February 6, 2026 • 38 mins
Continuing to preview the AL Central Division with Detroit Tiger broadcaster Dan Dickerson, plus a conversation with Guardians Director of International scouting Richard Conway. That's all on this edition of Guardians Weekly with Jim Rosenhaus on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network.
Guardians Weekly is brought to you by Progressive helping Guardians
fans save hundreds on car insurance.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim rosannounced along with
you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Still covered in snow.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
That's this winter that has been as harsh as any
in recent memory, continues here in northeast Ohio.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
But good news, we.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Are not that far away from Cactus League Baseball on
the radio. For you, if you are listening to our
show on the radio on a Saturday, we are two
saturdays away from the Guardians and Cincinnati Reds from good years.
So keep that in your back pocket when you're out
there shoveling and trying to deal with the sub zero
(01:44):
temperatures that we've had in this neck of the woods
in recent weeks. But we're getting there, folks, and the
Hot Stove shows are coming to a close soon, as
we will join you from spring training once we get
out there on President's Day weekend and then that start
of the exhibition slate all the way on through spring
training and on endo the regular season as well. It's
(02:05):
not that far away. Coming up on our show this
week and just a little bit, we will hear from
the Guardians director of international Scouting, Richard Conway. Recently the
international signing period open and the Guardians signed up twenty
two international amateur free agents. And you may say, well,
why is that a big deal? A lot of them
(02:28):
are from Latin America and perhaps the greatest player in
franchise history, at least he's trying to stake that claim
with a couple of more great seasons. That's where the
Guardians found Jose Ramirez. So there are some parallels there
and that's what drives the scouts in that neck of
the woods when they are looking for players. Can they
(02:48):
find the next Jose Ramirez? And we'll talk about some
of the players signed this year with Richard Conway in
just a little bit in the second half of our show.
We started our America League Central Division opponent previews last
week with a look at the Minnesota Twins. This week,
the Detroit Tigers, the biggest rival the Guardians have in
(03:10):
recent seasons, back to back years playoff opponents, great series
both times around tremendous regular season games, and it sure
looks like it's shaping up to be very similar. In
twenty twenty six, we'll hear from Dan Dickerson, their longtime broadcaster.
He'll join us with the very latest on the Detroit Tigers.
(03:31):
That's coming up a little bit later on in our show.
So where are we in terms of what's going on
out in Goodyear? Pitchers and catchers reporting next week. Position
players not too far behind. The first full squad workout
the seventeenth of February, and again our first game two
weeks from today. If you're listening on the radio, Saturday,
(03:52):
February the twenty first, the Guardians and Cincinnati Reds at
three to five. So things starting to pick up. Most
of the players are in Goodyear already. Nobody waits till
report dates anymore. They are there taking advantage of the
great facilities and getting ready for a new season. We'll
take a time out, we'll come back and we'll talk
(04:13):
about the international signing class from the Latin American countries,
mainly that's coming your way shortly with Director of International
Scouting Richard Conway. After this time out, the.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
Post career day press conference prote might progress it we can't.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Can you tell us what happened during career day. I'm
a biomedical researcher.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
The kids just weren't impressed.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
How did you feel when your son called in the backup?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Embarrassed?
Speaker 4 (04:44):
And I knew it would be a fireman.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
It's always a fireman. It's a cliche, but a crowd favorite.
He had an accent everything. I can't compete with that.
Speaker 6 (04:50):
And will the fireman be helping your son with his
science fair project? Hope not.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
I'm literally a scientist.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
Flank it or not.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
Sometimes you need a backup. That's why there's Progressive to
protect Jo home in auto for there's a cash tea
terms define a philis another one cheers is not avaiable
in those states situations.
Speaker 7 (05:21):
Guardians Everywhere, four four and the tenth, nobody out that
pins and Ramirez swings and.
Speaker 8 (05:28):
Lines unto the basement ball game. Jose Ramirez places one
down the left field line, scoring on hill. Martinez with
a game winner.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Welcome back at his Guardians Weekly Jimm rosen House back
with you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. And it
still looks like a holiday card here at the ballpark,
with the white snow covering the entire field and a
lot of the stands as well, so that continues here downtown,
but Brandon Kanke and the guys as soon as they can,
(06:10):
they're going to get on that field and have it
looking pristine for opening day, the home opener, which will
be April to third against the Chicago Cubs this season,
as it'll start it up with inter league play on
the home slate, of course, a week earlier. On March
the twenty sixth, the season opens on the West Coast,
a night game, so stay up late night if you
(06:32):
want to catch the opener for the Guardians. They're in
Seattle with a ten to ten first pitch on March
the twenty sixth. Well, the players are going to talk
about now they're a long long way from the major leagues,
but you never know. At sixteen years of age. The
Guardians signed Jose Ramirez way back when, and it took
him a little bit to get to the major leagues,
(06:52):
but he has put together a Hall of Fame type
career and recently, twenty two new players were signed to
contracts in that international signing period that opened, twelve from Venezuela,
eight from the Dominican Republic, and two from Cuba. Richard
Conway is the director of international scouting. He joined the
ball club back in twenty sixteen, good timing by Richard
(07:16):
Conway to jump on board, and he has gradually worked
his way into a position that is so critically important
for this team. And as you'd expect, he's very pleased
with the draft or not draft class, but the signing
class this year in the international signing period.
Speaker 9 (07:33):
Yeah, absolutely, and you're right. We are excited every year
about each class that comes in and this year is
no different. We have a group of twenty two players
that signed on January fifteenth, a couple weeks ago, including
two Cuban players, one outfielder, winnfielder, twelve Venezuelans and eight
Dominican players. So we're excited about the group of fifteen
(07:55):
position players and seven pitchers that signed in total.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And when you look at some of the players, obviously
you like them all, but at least nationally getting some run.
Is one of the players that you spent the most
money on to secure and tell us about him.
Speaker 9 (08:14):
Yeah, esfert Rainioso was. We ended up getting ranked on
MLB's top fifty international sign these lists, which is which
is great, great for him and he's certainly earned it.
He is the player that ended up receiving the highest
bonus for US this year. And he's from Mocha in
the Dominican Republic in the North Inner area. Physical switch
hitting infielder with a really good arm, high level of
(08:36):
excitement around him as someone who we feel has a
really good shot to hit for both average and power
and stick on the left side of the infield, and
so we're excited about him. And you know, while we're
excited about Esfert, and he ended up receiving the highest bonus,
that's worth noting that the other twenty one players were
also very excited about them, and the signing bonuses is
one factor that ends up being a result of a
(08:57):
lot of different market factors. But you know, as everyone knows,
like Rokio Noel, other players that have contributed at the
major league level didn't all sign for really high signed
bonuses as well.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
And perhaps the greatest example is someone who's been in
the news this week, Jose Ramirez. And I don't know
if it impacts your position at all when you are
in Latin America's scouting and things like that, but do
you think, hey, maybe we can find the next Jose Ramirez.
The next great player for this franchise.
Speaker 9 (09:26):
Yeah, absolutely, And it comes up a lot just when
talking with the players and getting to know the players
during the scouting process, where there's a lot of excitement
around the cleveand Guardians because of people like Hosierramirez and
what he's done and for the city and the organization
and just in general or Latin American baseball. So that
certainly plays a large role in the excitement level and
(09:47):
US being almost like a recruitment tool for players wanting
to be cleaning Guardians because of people like Jazier Ameiraz.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Richard Conway's joining us. He's the director of international scouting
for the Guardians. The signing period is open and a
great class coming in. When you sign these kids are
sixteen a lot of them. What challenges maybe that would
be different from amateur scouting in the US when you're
looking at draft eligible kids, whether it's college or high school,
(10:16):
and you're looking at sixteen year old kids. How challenging
can that be and what are some of those challenges?
Speaker 9 (10:23):
Yeah, absolutely, that's accurate. They're sixteen or seventeen by the
time they sign, depending on their birthday. So a lot
of the times when we're doing the scouting process and
getting to know these players as a scouting staff, they're
even younger than that, And just inherently as players are
really young, there's a greater distance for those players to
go time wise before they're actually going to contribute at
(10:45):
the major league level, with just adds a lot of
risk and difficulty in getting to know them the same
way that you might be getting to know a college
junior who's twenty one years old, they've just gone through
a lot more different scout baseball experience and life experiences,
and so the way we get to know players internationally
(11:05):
is a lot more about who they're around, who their influences,
who their family, who their parents, grandmother, uncles, you know,
the people that are impacting them as people on a
day to day basis, because they haven't necessarily gone through
the same life experiences that a college graduate might have
gone through.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
And just for fans who say, well, all right, for Reinoso,
when can I see him play? And even from a
standpoint of being with a minor league affiliate in the States,
there's so much more out there for fans to who
really are educated to follow minor leaguers. But but for them,
will to take a little bit for them to get
(11:42):
to the States and play with a full season affiliate here.
Speaker 10 (11:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (11:46):
Good, good question. So we have all of our DSL
players will start their careers in Dominican Summer League, which
is which starts June and goes through August. Every player
that we sign will start there. They typically one year
there or two years there and then move on to
the Arizona Arizona Complex League. So ideally we'll see them
(12:06):
in a couple of years in the States if everything
goes well in which we which certainly hope he does.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
You mentioned the Dominican Summer League. The Guardians have a
great complex in the DR. How has that helped with
with what you guys are doing.
Speaker 9 (12:21):
Yeah, So in twenty nineteen we moved over to this
new complex, which was a massive investment and an awesome,
awesome way to support our Latin players both on and
off the field. The facility is incredible. It's basically the
Good Year Complex place in the Dominican Republic. So we
have two and a half fields down there and plenty
(12:41):
of place for the players to live during the season
and during the during the off season as well. During
a lot of the mini camps, and so a lot
of the evaluation process from the scouting side happens away
from the complex, just in place with the MLB rules
to be able to evaluate them, but we also evaluate
players at the complex and it's a much more controlled
environment where we have the same technology that we typically
(13:03):
have at in Arizona. We have, you know, places for
them to stay overnight and get to know the staff
and interact with the with the scouting staff, the player
development staff, and get to know them at a much
deeper level. So it's it's certainly played a huge role
in us being able to feel more comfortable as we
make acquisitions decisions because of the facilities and the level
of infrastructure we have down there.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
With your job and the other scouts who are based here,
how often are you down there and what are some
of the challenges that you have working in another country
to try and find great players.
Speaker 9 (13:35):
Yeah, aside from trying to get out of Cleveland's airport
in the winter, it's it's it's a it's a joy
to be in this role, honestly, just because of the
scouts that we have on the ground. We have seven
people in the Dominicans, seven people in Venezuela and one
person in Panama, and they all all the credit really
goes to them, but they make the job really enjoyable.
(13:56):
They're mostly all bilingual, and some of them they all
live in their home countries and their different areas, similar
to how the domestic areas are split up geographically, but
there's cultural differences in Venezuela to Panama to Dominican and
even within the regions and their families, so they're there
(14:16):
are fun challenges to to move around and solve with
our people. So it's a it's a it's a fun
problem to solve as we get to know different players
from different countries with in languages. I'm not fluent in Spanish,
but we certainly have a lot of people that are
and lead our process down there to to a high, high,
high level.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
And I feel like a lot of those scouts were
in Goodyear last year doing some things during the spring training,
and how important is that to to get them out
to good Year, especially when the big league team is
still there and it's buzzing with activity and things like that.
Speaker 9 (14:49):
Yeah, one of the important things I think that we
do a really good job of throughout the organization and
and thankfully from leadership top down is they provide opportunity
for our people, who are oftentimes remote in their jobs,
to feel connected to the rest of the organization. And
it's not often that we get to do that when
you're grinding every day in Caracas or in Santa Domingo
(15:11):
and all of a sudden you're you know, you look
up and you haven't really seen a lot of people
in the rest of the organization for a lot of
the year. To be able to come to Arizona and
have that opportunity and privilege to interact again with the coaches,
the rest of the scout and staff that you don't
see every day, see players that you may have gotten
to know as they were amateurs and now they're in
the States. In spring training means a lot, and we
(15:34):
use that time to continue personal development, professional development, connection,
to take a break and get off the treadmill, so
to speak, a little bit on the job and sort
of refresh and relearn what's new in baseball and see
everyone and also also like interact people interpersonally as well,
which is really important to think.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
And just in closing. In the amateur draft in June,
teams have a pool that they can use to to
sign players. In terms of the money available on the
international front, Cleveland has a little bit of an advantage
over some other teams in terms of the amount of
money they can spend on international players. And explain how
(16:15):
that works and how that's been beneficial for this organization.
Speaker 9 (16:18):
Yeah, absolutely, So that's a good question that doesn't get
talked about often. So every year, for each signing class,
every team is allotted a certain amount of money to
spend toward international amateur free agents. In Cleveland, because it's
a smaller market, we actually get a slight bump above
some of the other larger market teams to be able
(16:39):
to spend additional money to be able to acquire more
talent for us. And thankfully we've been able to and
fortunate enough to take advantage of that extra money and
just in general, the international dollars that we're allocated to
be able to acquire a large amount of talent. And
we feel like we've been pretty excited about what we've
been able to accomplish so far and as a group
(17:01):
and organization.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
And again, if you're wondering international science, Jose Ramirez, Brian Rochio,
just to name a couple there's others, but that gives
you an idea of what can happen when they are
developed well. And obviously the scouts found them and they
have done the rest and gotten them here to contribute
to this ball club. How did you not schedule a
(17:23):
trip to the dr this week when it's a record
called here in Cleveland?
Speaker 10 (17:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (17:28):
I tried to get out, but the snow kept us
in here, you know.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Richard, great to see you, Thanks for coming by.
Speaker 9 (17:34):
Absolutely, thanks so much, my pleasure.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
That is Richard Conway, the director of International Scouting, talking
about some of the new signs from Latin America in
the most recent open signing period. Stay tuned more to
come after.
Speaker 7 (17:45):
This campaign awakes another celebration and him they're trying to
(18:39):
finish it with a win. The one two pinch swagger
and plass.
Speaker 8 (18:44):
It deep to right down.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
The line, off the part.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Can't you believe?
Speaker 8 (18:54):
A free run? Walk off, home run off, the follow
the right, Brian Rokill circling the basis.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
Now getting mob.
Speaker 11 (19:08):
Think of any word you want, Improbable, implausible, impossible, They
all work and Cleveland wins the division title. On the field,
they finish a game I had a Detroit to win
their thirteenth American Lake Central Division title, and folks, the
(19:35):
most incredible month of September that this city, or for
that matter, Major League Baseball has ever witnessed.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Welcome Backetts, Guardians Weekly, Jim rosen House along with you
from Progressive Deal in downtown Cleveland, we continue our look
around the American League Central Division. The opponents for the
Guardians that they need to beat to win the division
for a third consecutive year. Now, Who would have thought
they could do it a year ago when you looked
at the standings in July and saw Cleveland fifteen and
(20:10):
a half games behind the Detroit Tigers, who had one
of the best records in all of baseball at the time.
But the Guardians got hot, the Tigers did not, and
on the season's last day, Cleveland passed Detroit and won
the regular season crown in the division for a second
straight year, an historic comeback. No one had ever come
(20:31):
from fifteen and a half games back to win a
league or division in the history of Major League Baseball.
That's well behind full disclosure here. When we caught up
with Dan Dickerson earlier this week and recorded this interview,
the Tigers had not yet signed Framber Valdez, but he's
now in the fold for Detroit, making their already excellent
(20:52):
starting pitching that much better. And here's our conversation with
Dan Dickerson, longtime radio voice and television voice at times
for the Detroit Tigers.
Speaker 10 (21:03):
Yeah, you know, for so long we talked about it,
wouldn't it be great? Because the Tigers Cleveland rivalry had
never really gotten a chance to become a real rivalry
because they were never good at the same time.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Well, now they are and.
Speaker 10 (21:17):
It's a lot of fun, it really is it. I mean,
those games down the stretch and in the postseason the
last two years have been.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Incredible and I love it. I love it. This should
be our natural rival.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Well, and you look back at last year and the
remarkable comeback in the regular season for the Guardians and
then the Tigers win in the postseason to move on.
How did the team look at that because I think
for a lot of teams that it might have been
awfully difficult to come off the mat and play well
in the postseason after what happened at the end of
(21:50):
the regular season. But what changed for Detroit in the postseason?
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Yeah, I'm not sure anything changed.
Speaker 11 (21:55):
It's just.
Speaker 10 (21:57):
I don't know, you can look at a lot of
different ways I look at it. You know, the offense
was a top three offense all season until the final
sixteen games or twenty four if you want to include
the postseason, and they faced just a lot of good pitching.
They faced you guys six times, Seattle three. Miami actually
(22:19):
was pitching very well as a team when we face them.
So it was kind of like they just didn't overreact.
And I think this is the value of having a J.
Hinch as your manager. They didn't overreact to the tough finish,
and let's face it, yeah, it was a tough finish,
you know, nine to twenty two in their last thirty
one games, but they didn't overreact, and they just they
(22:41):
just kept kept working. And you know, the offense came
alive at a couple of key moments against you guys
and then against Seattle to force the game five back
in Seattle.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
So it wasn't anything that really clicked.
Speaker 10 (22:53):
It was just kind of, Okay, we know what got
us to a top three offense through ninety percent of
the season.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Let's just continue to work on that.
Speaker 10 (23:02):
You know, I'm they know that you're going to have
to hit good pitching, and that's what they're all working
on this winter and we'll work on next year. You're
going to face good pitching in the postseason, so you're
going to have to do that. But to me, that
was the biggest thing, but also how they handled it,
and that's always aj the whole you know, make sure
your head to where your feet are. It sounds boring,
you always calls it coach speak, but all the things
(23:24):
that go into that keeps them on a very level plane,
whether they're twenty five games above five hundred or you know,
staggering to the finish line.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
As we look ahead to the coming season, let's get
to the elephant in the room, the contract situation for
Trek Scooble.
Speaker 10 (23:40):
Oh are people talking about that?
Speaker 3 (23:43):
That seems to be a topic of conversation really one
of the I mean, the great pitchers in our game today.
What is it like in Detroit among fans and where
do you see this thing going and the importance of
him to your team that maybe is more than just
(24:03):
the obvious.
Speaker 10 (24:05):
Yeah, the way I've been talking about it is, you know,
we do a weekly show as well, and we've.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Been talking about it because it is the topic.
Speaker 10 (24:13):
Right, the biggest move they have made this winter was
not trading their school.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
But here's the thing.
Speaker 10 (24:21):
Everybody assumes that if you keep him, you're going to lose.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
Him for nothing.
Speaker 10 (24:25):
That's kind of the narrative, right, You're going to lose
him for nothing at the end of the year, assuming
you will not sign him. Well, I don't care what
you think. The chances are of signing Terrek Schoobl' they're
greater than zero. You could re sign Terrek Schouble, right,
So let's talk about whether that makes sense financially. And
I believe very strongly that you can make a business
(24:45):
case for its signing Terrek Schouble. I mean, it would
likely be forty million plus a year. But figure out,
you know, what's his number. Everybody has a number, right,
what is his number? Everybody's throwing out four hundred million.
That's just something that was floated by Scott Borrows last year.
Do you think he'd take an eight year deal at
forty forty three million a year?
Speaker 4 (25:05):
You know, you figure that out, but that's you know,
that's the job of.
Speaker 10 (25:08):
The president, Scott Harris and his staff. And then like, okay,
would let's call it forty million a year for eight years,
would that make financial sense? And I've argued you can
certainly make the case that having Trek Schouble leading your
rotation puts more butts in the seats, leads to more wins,
(25:31):
has an impact beyond.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Just the days he pitches.
Speaker 10 (25:35):
Because having Tarrek schoobl on your team lifts everybody up.
You have a better chance of winning a short series.
In the postseason when he's starting twice, your franchise value
goes up because you're winning more. You have a better
chance of winning the World Series, marketing opportunities, there are
so many ways. It feels like to me that forty
(25:57):
million would more than pay for itself, and I just
I firmly believe that and letting him go. Now, if
you talk about the goals to win a World Series
every year, now that road probably goes through the team
that has Turk Schoobel.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And you're mentioning earlier too, just I mean, we I
think we got an idea of who he is as
a person after the David Fry injury late in the
season and how he reacted to that that will to win.
When when the season ended for Detroit, who was front
and center.
Speaker 10 (26:32):
Yeah, yeah, I mean he just the will to win
is strong, and the personality matters too.
Speaker 9 (26:42):
Right.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
You and I were talking before we started just about.
Speaker 10 (26:44):
Clubhouse, and you know, the clubhouse chemistry is that's more
art than science. But Scott Harris pays attention to that
and he tries to add people to the clubhouse that
are going to fit into the culture, which he calls,
you know, kind of the defining difference between teams is
the culture.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
That you build.
Speaker 10 (27:00):
A lot of people throw it out as a buzzword,
but he believes it because the personalities do matter. And
Trek schoubel in your clubhouse. He's fun, he likes to laugh,
he's not unapproachable on the day that he starts, and
then he's just a competitor when he gets on the mound,
all locked in.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
I mean, all those things matter, and I don't know,
I love him, I'm biased, and you know, who knows
what's going to happen.
Speaker 10 (27:26):
Are the odds of signing him. I don't know, but
it's a possibility, and I think we should at least
talk that way because.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
We saw with Justin Verlander they extended him.
Speaker 10 (27:38):
I think when he had two years left on his deal,
so it became I think a seven or eight year
deal at the time. And it's just like, you have
a chance to go to the World Series every year
when you have somebody a generational talent on your team,
and Miguel Cabro certainly as part of that. Well, when
it's a starting pitcher who's an ace, who is elite,
(28:01):
it just does it changes the fuel going into every season.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Dan Dickerson joining us, long time broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers.
All right, the rest of the team, obviously, it's not
just Tarrek schoobl but real solid ball club. Not a
whole lot of moves in the offseason. But how you
feeling about the roster coming back?
Speaker 10 (28:21):
I like it, So you know there was a lot
of attention. Do they need a right handed bad Alex Bregman.
I didn't think that was going to happen. So here's
how I looked at it going into the offseason. You
had an offensive jumped to top five, as I said,
top three until those final sixteen games, top three and
runs scoring in the American League until then. And I
always say in the league, I always judge it by
(28:41):
league because you know you're still playing seventy five percent
of your games in the American League, so.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
Top five offense. I thought that was a big improvement.
Speaker 10 (28:49):
You know, they scored seventy six more runs in the
year before, and they were on pace to score right
up until the end one hundred more runs in the
year before.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
There are a lot of improvements.
Speaker 10 (28:57):
You had a core of six guys who are twenty
seven years older, younger, who all made improvements in some
significant way. You know, it's Green, it's Torpals, and it's
Carpenter with a thumb. But Dylan dingler Man he had
a year not just gold glove, but he was a
very consistent hitter. Cole Key still has upside when Selperez
does two. So one of the keys to those guys
(29:20):
all improving was Glabor Torres. They got him back, you know,
he accepted the offer, the qualifying offer, and he's coming back. Well,
he was twenty eight last year and he was a
big part of the improvement in the offense because of
the type of hitter that he is.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
So that was a good move.
Speaker 10 (29:36):
Once he came back. You probably thought, especially with the
number two prospect in all of baseball, Kevin McGonagall, not
far away, like it wouldn't make sense really to go
out and spend one hundred and seventy million or whatever
on Alex Bregman, which was the name you heard a lot,
or really anybody else. So I think the offense is
if you've got a top five offense, to me, it's
(29:57):
still always about run prevention, right, And that's where the
Tigers slipped a little bit.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
You know, they gave up more runs.
Speaker 10 (30:03):
They were not quite as deep in the rotation, and
that's why I still think the bullpen wasn't as good.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
That's why I still think they might add a starter.
Speaker 10 (30:13):
But to me, it's like, okay, on the offensive side,
if you can have a top five offense with a
team that's top five and run prevention, you've got a
chance to go deep into the postseason.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
So they've had a Kenley Jansen, they've had.
Speaker 10 (30:23):
They re signed Kyle Finigan, who was really good after
that trade at the trade deadline, coming over from Washington.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
They had him used as splitter more and he was
lights out.
Speaker 10 (30:32):
Kenny Jansen really had a fine finish to the season.
Tigers touched him for six runs on three home runs
in May and then he didn't give up much in
the way of hits or runs the rest of the
year in fifty four innings of work. I like that
now you've got will Veas, Finnegan Jensen, Kenny Jensen at
the back end, and that's really something that AJ didn't
have this past year, the kind of the depth of
(30:53):
guys who could.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Close out games. And they'll probably all close out games
this year.
Speaker 10 (30:57):
They'll rotate, but I think he loves having that flexibility.
I think it allows you to use Tyler Holton in
that role that AJ liked a lot, which has used
him anywhere from the first inning to the ninth inning,
and he did that two years ago. He pitched in
every inning, and then they probably could still use another arm.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
I still think they might sign another arm for the bullpen.
Speaker 10 (31:16):
But I still think the rotation, which is you know,
Scuball Mize Flaherty, was very inconsistent this past year. They
need him to be more like the twenty twenty four
guy that they traded to the Dodgers resolce and needs
to stay healthy. Those are kind of big iss right,
So I think Tory Milton's going to be terrific.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
I think he's got number two starter.
Speaker 10 (31:34):
Stuff that's five, and then they decided, you know, Drew
Anderson's coming back from Korea. That's kind of a you know,
coin toss is he hasn't had success at the major
league level.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
He was dominant in Korea. He's got stuff, so that's
intriguing to me.
Speaker 10 (31:49):
But it still feels like Chris Bassett might be a
nice addition. And Nick Martinez just a veteran that you
know is going to make twenty eight to thirty one
starts and you know what you're going to get each
time out.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
So I like the moves they've made.
Speaker 10 (32:03):
I still think they could use a little more pitching
because to me, you still win with pitching and defense.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Not to get too deep into the weeds, but boy,
when when you talk about some young prospects, it seems
like there are a lot of Tiger farm hands that
are on the various lists. And how much has the
farm system improved in the past several years.
Speaker 10 (32:25):
Well, it was bottom five and probably bottom three when
Scott Harris took over, and I would say consistently the
last two years it's been ranked.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
It's been ranked as high as the best.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
And again I look at you know, MLB pipeline, I
think Fangrass does a good job Baseball America.
Speaker 4 (32:45):
But I mean there's four or five right who rank
farm systems. ESPN does it.
Speaker 10 (32:49):
I would say the consensus would have them top five
or six right now.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
And then I always like how people do it.
Speaker 10 (32:55):
They rank it by depth, and they also rank it
by high end talent. And I would say that Tiger's
probably right now rank high because they have high upside
for their top prospects. And that's McGonagall, That's Bryce Rayner,
That's Max Clark, that's Joe Suae Briseno, that Ron Loronzo.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Those are probably the top guys.
Speaker 10 (33:16):
And then there are a couple others that might make
a run this year, but those are the guys that.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Kind of keep an eye on. I think McGonagall will
get quite a few at bats.
Speaker 10 (33:24):
I think he'll make a push to make the opening
day roster.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
He'll be jumping from double A.
Speaker 10 (33:29):
But you know what, you know this, the good ones
come quick, right, He's only twenty, But if he has
a good spring and he just keeps hitting and he
can hit, I won't be surprised to see him on
the opening day roster.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I always fun to watch it. A top prospect, especially
with that high upside and maybe a high school draft
kit who was still is only twenty Yeah, to see
what they can do. Hey, just in closing fan interest wise,
obviously the Tiger's on the upswing. How much buzz is
there around town now in an off season with coming
off a playoff run and high expectations coming.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I think once the calendar flips.
Speaker 10 (34:06):
I mean just and I'm just basing this, you know,
running into people if I if I'm out and about,
or just you know, friends who are big fans, and
just how much you're looking forward to the season, how
much they've enjoyed being in the postseason the last two years. Uh.
And you know you always get the question when you're leaving,
(34:27):
so you know, I get that a lot. And it's like,
because it's a sign of spring, he's leaving for spring training.
So just an unofficial, just.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
Kind of reading. I think people are quite excited.
Speaker 10 (34:42):
It'll it'll obviously ramp up when pictures and catchers report,
but I think the interest is is is building quite
a bit. I think I you know, in all likelihood, people,
if you took a poll, are probably disappointed they didn't
do more in the way of big moves this winter.
I still like the moves, but that's that's understandable. They'd
like to see, you know, maybe that one big free agent.
(35:04):
But if that one big free agent turns out to
be a signing extension for Trek Scooble, then all of
a sudden, that looks a whole lot different.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Well, I know we always look forward to the games
of the Tigers now and who knows, maybe a third
straight year they meet the postseason. But obviously a lot
of baseball to be played between now and then. But
I'm certainly exciting times the last couple of seasons. And Dan,
thanks a lot for coming by.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
All Right, we'll see you guys. I'm looking at the
calendar right now. It looks like we see you first
in mid May. I'll look forward to it.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
Awesome. That's Dan Dickerson, broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers. Stay tuned,
we'll have more to come after this.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
A progressive home and auto bundle can protect you around
the clock, but we can't protect you from those painful
moments in sports.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
I can't believe we blew a five touchdown lead.
Speaker 5 (35:56):
Sure, but you got to feel like they were going
to win for almost the entire game.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
But I was about to buy playoff tickets.
Speaker 5 (36:02):
So you were prepared for a good time. That's pretty nice.
Speaker 10 (36:05):
It's the worst loss any team has ever had.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
And you got to witness history.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Okay, we're done here.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
Well, at least you're Hollanado or protected with a bundle
from Progressive Progressive Casual Canterns Company affiliates an other inturists
not available in tho states are situations. Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
It's our final segment of Guardians Weekly. We join you
from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Jim Rosen House along
with you on this snowy cold weekend again, lots of
snow in the area yesterday and now that the sub
zero temperatures overnight and harsh winter time continuing here. But
spring training right around the in fact, on Monday, that's
(37:02):
the report date for some of the players who will
be taking part in the World Baseball Classic this spring,
so it'll be some organized activities out in Goodyear. But
again most of the team is there already and the
official workout dates for the full squad they begin on
February seventeenth, with our first broadcast on the twenty first,
(37:24):
two weeks from today if you're listening to us on
the radio, and you can catch us on the radio
on our flagship station in Cleveland WTAM, as well as
others in the iHeart family in different markets throughout the
state of Ohio at seven am on Saturday mornings, or
as a podcast wherever you enjoy downloading and listening to
(37:45):
your favorite podcast, you can listen to it anytime right there,
So thanks so much as always for listening. Thanks to
Brian Motse for helping to put together our show each
and every week until next week. This is Jim Rosenhouse
reminding you that you've been listening to Guardians Weekly on
the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Guardians Weekly has been brought to you by Progressive helping
Guardians fans save hundreds on car insurance
Welcome to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network.
Guardians Weekly is brought to you by Progressive helping Guardians
fans save hundreds on car insurance.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim rosannounced along with
you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Still covered in snow.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
That's this winter that has been as harsh as any
in recent memory, continues here in northeast Ohio.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
But good news, we.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Are not that far away from Cactus League Baseball on
the radio. For you, if you are listening to our
show on the radio on a Saturday, we are two
saturdays away from the Guardians and Cincinnati Reds from good years.
So keep that in your back pocket when you're out
there shoveling and trying to deal with the sub zero
(01:44):
temperatures that we've had in this neck of the woods
in recent weeks. But we're getting there, folks, and the
Hot Stove shows are coming to a close soon, as
we will join you from spring training once we get
out there on President's Day weekend and then that start
of the exhibition slate all the way on through spring
training and on endo the regular season as well. It's
(02:05):
not that far away. Coming up on our show this
week and just a little bit, we will hear from
the Guardians director of international Scouting, Richard Conway. Recently the
international signing period open and the Guardians signed up twenty
two international amateur free agents. And you may say, well,
why is that a big deal? A lot of them
(02:28):
are from Latin America and perhaps the greatest player in
franchise history, at least he's trying to stake that claim
with a couple of more great seasons. That's where the
Guardians found Jose Ramirez. So there are some parallels there
and that's what drives the scouts in that neck of
the woods when they are looking for players. Can they
(02:48):
find the next Jose Ramirez? And we'll talk about some
of the players signed this year with Richard Conway in
just a little bit in the second half of our show.
We started our America League Central Division opponent previews last
week with a look at the Minnesota Twins. This week,
the Detroit Tigers, the biggest rival the Guardians have in
(03:10):
recent seasons, back to back years playoff opponents, great series
both times around tremendous regular season games, and it sure
looks like it's shaping up to be very similar. In
twenty twenty six, we'll hear from Dan Dickerson, their longtime broadcaster.
He'll join us with the very latest on the Detroit Tigers.
(03:31):
That's coming up a little bit later on in our show.
So where are we in terms of what's going on
out in Goodyear? Pitchers and catchers reporting next week. Position
players not too far behind. The first full squad workout
the seventeenth of February, and again our first game two
weeks from today. If you're listening on the radio, Saturday,
(03:52):
February the twenty first, the Guardians and Cincinnati Reds at
three to five. So things starting to pick up. Most
of the players are in Goodyear already. Nobody waits till
report dates anymore. They are there taking advantage of the
great facilities and getting ready for a new season. We'll
take a time out, we'll come back and we'll talk
(04:13):
about the international signing class from the Latin American countries,
mainly that's coming your way shortly with Director of International
Scouting Richard Conway. After this time out, the.
Speaker 5 (04:34):
Post career day press conference prote might progress it we can't.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
Can you tell us what happened during career day. I'm
a biomedical researcher.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
The kids just weren't impressed.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
How did you feel when your son called in the backup?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Embarrassed?
Speaker 4 (04:44):
And I knew it would be a fireman.
Speaker 5 (04:45):
It's always a fireman. It's a cliche, but a crowd favorite.
He had an accent everything. I can't compete with that.
Speaker 6 (04:50):
And will the fireman be helping your son with his
science fair project? Hope not.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
I'm literally a scientist.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
Flank it or not.
Speaker 6 (04:57):
Sometimes you need a backup. That's why there's Progressive to
protect Jo home in auto for there's a cash tea
terms define a philis another one cheers is not avaiable
in those states situations.
Speaker 7 (05:21):
Guardians Everywhere, four four and the tenth, nobody out that
pins and Ramirez swings and.
Speaker 8 (05:28):
Lines unto the basement ball game. Jose Ramirez places one
down the left field line, scoring on hill. Martinez with
a game winner.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Welcome back at his Guardians Weekly Jimm rosen House back
with you from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. And it
still looks like a holiday card here at the ballpark,
with the white snow covering the entire field and a
lot of the stands as well, so that continues here downtown,
but Brandon Kanke and the guys as soon as they can,
(06:10):
they're going to get on that field and have it
looking pristine for opening day, the home opener, which will
be April to third against the Chicago Cubs this season,
as it'll start it up with inter league play on
the home slate, of course, a week earlier. On March
the twenty sixth, the season opens on the West Coast,
a night game, so stay up late night if you
(06:32):
want to catch the opener for the Guardians. They're in
Seattle with a ten to ten first pitch on March
the twenty sixth. Well, the players are going to talk
about now they're a long long way from the major leagues,
but you never know. At sixteen years of age. The
Guardians signed Jose Ramirez way back when, and it took
him a little bit to get to the major leagues,
(06:52):
but he has put together a Hall of Fame type
career and recently, twenty two new players were signed to
contracts in that international signing period that opened, twelve from Venezuela,
eight from the Dominican Republic, and two from Cuba. Richard
Conway is the director of international scouting. He joined the
ball club back in twenty sixteen, good timing by Richard
(07:16):
Conway to jump on board, and he has gradually worked
his way into a position that is so critically important
for this team. And as you'd expect, he's very pleased
with the draft or not draft class, but the signing
class this year in the international signing period.
Speaker 9 (07:33):
Yeah, absolutely, and you're right. We are excited every year
about each class that comes in and this year is
no different. We have a group of twenty two players
that signed on January fifteenth, a couple weeks ago, including
two Cuban players, one outfielder, winnfielder, twelve Venezuelans and eight
Dominican players. So we're excited about the group of fifteen
(07:55):
position players and seven pitchers that signed in total.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And when you look at some of the players, obviously
you like them all, but at least nationally getting some run.
Is one of the players that you spent the most
money on to secure and tell us about him.
Speaker 9 (08:14):
Yeah, esfert Rainioso was. We ended up getting ranked on
MLB's top fifty international sign these lists, which is which
is great, great for him and he's certainly earned it.
He is the player that ended up receiving the highest
bonus for US this year. And he's from Mocha in
the Dominican Republic in the North Inner area. Physical switch
hitting infielder with a really good arm, high level of
(08:36):
excitement around him as someone who we feel has a
really good shot to hit for both average and power
and stick on the left side of the infield, and
so we're excited about him. And you know, while we're
excited about Esfert, and he ended up receiving the highest bonus,
that's worth noting that the other twenty one players were
also very excited about them, and the signing bonuses is
one factor that ends up being a result of a
(08:57):
lot of different market factors. But you know, as everyone knows,
like Rokio Noel, other players that have contributed at the
major league level didn't all sign for really high signed
bonuses as well.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
And perhaps the greatest example is someone who's been in
the news this week, Jose Ramirez. And I don't know
if it impacts your position at all when you are
in Latin America's scouting and things like that, but do
you think, hey, maybe we can find the next Jose Ramirez.
The next great player for this franchise.
Speaker 9 (09:26):
Yeah, absolutely, And it comes up a lot just when
talking with the players and getting to know the players
during the scouting process, where there's a lot of excitement
around the cleveand Guardians because of people like Hosierramirez and
what he's done and for the city and the organization
and just in general or Latin American baseball. So that
certainly plays a large role in the excitement level and
(09:47):
US being almost like a recruitment tool for players wanting
to be cleaning Guardians because of people like Jazier Ameiraz.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Richard Conway's joining us. He's the director of international scouting
for the Guardians. The signing period is open and a
great class coming in. When you sign these kids are
sixteen a lot of them. What challenges maybe that would
be different from amateur scouting in the US when you're
looking at draft eligible kids, whether it's college or high school,
(10:16):
and you're looking at sixteen year old kids. How challenging
can that be and what are some of those challenges?
Speaker 9 (10:23):
Yeah, absolutely, that's accurate. They're sixteen or seventeen by the
time they sign, depending on their birthday. So a lot
of the times when we're doing the scouting process and
getting to know these players as a scouting staff, they're
even younger than that, And just inherently as players are
really young, there's a greater distance for those players to
go time wise before they're actually going to contribute at
(10:45):
the major league level, with just adds a lot of
risk and difficulty in getting to know them the same
way that you might be getting to know a college
junior who's twenty one years old, they've just gone through
a lot more different scout baseball experience and life experiences,
and so the way we get to know players internationally
(11:05):
is a lot more about who they're around, who their influences,
who their family, who their parents, grandmother, uncles, you know,
the people that are impacting them as people on a
day to day basis, because they haven't necessarily gone through
the same life experiences that a college graduate might have
gone through.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
And just for fans who say, well, all right, for Reinoso,
when can I see him play? And even from a
standpoint of being with a minor league affiliate in the States,
there's so much more out there for fans to who
really are educated to follow minor leaguers. But but for them,
will to take a little bit for them to get
(11:42):
to the States and play with a full season affiliate here.
Speaker 10 (11:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (11:46):
Good, good question. So we have all of our DSL
players will start their careers in Dominican Summer League, which
is which starts June and goes through August. Every player
that we sign will start there. They typically one year
there or two years there and then move on to
the Arizona Arizona Complex League. So ideally we'll see them
(12:06):
in a couple of years in the States if everything
goes well in which we which certainly hope he does.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
You mentioned the Dominican Summer League. The Guardians have a
great complex in the DR. How has that helped with
with what you guys are doing.
Speaker 9 (12:21):
Yeah, So in twenty nineteen we moved over to this
new complex, which was a massive investment and an awesome,
awesome way to support our Latin players both on and
off the field. The facility is incredible. It's basically the
Good Year Complex place in the Dominican Republic. So we
have two and a half fields down there and plenty
(12:41):
of place for the players to live during the season
and during the during the off season as well. During
a lot of the mini camps, and so a lot
of the evaluation process from the scouting side happens away
from the complex, just in place with the MLB rules
to be able to evaluate them, but we also evaluate
players at the complex and it's a much more controlled
environment where we have the same technology that we typically
(13:03):
have at in Arizona. We have, you know, places for
them to stay overnight and get to know the staff
and interact with the with the scouting staff, the player
development staff, and get to know them at a much
deeper level. So it's it's certainly played a huge role
in us being able to feel more comfortable as we
make acquisitions decisions because of the facilities and the level
of infrastructure we have down there.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
With your job and the other scouts who are based here,
how often are you down there and what are some
of the challenges that you have working in another country
to try and find great players.
Speaker 9 (13:35):
Yeah, aside from trying to get out of Cleveland's airport
in the winter, it's it's it's a it's a joy
to be in this role, honestly, just because of the
scouts that we have on the ground. We have seven
people in the Dominicans, seven people in Venezuela and one
person in Panama, and they all all the credit really
goes to them, but they make the job really enjoyable.
(13:56):
They're mostly all bilingual, and some of them they all
live in their home countries and their different areas, similar
to how the domestic areas are split up geographically, but
there's cultural differences in Venezuela to Panama to Dominican and
even within the regions and their families, so they're there
(14:16):
are fun challenges to to move around and solve with
our people. So it's a it's a it's a fun
problem to solve as we get to know different players
from different countries with in languages. I'm not fluent in Spanish,
but we certainly have a lot of people that are
and lead our process down there to to a high, high,
high level.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
And I feel like a lot of those scouts were
in Goodyear last year doing some things during the spring training,
and how important is that to to get them out
to good Year, especially when the big league team is
still there and it's buzzing with activity and things like that.
Speaker 9 (14:49):
Yeah, one of the important things I think that we
do a really good job of throughout the organization and
and thankfully from leadership top down is they provide opportunity
for our people, who are oftentimes remote in their jobs,
to feel connected to the rest of the organization. And
it's not often that we get to do that when
you're grinding every day in Caracas or in Santa Domingo
(15:11):
and all of a sudden you're you know, you look
up and you haven't really seen a lot of people
in the rest of the organization for a lot of
the year. To be able to come to Arizona and
have that opportunity and privilege to interact again with the coaches,
the rest of the scout and staff that you don't
see every day, see players that you may have gotten
to know as they were amateurs and now they're in
the States. In spring training means a lot, and we
(15:34):
use that time to continue personal development, professional development, connection,
to take a break and get off the treadmill, so
to speak, a little bit on the job and sort
of refresh and relearn what's new in baseball and see
everyone and also also like interact people interpersonally as well,
which is really important to think.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
And just in closing. In the amateur draft in June,
teams have a pool that they can use to to
sign players. In terms of the money available on the
international front, Cleveland has a little bit of an advantage
over some other teams in terms of the amount of
money they can spend on international players. And explain how
(16:15):
that works and how that's been beneficial for this organization.
Speaker 9 (16:18):
Yeah, absolutely, So that's a good question that doesn't get
talked about often. So every year, for each signing class,
every team is allotted a certain amount of money to
spend toward international amateur free agents. In Cleveland, because it's
a smaller market, we actually get a slight bump above
some of the other larger market teams to be able
(16:39):
to spend additional money to be able to acquire more
talent for us. And thankfully we've been able to and
fortunate enough to take advantage of that extra money and
just in general, the international dollars that we're allocated to
be able to acquire a large amount of talent. And
we feel like we've been pretty excited about what we've
been able to accomplish so far and as a group
(17:01):
and organization.
Speaker 3 (17:02):
And again, if you're wondering international science, Jose Ramirez, Brian Rochio,
just to name a couple there's others, but that gives
you an idea of what can happen when they are
developed well. And obviously the scouts found them and they
have done the rest and gotten them here to contribute
to this ball club. How did you not schedule a
(17:23):
trip to the dr this week when it's a record
called here in Cleveland?
Speaker 10 (17:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 9 (17:28):
I tried to get out, but the snow kept us
in here, you know.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Richard, great to see you, Thanks for coming by.
Speaker 9 (17:34):
Absolutely, thanks so much, my pleasure.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
That is Richard Conway, the director of International Scouting, talking
about some of the new signs from Latin America in
the most recent open signing period. Stay tuned more to
come after.
Speaker 7 (17:45):
This campaign awakes another celebration and him they're trying to
(18:39):
finish it with a win. The one two pinch swagger
and plass.
Speaker 8 (18:44):
It deep to right down.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
The line, off the part.
Speaker 4 (18:51):
Can't you believe?
Speaker 8 (18:54):
A free run? Walk off, home run off, the follow
the right, Brian Rokill circling the basis.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
Now getting mob.
Speaker 11 (19:08):
Think of any word you want, Improbable, implausible, impossible, They
all work and Cleveland wins the division title. On the field,
they finish a game I had a Detroit to win
their thirteenth American Lake Central Division title, and folks, the
(19:35):
most incredible month of September that this city, or for
that matter, Major League Baseball has ever witnessed.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Welcome Backetts, Guardians Weekly, Jim rosen House along with you
from Progressive Deal in downtown Cleveland, we continue our look
around the American League Central Division. The opponents for the
Guardians that they need to beat to win the division
for a third consecutive year. Now, Who would have thought
they could do it a year ago when you looked
at the standings in July and saw Cleveland fifteen and
(20:10):
a half games behind the Detroit Tigers, who had one
of the best records in all of baseball at the time.
But the Guardians got hot, the Tigers did not, and
on the season's last day, Cleveland passed Detroit and won
the regular season crown in the division for a second
straight year, an historic comeback. No one had ever come
(20:31):
from fifteen and a half games back to win a
league or division in the history of Major League Baseball.
That's well behind full disclosure here. When we caught up
with Dan Dickerson earlier this week and recorded this interview,
the Tigers had not yet signed Framber Valdez, but he's
now in the fold for Detroit, making their already excellent
(20:52):
starting pitching that much better. And here's our conversation with
Dan Dickerson, longtime radio voice and television voice at times
for the Detroit Tigers.
Speaker 10 (21:03):
Yeah, you know, for so long we talked about it,
wouldn't it be great? Because the Tigers Cleveland rivalry had
never really gotten a chance to become a real rivalry
because they were never good at the same time.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Well, now they are and.
Speaker 10 (21:17):
It's a lot of fun, it really is it. I mean,
those games down the stretch and in the postseason the
last two years have been.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Incredible and I love it. I love it. This should
be our natural rival.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Well, and you look back at last year and the
remarkable comeback in the regular season for the Guardians and
then the Tigers win in the postseason to move on.
How did the team look at that because I think
for a lot of teams that it might have been
awfully difficult to come off the mat and play well
in the postseason after what happened at the end of
(21:50):
the regular season. But what changed for Detroit in the postseason?
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Yeah, I'm not sure anything changed.
Speaker 11 (21:55):
It's just.
Speaker 10 (21:57):
I don't know, you can look at a lot of
different ways I look at it. You know, the offense
was a top three offense all season until the final
sixteen games or twenty four if you want to include
the postseason, and they faced just a lot of good pitching.
They faced you guys six times, Seattle three. Miami actually
(22:19):
was pitching very well as a team when we face them.
So it was kind of like they just didn't overreact.
And I think this is the value of having a J.
Hinch as your manager. They didn't overreact to the tough finish,
and let's face it, yeah, it was a tough finish,
you know, nine to twenty two in their last thirty
one games, but they didn't overreact, and they just they
(22:41):
just kept kept working. And you know, the offense came
alive at a couple of key moments against you guys
and then against Seattle to force the game five back
in Seattle.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
So it wasn't anything that really clicked.
Speaker 10 (22:53):
It was just kind of, Okay, we know what got
us to a top three offense through ninety percent of
the season.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Let's just continue to work on that.
Speaker 10 (23:02):
You know, I'm they know that you're going to have
to hit good pitching, and that's what they're all working
on this winter and we'll work on next year. You're
going to face good pitching in the postseason, so you're
going to have to do that. But to me, that
was the biggest thing, but also how they handled it,
and that's always aj the whole you know, make sure
your head to where your feet are. It sounds boring,
you always calls it coach speak, but all the things
(23:24):
that go into that keeps them on a very level plane,
whether they're twenty five games above five hundred or you know,
staggering to the finish line.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
As we look ahead to the coming season, let's get
to the elephant in the room, the contract situation for
Trek Scooble.
Speaker 10 (23:40):
Oh are people talking about that?
Speaker 3 (23:43):
That seems to be a topic of conversation really one
of the I mean, the great pitchers in our game today.
What is it like in Detroit among fans and where
do you see this thing going and the importance of
him to your team that maybe is more than just
(24:03):
the obvious.
Speaker 10 (24:05):
Yeah, the way I've been talking about it is, you know,
we do a weekly show as well, and we've.
Speaker 4 (24:11):
Been talking about it because it is the topic.
Speaker 10 (24:13):
Right, the biggest move they have made this winter was
not trading their school.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
But here's the thing.
Speaker 10 (24:21):
Everybody assumes that if you keep him, you're going to lose.
Speaker 4 (24:24):
Him for nothing.
Speaker 10 (24:25):
That's kind of the narrative, right, You're going to lose
him for nothing at the end of the year, assuming
you will not sign him. Well, I don't care what
you think. The chances are of signing Terrek Schoobl' they're
greater than zero. You could re sign Terrek Schouble, right,
So let's talk about whether that makes sense financially. And
I believe very strongly that you can make a business
(24:45):
case for its signing Terrek Schouble. I mean, it would
likely be forty million plus a year. But figure out,
you know, what's his number. Everybody has a number, right,
what is his number? Everybody's throwing out four hundred million.
That's just something that was floated by Scott Borrows last year.
Do you think he'd take an eight year deal at
forty forty three million a year?
Speaker 4 (25:05):
You know, you figure that out, but that's you know,
that's the job of.
Speaker 10 (25:08):
The president, Scott Harris and his staff. And then like, okay,
would let's call it forty million a year for eight years,
would that make financial sense? And I've argued you can
certainly make the case that having Trek Schouble leading your
rotation puts more butts in the seats, leads to more wins,
(25:31):
has an impact beyond.
Speaker 4 (25:33):
Just the days he pitches.
Speaker 10 (25:35):
Because having Tarrek schoobl on your team lifts everybody up.
You have a better chance of winning a short series.
In the postseason when he's starting twice, your franchise value
goes up because you're winning more. You have a better
chance of winning the World Series, marketing opportunities, there are
so many ways. It feels like to me that forty
(25:57):
million would more than pay for itself, and I just
I firmly believe that and letting him go. Now, if
you talk about the goals to win a World Series
every year, now that road probably goes through the team
that has Turk Schoobel.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And you're mentioning earlier too, just I mean, we I
think we got an idea of who he is as
a person after the David Fry injury late in the
season and how he reacted to that that will to win.
When when the season ended for Detroit, who was front
and center.
Speaker 10 (26:32):
Yeah, yeah, I mean he just the will to win
is strong, and the personality matters too.
Speaker 9 (26:42):
Right.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
You and I were talking before we started just about.
Speaker 10 (26:44):
Clubhouse, and you know, the clubhouse chemistry is that's more
art than science. But Scott Harris pays attention to that
and he tries to add people to the clubhouse that
are going to fit into the culture, which he calls,
you know, kind of the defining difference between teams is
the culture.
Speaker 4 (26:59):
That you build.
Speaker 10 (27:00):
A lot of people throw it out as a buzzword,
but he believes it because the personalities do matter. And
Trek schoubel in your clubhouse. He's fun, he likes to laugh,
he's not unapproachable on the day that he starts, and
then he's just a competitor when he gets on the mound,
all locked in.
Speaker 4 (27:18):
I mean, all those things matter, and I don't know,
I love him, I'm biased, and you know, who knows
what's going to happen.
Speaker 10 (27:26):
Are the odds of signing him. I don't know, but
it's a possibility, and I think we should at least
talk that way because.
Speaker 4 (27:36):
We saw with Justin Verlander they extended him.
Speaker 10 (27:38):
I think when he had two years left on his deal,
so it became I think a seven or eight year
deal at the time. And it's just like, you have
a chance to go to the World Series every year
when you have somebody a generational talent on your team,
and Miguel Cabro certainly as part of that. Well, when
it's a starting pitcher who's an ace, who is elite,
(28:01):
it just does it changes the fuel going into every season.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Dan Dickerson joining us, long time broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers.
All right, the rest of the team, obviously, it's not
just Tarrek schoobl but real solid ball club. Not a
whole lot of moves in the offseason. But how you
feeling about the roster coming back?
Speaker 10 (28:21):
I like it, So you know there was a lot
of attention. Do they need a right handed bad Alex Bregman.
I didn't think that was going to happen. So here's
how I looked at it going into the offseason. You
had an offensive jumped to top five, as I said,
top three until those final sixteen games, top three and
runs scoring in the American League until then. And I
always say in the league, I always judge it by
(28:41):
league because you know you're still playing seventy five percent
of your games in the American League, so.
Speaker 4 (28:46):
Top five offense. I thought that was a big improvement.
Speaker 10 (28:49):
You know, they scored seventy six more runs in the
year before, and they were on pace to score right
up until the end one hundred more runs in the
year before.
Speaker 4 (28:56):
There are a lot of improvements.
Speaker 10 (28:57):
You had a core of six guys who are twenty
seven years older, younger, who all made improvements in some
significant way. You know, it's Green, it's Torpals, and it's
Carpenter with a thumb. But Dylan dingler Man he had
a year not just gold glove, but he was a
very consistent hitter. Cole Key still has upside when Selperez
does two. So one of the keys to those guys
(29:20):
all improving was Glabor Torres. They got him back, you know,
he accepted the offer, the qualifying offer, and he's coming back. Well,
he was twenty eight last year and he was a
big part of the improvement in the offense because of
the type of hitter that he is.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
So that was a good move.
Speaker 10 (29:36):
Once he came back. You probably thought, especially with the
number two prospect in all of baseball, Kevin McGonagall, not
far away, like it wouldn't make sense really to go
out and spend one hundred and seventy million or whatever
on Alex Bregman, which was the name you heard a lot,
or really anybody else. So I think the offense is
if you've got a top five offense, to me, it's
(29:57):
still always about run prevention, right, And that's where the
Tigers slipped a little bit.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
You know, they gave up more runs.
Speaker 10 (30:03):
They were not quite as deep in the rotation, and
that's why I still think the bullpen wasn't as good.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
That's why I still think they might add a starter.
Speaker 10 (30:13):
But to me, it's like, okay, on the offensive side,
if you can have a top five offense with a
team that's top five and run prevention, you've got a
chance to go deep into the postseason.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
So they've had a Kenley Jansen, they've had.
Speaker 10 (30:23):
They re signed Kyle Finigan, who was really good after
that trade at the trade deadline, coming over from Washington.
Speaker 4 (30:29):
They had him used as splitter more and he was
lights out.
Speaker 10 (30:32):
Kenny Jansen really had a fine finish to the season.
Tigers touched him for six runs on three home runs
in May and then he didn't give up much in
the way of hits or runs the rest of the
year in fifty four innings of work. I like that
now you've got will Veas, Finnegan Jensen, Kenny Jensen at
the back end, and that's really something that AJ didn't
have this past year, the kind of the depth of
(30:53):
guys who could.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
Close out games. And they'll probably all close out games
this year.
Speaker 10 (30:57):
They'll rotate, but I think he loves having that flexibility.
I think it allows you to use Tyler Holton in
that role that AJ liked a lot, which has used
him anywhere from the first inning to the ninth inning,
and he did that two years ago. He pitched in
every inning, and then they probably could still use another arm.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
I still think they might sign another arm for the bullpen.
Speaker 10 (31:16):
But I still think the rotation, which is you know,
Scuball Mize Flaherty, was very inconsistent this past year. They
need him to be more like the twenty twenty four
guy that they traded to the Dodgers resolce and needs
to stay healthy. Those are kind of big iss right,
So I think Tory Milton's going to be terrific.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
I think he's got number two starter.
Speaker 10 (31:34):
Stuff that's five, and then they decided, you know, Drew
Anderson's coming back from Korea. That's kind of a you know,
coin toss is he hasn't had success at the major
league level.
Speaker 4 (31:45):
He was dominant in Korea. He's got stuff, so that's
intriguing to me.
Speaker 10 (31:49):
But it still feels like Chris Bassett might be a
nice addition. And Nick Martinez just a veteran that you
know is going to make twenty eight to thirty one
starts and you know what you're going to get each
time out.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
So I like the moves they've made.
Speaker 10 (32:03):
I still think they could use a little more pitching
because to me, you still win with pitching and defense.
Speaker 3 (32:08):
Not to get too deep into the weeds, but boy,
when when you talk about some young prospects, it seems
like there are a lot of Tiger farm hands that
are on the various lists. And how much has the
farm system improved in the past several years.
Speaker 10 (32:25):
Well, it was bottom five and probably bottom three when
Scott Harris took over, and I would say consistently the
last two years it's been ranked.
Speaker 4 (32:36):
It's been ranked as high as the best.
Speaker 10 (32:38):
And again I look at you know, MLB pipeline, I
think Fangrass does a good job Baseball America.
Speaker 4 (32:45):
But I mean there's four or five right who rank
farm systems. ESPN does it.
Speaker 10 (32:49):
I would say the consensus would have them top five
or six right now.
Speaker 4 (32:53):
And then I always like how people do it.
Speaker 10 (32:55):
They rank it by depth, and they also rank it
by high end talent. And I would say that Tiger's
probably right now rank high because they have high upside
for their top prospects. And that's McGonagall, That's Bryce Rayner,
That's Max Clark, that's Joe Suae Briseno, that Ron Loronzo.
Speaker 4 (33:14):
Those are probably the top guys.
Speaker 10 (33:16):
And then there are a couple others that might make
a run this year, but those are the guys that.
Speaker 4 (33:20):
Kind of keep an eye on. I think McGonagall will
get quite a few at bats.
Speaker 10 (33:24):
I think he'll make a push to make the opening
day roster.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
He'll be jumping from double A.
Speaker 10 (33:29):
But you know what, you know this, the good ones
come quick, right, He's only twenty, But if he has
a good spring and he just keeps hitting and he
can hit, I won't be surprised to see him on
the opening day roster.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
I always fun to watch it. A top prospect, especially
with that high upside and maybe a high school draft
kit who was still is only twenty Yeah, to see
what they can do. Hey, just in closing fan interest wise,
obviously the Tiger's on the upswing. How much buzz is
there around town now in an off season with coming
off a playoff run and high expectations coming.
Speaker 4 (34:03):
I think once the calendar flips.
Speaker 10 (34:06):
I mean just and I'm just basing this, you know,
running into people if I if I'm out and about,
or just you know, friends who are big fans, and
just how much you're looking forward to the season, how
much they've enjoyed being in the postseason the last two years. Uh.
And you know you always get the question when you're leaving,
(34:27):
so you know, I get that a lot. And it's like,
because it's a sign of spring, he's leaving for spring training.
So just an unofficial, just.
Speaker 4 (34:39):
Kind of reading. I think people are quite excited.
Speaker 10 (34:42):
It'll it'll obviously ramp up when pictures and catchers report,
but I think the interest is is is building quite
a bit. I think I you know, in all likelihood, people,
if you took a poll, are probably disappointed they didn't
do more in the way of big moves this winter.
I still like the moves, but that's that's understandable. They'd
like to see, you know, maybe that one big free agent.
(35:04):
But if that one big free agent turns out to
be a signing extension for Trek Scooble, then all of
a sudden, that looks a whole lot different.
Speaker 3 (35:14):
Well, I know we always look forward to the games
of the Tigers now and who knows, maybe a third
straight year they meet the postseason. But obviously a lot
of baseball to be played between now and then. But
I'm certainly exciting times the last couple of seasons. And Dan,
thanks a lot for coming by.
Speaker 4 (35:31):
All Right, we'll see you guys. I'm looking at the
calendar right now. It looks like we see you first
in mid May. I'll look forward to it.
Speaker 3 (35:37):
Awesome. That's Dan Dickerson, broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers. Stay tuned,
we'll have more to come after this.
Speaker 6 (35:48):
A progressive home and auto bundle can protect you around
the clock, but we can't protect you from those painful
moments in sports.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
I can't believe we blew a five touchdown lead.
Speaker 5 (35:56):
Sure, but you got to feel like they were going
to win for almost the entire game.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
But I was about to buy playoff tickets.
Speaker 5 (36:02):
So you were prepared for a good time. That's pretty nice.
Speaker 10 (36:05):
It's the worst loss any team has ever had.
Speaker 5 (36:07):
And you got to witness history.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Okay, we're done here.
Speaker 5 (36:11):
Well, at least you're Hollanado or protected with a bundle
from Progressive Progressive Casual Canterns Company affiliates an other inturists
not available in tho states are situations. Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
It's our final segment of Guardians Weekly. We join you
from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland. Jim Rosen House along
with you on this snowy cold weekend again, lots of
snow in the area yesterday and now that the sub
zero temperatures overnight and harsh winter time continuing here. But
spring training right around the in fact, on Monday, that's
(37:02):
the report date for some of the players who will
be taking part in the World Baseball Classic this spring,
so it'll be some organized activities out in Goodyear. But
again most of the team is there already and the
official workout dates for the full squad they begin on
February seventeenth, with our first broadcast on the twenty first,
(37:24):
two weeks from today if you're listening to us on
the radio, and you can catch us on the radio
on our flagship station in Cleveland WTAM, as well as
others in the iHeart family in different markets throughout the
state of Ohio at seven am on Saturday mornings, or
as a podcast wherever you enjoy downloading and listening to
(37:45):
your favorite podcast, you can listen to it anytime right there,
So thanks so much as always for listening. Thanks to
Brian Motse for helping to put together our show each
and every week until next week. This is Jim Rosenhouse
reminding you that you've been listening to Guardians Weekly on
the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Guardians Weekly has been brought to you by Progressive helping
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