SPEAKER_00]: And he's the kind of guy where I feel like he could say, hey, hitter, I'm throwing the force in here, and I'm gonna put it in the top rail and there's still nothing the hitter can do about it.
47:50 --> 47:50 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, I'm nothing.
47:50 --> 47:54 [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, I just, I was just watching Nick Kurtz talk about this.
47:54 --> 47:55 [SPEAKER_00]: Who's?
47:55 --> 47:58 [SPEAKER_00]: as we know, has after a great start in this career.
47:58 --> 48:09 [SPEAKER_00]: And he said, woo, is the toughest that he is faced in Major League Baseball, and whoever was in every room asked, like, oh, do you watch extra film?
48:09 --> 48:10 [SPEAKER_00]: Like, what are you trying to do?
48:10 --> 48:12 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like, no, I know exactly what he's going to do.
48:12 --> 48:20 [SPEAKER_00]: I just, I can't do anything about it, which is, I guess the ultimate compliment is like, woo, we know what he's going to do.
48:21 --> 48:22 [SPEAKER_00]: and yet the result is the same.
48:23 --> 48:38 [SPEAKER_00]: It's it's remarkable and part of it is like he's when you really watch where every pitch lands like he's just so consistent at top right top right on the line and then too soon corner corner corner corner.
48:38 --> 48:39 [SPEAKER_00]: It is
48:39 --> 49:06 [SPEAKER_00]: pretty remarkable with just the fluid motion right it's just the motion is just beautiful like if you slow that down it's just perfection and if you look right there and clearly I know it shows up as 95-96 whatever but the swings it makes it look like a hundred and six just with the swings we see a hundred and six and it looks like it's going up an elevator shaft yeah yeah it's just poetry emotion it's great
49:07 --> 49:17 [SPEAKER_02]: I want to shift this conversation back to the office because there are a couple more points on hit on the first thing is that I noticed this morning guys that the Mariners so far this season have and this isn't surprising.
49:18 --> 49:25 [SPEAKER_02]: Have an OPS 200 points lower against left handed pictures than they do against right handed pictures.
49:25 --> 49:33 [SPEAKER_02]: And there are some concerning numbers when you look at the Mariners right-handed hitters facing left-handed pictures.
49:33 --> 49:40 [SPEAKER_02]: So Gary, how worried are you right now when you see some of those numbers against lefties this season?
49:40 --> 49:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think those numbers will get better, but I do think that's a thing because you look at how left-handed they are.
49:47 --> 49:59 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, you look at a typical, you know, it was fun about this weekend is it's really the first time we got a chance to see the right-handed line up together, because J.P. missed the start of the season, then Donovan was out for a little bit.
49:59 --> 50:05 [SPEAKER_00]: So this week, when it's kind of the first time, oh, we got to see what this looks like for a few days.
50:05 --> 50:10 [SPEAKER_00]: the reality is once you get past Randy, it's all left handed after that.
50:11 --> 50:12 [SPEAKER_00]: And so
50:13 --> 50:30 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think about about that in a couple of ways, not only for a starter they're facing, but also I think when teams have the ability, like they're gonna try and run out as many lefties out of their bolt plan as possible to just, to try and combat that a little bit.
50:30 --> 50:34 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I think they'll be better for a couple reasons.
50:34 --> 50:42 [SPEAKER_00]: Like I think Cal will be better against lefties moving forward, he hasn't lefties yet,
50:42 --> 50:55 [SPEAKER_00]: to me the big difference between or the difference make a firm last year was batting his lefties like it was astonishing the damage he did in his lefties a 22 homeruns against lefties last year that's
50:56 --> 51:23 [SPEAKER_00]: that's nearly the most all time like somebody's hit against lefty so I think he'll be better against lefties and I think they need him to be because there's a reality I think when you look at the splits like Donovan is going to be a better hitter versus righties and lefties I think that's a reality I think he can be better than he was last year against lefties because the splits are pretty big last year between righties and lefties but I think he's capable of being better than
51:23 --> 51:24 [SPEAKER_00]: than before.
51:24 --> 51:26 [SPEAKER_00]: But I just think that's going to be a reality.
51:27 --> 51:28 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're going to need rough snider.
51:28 --> 51:35 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, they're going to need the guys that step in in a start, like four cans on and four Rayleigh to produce against lefties.
51:36 --> 51:39 [SPEAKER_00]: And with rough sniders track record, I think he will be better.
51:39 --> 51:42 [SPEAKER_00]: Like he's he's really hammered lefties the last few years.
51:42 --> 51:47 [SPEAKER_00]: And the Mariners kind of need him to because they to your point.
51:47 --> 51:52 [SPEAKER_00]: There's just when you look at their lineup, there's going to be a patoon advantage for a left-handed pitcher.
51:52 --> 51:57 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think the numbers will get better, but they're going to need some guys to really step forward.
51:57 --> 51:58 [SPEAKER_00]: I think cows won.
51:58 --> 52:06 [SPEAKER_00]: I think Randy's another, you know, guys from the right side really have to hit those guys and make teams pay for trying to do that.
52:06 --> 52:23 [SPEAKER_02]: Do you think it's more important someone like Reft Snyder hits against lefties or someone like Coward Julio hits against lefties because this is like, this is Reft Snyder's job on the roster is to hit lefties and Coward Julio they have lots of other responsibilities including defense hitting righties as well because there'll be in the lineup every day of Rob Reft Snyder.
52:24 --> 52:30 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean he teaches to hit lefties and he hasn't gone so so far so like where do you rank that for the the responsibility for those guys?
52:30 --> 52:39 [SPEAKER_00]: Callin' Julio, cause they're gonna be in the lineup in the middle of the order every day, lefties, righties, like if those guys are heading lefties, then the Mariners are gonna be fine.
52:40 --> 52:45 [SPEAKER_00]: It would really help if Roughstider did as well, but I don't see Roughstider as the difference maker.
52:46 --> 52:53 [SPEAKER_00]: Like if Cal Crush is lefties like last year and Julio Crush is lefties, you're gonna see those numbers skyrocket, right?
52:54 --> 52:56 [SPEAKER_00]: And so, it'd be great.
52:56 --> 53:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Defraft started contributed against lefties, but to me, it's Kalanolio.
53:02 --> 53:03 [SPEAKER_01]: What was your other topic you wanted to bring up to you today?
53:04 --> 53:05 [SPEAKER_01]: About the offense.
53:05 --> 53:05 [SPEAKER_01]: Oh, Cal.
53:05 --> 53:13 [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, what we've seen so far this season is a little bit like this past week has been better from Cal.
53:13 --> 53:15 [SPEAKER_02]: The power has come back a little bit.
53:15 --> 53:17 [SPEAKER_02]: But he is swinging a miss in a little more.
53:17 --> 53:19 [SPEAKER_02]: There's, you know, there's some swing a miss.
53:20 --> 53:22 [SPEAKER_02]: Do you think this is regression?
53:22 --> 53:23 [SPEAKER_02]: Do you think this is adjustment?
53:24 --> 53:25 [SPEAKER_02]: What do you think this is?
53:26 --> 53:39 [SPEAKER_00]: I think him trying to get his timing mostly I don't think it's anything to be concerned about early in the season and I'm one that was very realistic coming into the season like he's he's not going to get 60 home runs because
53:39 --> 53:41 [SPEAKER_00]: That's just not gonna happen two years in a row.
53:42 --> 53:43 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's not gonna happen again.
53:43 --> 53:44 [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, it's 60 homerons.
53:44 --> 53:47 [SPEAKER_00]: That was an amazing season.
53:48 --> 53:51 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I don't know what that number's gonna be.
53:51 --> 54:09 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm terrible at answering that question because I always felt like, if I said 35, which is a great number for anyone, but especially catcher, I still feel like I was shorting causability by saying 35, but I still think he's gonna hit a ton of homerons.
54:09 --> 54:13 [SPEAKER_00]: I just don't think he was going to equal the home run total from last year.
54:14 --> 54:19 [SPEAKER_00]: I think as the season goes, we will see him improve in other areas.
54:20 --> 54:24 [SPEAKER_00]: Like I think he's going to carry a high-run base this year than he did last year.
54:25 --> 54:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Which would be great.
54:26 --> 54:30 [SPEAKER_00]: Especially if he does well at 30, 35 home runs, something like that.
54:30 --> 54:32 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think he can be
54:33 --> 54:58 [SPEAKER_00]: maybe even a more effective offensive player at the end of the day, if he carries a higher on base, especially with kind of who's surrounding him in the order now, like I think the Mariners have a chance to have overall a more dynamic offense than a year ago, which I know is a funny thing to say given the start they've had, but I do think that
54:59 --> 55:03 [SPEAKER_00]: They have a more varied skill set with their lineup.
55:03 --> 55:06 [SPEAKER_00]: I think this is the most varied offense we've seen from them in the while.
55:06 --> 55:13 [SPEAKER_00]: I think for a lot of past versions of the Mariners, we've seen a lot of the same type of guy, the same type of hitters.
55:13 --> 55:19 [SPEAKER_00]: I think they're going to be tougher to pitch to up and down because you have kind of the power
55:19 --> 55:26 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, with Cal and Julio, but then you can have slashes like dot of, and you have a guy like JP that will take his walks.
55:26 --> 55:27 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's just varied.
55:27 --> 55:35 [SPEAKER_00]: So I think over time, and the course of the season, that will show up, even though it hasn't necessarily until this past weekend.
55:35 --> 55:50 [SPEAKER_02]: which is why Lala and I earlier last week we're talking about this bat speed conversation and whether or not the Mariners, whether it was intentional or not had a bit of a different team-wide approach because they had a little bit more contact, like you said, I'll had a little bit more versatility.
55:51 --> 55:55 [SPEAKER_02]: And then Julio comes out this weekend and says, no, we haven't changed anything.
55:55 --> 55:58 [SPEAKER_02]: Like this is just who we are.
55:59 --> 56:04 [SPEAKER_02]: Did you look into anything with that or did you just chalk it up to different talent on the roster?
56:06 --> 56:07 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's a good question.
56:07 --> 56:10 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm always interested in anything, anything new that comes out.
56:11 --> 56:18 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think we know enough about bad speed yet to draw any sort of conclusions.
56:19 --> 56:20 [SPEAKER_00]: I just think it's fairly new.
56:21 --> 56:24 [SPEAKER_00]: So not to mention, like,
56:24 --> 56:51 [SPEAKER_00]: high bat speed also doesn't necessarily correlate with being a great hitter like we see really good hitters that slow bats right it there's it can correlate with power I guess but I just don't think it's there yet to draw any sort of conclusions and given the weather early in the season I know there was some of that going around as well is like well it's it's colder and your bats slow and that actually makes sense to me so uh
56:51 --> 56:57 [SPEAKER_00]: This will probably take some time to figure out what exactly any of this means in terms of bat speed.
56:57 --> 56:58 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm interested in it.
56:58 --> 57:02 [SPEAKER_00]: I just don't think we can draw any sort of conclusions on it this early.
57:03 --> 57:09 [SPEAKER_02]: Last thing I had for you, Gary, is regarding another sort of key cog to this offense in Koliang.
57:10 --> 57:12 [SPEAKER_02]: What has been the biggest difference for him so far this season?
57:13 --> 57:19 [SPEAKER_00]: First off, I want to say defensively, he has looked
57:20 --> 57:20 [SPEAKER_00]: Great.
57:21 --> 57:24 [SPEAKER_02]: And he's rated right now, Gary is the best defender in baseball.
57:24 --> 57:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
57:25 --> 57:26 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
57:26 --> 57:28 [SPEAKER_00]: So I was talking to Perry Hill about this.
57:28 --> 57:37 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if everyone knows that, you know, before spring training starts, Perry has like an infield cap before spring training actually starts.
57:37 --> 57:39 [SPEAKER_00]: So like, Perry gets there.
57:39 --> 57:40 [SPEAKER_00]: at the beginning of February.
57:40 --> 57:42 [SPEAKER_00]: So this is well before the report date.
57:42 --> 57:49 [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, a lot of the younger players like Cole Young and the prospects like Cole Nemerson, you know, guys like that, they gather there.
57:49 --> 57:51 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's just it's all defense.
57:51 --> 57:55 [SPEAKER_00]: It's all drills and defense practice and all that sort of thing.
57:56 --> 57:59 [SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, talking to Perry, he, he,
57:59 --> 58:10 [SPEAKER_00]: he said coal look great and has made big strides from a year ago and whether you're looking at defensive run saved as you point out or the eye test, he's looked phenomenal.
58:10 --> 58:13 [SPEAKER_00]: I think he's covered so much more ground than a year ago.
58:13 --> 58:15 [SPEAKER_00]: I think his arm was look stronger.
58:15 --> 58:21 [SPEAKER_00]: So from that perspective, I want to start with that by just saying that, that is look phenomenal.
58:21 --> 58:24 [SPEAKER_00]: And offensively,
58:24 --> 58:26 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, you know, it's funny.
58:26 --> 58:29 [SPEAKER_00]: I think we all do this, where
58:30 --> 58:59 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, he's a prospect and we're all excited and then we see him and we see some failure which happens to everybody and I always feel like there's kind of a sheen that gets lost a little bit from when you see a prospect fail right and sometimes we lose sight like hey man he was 21 what he got here look at his that draft class they're like four high schoolers that have been in the majors with him and like Roman Anthony is one of them right it's just
59:00 --> 59:03 [SPEAKER_00]: And I think in between, like he had book and struggle last year, offensively.
59:03 --> 59:06 [SPEAKER_00]: He wasn't good to start and then struggle at the end.
59:06 --> 59:08 [SPEAKER_00]: But he was pretty good in the middle.
59:09 --> 59:19 [SPEAKER_00]: And he has shown, I think, some pop this year, but he's shown the ability to get on base, which I think is the most important thing for him in this Mariners lineup.
59:19 --> 59:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Because unlike prospects in the past, they're not asking him to carry the offense.
59:26 --> 59:32 [SPEAKER_00]: they're asking him to contribute and you think about worries batting you know seventh eighth ninth depending on the day
59:33 --> 59:37 [SPEAKER_00]: If, you know, I think about JP along these terms too, when he's batting in the bottom of the order.
59:38 --> 59:45 [SPEAKER_00]: If JP, if Cole Young, if they can just find their way on base and Cole, yeah, it makes them a Homer now and again.
59:45 --> 59:45 [SPEAKER_00]: That's great.
59:46 --> 59:56 [SPEAKER_00]: But just find a way to get on base because once the middle of the order gets going and you turn that line up over to Donovan and then Cal and Julio and Naylor come up.
59:57 --> 01:00:02 [SPEAKER_00]: It's a lot like when we watch the Astros for example,
01:00:02 --> 01:00:07 [SPEAKER_00]: You're always waiting for Alvarez to come to the plate.
01:00:07 --> 01:00:08 [SPEAKER_00]: He's like the guy to spotlight.
01:00:09 --> 01:00:10 [SPEAKER_00]: And it always seems like, man, he's batting again.
01:00:10 --> 01:00:19 [SPEAKER_00]: Like that's what it's gonna feel like, I think, for opponents, especially if JP and Cole Young are getting on base.
01:00:19 --> 01:00:21 [SPEAKER_00]: Cause then it's like, oh man, cow is batting.
01:00:21 --> 01:00:23 [SPEAKER_00]: For the third time,
01:00:23 --> 01:00:26 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's the fourth inning, you know, that sort of thing.
01:00:26 --> 01:00:31 [SPEAKER_00]: I think when the Mariners offense really gets going, that's what it can look like.
01:00:31 --> 01:00:38 [SPEAKER_00]: And it makes them a pretty good one through nine, especially if, you know, a healthy Rayleigh has been pretty exciting.
01:00:39 --> 01:00:43 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's really promising.
01:00:43 --> 01:00:44 [SPEAKER_00]: moving forward.
01:00:45 --> 01:00:59 [SPEAKER_00]: I know as a good the first couple weeks I know that but I just think when you when you project what this can be and how it looks I think it's pretty exciting what can what can be what can happen when they actually get going in the middle.
01:00:59 --> 01:01:09 [SPEAKER_01]: In Coles, OPS, and 1100 against lefties right now, which that probably won't stay the course all year, but it doesn't mean he won't hit lefties better, going back to that left-on left conversation.
01:01:09 --> 01:01:10 [SPEAKER_01]: So that's pretty exciting.
01:01:11 --> 01:01:15 [SPEAKER_00]: It's very exciting, because the reality is, you can't platoon everybody.
01:01:15 --> 01:01:17 [SPEAKER_00]: You can't platoon all your lefties.
01:01:17 --> 01:01:24 [SPEAKER_00]: So it'd be helpful to have a couple of lefties hit lefties, and hey, he's been playing every day, and he's earned it.
01:01:24 --> 01:01:36 [SPEAKER_00]: It was a reason he's been in a lot of every single day and part of that is the way he said left is I've been super impressed with him this year I think he's been Huge bright spot early in the season.
01:01:36 --> 01:01:40 [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's really exciting to think about
01:01:40 --> 01:02:06 [SPEAKER_00]: what he's done early what Rayleigh's done early and when you get the middle line up going it can be I think a really good offense because how I've thought about it this whole time is I think the middle line up is going to hit and I think those guys alone like the top five makes the Mariners a top 10 offense on their own now if you get contributions from like Cole Young and J.P. is J.P. and if you have a
01:02:06 --> 01:02:09 [SPEAKER_00]: That can bump it up to top five.
01:02:09 --> 01:02:10 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know, top three.
01:02:11 --> 01:02:12 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know where it goes from there.
01:02:12 --> 01:02:17 [SPEAKER_00]: But I think it can make them truly a dynamic offense.
01:02:17 --> 01:02:20 [SPEAKER_00]: And Donovan to me is the difference maker, especially.
01:02:20 --> 01:02:27 [SPEAKER_00]: Then the idea of the pitching staff, I healthy staff and you're talking about a team that is one of the best in baseball.
01:02:28 --> 01:02:30 [SPEAKER_02]: Well, Gary, it's always a pleasure having you on.
01:02:30 --> 01:02:31 [SPEAKER_02]: Appreciate you taking some time for us.
01:02:32 --> 01:02:33 [SPEAKER_02]: Go protect that better cup with your life.
01:02:34 --> 01:02:35 [SPEAKER_02]: We appreciate you taking some time.
01:02:35 --> 01:02:36 [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
01:02:36 --> 01:02:39 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, next time we talk, I'll play a play of the guitar for you.
01:02:39 --> 01:02:40 [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be great.
01:02:40 --> 01:02:42 [SPEAKER_02]: You should bring the trophy and just put it in the background.
01:02:42 --> 01:02:43 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that'd be great.
01:02:43 --> 01:02:45 [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'll play the next piece for it.
01:02:45 --> 01:02:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's better than my hotel curtain.
01:02:47 --> 01:02:48 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'll do that next time.
01:02:49 --> 01:02:49 [SPEAKER_02]: Thanks, Gary.
01:02:53 --> 01:02:53 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's always fun.
01:02:54 --> 01:02:58 [SPEAKER_01]: Shoutout to Gary, not only do we always love having him on, but he really does make you think.
01:02:58 --> 01:03:01 [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he always ignites some really good conversations.
01:03:01 --> 01:03:08 [SPEAKER_01]: He provokes some thoughts that you maybe haven't had about the Mariners or baseball, especially from a numbers perspective or an analytical perspective.
01:03:08 --> 01:03:14 [SPEAKER_01]: So, having Gary on always just sparked some good conversations, which is why we love to talk baseball with him.
01:03:14 --> 01:03:18 [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm sure we'll be doing it again, not too far in the near future.
01:03:18 --> 01:03:21 [SPEAKER_01]: So shoutout is always to Gary.
01:03:20 --> 01:03:23 [SPEAKER_01]: That'll just about wrap up this edition of the Marine Lair pod cast.
01:03:24 --> 01:03:24 [SPEAKER_01]: You guys know the drill.
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01:03:58 --> 01:03:59 [SPEAKER_01]: That's TJ, I'm Lyle.
01:04:00 --> 01:04:01 [SPEAKER_01]: As always, we thank you guys for tuning in.
01:04:02 --> 01:04:03 [SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk to you soon.