Episode #28 Dylan Dreiling

Jeff and John welcome Rangers prospect Dylan Dreiling. They discuss national championships, his method for success and the latest Rom Com's he has watched. Plus the guys break down Blaine Crim's deserved promotion. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 4 (00:58):
Welcome to the DS Rangers Weekly podcast, now part of
the All City Network. Hit the subscribe button for YouTube
and also become a DLS diehard at www dot all
DLS dot com. Now here's Jeff and John. Everybody, Welcome
to the DLS for d l l S Rangers Weekly Podcast.

(01:21):
This is episode number twenty eight and today Dylan Dryling,
who is outfielder, went from the University of Tennessee. He's
gonna join us, UH second round pick last year. We'll
talk to him about that a little bit later. Spartanburg
Hub City, he's a Spartanburger and he'll join us. He's
doing well there actually, and we'll talk to Dylan in
a little bit. Right now, though, we got to go

(01:42):
to the big league stuff. Lots of stuff happening, and
you're gonna see this today because I'm gonna get it
out today before tonight's game. Blame Krim's gonna make his
major league debut and I'm gonna assume he starting tonight
because there's no other reason. I mean, there's no other
first basement on the team.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Right now, Hey, you don't call somebody up and sit
him down.

Speaker 4 (01:58):
Yep, you don't call him good for him. We have
talked about playing for Hey. Look with that corresponding move,
Jake Burger is going down to Triple A. For god,
he had options and basically what from what I'm hearing
from Bochi, it's a reset, the reset get him right.
They still have faith in Jake Burger.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, you know, he's new to the team.

Speaker 4 (02:18):
You had a lot of off season stuff too.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yeah, his deal with his daughter and everything, and a
trade and going to a new team. I mean, I'm
not going to make excuses for him, but no, he
won't have asked him to do a couple of things
at the swing to help him hit the low pitch better,
but he's just kind of scuttled, not doing very well.
So anyway, Yeah, so he's headed to uh the Round Rock.

(02:43):
You know, these things usually take about three weeks to
a month. They say short term reset, all that stuff,
but just kind of history kind of tells us that
the fastest it's been that I can remember is about
a month. And it was Rugeen at o'dor who went
down there and just destroyed Triple A and came back
and was a really good player for a couple of years. Yeah.

(03:04):
Uh so, Yeah, obviously a detour for Jake unexpected a
guy who's you know, was the Marlins player of the
year last year popular clubhouse got good awesome guy. Yeah,
so anyway, wish him the best, but yeah, playing Krim
has has earned this. It's been uh, you know, overdue.

Speaker 4 (03:24):
We've we have talked about it forever.

Speaker 2 (03:27):
Years and years. I'll get to it. Not an exaggeration,
years and years, I know. You know, you just go
look at his career Triple A numbers and there are
well minor league numbers. Yes, Triple A numbers are great.
He just needs an opportunity and and and honestly, it's
it's interesting that they chose him over Foscue because you know,

(03:49):
they need to make us a forty man move now.
And it could be it could be Nick Ahmed with
you know, SEACR coming back tomorrow. They can you know,
try to risk it and say, all right, let's let's
get in an emergency one day with with you know,
without a backup infielder. And they can yeah yeah, Marcus,

(04:13):
semen can go play shorts up. If if something were
to happen to.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
Josh and then who would you move to second base?
I mean you got.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
You'd find somebody, you know, And and so anyway, I
don't know that that is the move. Don't don't take
this as the gospel that.

Speaker 4 (04:29):
Move's coming though, because Corey's coming back tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yeah well yeah, yeah supposedly. And you know, there are
ways they could keep Ahmed as the utility infielder and option,
you know, Dustin Harris.

Speaker 4 (04:44):
So anyway, the forty man moved though with what we're talking.

Speaker 2 (04:48):
Is what we're talking about. Yeah, I just comed it
adds up to, Yeah, somebody in Triple A. I would
hope not or Nellis, but.

Speaker 4 (04:57):
You know, he's the emergency emergency in field.

Speaker 2 (05:00):
It is. It is one of life's great mysteries. Why
Gerson garb on the on the forty roster and.

Speaker 4 (05:10):
Maybe his final days, his last straw.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
I don't know. But anyway, something a lot's coming on.
But anyway, back back to Blaine, he's hitting three something
and thirteen and seven home runs and above nine hundreds.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
You know, this isn't a one off.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
He just deserves right, This isn't a fluke. He's done
this for you. Actually, he's he's gotten off the slow
starts previously, right, So this is a good sign. Yeah,
and you know, the Rangers just want somebody who can
maybe hit a little, you know, and and you can't
you know, you can't send down Peterson, can't send down

(05:50):
Simeon Doles has an option, but he has a lot
of service. He has enough service time where I think
he could. They'd have to they'd have to talk. Yeah,
they'd have to work something out with him to do it. Yeah. Yeah,
but yeah. They're also making nine million, nine point twenty

(06:14):
five million for Adulest, fifteen point seventy five for Peterson,
and twenty six for Simeons. So those guys aren't going down. No,
but but maybe this serves as a warning, a warning,
and and you know who's not to say that, Blaine Krim,
you know, couldn't be the DH a couple of times.
You know, if if Josh Peterson isn't isn't going well.

Speaker 4 (06:36):
Because Josh Smith can play first base.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Doesn't Harrison play first base to cover first base?

Speaker 4 (06:42):
Yeah, you're absolutely right. You know what, I can't wait
to see Blaine. I walked up to Blaine and spring
training and he was in the big league camp. He
always is, He's been there in the last three years.
And then you know, he usually hangs.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
A little long.

Speaker 4 (06:54):
Unlest year, I think he hung a little longer, but
he was still one of the Yeah, you know, he
wasn't there at the end like a couple of them
like Alijandro and and Dustin who stayed right to the
very end. But I walked up to him and I said,
you know what, you're gonna make your big league debut
this year. And he looked at me and he said
something very it was just so humble, to the effect
that from your God, from your lips to God's ears

(07:15):
or boy, I hope you're right. And that was it.
That's all he said. You know, he wasn't like damn
and that needs to be or fum, you know whatever,
excuse my language. That's all he said. And so I
can't wait tonight to go remember me telling you that.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
We gain And you know it's got to be frustrating
for him because you know, they he has not moved
out Nathaniel Lowe and moved somebody else in at his
position exactly. So it's you know, you kind of if
I'm blaming grim, I'm kind of looking at the landscape
and thinking I'm blocked. Yeah, they don't see me. You know,

(07:50):
he becomes a minor league free agent after this year,
or he could have.

Speaker 4 (07:54):
Been now he will, he will, he won't get We'll.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
See what happens.

Speaker 4 (07:59):
But yeah, well it's unlikely he gets the thing unless
he just thanks.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
So anyway, great for Blaine, great for all of us.
You know we I think I think a lot of
us take turns saying that we're the president of the
Blaine crim Fan Club.

Speaker 5 (08:13):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
And and that's fine. He's such a nice and nice guy.
You know, married a soccer player. She's a soccer coach.
Somewhere in South Carolina. I think it's actually close to Spartansburg.
And then, uh, you know, I've met his I've met
his father, who's a good, good man. He was a
subscriber to Rangers today. So uh has a soft spot

(08:35):
in my heart. And then what Blaine's burn on our show?
Three times? He just wants from Puerto Rico. You know
when he was out there destroying Puerto Rico.

Speaker 4 (08:42):
Did it once from his car? Remember that one time.

Speaker 2 (08:44):
From his car? So you know this guy, this.

Speaker 4 (08:47):
Guy always gave us time, always stopped.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
But he's also good. And again you know it's you
just go look at the go to look him up
on m I LB dot com and you'll look at
those them him like damn, why wasn't he in the
majors longer? You know, And there's been a bias that, oh, well,
you know, a right handed hitting first baseman you have
to you know, hit thirty home runs.

Speaker 4 (09:08):
So you got to be six four, and yeah he is.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
He is shorter, like, yeah, I'm taller than him. Yeah,
you know, and he's not like he's not going to
win a Golden Glove at first space. But he's not
a butcher either, so you know, it just seems a
little strange that he hasn't been called up. And those
are the reasons. I mean, yeah, well, you know, right

(09:31):
handed hitting first baseman, you really need a lot of
power there. It's like, well, gosh, give him a chance.
Yeah he's got power, right, and you know, he added
some some elevan, some elevation to his swing.

Speaker 4 (09:42):
But he hasn't lost his average and.

Speaker 2 (09:44):
He still hits. But everything points to him. And I know,
I know, Donnie Ecker is not the most popular guy
in the world right now, but Donnie Ecker is a
huge plank Krim face so and and the swing changes
that Krim made last year came from Ecker and Tim Hyers.
So look, it's time. It's exciting Is it going to
cure the offense? No, probably not, but it might.

Speaker 4 (10:06):
Coy Seeger is going to cure the offense if he
can ever get back well nose.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Once, I know.

Speaker 4 (10:11):
But what I think, Look, I want to see this
team with every person that is supposed to be starting
on this team in the lineup and healthy for a
few weeks and see what happens, because you can mess
with that, you can move that up and down. Yes, secrets,
I mean, Simon need to be out of the leadoff spot.
He was just doing nothing there. He hasn't been much better,

(10:31):
but he has been better in that fifth Spody's actually
starting to show a little improvement the last couple of games.
He's been barreling some stuff, getting on bases and doing that.
I like Simeon in the fifth spot right now. And
he's got potential for power too, and we know that.

Speaker 2 (10:47):
Yeah, he went six or twelve in the A Series,
and I think he walked. He walked three times yesterday
to me year, he walked twice yesterday, so I think
he had four walks. He reached space a lot. It
looks like things are headed the right way of him.

Speaker 5 (11:00):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
And frankly, he's tired of answering our questions. So I
wonder if you know, we'll we'll take credit for motivating him.
But it works hard, he works hard, you know. And
people are now throwing out things like, well, are they
working too hard? Are they thinking too much at the plate?
Is it not fun?

Speaker 4 (11:20):
Armchair GM?

Speaker 2 (11:21):
All of these things, And and you know, one one
one guy suggests to me that you know, they might
have too much information. You just go up there and swing,
you know, just just one day, don't even have a
hitter's meeting, just say, go out there and figure it out, guys.
And they've probably seen most of these guys anyway, So

(11:44):
are they getting overloaded with information? You know a lot
of these guys have their own hitting coaches. Are they?
Are they? Who are they listening to? And and and
that's that's a I think it's a potential problem if
if too many of these guys are listening to their guys.

Speaker 6 (12:01):
But uh.

Speaker 4 (12:04):
Well, Donnie Ecker is the villain right now. And my
point has always been, Donnie Ecker is not that you know,
these guys don't sign here, come here, do whatever, and
then Donnie Ecker changes their swing, changes their he comes in.
This is the guy that does all the homework where
pitch locations are what counts to look for these pitches,
work them, and if he sees something he starts trying

(12:24):
to work with. It's like you're dropping this or doing that.
But he's certainly not going, Okay, we're gonna redo your
entire swing. That's not what a hitting coach does at
the big league left.

Speaker 2 (12:32):
But you know, part of the sales pitch is you know, how,
how are you going to get better? How does how
you know? When a free agent comes, he wants to
know how he's going to get better in a lot
of cases, and so they you know, make their presentations
and say these things. It's uh and and they did
have some recommendations for Burger on how to hit the

(12:56):
low the low pitches better, and that's been kind of
his weak spot. He hits. He it's elevated stuff, it's
the stuff you know, kind of in the lower part
of the zone. Uh So, anyway, I hope you hope
he gets it figured out because the Rangers could really
use a guy who they who could hit thirty home runs. Yeah,

(13:19):
there's no question about it.

Speaker 4 (13:21):
But they mean, anybody can hit a home run right now,
what's we.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
Hit a home run since the last game in Sacramento
So that was a Thursday night game, so it's been
a week.

Speaker 4 (13:31):
Well, the ball was flying out of there though, like
they were playing a little league field. So I mean,
I mean, a look, a couple of those were bombs.
I mean, what was it? I think Young hit one
that would have gone for.

Speaker 2 (13:42):
H one very clearly would have been a home run.

Speaker 4 (13:44):
Yeah, but I mean a lot of those you look
like pop ups coming off the bat, and they were
they were flying out. But I mean, look, that happens
in a lot of different ballparks too. But godly, there's
been no slug. There's been no slug for the last week.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
It's disappeared. And that's that's.

Speaker 4 (13:59):
That's any scored fifteen runs on singles.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
You know, and it doesn't make a lot of sense.
So you know, so why is that? Well, they're missing
their pitches, all right. Well, the argument before two is
they was, oh, they're they're too aggressive, they're chasing too much,
and uh, yep, that's true. But you know, then yesterday
they're talking about excuse me, we're talking about, you know, well,

(14:27):
are they too are they too passive? Now it's like, well,
in three days, how does how does this go from
from one to the other? But it you know, it's
just baseball. You hear that set a lot, but I
don't I don't know that the hitting coach can do

(14:48):
much more. And I don't know that a change at
that position accomplishes anything.

Speaker 4 (14:54):
Who do you go get a month into the season.
There's not a reputable guy unless you're gonna go pull
Rudy Harmeilio off the scrap hit he's probably doing nothing
up there.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
And he's the Kleeburn hitting coach.

Speaker 4 (15:06):
Yeah, and I mean, but let's be honest, they're they're
not going to go pull I mean you it would
be within the organization, is what they would do. So
they're probably right.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
I don't know, I mean, because you know, Donnie Ecker
likes it's like he's the guy in charge of the offense,
over the entire system, over everything in the organization. What
what he wants from hitters is what Cody Atkinson, the
minor league hitting instructor, also preaches, you know, so that

(15:37):
when they come to the major leagues, they're they're lockstep
with what the Rangers are hoping to accomplish offensively. Sure,
So I don't know that. I don't necessarily know that
it is, and it would be an internal guy. Now,
I mean, would Justin Veeli get moved up? Well, Justin
is Donnie's protege. Basically they speak the same language. Does

(15:57):
that Justin Veeley is the Rangers hitting coach because Donnie's
the offensive coordinator, right, So would would that be this?
Is that the same move? Does that accomplish anything? So
I'm not sure what is going to happen there. I
just don't know that. You know, Bruce Bochi's never made
it an in season coaching change. He's been a manager

(16:20):
for twenty eight years and has probably had a lot
of opportunities to do so and has never done it.
Does that mean it's right? No, But I would imagine
that the manager is going to have a heck of
a say on that. Yeah, the one. The one thing
out there though, is the Rockies fired Hensley. Mulen's not
that long ago as their hitting coach. Well, coach and

(16:41):
Hensley are tight, they work together the Giants, So maybe
that's a name out there, but you know, it's like
nobody's gonna get the Rockies hitting, you know, but the
fi or something like that, they're bad, they don't have
any talent.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
Hey, they won two games in a row.

Speaker 2 (16:56):
I saw the Rangers have talent. So anyway, not sure.
It just needs to get better. And if Blaine crim
creates a little bit of a spark, or if just
the idea that you know, oh my gosh. You know,
Jake Berger was one of their big off season acquisitions
and they sent him down. Maybe that's a wake up
call for other people. Not sure, but I'm looking forward

(17:18):
to seeing Blaine Krim.

Speaker 4 (17:20):
I am too. I can't wait to get out there
and see him. And look, this team is scuttling, and
the whole team is except for the pitching staff. Now obviously,
I mean, is Bochie still got still got Luke Jackson
as his closer?

Speaker 2 (17:34):
I don't think so. I mean, look, the the walk
off loss in Sacramento last week on that Thursday night,
it was a you know, there was a walk that
that Luke should not have have done, should not have issued.
But you know the play that Leote made where he

(17:56):
bobbled the ball that allowed the runner to go to third. Yeah,
so you know, there there are things and then sometimes
you know, guys just not going to pitch.

Speaker 4 (18:05):
Well, yeah, nobody.

Speaker 2 (18:08):
And you know these guys are getting leaned on. These
are high pressure situations. It's not like they're coming in
with five run leads. They're coming in in tie games
one run leads with because the offense isn't scoring runs, right,
you know, that's that's the that's the number one problem
with this team.

Speaker 4 (18:26):
Is that wasted started pitching, which has.

Speaker 2 (18:29):
Trickle down effects on everybody, and it means that pitchers
can't make mistakes. Well, you know, nobody's ever finished the
season with those zero zero.

Speaker 4 (18:37):
Zero year r A and no no, no closers ever
not blown to save in the season.

Speaker 2 (18:42):
Well probably rarely happens, but like Kirby Yates blew one
last year one, you know, Luke Jackson has blown one
this year. You know he's he's had a couple of
hiccups and tie ball games. But even on opening day,
you know, if Josh Young makes that play scoreless any
so it's it's no the pitching sass, fine, No need

(19:06):
to shake that one upright, Not.

Speaker 4 (19:08):
That I say that. The only thing they're they're doing,
they're dealing with now is having to get different arms
in and out because you know, they like like what happened. Well,
you know, their last save was a three inning save
by Dame Dunning who's now been DFAD again to make room.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
For uh Caleb Bosley, for.

Speaker 4 (19:25):
For Bosley and to come back up. But they had
the df because they needed the forty man spot for
our head.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
Well, well, all right, so Bosley could come back because
the Higashioka injury, right, Tucker Barnhardt took.

Speaker 4 (19:43):
Yeah, Barnhart not on d right, so but yeah, but
Barnhart they need, They needed the extra the catcher. They
needed him in an emergency situation because they knew he
wasn't gonna go. What they didn't know is whether he
he was going to do an al stem.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, and that sounds like it's a minor theme ten
days apparently had a couple of things going on. It's
just time to give him a little break. And that's it's.

Speaker 4 (20:06):
Been their best spot. Well that both the catchers have
been their best.

Speaker 2 (20:12):
Uh. Josh Smith's kind of sputtering a little, but you know,
I still trust him. Wyatt Langford, you know, no complaints there.
So it's it's but you need, you need. You can't
have three guys hitting. You need you need, you need
nine guys, and.

Speaker 4 (20:33):
You need you need to feel like every of that,
and you need guys that look, somebody needs to send
one out of the yard. Yeah, I would like to
see someone just hit a home run. I mean, it's
good lord, just no slug at all, and even an
extra base hit doubles. You know a lot of the
they had a couple of doubles, but they weren't like
those rocket doubles. They were just ones that went down

(20:54):
the line. And the guy didn't get to.

Speaker 2 (20:56):
Do was hit well the other night he hit that
ball pretty well.

Speaker 4 (21:00):
Oh against the one where they scored fifteen runs. Yeah, yeah,
he did hit a rocket out there. But good lord,
I mean anything, even the ones that look like they're
going out off the plate, you know when they come
off the bat and then you see the guy line
it up and he's standing there in front of the
warning track and it's like.

Speaker 2 (21:17):
God, he must have just missed that one.

Speaker 6 (21:19):
Geez.

Speaker 4 (21:20):
But Blaine, I tee what. And there's something that guys,
if you've never seen blame play because he hasn't been
in the big leagues, so you haven't seen it. One
thing he does. He's got a fluid, good swing and
the ball comes off his bat hard. He hits it hard,
and he hits for average. He can hit the ball.
I'll never forget one time when he was I think

(21:41):
it was right it was before he got to double
a but it was in spring training. You and I
were there and someone was on the field over here,
one of those backfields, and I just decided, I'm just
gonna video Krim hitting right here. I might have been
video and whoever was pitching, and the first pitch Krim
hit one out.

Speaker 2 (21:58):
Yeah, I think he was. I think that was after
he had won the matting title in Puerto Rico and
was just taking some back there. Yeah, I mean he
was just in. He'd been swinging a bat, so he was.
He was way ahead of everybody. He was picking on
pitchers because I think he hit two home runs you're
talking about, but AnyWho.

Speaker 4 (22:17):
But I hadn't had it right on him. I just
like I turned the pitch on and he hit that
pitch out.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (22:22):
And uh, and that little video is one of ours
that went wild for a while when we were first
getting everything rolling. But I'm so happyful and I can't
wait to see him today. It's just super exciting. Uh,
to do that well, how about let's get Dylan Drowling
in here?

Speaker 2 (22:36):
Yeah, another another. Hey, you know he's hitting good and
that's let's put him on the radar.

Speaker 4 (22:42):
National national champion.

Speaker 2 (22:44):
He's a national champion last year Cultural Cheries MVP. So
a lot of good things for for Dylan.

Speaker 4 (22:49):
Let's meet him, ye, Dylan Drawing Right after this, all right, guys,
and joining us right now is Rangers prospect and outfielder
Dylan Driveling. And he's in Rome, Georgia right now where
the Hub City Spartan Burgers are taking on Rome. Dylan.
What's going on, buddy?

Speaker 5 (23:07):
Not much?

Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah? How's uh? How how's the season going so far?
Looks like you're off to a heck of a good start.
What's working?

Speaker 5 (23:16):
It's been good?

Speaker 6 (23:18):
I really I was just trying to focus more like
this year on just trying to stay within myself and
you know, do what I I do and not try
to do too much at the plate, which I felt
I did last year when I was in Hickory. So
that's helped me a lot, and you know, I'm just
trying to take it day by day right now.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
Well, yeah, so you know, you get drafted, you're coming
off a National Championship, All the World Series MVP, and
were you were you did you find yourself pressing in
your first taste of pro ball? What were you You
just kind of mentioned you're trying to stay within yourself.

Speaker 6 (23:55):
Yeah, I mean I think that's it's pretty easy to do.
You're on a bunch of new faces. It's just like
you know, being a freshman in college again. You know,
you get into a like practice and whatnot, and oh,
it's let's show these guys what I can do and
try to you know, overswing over, you know, do everything,

(24:17):
and it's just that doesn't work in baseball. Maybe maybe football,
but it's tough in baseball. So it just kind of
carried over. And then you know, frustration got you know,
and and evolved with all.

Speaker 5 (24:34):
That, and then you're just struggling. So it was it
was tough.

Speaker 2 (24:39):
But yeah, so don't I guess in the moment, maybe
you don't realize you're doing it. So did somebody pull
you aside and say, hey, cut it out?

Speaker 5 (24:49):
Yeah, it was.

Speaker 6 (24:49):
It's kind of one of those things where it's like,
you know, you're here for a reason, you don't have
to do more than that, Like you're a good hitter.
That's why you're here. I just do what you do.
So but also at the in.

Speaker 5 (25:04):
The moment, you don't really want to hear that.

Speaker 6 (25:06):
So right when people tell you you're a good hitter
and you're struggling, it's like, all right, dude, Like I
get it.

Speaker 2 (25:12):
Whatever, I get it. Yeah, So you're doing a little
bit of everything too. You've got some slug you've got
some steals, you're you're on base. Guy, when you're at
your best? What is what is? What? What are you

(25:32):
doing well when you're at your best?

Speaker 6 (25:36):
I mean, honestly, I would, I would say everything. It's
just kind of who I am, I guess.

Speaker 5 (25:43):
But also.

Speaker 6 (25:47):
I like, I really like dumbing it down to where
it's just when I'm in the box, it's.

Speaker 5 (25:53):
Whatever I can do to help the team win.

Speaker 6 (25:57):
I mean, if it's me taking a walking getting on
base for the next guy, and that's fine. If it's
you know, trying to hit a double in the gap
and or a sacked fly to score a guy on third,
like I really trying to dumb it down. I feel
like it makes baseball easier, It makes it more fun
because I'm not just up there, you know, swinging for

(26:19):
the fences every at bat and you know, only connecting
one out of every ten to fifteen at bats.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
So okay, yeah, yeah, it takes I guess some good
plate discipline. It seems like that's you know, you can
work a pitcher. Is that Has that kind of been
your your strength? You can fight and work yourself into
a good hitters count.

Speaker 5 (26:48):
Yeah, I would say so. I just feel like that's
kind of the type of hitter.

Speaker 6 (26:52):
That I am. I've really been like that my whole life.
Like I'm not I'm not afraid to get to two
shy count a lot like a lot of guys. I
I feel very comfortable with two shrikes if I get
to that point, and I just try to grind out
pitched like one pitch at a time.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
So yeah, yeah, uh what what what generates your power?
You have some some bat speed? Are you getting stronger?
Because you know, anybody watched the College World Series saw
what you did there? Uh is bat speed? Has that
been one of your strengths? Also?

Speaker 5 (27:33):
Yeah, I would say bad speed.

Speaker 6 (27:34):
And then my last year at college, I I really
got in the weight room.

Speaker 5 (27:39):
I was always a pretty strong guy, but.

Speaker 6 (27:41):
I really got in the weight room and with our
strength coach at school Q, and I got a lot stronger,
So I would say that helps a little bit too.

Speaker 2 (27:53):
You ever noticed how strength coaches nobody ever calls them
by their real name. They always have a nickname or something.
You got Q, Like TCU has a coach Cause and
like Texas used to have. I can't remember his name.
He's this big, huge guy that you didn't want to

(28:13):
mess with. But oh yeah, I remember that nobody called
him Mike. Jeff Wilson was he was never called by that. Yeah,
I get. I guess when you get that big, you know,
it's like, hey or whatever, whatever your name is, we
are not calling you that. Uh. How much how much
did the college ball help you transition? I know, and

(28:36):
obviously the bats are different, But how much did plane
in the SEC help you? And it has it helped?
How has it helped you this season too?

Speaker 6 (28:46):
I think it's helped me a ton, Just like I
would say, it's more like little things that you don't
even realize that you're getting better at, Like like honestly
going on the road and playing at a new park
like that would be a lot different if I never
went to college, because you never experienced that really so

(29:13):
so much stuff, and that Tennessee was very good at
at uh you know, teaching you and like you figuring out.
So I'm really glad that I made that decision instead of,
you know, coming out of high school.

Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yeah, you know, it's you see so many of these
great arms that have been drafted from the SEC. I
mean the Rangers have two of them. They have Jack
Lighter and Kamar Rocker and uh yeah, Chase Dolander, who
you know, you know went to Tennessee and uh, you
weren't there with him, but you know, he made his
debut this year for the Rockies. We're talking power arms

(29:53):
and and intense stuff. So it seems like, yeah, you know,
if you can step into a a low A game
or a high A game that you've seen this before.

Speaker 5 (30:05):
M Yeah, yeah, there's some there's some real arms that
come out of the SEC.

Speaker 4 (30:11):
Uh, I mean the best baseball I think college baseball.

Speaker 2 (30:14):
There is just SEC.

Speaker 6 (30:15):
Gotta be honest with you, Yeah, I mean it's there's
some some of the arms just crazy.

Speaker 5 (30:22):
Uh, Ben Hess this year.

Speaker 6 (30:25):
You know, Jack Caglion pitch, I don't know if he's
even pitching it anymore.

Speaker 2 (30:29):
But he's not. He's not hitting the guitar out of
the ball in double a white White Langford's teammate. So
you know, that's that's that tells it, that tells you
just of course, you know a.

Speaker 5 (30:43):
Crazy story, uh when we were Florida.

Speaker 6 (30:46):
So my freshman year of college, Florida is coming to
Knoxville to play its in weekend series and everyone's like,
oh this dude, CAGs, CAGs, CAGs, CAGs. They get there
and Lank I'm I'm dhing that day on Friday night
and Langford comes up to the plate and I look
up that scoreboard. He's in like four hundred twenty five

(31:08):
doubles halfway through the year.

Speaker 5 (31:09):
I'm like, who the hell is this guy? I no,
I didn't even know who he was. Was the fourth
overall picking in the big leagues next year.

Speaker 2 (31:17):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's not just stinking
pitchers either. It's good, good, good in baseball. So, uh,
you know, I always ask this, are you a goal
setter or you somebody who just you know, do you
do you aim for numbers or do you just try
to hit the ball hard and whatever happens happened stay grounded.

Speaker 5 (31:40):
I guess yeah, I mean I just hit the ball.

Speaker 6 (31:42):
I try to hit the ball hard, and I don't
worry about numbers. Me and my roommate were actually talking
about it last night, like I feel like, I mean,
if you're hitting, if you're not having a good start
to the year, and then you're pressing already, you're pressing whatever.
If you're if you did have a good start to

(32:04):
the year, you're trying to maintain it right now, and
that's even harder than pressing. Sure, So it's just I mean,
I show up and try to, you know, just hit
the ball hard at each I bat and then if
it doesn't work, then try to getting them all.

Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah, if you have good at bats and if you
find the barrel, the numbers take care of themselves. That's
just that's just the way it is.

Speaker 5 (32:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
But anyway, I asked that question because Josh Hamilton always
said I'm gonna hit three hundred this year with thirty
homers and one hundred RBIs. Those are always his goals. Now,
he was a freak, like he was a he was
a freak and could do that. But you just you
the good thing about the Rangers organization, and we talked
to a lot of guys in your your shoes, are
you know they are? Like I don't look too far ahead,

(32:48):
like you know, are you I don't know. I'd mean, hey,
let's go to Frisco. You know, I'd want to make
a jump, and I'm sure you do, but you can't
force it. And I think that that has bitten some
guy in the past. So yep, you got you gotta
going on between the years. Good good work, Thank you. Yeah,
who's your roommate cook? Oh? Third rounder from last year?

(33:10):
So yeah, well maybe.

Speaker 4 (33:12):
What Carolina right?

Speaker 5 (33:13):
Was he we met him in?

Speaker 2 (33:20):
That mean you get to choose the bed.

Speaker 5 (33:24):
I always the one next uh the window to.

Speaker 4 (33:28):
Carry your bags for you when you're going to the
ball look.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
All right? So the way our show works is I
asked these baseball type questions and then John uh kind
of digs digs a little deeper on the personal side,
not too deep. We're not going to ask you any
any family secrets or anything, but kind of get to
know you a little bit.

Speaker 4 (33:48):
I might have some family secrets. You grew up in Hayes, Kansas.
Is that right? You went to Hayes High School?

Speaker 5 (33:54):
Yep?

Speaker 4 (33:55):
Okay, did you? I do not?

Speaker 2 (33:58):
It is on I seventy in Kansas. It's about what
forty five minutes west of Salina?

Speaker 5 (34:06):
Oh? Hour fifteen?

Speaker 2 (34:07):
But yeah, okay, okay, yeah.

Speaker 4 (34:10):
What's Solana?

Speaker 2 (34:11):
You're saying that's where thirty five and seventy come together. Okay,
all right, So if you're going to Colorado, because that's
where I'm from, That's where I'm from. We go to Solina,
we stay the night, and then we take a left.

Speaker 4 (34:20):
Okay, Well, so you said another town, then I don't
know what that is.

Speaker 2 (34:23):
So Hayes.

Speaker 4 (34:24):
You go to Hayes High School from there? Now, did
you play any other sports growing up? Or were you
just a baseball guy? Football all the light through.

Speaker 6 (34:32):
I didn't play my senior year just because I was
my you know, the fall tournament Jupiter, like all the
big everyone's there, the scouts, blah blah blah. I was like,
I really want to go to that, and so I
just I told my football coach, I don't want to play.

Speaker 4 (34:50):
What did you play? What position in football?

Speaker 5 (34:53):
Oh?

Speaker 6 (34:54):
Well, my sophomore year I played quarterback, and then junior
year are running back. I heard I moved to running
back and I had a blast doing that.

Speaker 5 (35:03):
I loved I didn't like thinking about anything.

Speaker 6 (35:06):
In football, I liked hitting people and running the ball,
and so I loved running back.

Speaker 5 (35:12):
It was so much fun.

Speaker 6 (35:13):
And then senior year I probably would have moved back
to quarterback just because I mean, that's we just didn't
really have any other options.

Speaker 4 (35:21):
Yeah, we Now, were you recruited at all in football?
Or did? Was that just fun?

Speaker 2 (35:27):
No?

Speaker 5 (35:28):
Just just fun? Like I honestly liked it at like
during football season. I don't know.

Speaker 6 (35:34):
I I liked football more than baseball at times, but
obviously I wasn't as good as it.

Speaker 4 (35:40):
So okay, So now listen, you ended up going to
the University of Tennessee won a national championship. Awesome. Now
were you obviously you were recruited, So any other schools
you considered? Did you almost go anywhere else? Or was
Tennessee yet?

Speaker 5 (35:56):
Uh? Yeah, I had a couple like Missouri. I talked
to him Zuri a little bit.

Speaker 6 (36:02):
I was supposed to talk to Arkansas, but I committed
to Tennessee. I actually called the Arkansas coach. He didn't answer,
and then I committed to Tennessee, like right after.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
A huge, huge mistake by Keith Van Horne.

Speaker 5 (36:15):
I chose Tennessee because.

Speaker 2 (36:20):
There was.

Speaker 6 (36:20):
I was, so Missouri was recruiting me as a pitcher,
and Tennessee told me I could two ways. So that's
why I committed to Tennessee because I always wanted to hit,
but everyone else was just recruiting.

Speaker 5 (36:32):
Me as a picture.

Speaker 4 (36:34):
Dave van Horn Dave van Horn was Horn is the
basketball player. Okay, so that's so he missed your call.
And then then now, did were they recruiting you both
ways too? Or was it just Tennessee that was.

Speaker 5 (36:44):
I have no idea because I never talked to him.

Speaker 4 (36:48):
How hard were you throwing in high school?

Speaker 6 (36:51):
Well, so whenever I was getting recruited, I was. I
was in eighth grade, like June after my eighth grade
year is when I started talking to coaches, and I
was throwing like eighty three from the left side. I
I guess that was pretty good as eighth grader.

Speaker 2 (37:09):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5 (37:10):
And so I started talking to people and.

Speaker 6 (37:13):
Then v I, I knew some guys that played for
him at Arkansas, talked to them because so my grandpa's
he's been a coach for you know, forty some years
in Kansas.

Speaker 5 (37:26):
A couple, it's not a couple of different Hall of
Fames for coaching.

Speaker 6 (37:29):
Like pretty yeah, and so he's coached some guys that
played at Arkansas. And then he's also pretty good friends
with Frank Anderson, who's the pitching coach at Tennessee.

Speaker 5 (37:42):
So that's kind of all the connections. And I mean,
I just kind of fell in love with the way
V ran the program and all that.

Speaker 2 (37:50):
So what now, I think it's I think you would
agree that Hayes is remote. It's not. It's not a
suburb of Kansas City or anything like that. So how
how did you what did you do baseball wise, like
in the summer or or even selectball? How did you

(38:11):
How did you get noticed?

Speaker 5 (38:14):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (38:14):
So I I mean after my like all of high
school in the summer, I played in Atlanta or Florida.

Speaker 5 (38:25):
Really and.

Speaker 6 (38:28):
I would just go down there, uh, either with or
with my my parents and just kind of hung out.
I had so I had an uncle that lived in Atlanta,
so I'd live with them whenever I was in Atlanta.

Speaker 5 (38:41):
And then I remember.

Speaker 6 (38:43):
One time I was in Atlanta drove down to Florida
with my with a teammate because my parents weren't there
there at work and they were coming down to Florida.

Speaker 5 (38:57):
But they were driving.

Speaker 6 (38:58):
Oh man, yeah, because my whole family is coming there driving.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
It's like a twenty four hour drive.

Speaker 6 (39:05):
And I was the leadoff batter on the away team,
s get the second pitch of got it out the first,
and I tried to beat it out, launched at the base,
hyperst into my knee.

Speaker 5 (39:20):
Tournament was over and they they got there thirty minutes
before the game.

Speaker 4 (39:24):
So oh man.

Speaker 5 (39:27):
It's just played down there all the time. It was
a blast too.

Speaker 2 (39:32):
Now you got hurt your senior year of high school,
right string.

Speaker 5 (39:38):
Yeah, a lot of hamshring issues that year.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Okay, so it's kind of stealing John's thunder, But did
that Were you thinking you would get drafted that year
and the hamsterring kind of spoiled it?

Speaker 5 (39:55):
I really have no idea. It's so like the draft
and everything such a weird. I sat to me.

Speaker 6 (40:00):
And like, I've seen so many guys that, oh yeah,
like you're they're gonna get picked this year that don't
get picked, and was like, I have no idea, I'll
just wait it out.

Speaker 4 (40:10):
Well, So when you got to Tennessee, though you obviously
knew you had a chance to get drafted, when did
you really know Hey, you know what I'm gonna I'm
gonna get a chance to play pro ball. Was it
that junior year or maybe between your freshman sophomore sophomore
junior you started seeing scouts or talking he only had.

Speaker 5 (40:24):
Two years, right, you were, Yeah, I was a sophomore eligible. Yeah,
I mean I kind of got there.

Speaker 6 (40:31):
And I struggled at first in the in the fall
my freshman year, and then I had I ended up
having a really good fall, Like what, I was one
of the best, you know, hitters on the team, and
I was like, dang, I might get.

Speaker 5 (40:46):
To play a little bit this year or whatever. I
just couldn't. I struggled pretty bad in the outfield.

Speaker 6 (40:54):
It takes a lot for Vita trust you in the outfield,
so or just in on defense in general.

Speaker 5 (41:00):
So you know, I got a couple of DH stars.

Speaker 6 (41:04):
And then you know, summer before my sophomore year, that
was like, all right, like, I need to get a
lot better at defense. If not, I'm not gonna be
able to play here. And so you know I did.
I got good enough so I could play in the
on that team.

Speaker 4 (41:20):
So yeah, and then then scouts start talking to you.

Speaker 5 (41:25):
Yeah yeah, yeah, So.

Speaker 2 (41:29):
As the draft question.

Speaker 4 (41:30):
Yeah, dude, so you were you were taken in the
second round by the Rangers, and now a lot of
this is this is a fun question I always like
to ask because you know, there's some guys that know
you're gonna be at the top of the draft, you're
one of the top draft picks, and you'll go to
wherever the draft is and you'll usually you see those guys.
They're there, they get drafted, they come out. Now, you
weren't one of those guys. You were taken high. So

(41:51):
where were you at? Were you watching the draft? Where?
How'd you find out you've been taken?

Speaker 5 (41:55):
Yeah? I was just watching it in Hayes with my family.

Speaker 6 (41:59):
I'd like, my family was there, and then five of
my closest friends, and then Kyle Stark was there from
who he picked up undrafted free agent from Tennessee as well.

Speaker 5 (42:12):
So my teammate from college.

Speaker 4 (42:14):
Okay, and who called? Who was the first person that
did they call you before you were drafted? Or did
you just see your name now?

Speaker 6 (42:20):
So my agent called me and he I was like
on the phone with him as my name was popping
up on the TV, so I couldn't hear.

Speaker 5 (42:30):
Everyone started screaming.

Speaker 6 (42:31):
I couldn't hear him, and then it kind of the
phone just kind of dropped.

Speaker 5 (42:35):
I guess he probably just hung up on me.

Speaker 2 (42:37):
But yeah, I mean you had a little leverage. You
could have gone back to school. Was that a consideration?

Speaker 5 (42:46):
Uh? Yeah, I mean a little bit.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
But you know it worked out.

Speaker 5 (42:52):
Yeah, it worked out.

Speaker 4 (42:54):
Who who called you from the Rangers organization? Who was
the first one to call you?

Speaker 5 (42:59):
I okay, so I think it was see Why?

Speaker 6 (43:03):
And so right after it all happened, someone called me
to do like an interview, and so I'm doing this
interview on the phone or whatever, and then I checked
my phone and see why. I had called me like
twice and it went straight to voicemail, and so that
wasn't you know.

Speaker 5 (43:23):
I was like damn like and then I was like, yeah,
like my I had an interview. Sorry, and he talk
to me a little bit.

Speaker 6 (43:32):
But I got a lot of texts that night from
every like pretty much everyone in the Rangers organization, So
it was pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (43:38):
Nice.

Speaker 4 (43:38):
Now do you remember when you reported first? Did you
go to Arizona pretty soon after signing or what did
you do?

Speaker 5 (43:43):
Yeah? I went, So I drove back to Knotsville.

Speaker 6 (43:46):
I worked out there for a couple of days and
then flew to Arizona.

Speaker 2 (43:53):
Yeah. Yeah, a little hot there.

Speaker 5 (43:55):
Huh yeah, it was like one hundred and fifteen every day.
It's crazy.

Speaker 2 (43:59):
It's crazy.

Speaker 3 (44:00):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
It hurts your skin like it makes your sense.

Speaker 4 (44:03):
Yeah, all right, now we're gonna We're gonna a little more.

Speaker 5 (44:05):
Now.

Speaker 4 (44:05):
What No, what's your favorite type of food that you
like to eat? Are you a pizza guy? Steak guy?
What's your favorite stake?

Speaker 5 (44:12):
Steak guy?

Speaker 4 (44:14):
Now, what's the cut you like? You like a ribbi
or what?

Speaker 5 (44:18):
Yeah? Rebbi or New York ships?

Speaker 4 (44:21):
All right too, Okay, so if you have to Now,
I know a lot of you guys are usually on
some kind of diet plan, but us fat guys, we
have to do it yourself. Anywall, Yeah that's true. I'm
trying to get smaller here, but uh, sometimes you have
to hit some sort of fast food joint just to
get some calories in you. You guys eat a lot
because you expel I mean, you use a lot of calories,

(44:43):
so you eat a lot. What's your favorite what's your
go to fast food wing stop? Wan Stock?

Speaker 5 (44:49):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (44:49):
I like Wenstock. They not do that once a month.

Speaker 5 (44:52):
I eat Wingstop like probably two or three times a week.
Right now, it's not good, but I will it's so good.

Speaker 2 (45:00):
How do you like your wings?

Speaker 4 (45:01):
What's the flavor?

Speaker 5 (45:02):
Uh? So it's hot honey, a little spicy, but also
it's it's like a little sweet.

Speaker 6 (45:09):
And then I mean the ranch at Wingstop is the
best ranch you'll ever find.

Speaker 5 (45:14):
So it is good.

Speaker 4 (45:15):
It is good. Now do you get the fries also?
They have that season fries or do you just get
like the veggie stick stuff? No?

Speaker 5 (45:22):
No, I get hot honey, hot honey seasoning on my fries.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
Then do it all?

Speaker 5 (45:27):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (45:28):
Yeah, I you know, I don't like the season fry.
I do I like salt with salt on my fri?

Speaker 4 (45:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (45:35):
No, I would agree with you, but I had the
Wingstop fries. I feel like they just don't put any
salt on it. So it's like you have to get
something out there.

Speaker 4 (45:43):
There you go, we need to talk to them. Okay, well,
you know, I've got one ride around the corner there.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
I think we South is based here.

Speaker 4 (45:50):
Yeah, I think they are out of Dallas. There's a
lot of them in the metroplates. I got three of
them near mind look forward to absolutely when you get
to Frisco. You know, Frisco is your next stop. And
when you get there, we'll come out see and I
watched you a little bit in spring training. We're out there.
We'll definitely when we get you guys on, we're gonna
get you on multiple times, come back on another time,
especially to do that. Okay, So if you got a

(46:13):
home cooked meal, it's a birthday whatever is a big deal.
Who's cooking your favorite home cook cooked meal? What is it?
Is it Grandma?

Speaker 2 (46:20):
Is it?

Speaker 6 (46:20):
Mom?

Speaker 4 (46:21):
Is a girlfriend who cooks your home cooked meal? What
is your favorite home cooked meal?

Speaker 5 (46:26):
Well?

Speaker 6 (46:26):
My okay, my favorite meal would steak, you know, mashed potatoes,
and then like sparagus or maybe like she's a salad
I might go to and then my dad would cook
the steaks.

Speaker 5 (46:43):
And then my mom would cook everything else.

Speaker 4 (46:46):
All right, all right, this guy's after my heart right here.
I'm telling you right.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
Did you go to both jingles a lot in Tennessee?
Is they didn't have bo Jingles?

Speaker 4 (46:57):
Hey?

Speaker 5 (46:57):
Yeah, I don't think i've ever ate that ate there is.

Speaker 4 (47:00):
That a burger place?

Speaker 2 (47:01):
It's a fast food place. They're going for like their
chicken biscuits. And biscuits and it's a big It's a
big thing in the South.

Speaker 4 (47:07):
Do you like burgers? Oh?

Speaker 5 (47:09):
Love them? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (47:10):
What what's your burger place you like? Now? You know
in Texas the big thing is either in and Out
or Water Burger. Do you like water Burger in Kansas?

Speaker 5 (47:17):
No, we don't. I don't. I think I've been to
Waterburger like a couple of times with nothing crazy.

Speaker 4 (47:23):
In and Out.

Speaker 5 (47:24):
I had that in Arizona. That place is good.

Speaker 4 (47:26):
Yeah. What about what about Hayes? Do you got a
place there that you got your good burger?

Speaker 6 (47:31):
I My favorite place in Hayes is Freddy's. I don't
know if you guys have heard of that.

Speaker 4 (47:35):
They're around here. It's Freddy's around Dallas.

Speaker 6 (47:38):
Yeah, like super thin patties and there the fries are
really good.

Speaker 5 (47:41):
Everything is really good.

Speaker 4 (47:43):
Now, what about it Tennessee? Was there a place in
Tennessee and Knoxville that you loved?

Speaker 5 (47:48):
Ah?

Speaker 6 (47:49):
No, I really didn't eat out at Tennessee my sophomore year.
I try to really get into like eating healthy and
all that stuff, So I would just I think every
single knife in the fall, I cooked chicken, rice and
cream beans. By the end, it just got I couldn't
even eat it because it was so getting so old.

Speaker 4 (48:09):
Oh I could imagine. But look that when you're my age,
got it, you got the metallicism. Now you can actually
eat a little few burger.

Speaker 2 (48:17):
So what is it? What is it like to go
to a football game at Tennessee?

Speaker 6 (48:21):
It's pretty crazy, it's fun though, The tailgates are awesome,
and it's pretty loud in there.

Speaker 2 (48:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:31):
Were you buddies with a lot of football players?

Speaker 6 (48:34):
No? Actually usually, I mean I texted a couple of them,
but never like hung out with any of them. But
they're good dudes, which is kind of our schedules, don't
really like.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
Yeah, broiled in the nil controversy with the quarterback? Yeah,
hell holding out? Where did he end up? He ended
up somewhere else for less.

Speaker 5 (49:03):
Probably more or less money than he would have.

Speaker 2 (49:09):
So let's more expenses.

Speaker 4 (49:12):
Yeah there, you put you put your hands up like, okay, look,
I'm not gonna get every Everything.

Speaker 2 (49:17):
Everything is good at Tennessee. The the basketball team, you know,
Rick Barnes, I'm a big Rick Barnes fan, but Dalton
Connect was an awesome score two seasons ago, and just
your team pretty good.

Speaker 5 (49:32):
Yeah, Chazz chas lay here.

Speaker 6 (49:35):
Yeah, and next year I guess we just we just
signed the number three, like our biggest prospect.

Speaker 5 (49:41):
Of all time at high school. Five star.

Speaker 2 (49:44):
Yeah, so one, one and done guy, probably basketball.

Speaker 4 (49:48):
That's how that normally works. So now, did you do
you still go back to Knoxville and off season or anything?
Still got buddies had one off season? Yeah they Uh yeah.

Speaker 6 (50:01):
Last year I did go back to Knoxville for about
three months until Christmas time.

Speaker 5 (50:06):
Then I kind of just stayed home. So I think
that'll be the plan for now. I don't really know
where else i'd go.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
I mean, you can work out there, yeah.

Speaker 6 (50:18):
Facility perfect to work out there, you know, And honestly
depends on who goes. Like last year, a lot of
my good buddies didn't go, h B. Blake Burke didn't go,
Kavars Tears, Christian Moore. So hopefully next year that changed
a little bit, because I I.

Speaker 5 (50:38):
Think last year is just our schedules.

Speaker 6 (50:40):
Like every team's a little different with their you know,
off season camps and hitting, lifting everything camps.

Speaker 5 (50:47):
So hopefully it'll be a little different this.

Speaker 4 (50:49):
Off Maybe you'll go to the faulting Yeah that made
you place you're headed too. Okay, well listen, we've kept
you long enough. This has been fantastic. We'll get this
out a little bit later. I got one more question,
question that I gotta do, so I always ended on
this one, so I'll give you some examples. In fact,
one of the guys that making his big league debut
today is Blaine Krim. But I always ask guys, what

(51:12):
is something that nobody knows about? In this instant, it
would be Dylan Dryling. I asked Blaine Krim that who
told us, you know, what's something that nobody knows about you?
His answer was pretty funny. You know he's talking about
you know, I used to take batting practice when I
was a kid naked in the house. In the house. Yeah,
well he's like four or five team here. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (51:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (51:31):
It wasn't like right before he got drafted or anything anyway,
but that was funny. We had a couple of guys.
One of them got his finger cut off, your general manager,
see why. His response to that was, you know, I'm
a true crime documentary guy. So if he ever gets
free time, he likes to watch those true crime documentaries.
He's kind of into that. What is something that nobody

(51:53):
knows about Dylan.

Speaker 6 (51:54):
Dry Well, I guess I'm gonna have to steal see
Wyse answer and say that. On the road, me and
my roommate Casey, we watched rom com rom com movie
every night. You know, people like kind of make fun
of us a little bit about it, but they're good movies.

Speaker 2 (52:13):
So deservedly. So, so what's your favorite rom com?

Speaker 5 (52:17):
Uh?

Speaker 6 (52:19):
The other night when we played the we played at
eleven am, so we got to watch two. That night
we watched Holiday and so, I mean Holiday Holiday is
a pretty good movie, and then the after series is
pretty good.

Speaker 4 (52:36):
I like, so, you know, my son would dig it.
I've got a son who's that's graduate high school and
he's actually gonna go to the other ut, not your ut,
but Texas. He's heading there in the fall. So but
he's a big rom com He likes to watch those
rom coms too, and he's heading off for his first
college experience. And you know what those are? Those are fun.

(52:56):
I like them. I've always to.

Speaker 2 (52:59):
Well, I mean, yeah, that's good. That's a good way
to to you know, get in with the ladies.

Speaker 4 (53:06):
Absolutely, because you know it's all like just like the
movies dealing with Well.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
You know, I just just google the best romantic Comedies
of all time and uh they have Bull Durham on
the list as one of them, and it kind it
kind of is in a weird way.

Speaker 4 (53:21):
Well, what about for the Love of the Game. I
guess that one that it was on Netflix? Yeah, well
on the in Netflix for the Love.

Speaker 2 (53:33):
Of the Game. Yeah, yeah, you should watch. Uh, it's
kind of an action movie is called Night and Day
with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise. That's a pretty good movie. Yeah,
it's it's yeah, you'd like it. All right, I'm not
I'm not going to go there, but.

Speaker 4 (53:52):
That's pretty good.

Speaker 2 (53:53):
Another wrong, And I'm glad that you felt confident enough
to admit that that's there.

Speaker 4 (53:58):
Ain't nothing wrong with that. And know we gets here,
We're gonna well, we'll have to get in touch. We'll
hook each other. You tell me a good one, I'll
get one from and and tell you that'll be a
good one.

Speaker 2 (54:09):
All right, there we go.

Speaker 4 (54:10):
We get the rom times going. Dylan, Listen, look, you
guys are busy. Billy's very busy schedules. We totally appreciate
it when you guys stop down to talk to us.
You got anything else.

Speaker 2 (54:19):
For him, No, sir, that's uh yeah, we really enjoyed
this one. We enjoy them all. Yeah, you appreciate your
stopping down and talking to us.

Speaker 4 (54:28):
Absolutely listen. Hopefully, uh soon we'll knock on wood or whatever.
But maybe you'll be gracing our metroplex here and you'll
be here in Frisco. We run out try to get
to a few of those games also, but but so
happy for you. Congratulations on the success. And by the way,
have you gotten your national championship ring yet?

Speaker 5 (54:46):
Yeah? Yeah we did. We got it in Arizona. They're
pretty sweet, so nice.

Speaker 4 (54:51):
All right, Well, next time we do it, we'll have
to see if you can show us a picture of
it or something and get that.

Speaker 5 (54:56):
I can get you guys picture absolutely.

Speaker 4 (54:59):
Hey, guys, that's Dylan. We're gonna go down in the
bus leagues right after this. Dylan, thanks so much, and
good luck, Bud.

Speaker 5 (55:05):
Yeah, thank you, thank you for having me.

Speaker 4 (55:11):
All right, big thanks to Dylan Drying driling for joining
us right there. That was a fun one.

Speaker 2 (55:16):
Yeah, he's got a little personality to.

Speaker 4 (55:18):
Him, he does. That's a fun one. Hey, listen, don't
forget the round Rock Express of sponsoring us on this,
not only down in the bus leagues, but the entire
minor league show. I want to pop in and talk
about them and what they've done. Look, if you want
to see some good baseball, go down to the Hey
right now. You can see the Rangers previous starting first
baseman will be playing down there. But the Round Rock

(55:39):
Express that's a great venue. That stadium is fantastic. It's
a lot of fun down there, and you get to
see some really good baseball down there.

Speaker 2 (55:47):
We can't appreciate them enough. Yeah, and it's their twenty
fifth season, so they're doing promo stuff all season. So
they're out of town right now. Out of town, meaning
they're in sugar Land this week.

Speaker 4 (55:58):
But that's outs out of Houston. So you go down
there if you want to go that way. Yeah, it's
not that far away, absolutely, but no, we want you
to go. We want you to go down to Round Rock.
That's we got to get money to their stuff. Hey, listen,
down in the bus leagues, you know that we've been
doing the minor league recamps, trying to get four or
five of those out a week or I have. But
this one we're not going to do today because Jeff
and I are going to touch up on how the
week's gone each team at each level and what's going

(56:21):
on at certain players there. So we're going to start out.
We always start out in Triple A. Round Rock our sponsor.
By the way, round Rock Express are fifteen and fifteen
right now. They're five and five in their last ten.
They lost last night and they're in second place.

Speaker 2 (56:34):
They're just even steven.

Speaker 4 (56:37):
That's right, that's it. And down there, the guy we
always talk about who's been playing well down there, well
he's not down there anymore, right, Yeah, so we got
to go to Foscue.

Speaker 2 (56:46):
I guess, yeah, well Foster's hitting the ball real well, yeah,
I tell you who's hitting the ball wells Ezekiel Durant. Yes,
since he got three hundred. And this is what this
is Why you send a guy like that down Let
him go down there every day, every day, every good day,
and get back to the point where he can help
the big league club.

Speaker 4 (57:04):
It's hard to ignore it. It's hard to ignore a
guy that's hitting like.

Speaker 2 (57:07):
That, sure, and that's what they want to happen for
Jake Berger. That's exactly I did want to mention Evan Carter,
who is playing more regularly now. He's played three straight
pretty hot times. It was last night. But people are saying, oh,
we got to get Evan Carter back. You know, Rangers

(57:27):
need Evan Carter, you know, they need they need the
twenty twenty three Evan Carter.

Speaker 4 (57:33):
Yes, and I think he's still there.

Speaker 2 (57:35):
I agree with that, but right now he's the twenty
twenty five Evan Carter and they're trying to figure out
how much he can play. He had to make a
swing adjustment to take some pressure off his back, making
sure that works out. And you know, it's looking like
it's working. You know, it's it's not it's not bad,
you know, but you still need it to be. You
want him to be the twenty twenty three guy. And

(57:56):
I you know, when he was in twenty twenty three,
he was. He struggled, came back from that little rest
injury and just started tearing it up. Yeah, he forced
the issue, went to Frisco, was great or went back
to Frisco. He was in Frisco the whole pretty much
whole year. Then he went to Round Rock for a
couple of days. It seemed like, you know, yeah, it
was pretty funny. He played for Round Rock, but he
never played in Round Rock because they were on the road. Uh.

(58:17):
But anyway, he issue. But that's the Evan Carter. You
want back to Evan Carter right now. I don't know
how much he helps, No, just gonna leave it right there.

Speaker 4 (58:25):
Well, you look, Evan Carter right now is the Dustin
Harris right now, that's the he's the gonna face rad Anders.
He's he looks and he's hitting the ball well. And
Dustin Harris right now has no cause right now that
he should not be here. In Evan Carter, it's.

Speaker 2 (58:36):
Just he's not. If the Rangers don't think he's ready,
if they're still trying to figure out the back, how
much he can the workload. It looks like it's gradually
building up, but he still needs to be where he's
at for a couple more weeks. Bruce Bochy said that,
I don't know. We were talking to him on Tuesday.
Maybe he said, that's a few more weeks, So tap
the breaks, make sure he's right so that when he

(58:58):
comes up he is closer to that twenty twenty three
versions absolutely what we saw last year and in the
spring training.

Speaker 4 (59:03):
Absolutely, And on the pitching side, I mean, the guys
that that are performing well on the pitching side keep
getting called up to the big leagues. Caleb Bosley, who
the other I got worried the other day that someone
told me that he came out of that game early
the other day because of a back issue or something
like that, and that wasn't true necessarily.

Speaker 2 (59:22):
He seemed just fine yesterday walking around, walking through the clubhouse,
carrying his bag.

Speaker 4 (59:27):
We saw him leaving the other day. He was carrying
his bag.

Speaker 2 (59:30):
So the guy who has been really, really good is
cole Win. Still hasn't given up a run yet. That's
that's pretty exciting. He did walk the other night, pitched
twenty innings and has given up only one run and
it was unearned. So he's on the forty. So I

(59:50):
wondered if he's likely likely to see him soon. Daniel
Robert was dfade and then the Rangers struck a trade
yesterday morning to you know, not lose him for nothing,
wish him well. You know, he hadn't allowed to run either,
or he'd just or no, he'd allow to run, but
he was pitching great. Yeah, he's just an older guy,

(01:00:11):
you know. That's kind of the thing that age catches
up to these guys. Yeah, it's like, gosh, they're not
really prospects anymore, you know, Right, So anyway, that's that's
I got.

Speaker 4 (01:00:23):
Yeah, that's it. Let's go to Frisco. Frisco Hot team.
They're in first place, they are fourteen and ten, they're
five and five in their last ten and now they're
on a bit of a skid. They've lost three in
a row. Oh no, but Frisco is has played well
all year. Yeah, and and they're not getting blown out
by anybody there. Well, the other night they got they
lost seven to nothing. They got scum uh the other night.

(01:00:44):
But of course there you're talking people like Walcott, who's
playing well. Alejandro as soon as really you know, he
had a little bit of a slow start, just slow
getting off. He was hitting the ball good, it wasn't
nothing was dropping. He's really kind of turned it on.

Speaker 2 (01:00:58):
He's now he is the guy from spring training and
Sizzle sitting three hundred ps over eight hundred. Walcott's maybe
slumping a little bit. But the good thing about Sebastian
is that his walk to strikeouts are pretty pretty close eye.
I think that's something significant, especially when you talked about
look at him last year. I think that's a really
encouraging sign for him. He's not on his way to

(01:01:20):
the majors. People call down so and the issue. You know,
Josh Hatcher has been good, and you know, look, keep
an eye on Cooper Johnson. He was in Big League
camp catcher with with you know, I'm not sure what's
gonna happen to Tucker Barnhart when Gashioka comes back. It's

(01:01:43):
unlikely the Rangers keep three catchers and Tucker.

Speaker 4 (01:01:47):
And he can't.

Speaker 2 (01:01:49):
Yeah, so you could see Cooper Johnson in Triple A
here not not too too far away. And and Bobby
Wilson talked about him when we had him on the
show over the off season about how Cooper's a pretty
good defensive guy and he's got three home runs of
this season at Frisco. So yeah, pitchers know him throughout
the throughout the system.

Speaker 4 (01:02:10):
So if pitchers love you, you you get a job.

Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
Let's keep an eye on that guy.

Speaker 4 (01:02:14):
Yeah, okay, So let's go down to Hub City. Dylan
Dryland's playing Spartanburger's. They're in their inaugural season with the
brand new stadium. They are also in first place. They're
fourteen and ten right now six and four in their
last ten they have won two in a row. We
also got Dylan driling there on the offensive side of
the ball. The picture there that everyone's talking about is Davalillo.

Speaker 2 (01:02:36):
Yeah, he's pretty solid. He had a great year last
year and the Rangers really slow slow played him because
he was just dominating low way there when it was
the wood Ducks. Uh and and now you know he's
he's he's picked up where he left off. Money instrum
maker brings those names up, but even be better, you know, Yeah,

(01:02:57):
to be honest with you, and Curry had a nice
outing last time.

Speaker 4 (01:03:02):
He scoreless six seven strackouts.

Speaker 2 (01:03:05):
Guy who's been on the show, Jose Gonzalez is another
guy we're still waiting for word on our our buddy,
Paul Bunzani, waiting to hear about his elbows. Yeah, but
you know, these are names that, honestly in some cases
have been at at high A for a while. Larson Kendridge,
big left handed guy, he's having a he's having a

(01:03:25):
great start to the season. Wouldn't be surprised if he
gets moved up soon, just because he's he's just been
there for so long. Yeah, but you know, good good
arms throughout some college some of the college guys who
were drafted last year. Anthony Sussaku. I think he went
to Arizona. He might he might have been an uber driver.
We may need to get him on. But the hitting side,

(01:03:48):
we talked about dry Lean and Casey Cook, who's struggle
a little bit.

Speaker 4 (01:03:53):
Keith had a good knight the other knight though Casey
Cook was the offensive player for them the other night.

Speaker 2 (01:03:57):
Keith Jones who hit the home run the other night
and his dad was in the booth, uh, you know
on the radio when when the home run was hit.
So that was that was kind of fun. If you
guys haven't seen that, check it out. And then you
know Malcolm Moore, just as a reminder, he's injured the
first round pick last year. Still you're still nursing a
broken finger, so he's probably.

Speaker 4 (01:04:17):
Can't catch with a broken fing.

Speaker 2 (01:04:19):
Well, it's this throwing hand, you can't. Yeah, I can't
throw with a broken row.

Speaker 4 (01:04:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
I don't know which finger it was, but I think
it was his index finger. But anyway, he's on the
mendo though.

Speaker 4 (01:04:29):
Yeah, well a finger is not He's going to be
back this year.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
That's they didn't have to have surgery. They can make
up the bats in the Fall League.

Speaker 4 (01:04:36):
Absolutely, they'll splinting give him rest and before probably right
after the All Star break at the worst, he's back
out there playing every day.

Speaker 2 (01:04:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:04:43):
Broken, I've broken mini fingers. They healed pretty quickly if
you if you take care of them. All right, let's
go down to Hickory low A. It's the lowest of them.
Hickory Crowdeds are fourth in their division. They're eleven and
thirteen right now. They're four and six in their last
last ten and they're the scuttling one. They've lost four
in a row.

Speaker 2 (01:05:00):
Well, you know, that's that's the nature of low Way,
up and down, up and down, up and down. Uh
and yeah, and then you know you kind of look
at their batting averages and it's what you just what
you see. Still, Martin say smart he's dipped below three
hundred though though barely. But a lot of these guys
are just just struggling, you know. Jeremy Cabrera, he's under

(01:05:24):
two hundred. This is a guy who dominated last year
in Arizona. So just be patient with them on the
on the hitting side, pitching side. Some some guys who
always are intrigued by young young arms. You know, Caden Scarborough,
he's he's a popular one now, the fifth or sixth rounder,

(01:05:49):
twenty three out of high school. So he was young
and one of those projectable guys. Thomas Ireland who's been
around for a little while. He actually through live banning
practice yesterday to Cory Seeker. They flew him in and
he threw live VP. So that's that's kind of cool.
But uh, you know, some some guys with some college experience,

(01:06:12):
some guys who are just drafted guys. But brock Porters
finally giving up some runs. But you know, nothing to
be worried about there. His walks are under control.

Speaker 4 (01:06:23):
That's the main.

Speaker 2 (01:06:24):
Velocity is still uh there. So Mason Molina, who is
in the Grand Anderson trade, he's pitching well so, but
he's a college guy. So you know, these are kind
of guys like Molina who you would expect to be
in the first wave of moves. When these promotions start
happening and they're not that far away, it always seems

(01:06:45):
like mid may Well, I wondered when that stuff starts
to happen.

Speaker 4 (01:06:48):
Well, you know, like Krim's position is kind of swapped
when you've got Burger going down there to play first.
But you wonder when Hatcher or Josh Hatcher is going
to get that move to triple A, which I think
he deserves. Well, this is another guy that tearing up
double A. Look he's a little bit older, but he's
tearing up double A. And I think triple A is
the obvious move.

Speaker 2 (01:07:06):
But you know, you look at you have to look
at guys who have outs in their contracts, you know so,
and and you saw the Rangers traded Matt Festa the
other day. You know, it's like guys like that who
are going to get get moved out or get an
opportunity somewhere else. And and you know the Rangers aren't
going to stand in their way. That's that's I wonder
what Sam Haggerty's contract situation is ye and then an

(01:07:31):
I guess, you know, he might be a guy to
keep an eye on if if struggles continue or if
they need an infielder, though he can't play shortstop, and
that's that's always the big one. Yeah, gotta be able
to play short infielder.

Speaker 4 (01:07:44):
Right, and Foscue who plays in field but he's not
a short stop. He's uh, he's played at some but
he's not a defense. Isn't what he got him drafted?

Speaker 2 (01:07:53):
They are, they're a little weary putting him at second base. Yeah,
they're suddenly to say, hey, well don't you play sort
of stuff.

Speaker 4 (01:08:00):
Well that's a guy that could have come and played
first place. Like you said, he's done some of that.
But but now there's no reason that Blaine crim shouldn't
be getting the shot.

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
Yeah, you know, I think the difference with between the
two is that I've kind of seen Justin up here. Yeah,
and it hasn't gone great. So give Blaine a chance yep,
you know, and and go from there and we'll and again,
you know, if Blaine doesn't work out, and I want
to try Justin in the short term, well Blaine's on

(01:08:30):
the forty now, so he can be optioned.

Speaker 4 (01:08:32):
Yep, Absolutely he can. And that's that'll that's what will happen.
They won't expose him to a DFA unless he just
tanks and they're finally done with him. But that ain't happening.
I don't see that happening. And I'm just glad he's
on the forty. He makes more money now in the
minor leagues too. If he goes back down there, he's
deserved this and and he'll get his chance now.

Speaker 2 (01:08:51):
Yeah, nineteenth round pick.

Speaker 4 (01:08:54):
And of course to not if he goes oh for three,
it's a complete failure and they should just get rid
of him.

Speaker 2 (01:08:57):
Nineteenth round pick. Okay, like I was saying in the
first half our show, you know little Mississippi Mississippi College.
Met his wife there. She's a great soccer player. She's
a soccer coach now and in South Carolina. And he's
from He's from Mobile and you know the Mobile's baseball town. Yeah,

(01:09:19):
they produce football players. But you look at their history
and who's the best player out of Mobile Mobile? Alabamak Aaron.
So that's where the list start for him. You have
all kinds of guys. It's former former high former youth
league teammate with Bubba Thompson. Oh that's right, I played together.
I was playing football again, that's right. So anyway, well, god,

(01:09:41):
that's about all I got.

Speaker 4 (01:09:42):
Yeah, let's wind it down. That's another show in the can. Uh.
Thanks everybody for watching this one. We'll be back next
week to get this thing well again, don't forget to
go watch that daily show with you and Rads.

Speaker 2 (01:09:53):
Y'all.

Speaker 4 (01:09:53):
Get that thing out every day you do. After the
very last game of Very Serious they do a post
game show doing that. The minor league caps still going down.
Hit the subscribe button. Go over to DLLs Sports and
hit the subscribe button. There, join All City Network, do
all of that. Guys. There's beat routerers from everybody covering
every major sport. And Stars are in the playoffs right now.

(01:10:14):
You can be able there watching the game Game seven
coming up. Yeah, they'd be watching that Stars podcast going on.
That's gonna be going on. Of course, Cowboys just had
their draft. There's a lot to talk about there. I mean,
this is DLLs Sports is providing it all. Guys. That's
it for this week. We'll be back next week. But
until next time, see at the yard.

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