June 21, 2025 • 39 mins
Guardians in the midst of a long road trip to the West Coast, we'll recap a couple of exciting wins this week in San Francisco. Also, a couple of former Cleveland Indians Duane Kuiper and Coco Crisp stop by. Plus, It's the weekly Farm Report with VP of Player Development Stephen Osterer talking Lake County Captains. That's all on this edition of Guardians Weekly with Jim Rosenhaus.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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 (00:51):
Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosan house along
with you as we join you this weekend from Sacramento, California, where,
for the first time, the Guardians are playing Major League
Baseball in this part of the state as it's the
new home temporary for the Athletics, and there will be
more games this weekend. Tonight Saturday night, a ten oh
(01:13):
five first pitch, and then the road trip finale, finally
coming to an end. This three city trip we'll be
completed on Sunday afternoon with a four to zero five
first pitch against the Athletics. Good show lined up for
you today, we'll visit with Stephen Osterer, the vice president
of player development for the Guardians. We'll have a minor
league report for you later on in the show. We'll
(01:34):
also hear from Dwayne Kuiper, the longtime television voice for
the San Francisco Giants and a former Cleveland Indian. Always
fun to catch up with Kaipe One we head out
to the West coast Coco Cris will join us as
well in the alumni corner, and we'll also hear from
Lane Thomas, the Guardians outfielder, along with J. T. McGuire,
(01:55):
the Guardians outfield instructor, who had a busy week this
week over at Oracle Park in San Francisco. But first
our weekend review. After an off day on Monday. Following
a three game series sweep to the bad in Seattle
last weekend, the Guardians were looking to get back on
the winning track against the Giants and a big buzz
in the city and at the ballpark, with the Giants
(02:17):
acquiring slugger Ropael Devers from the Red Sox and he
made his Giants' debut facing Guardian starter Slayed Seconi in
the first inning two and two. The count on devors
Seconi takes a look at Lee now the pitch swing
and I miss strike three, locked him up inside.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Just worked him, went inside.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Then he went upstairs ninety six above the zone, changed
the eye level and he got him to chase on
this ball and he couldn't quite catch up with it.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Later on in that first inning, the Giants picked up
a run to take the early lead, but in the
third Jonathan Rodriguez got something started for Cleveland. Rodriguez drives
one up the alley right center field and it rolls
all the way to the wall. Will it be triples
alley for Rodriguez. He's gonna try and he'll be in
with a stand up triple.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
That's exactly why they call it triples alley. He got
a fastball up and a little bit out over the
play where it can extend his arms in a beautiful
pass at the ball. He didn't try to do anything
but go with this pitch, and he just plugged the
gap and right center and the ball trickled all the
way to the wall, and that's an easy triple.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
And then Austin Hedges delivered to tie the game. Hedges
hole for his last sixteen trying to come up big
here with the infield in again, Rodriguez at third, the
pitch to him, he's swung on and that's lifted high
in the air to deep left back Is Ramos on
the track makes the catch plenty deep enough to score
(03:46):
Rodriguez as he tags and scores from third, and this
game is tied at one. In the bottom of the
third inning, Rafeael Devers got that first hit with his
new team and RBI double, and that gave the As
a two to one lead. But the Guardians responded in
the fourth, a lead off double from David Fry brought
(04:06):
Carlos Santana to the plate. There's a bouncing ball up
the middle and on through a base. It in a
center field at'll score Fry and tie this game at two.
It's an RBI single for Carlos Santana. Two to two
ball game here in the four.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Boy, this is good offense going by here by The
Guardians got that double in Santana with a nice job
taking this breaking ball and waiting for it and then
being able to use the middle of the field and
driving it up that way and getting the run in.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's stay tied until the sixth inning. That's when Gabriel
Aarius stepped in with one out. Here's the O two
pitch swung on and here's a high fly ball to
deep right center. This one's carrying headed to the gap
way back there and it is gone a home run
for Gabrielarius to a deep part of this ballpark, and
(04:58):
Arius says, put the Guardians in front three to two.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Boy, what a swing he put on that basketball early
in this count. Robbie Rae just threw two right by him,
and he wanted to throw another one right by him,
but he wouldn't have it, and he launched that ball
to the right center.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
The Giants threatened in the eighth inning with two men
on and nobody out and a dangerous pinch hitter at
the plate and Wilmer Flores he was facing Hunter Gaddis.
Nobody out. In the eighth inning, Casey Schmidt the tying
run at second, go ahead run Mike Yastremsky at first,
the one two pitch swung on line drive to left
coming on, Kwan makes the catch, throws back to second,
(05:40):
double play. Schmid was off the bag and Kwan threw
him out two down. Man Kwan was just getting started
on his great night defensively. Gaddis picked up the final
out in the eighth and it was still a one
run lead in the ninth, but the Giants wouldn't so quietly.
(06:00):
A walk in two singles loaded him up with one out,
and once again Amannual Classe was on trying to battle
his way out of it. Classe sets here's his O
two swung on and here's a fly ball to left,
Kuan circling under it, makes the catch, tagging and.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Not coming home is Lee.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Kuan's throw is a beauty and Lee went about ten
steps and went back to third.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Well, Kwan did such a good job not only getting
to this ball, but he got his momentum going towards
the plate and he got off to a very quick throw.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Lee rock watching it. He was tagging and he stopped.
And that was a short hop throw in.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
There that was not handled, and luckily he stopped for
the Guardians.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
So two outs, basses loaded. Casey Schmidt, the batter, a
right handed hitter. Classe sets up high.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Here's the one.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Two swing and I missed strike three and the Guardian
win a tonight in San Francisco.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
They hang on.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
For a three to two victory as Classe comes up
big with the bases loaded.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
What a finish.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
On Tuesday night in San Francisco, the Guardians a winner.
They would try and make it two straight over San
Francisco on Wednesday night, Guardians got the scoring started early
first inning, a one out double from Kyle Manzardo brought
Jose Ramirez to the plate. Here's the two swung on
drilled right center base hit, headed for third and being
(07:35):
waved around as Manzardo he'll score without a throw on
the RBI single by Ramirez and the Guardians take the
early lead. One nothing, still won nothing Guardians in the fourth.
That's when they put two men on for Daniel Schneemann.
Here's the two swung on and here's a high fly
ball deep left center field.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
This has hit a ton and that ball is gone
a home run.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Daniel Schneeman to the opposite field, a three run blast,
and Cleveland is now up for nothing.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Another center cut basketball by Erlander, who thrown at ninety four.
Can't overpower hitters right there like he used to, and
Schneemann made him pay. I mean that was hit high
and hit deep to the opposite gap, showing some power.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
The Giants got something back in the fifth inning, a
two run home run from Elliott Ramos, but the Guardian's
bullpen took over and as usual, they shut down the opposition.
Here's the one two from Smith swing and I missed
strike three. Hey got him with the heat. Ramos down
on strike, Sider retired. We're headed to the eighth Guardians four,
(08:53):
Giants two. Here's his pitch and that swung on popped
him up foul territory on the infield first base side.
Manzarno puts it away and Heron does the job. We
are headed to the ninth it's the Guardians for the
Giants two. And then the annual Classe was back out
(09:15):
there in the ninth inning trying to nail down another save.
Classe ended it with a strikeout. Last night there comes
as two to two called strike three and Closse does
it again. So do the Guardians as they defeat the
Giants tonight by a final score a four to two.
(09:37):
So a good couple of nights in San Francisco for
the Guardians, but the Giants would come back and salvage
the finale of the series on Thursday afternoon, a two
to one win over Cleveland. And then it was on
the Sacramento for a Friday night contest against the Athletics,
who won it five to one. And then now it's
on to Saturday night in Sacramento for the Guardians in
(09:58):
the road trip finale on Sunday afternoon. Stay with us
while we come back. We'll talk outfield play with J.
T McGuire and visit with center fielder Lane Thomas. That's
next on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Switching to Progressive is a game winning call, and that
reminds us of other game winning calls in the history
of sports.
Speaker 6 (10:22):
It was a doubleheader in August and really hot inside
the concession stand, so instead of winning for people to
come to me, I figured I'd walk around yelln hot,
and that's how I became the first hot dog vendor
in sports.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
Okay, not really a game winning call, but it was
a good call. You can make one two switch to
Progressive and you could save hundreds. Progressive Casualty Insurance company
and affiliates not available in all states.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Here's the one O pitch, swung and hit pretty well
to right deep and toward the corner.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Joe on the run, Joe in the corner.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
This ball is gone, a three run home run. It
just did clear the thirteen foot wall in that right
field corner, and the Guardians with a three run home
run right down the right field line by Lane Thomas.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Welcome back to Guardians Weekly.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Jim Rosenhouse along with you as we join you from Sacramento, California.
The Guardians taking on the athletics here in Sacramento on
a weekend series. Earlier in the week they were in
San Francisco, And for Lane Thomas, that's been a good
place for him as he has had some good success
in the past in his career and he's trying to
(11:42):
get going on this season. He's battled a couple of
injuries so far, but he returned during the last homestand
from his second stint on the IL, and he says
he's feeling as strong as he has in quite some time.
Speaker 8 (11:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (11:54):
You know, I think I'm dealing with the wrist and
the foot and just hadn't really felt like myself a
whole lot in those those first you know, a month
or two and miss some time, and you know, I
feel like I'm you know, on the uptick, you know,
on the.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Rise a little bit.
Speaker 8 (12:07):
So I feel a lot a lot.
Speaker 9 (12:08):
Better running and you know in the outfield too, So
I feel good about it.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Everyone wants to have that perfect off season where you
build up the way you want. How challenged were you
that this off season to try and work through some
things that just weren't going well.
Speaker 9 (12:22):
Yeah, you know, I still had the foot thing, and
the off season got pretty bad. I took a little
time off and it started to feel a little better.
But that's tough to do the middle of the year.
So you know, like I said, it's just something you
have to deal with. It's part of doing what we do.
And you know, I had, I guess, three pretty healthy
years the last few years, and you know, it's just
part of you hit those little roadbumps and it's just
kind of how you come out of them.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
So the success you had late last season and on
into the postseason, were you trying to manage that during
that time and still being able to come through.
Speaker 9 (12:49):
Not to the extent you know lately, but I definitely
still had it. Didn't really know what it was, but
I was just starting to kind of get a little
bit worse. And when I took some time off after
the postseason, when I got home is kind of when
it fired up pretty bad. So took care of it.
It just it's just one of those things that it's
tough to get to go away completely. So hopefully we've
taken care of it.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
How hard is it to stay patient and get it
taken care of properly, especially when you want to help
your team, especially on that offensive end.
Speaker 9 (13:18):
Yeah, I mean, you know, they're expecting you to go
out and produce, and that's kind of what you know,
what you stick around for is because you consistently do
a good job and they trust you out there. So
when you're dealing with something like that, you definitely feel
the pressure to either get it fixed or keep rolling
through it. So I you know, I tried my hardest
to kind of fight through a couple of things, and
you know, it just comes to a time when not
helping myself or them, and you know, getting it, getting
(13:41):
right and feeling good is the best thing for both sides.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Lane, thanks for the time, appreciate it absolutely.
Speaker 9 (13:46):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
That's Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas. And speaking of outfield play,
JT McGuire is The Guardian's outfield instructor and he had
his hands full over at Oracle Park in San Francisco,
a ballpark that features several different fence heights in the outfield,
and you have a brick surface out there as well,
and some other things going on, especially in right field.
(14:08):
It's the trickiest outfield in baseball according to some and
JT says they had to do a little more work
to prepare for things at an unfamiliar ballpark for the Guardians.
Speaker 10 (14:19):
Not only just the dimensions, it's the wind factors. So
you have right field, which is just odd in itself,
and then you have the ballpark factors of wind coming
off of the ocean and how that can switch just dramatically.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
So yesterday pregame prior to the series opener, I saw
you out there trying to hit some fungos off the
right field wall.
Speaker 8 (14:44):
There's bricks, there's.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Cage type stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
You hit a few out into mcuvey Cove too, it
I saw you, and you're gonna go get those and
bring those back in.
Speaker 10 (14:51):
I just figured me and Barry Bonds might have something
in common, so wanted to put one in McVey Cove.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
What did you learn though at firing them off the
bricks and and then the screening and then all that
kind of stuff.
Speaker 10 (15:02):
So it really has like almost four different types of surfaces.
You have the brick, then you have the lettering, which
is totally different, it's like almost aluminum. Then you have
the fencing, and then you have the padding, and then
I guess you can add one more factor of like
the different types of polls that connect everything together. So really,
(15:23):
like what we told our outfielders is if the balls
hit over your head, specifically your right fielder, the balls.
Speaker 8 (15:29):
Hit over your head.
Speaker 10 (15:31):
Almost play it like field of dreams, where once you
approach that warning track, like we don't go on the
warning track only because that ball can bounce on different directions,
So we don't want to scramble and chase the ball.
We want to let the ball hit the wall wherever
part of the wall it hits, and then we want
to assess where to go. And then from a center
(15:53):
fields perspective, you have the Willie Mays McCovey numbers that
are retired that faces more towards right field, but after
that it shoots out towards centerfield, so the center fielder
has to be backing up and moving over in that
direction as well if the ball hit to that area.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
So you're one outfielder who didn't have to deal with that.
And the series opener had a game for the ages
defensively and Steven Kwan throwing out a runner at second,
stopping another runner from trying to tag and score the
tying run. When you look at what he does, what
do fans not see that allow him to be great defensively?
(16:34):
When they do see him playing a game.
Speaker 10 (16:36):
So one of the things I think one of the
most special things about Kwani is prior to a game
even coming close to happening, he's on the outfield, whether
it's a one on one or we have the entire outfielders,
or whether it's batting practice, but he takes every single
ret like it's a game. So regardless of like if
(16:58):
we're on the road or at home, he plays balls
off the wall. I can speak just for being at home.
I feel like he knows where every ball is going
to land off of the wall after it hits the wall.
So he puts himself in an incredible positions to field
carems off the wall. When we go to a new ballpark,
(17:21):
he wants balls off of the wall. He does it
in batting practice, so it almost becomes second nature to him.
But the one thing that just sticks out to me
more than anything is the attention to detail that he takes.
Whether it be ten reps or whether it be just
five reps. He treats a game like so when the
(17:41):
game happens, it's not too quick for him.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
JT.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
McGuire, you've had your hands full here in San Francisco.
Who knows what Sacramento brings, but thanks for coming by
the coach's corner.
Speaker 8 (17:50):
Appreciate it. Rosie.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
That's outfield instructor J. T. McGuire and always nice to
have him along. And yes, Stephen kui is having some
kind of season defense and left. Certainly we'll be a
contender for a fourth consecutive Gold Glove award. Stay with
us when we come back. We'll hear from a former
Cleveland Indian Duwayne Kuiper and another former Cleveland Indian, Coco Crisp.
(18:13):
That's next time in Cleveland Clinic. Guardians Radio Network, Welcome
(18:39):
back to Guardians Weekly. Jim rosenounce along with you from Sacramento.
Earlier in the road trip, the Guardians were in San Francisco,
and that means a chance to catch up with longtime
Giants broadcaster and former Cleveland Indian Dwayne Kuiper, part of
the Top one hundred Cleveland Indians All time list. He
was a Cleveland Indian from nineteen seven four through nineteen
(19:01):
eighty one before he was traded to San Francisco and
finished his playing career there, and he talked about some
of his memories that stand out from that era of
Indians Baseball.
Speaker 11 (19:11):
Well, look, I cherished those years mainly because, look, I
was in the big leagues and I was in a
big league town, and I have, you know, relationships from
those years with guys that, you know, I cherish, guys
like you know, Buddy Bell, and I had a chance
to sit with Buddy for two and a half hours
(19:32):
out of Starbucks in Scottsdale this spring, and it really
was one of the most enjoyable two hours I've had
in a long time, because you reminisce about the days
where maybe we weren't very good, but on that given day,
we thought we would win that game, and we tried
as hard as we could and we got dirty, and
(19:52):
you know, and what are we playing for. We're playing
to try to get out of last place. But those
games were so important. Yeah, I Look, I couldn't have
started my career out in a better place, just because
the way the fans accepted you. If you didn't give
a full out effort, and if you didn't like the city,
you were not going to be able to fool that group.
(20:14):
And that's why I really loved it so much. Look,
I didn't want to get traded. I did everything I
could to flunk my physical once I got traded here,
And how do you do that? Well, you go to
the doctor that did your surgery and you say, how
can I do this? And I'm not going to tell
you if you told me how to do it or not.
But it didn't work. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And there's a generation of fans probably listening tonight who
have no idea what Municipal Stadium was like. And I
know it probably gets a bad rap compared to Progressive Field,
But for you, what was it like as a ballpark?
Speaker 11 (20:50):
Well, I think a lot of stadiums are going to
get a bad rap because of Progressive Field. It happens
to be one of my favorite of them. And I
know it's not new, but of the newer stadiums, I
would have loved to have played there.
Speaker 8 (21:04):
But you know, you kind of.
Speaker 11 (21:06):
Protect the ballpark that you played in and you got
to the big leagues and you kind of protect it
like it's part of your family. Somebody else says something
bad about my park, then I got a problem with it.
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Right. It's kind of like what we had to do
at Candlestick.
Speaker 11 (21:22):
You know, it's my place, so it's my home, so
you know, leave it alone.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
But it was not an easy.
Speaker 8 (21:29):
Place to play in.
Speaker 11 (21:30):
I mean here there were times when you know, there
were five or six thousand people there. I mean, if
you go back and listen to people that talk about
Lenn Barker's perfect game, you'd have thought that there was
forty thousand people there.
Speaker 8 (21:44):
There was probably.
Speaker 11 (21:46):
Seven thousand, right, But that was our place, you know,
and we're in the big leagues.
Speaker 8 (21:53):
So look, I loved that.
Speaker 11 (21:55):
I loved going to the Browns games there, and it
was just a.
Speaker 8 (21:59):
Fact of the city.
Speaker 11 (22:02):
They needed a new park, but my memories will always
be from Municipal Stadium.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
And now you get to come to work in an
absolute gem of a ballpark.
Speaker 8 (22:10):
I know.
Speaker 11 (22:10):
And we feel like we paid our dues. At least
I did, because I played at the O Ballpark in
Cleveland and then all those years at Candlestick. We sit
up there, Mike and Mike Kruko, my partner, and we
look around and everybody says, boy, you guys are spoiled.
Speaker 8 (22:24):
No we're not.
Speaker 11 (22:26):
We paid our dues to get to the spot, and uh,
and it's been it's just been a delight. Even though
what I doing here, I always wanted to do in Cleveland.
But you know, those opportunities have to be created and
if they're not, then you move on.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
And uh, and it's been a joy since I've been here.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Okay, it's always great to see it. You have a
fun team to watch. Thanks for coming back.
Speaker 11 (22:50):
Yeah, and it's really great that that Tom.
Speaker 8 (22:54):
Shows up for these games.
Speaker 11 (22:56):
You know what, a Hall of Famer makes trips, and
they tried to do all the games and I'm really
shocked that he got voted in, to be honest with.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
You, Well, this one thirty seconds a little bit too long.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
We'll be back with more after this.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
That's Dwayne Kuiper, a former Cleveland Indian from the seventies,
a little more recent vintage Coco Crispy was in Cleveland
recently as part of the alumni program there and we
had a chance to catch up with him, and he
had a tremendous major league career. It started in Cleveland
and finished in Cleveland, with some stops in between, including
(23:35):
in Oakland with the Athletics. But he broke in with
the Cleveland Indians back in two thousand and two, a
pretty good ball club, and he talked about what it
was like to get his first chance in the major
leagues with that team, right.
Speaker 12 (23:46):
So I just got traded over from the Cardinals about
two weeks prior. So when I got the call, we
were on the road. Actually wasn't a call. The coaches
came up and knocked on the door and me and
Luis Garcia at the time, and we just got traded
over together rear roommates, and they came in and they
told me that I was going to Tampa and I
(24:07):
thought that I got traded again. I mean, it was
fresh on my mind. So I was just like, oh gosh,
and they're all looking at me like, who's the matter
with this kid. So once they told me it was
Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the time, then I jump
up and I'm jumping from bed to bed. I'm excited.
So then I end up going to Tampa and I
get my call up and the first person.
Speaker 13 (24:27):
That I that I see is Eddie.
Speaker 12 (24:29):
He is a hitting coach, and I'm like, oh my gosh,
it's Eddie and I'm walking in the dugout. Then I
see CCO Marver Scaled, Jim Tomy. I'm like, oh my goodness,
you know, just playing video games with these guys and
now I'm up here with them, so it was very exciting.
I had a great time playing for Cleveland, especially when
(24:50):
I first got caught up. I'll rephrase that a little
bit later, but especially when I first got caught up,
simply because a lot of the guys were young, like
Brandon Phillips, Grady Size More, Cliff Lee yet CC and
all these guys, and we all kind of came up
through the minor leagues together, so we got opportunity to
play together and still learn from veterans like Omar and
(25:10):
Jim Tomay and Ellis Spurks. So it was very special.
And then the be able to finish my career with
the Indians. You know, my whole journey was a blessed
had just capped it off.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
I was gonna ask you about that. You had great
experiences with Boston and Oakland, a key part of some
good teams there. What did it mean though, to finish
your career here for a team that made it to
the World Series.
Speaker 12 (25:31):
To start off getting called up and having such a
special time here. And I thought that we had a
team at that time when I was younger to push
for playoffs and win a World Series possibly, you know,
I felt like we're that good from the pitching side
and the offense side, the defensive side, but it just
didn't happen that way. So after going from here to Boston,
(25:54):
where I was able to win a World Series and
take in the environment of being a major we're gonnation
as far as fans go, and everything like that, which
which was really special. And then from there I went
over to Kansas City. I ended up getting hurt, but
I still enjoyed my time over there, and then going
to Oakland. I'm from California, and being able to spend
my time over there and talk with Ricky Henderson, who
(26:15):
was my favorite ball player growing up, was truly special
as well. And then after that twenty sixteen came, it
was towards the end of my career. I just got
hurt with my neck and everything, and then Terry Francona
and the guys over here with Cleveland wanted me to
come back over here and be a veteran presence, which
was truly special to be able to come back over
(26:36):
here and finish my career playing in the World Series
for a team that I started with.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
And you were more than just a veteran presence. You've
had some huge hits in the postseason run, and what
did that mean to you to not just be the
veteran guy in the clubhouse but actually get it done
on the field one last time.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Special.
Speaker 12 (26:53):
Every time you step in between those lines, you're trying
to be successful. You're trying to go out there and
put your best foot forward. Sometimes you put both your
best fee forward, and sometimes you don't put any. So
I was just happy to be able to go out
there and contribute, whether it would have been as just
having some experience in situations like this and bringing it
to the guys who didn't or actually contribute inside the lines.
(27:13):
And I was fortunate enough to be able to do both,
and we played well.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
We'll go great to see you. Thanks for coming back,
all right, Thanks for having me fun visit with Coco Crisp,
who has a lot of great memories of his time
in Cleveland, both at the beginning of his major league
career and then at the end with that twenty sixteen
World Series. Club Stay with us when we come back.
It's a Minor league report with Stephen Osterer. That's next
the Cleveland Clinic. Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 5 (27:40):
Switching to Progressive is a game winning call in my
bring minds us of other game winning calls in the
history of sports.
Speaker 6 (27:48):
So it was the fourth quarter and went down by five,
sweat pouring down my face. Suddenly it hit me, if
only I could rep part of the towel around my forehead,
and that's how I became the first basketball player.
Speaker 8 (27:58):
It's a wear ahead band.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
Okay, not really a game winning call, but it was
a good call. You can make one to switch to
Progressive and you could save hundreds. Progressive Casualty Insurance company
and affiliates not available in those states.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Welcome back. It's Guardian's Weekly.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
We're in Sacramento this weekend and as always we check
in with Stephen Osterer, the Guardian's vice president of player Development,
for a minor league report, and this week we talked
singlely Lake County. Some good stories going on, including a
solid one loss record, and we'll start on the mound
with a picture. Everyone always wants to talk about the tugboat.
(29:00):
Mac Wilkinson, the leftandro had a great season a year ago,
off to a slower start this year, but starting to
turn things around.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
According to Austin.
Speaker 14 (29:08):
Yeah, Wilkinson's you know, kind of an up up and
down year so far, not and not sugarcoating that that
it hasn't been quite as good as it was last year,
but that's also probably not a bad thing. Yeah, I
think developing as a as a pitcher sometimes requires you
to fail and requires you to develop your ability to
(29:30):
handle the peaks and valleys of the year. So yeah,
I think it's it's been good from that standpoint where
he's been able to kind of set his targets on
the daily process a little bit more, and you know,
I think he's really growing in that sense. So yeah,
there's some positive underlying signs with him. Pitching wise to
the fastball is you know, continues to be a good
(29:51):
a good pitch for him. He's executing it well and
working on that to get it to better spots and
slide sider execution has been better this year and has
been trying to positively. So He's still missing a lot
of baths similar to what we've seen in the past
and generating the weak contact maybe to a lesser degree
to what we've seen last year. But you know, going
through a little adversity is not again not necessarily a
(30:12):
bad thing, and it's a long year.
Speaker 13 (30:14):
It's just year two for.
Speaker 14 (30:16):
Him, and you know, we're really excited about the future
for Wilkinson and the things that you know he has
going on for himself as a pitcher, and you know,
a lot of room for growth in a high ceiling
long term.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Josh Hartle has put up some really nice numbers so
far for Lake County and he's one of the young
pictures acquired in the offseason trade that brought Cleveland to
wis Orties and a Wake Forest kid who seems like
he has really transitioned smoothly to a new organization.
Speaker 14 (30:44):
Yes, he has, and you know he's coming from a
good spot of routines and and mindset and just a
professional nature and he just continues to humme.
Speaker 13 (30:54):
Along as the season goes goes with us. He's going
keep in the games. He's very efficient with his pitch
count that allows him to to do well and and
it doesn't walk anyone.
Speaker 14 (31:04):
So you know, we've we've talked already a little bit
here about you know that first full year guys, Uh,
you needing to to refine and establish everything from a
routine standpoint and get accustomed to it. And yeah, he's
he's been really good from that standpoint. So the velocity
is kind of staying consistent.
Speaker 13 (31:22):
At this point, which is great.
Speaker 14 (31:24):
It's you know, been a slight trend upwards and continues
to be a long term focus for him. But yeah,
he continues to to just see improvements across you know,
his his pitches and and how he's able to execute them,
and you know, continuing to focus on trying to create
a little bit more separation across all those all the
pitches that he is able to offer. So the focus
(31:45):
has been really good from from Josh thus far. He's
adapted really well to being in professional baseball and being
with this organization, and you know, excited to continue to
work with him. He's a hard worker and wants to
be really good. So a great start for Josh and uh,
you know again excited, excited to see where he goes
(32:05):
in the second half.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Jack jay z acts an interesting story in in that
he's improving tremendously as he goes along. Drafted back in
twenty two out of college. What are you seeing from him?
That's that's really exciting here as he gets deeper into it.
Speaker 14 (32:18):
Yeah, he's been a really cool development story for us.
You know, spent the last couple of years in low way.
Speaker 13 (32:24):
You know, we got him in the twenty two draft.
Speaker 14 (32:26):
He you know, he's getting through some shoulders stuff, you know,
in his last year of college. You know, obviously super
healthy now, but you know he's just shown like a
year over year improvement in in velocity and stuff. And
you know, as he's thrown more and more. The calling
card of him in college is throwing a ton of strikes,
and you know, we've seen that continue to improve year
(32:48):
over year to the point where you know, he's barely
walking anyone at this point. You know, he's been tremendous, uh,
you know on the mound and the velocity is really
jumped up.
Speaker 13 (32:57):
So you know, he's now started with us. He was
in the low nineties. You know, he's he's.
Speaker 14 (33:03):
Now sitting in the mid nineties and has a pretty
unique ride and run fastball. You know, the slider is
now sitting in the mid eighties and it sweeps left
pretty good. And you know, the curveball he's able to
throw in there to mixed speeds versus left. So currently
working on the secondaries and improving them and maybe creating
a little bit of separation between the two breaking balls,
(33:24):
but his execution has been really good.
Speaker 13 (33:27):
The fastball again continues to turned up quite well from
a Velo standpoint and projects the play well moving forward.
Speaker 14 (33:34):
So we're just trying to get a little bit more
with outside of the fastball, and you know, there's some
really good ingredients there for him to be a successful
relief pitcher moving forward.
Speaker 13 (33:44):
So Jack's been awesome to watch continue to grow year
over year and has been tremendous for Lake County so far.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
We're joined by Steven Ostra, the vice president of player
development for the Guardians. Our weekly minor league report focusing
on Lake County this week at the single A level
and familiar names on the position player front making their
way through the season, getting close to that halfway point now.
And ralphie Velaski is someone that again goes back to
spring training. We saw him play some major league games
(34:12):
and it looks like the power numbers are starting to
come into play for him. And how is his season
gone after a slow start?
Speaker 14 (34:19):
Yeah, that's right, he's uh, you know, the results are
you know, starting to come in line with some of
maybe the leading indicators the uh you under under the
surface layers or measures, sorry that we were tracking, and
the performance is starting to jump, so you know, ps
is climbing.
Speaker 13 (34:36):
You know, he continues to hit the ball really hard
on average, and you.
Speaker 14 (34:40):
Know, is consistently making contact now at better angles.
Speaker 13 (34:43):
To see some of that production show up.
Speaker 14 (34:45):
He's put a lot of effort, you know, into into
some swing adjustments so far this year, and you know,
staying into maybe more productive posture angles for him that
I think we've seen has helped him to not only
see the ball a little bit better, but time up
pitches a little bit better too, again able to catch
the ball maybe into better, better angles. So's he's a
(35:08):
really good hitter.
Speaker 13 (35:09):
There are elite underlying measures that.
Speaker 14 (35:12):
We see consistently, and you know, we're we're still talking
about a kid who just turned twenty years old in
high A and it's excited to see what he's.
Speaker 13 (35:21):
Done at the plate. You know.
Speaker 14 (35:22):
An additional thing that we've seen a last couple of
weeks and pushed him defensively to get.
Speaker 13 (35:27):
A little bit more reps in the outfield.
Speaker 14 (35:28):
So yeah, still really early in that process, but interesting
to see where that goes. And you know, for Ralfie
to continue to heat up is maybe.
Speaker 13 (35:36):
Not super surprising, but you have fun to watch him
hit the ball over the fence a little bit more consistently.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Well finished with Jason Curio, a really exciting young prospect
who had to deal with an injury issue at the
start of the season and it's never easy at any level.
How is he adjusted now that he's back playing again.
Speaker 14 (35:54):
Yeah, it's been great to get him back out there
just a couple of weeks ago. And you know the
shoulder flare up that he had earlier in the year
was just you know, a minor setback long term, but yeah,
it takes a little bit of time to settle back in.
So I you know, he's he's doing a lot of
cheerio things or he's not chasing at anything out of
the zone. At this point, I think it, Uh, you know,
since his return, he's walking just to take over thirty
(36:15):
percent of the time. You know, he's getting some better
swings off as again he's getting back into like real competition,
so you know, similar to Ralfie. You know, he just
turned twenty, so he's one of the youngest players at
the level.
Speaker 13 (36:29):
He does a lot of you know, really good.
Speaker 14 (36:31):
Things to played in his great discipline and again it's
just tapping into the ceiling as much as we possibly
can moving the needle long term on the physical development
so he can add a little bit more pop to
the really good, you know, back to ball skills. And
you know, Jason again is another one of these guys
that works really hard and wants to be really good,
and you know he's young, so sometimes again there's the
(36:53):
peaks and valleys of things that happen in a professional
season for young players. And we're really excited about the
athlete and the player that we have here and we'll
continue to see the second half I think him take off.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
That's been a fun season for sure for Lake County
so far as they're above the five hundred mark and
I'm on that midway point of the season and Austy,
thanks so much for coming by and bringing us up
to date on some of their.
Speaker 13 (37:18):
Prospects and my pleasure, Rosie, thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
That's our minor league report with Guardian's Vice president of
player Development Stephen Ostro talking Lake County this week, and
that's going to do it for our show from Sacramento.
We'll join you next weekend back home finally, as the
Guardians take on the Blue Jays starting Tuesday night. Then
Saint Louis comes in next weekend for a three game series,
(37:41):
and it's always fun when the Cardinals come in on
a weekend because you know a lot of their fans
will be on hand at Progressive Feel So until then,
I want to thank Brian matse As always for putting
together our show each and every week until next weekend.
This is Jim Rosenhause. You're binding you that you've been
listening to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clint Guardians Radio network.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
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 (00:51):
Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly. Jim Rosan house along
with you as we join you this weekend from Sacramento, California, where,
for the first time, the Guardians are playing Major League
Baseball in this part of the state as it's the
new home temporary for the Athletics, and there will be
more games this weekend. Tonight Saturday night, a ten oh
(01:13):
five first pitch, and then the road trip finale, finally
coming to an end. This three city trip we'll be
completed on Sunday afternoon with a four to zero five
first pitch against the Athletics. Good show lined up for
you today, we'll visit with Stephen Osterer, the vice president
of player development for the Guardians. We'll have a minor
league report for you later on in the show. We'll
(01:34):
also hear from Dwayne Kuiper, the longtime television voice for
the San Francisco Giants and a former Cleveland Indian. Always
fun to catch up with Kaipe One we head out
to the West coast Coco Cris will join us as
well in the alumni corner, and we'll also hear from
Lane Thomas, the Guardians outfielder, along with J. T. McGuire,
(01:55):
the Guardians outfield instructor, who had a busy week this
week over at Oracle Park in San Francisco. But first
our weekend review. After an off day on Monday. Following
a three game series sweep to the bad in Seattle
last weekend, the Guardians were looking to get back on
the winning track against the Giants and a big buzz
in the city and at the ballpark, with the Giants
(02:17):
acquiring slugger Ropael Devers from the Red Sox and he
made his Giants' debut facing Guardian starter Slayed Seconi in
the first inning two and two. The count on devors
Seconi takes a look at Lee now the pitch swing
and I miss strike three, locked him up inside.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Just worked him, went inside.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Then he went upstairs ninety six above the zone, changed
the eye level and he got him to chase on
this ball and he couldn't quite catch up with it.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Later on in that first inning, the Giants picked up
a run to take the early lead, but in the
third Jonathan Rodriguez got something started for Cleveland. Rodriguez drives
one up the alley right center field and it rolls
all the way to the wall. Will it be triples
alley for Rodriguez. He's gonna try and he'll be in
with a stand up triple.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
That's exactly why they call it triples alley. He got
a fastball up and a little bit out over the
play where it can extend his arms in a beautiful
pass at the ball. He didn't try to do anything
but go with this pitch, and he just plugged the
gap and right center and the ball trickled all the
way to the wall, and that's an easy triple.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
And then Austin Hedges delivered to tie the game. Hedges
hole for his last sixteen trying to come up big
here with the infield in again, Rodriguez at third, the
pitch to him, he's swung on and that's lifted high
in the air to deep left back Is Ramos on
the track makes the catch plenty deep enough to score
(03:46):
Rodriguez as he tags and scores from third, and this
game is tied at one. In the bottom of the
third inning, Rafeael Devers got that first hit with his
new team and RBI double, and that gave the As
a two to one lead. But the Guardians responded in
the fourth, a lead off double from David Fry brought
(04:06):
Carlos Santana to the plate. There's a bouncing ball up
the middle and on through a base. It in a
center field at'll score Fry and tie this game at two.
It's an RBI single for Carlos Santana. Two to two
ball game here in the four.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Boy, this is good offense going by here by The
Guardians got that double in Santana with a nice job
taking this breaking ball and waiting for it and then
being able to use the middle of the field and
driving it up that way and getting the run in.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's stay tied until the sixth inning. That's when Gabriel
Aarius stepped in with one out. Here's the O two
pitch swung on and here's a high fly ball to
deep right center. This one's carrying headed to the gap
way back there and it is gone a home run
for Gabrielarius to a deep part of this ballpark, and
(04:58):
Arius says, put the Guardians in front three to two.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Boy, what a swing he put on that basketball early
in this count. Robbie Rae just threw two right by him,
and he wanted to throw another one right by him,
but he wouldn't have it, and he launched that ball
to the right center.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
The Giants threatened in the eighth inning with two men
on and nobody out and a dangerous pinch hitter at
the plate and Wilmer Flores he was facing Hunter Gaddis.
Nobody out. In the eighth inning, Casey Schmidt the tying
run at second, go ahead run Mike Yastremsky at first,
the one two pitch swung on line drive to left
coming on, Kwan makes the catch, throws back to second,
(05:40):
double play. Schmid was off the bag and Kwan threw
him out two down. Man Kwan was just getting started
on his great night defensively. Gaddis picked up the final
out in the eighth and it was still a one
run lead in the ninth, but the Giants wouldn't so quietly.
(06:00):
A walk in two singles loaded him up with one out,
and once again Amannual Classe was on trying to battle
his way out of it. Classe sets here's his O
two swung on and here's a fly ball to left,
Kuan circling under it, makes the catch, tagging and.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Not coming home is Lee.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Kuan's throw is a beauty and Lee went about ten
steps and went back to third.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
Well, Kwan did such a good job not only getting
to this ball, but he got his momentum going towards
the plate and he got off to a very quick throw.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Lee rock watching it. He was tagging and he stopped.
And that was a short hop throw in.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
There that was not handled, and luckily he stopped for
the Guardians.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
So two outs, basses loaded. Casey Schmidt, the batter, a
right handed hitter. Classe sets up high.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Here's the one.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Two swing and I missed strike three and the Guardian
win a tonight in San Francisco.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
They hang on.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
For a three to two victory as Classe comes up
big with the bases loaded.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
What a finish.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
On Tuesday night in San Francisco, the Guardians a winner.
They would try and make it two straight over San
Francisco on Wednesday night, Guardians got the scoring started early
first inning, a one out double from Kyle Manzardo brought
Jose Ramirez to the plate. Here's the two swung on
drilled right center base hit, headed for third and being
(07:35):
waved around as Manzardo he'll score without a throw on
the RBI single by Ramirez and the Guardians take the
early lead. One nothing, still won nothing Guardians in the fourth.
That's when they put two men on for Daniel Schneemann.
Here's the two swung on and here's a high fly
ball deep left center field.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
This has hit a ton and that ball is gone
a home run.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Daniel Schneeman to the opposite field, a three run blast,
and Cleveland is now up for nothing.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Another center cut basketball by Erlander, who thrown at ninety four.
Can't overpower hitters right there like he used to, and
Schneemann made him pay. I mean that was hit high
and hit deep to the opposite gap, showing some power.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
The Giants got something back in the fifth inning, a
two run home run from Elliott Ramos, but the Guardian's
bullpen took over and as usual, they shut down the opposition.
Here's the one two from Smith swing and I missed
strike three. Hey got him with the heat. Ramos down
on strike, Sider retired. We're headed to the eighth Guardians four,
(08:53):
Giants two. Here's his pitch and that swung on popped
him up foul territory on the infield first base side.
Manzarno puts it away and Heron does the job. We
are headed to the ninth it's the Guardians for the
Giants two. And then the annual Classe was back out
(09:15):
there in the ninth inning trying to nail down another save.
Classe ended it with a strikeout. Last night there comes
as two to two called strike three and Closse does
it again. So do the Guardians as they defeat the
Giants tonight by a final score a four to two.
(09:37):
So a good couple of nights in San Francisco for
the Guardians, but the Giants would come back and salvage
the finale of the series on Thursday afternoon, a two
to one win over Cleveland. And then it was on
the Sacramento for a Friday night contest against the Athletics,
who won it five to one. And then now it's
on to Saturday night in Sacramento for the Guardians in
(09:58):
the road trip finale on Sunday afternoon. Stay with us
while we come back. We'll talk outfield play with J.
T McGuire and visit with center fielder Lane Thomas. That's
next on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Switching to Progressive is a game winning call, and that
reminds us of other game winning calls in the history
of sports.
Speaker 6 (10:22):
It was a doubleheader in August and really hot inside
the concession stand, so instead of winning for people to
come to me, I figured I'd walk around yelln hot,
and that's how I became the first hot dog vendor
in sports.
Speaker 5 (10:34):
Okay, not really a game winning call, but it was
a good call. You can make one two switch to
Progressive and you could save hundreds. Progressive Casualty Insurance company
and affiliates not available in all states.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Here's the one O pitch, swung and hit pretty well
to right deep and toward the corner.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Joe on the run, Joe in the corner.
Speaker 7 (10:59):
This ball is gone, a three run home run. It
just did clear the thirteen foot wall in that right
field corner, and the Guardians with a three run home
run right down the right field line by Lane Thomas.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Welcome back to Guardians Weekly.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Jim Rosenhouse along with you as we join you from Sacramento, California.
The Guardians taking on the athletics here in Sacramento on
a weekend series. Earlier in the week they were in
San Francisco, And for Lane Thomas, that's been a good
place for him as he has had some good success
in the past in his career and he's trying to
(11:42):
get going on this season. He's battled a couple of
injuries so far, but he returned during the last homestand
from his second stint on the IL, and he says
he's feeling as strong as he has in quite some time.
Speaker 8 (11:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 9 (11:54):
You know, I think I'm dealing with the wrist and
the foot and just hadn't really felt like myself a
whole lot in those those first you know, a month
or two and miss some time, and you know, I
feel like I'm you know, on the uptick, you know,
on the.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
Rise a little bit.
Speaker 8 (12:07):
So I feel a lot a lot.
Speaker 9 (12:08):
Better running and you know in the outfield too, So
I feel good about it.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Everyone wants to have that perfect off season where you
build up the way you want. How challenged were you
that this off season to try and work through some
things that just weren't going well.
Speaker 9 (12:22):
Yeah, you know, I still had the foot thing, and
the off season got pretty bad. I took a little
time off and it started to feel a little better.
But that's tough to do the middle of the year.
So you know, like I said, it's just something you
have to deal with. It's part of doing what we do.
And you know, I had, I guess, three pretty healthy
years the last few years, and you know, it's just
part of you hit those little roadbumps and it's just
kind of how you come out of them.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
So the success you had late last season and on
into the postseason, were you trying to manage that during
that time and still being able to come through.
Speaker 9 (12:49):
Not to the extent you know lately, but I definitely
still had it. Didn't really know what it was, but
I was just starting to kind of get a little
bit worse. And when I took some time off after
the postseason, when I got home is kind of when
it fired up pretty bad. So took care of it.
It just it's just one of those things that it's
tough to get to go away completely. So hopefully we've
taken care of it.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
How hard is it to stay patient and get it
taken care of properly, especially when you want to help
your team, especially on that offensive end.
Speaker 9 (13:18):
Yeah, I mean, you know, they're expecting you to go
out and produce, and that's kind of what you know,
what you stick around for is because you consistently do
a good job and they trust you out there. So
when you're dealing with something like that, you definitely feel
the pressure to either get it fixed or keep rolling
through it. So I you know, I tried my hardest
to kind of fight through a couple of things, and
you know, it just comes to a time when not
helping myself or them, and you know, getting it, getting
(13:41):
right and feeling good is the best thing for both sides.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Lane, thanks for the time, appreciate it absolutely.
Speaker 9 (13:46):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
That's Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas. And speaking of outfield play,
JT McGuire is The Guardian's outfield instructor and he had
his hands full over at Oracle Park in San Francisco,
a ballpark that features several different fence heights in the outfield,
and you have a brick surface out there as well,
and some other things going on, especially in right field.
(14:08):
It's the trickiest outfield in baseball according to some and
JT says they had to do a little more work
to prepare for things at an unfamiliar ballpark for the Guardians.
Speaker 10 (14:19):
Not only just the dimensions, it's the wind factors. So
you have right field, which is just odd in itself,
and then you have the ballpark factors of wind coming
off of the ocean and how that can switch just dramatically.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
So yesterday pregame prior to the series opener, I saw
you out there trying to hit some fungos off the
right field wall.
Speaker 8 (14:44):
There's bricks, there's.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Cage type stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
You hit a few out into mcuvey Cove too, it
I saw you, and you're gonna go get those and
bring those back in.
Speaker 10 (14:51):
I just figured me and Barry Bonds might have something
in common, so wanted to put one in McVey Cove.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
What did you learn though at firing them off the
bricks and and then the screening and then all that
kind of stuff.
Speaker 10 (15:02):
So it really has like almost four different types of surfaces.
You have the brick, then you have the lettering, which
is totally different, it's like almost aluminum. Then you have
the fencing, and then you have the padding, and then
I guess you can add one more factor of like
the different types of polls that connect everything together. So really,
(15:23):
like what we told our outfielders is if the balls
hit over your head, specifically your right fielder, the balls.
Speaker 8 (15:29):
Hit over your head.
Speaker 10 (15:31):
Almost play it like field of dreams, where once you
approach that warning track, like we don't go on the
warning track only because that ball can bounce on different directions,
So we don't want to scramble and chase the ball.
We want to let the ball hit the wall wherever
part of the wall it hits, and then we want
to assess where to go. And then from a center
(15:53):
fields perspective, you have the Willie Mays McCovey numbers that
are retired that faces more towards right field, but after
that it shoots out towards centerfield, so the center fielder
has to be backing up and moving over in that
direction as well if the ball hit to that area.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
So you're one outfielder who didn't have to deal with that.
And the series opener had a game for the ages
defensively and Steven Kwan throwing out a runner at second,
stopping another runner from trying to tag and score the
tying run. When you look at what he does, what
do fans not see that allow him to be great defensively?
(16:34):
When they do see him playing a game.
Speaker 10 (16:36):
So one of the things I think one of the
most special things about Kwani is prior to a game
even coming close to happening, he's on the outfield, whether
it's a one on one or we have the entire outfielders,
or whether it's batting practice, but he takes every single
ret like it's a game. So regardless of like if
(16:58):
we're on the road or at home, he plays balls
off the wall. I can speak just for being at home.
I feel like he knows where every ball is going
to land off of the wall after it hits the wall.
So he puts himself in an incredible positions to field
carems off the wall. When we go to a new ballpark,
(17:21):
he wants balls off of the wall. He does it
in batting practice, so it almost becomes second nature to him.
But the one thing that just sticks out to me
more than anything is the attention to detail that he takes.
Whether it be ten reps or whether it be just
five reps. He treats a game like so when the
(17:41):
game happens, it's not too quick for him.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
JT.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
McGuire, you've had your hands full here in San Francisco.
Who knows what Sacramento brings, but thanks for coming by
the coach's corner.
Speaker 8 (17:50):
Appreciate it. Rosie.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
That's outfield instructor J. T. McGuire and always nice to
have him along. And yes, Stephen kui is having some
kind of season defense and left. Certainly we'll be a
contender for a fourth consecutive Gold Glove award. Stay with
us when we come back. We'll hear from a former
Cleveland Indian Duwayne Kuiper and another former Cleveland Indian, Coco Crisp.
(18:13):
That's next time in Cleveland Clinic. Guardians Radio Network, Welcome
(18:39):
back to Guardians Weekly. Jim rosenounce along with you from Sacramento.
Earlier in the road trip, the Guardians were in San Francisco,
and that means a chance to catch up with longtime
Giants broadcaster and former Cleveland Indian Dwayne Kuiper, part of
the Top one hundred Cleveland Indians All time list. He
was a Cleveland Indian from nineteen seven four through nineteen
(19:01):
eighty one before he was traded to San Francisco and
finished his playing career there, and he talked about some
of his memories that stand out from that era of
Indians Baseball.
Speaker 11 (19:11):
Well, look, I cherished those years mainly because, look, I
was in the big leagues and I was in a
big league town, and I have, you know, relationships from
those years with guys that, you know, I cherish, guys
like you know, Buddy Bell, and I had a chance
to sit with Buddy for two and a half hours
(19:32):
out of Starbucks in Scottsdale this spring, and it really
was one of the most enjoyable two hours I've had
in a long time, because you reminisce about the days
where maybe we weren't very good, but on that given day,
we thought we would win that game, and we tried
as hard as we could and we got dirty, and
(19:52):
you know, and what are we playing for. We're playing
to try to get out of last place. But those
games were so important. Yeah, I Look, I couldn't have
started my career out in a better place, just because
the way the fans accepted you. If you didn't give
a full out effort, and if you didn't like the city,
you were not going to be able to fool that group.
(20:14):
And that's why I really loved it so much. Look,
I didn't want to get traded. I did everything I
could to flunk my physical once I got traded here,
And how do you do that? Well, you go to
the doctor that did your surgery and you say, how
can I do this? And I'm not going to tell
you if you told me how to do it or not.
But it didn't work. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
And there's a generation of fans probably listening tonight who
have no idea what Municipal Stadium was like. And I
know it probably gets a bad rap compared to Progressive Field,
But for you, what was it like as a ballpark?
Speaker 11 (20:50):
Well, I think a lot of stadiums are going to
get a bad rap because of Progressive Field. It happens
to be one of my favorite of them. And I
know it's not new, but of the newer stadiums, I
would have loved to have played there.
Speaker 8 (21:04):
But you know, you kind of.
Speaker 11 (21:06):
Protect the ballpark that you played in and you got
to the big leagues and you kind of protect it
like it's part of your family. Somebody else says something
bad about my park, then I got a problem with it.
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Right. It's kind of like what we had to do
at Candlestick.
Speaker 11 (21:22):
You know, it's my place, so it's my home, so
you know, leave it alone.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
But it was not an easy.
Speaker 8 (21:29):
Place to play in.
Speaker 11 (21:30):
I mean here there were times when you know, there
were five or six thousand people there. I mean, if
you go back and listen to people that talk about
Lenn Barker's perfect game, you'd have thought that there was
forty thousand people there.
Speaker 8 (21:44):
There was probably.
Speaker 11 (21:46):
Seven thousand, right, But that was our place, you know,
and we're in the big leagues.
Speaker 8 (21:53):
So look, I loved that.
Speaker 11 (21:55):
I loved going to the Browns games there, and it
was just a.
Speaker 8 (21:59):
Fact of the city.
Speaker 11 (22:02):
They needed a new park, but my memories will always
be from Municipal Stadium.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
And now you get to come to work in an
absolute gem of a ballpark.
Speaker 8 (22:10):
I know.
Speaker 11 (22:10):
And we feel like we paid our dues. At least
I did, because I played at the O Ballpark in
Cleveland and then all those years at Candlestick. We sit
up there, Mike and Mike Kruko, my partner, and we
look around and everybody says, boy, you guys are spoiled.
Speaker 8 (22:24):
No we're not.
Speaker 11 (22:26):
We paid our dues to get to the spot, and uh,
and it's been it's just been a delight. Even though
what I doing here, I always wanted to do in Cleveland.
But you know, those opportunities have to be created and
if they're not, then you move on.
Speaker 8 (22:44):
And uh, and it's been a joy since I've been here.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
Okay, it's always great to see it. You have a
fun team to watch. Thanks for coming back.
Speaker 11 (22:50):
Yeah, and it's really great that that Tom.
Speaker 8 (22:54):
Shows up for these games.
Speaker 11 (22:56):
You know what, a Hall of Famer makes trips, and
they tried to do all the games and I'm really
shocked that he got voted in, to be honest with.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
You, Well, this one thirty seconds a little bit too long.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
We'll be back with more after this.
Speaker 2 (23:14):
That's Dwayne Kuiper, a former Cleveland Indian from the seventies,
a little more recent vintage Coco Crispy was in Cleveland
recently as part of the alumni program there and we
had a chance to catch up with him, and he
had a tremendous major league career. It started in Cleveland
and finished in Cleveland, with some stops in between, including
(23:35):
in Oakland with the Athletics. But he broke in with
the Cleveland Indians back in two thousand and two, a
pretty good ball club, and he talked about what it
was like to get his first chance in the major
leagues with that team, right.
Speaker 12 (23:46):
So I just got traded over from the Cardinals about
two weeks prior. So when I got the call, we
were on the road. Actually wasn't a call. The coaches
came up and knocked on the door and me and
Luis Garcia at the time, and we just got traded
over together rear roommates, and they came in and they
told me that I was going to Tampa and I
(24:07):
thought that I got traded again. I mean, it was
fresh on my mind. So I was just like, oh gosh,
and they're all looking at me like, who's the matter
with this kid. So once they told me it was
Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the time, then I jump
up and I'm jumping from bed to bed. I'm excited.
So then I end up going to Tampa and I
get my call up and the first person.
Speaker 13 (24:27):
That I that I see is Eddie.
Speaker 12 (24:29):
He is a hitting coach, and I'm like, oh my gosh,
it's Eddie and I'm walking in the dugout. Then I
see CCO Marver Scaled, Jim Tomy. I'm like, oh my goodness,
you know, just playing video games with these guys and
now I'm up here with them, so it was very exciting.
I had a great time playing for Cleveland, especially when
(24:50):
I first got caught up. I'll rephrase that a little
bit later, but especially when I first got caught up,
simply because a lot of the guys were young, like
Brandon Phillips, Grady Size More, Cliff Lee yet CC and
all these guys, and we all kind of came up
through the minor leagues together, so we got opportunity to
play together and still learn from veterans like Omar and
(25:10):
Jim Tomay and Ellis Spurks. So it was very special.
And then the be able to finish my career with
the Indians. You know, my whole journey was a blessed
had just capped it off.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
I was gonna ask you about that. You had great
experiences with Boston and Oakland, a key part of some
good teams there. What did it mean though, to finish
your career here for a team that made it to
the World Series.
Speaker 12 (25:31):
To start off getting called up and having such a
special time here. And I thought that we had a
team at that time when I was younger to push
for playoffs and win a World Series possibly, you know,
I felt like we're that good from the pitching side
and the offense side, the defensive side, but it just
didn't happen that way. So after going from here to Boston,
(25:54):
where I was able to win a World Series and
take in the environment of being a major we're gonnation
as far as fans go, and everything like that, which
which was really special. And then from there I went
over to Kansas City. I ended up getting hurt, but
I still enjoyed my time over there, and then going
to Oakland. I'm from California, and being able to spend
my time over there and talk with Ricky Henderson, who
(26:15):
was my favorite ball player growing up, was truly special
as well. And then after that twenty sixteen came, it
was towards the end of my career. I just got
hurt with my neck and everything, and then Terry Francona
and the guys over here with Cleveland wanted me to
come back over here and be a veteran presence, which
was truly special to be able to come back over
(26:36):
here and finish my career playing in the World Series
for a team that I started with.
Speaker 2 (26:41):
And you were more than just a veteran presence. You've
had some huge hits in the postseason run, and what
did that mean to you to not just be the
veteran guy in the clubhouse but actually get it done
on the field one last time.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Special.
Speaker 12 (26:53):
Every time you step in between those lines, you're trying
to be successful. You're trying to go out there and
put your best foot forward. Sometimes you put both your
best fee forward, and sometimes you don't put any. So
I was just happy to be able to go out
there and contribute, whether it would have been as just
having some experience in situations like this and bringing it
to the guys who didn't or actually contribute inside the lines.
(27:13):
And I was fortunate enough to be able to do both,
and we played well.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
We'll go great to see you. Thanks for coming back,
all right, Thanks for having me fun visit with Coco Crisp,
who has a lot of great memories of his time
in Cleveland, both at the beginning of his major league
career and then at the end with that twenty sixteen
World Series. Club Stay with us when we come back.
It's a Minor league report with Stephen Osterer. That's next
the Cleveland Clinic. Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 5 (27:40):
Switching to Progressive is a game winning call in my
bring minds us of other game winning calls in the
history of sports.
Speaker 6 (27:48):
So it was the fourth quarter and went down by five,
sweat pouring down my face. Suddenly it hit me, if
only I could rep part of the towel around my forehead,
and that's how I became the first basketball player.
Speaker 8 (27:58):
It's a wear ahead band.
Speaker 5 (28:00):
Okay, not really a game winning call, but it was
a good call. You can make one to switch to
Progressive and you could save hundreds. Progressive Casualty Insurance company
and affiliates not available in those states.
Speaker 3 (28:38):
Welcome back. It's Guardian's Weekly.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
We're in Sacramento this weekend and as always we check
in with Stephen Osterer, the Guardian's vice president of player Development,
for a minor league report, and this week we talked
singlely Lake County. Some good stories going on, including a
solid one loss record, and we'll start on the mound
with a picture. Everyone always wants to talk about the tugboat.
(29:00):
Mac Wilkinson, the leftandro had a great season a year ago,
off to a slower start this year, but starting to
turn things around.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
According to Austin.
Speaker 14 (29:08):
Yeah, Wilkinson's you know, kind of an up up and
down year so far, not and not sugarcoating that that
it hasn't been quite as good as it was last year,
but that's also probably not a bad thing. Yeah, I
think developing as a as a pitcher sometimes requires you
to fail and requires you to develop your ability to
(29:30):
handle the peaks and valleys of the year. So yeah,
I think it's it's been good from that standpoint where
he's been able to kind of set his targets on
the daily process a little bit more, and you know,
I think he's really growing in that sense. So yeah,
there's some positive underlying signs with him. Pitching wise to
the fastball is you know, continues to be a good
(29:51):
a good pitch for him. He's executing it well and
working on that to get it to better spots and
slide sider execution has been better this year and has
been trying to positively. So He's still missing a lot
of baths similar to what we've seen in the past
and generating the weak contact maybe to a lesser degree
to what we've seen last year. But you know, going
through a little adversity is not again not necessarily a
(30:12):
bad thing, and it's a long year.
Speaker 13 (30:14):
It's just year two for.
Speaker 14 (30:16):
Him, and you know, we're really excited about the future
for Wilkinson and the things that you know he has
going on for himself as a pitcher, and you know,
a lot of room for growth in a high ceiling
long term.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Josh Hartle has put up some really nice numbers so
far for Lake County and he's one of the young
pictures acquired in the offseason trade that brought Cleveland to
wis Orties and a Wake Forest kid who seems like
he has really transitioned smoothly to a new organization.
Speaker 14 (30:44):
Yes, he has, and you know he's coming from a
good spot of routines and and mindset and just a
professional nature and he just continues to humme.
Speaker 13 (30:54):
Along as the season goes goes with us. He's going
keep in the games. He's very efficient with his pitch
count that allows him to to do well and and
it doesn't walk anyone.
Speaker 14 (31:04):
So you know, we've we've talked already a little bit
here about you know that first full year guys, Uh,
you needing to to refine and establish everything from a
routine standpoint and get accustomed to it. And yeah, he's
he's been really good from that standpoint. So the velocity
is kind of staying consistent.
Speaker 13 (31:22):
At this point, which is great.
Speaker 14 (31:24):
It's you know, been a slight trend upwards and continues
to be a long term focus for him. But yeah,
he continues to to just see improvements across you know,
his his pitches and and how he's able to execute them,
and you know, continuing to focus on trying to create
a little bit more separation across all those all the
pitches that he is able to offer. So the focus
(31:45):
has been really good from from Josh thus far. He's
adapted really well to being in professional baseball and being
with this organization, and you know, excited to continue to
work with him. He's a hard worker and wants to
be really good. So a great start for Josh and uh,
you know again excited, excited to see where he goes
(32:05):
in the second half.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
Jack jay z acts an interesting story in in that
he's improving tremendously as he goes along. Drafted back in
twenty two out of college. What are you seeing from him?
That's that's really exciting here as he gets deeper into it.
Speaker 14 (32:18):
Yeah, he's been a really cool development story for us.
You know, spent the last couple of years in low way.
Speaker 13 (32:24):
You know, we got him in the twenty two draft.
Speaker 14 (32:26):
He you know, he's getting through some shoulders stuff, you know,
in his last year of college. You know, obviously super
healthy now, but you know he's just shown like a
year over year improvement in in velocity and stuff. And
you know, as he's thrown more and more. The calling
card of him in college is throwing a ton of strikes,
and you know, we've seen that continue to improve year
(32:48):
over year to the point where you know, he's barely
walking anyone at this point. You know, he's been tremendous, uh,
you know on the mound and the velocity is really
jumped up.
Speaker 13 (32:57):
So you know, he's now started with us. He was
in the low nineties. You know, he's he's.
Speaker 14 (33:03):
Now sitting in the mid nineties and has a pretty
unique ride and run fastball. You know, the slider is
now sitting in the mid eighties and it sweeps left
pretty good. And you know, the curveball he's able to
throw in there to mixed speeds versus left. So currently
working on the secondaries and improving them and maybe creating
a little bit of separation between the two breaking balls,
(33:24):
but his execution has been really good.
Speaker 13 (33:27):
The fastball again continues to turned up quite well from
a Velo standpoint and projects the play well moving forward.
Speaker 14 (33:34):
So we're just trying to get a little bit more
with outside of the fastball, and you know, there's some
really good ingredients there for him to be a successful
relief pitcher moving forward.
Speaker 13 (33:44):
So Jack's been awesome to watch continue to grow year
over year and has been tremendous for Lake County so far.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
We're joined by Steven Ostra, the vice president of player
development for the Guardians. Our weekly minor league report focusing
on Lake County this week at the single A level
and familiar names on the position player front making their
way through the season, getting close to that halfway point now.
And ralphie Velaski is someone that again goes back to
spring training. We saw him play some major league games
(34:12):
and it looks like the power numbers are starting to
come into play for him. And how is his season
gone after a slow start?
Speaker 14 (34:19):
Yeah, that's right, he's uh, you know, the results are
you know, starting to come in line with some of
maybe the leading indicators the uh you under under the
surface layers or measures, sorry that we were tracking, and
the performance is starting to jump, so you know, ps
is climbing.
Speaker 13 (34:36):
You know, he continues to hit the ball really hard
on average, and you.
Speaker 14 (34:40):
Know, is consistently making contact now at better angles.
Speaker 13 (34:43):
To see some of that production show up.
Speaker 14 (34:45):
He's put a lot of effort, you know, into into
some swing adjustments so far this year, and you know,
staying into maybe more productive posture angles for him that
I think we've seen has helped him to not only
see the ball a little bit better, but time up
pitches a little bit better too, again able to catch
the ball maybe into better, better angles. So's he's a
(35:08):
really good hitter.
Speaker 13 (35:09):
There are elite underlying measures that.
Speaker 14 (35:12):
We see consistently, and you know, we're we're still talking
about a kid who just turned twenty years old in
high A and it's excited to see what he's.
Speaker 13 (35:21):
Done at the plate. You know.
Speaker 14 (35:22):
An additional thing that we've seen a last couple of
weeks and pushed him defensively to get.
Speaker 13 (35:27):
A little bit more reps in the outfield.
Speaker 14 (35:28):
So yeah, still really early in that process, but interesting
to see where that goes. And you know, for Ralfie
to continue to heat up is maybe.
Speaker 13 (35:36):
Not super surprising, but you have fun to watch him
hit the ball over the fence a little bit more consistently.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
Well finished with Jason Curio, a really exciting young prospect
who had to deal with an injury issue at the
start of the season and it's never easy at any level.
How is he adjusted now that he's back playing again.
Speaker 14 (35:54):
Yeah, it's been great to get him back out there
just a couple of weeks ago. And you know the
shoulder flare up that he had earlier in the year
was just you know, a minor setback long term, but yeah,
it takes a little bit of time to settle back in.
So I you know, he's he's doing a lot of
cheerio things or he's not chasing at anything out of
the zone. At this point, I think it, Uh, you know,
since his return, he's walking just to take over thirty
(36:15):
percent of the time. You know, he's getting some better
swings off as again he's getting back into like real competition,
so you know, similar to Ralfie. You know, he just
turned twenty, so he's one of the youngest players at
the level.
Speaker 13 (36:29):
He does a lot of you know, really good.
Speaker 14 (36:31):
Things to played in his great discipline and again it's
just tapping into the ceiling as much as we possibly
can moving the needle long term on the physical development
so he can add a little bit more pop to
the really good, you know, back to ball skills. And
you know, Jason again is another one of these guys
that works really hard and wants to be really good,
and you know he's young, so sometimes again there's the
(36:53):
peaks and valleys of things that happen in a professional
season for young players. And we're really excited about the
athlete and the player that we have here and we'll
continue to see the second half I think him take off.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
That's been a fun season for sure for Lake County
so far as they're above the five hundred mark and
I'm on that midway point of the season and Austy,
thanks so much for coming by and bringing us up
to date on some of their.
Speaker 13 (37:18):
Prospects and my pleasure, Rosie, thank you.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
That's our minor league report with Guardian's Vice president of
player Development Stephen Ostro talking Lake County this week, and
that's going to do it for our show from Sacramento.
We'll join you next weekend back home finally, as the
Guardians take on the Blue Jays starting Tuesday night. Then
Saint Louis comes in next weekend for a three game series,
(37:41):
and it's always fun when the Cardinals come in on
a weekend because you know a lot of their fans
will be on hand at Progressive Feel So until then,
I want to thank Brian matse As always for putting
together our show each and every week until next weekend.
This is Jim Rosenhause. You're binding you that you've been
listening to Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clint Guardians Radio network.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
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