02 12 25 Voice of the Rockies Jack Corrigan talks about the start of Spring Training

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Colorado's morning news Chad Bauer Info Marty to Day alongside
Gina Gondek, and spring training is starting in Florida and
Arizona this week. Rockies pitchers and catchers reporting tomorrow, joining.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Us now on the Kway Common Spirit Health Hotline, celebrating
forty years broadcasting Major League Baseball Voice of the Rockies,
Jack Corgan, Jack, that means you started when you were born, right.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
I wish, Gina. Yeah, No, it's gone by fast and
it's still a great deal of fun. So whatever the
number is, it's just kind of a number. I'm just
anxious to get going.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Does it feel like when it comes around this time
of the year does it sneak up on you? Or
is it like, yes, since baseball season, let's go.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
You know. I think for my wife Lisa and me,
because we've been doing this for so long, we're happy
for the downtime in the fall. But it's like as
soon as Christmas holiday are over, it's shouldn't you be
going back to work? Come on? You know, I'm tired

(01:05):
of having you around. Let's get going here. So no,
it doesn't sneak up. We're ready for it.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
So Jack, looking on the field, a lot of the
Rockies position spots are already locked up, but are there
any open spots some battles for starting positions that are
going to be taking place in spring training.

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well, obviously, you know, they're one of the biggest keys,
if not the biggest, is you know, keeping Chris Bryant
healthy and being able to play a significant time to
help what's going to be a relatively young lineup. But

(01:45):
for the times that Chris is dhing, somebody's going to
be playing in right field. And while they are hopeful
that Nolan Jones will play in twenty five like you
did in twenty three, I don't think he automatically has
the job and the left So there's going to be

(02:05):
a lot of young outfielders probably battling for, you know,
some kind of playing time in left field and right field.
Position Wise, other than that chat, I think, you know,
it's going to be totally at first and Tyro Ristrata
the newcomer at second, with the Tovarn McMahon on the

(02:27):
left side of the infield, and a couple of veteran
guys like a Kyle Farmer will probably be the interior.
So it's really the corner outfield spots are the position battles,
pitching why as well? That's going to be interesting.

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Well, Jack, you mentioned it several times. They're the why
word of young, and I know young has been a
huge part of the Rockies for several seasons. Now. Is
that concerning or exciting for the team?

Speaker 3 (02:55):
I think it's exciting. You know, you go through the process.
Teams that don't have the ability to just reload with
free agent players, You'll go through the cycles of developing
young talent to be the core of your team for

(03:17):
a period of time. And the previous two seasons tough
years in terms of wins and losses. That process began
Tovar and Doyle, for example, young guys in the bullpen
last year. You could probably throw a few other names

(03:39):
into that mix. And now you start to feel like, well, okay,
we're still a young club if you're thinking the Rockies way,
but these guys have matured, have started to figure it out,
and they're ready to be not just contributors, but hopefully

(04:00):
significant contributors. I always think it's fun to watch that
transformation take place when it's successful.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Jack, one of the interesting things Major League Baseball is
doing this spring training is testing the so called robo
ump and I know the Rockies have one of the
most of the biggest number of games that they're going
to be using that. Can you tell us a little
bit about what that all involves.

Speaker 3 (04:23):
Well, basically, there is you know, a digital electronic computerized
whatever you want to label it, positioning of a strike
zone based upon a player's size, and it will be

(04:44):
in place. The umpire is still calling balls and strikes,
but there is a challenge system. You get x number
of challenges per game per team, and if you think
the umpire made a mistake on it, it actually works

(05:05):
pretty quickly. I mean the hitter or the catcher signal
the batter does it, for example, just touches the side
of his helmet and it immediately goes into an evaluation,
and if the call is correct, then you've lost that challenge.

(05:25):
If the call is wrong and gets then it gets
overturned and the team keeps the challenge. They've been doing
it at Triple A for a while Chat, and it
seems like the challenge system is working best rather than
having that robo umpire, as you said, call every pitch.

(05:48):
I'm curious to watch it happen with all the big
leaguers being involved in it, but for a lot of
them coming up through the system the last couple of
years it's been employed at the minor league level, so
it won't be totally foreign to them. It'll be the
old Vets who will have to get used to it.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
Boys of the Rockies, Jack Corgan, Jack, I love when
we chat with you on days like today because you
look outside and you go baseball season, but it gives
us something to look forward to, or we really appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (06:17):
My pleasure anytime look forward to the next one.