March 15, 2025 • 39 mins
Guardians leadoff man Steven Kwan joins the show to talk about high expectations for this season. Also, playoff hero David Fry talks about how his rehab from Tommy John surgery is going. Plus, young slugger Kyle Manzardo has been a standout player this spring, he talks about building off the momentum he gained last year. That's all on this edition of Guardians Weekly with Jim Rosenhaus on the Cleveland Guardians Radio network.
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Episode Transcript
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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 (00:56):
Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly, Himro and how So
along with you as we continue our shows from Guardian
spring training in Goodyear, Arizona. And we are heading in
to the final week of games now, as it won't
be long before the start of the regular season begins
two weeks from this past Thursday, so we are closing
(01:19):
in on the final days of spring training. Still a
lot to be decided, including who would be that opening
day second basement and the regular second basement on this team,
if indeed there is one. They may end up rotating
several players through that position over the course of at
least the early portion of the season, and right field
still very much up for grabs. It may yet be
(01:41):
a platoon like it was for much of the second
half last season with Will Brennan and John Kenzie Noel
in that platoon. We'll see, Still a lot to be
decided there, maybe some spots or a spot in the
starting rotation, and certainly some spots in the bullpen up
for grabs too, as we had down the stretch, but
not many, so really not a whole lot to be
(02:04):
decided at this point in terms of the roster. Good
show lined up for you today. Coming up in just
a little bit, we will hear from David Frye, who
won't be on the roster to start the season. He's
recovering from Tommy John surgery, but one of the heroes
from last season's postseason run. He'll join us and talk
about his recovery from the surgery, when he's expected back,
(02:27):
and some of the things that he's looking forward to
when he does return to play. We'll hear from All
Star outfielder and Gold Glove winner Stephen Kwan, looking forward
to another big season at the plate as well. Catcher
Bo Naylor will stop by and chat with us as well,
and we'll bring you up to date on some of
the great summer camp opportunities for kids in Northeast Ohio
(02:49):
courtesy of Guardian Summer Camps. That's coming up a little
bit later on in our show today, but first we
had a chance to visit recently with first baseman Kyle
man Zardo, who had a strong finish to his season
a year ago, had a big home run in the
postseason and figures to be a key bat in the
lineup for this year's Guardians. Is he'll see some more
(03:10):
time at first base this year instead of just as
a designated hitter as he was a season ago, and
he says his solid finish to the regular season and
performance in the postseason a year ago helped him get
things done in a positive note this past off season.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Yeah, it was. It was a great offseason. I went
into it, you know, feeling really inspired and ready to work,
just based off of how last season went and you
know how it ended, unfortunately, So I kind of I
just went to work, did did this a lot of
the same things I've done, and then you know, made
(03:49):
some some adjustments that I learned that you know, I
needed to do, kind of as I've gotten.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
A little bit older.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
When you look at your season a year ago, you
get that ear call up and then go back down
and then come back and you really had good success
when you came back. I think that's happened. There's so
many players at this level, so it's not anything new,
but but what is the difference when when you do
come back after having a chance to have seen it
earlier in the season.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, I think, I mean a lot of it kind
of comes down to you just don't know what you
don't know. So whenever, whenever I had came back up,
there was a I mean a lot of things that
I had learned, you know, from the first first trip
up and h nothing, nothing really came as like a
shock to me the second go round. So I was
(04:39):
able to, you know, show up and just be ready
to play baseball.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
And you had some big home runs down the stretch
and then also home run in the postseason. What was
that postseason run like for you, and especially as a
rookie to go through.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
That, Uh, Man, that was a that was a dream.
It was cool and it was I was happy that
it came in a game that we won. Uh definitely
makes it feel a little sweeter.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Well, I'm getting back to your your off season, most
of it spent back home in Idaho, but you did
come down here for a week to good year. What
was the purpose of that and why can't that be
really helpful for you.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Just to just to check in, make sure the coaches
and stuff are seeing where my swing's at. That way,
It's it was still early enough to where I was
able to make any any adjustments and you know, tweak
anything that I needed to. And then obviously nice to
see some some sunshine in the middle of the winter.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
But yeah, yeah, none of that in Idaho.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
No, no, no, we don't see the sun for a
few months up there.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
But you do have a good spot to work out.
And I know your batting practice thrower is someone you
know very well, dell Us who helps you out with that.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, so my my dad throws me bp uh kind
of throughout the off season and then we mix in
some machines and stuff too, so able to see some velocity.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
How long has he been doing that and helping you
with your game?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Long as I can remember, long as I can remember?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
And it's is that something that you know you look
back on, he said, And maybe you don't even realize
it now, but is it something you think you might
look back on at some point say, that's pretty cool
that I was able to do that with my tame.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yeah, I mean it's something I look back at even
now and realize, you know, how special that is, very
very grateful and appreciative for that, because it's you know,
it's not a very common experience.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We talked so much about hitting, but I know you
want to play some first base this year, And what
do you think you or what are you working on
to become a better defensive first basement? And how far
along do you think you've come?
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, I mean, just just trusting, trusting the work that
I've been putting in for the last yes, you know,
a year and a half or so, a few I
mean it's been a few years now, and you know,
just staying staying dedicated to my work, making sure that
I'm getting everything I need to get done done, and
try to put myself in the best position I can.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
That's first basement. Dhkyl Manzardo, looking forward to his first
full season in the major leagues. Stay with us, We'll
have more to come as Guardians Weekly continues from Goodyear,
Arizona after this time out on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians
Radio Network.
Speaker 6 (07:36):
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Speaker 2 (08:17):
Welcome back to Guardian's weekly Jim Rosenhouse back with you
from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardian Spring training. And here in
spring training but not participating in games just yet is
David Frye, who was such a key especially in the
first half a year ago. He was catching, playing some outfield,
some first base, a DH as well, and he hit
(08:39):
well enough to be a part of the American League
All Star team. But a sore elbow really hampered his
efforts in the second half of the season to stay
on the field defensively. In fact, was used mainly as
a DH down the stretch. Tommy John surgery after the
season followed. So he's behind everyone else here this spring.
But fry is at spring training and he's around his teammates,
(09:02):
and he says that is especially important to get back
here and finish his rehab amongst his teammates.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, I mean, huge part as soon as they got
out got out here obviously, like rehaven's not fun. You
want to be on the field plane, but just being
around the guys, joking around in the clubhouse makes everything
a lot easier.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
And you look back at last year, when did things
start barking on you for your arm and how much
of a challenge was it to at least stay available
at the plate.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Yeah, it was one of those things kind of started
a little before All Star break and kind of continued
for a little bit, and then probably a little after
All Star break there was like, hey, you're just gonna
hit play first if we absolutely need you to, which
was really cool by them to let me stay active
and kind of be a part of that run.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
And when you look back on last year, you're an
All Star and you're part of a postseason run. Could
it go any better? I mean, obviously you want to
take that last step team wise, but when you look
back on it, what were your thoughts at during the offseason.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah, I mean really cool year.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Special.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Obviously would have rather not had the arm injury, but
I mean it was a really fun year, and I
think we got another really good chance this year, hopefully
win two more series this year.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
And when you look back at coming through in key spots,
obviously the huge home run in the Tiger Series and
another one in the Yankee Series, did it teach you
a little bit about yourself and that ability to come
through in a key situation.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
Yeah, maybe a little bit. A lot of it was
just I mean, Voter and Albie put me in good spots.
I mean, whether it was a pinch hit late or
it just seemed like every get bad I had was
like runners on base, two outs, and it didn't help
my wife's nerves. But I definitely had plenty of opportunities
to have those moments.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
And it sounded like it gave you an opportunity to
get in touch with some people that you hadn't heard
from in a long time, in terms of coaches and
all players too. Yeah, for sure, after those games there
were a lot of techs and stuff, but yeah, good
good old friends kind of reaching out and stuff. That
was cool. David Fry joining us recovering from Tommy John surgery.
You don't hear about it a whole lot with position
players How different is it though for you as opposed
(11:10):
to being a pitcher where you rely so much out
of your throwing off.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, that's what I mean. It's kinda not as like
you know, a pitcher has it's like, all right, he's
gonna be out for the year. Luckily as a hitter
can kind of come back a little quicker and my
whole game doesn't just rely on me throwing the ball.
So just hopefully progress quick and get to join the
boys soon.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And maybe a different perspective for you because of the
spring you're having. But what are you seeing in this
room that has you excited about what could be this
season for the team?
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Honestly, just the way guys came in was I mean,
I feel like now it used to be you show
up spring training and get ready for the year. Now
everybody shows up spring training ready to go. But just
the arms that we have, like depth and depth of
the arms is ridiculous. And then guys came in ready
to play.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
That's David Frye, who figures to be someone who can
help this ball club. Maybe around the midway point, as
he has been cleared to take some dry swings in
the cage, he's been doing some receiving work as a
catcher and gradually implementing more and more facets of his
game as that elbow gets stronger. Stephen Kuan is looking
forward to a big start to the season. This will
(12:15):
be his fourth major league season. He's won three Goal
Glove awards as one of the best left fielders defensively
in the game. And last year, what a start he had,
as he was flirting with the four hundred mark batting
average wise for quite some time in the first half
of the season, tailed off with some injury issues in
the second half, but performed extremely well in the postseason.
(12:37):
And here he is heading into year number four in
the major leagues, and he says, man, those first three
have moved awfully fast.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
Yeah, I guess it's both both yes and no. I
remember that first spring so vividly. I can't believe it's
already been three years. But yeah, like you said, there's
been so many things that have happened, got Mary. We've
been the playoffs twice. I mean, what is that three
times one sixty two? You know, a lot of games
to play. It's been a blessing to be part of
all this. But yeah, it just feels like yesterday we
(13:05):
were talking on the patio and I got that call.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And so along those lines. You look at it now,
and as is the case every offseason, there's some changes
to the roster. Do you feel like a veteran guy
yet and someone who can take over more of a
leadership role too.
Speaker 7 (13:21):
I don't know about veteran, but you know, a little
more comfortable with kind of know anybody's name now, knowing
where to go the schedules. Yeah, it definitely is less
chaotic than my first year. But I know something about
coming into spring and everything just feels new and exciting.
So I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
How about your game? Last year, you made some adjustments
to your approach and it led to a career best
in home runs and you still maintained your average. What
did you take away from that at the end of
the season as you prepare for this season.
Speaker 7 (13:50):
Yeah, just being able to, you know, attack my a pitch,
want the ball, middle, middle end. I think before I've
been scared to kind of let it go because my
game was singles the other way, working account kind of
giving myself the grace to go out and get it
and see what happens with with home runs. I think
that builds up all my confidence. I think it builds
the kind of import against pictures too, where they can't
just attack the zone, get ahead, and then I have
(14:13):
to fight with two. It changed the game a little bit,
which just I'm excited for. But the game's always evolving
as well.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Stephen Kwan joining us, We love to talk hitting. It's fun.
Defense such a big part of your game, a goal
glove multiple How much effort and time do you need
to put into that, especially this time of year to
make sure you're ready to go?
Speaker 7 (14:34):
Yeah, definitely a ton of work, especially being out in
Chicago where it's cold outside you can't get too many
live reads. But JT keeps us on top of that,
especially when we get to spring. We hit the ground
running with all that, even if we can't, you know,
lengthen it out just to keep our legs safe. We're
doing glove work, really small, short, intentional work that works
the gloves. Yeah, it takes a whole village to achieve
(14:57):
those kinds of things. So I'm grateful for JT.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
And now, wait a minte January in Chicago, you're not
going down to the lakefront and taking flyballs?
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (15:03):
I might be able to walk on the lakefront at
that time and get those flyballs.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Hey, your off season, though, you had some great things
happen in your life. Tell us about it.
Speaker 7 (15:10):
Yeah, got married this offseason, had a really small little
event which was really cool. I was able to make
it about us, which I was super happy about. So, yeah,
best off season so far.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Change your outlook coming into too spring training in a
new season.
Speaker 7 (15:22):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah, it's just crazy to wrap
my head around. But having her here, understanding what she's
been able to do for my career as well, it
just makes it that much more serious. So I'm really
excited for that.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And you walk into this clubhouse and not too deep
in the spring training yet, but it just seems like
there's that good vibe again, which has been such a
great characteristic of this team. What are you seeing early
on in spring training that has you excited about what
could be again?
Speaker 7 (15:50):
Yeah, just the team's focus I think right now, had
a ton of really good meetings, addressing the elephant in
the room I think has been really important. Twenty two
we had a really great year. Twenty three we didn't
have the year that we wanted, and I think that
could have been choked up to complacency or you know,
a bunch of different things. So I think we as
a staff talked about, you know, we don't want to
have that happen again. We had a great twenty four,
(16:10):
but you know, twenty five we have to build off that.
We can't get comfortable, We can't assume that things are
going to be like that. We have to go out
and get what we earned. And you know, in twenty
three there was a target on our back a little bit,
and I think maybe we didn't live up to that.
This year, we understand we're not going to surprise as
many people before making the alcs last year, so we
got to come out really confident, really strong, and then
(16:33):
you know, take it by the horns.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
It's interesting you mentioned that you worked hard going into
twenty twenty three, but is there just that something extra
that you need to do to really be successful in
this game? And if you miss that, there's that fine line.
Speaker 7 (16:49):
I'd like to think, so almost having that like desperation
anxiety almost of like you know, we have to get better,
we need to get better. If not, you know, there's
gonna be some big changes around here, and you don't
want to be there when when changes are made, it's
a lot easier. When you have a successful year, you know,
you feel a little more comfy, and then in that
complacency comes you don't work just as hard. I think
we're trying to erase that, make sure we have that
(17:12):
kind of edge, still trying to achieve that. And Voter
and all of them such a great job implementing that. But
I think that can be a factor, especially for young
teams going in.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
And what did you see in Steven Vote last year
that that allowed this team to continue on a great
path that had been set before him.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (17:30):
Just trusting the players I think was super important. He
didn't come in and, you know, puff his chest and
say I'm the manager, you have to listen to me.
He developed so much trust early on camaraderie, and it
was genuine too. It wasn't this you know, fake kind
of thing where he had to impress a lot of people.
He was just Stephen Vote, And at least for me,
I grew up watching him play with the A's, so
you know, I was already starstruck. But he seemed to
(17:52):
get everybody else's attention and get everybody on board. Super quickly,
and I think that that shows just him as a person,
him as a manager, so excited for your two for
all of us.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
That is Stephen Kwan looking forward to a big season
here in twenty twenty five. Stay with us when we
come back. We'll hear from catcher bow Naylor. That's next
on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Now the one pitch swing in a high drive deep
right field. This bull's got a chance. Go on, bow
Nailer onto the concourse beyond the seats and right and
the Guardians catcher sends a liner toward the gamp and
right center on the runners. Robert It drops of acent.
This will score two runs. Here's the set. Here's the
(19:14):
one to one runner goes ithit's outside Nailor good throw
to second tag, got him tato of the tag on
the feet first sliding Remolard Man, you can't make a
better throw than bon Naylor just made.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Here's the one two pitch.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
I'll swing of the line right pasin right center, game
winner bone Nayler.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Kim Rosanow's back with you from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardian
spring training. The Guardian's getting ready to take on the
Kansas City Royals later this afternoon. You can hear that
game right here on the Guardians Radio Network, beginning with
a four to zero five first pitch from Surprise Guardians
on the road today taking on the Royals and Hamm.
He'll have that first pitch coming your way shortly after
(20:04):
for a'clock. Bo Naylor maybe in the lineup today as
he continues what has been an impressive spring. He has
swung the bat well, he has played well defensively as
he continues to work on his game. And that's after
a season where he caught more than one hundred games,
his first full season in the Major League from start
(20:24):
to finish, and certainly a learning experience for him both
at the plate and behind the plate. And these are
some of his thoughts on his progression a season ago.
Speaker 8 (20:34):
The season definitely, you know, kind of had its toll physically,
but I feel like I came out of it feeling
really good. You know, I definitely had a good idea
as to what I wanted to work on moving into
the offseason physically and mentally, you know, offensively, defensively, all
that stuff. So had a clear picture and got on
the same page really well with the team as well,
(20:57):
So I think the transition to the off season and
the off season being had now to this point, it's
it's been a great time for sure.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
I know a lot of it spent here in the
Phoenix area, not necessarily here at the at the complex,
but some of it. I'm sure, how do you approach that,
especially offensively? What what did you try and do and
who helped you in that regard?
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Yeah, I think the main thing was just you know,
a few things movement wise, and then you know, just
really you know, hammering out some some concrete approaches to
be able to bring into the game and you know,
kind of be able to put put them forth and
just just let everything kind of come together. A lot
(21:41):
of work was done, mainly with Grant Fink and Josh Tubbs,
but it was an all hands on deck effort, you know,
kind of again everyone being on the same page and
making themselves available for any conversations that I had wanted
or needed or anything.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
To be had.
Speaker 8 (21:57):
So super grateful for all the resources that we here,
being the coaches, you know, them on me to come
in and use the cages and stuff.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It was. It was awesome and obviously you can't really
tell till the regular season begins, but have you noticed
things early in the spring that that you worked on
that that have made things not easier but allow you
to have some success at the play.
Speaker 8 (22:18):
Yeah, for sure, I think especially you know, not just
in VP, but you know on field, you know, in
the lives. You know, now we're transitioning games. But the
movements have been consistent, which I'm really happy about. The
ball flight's been good, so yeah, I just that's it's
a matter of trusting it and just kind of allowing
it to come forth.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Major development in the offseason, your brother Josh was traded,
and and rarity in baseball where you get to play
with your brother on the same team, much less making
it to the major leagues at the same time, how
is the reaction there and how how are you in
a place now where you can deal with that. I'm
really happy for him.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
I know that the Diamondbacks have really got a good one,
really good clubhouse presence and someone who who's going to
go out there and play as hard as for that team,
those fans and everything that comes with them. So I'm
really happy for him. Definitely gonna cherish all the time
that we had together. To this point. We shared some
amazing moments, not just me and him, but you know,
(23:20):
all the other guys in that clubhouse and him, you know,
the team overall. There's been some great years that we had,
and I think that my mind is in a spot
where I'm really grateful for it, and I'm really grateful
for the trajectory that his career is headed in and
just how everything's kind of been progressing for us all.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
I feel like you're in a good place on where
you are in the major leagues now and having been
through some of the ups and downs having had him
here though when you first broke in. How is he
helpful to you? And maybe more so than than anything
you could have hoped for.
Speaker 8 (23:53):
Yeah, Yeah, there's there's a lot to be said, for sure,
But I think the biggest thing is just being able
to have him in times where you know, you know,
you kind of need to hear something, you know, any advice,
any anything to be able to take that out that
will help elevate your game, not just physically but mentally.
Speaker 6 (24:15):
So.
Speaker 8 (24:15):
Yeah, and and he knows me, He knows me really well,
and and I feel like I can definitely get, you know,
on a more personal level to be able to have
those conversations that need to be had. So yeah, he uh,
he definitely had a great experience. I think one of
the big the biggest things I'm thankful for is just
how he'd really made the transition from the minor leagues
(24:37):
to the major leagues so easy. He's one of the
big parts in you know, this clubhouse being so welcoming,
you know, definitely continue to make it such an amazing environment,
and that made it really easy to be able to
transition and you know, get comfortable with the guys, to
get comfortable with the game and all that. And I'm
sure a lot of you know, of of the young
(24:57):
guys that had come up while he was here with
would say the same.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Bo Naylor joining us another mentor for you. And he's
back again as Austin Hedges. And look, he's a fun
guy to be around. And obviously we see that, but
when you get right down to it in terms of
how he helps you defensively, what has he done for
your game behind the.
Speaker 8 (25:16):
Plate, He's He's done a lot. He's super smart, He's
been in this game for a while, has a lot
of experience, has a lot of different perspectives on a
lot of things, and he has no problem sharing it
and you know, being there for you to help to
help you grow in different parts of that that are
(25:37):
required to be a catcher, you know, game calling, receiving
all the things that come with being a catcher in
and out of the game. He's he's something that I've
gotten really close with and he's been amazing to me.
He's he never shies away from an opportunity to help
me grow, whether that's in being a leader, being someone
that this team can kind of look to and for
(25:58):
any guidance in any type of boy and that that
that That's how I've handled the relationship with him as well.
I know I can always go to him, and he's
continued to help make this experience a great one for
the team.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
A wonderful year season ago. Every year is different. It
was such a tight knit group last year and so
many of those players are back. What are you seeing
so far in spring training that says, hey, we they
can rerun this thing and maybe take it one step further. Yeah,
the the vibes are great.
Speaker 8 (26:29):
Everyone came into camp really early, which I feel like
you don't see too often. The like I said, the
vibes have been awesome. Everyone's happy, we're in all we're
on a good spot. We're all really excited to see
each other, be around all the boys again, uh, and
really get back to work. I think we understood kind
of where we left off, and you know, heading into
spring training, Uh, we we understood what we'd done and
(26:52):
like voter says, you know, be appreciative of it, but
understand that it's in the past. And you know that's
excuse me, that's.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Our floor now.
Speaker 8 (26:59):
We we want to build on that. I think we
have a really good group to be able to do that,
and I think everyone's on the same page with that
idea as well. So at a lot of good vibes,
a lot of a lot of games, a lot of
card games, a lot of a lot of opportunities to
help one another grow. And you know, when you look around,
that's that's nothing short of exciting.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
And maybe along those lines and we'll close with us.
Usually the NCP like tournament brings out the pride of
guys that went to college where they went. You had
a great opportunity about a week ten days ago, the
Four Nations tournament for the NHL team Canada with the win,
and there's a couple of countrymen in that clubhouse and
(27:39):
Sabrowski and Smith and Naylor and what was that like
the night of the game and then the next day?
Speaker 8 (27:45):
It was amazing. I mean, first of all, what an
amazing game, you know, to say the least, but to
be able to have that ending, I can only imagine
what it was like to be in that type of environment.
But I know I was screaming, I was going crazy,
and I knew that there was gonna be a lot
of words coming out of my mouth and in the
clubhouse the day following.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
So it's good.
Speaker 8 (28:06):
The banter is good to be able to go in
there kind of brag about the boys, kind of what
they did.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
It was.
Speaker 8 (28:12):
It was awesome, And you know, I know Sebrowski let
his voice heard me a little bit for sure, because
we know if the situation was reversed, we'd be getting
the brunto all of that. But yeah, it's all in
good fun. But for sure a special win, special moment,
and yeah, what a special game.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
What about the preliminary game with all the fisticuffs in
the first nine seconds.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
Yeah, yeah, that was that was definitely a special one
for sure, but I think it made the final game
that much more exciting. You know, a lot of anticipation,
you know, a lot of high emotions. So yeah, just
another thing that kind of helped the last one make
it that much more special.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Well, thanks for the time, enjoy the spring, Thank you
very much. It's Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and Tandems with
Austin Hetches to give the Guardians a really good mix
of a good young catcher is going to play a
lot and backed up by one of the best veteran
catchers in the game and certainly a great teacher. As
we heard from Bow, Austin Hedges will help him along
(29:13):
and become even better defensively as the Guardian's head end
of the season. Stay with us when we come back.
We'll visit with Dan Cohen. He helps out with Guardian
summer camps and he'll fill us in on some of
the great options for youngsters out there when we come
back after this time out on the Cleveland Clant Guardians
Radio Network and now the two swung on.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Hit a ton to right down the line. It goes
if it's fair, it's way out of here, and it
is fair and a home run for Boone Naylor. Now
the one two to bow.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Naylor swung on hit a.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Ton deep right field.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
There she goes go on.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
To the party deck. That was more of a line
drive home run. He hung the change up bone. Nailor
wasn't fooled, and he smashes his second home run in
two innings, his first two home runs of the spring.
Boone Nailor four, Arizona. Nothing here in the third.
Speaker 9 (30:26):
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Speaker 2 (30:55):
Okay, Guardian's Weekly Continuing from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardian Spring Training.
(31:28):
Jim Rosenhause back with you on a Saturday in Goodyear.
If you're listening to this on the Guardians Radio Network,
our flagship station WTAM airs our show each week at
seven am on Saturday mornings. So too does wm AN
and Mansfield and WMRN and Marion and over in Youngstown
on WKBN, the show airs at eleven o'clock on Saturdays,
(31:52):
and of course you can hear it anytime you like
in podcast form wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Dan
cohen And is the associate director of Guardian Summer Camps,
and they have quite a variety of camps to choose from.
For youngsters age six to fourteen, it's baseball and softball
(32:13):
options for you. And when we caught up with Dan recently,
he talked about some of the great opportunities for kids
this summer to grow their game.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
Thanks for having me, Rosie. Yeah, we are really excited
where we have over fifteen different programs throughout the summer,
over twelve week long programs. We have a few two
day programs all throughout Northeast Ohio from all the way
south as Canton to as far west as Avon and
Aleyria and as far east as Willoughby, so all throughout
(32:42):
the city for great opportunities for kids ages six to
fourteen baseball and softball players just to learn and kind
of have fun within like the Guardians kind of environment.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
And you mentioned the week long camps. Explain how those go,
what's a part of that for these kids and just
how fun that can be for a week in the summer.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
Yeah, sure, so our week long camps like their Monday
through Friday from nine to three, so it's thirty hours
of prime instruction. In addition to time on the field,
kids will get a full uniform so at jersey pants camp,
hat and belt. They'll get two tickets to a Union game.
We have a skills competition throughout the week, and top
(33:27):
performers from the summer will be invited back for a
champions Day of source towards the end of the summer.
One day a week at each camp, a player, current
former or future Guardians player and a prospect will come
out and talk to players, take pictures, sign autographs, and
they really kids get a really kind of a full
spectrum kind of look at what it's like to be
(33:49):
a player for a week.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
And when you talk about the learning situation, the Guardians
obviously great at player development for their own players. What
are some of the things that you try and focus
on with the kids, especially, you know, some of them
are at that young end of the spectrum of six
years old and maybe a little bit older, but just
learning the game.
Speaker 5 (34:11):
Yeah, so we try to create kind of good habits
and whatever we're doing, So we try to prepare our
bodies and minds to like kind of learn every day.
So good good routines in terms of kind of like
stretching learning the fundamentals of throwing, fielding, and hitting, and
just breaking skills down kind of earlier in the week
into like really digestible parts that kind of for deep practice,
(34:34):
and then throughout the week kind of challenging those skills,
building on and then towards the end of the week
having like I said, some of those competitions and some
scrimmagists that kind of test what we've learned. And a
lot of kids talk about kind of going into camp
in the morning learning something and putting it right into
play that night if they have a game or practice
and that's a really fun part of things.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
And I know we were talking earlier, a lot of
fans and parents have jumped on board already for this summer.
How has the growth gone of the programs, especially with
more camps available, it seems this summer.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
Yeah, so this is our third year since COVID. The
first year, I think we had seven weeks of camp,
so seven or eight camps. Last year, I think we
had twelve or thirteen. I think this year, I think
we're like I said, fifteen to seventeen camps. So we've
gotten more kind of on an upward trend every year
with the team doing well last year. Success always on
the field, always breed success kind of away from the field.
(35:29):
So there's a lot of excitement about camps. And I
just know from like our reunion day last year we
had a parade on the field. Just seeing the excitement
of kind of kids seeing each other after like kind
of a few weeks off was pretty cool. Just the
camaraderie that's being built. So a lot of good culture to.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Be around, all right, So the good stuff for parents,
I want to know, how do we sign our kids up?
How do they go about that to get them ready
to go.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
Sure so you can. Everything is available on our website
is at Celeague Guardians dot com last Summer Camps. You
can find our schedule there. You can find more information
about kind of what you can expect, and you can
sign up there as well.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Dan as always great to talk to you. Thanks a
lot for the information and we'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 5 (36:09):
Thanks Rosie too, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
That is Dan Cohen, the associate director of Guardian Summer Camp.
Some great opportunities out there, so take advantage. Go to
the website cl E Guardians dot com slash Summer Camps
for all the information and to sign up. Stay tuned.
We'll lot more of Guardians weekly after this time out
on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Great stuff from
(36:32):
Dan Cohen, and once again the spot to go to
is cl E Guardians dot com slash Summer Camps. All
the information is right there. Don't wait, as these camps
tend to fill up and sell out quickly, so make
sure you get your youngster signed up, whether it's boys
or girls. They have baseball, softball, whatever you like, and
(36:53):
they'll get you squared away and you'll learn baseball and softball.
The Guardians way, so it should be a lot of
fun this summer at all the different camps throughout northeast Ohio.
And it's going to wind down our show this week.
Thanks so much for tuning in, and again we had
this week and then next week our last show from
Goodyear this spring. As always, it just seems to fly
(37:14):
by as not much as left in spring training. Now
the Guardians with a game up in surprise later today,
a four to zero five first pitch. We'll be on
the air shortly before four with just a short warm
up show to get you going, and then the Guardians
and Kansas City Royals meeting. As the Guardians continue to
get closer to the end of spring training. They're over
(37:35):
in Maryville to play the Brewers on Sunday afternoon, and they
head into that final week of exhibition play starting on Monday.
The final full week of exhibition games next week, So
we'll join you next week from right here in Goodyear, Arizona.
One final show from spring training. As always, thanks to
Brian Matse for helping to put together our shows each
(37:56):
and every week and until next week. This is Jimros
and hell Hose reminding you that you've been listening to
Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic 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 (00:56):
Hi, everyone, welcome to Guardians Weekly, Himro and how So
along with you as we continue our shows from Guardian
spring training in Goodyear, Arizona. And we are heading in
to the final week of games now, as it won't
be long before the start of the regular season begins
two weeks from this past Thursday, so we are closing
(01:19):
in on the final days of spring training. Still a
lot to be decided, including who would be that opening
day second basement and the regular second basement on this team,
if indeed there is one. They may end up rotating
several players through that position over the course of at
least the early portion of the season, and right field
still very much up for grabs. It may yet be
(01:41):
a platoon like it was for much of the second
half last season with Will Brennan and John Kenzie Noel
in that platoon. We'll see, Still a lot to be
decided there, maybe some spots or a spot in the
starting rotation, and certainly some spots in the bullpen up
for grabs too, as we had down the stretch, but
not many, so really not a whole lot to be
(02:04):
decided at this point in terms of the roster. Good
show lined up for you today. Coming up in just
a little bit, we will hear from David Frye, who
won't be on the roster to start the season. He's
recovering from Tommy John surgery, but one of the heroes
from last season's postseason run. He'll join us and talk
about his recovery from the surgery, when he's expected back,
(02:27):
and some of the things that he's looking forward to
when he does return to play. We'll hear from All
Star outfielder and Gold Glove winner Stephen Kwan, looking forward
to another big season at the plate as well. Catcher
Bo Naylor will stop by and chat with us as well,
and we'll bring you up to date on some of
the great summer camp opportunities for kids in Northeast Ohio
(02:49):
courtesy of Guardian Summer Camps. That's coming up a little
bit later on in our show today, but first we
had a chance to visit recently with first baseman Kyle
man Zardo, who had a strong finish to his season
a year ago, had a big home run in the
postseason and figures to be a key bat in the
lineup for this year's Guardians. Is he'll see some more
(03:10):
time at first base this year instead of just as
a designated hitter as he was a season ago, and
he says his solid finish to the regular season and
performance in the postseason a year ago helped him get
things done in a positive note this past off season.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
Yeah, it was. It was a great offseason. I went
into it, you know, feeling really inspired and ready to work,
just based off of how last season went and you
know how it ended, unfortunately, So I kind of I
just went to work, did did this a lot of
the same things I've done, and then you know, made
(03:49):
some some adjustments that I learned that you know, I
needed to do, kind of as I've gotten.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
A little bit older.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
When you look at your season a year ago, you
get that ear call up and then go back down
and then come back and you really had good success
when you came back. I think that's happened. There's so
many players at this level, so it's not anything new,
but but what is the difference when when you do
come back after having a chance to have seen it
earlier in the season.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Yeah, I think, I mean a lot of it kind
of comes down to you just don't know what you
don't know. So whenever, whenever I had came back up,
there was a I mean a lot of things that
I had learned, you know, from the first first trip
up and h nothing, nothing really came as like a
shock to me the second go round. So I was
(04:39):
able to, you know, show up and just be ready
to play baseball.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
And you had some big home runs down the stretch
and then also home run in the postseason. What was
that postseason run like for you, and especially as a
rookie to go through.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
That, Uh, Man, that was a that was a dream.
It was cool and it was I was happy that
it came in a game that we won. Uh definitely
makes it feel a little sweeter.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Well, I'm getting back to your your off season, most
of it spent back home in Idaho, but you did
come down here for a week to good year. What
was the purpose of that and why can't that be
really helpful for you.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Just to just to check in, make sure the coaches
and stuff are seeing where my swing's at. That way,
It's it was still early enough to where I was
able to make any any adjustments and you know, tweak
anything that I needed to. And then obviously nice to
see some some sunshine in the middle of the winter.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
But yeah, yeah, none of that in Idaho.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
No, no, no, we don't see the sun for a
few months up there.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
But you do have a good spot to work out.
And I know your batting practice thrower is someone you
know very well, dell Us who helps you out with that.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Yeah, so my my dad throws me bp uh kind
of throughout the off season and then we mix in
some machines and stuff too, so able to see some velocity.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
How long has he been doing that and helping you
with your game?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Long as I can remember, long as I can remember?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
And it's is that something that you know you look
back on, he said, And maybe you don't even realize
it now, but is it something you think you might
look back on at some point say, that's pretty cool
that I was able to do that with my tame.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
Yeah, I mean it's something I look back at even
now and realize, you know, how special that is, very
very grateful and appreciative for that, because it's you know,
it's not a very common experience.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We talked so much about hitting, but I know you
want to play some first base this year, And what
do you think you or what are you working on
to become a better defensive first basement? And how far
along do you think you've come?
Speaker 5 (06:55):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, I mean, just just trusting, trusting the work that
I've been putting in for the last yes, you know,
a year and a half or so, a few I
mean it's been a few years now, and you know,
just staying staying dedicated to my work, making sure that
I'm getting everything I need to get done done, and
try to put myself in the best position I can.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
That's first basement. Dhkyl Manzardo, looking forward to his first
full season in the major leagues. Stay with us, We'll
have more to come as Guardians Weekly continues from Goodyear,
Arizona after this time out on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians
Radio Network.
Speaker 6 (07:36):
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Speaker 2 (08:17):
Welcome back to Guardian's weekly Jim Rosenhouse back with you
from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardian Spring training. And here in
spring training but not participating in games just yet is
David Frye, who was such a key especially in the
first half a year ago. He was catching, playing some outfield,
some first base, a DH as well, and he hit
(08:39):
well enough to be a part of the American League
All Star team. But a sore elbow really hampered his
efforts in the second half of the season to stay
on the field defensively. In fact, was used mainly as
a DH down the stretch. Tommy John surgery after the
season followed. So he's behind everyone else here this spring.
But fry is at spring training and he's around his teammates,
(09:02):
and he says that is especially important to get back
here and finish his rehab amongst his teammates.
Speaker 4 (09:10):
Yeah, I mean, huge part as soon as they got
out got out here obviously, like rehaven's not fun. You
want to be on the field plane, but just being
around the guys, joking around in the clubhouse makes everything
a lot easier.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
And you look back at last year, when did things
start barking on you for your arm and how much
of a challenge was it to at least stay available
at the plate.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Yeah, it was one of those things kind of started
a little before All Star break and kind of continued
for a little bit, and then probably a little after
All Star break there was like, hey, you're just gonna
hit play first if we absolutely need you to, which
was really cool by them to let me stay active
and kind of be a part of that run.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
And when you look back on last year, you're an
All Star and you're part of a postseason run. Could
it go any better? I mean, obviously you want to
take that last step team wise, but when you look
back on it, what were your thoughts at during the offseason.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
Yeah, I mean really cool year.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Special.
Speaker 4 (10:06):
Obviously would have rather not had the arm injury, but
I mean it was a really fun year, and I
think we got another really good chance this year, hopefully
win two more series this year.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
And when you look back at coming through in key spots,
obviously the huge home run in the Tiger Series and
another one in the Yankee Series, did it teach you
a little bit about yourself and that ability to come
through in a key situation.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
Yeah, maybe a little bit. A lot of it was
just I mean, Voter and Albie put me in good spots.
I mean, whether it was a pinch hit late or
it just seemed like every get bad I had was
like runners on base, two outs, and it didn't help
my wife's nerves. But I definitely had plenty of opportunities
to have those moments.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
And it sounded like it gave you an opportunity to
get in touch with some people that you hadn't heard
from in a long time, in terms of coaches and
all players too. Yeah, for sure, after those games there
were a lot of techs and stuff, but yeah, good
good old friends kind of reaching out and stuff. That
was cool. David Fry joining us recovering from Tommy John surgery.
You don't hear about it a whole lot with position
players How different is it though for you as opposed
(11:10):
to being a pitcher where you rely so much out
of your throwing off.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Yeah, that's what I mean. It's kinda not as like
you know, a pitcher has it's like, all right, he's
gonna be out for the year. Luckily as a hitter
can kind of come back a little quicker and my
whole game doesn't just rely on me throwing the ball.
So just hopefully progress quick and get to join the
boys soon.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And maybe a different perspective for you because of the
spring you're having. But what are you seeing in this
room that has you excited about what could be this
season for the team?
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Honestly, just the way guys came in was I mean,
I feel like now it used to be you show
up spring training and get ready for the year. Now
everybody shows up spring training ready to go. But just
the arms that we have, like depth and depth of
the arms is ridiculous. And then guys came in ready
to play.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
That's David Frye, who figures to be someone who can
help this ball club. Maybe around the midway point, as
he has been cleared to take some dry swings in
the cage, he's been doing some receiving work as a
catcher and gradually implementing more and more facets of his
game as that elbow gets stronger. Stephen Kuan is looking
forward to a big start to the season. This will
(12:15):
be his fourth major league season. He's won three Goal
Glove awards as one of the best left fielders defensively
in the game. And last year, what a start he had,
as he was flirting with the four hundred mark batting
average wise for quite some time in the first half
of the season, tailed off with some injury issues in
the second half, but performed extremely well in the postseason.
(12:37):
And here he is heading into year number four in
the major leagues, and he says, man, those first three
have moved awfully fast.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
Yeah, I guess it's both both yes and no. I
remember that first spring so vividly. I can't believe it's
already been three years. But yeah, like you said, there's
been so many things that have happened, got Mary. We've
been the playoffs twice. I mean, what is that three
times one sixty two? You know, a lot of games
to play. It's been a blessing to be part of
all this. But yeah, it just feels like yesterday we
(13:05):
were talking on the patio and I got that call.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
And so along those lines. You look at it now,
and as is the case every offseason, there's some changes
to the roster. Do you feel like a veteran guy
yet and someone who can take over more of a
leadership role too.
Speaker 7 (13:21):
I don't know about veteran, but you know, a little
more comfortable with kind of know anybody's name now, knowing
where to go the schedules. Yeah, it definitely is less
chaotic than my first year. But I know something about
coming into spring and everything just feels new and exciting.
So I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
How about your game? Last year, you made some adjustments
to your approach and it led to a career best
in home runs and you still maintained your average. What
did you take away from that at the end of
the season as you prepare for this season.
Speaker 7 (13:50):
Yeah, just being able to, you know, attack my a pitch,
want the ball, middle, middle end. I think before I've
been scared to kind of let it go because my
game was singles the other way, working account kind of
giving myself the grace to go out and get it
and see what happens with with home runs. I think
that builds up all my confidence. I think it builds
the kind of import against pictures too, where they can't
just attack the zone, get ahead, and then I have
(14:13):
to fight with two. It changed the game a little bit,
which just I'm excited for. But the game's always evolving
as well.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
Stephen Kwan joining us, We love to talk hitting. It's fun.
Defense such a big part of your game, a goal
glove multiple How much effort and time do you need
to put into that, especially this time of year to
make sure you're ready to go?
Speaker 7 (14:34):
Yeah, definitely a ton of work, especially being out in
Chicago where it's cold outside you can't get too many
live reads. But JT keeps us on top of that,
especially when we get to spring. We hit the ground
running with all that, even if we can't, you know,
lengthen it out just to keep our legs safe. We're
doing glove work, really small, short, intentional work that works
the gloves. Yeah, it takes a whole village to achieve
(14:57):
those kinds of things. So I'm grateful for JT.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
And now, wait a minte January in Chicago, you're not
going down to the lakefront and taking flyballs?
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (15:03):
I might be able to walk on the lakefront at
that time and get those flyballs.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
Hey, your off season, though, you had some great things
happen in your life. Tell us about it.
Speaker 7 (15:10):
Yeah, got married this offseason, had a really small little
event which was really cool. I was able to make
it about us, which I was super happy about. So, yeah,
best off season so far.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Change your outlook coming into too spring training in a
new season.
Speaker 7 (15:22):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Yeah, it's just crazy to wrap
my head around. But having her here, understanding what she's
been able to do for my career as well, it
just makes it that much more serious. So I'm really
excited for that.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
And you walk into this clubhouse and not too deep
in the spring training yet, but it just seems like
there's that good vibe again, which has been such a
great characteristic of this team. What are you seeing early
on in spring training that has you excited about what
could be again?
Speaker 7 (15:50):
Yeah, just the team's focus I think right now, had
a ton of really good meetings, addressing the elephant in
the room I think has been really important. Twenty two
we had a really great year. Twenty three we didn't
have the year that we wanted, and I think that
could have been choked up to complacency or you know,
a bunch of different things. So I think we as
a staff talked about, you know, we don't want to
have that happen again. We had a great twenty four,
(16:10):
but you know, twenty five we have to build off that.
We can't get comfortable, We can't assume that things are
going to be like that. We have to go out
and get what we earned. And you know, in twenty
three there was a target on our back a little bit,
and I think maybe we didn't live up to that.
This year, we understand we're not going to surprise as
many people before making the alcs last year, so we
got to come out really confident, really strong, and then
(16:33):
you know, take it by the horns.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
It's interesting you mentioned that you worked hard going into
twenty twenty three, but is there just that something extra
that you need to do to really be successful in
this game? And if you miss that, there's that fine line.
Speaker 7 (16:49):
I'd like to think, so almost having that like desperation
anxiety almost of like you know, we have to get better,
we need to get better. If not, you know, there's
gonna be some big changes around here, and you don't
want to be there when when changes are made, it's
a lot easier. When you have a successful year, you know,
you feel a little more comfy, and then in that
complacency comes you don't work just as hard. I think
we're trying to erase that, make sure we have that
(17:12):
kind of edge, still trying to achieve that. And Voter
and all of them such a great job implementing that. But
I think that can be a factor, especially for young
teams going in.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
And what did you see in Steven Vote last year
that that allowed this team to continue on a great
path that had been set before him.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (17:30):
Just trusting the players I think was super important. He
didn't come in and, you know, puff his chest and
say I'm the manager, you have to listen to me.
He developed so much trust early on camaraderie, and it
was genuine too. It wasn't this you know, fake kind
of thing where he had to impress a lot of people.
He was just Stephen Vote, And at least for me,
I grew up watching him play with the A's, so
you know, I was already starstruck. But he seemed to
(17:52):
get everybody else's attention and get everybody on board. Super quickly,
and I think that that shows just him as a person,
him as a manager, so excited for your two for
all of us.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
That is Stephen Kwan looking forward to a big season
here in twenty twenty five. Stay with us when we
come back. We'll hear from catcher bow Naylor. That's next
on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Now the one pitch swing in a high drive deep
right field. This bull's got a chance. Go on, bow
Nailer onto the concourse beyond the seats and right and
the Guardians catcher sends a liner toward the gamp and
right center on the runners. Robert It drops of acent.
This will score two runs. Here's the set. Here's the
(19:14):
one to one runner goes ithit's outside Nailor good throw
to second tag, got him tato of the tag on
the feet first sliding Remolard Man, you can't make a
better throw than bon Naylor just made.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
Here's the one two pitch.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
I'll swing of the line right pasin right center, game
winner bone Nayler.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Kim Rosanow's back with you from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardian
spring training. The Guardian's getting ready to take on the
Kansas City Royals later this afternoon. You can hear that
game right here on the Guardians Radio Network, beginning with
a four to zero five first pitch from Surprise Guardians
on the road today taking on the Royals and Hamm.
He'll have that first pitch coming your way shortly after
(20:04):
for a'clock. Bo Naylor maybe in the lineup today as
he continues what has been an impressive spring. He has
swung the bat well, he has played well defensively as
he continues to work on his game. And that's after
a season where he caught more than one hundred games,
his first full season in the Major League from start
(20:24):
to finish, and certainly a learning experience for him both
at the plate and behind the plate. And these are
some of his thoughts on his progression a season ago.
Speaker 8 (20:34):
The season definitely, you know, kind of had its toll physically,
but I feel like I came out of it feeling
really good. You know, I definitely had a good idea
as to what I wanted to work on moving into
the offseason physically and mentally, you know, offensively, defensively, all
that stuff. So had a clear picture and got on
the same page really well with the team as well,
(20:57):
So I think the transition to the off season and
the off season being had now to this point, it's
it's been a great time for sure.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
I know a lot of it spent here in the
Phoenix area, not necessarily here at the at the complex,
but some of it. I'm sure, how do you approach that,
especially offensively? What what did you try and do and
who helped you in that regard?
Speaker 8 (21:19):
Yeah, I think the main thing was just you know,
a few things movement wise, and then you know, just
really you know, hammering out some some concrete approaches to
be able to bring into the game and you know,
kind of be able to put put them forth and
just just let everything kind of come together. A lot
(21:41):
of work was done, mainly with Grant Fink and Josh Tubbs,
but it was an all hands on deck effort, you know,
kind of again everyone being on the same page and
making themselves available for any conversations that I had wanted
or needed or anything.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
To be had.
Speaker 8 (21:57):
So super grateful for all the resources that we here,
being the coaches, you know, them on me to come
in and use the cages and stuff.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
It was. It was awesome and obviously you can't really
tell till the regular season begins, but have you noticed
things early in the spring that that you worked on
that that have made things not easier but allow you
to have some success at the play.
Speaker 8 (22:18):
Yeah, for sure, I think especially you know, not just
in VP, but you know on field, you know, in
the lives. You know, now we're transitioning games. But the
movements have been consistent, which I'm really happy about. The
ball flight's been good, so yeah, I just that's it's
a matter of trusting it and just kind of allowing
it to come forth.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Major development in the offseason, your brother Josh was traded,
and and rarity in baseball where you get to play
with your brother on the same team, much less making
it to the major leagues at the same time, how
is the reaction there and how how are you in
a place now where you can deal with that. I'm
really happy for him.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
I know that the Diamondbacks have really got a good one,
really good clubhouse presence and someone who who's going to
go out there and play as hard as for that team,
those fans and everything that comes with them. So I'm
really happy for him. Definitely gonna cherish all the time
that we had together. To this point. We shared some
amazing moments, not just me and him, but you know,
(23:20):
all the other guys in that clubhouse and him, you know,
the team overall. There's been some great years that we had,
and I think that my mind is in a spot
where I'm really grateful for it, and I'm really grateful
for the trajectory that his career is headed in and
just how everything's kind of been progressing for us all.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
I feel like you're in a good place on where
you are in the major leagues now and having been
through some of the ups and downs having had him
here though when you first broke in. How is he
helpful to you? And maybe more so than than anything
you could have hoped for.
Speaker 8 (23:53):
Yeah, Yeah, there's there's a lot to be said, for sure,
But I think the biggest thing is just being able
to have him in times where you know, you know,
you kind of need to hear something, you know, any advice,
any anything to be able to take that out that
will help elevate your game, not just physically but mentally.
Speaker 6 (24:15):
So.
Speaker 8 (24:15):
Yeah, and and he knows me, He knows me really well,
and and I feel like I can definitely get, you know,
on a more personal level to be able to have
those conversations that need to be had. So yeah, he uh,
he definitely had a great experience. I think one of
the big the biggest things I'm thankful for is just
how he'd really made the transition from the minor leagues
(24:37):
to the major leagues so easy. He's one of the
big parts in you know, this clubhouse being so welcoming,
you know, definitely continue to make it such an amazing environment,
and that made it really easy to be able to
transition and you know, get comfortable with the guys, to
get comfortable with the game and all that. And I'm
sure a lot of you know, of of the young
(24:57):
guys that had come up while he was here with
would say the same.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
Bo Naylor joining us another mentor for you. And he's
back again as Austin Hedges. And look, he's a fun
guy to be around. And obviously we see that, but
when you get right down to it in terms of
how he helps you defensively, what has he done for
your game behind the.
Speaker 8 (25:16):
Plate, He's He's done a lot. He's super smart, He's
been in this game for a while, has a lot
of experience, has a lot of different perspectives on a
lot of things, and he has no problem sharing it
and you know, being there for you to help to
help you grow in different parts of that that are
(25:37):
required to be a catcher, you know, game calling, receiving
all the things that come with being a catcher in
and out of the game. He's he's something that I've
gotten really close with and he's been amazing to me.
He's he never shies away from an opportunity to help
me grow, whether that's in being a leader, being someone
that this team can kind of look to and for
(25:58):
any guidance in any type of boy and that that
that That's how I've handled the relationship with him as well.
I know I can always go to him, and he's
continued to help make this experience a great one for
the team.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
A wonderful year season ago. Every year is different. It
was such a tight knit group last year and so
many of those players are back. What are you seeing
so far in spring training that says, hey, we they
can rerun this thing and maybe take it one step further. Yeah,
the the vibes are great.
Speaker 8 (26:29):
Everyone came into camp really early, which I feel like
you don't see too often. The like I said, the
vibes have been awesome. Everyone's happy, we're in all we're
on a good spot. We're all really excited to see
each other, be around all the boys again, uh, and
really get back to work. I think we understood kind
of where we left off, and you know, heading into
spring training, Uh, we we understood what we'd done and
(26:52):
like voter says, you know, be appreciative of it, but
understand that it's in the past. And you know that's
excuse me, that's.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Our floor now.
Speaker 8 (26:59):
We we want to build on that. I think we
have a really good group to be able to do that,
and I think everyone's on the same page with that
idea as well. So at a lot of good vibes,
a lot of a lot of games, a lot of
card games, a lot of a lot of opportunities to
help one another grow. And you know, when you look around,
that's that's nothing short of exciting.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
And maybe along those lines and we'll close with us.
Usually the NCP like tournament brings out the pride of
guys that went to college where they went. You had
a great opportunity about a week ten days ago, the
Four Nations tournament for the NHL team Canada with the win,
and there's a couple of countrymen in that clubhouse and
(27:39):
Sabrowski and Smith and Naylor and what was that like
the night of the game and then the next day?
Speaker 8 (27:45):
It was amazing. I mean, first of all, what an
amazing game, you know, to say the least, but to
be able to have that ending, I can only imagine
what it was like to be in that type of environment.
But I know I was screaming, I was going crazy,
and I knew that there was gonna be a lot
of words coming out of my mouth and in the
clubhouse the day following.
Speaker 2 (28:04):
So it's good.
Speaker 8 (28:06):
The banter is good to be able to go in
there kind of brag about the boys, kind of what
they did.
Speaker 2 (28:11):
It was.
Speaker 8 (28:12):
It was awesome, And you know, I know Sebrowski let
his voice heard me a little bit for sure, because
we know if the situation was reversed, we'd be getting
the brunto all of that. But yeah, it's all in
good fun. But for sure a special win, special moment,
and yeah, what a special game.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
What about the preliminary game with all the fisticuffs in
the first nine seconds.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
Yeah, yeah, that was that was definitely a special one
for sure, but I think it made the final game
that much more exciting. You know, a lot of anticipation,
you know, a lot of high emotions. So yeah, just
another thing that kind of helped the last one make
it that much more special.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Well, thanks for the time, enjoy the spring, Thank you
very much. It's Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and Tandems with
Austin Hetches to give the Guardians a really good mix
of a good young catcher is going to play a
lot and backed up by one of the best veteran
catchers in the game and certainly a great teacher. As
we heard from Bow, Austin Hedges will help him along
(29:13):
and become even better defensively as the Guardian's head end
of the season. Stay with us when we come back.
We'll visit with Dan Cohen. He helps out with Guardian
summer camps and he'll fill us in on some of
the great options for youngsters out there when we come
back after this time out on the Cleveland Clant Guardians
Radio Network and now the two swung on.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Hit a ton to right down the line. It goes
if it's fair, it's way out of here, and it
is fair and a home run for Boone Naylor. Now
the one two to bow.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
Naylor swung on hit a.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Ton deep right field.
Speaker 2 (29:55):
There she goes go on.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
To the party deck. That was more of a line
drive home run. He hung the change up bone. Nailor
wasn't fooled, and he smashes his second home run in
two innings, his first two home runs of the spring.
Boone Nailor four, Arizona. Nothing here in the third.
Speaker 9 (30:26):
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(30:47):
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Speaker 2 (30:55):
Okay, Guardian's Weekly Continuing from Goodyear, Arizona and Guardian Spring Training.
(31:28):
Jim Rosenhause back with you on a Saturday in Goodyear.
If you're listening to this on the Guardians Radio Network,
our flagship station WTAM airs our show each week at
seven am on Saturday mornings. So too does wm AN
and Mansfield and WMRN and Marion and over in Youngstown
on WKBN, the show airs at eleven o'clock on Saturdays,
(31:52):
and of course you can hear it anytime you like
in podcast form wherever you download your favorite podcasts. Dan
cohen And is the associate director of Guardian Summer Camps,
and they have quite a variety of camps to choose from.
For youngsters age six to fourteen, it's baseball and softball
(32:13):
options for you. And when we caught up with Dan recently,
he talked about some of the great opportunities for kids
this summer to grow their game.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
Thanks for having me, Rosie. Yeah, we are really excited
where we have over fifteen different programs throughout the summer,
over twelve week long programs. We have a few two
day programs all throughout Northeast Ohio from all the way
south as Canton to as far west as Avon and
Aleyria and as far east as Willoughby, so all throughout
(32:42):
the city for great opportunities for kids ages six to
fourteen baseball and softball players just to learn and kind
of have fun within like the Guardians kind of environment.
Speaker 2 (32:54):
And you mentioned the week long camps. Explain how those go,
what's a part of that for these kids and just
how fun that can be for a week in the summer.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
Yeah, sure, so our week long camps like their Monday
through Friday from nine to three, so it's thirty hours
of prime instruction. In addition to time on the field,
kids will get a full uniform so at jersey pants camp,
hat and belt. They'll get two tickets to a Union game.
We have a skills competition throughout the week, and top
(33:27):
performers from the summer will be invited back for a
champions Day of source towards the end of the summer.
One day a week at each camp, a player, current
former or future Guardians player and a prospect will come
out and talk to players, take pictures, sign autographs, and
they really kids get a really kind of a full
spectrum kind of look at what it's like to be
(33:49):
a player for a week.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
And when you talk about the learning situation, the Guardians
obviously great at player development for their own players. What
are some of the things that you try and focus
on with the kids, especially, you know, some of them
are at that young end of the spectrum of six
years old and maybe a little bit older, but just
learning the game.
Speaker 5 (34:11):
Yeah, so we try to create kind of good habits
and whatever we're doing, So we try to prepare our
bodies and minds to like kind of learn every day.
So good good routines in terms of kind of like
stretching learning the fundamentals of throwing, fielding, and hitting, and
just breaking skills down kind of earlier in the week
into like really digestible parts that kind of for deep practice,
(34:34):
and then throughout the week kind of challenging those skills,
building on and then towards the end of the week
having like I said, some of those competitions and some
scrimmagists that kind of test what we've learned. And a
lot of kids talk about kind of going into camp
in the morning learning something and putting it right into
play that night if they have a game or practice
and that's a really fun part of things.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
And I know we were talking earlier, a lot of
fans and parents have jumped on board already for this summer.
How has the growth gone of the programs, especially with
more camps available, it seems this summer.
Speaker 5 (35:07):
Yeah, so this is our third year since COVID. The
first year, I think we had seven weeks of camp,
so seven or eight camps. Last year, I think we
had twelve or thirteen. I think this year, I think
we're like I said, fifteen to seventeen camps. So we've
gotten more kind of on an upward trend every year
with the team doing well last year. Success always on
the field, always breed success kind of away from the field.
(35:29):
So there's a lot of excitement about camps. And I
just know from like our reunion day last year we
had a parade on the field. Just seeing the excitement
of kind of kids seeing each other after like kind
of a few weeks off was pretty cool. Just the
camaraderie that's being built. So a lot of good culture to.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Be around, all right, So the good stuff for parents,
I want to know, how do we sign our kids up?
How do they go about that to get them ready
to go.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
Sure so you can. Everything is available on our website
is at Celeague Guardians dot com last Summer Camps. You
can find our schedule there. You can find more information
about kind of what you can expect, and you can
sign up there as well.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Dan as always great to talk to you. Thanks a
lot for the information and we'll talk to you again soon.
Speaker 5 (36:09):
Thanks Rosie too, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (36:11):
That is Dan Cohen, the associate director of Guardian Summer Camp.
Some great opportunities out there, so take advantage. Go to
the website cl E Guardians dot com slash Summer Camps
for all the information and to sign up. Stay tuned.
We'll lot more of Guardians weekly after this time out
on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network. Great stuff from
(36:32):
Dan Cohen, and once again the spot to go to
is cl E Guardians dot com slash Summer Camps. All
the information is right there. Don't wait, as these camps
tend to fill up and sell out quickly, so make
sure you get your youngster signed up, whether it's boys
or girls. They have baseball, softball, whatever you like, and
(36:53):
they'll get you squared away and you'll learn baseball and softball.
The Guardians way, so it should be a lot of
fun this summer at all the different camps throughout northeast Ohio.
And it's going to wind down our show this week.
Thanks so much for tuning in, and again we had
this week and then next week our last show from
Goodyear this spring. As always, it just seems to fly
(37:14):
by as not much as left in spring training. Now
the Guardians with a game up in surprise later today,
a four to zero five first pitch. We'll be on
the air shortly before four with just a short warm
up show to get you going, and then the Guardians
and Kansas City Royals meeting. As the Guardians continue to
get closer to the end of spring training. They're over
(37:35):
in Maryville to play the Brewers on Sunday afternoon, and they
head into that final week of exhibition play starting on Monday.
The final full week of exhibition games next week, So
we'll join you next week from right here in Goodyear, Arizona.
One final show from spring training. As always, thanks to
Brian Matse for helping to put together our shows each
(37:56):
and every week and until next week. This is Jimros
and hell Hose reminding you that you've been listening to
Guardians Weekly on the Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
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