October 30, 2025 • 47 mins
The San Diego Padres search for a new manager is winding down with Albert Pujols, Nick Hundley and Ruben Niebla reportedly among the finalists for the job. Kyle Glaser and Heath Bell break it all down, including whether Pujols is ready for the job with no full-season coaching or managing experience, Hundley's promise as a manager vs. the Padres needs, and if Niebla would be able to make the jump from pitching coach to manager. Plus, a look at the World Series and what the Padres can learn from the Toronto Blue Jays.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome into another edition of Friar Territory presented by Fox One.
I'm Kylelizer alongside Heath Bell here to discuss the latest
updates in the Potters managerial search. The Potters are reportedly
down to at least three finalists, Albert Poohols, Nick Hanley,
and current pitching coach Rubin Diebla. We talked about this
(00:24):
managerial search, what the Potters need, what traits and leadership
are necessary, and just kind of giving a general overview
of what this franchise needs and what would be optimal
for them to do here. Now that we've seen these
three finalists, and there are reportedly others, but these are
the three who are known.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
What are your.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Overall thoughts on how the Potters are conducting this process
and what we have learned by seeing who these finalists are.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
I think, okay, so I think the Padres are trying
to find the best fit for the players that they
have now, and they're maybe not looking for for hey,
organizational wise, we want this guy to come in and
bring like, Hey, this is Padre Baseball. You know they're
trying to fit in you know who fits this team well?
(01:14):
Because here I'll give you an exactly really quick Rubin
been with the team. Everybody likes him. But who's going
to be the pitching coach? Then Albert Polhols Laddin, guy
you know, is going to be managing the World Baseball
class for the Dominican Great Hitter Hall of Famer. I
think a lot of guys will look up to him,
but never really managed. And then Nick Hunley hasn't managed,
(01:37):
but been in the front office with World Series championship
teams in Texas and worked for Major League Baseball, and
he's a great mind. He was a catcher and teammate
of mind. So it's just kind of all different. It's
all around the around the Horns. So I just don't
know exactly what they're looking for, be honest with you,
(01:57):
except for what fits this team.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So one trait they all have in common is none
of them have been big league managers before. So if
it is one of these three, the known finalists, it
will be the first time managing a big league club.
And we'll get into the challenges of that in a second.
Before we move forward, I want to remind everyone now
is a great time go ahead and hit that subscribe button,
hit that like button. We are on the upward ascent
here at Friar Territory. It has been a great first
(02:22):
year and we have more good stuff to come, including
some really really cool guests coming up. I encourage everyone,
Now's a great time to jump on the bandwagon, Me, Heath,
Mike Cameron, Lots of good stuff coming up this offseason,
all right, he Albert Pouhols is obviously the most high
profile name in this managerial search. Look one of the
greatest players of all time, fourth all time in home runs,
(02:44):
but as you mentioned, he has never coached or managed
at any level of affiliated professional baseball. He managed in
the Dominican Winter League and then took his team to
the Caribbean Series and Look winter Ball of the Caribbean Series,
that's wild. It is pressure packed. Those environments are crazy.
At the same time, it is very, very, very different
than being a coach or manager over the course of
(03:06):
a one hundred and sixty two game Major League season.
And given what we've talked about, this is a team
that is in position to win now, and their stated
goals are to win now. Bringing in someone, regardless of
who it is, that has no coaching or managing experience
at any level of affiliated professional baseball. It's a risk
you overlapped with Albert pooh Hooles over the course of
(03:28):
your careers. You know him. What are your thoughts about
him as a potential manager for the San Diego Potters specifically,
not just in general, but this team specifically.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Well, to be honest with you, the first thing that
comes to mind is Tatis and many will look up
to him, and that might be the best thing for
Albert Pohlholtz. You know, I think Albert's a great guy,
has always been, you know, a team guy whatnot. But
I think those two guys, I think that's why he's
so intriguing is you can kind of speak in your
(03:58):
native tongue and they kind of have been you know,
not all of it, but everybody says down the same road,
but you kind of understand superstars status and all this
stuff where you know, they could mesh or they could
clash because Albert could come in and say, hey, this
is what I did all the time, and they could go, well,
that's not the way I do things. So you know,
(04:20):
superstars sometimes clash, sometimes mesh up. But I think Albert,
I think for the next two or three years, I
think he's a good short term manager. I don't know
if he's going to be good long term, but I
think he's good for this team that we have, you know,
coming in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
It's interesting because, on the one hand, you're right, he
has a tremendous amount of credibility and authority from his
playing career. We often see, however, that the best players
do not make the best managers because they can't understand
why guys can't just do what they did. And we
also have to keep in mind that Albert Poohols was
a very big presence and really the alpha throughout his
(04:59):
career at Saint Louis, even when he was an Anaheim
when things weren't going well, and Mike Trout was the
skull that he was the biggest clubhouse presence. And I
do wonder, and this is just from my experience having
covered lots of different teams, lots of different clubhouse dynamics.
Having a manager who is used to being the alpha
dog and the guy in the spotlight joining a team
(05:20):
that also has a very very big presence in Manny Machado,
a forceful presence that is used to being an alpha
dog in the spotlight and running the clubhouse. How concerned
are you about essentially two men of warfish and it's
becoming a big clash.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Well, the thing is, it's just I don't think it's
going to be that big of a deal unless Albert,
you know, the one knock on Manny. Everybody says he
doesn't hustle down first base, he hits the ball. I
mean that's not everybody does it. But anyway, if if
if Albert says something to him and he's just like, dude,
(05:54):
come on, hustle at least, you know, give me eighty percent,
not one hundred percent every single time. And if they clash,
I don't think they're going to make up. That's the
one bad thing. I just I don't see them too
Alpha's and being like, hey, this is my team. This
is your team. Because here's the thing. If you're a
player and you think this is your team, it can be.
(06:15):
But guess what your boss is, the manager, the coach,
you know, the top dog because he gets wins and losses.
As a player, you don't get wins and losses. It's
kind of like pitchers and catchers like me and Nick Hunley.
Nick understood, I'm going to get the win. I'm going
to get the loss or I'm going to get the save.
You know, it's it's me. So whatever he you know,
when we call pitches, he can call whatever pitch he wants.
(06:38):
But at the end of the day, I'm getting, you know,
the l or or the win. Where I've had coaches,
I mean catchers and they're like, listen to me. I'm like, look,
if I don't want to throw that pitch, I don't
want to throw that pitch. It doesn't matter what you say.
I want to throw this pitch. And Nick understood, like, hey,
I got to take a step back because you know this,
(07:00):
you're the top dog in this situation. Even though catchers
do have a rating of how well the pitchers do
when they catch and this and that. But Many has
to remember the manager is the top dog, and so
they could kind of clash a little bit. But at
the end of the day, you know, you have to
you got to respect your you know, the higher position
(07:20):
because you know he's not making all decisions. Many's just
you know, taking care of third base and hitting. He's
not taking care of the pitchers and the defense and
the offense and where do people go and who people
sits and do all that. That's what a manager does,
so you know, they just have to be a little respect,
you know, going on. That's all.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
And in terms of the day to day operations, you know,
managing the clubhouse, managing the bullpen, working with your coaches.
One of the things that I talked about on the
show with Mike last week, I personally have felt like,
and again this is just based on my experience seeing
all thirty teams, different dynamics, how they work, different kinds
of teams. For a team that is trying to win
right now, that has the at least core pieces to
(08:01):
do so, they need to make some additions to their roster.
No question, bringing in someone who has never managed a
coach at any level does seem like an unnecessary risk,
just because there are so many aspects that you cannot
really simulate how the game speeds up on you. Dealing
with the media every day, dealing with players over the
course of a one to sixty two season, and doing
so as a player is very different than doing so
(08:23):
as a manager. Interacting with the coaches, interacting with the
front office, navigating all the different personalities and politics. It's
a lot and it can be pretty draining, and I
think for me, we see so often new managers struggle
with a lot of the in game strategy at first,
whether it's bullpen decisions, whether it's pinch hitting decisions, whether
it's giving guys days off or timing it right. And
(08:44):
I think for a team that is again not looking
at three years down the road and can afford to
have a manager learn on the job, I don't know
if it's the right higher. And this is true of
anyone who has no managerial experience. And we'll get to
Nick Hunley in a second. Do you see those of
signific at risks or am I overstating it? No?
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I see those those risks. I mean honestly, I think
by August and September he'll kind of whoever if he
was a first time manager, will kind of get the
swing of everything. But you know, we always as a player,
you're in there and going, hey, put in so and
so or so and so should be doing this, and
then when they do well, you're like, see told you.
But when they don't do well, it's kind of like
(09:24):
you don't say anything. And now as a manager, at
the end of the day, you have to say, well,
I put this guy in for this reason. You know,
you can't just like well, I had a feeling. I mean,
you can do that, but eventually people are going to
start saying, well, your feelings are off. So I just
think it's gonna be hard, And you know, it's just
(09:47):
one of those things like, yeah, it's I don't think
you're overblowing it. I think it's a true risk. I
think it's something that they should be concerned about. All Right.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
He's one of the defining characteristic of any team is
who are the leaders in the clubhouse? How do they
relate to the coaches, how do they relate to the manders,
what is that dynamic? And there's someone in particular that
I think has gotten a little bit forgotten about as
a clubhouse leader, but I think will play a very
key role in twenty twenty six, both on the field
and in the locker room, and that is Joe Musgrove,
(10:17):
and he is the subject of this week's DraftKings Player spotlight.
All Right, we talk so much about Manny Machado being
a leader in the clubhouse, but Joe Musgrove, throughout his
tenure since arriving in San Diego, has also been a
very very very important, and I will say very very
very good leader, particularly on the pitching side, in addition
(10:40):
to pitching, like a frontline guy, in addition to being
a native San Diego who in a lot of ways
does a lot of face the team kind of stuff.
He is as involved as anyone and helping the pitchers,
helping guys get better, mentoring young players. Whenever his playing
career is done, he will be a pitching coach and
a very very good one, and who knows, maybe beyond
that as well. Over the past year year, obviously he
(11:00):
was out after having TJ, but he was a constant
presence in the clubhouse, working with guys, talking to guys.
He is very much an important part of this team.
He will be returning to the mound and what he
does on the mound is going to be critical. But
I think when you talk about integrating a new manager,
how those clubhouse leaders relate to them, how they relay
messages is super super critical. What do you want to
see from a clubhouse leader like Joe Musgrove, and particularly
(11:23):
someone who in a lot of ways is the leader
of the pitching staff when it comes to integrating a
new manager, Well.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Really, I think there's a you have the leader of
the pitching staff as you're one of your starters, then
Manny is probably the leader of the position players. And
you know, you kind of have a leader off the
bench a little bit, you know, for the role players,
and kind of a leader in the bullpen. But they
all kind of looked up to, you know, one or
two guys in the clubhouse. That could be Joe, that
could be Manny. Yeah, it's just I think show the
(11:54):
manager respect whoever it is and not be you know,
like say something on your breath or you know, just
be like man you know, let's just say Manny because
I mean everybody's going to talk about that and run
about balls. Well, Albert, you didn't run out balls either,
say like that because if you if you, if you
(12:14):
get a sense that your leader doesn't respect your manager
you're head leader, then then it could be kind of
a chaos in the locker room.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Yeah. It's interesting too, right because we're talking about pooh
Holes and Nick Humley, who are position players? Ruben na
Able to obviously a pitching coach, one of the best
in baseball. It's a different dynamic when someone comes from
a position player background to a pitching background, and I
do think that when you are bringing someone who was
a position player, and again you're talking about guys like
Pooholes and Humley who have no coaching or managerial experience.
(12:45):
Now Humley was a catcher, so he understands pitchers a
little bit more. But this is where I do think
having that player leadership and Joe Musgrove being the person
he is, I think he's going to be extra important.
Like he's already important to this team always has been
what he does on the mountain first and foremost. But
I do think that his role as a leader in
the clubhouse and how he is able to communicate to
(13:07):
the pitching staff, help lead the pitching staff in light
of whatever change happens. I think it's gonna be one
of the more interesting undercurrents of the season, particularly because
we know that the padres when they are at their best,
it's when they're pitching leads them.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, you know, Joe, I think it's gonna be a
big part on the field and off the field. I mean,
when somebody's hurt and they helping you out, it's a
big thing. But when he actually is helping you out
and going out there and performing. You just it's just like, oh, yeah,
you know he's doing it too, or you see him
do that and then he tells you try this, and
you're like okay. But you know sometimes when you're heard,
(13:42):
it's kind of like I get it. You know, that's
what you do, but right now or this year is different,
or this ball is different or something like that. So
I think Joe's going to be a big part of
this organization and be one of the top leaders in
the clubhouse. It's just, you know, it's gonna be weird.
I mean, I think the manager nowadays inspire and just
deals with the bullpen and the pitching staff. So like
(14:04):
when Rubin has a chance, I'm like, there's a possibility
because he knows the pitching staff. But the only thing
I worry about with Rubin is whoever the pitching coach
is going to be. Is he gonna interflict with that?
Because I'll give you an example. Darren Balseley was our
pitching coach. Bud Black pitched in the big leagues, but
he let Darren Balsley deal with all the pitchers. Now,
(14:24):
he would come to the pitchers and ask us questions
and talk to us, but he was more of like
the inspirational mental part, where the physical mechanical was Darren Balsley,
and they probably talked back and forth without us knowing,
So it's just how are you going to play that?
Speaker 1 (14:42):
That's all we will sealed. Definitely be an interesting dynamic,
but regardless of who the potters higher, clubhouse leaderships can
be very important and Joe Musgrove will play a big
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Speaker 1 (15:58):
Welcome back to Friar Territory present by Fox one. All right,
we talked about Albert pooh Holes the pluses and minuses
of potentially hiring him as the Padres manager. Given he
is one of three known finalists. I want to talk
about the other two known finalists, starting with Nick Henley.
You were teammates with Nick Comley for four seasons with
the Padres. You pitched to him a lot. I think
(16:19):
anyone who knows Nick Conley has talked to Nick Henley.
Understands Nick Comley has known that he has a future
as a big league manager for a very long time.
That was clear to me when I was interviewing him
when he was a player, that said, like Albert pooh holes.
He has never coached or managed at any level of
affiliated professional baseball. After his playing career concluded, he went
to work for Major League Baseball. He most recently was
(16:41):
an assistant in the Texas Rangers front office under Chris Young,
another former teammate of yours. How do you assess Nick Henley,
first and foremost, just knowing him as well as you do,
what would you say are are his strengths, his weaknesses?
And just how would you describe him and his potential
as a manager.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
You know, I think he's very intelligent. He understands of
the game. He you know, thinks about stuff that a
lot of people don't about, like situation, when to steal,
when to not, you know, when to take that extra base,
because I remember him he was always the fastest guy,
but he knew when to take the extra base or
go from first to home. It was just a situational
(17:21):
like kind of new And then also he was one
of those catchers that we had that would constantly talk
to you, you know, hey, how you doing? And you go, hey,
how am I framing? Am I doing this? Am I
doing that? And I am I basically like saying, am
I doing good enough for you? You know? Because I'm
always trying to get better. He wasn't always about like
(17:41):
he wanted you to do really well, and he didn't
care about him doing really well, but he wanted to
help you do well. Where like setting up where do
you want me to set up? Do you want me
to catch the ball and bring it over? Do you
want me to do this? Do you want me to
put the glove down and bring it to the very end?
You want me to give it a target? So he
was always thinking, and I think he'll be a really
good manager, the one thing that I you know, he
(18:05):
hasn't managed yet. So I think people at first will
kind of go, well, does he really know what to
talk about or does he really know what to say?
They're gonna like wait and see, they're not going to
respect him right off the bat, like say, Albert, you
know Hall of Famers, you just kind of respect right away.
But Nick kind of made himself into a really good
(18:26):
ballplayer and bounced around and he was really solid. So
I think he's kind of not saying he's Joe Tory,
but he can turn into something like that as a
catcher that was really that was good. But is really
smart that if you give him a chance, he could
you know, three or four years, everybody's gonna say, Wow,
he's good. It's kind of like Dave Roberts a little
(18:48):
bit in La Well.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
And I think what's important to remember when you talk
about comparisons, right, and this is where experience comes in.
Dave Roberts was on the Potters coaching stuff for many
many years. Talk about different managers how they've been able
to be successful their first year. Pretty much all of
them had previous experience as a coach. And if Steven
vote with the Guardians, I've seen some people throw that around.
He was on the Mariners coaching staff for a year
and if you talk to him, and I have, he'll
(19:13):
tell you how valuable that experience was. So I think
again there's kind of that dynamic, right if someone you
know will be a really good manager, but you want
to have that landing spot for them where they can
be a coach for a little bit first, just to
see the different perspectives, because being in the front office first,
being in the dugout for one sixty two is very,
very different. How quickly do you feel like Nick Hemley
(19:35):
would be able to make that adjustment? You mentioned Pooholes,
by virtue of his career, would have some authority incredibility
right off the bat, but you also mentioned it might
not be till August September you kind of figure some
things out. Would it be the same timeline for Nick
Humley or do you think it would be a longer curve.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
I personally think it'd be the same timeline. I'll give
you an example. Personally. You know I've tried to I've
coached college a little bit, coach high school, to coach
summer ball teams, and me getting back into professional because
you know, there's so many managers up. Everybody's asking me, Heath,
you want to go manage? You know you talk baseball
the time, and I said, look, I I want to
(20:11):
go to the minor leagues show that I can do
it before you get to the big leagues, because I
think it's very valuable if you're a first base coach,
if you're a third base coach, you're a bench coach
that you're in there, you see everything going on, kind
of like Will Venable next teammate, he was a coach
for a while and then he was a bench coach
and then eventually got the White Sox managing job. And
(20:33):
I think that was very valuable. And I think anytime
first time coach manager like Albert or Will, I mean, Nick,
it's gonna take three four months to kind of get in,
settle in, to be like, okay, here we go. Because
here's the thing. As a player, midday, you know, mid
season dog days, you kind of know what you're going
(20:54):
to do. Yeah, but you have to see what all
twenty six guys are doing, Guys that are hurt, you know,
your minds everywhere. So I think it's going to take
you know, like say I said, you know, August or
September before they really feel comfortable.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
One of the things that a long time manager told
me that has stuck with me was that, realistically, a
manager's job in today's day and age, ninety percent of
it is managing the bullpen. The other ten percent is
making sure the clubhouse is running smoothly. A lot of
the day to day you know working with the players,
A lot of that falls on your coaches. I want
(21:32):
to start with managing the bullpen. We see all the time.
It's the biggest hot button topic along with lineup construction.
We see fans jumping on Twitter about we and the
media asking about it. It's easily the area that I
think the most focus is put on when it comes
to a manager's job on a day to day basis,
and it is a very very critical one because we've
seen managers struggle with it and when that happens, they're
(21:55):
out of a job in two years and the team
struggles and the ones who are really good at it,
even if you make decisions you don't agree with it
on the whole, they do a good job. They tend
to have a little more staying power. As a member
at the bullpen who has seen this from all angles
for a long time, many different teams, made, different managers,
pitching coaches, et cetera. How do you assess whether someone
will be good at it, what traits they need to
(22:16):
be good at? At? What do you think is the
key to being able to do that? Because it is
such a big part of what a manager's job really
is in today's day and age.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Well the manager really needs to do is they need
to have a relationship with everybody in the bullpen. That's
really what it is, and talk to them least once
a week, see how they're doing. Are they going in
the training room, are they getting stretched out? Are they
just showing up? Are they getting well? Because here's the
thing I do believe. If you go in the training room,
you know, five six times a week, you're going to
get stretched out way better than if you stretch yourself out.
(22:47):
Are you staying in shape, are you conditioning? Are you
what are you doing? Are you just showing up and
playing ball? Because you're going to break down faster even
if you've got a great arm. So you just need
to have that relationship with the guys in the pin.
You need to be everybody needs to be honest. You
need to have where if the coach says, hey, I
(23:07):
know you feel great, but I just need you to
take a day off and don't throw much, and then
kind of keep your eye out during badding practice. Is
he throwing a lot or is he not throwing a lot?
You know, just kind of keep an eye on everybody
and you're gonna have seven eight guys in the bullpen
where you're gonna have seven eight different personalities and know
the pitching, the starters. So really it just it goes
(23:28):
down to the best best managers I've ever had, went
and talked to us at least once a week and
build a relationship where to this day I still talk
to those managers, you know once in a while or
shoot a text to the holidays. Where you know, some
managers you're just another guy on their sheet and you
just don't care, and then you feel like you want
(23:49):
to do better or you want to overdo something and
it never works out well.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
And that leads us to the Padres final known finalists
for the manager o job been able to pitching coach
who in a lot of ways, has remade the entire
Potters pitching infrastructure since joining the team. He was hired
after the twenty twenty one season. His first year coaching
was twenty twenty two, and has turned the Padres into
one of the best pitching organizations in baseball. Talk about
(24:16):
whether it's guys taking a step forward, former aces rediscovering
their best selves, guys coming over from Japan who are unproven.
They have essentially turned everyone into frontline studs for the
most part. Under Ruby Dieblo, he has those relationships with
the pitching staff. He also is a known quantity in
the Padres clubhouse who has credibility with what he has
(24:38):
done for the San Diego Padres. How do you assess
his candidacy, especially compared to Pouhols and Helmling, because all
different backgrounds, different personality types, but they're all on the running.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I think rub would be a good manager, I really do.
I think his take he'll kind of after one or
two months. I think he'll kind of settle in because
he's been there on that team. He knows everybody. It's
just I worry about what who's coming in as a
pitching coach. You know, are they gonna go to Ruben
or are they gonna go to the pitching coach. You know,
(25:11):
you kind of have to the pitching coach that Ruben
brings in if he becomes a manager, they have to
be on the same page and we'll probably work together
because all the pitchers are gonna probably go to Ruben,
not the new pitching coach, and the new pitching coach
has to swallow his pride and say, well, he's Adam
for the last couple of years, so he's gonna maybe
be with them, you know, kind of like his bad
(25:33):
word to say, but understudy and even though you're the
main pitching coach and you're the understudy. So it's just
kind of that's a that's a little worried some And
then also the other coaches like say, our hitters don't
do well. Is our manager going to go to the
hitting coaches and say, hey, what are we working on?
And it's going to be almost like, well, you're the pitcher,
(25:53):
you know, because trust me, when I was playing, hitters
would say, Pecko is too big. When you bring the
fences in, we'd hit so many more home runs and
they had this equation and we'd bring the math in
and we're like, so you're telling me we need it
four home we we'd if it brought the fences in,
it would be four hundred more home runs than we
do now. I so we just don't have power guist.
(26:13):
That's just all it is. But it's just a little
dynamic back and forth. But I think Ruben would be
good in the aspect heam knows everybody, everybody knows him.
I just worry a little bit about the new pitching
coach slash the other coaches. You know, that's all just
because you're all on the same team. But then sometimes
when you're the you're the manager, you know, it's kind
(26:35):
of like, well, are you getting mad at me or
this and that?
Speaker 1 (26:38):
So anyway, does that get mitigated by somewhat by the
pitching coach, say, being someone who has already been on
staff and has a relationship with Ruben And I'm specifically
thinking about Ben Fritz. Ben's the Pubs bullpen coach, very
very highly regarded someone Again a lot of people feel
like will be a pitching coach somewhere and potentially more
considering there is already a relationship there and you can
(26:59):
speak to how pitching coaches and bullpen coaches worked together.
Would that mitigate those concerns?
Speaker 3 (27:05):
That would be probably the best scenario if Rubin got
the job. You know, bullpen coach, you're just kind of
managing everybody down there and make sure that they have
the balls. You know, Hey, who's coming up to bat? Hey,
you know, this is this is how you pitch to him,
this is how you pitch them. It's kind of just
(27:26):
a refresher course. You kind of like the assistant to
the major league pitching coach. So even though you are
a major league bulling coach. Yeah, that would be the
best transition, I do believe, to move him up, but
and then just working together and then just get another
smart bullpen you know, mind out there and hey, I'm available.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
All right? He wrap this up. Of these three known finalists,
and again there are reportedly more out there, they have
not been identified yet. The Paugres have played this very
very close to the best. Do you have one that
your gut instinct says would be the best pick?
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Well, here's the thing. I would love Ruben to be
the manager, just to kind of give us pitchers a chance.
I'd love Nick Huntley, good friend of mine, talk to
him a couple times a year to get that opportunity.
But my guts feeling says it's going to be Albert
you know, another friend. But I just think it's a
gut feeling that Albert has is going to have is
(28:24):
the front run because we need offense, and I know
we need starting pitching, but offense and we need Manny
and Tatis them to really hit. And maybe he can
bring something to the table as in, hey, work on
this do this. This is how to be a superstar,
This is how to be a Hall of Famer. Blah
blah blah. I just think the respect will be a
(28:46):
little bit more for our offense to Albert than the
other two.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
That's all To follow up with that. Do you think
the potential games there would mitigate any shortcomings that are
just naturally going to happen from not having been in
the position before, whether it's bullpen management, you know, dealing
with front office dynamics, dealing with players of all different
you know, experience levels, personality types, just there's a diversity
variety of interactions you have as a manager that you
(29:12):
do not have as a player. Would the advantages from
that mitigate those Well.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
See, here's the thing I would say fifteen twenty years ago,
Albert definitely, because nowadays you manage bullpen and you know, starters.
That's where I think it's going to lack with Albert.
He just I don't think he knows pitchers like he
knows hitters, and he might rely heavily on Ruben to
(29:38):
do all that. But who's getting the credit then? You know,
so if things go bad, is he going to throw
a Ruben under the bus? Or is he just going
to take You know, I'm just speculating here, but that's
the one thing it lacks is bullpen when to bring
in guys. I think he's going to be asking a
million questions and he's not going to have that feel of, Hey,
(29:59):
I think he doesn't have a today, Let's pull them,
Let's bring this guy. We need to rest this guy.
Let's not overuse guys because we're going to need him
down the stretch. That Ruben understands and I'm pretty sure
Nick Henley understands because as a catcher, you see guys
towards the end of the season not have a sharp
or the guys that are sharp, but you know they've
had some rest along the way.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Absolutely, And you make a good point. Whoever comes in
those relationships with your coaches are going to be key.
Who they choose to hire, who they choose to retain.
It there's so many different factors here, so many different dynamics,
and a manager can be the exact same guy, but
if he doesn't have the right coaches under him, we'll
get vastly different results. So there's a lot of play here.
We will see what the Potters choose to do. All right, Heath,
(30:40):
We're going to take a quick break here, work for
more sponsors, and then discuss the world series.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
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Speaker 1 (31:42):
Square see you in the neighborhood. Get after at FTFAM
Welcome back to Friar Territory presented by Fox one Heath.
The Toronto Blue Days bounced back from an eighteen inning
loss in Game three to take the last two games
in Los Angeles. They head home to Toronto with a
three games to two lead. What do you think are
(32:02):
they going to close it out in Toronto or will
the Dodgers come back?
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Well? I think it's I think the Dodgers' weakness is
kind of opened up the bullpen. They have no bullpen help,
most bullpen presence. I think if they don't hit home runs,
they don't score runs. I just think the you know,
they their weakness is kind of Toronto has kind of
(32:25):
opened it up because you know, Hernandez making that air
and then a sackfly. I just think, uh, Toronto right
now is showing that they're the better team all around.
I mean, they hustle, they get bass hits, they hit
home runs, they're pitching really well and they're playing really
(32:46):
good defense. So you know, the catchers are blocking balls,
and pitchers are coming in now throwing wild pitches, and
I just Toronto right now, I think is the favorite.
I think maybe the Dodgers might win first one, but
I really believe Toronto's probably gonna win this.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
We talked about this before the World Series started, that
this was never going to be a walkover. The Blue
Jays are a really, really good team. They were always
going to get theirs. The exact words we use were
the blue Jays offense, They're gonna get theirs. They're going
to put a scare innge of the Dodgors. This will
not be a walkover. That was what we said last week,
and that is certainly what has happened. Been what has
happened now. We both picked the Dodgers to win the
(33:25):
series in six. That obviously can't happen anymore. But the
fact that Blue Jays have made this a series should
not be a surprise to anyone. Let's not forget. I've
talked about this, I've written about it, and I've raised
it a million times because I think people need to
hear it. This was the one seed in the American
League with a top five payroll that has five All
Stars in their lineup, two Selling Award winners in the rotation. Like,
this is not some scrappy underdog that is playing above
(33:49):
their heads. This is a really, really good team. This
was the best team in the American League that beat
the hell out of the Yankees in the Alds. There
is no question who the better team was there that
came back down two to ozho and beat a really
really really good Mariners team and a really really good
Mariners pitching staff to get to the World Series. And
they've come out and thrown haymakers against the Dodgers in
(34:10):
Game one. We saw yesterday in Game five, back to
back homers to open up the game off Blake Snow.
This is a really good team that is playing really
high quality baseball. You're right, objectively, they're out hitting the Dodgers,
they aren't pitching the Dodgers. They're playing better defense than
the Dodgers. They're playing great right now. And when you
consider the fact the Blue Jays had the second best
record in baseball at home of any team this year,
(34:32):
Rogers Center goes bananas. They're sitting pretty again. I'm not
going to count the Dodgers out. This team is too good.
They have too much experience, they have too much composure
to just be like, oh, yeah, they're done. But this
has been a really, really, really impressive showing by Toronto,
and I think people I've seen so many things be
framed in the context of, well, what do the other
team do wrong? You know, what do the Yankees do wrong? Nothing?
(34:53):
The Blue Jays were the better team. What do the
Mariners do wrong? And Dan Wilson made some mistakes, but
the Blue Jays also came back down from to to
Oh you know, the Dodgers right now are not hitting
the series, and a lot of that is issues they've
had dating back a few rounds now, but it's also
the blue Jays pitching stuff. Let's get the blue Jays credit.
This isn't just about what the other team is doing wrong.
(35:15):
The Blue Jays are a great team, executing and playing
really good baseball.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Yeah. I always said the Blue Jays probably have the
best chance to beat the Dodgers. They're okay. So people
have to realize, and I think ownerships have to realize.
Maybe DMS will listen to this. Toronto has been putting
this team together for the past two or three years,
and you could say these guys haven't really hit, and
this year they're finally starting to hit. I think they
(35:40):
finally started gelling together. I think they finally started learning
how to play, They started learning, you know, everybody's courts
and stuff. It takes a year, a full year for you,
if you put a bunch of good guys together to
kind of everybody find their own way. And they've you know,
with the core, they've stayed with their guys and they'll
bring guys out there doing well and they'll stick with him.
(36:00):
It's not just like, well, let's let's ease him into
the big leagues. You know he's doing well, put him in,
you know, if you can help out and they're helping
every you know, Springer goes down, it's a huge hit
for Toronto. The guys that have come in before them,
they just didn't try. One or two guys and everybody
that's come in is like, do not'ing ready to go
because I feel like the whole organization, everybody on the
(36:22):
team isn't going. Okay, Springer's down, we've lost it. No, No,
this is a chance for so and so to get
a hit. Now, this is a chance for this opportunity
and everybody's excited about it. And that's a good team
and a good nucleus, and man, Toronto might be here
for a long time and build a dynasty up there.
So they're, uh, it's not just the Dodgers aren't hitting.
(36:45):
Toronto can hit. And we all said that, we just
said I think maybe the only might Like I said
the edge I give to the Dodgers, but it was
a small edge, and I actually said Game seven, but
it was because the Dodgers have been there, that's the
only reason. And but Toronto's is that team that's like,
I don't care if we're down, I don't care where
(37:05):
we're playing. We're gonna we're gonna score, we're gonna hit,
we're gonna pitch. And they've done that and it's exciting
to watch. It really is.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Yeah, And again, the Blue Jays have been competitive for
a while, but there was always a sense that they
weren't getting the most. Their rosters were better than their production.
But it's not like this was a team that was
struggling for a long time.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
They reached the playoffs in twenty twenty two, twenty twenty three,
they were a ninety one win team in twenty twenty one.
Last year, the bottom fell out. They were in last
plays last year, but that was a case of everything
that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Now they're healthy,
guys are producing. And it's important to note too, they've
done this without having Bobaschett for the first two rounds
and now George Springer has been out these last couple
of games in the World Series. They've been missing key
(37:46):
guys and they've still been doing this, which again speaks
to their depth. And we talk so much about the
Potters offense, but they have to build. The Blue Jays
were a team that had the second fewest strikeouts in
baseball and scored the fourth most runs. They hit for power,
they hit, They led the majors in average, they led
the majors on base percentage. They have a bunch of
thirty home run threats. This is what a championship offense
(38:06):
looks like. One to nine. They hit for power and average,
they don't swing and miss. They're able to make contact
against high end pitching, which you have to do, and
they have done consistently throughout this Again, they killed Max
Fried and Carlos dn absolutely destroyed them. George Kirby Logan, Gilbert,
Luis Castill. These guys are studs on the Mariners had
(38:27):
no problem with them. We just saw them take Blake Snow.
I mean they've made Blake Snow look bad twice. Now,
this is a team that can take down elite pitching.
And that's how you do it. You have to be
deep one to nine, you have to do everything, hit
for power, hit for average. They don't run much, but
they don't have to. This is just a really good offense.
And oh look will they close it out? They're certainly
(38:47):
in great position too. I do agree with you now,
I do think this goes seven. I just have a
hard time seeing the Dodgers going down so feebly. But
it's been a really, really good show. And I also
would be remiss. I don't mention Trey Savage, a rookie
who at this time last year had just been drafted
out of East Carolina a mid major, had not thrown
(39:08):
a single professional inning, jumps four levels of the miners
this year to get to the majors, and just set
the rookie record for strikeouts in the postseason game. Facing
the defending World Series champions on the road in a
critical Game five, like let's you appreciate this. This is insane.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Savage was a savage. He literally like when they came out,
everybody like hugged him one at a time. And that
just shows to show you how close these guys are.
If you're a veteran, if you're a rookie, everybody is
just on board. And you know, on a side note,
they got a day off and then they're going to
(39:49):
there in Toronto. Who would you start game six for
a few of the Dodgers? Would you get a rookie
out there?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
I mean, Yamamoto's dude, he's been your best guy. I
mean he's he's who you throw and then game seven, look,
it's all the hands on deck. You start glass now,
but you bring show hat of the bullpen if you
have to, And I.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
Mean, yeah, that's what I would do. Let's go. Yeah,
you know that's your best bet. But Toronto, man, it's
it's been a fun series really as it doesn't matter
who you're rooting for. I mean, I know if you're
a Dodger fan, bummed, but it was it's back and forth.
And when I say Toronto runs, it's not stealing, it's
on a pass ball. The ball hits the ground, they'll
(40:27):
take the extra base, even if it gets out in
front of them. Yeah, and that's what I'm saying. They're aggressive,
And yeah, they're going from first to third. They're they're trying,
they're going from second to home. They're trying. Even though
they got thrown out a couple times, they're like, we're
still gonna go.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Yeah, it's true will Smith, Will Smith that throw a
runner out first inning. But we still saw them be aggressive.
You know, some pass balls while pitches. They definitely put
the pressure on the Dodgers. The last thing I'll say
is going back to your savage again, this is you know,
Baseball America, Kyle coming out here. For anyone in their
draft year to just get to two levels, like, jump
(41:04):
two levels, that's a fantastic first year. If you jump
three levels, you are in a very very very select
group of minor leaguers, Like that's incredible. To go through
all four levels in the minors is insane. And then
to get to the majors, even if he had done that,
gotten to the majors, gotten his butt kicked first three
starts of his career, been like, hey, just the fact
(41:26):
he's even there, this is amazing. He'll be fine for
him to be as successful as he's been in the majors.
I mean, we're watching something. You know, we talk about
historic and unprecedented, and those words get thrown around a lot.
This has never happened. We have never seen a rookie
strike out as many batters in a World Series game
as Tray Savage did, and we have certainly never seen
it be done by someone with so little professional experience.
(41:48):
And the thing that just had my mind blown is
his splitters. I have never seen Freddy Freeman take such
feeble swings. This is one of the best hitters of
our generation. You never see Freddy Freeman look out of
sorts the play when he's healthy. I have literally never
seen such feeble swings from Freddy Freeman. And it was
everyone else too, but that just, I mean, that was
(42:10):
insane to watch the swings he's getting with that splitter.
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (42:15):
Well, here's the thing is, you have to give credit
to the Blue Jays organization. They I would say nine
add ten times when guys get called out all a sudden,
the catcher or the pitching coach or somebody's like, okay, well,
this is how you pitch in the big leagues, and
I always think that's the worst thing to ever say.
It's like, hey, whatever you did in triple A or
double A, wherever you came from, keep doing it. Who
(42:37):
cares if you're facing you know, Freddy Freeman or Mookie
Betts or Otawani. Just keep doing it, man. You know,
here's here's how we pitch to those guys. But you
pitch to your strength. You do you. You know, it's
kind of like my kid always says, you do you boo.
So it's just one of those things that you got
to give credit to that organization to believe in those guys.
(42:58):
And you know, some guys in the minor leagues will
tear it up and move up, like you say, and
then it's like, well, we're not going to bring him
just up yet. And I think it's a business decision
because you know, his clock starts where, hey, bring him up.
If he's dealing, bring him up. Especially if you got
room and your guy's not dealing, try him out. If
he doesn't do well, then he sent him back. But
(43:20):
sometimes people make business decisions. Organizations do that, and I
think it hurts in Toronto, and you got to admit,
Toronto's a really good organization. They've showed a lot the
last couple of years, and their players are playing their
hearts out for him.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
You know, it's interesting too, because you talk about bringing
a guy up or not. Jose Barrios and Chris Bassett
two very accomplished starters. They moved them to the bullpen
and made room for Tray Savage and it has been
the right decision. And it kind of brings me back
a little bit too, what we talked about with the
podres and Game three, looking at look hype saving Game two.
Dal and cs and new Darwage have not been effective.
(43:55):
Randy Vasquez has been effective. Do you choose experience or effectiveness.
The Potters chose experience, it didn't work out. The Blue
Jays chose who's actually getting the job done, and that's
worked out for them.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Well that's why I think you just go with your
hot hand. I mean, you go with your best guys,
not or traditionally he's been the better guy. Well, but
maybe he's having a bad year, you know, and you
got you the hot guy. You know. I remember Wayne
Wright when he got caught up. He was closing, and
I forget who was closing the whole year. But he
came up and he was just hot in the playoffs
(44:27):
in six was.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
It Jason Isronhausen? I think was the Cardinals closer back then.
Speaker 3 (44:32):
It was it was Ironhausen or somebody else, Yeah, but
it was he had He had like thirty or forty saves,
doing really well. But isn'n houser was nasty at the end.
It was like, you're gonna be our guy. Yeah, you're hot,
let's go. Nobody could, nobody's seen you. Let's do it.
And he got the Cardinals to the World Series and one.
So it's just, uh, sometimes you got to go with
(44:54):
your gut instinct and go with the hot guy and
say over the veteran that well, I know he can
do it.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
Yeah, Jason ni Zeringhausen was the closer of thirty three
saves that year. I have to ask, as a member
of the Mets who was watching it, how often does
that Adam Wayne or at curveball to get Carlos belt
trend looking to end the series replay in your mind.
Speaker 6 (45:11):
Every playoffs, just sending the bullpen going hit it swing
like we just paid your one hundred and nineteen million
swim so you had the year before you hit what
ten twelve home runs?
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Like it was like, that's what we signed you for.
So but whatever, it's all good.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
That's what it is, all right, he any final thoughts
as we wrap up here, Popters man geral search a
World Series all the above.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
Uh, you know, the World Series has been fun to watch.
I really hope it goes to game seven so I
get two more games under my belt. You know, I
hope Toronto, like I said, Toronto's every time they've went
to the World Series, they've won, so why not make
it a third time? Managers with the Padres. You know,
I really hope Nick Hunley gets it. A good friend,
you know that I've always talked to this app But
(46:01):
I just hope the Padres pick out the good, the
best manager for the job, and I hope it works
really well. Whoever they make, whatever decision they.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Make, we will see what happens. The Potters have well,
I should say, reports are the Padres will make a
managerial higher by the end of this week. We'll see
what happens.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Again, did they say the end of this week or
by the end of the.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Week, So that's right, the week, assuming it's this week,
but we'll see what ends up happening. We will have
full coverage of the Potters manager will higher when it
is an announced, so make sure and keep it here
on Friar Territory. This has been another great addition. Go
ahead subscribe like five stars, leave us a comment all
the good stuff. We love talking ball with y'all. For
(46:44):
Heath Belt, I'm Kyle Glazer. Thank you for watching and listening.
We'll see you later on.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
If the facts
Speaker 1 (47:05):
Looked after
Welcome into another edition of Friar Territory presented by Fox One.
I'm Kylelizer alongside Heath Bell here to discuss the latest
updates in the Potters managerial search. The Potters are reportedly
down to at least three finalists, Albert Poohols, Nick Hanley,
and current pitching coach Rubin Diebla. We talked about this
(00:24):
managerial search, what the Potters need, what traits and leadership
are necessary, and just kind of giving a general overview
of what this franchise needs and what would be optimal
for them to do here. Now that we've seen these
three finalists, and there are reportedly others, but these are
the three who are known.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
What are your.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Overall thoughts on how the Potters are conducting this process
and what we have learned by seeing who these finalists are.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
I think, okay, so I think the Padres are trying
to find the best fit for the players that they
have now, and they're maybe not looking for for hey,
organizational wise, we want this guy to come in and
bring like, Hey, this is Padre Baseball. You know they're
trying to fit in you know who fits this team well?
(01:14):
Because here I'll give you an exactly really quick Rubin
been with the team. Everybody likes him. But who's going
to be the pitching coach? Then Albert Polhols Laddin, guy
you know, is going to be managing the World Baseball
class for the Dominican Great Hitter Hall of Famer. I
think a lot of guys will look up to him,
but never really managed. And then Nick Hunley hasn't managed,
(01:37):
but been in the front office with World Series championship
teams in Texas and worked for Major League Baseball, and
he's a great mind. He was a catcher and teammate
of mind. So it's just kind of all different. It's
all around the around the Horns. So I just don't
know exactly what they're looking for, be honest with you,
(01:57):
except for what fits this team.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
So one trait they all have in common is none
of them have been big league managers before. So if
it is one of these three, the known finalists, it
will be the first time managing a big league club.
And we'll get into the challenges of that in a second.
Before we move forward, I want to remind everyone now
is a great time go ahead and hit that subscribe button,
hit that like button. We are on the upward ascent
here at Friar Territory. It has been a great first
(02:22):
year and we have more good stuff to come, including
some really really cool guests coming up. I encourage everyone,
Now's a great time to jump on the bandwagon, Me, Heath,
Mike Cameron, Lots of good stuff coming up this offseason,
all right, he Albert Pouhols is obviously the most high
profile name in this managerial search. Look one of the
greatest players of all time, fourth all time in home runs,
(02:44):
but as you mentioned, he has never coached or managed
at any level of affiliated professional baseball. He managed in
the Dominican Winter League and then took his team to
the Caribbean Series and Look winter Ball of the Caribbean Series,
that's wild. It is pressure packed. Those environments are crazy.
At the same time, it is very, very, very different
than being a coach or manager over the course of
(03:06):
a one hundred and sixty two game Major League season.
And given what we've talked about, this is a team
that is in position to win now, and their stated
goals are to win now. Bringing in someone, regardless of
who it is, that has no coaching or managing experience
at any level of affiliated professional baseball. It's a risk
you overlapped with Albert pooh Hooles over the course of
(03:28):
your careers. You know him. What are your thoughts about
him as a potential manager for the San Diego Potters specifically,
not just in general, but this team specifically.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Well, to be honest with you, the first thing that
comes to mind is Tatis and many will look up
to him, and that might be the best thing for
Albert Pohlholtz. You know, I think Albert's a great guy,
has always been, you know, a team guy whatnot. But
I think those two guys, I think that's why he's
so intriguing is you can kind of speak in your
(03:58):
native tongue and they kind of have been you know,
not all of it, but everybody says down the same road,
but you kind of understand superstars status and all this
stuff where you know, they could mesh or they could
clash because Albert could come in and say, hey, this
is what I did all the time, and they could go, well,
that's not the way I do things. So you know,
(04:20):
superstars sometimes clash, sometimes mesh up. But I think Albert,
I think for the next two or three years, I
think he's a good short term manager. I don't know
if he's going to be good long term, but I
think he's good for this team that we have, you know,
coming in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
It's interesting because, on the one hand, you're right, he
has a tremendous amount of credibility and authority from his
playing career. We often see, however, that the best players
do not make the best managers because they can't understand
why guys can't just do what they did. And we
also have to keep in mind that Albert Poohols was
a very big presence and really the alpha throughout his
(04:59):
career at Saint Louis, even when he was an Anaheim
when things weren't going well, and Mike Trout was the
skull that he was the biggest clubhouse presence. And I
do wonder, and this is just from my experience having
covered lots of different teams, lots of different clubhouse dynamics.
Having a manager who is used to being the alpha
dog and the guy in the spotlight joining a team
(05:20):
that also has a very very big presence in Manny Machado,
a forceful presence that is used to being an alpha
dog in the spotlight and running the clubhouse. How concerned
are you about essentially two men of warfish and it's
becoming a big clash.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Well, the thing is, it's just I don't think it's
going to be that big of a deal unless Albert,
you know, the one knock on Manny. Everybody says he
doesn't hustle down first base, he hits the ball. I
mean that's not everybody does it. But anyway, if if
if Albert says something to him and he's just like, dude,
(05:54):
come on, hustle at least, you know, give me eighty percent,
not one hundred percent every single time. And if they clash,
I don't think they're going to make up. That's the
one bad thing. I just I don't see them too
Alpha's and being like, hey, this is my team. This
is your team. Because here's the thing. If you're a
player and you think this is your team, it can be.
(06:15):
But guess what your boss is, the manager, the coach,
you know, the top dog because he gets wins and losses.
As a player, you don't get wins and losses. It's
kind of like pitchers and catchers like me and Nick Hunley.
Nick understood, I'm going to get the win. I'm going
to get the loss or I'm going to get the save.
You know, it's it's me. So whatever he you know,
when we call pitches, he can call whatever pitch he wants.
(06:38):
But at the end of the day, I'm getting, you know,
the l or or the win. Where I've had coaches,
I mean catchers and they're like, listen to me. I'm like, look,
if I don't want to throw that pitch, I don't
want to throw that pitch. It doesn't matter what you say.
I want to throw this pitch. And Nick understood, like, hey,
I got to take a step back because you know this,
(07:00):
you're the top dog in this situation. Even though catchers
do have a rating of how well the pitchers do
when they catch and this and that. But Many has
to remember the manager is the top dog, and so
they could kind of clash a little bit. But at
the end of the day, you know, you have to
you got to respect your you know, the higher position
(07:20):
because you know he's not making all decisions. Many's just
you know, taking care of third base and hitting. He's
not taking care of the pitchers and the defense and
the offense and where do people go and who people
sits and do all that. That's what a manager does,
so you know, they just have to be a little respect,
you know, going on. That's all.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
And in terms of the day to day operations, you know,
managing the clubhouse, managing the bullpen, working with your coaches.
One of the things that I talked about on the
show with Mike last week, I personally have felt like,
and again this is just based on my experience seeing
all thirty teams, different dynamics, how they work, different kinds
of teams. For a team that is trying to win
right now, that has the at least core pieces to
(08:01):
do so, they need to make some additions to their roster.
No question, bringing in someone who has never managed a
coach at any level does seem like an unnecessary risk,
just because there are so many aspects that you cannot
really simulate how the game speeds up on you. Dealing
with the media every day, dealing with players over the
course of a one to sixty two season, and doing
so as a player is very different than doing so
(08:23):
as a manager. Interacting with the coaches, interacting with the
front office, navigating all the different personalities and politics. It's
a lot and it can be pretty draining, and I
think for me, we see so often new managers struggle
with a lot of the in game strategy at first,
whether it's bullpen decisions, whether it's pinch hitting decisions, whether
it's giving guys days off or timing it right. And
(08:44):
I think for a team that is again not looking
at three years down the road and can afford to
have a manager learn on the job, I don't know
if it's the right higher. And this is true of
anyone who has no managerial experience. And we'll get to
Nick Hunley in a second. Do you see those of
signific at risks or am I overstating it? No?
Speaker 3 (09:02):
I see those those risks. I mean honestly, I think
by August and September he'll kind of whoever if he
was a first time manager, will kind of get the
swing of everything. But you know, we always as a player,
you're in there and going, hey, put in so and
so or so and so should be doing this, and
then when they do well, you're like, see told you.
But when they don't do well, it's kind of like
(09:24):
you don't say anything. And now as a manager, at
the end of the day, you have to say, well,
I put this guy in for this reason. You know,
you can't just like well, I had a feeling. I mean,
you can do that, but eventually people are going to
start saying, well, your feelings are off. So I just
think it's gonna be hard, And you know, it's just
(09:47):
one of those things like, yeah, it's I don't think
you're overblowing it. I think it's a true risk. I
think it's something that they should be concerned about. All Right.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
He's one of the defining characteristic of any team is
who are the leaders in the clubhouse? How do they
relate to the coaches, how do they relate to the manders,
what is that dynamic? And there's someone in particular that
I think has gotten a little bit forgotten about as
a clubhouse leader, but I think will play a very
key role in twenty twenty six, both on the field
and in the locker room, and that is Joe Musgrove,
(10:17):
and he is the subject of this week's DraftKings Player spotlight.
All Right, we talk so much about Manny Machado being
a leader in the clubhouse, but Joe Musgrove, throughout his
tenure since arriving in San Diego, has also been a
very very very important, and I will say very very
very good leader, particularly on the pitching side, in addition
(10:40):
to pitching, like a frontline guy, in addition to being
a native San Diego who in a lot of ways
does a lot of face the team kind of stuff.
He is as involved as anyone and helping the pitchers,
helping guys get better, mentoring young players. Whenever his playing
career is done, he will be a pitching coach and
a very very good one, and who knows, maybe beyond
that as well. Over the past year year, obviously he
(11:00):
was out after having TJ, but he was a constant
presence in the clubhouse, working with guys, talking to guys.
He is very much an important part of this team.
He will be returning to the mound and what he
does on the mound is going to be critical. But
I think when you talk about integrating a new manager,
how those clubhouse leaders relate to them, how they relay
messages is super super critical. What do you want to
see from a clubhouse leader like Joe Musgrove, and particularly
(11:23):
someone who in a lot of ways is the leader
of the pitching staff when it comes to integrating a
new manager, Well.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Really, I think there's a you have the leader of
the pitching staff as you're one of your starters, then
Manny is probably the leader of the position players. And
you know, you kind of have a leader off the
bench a little bit, you know, for the role players,
and kind of a leader in the bullpen. But they
all kind of looked up to, you know, one or
two guys in the clubhouse. That could be Joe, that
could be Manny. Yeah, it's just I think show the
(11:54):
manager respect whoever it is and not be you know,
like say something on your breath or you know, just
be like man you know, let's just say Manny because
I mean everybody's going to talk about that and run
about balls. Well, Albert, you didn't run out balls either,
say like that because if you if you, if you
(12:14):
get a sense that your leader doesn't respect your manager
you're head leader, then then it could be kind of
a chaos in the locker room.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Yeah. It's interesting too, right because we're talking about pooh
Holes and Nick Humley, who are position players? Ruben na
Able to obviously a pitching coach, one of the best
in baseball. It's a different dynamic when someone comes from
a position player background to a pitching background, and I
do think that when you are bringing someone who was
a position player, and again you're talking about guys like
Pooholes and Humley who have no coaching or managerial experience.
(12:45):
Now Humley was a catcher, so he understands pitchers a
little bit more. But this is where I do think
having that player leadership and Joe Musgrove being the person
he is, I think he's going to be extra important.
Like he's already important to this team always has been
what he does on the mountain first and foremost. But
I do think that his role as a leader in
the clubhouse and how he is able to communicate to
(13:07):
the pitching staff, help lead the pitching staff in light
of whatever change happens. I think it's gonna be one
of the more interesting undercurrents of the season, particularly because
we know that the padres when they are at their best,
it's when they're pitching leads them.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
Yeah, you know, Joe, I think it's gonna be a
big part on the field and off the field. I mean,
when somebody's hurt and they helping you out, it's a
big thing. But when he actually is helping you out
and going out there and performing. You just it's just like, oh, yeah,
you know he's doing it too, or you see him
do that and then he tells you try this, and
you're like okay. But you know sometimes when you're heard,
(13:42):
it's kind of like I get it. You know, that's
what you do, but right now or this year is different,
or this ball is different or something like that. So
I think Joe's going to be a big part of
this organization and be one of the top leaders in
the clubhouse. It's just, you know, it's gonna be weird.
I mean, I think the manager nowadays inspire and just
deals with the bullpen and the pitching staff. So like
(14:04):
when Rubin has a chance, I'm like, there's a possibility
because he knows the pitching staff. But the only thing
I worry about with Rubin is whoever the pitching coach
is going to be. Is he gonna interflict with that?
Because I'll give you an example. Darren Balseley was our
pitching coach. Bud Black pitched in the big leagues, but
he let Darren Balsley deal with all the pitchers. Now,
(14:24):
he would come to the pitchers and ask us questions
and talk to us, but he was more of like
the inspirational mental part, where the physical mechanical was Darren Balsley,
and they probably talked back and forth without us knowing,
So it's just how are you going to play that?
Speaker 1 (14:42):
That's all we will sealed. Definitely be an interesting dynamic,
but regardless of who the potters higher, clubhouse leaderships can
be very important and Joe Musgrove will play a big
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Speaker 1 (15:58):
Welcome back to Friar Territory present by Fox one. All right,
we talked about Albert pooh Holes the pluses and minuses
of potentially hiring him as the Padres manager. Given he
is one of three known finalists. I want to talk
about the other two known finalists, starting with Nick Henley.
You were teammates with Nick Comley for four seasons with
the Padres. You pitched to him a lot. I think
(16:19):
anyone who knows Nick Conley has talked to Nick Henley.
Understands Nick Comley has known that he has a future
as a big league manager for a very long time.
That was clear to me when I was interviewing him
when he was a player, that said, like Albert pooh holes.
He has never coached or managed at any level of
affiliated professional baseball. After his playing career concluded, he went
to work for Major League Baseball. He most recently was
(16:41):
an assistant in the Texas Rangers front office under Chris Young,
another former teammate of yours. How do you assess Nick Henley,
first and foremost, just knowing him as well as you do,
what would you say are are his strengths, his weaknesses?
And just how would you describe him and his potential
as a manager.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
You know, I think he's very intelligent. He understands of
the game. He you know, thinks about stuff that a
lot of people don't about, like situation, when to steal,
when to not, you know, when to take that extra base,
because I remember him he was always the fastest guy,
but he knew when to take the extra base or
go from first to home. It was just a situational
(17:21):
like kind of new And then also he was one
of those catchers that we had that would constantly talk
to you, you know, hey, how you doing? And you go, hey,
how am I framing? Am I doing this? Am I
doing that? And I am I basically like saying, am
I doing good enough for you? You know? Because I'm
always trying to get better. He wasn't always about like
(17:41):
he wanted you to do really well, and he didn't
care about him doing really well, but he wanted to
help you do well. Where like setting up where do
you want me to set up? Do you want me
to catch the ball and bring it over? Do you
want me to do this? Do you want me to
put the glove down and bring it to the very end?
You want me to give it a target? So he
was always thinking, and I think he'll be a really
good manager, the one thing that I you know, he
(18:05):
hasn't managed yet. So I think people at first will
kind of go, well, does he really know what to
talk about or does he really know what to say?
They're gonna like wait and see, they're not going to
respect him right off the bat, like say, Albert, you
know Hall of Famers, you just kind of respect right away.
But Nick kind of made himself into a really good
(18:26):
ballplayer and bounced around and he was really solid. So
I think he's kind of not saying he's Joe Tory,
but he can turn into something like that as a
catcher that was really that was good. But is really
smart that if you give him a chance, he could
you know, three or four years, everybody's gonna say, Wow,
he's good. It's kind of like Dave Roberts a little
(18:48):
bit in La Well.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
And I think what's important to remember when you talk
about comparisons, right, and this is where experience comes in.
Dave Roberts was on the Potters coaching stuff for many
many years. Talk about different managers how they've been able
to be successful their first year. Pretty much all of
them had previous experience as a coach. And if Steven
vote with the Guardians, I've seen some people throw that around.
He was on the Mariners coaching staff for a year
and if you talk to him, and I have, he'll
(19:13):
tell you how valuable that experience was. So I think
again there's kind of that dynamic, right if someone you
know will be a really good manager, but you want
to have that landing spot for them where they can
be a coach for a little bit first, just to
see the different perspectives, because being in the front office first,
being in the dugout for one sixty two is very,
very different. How quickly do you feel like Nick Hemley
(19:35):
would be able to make that adjustment? You mentioned Pooholes,
by virtue of his career, would have some authority incredibility
right off the bat, but you also mentioned it might
not be till August September you kind of figure some
things out. Would it be the same timeline for Nick
Humley or do you think it would be a longer curve.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
I personally think it'd be the same timeline. I'll give
you an example. Personally. You know I've tried to I've
coached college a little bit, coach high school, to coach
summer ball teams, and me getting back into professional because
you know, there's so many managers up. Everybody's asking me, Heath,
you want to go manage? You know you talk baseball
the time, and I said, look, I I want to
(20:11):
go to the minor leagues show that I can do
it before you get to the big leagues, because I
think it's very valuable if you're a first base coach,
if you're a third base coach, you're a bench coach
that you're in there, you see everything going on, kind
of like Will Venable next teammate, he was a coach
for a while and then he was a bench coach
and then eventually got the White Sox managing job. And
(20:33):
I think that was very valuable. And I think anytime
first time coach manager like Albert or Will, I mean, Nick,
it's gonna take three four months to kind of get in,
settle in, to be like, okay, here we go. Because
here's the thing. As a player, midday, you know, mid
season dog days, you kind of know what you're going
(20:54):
to do. Yeah, but you have to see what all
twenty six guys are doing, Guys that are hurt, you know,
your minds everywhere. So I think it's going to take
you know, like say I said, you know, August or
September before they really feel comfortable.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
One of the things that a long time manager told
me that has stuck with me was that, realistically, a
manager's job in today's day and age, ninety percent of
it is managing the bullpen. The other ten percent is
making sure the clubhouse is running smoothly. A lot of
the day to day you know working with the players,
A lot of that falls on your coaches. I want
(21:32):
to start with managing the bullpen. We see all the time.
It's the biggest hot button topic along with lineup construction.
We see fans jumping on Twitter about we and the
media asking about it. It's easily the area that I
think the most focus is put on when it comes
to a manager's job on a day to day basis,
and it is a very very critical one because we've
seen managers struggle with it and when that happens, they're
(21:55):
out of a job in two years and the team
struggles and the ones who are really good at it,
even if you make decisions you don't agree with it
on the whole, they do a good job. They tend
to have a little more staying power. As a member
at the bullpen who has seen this from all angles
for a long time, many different teams, made, different managers,
pitching coaches, et cetera. How do you assess whether someone
will be good at it, what traits they need to
(22:16):
be good at? At? What do you think is the
key to being able to do that? Because it is
such a big part of what a manager's job really
is in today's day and age.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Well the manager really needs to do is they need
to have a relationship with everybody in the bullpen. That's
really what it is, and talk to them least once
a week, see how they're doing. Are they going in
the training room, are they getting stretched out? Are they
just showing up? Are they getting well? Because here's the
thing I do believe. If you go in the training room,
you know, five six times a week, you're going to
get stretched out way better than if you stretch yourself out.
(22:47):
Are you staying in shape, are you conditioning? Are you
what are you doing? Are you just showing up and
playing ball? Because you're going to break down faster even
if you've got a great arm. So you just need
to have that relationship with the guys in the pin.
You need to be everybody needs to be honest. You
need to have where if the coach says, hey, I
(23:07):
know you feel great, but I just need you to
take a day off and don't throw much, and then
kind of keep your eye out during badding practice. Is
he throwing a lot or is he not throwing a lot?
You know, just kind of keep an eye on everybody
and you're gonna have seven eight guys in the bullpen
where you're gonna have seven eight different personalities and know
the pitching, the starters. So really it just it goes
(23:28):
down to the best best managers I've ever had, went
and talked to us at least once a week and
build a relationship where to this day I still talk
to those managers, you know once in a while or
shoot a text to the holidays. Where you know, some
managers you're just another guy on their sheet and you
just don't care, and then you feel like you want
(23:49):
to do better or you want to overdo something and
it never works out well.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
And that leads us to the Padres final known finalists
for the manager o job been able to pitching coach
who in a lot of ways, has remade the entire
Potters pitching infrastructure since joining the team. He was hired
after the twenty twenty one season. His first year coaching
was twenty twenty two, and has turned the Padres into
one of the best pitching organizations in baseball. Talk about
(24:16):
whether it's guys taking a step forward, former aces rediscovering
their best selves, guys coming over from Japan who are unproven.
They have essentially turned everyone into frontline studs for the
most part. Under Ruby Dieblo, he has those relationships with
the pitching staff. He also is a known quantity in
the Padres clubhouse who has credibility with what he has
(24:38):
done for the San Diego Padres. How do you assess
his candidacy, especially compared to Pouhols and Helmling, because all
different backgrounds, different personality types, but they're all on the running.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
I think rub would be a good manager, I really do.
I think his take he'll kind of after one or
two months. I think he'll kind of settle in because
he's been there on that team. He knows everybody. It's
just I worry about what who's coming in as a
pitching coach. You know, are they gonna go to Ruben
or are they gonna go to the pitching coach. You know,
(25:11):
you kind of have to the pitching coach that Ruben
brings in if he becomes a manager, they have to
be on the same page and we'll probably work together
because all the pitchers are gonna probably go to Ruben,
not the new pitching coach, and the new pitching coach
has to swallow his pride and say, well, he's Adam
for the last couple of years, so he's gonna maybe
be with them, you know, kind of like his bad
(25:33):
word to say, but understudy and even though you're the
main pitching coach and you're the understudy. So it's just
kind of that's a that's a little worried some And
then also the other coaches like say, our hitters don't
do well. Is our manager going to go to the
hitting coaches and say, hey, what are we working on?
And it's going to be almost like, well, you're the pitcher,
(25:53):
you know, because trust me, when I was playing, hitters
would say, Pecko is too big. When you bring the
fences in, we'd hit so many more home runs and
they had this equation and we'd bring the math in
and we're like, so you're telling me we need it
four home we we'd if it brought the fences in,
it would be four hundred more home runs than we
do now. I so we just don't have power guist.
(26:13):
That's just all it is. But it's just a little
dynamic back and forth. But I think Ruben would be
good in the aspect heam knows everybody, everybody knows him.
I just worry a little bit about the new pitching
coach slash the other coaches. You know, that's all just
because you're all on the same team. But then sometimes
when you're the you're the manager, you know, it's kind
(26:35):
of like, well, are you getting mad at me or
this and that?
Speaker 1 (26:38):
So anyway, does that get mitigated by somewhat by the
pitching coach, say, being someone who has already been on
staff and has a relationship with Ruben And I'm specifically
thinking about Ben Fritz. Ben's the Pubs bullpen coach, very
very highly regarded someone Again a lot of people feel
like will be a pitching coach somewhere and potentially more
considering there is already a relationship there and you can
(26:59):
speak to how pitching coaches and bullpen coaches worked together.
Would that mitigate those concerns?
Speaker 3 (27:05):
That would be probably the best scenario if Rubin got
the job. You know, bullpen coach, you're just kind of
managing everybody down there and make sure that they have
the balls. You know, Hey, who's coming up to bat? Hey,
you know, this is this is how you pitch to him,
this is how you pitch them. It's kind of just
(27:26):
a refresher course. You kind of like the assistant to
the major league pitching coach. So even though you are
a major league bulling coach. Yeah, that would be the
best transition, I do believe, to move him up, but
and then just working together and then just get another
smart bullpen you know, mind out there and hey, I'm available.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
All right? He wrap this up. Of these three known finalists,
and again there are reportedly more out there, they have
not been identified yet. The Paugres have played this very
very close to the best. Do you have one that
your gut instinct says would be the best pick?
Speaker 3 (28:03):
Well, here's the thing. I would love Ruben to be
the manager, just to kind of give us pitchers a chance.
I'd love Nick Huntley, good friend of mine, talk to
him a couple times a year to get that opportunity.
But my guts feeling says it's going to be Albert
you know, another friend. But I just think it's a
gut feeling that Albert has is going to have is
(28:24):
the front run because we need offense, and I know
we need starting pitching, but offense and we need Manny
and Tatis them to really hit. And maybe he can
bring something to the table as in, hey, work on
this do this. This is how to be a superstar,
This is how to be a Hall of Famer. Blah
blah blah. I just think the respect will be a
(28:46):
little bit more for our offense to Albert than the
other two.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
That's all To follow up with that. Do you think
the potential games there would mitigate any shortcomings that are
just naturally going to happen from not having been in
the position before, whether it's bullpen management, you know, dealing
with front office dynamics, dealing with players of all different
you know, experience levels, personality types, just there's a diversity
variety of interactions you have as a manager that you
(29:12):
do not have as a player. Would the advantages from
that mitigate those Well.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
See, here's the thing I would say fifteen twenty years ago,
Albert definitely, because nowadays you manage bullpen and you know, starters.
That's where I think it's going to lack with Albert.
He just I don't think he knows pitchers like he
knows hitters, and he might rely heavily on Ruben to
(29:38):
do all that. But who's getting the credit then? You know,
so if things go bad, is he going to throw
a Ruben under the bus? Or is he just going
to take You know, I'm just speculating here, but that's
the one thing it lacks is bullpen when to bring
in guys. I think he's going to be asking a
million questions and he's not going to have that feel of, Hey,
(29:59):
I think he doesn't have a today, Let's pull them,
Let's bring this guy. We need to rest this guy.
Let's not overuse guys because we're going to need him
down the stretch. That Ruben understands and I'm pretty sure
Nick Henley understands because as a catcher, you see guys
towards the end of the season not have a sharp
or the guys that are sharp, but you know they've
had some rest along the way.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
Absolutely, And you make a good point. Whoever comes in
those relationships with your coaches are going to be key.
Who they choose to hire, who they choose to retain.
It there's so many different factors here, so many different dynamics,
and a manager can be the exact same guy, but
if he doesn't have the right coaches under him, we'll
get vastly different results. So there's a lot of play here.
We will see what the Potters choose to do. All right, Heath,
(30:40):
We're going to take a quick break here, work for
more sponsors, and then discuss the world series.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
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Speaker 1 (31:42):
Square see you in the neighborhood. Get after at FTFAM
Welcome back to Friar Territory presented by Fox one Heath.
The Toronto Blue Days bounced back from an eighteen inning
loss in Game three to take the last two games
in Los Angeles. They head home to Toronto with a
three games to two lead. What do you think are
(32:02):
they going to close it out in Toronto or will
the Dodgers come back?
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Well? I think it's I think the Dodgers' weakness is
kind of opened up the bullpen. They have no bullpen help,
most bullpen presence. I think if they don't hit home runs,
they don't score runs. I just think the you know,
they their weakness is kind of Toronto has kind of
(32:25):
opened it up because you know, Hernandez making that air
and then a sackfly. I just think, uh, Toronto right
now is showing that they're the better team all around.
I mean, they hustle, they get bass hits, they hit
home runs, they're pitching really well and they're playing really
(32:46):
good defense. So you know, the catchers are blocking balls,
and pitchers are coming in now throwing wild pitches, and
I just Toronto right now, I think is the favorite.
I think maybe the Dodgers might win first one, but
I really believe Toronto's probably gonna win this.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
We talked about this before the World Series started, that
this was never going to be a walkover. The Blue
Jays are a really, really good team. They were always
going to get theirs. The exact words we use were
the blue Jays offense, They're gonna get theirs. They're going
to put a scare innge of the Dodgors. This will
not be a walkover. That was what we said last week,
and that is certainly what has happened. Been what has
happened now. We both picked the Dodgers to win the
(33:25):
series in six. That obviously can't happen anymore. But the
fact that Blue Jays have made this a series should
not be a surprise to anyone. Let's not forget. I've
talked about this, I've written about it, and I've raised
it a million times because I think people need to
hear it. This was the one seed in the American
League with a top five payroll that has five All
Stars in their lineup, two Selling Award winners in the rotation. Like,
this is not some scrappy underdog that is playing above
(33:49):
their heads. This is a really, really good team. This
was the best team in the American League that beat
the hell out of the Yankees in the Alds. There
is no question who the better team was there that
came back down two to ozho and beat a really
really really good Mariners team and a really really good
Mariners pitching staff to get to the World Series. And
they've come out and thrown haymakers against the Dodgers in
(34:10):
Game one. We saw yesterday in Game five, back to
back homers to open up the game off Blake Snow.
This is a really good team that is playing really
high quality baseball. You're right, objectively, they're out hitting the Dodgers,
they aren't pitching the Dodgers. They're playing better defense than
the Dodgers. They're playing great right now. And when you
consider the fact the Blue Jays had the second best
record in baseball at home of any team this year,
(34:32):
Rogers Center goes bananas. They're sitting pretty again. I'm not
going to count the Dodgers out. This team is too good.
They have too much experience, they have too much composure
to just be like, oh, yeah, they're done. But this
has been a really, really, really impressive showing by Toronto,
and I think people I've seen so many things be
framed in the context of, well, what do the other
team do wrong? You know, what do the Yankees do wrong? Nothing?
(34:53):
The Blue Jays were the better team. What do the
Mariners do wrong? And Dan Wilson made some mistakes, but
the Blue Jays also came back down from to to
Oh you know, the Dodgers right now are not hitting
the series, and a lot of that is issues they've
had dating back a few rounds now, but it's also
the blue Jays pitching stuff. Let's get the blue Jays credit.
This isn't just about what the other team is doing wrong.
(35:15):
The Blue Jays are a great team, executing and playing
really good baseball.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
Yeah. I always said the Blue Jays probably have the
best chance to beat the Dodgers. They're okay. So people
have to realize, and I think ownerships have to realize.
Maybe DMS will listen to this. Toronto has been putting
this team together for the past two or three years,
and you could say these guys haven't really hit, and
this year they're finally starting to hit. I think they
(35:40):
finally started gelling together. I think they finally started learning
how to play, They started learning, you know, everybody's courts
and stuff. It takes a year, a full year for you,
if you put a bunch of good guys together to
kind of everybody find their own way. And they've you know,
with the core, they've stayed with their guys and they'll
bring guys out there doing well and they'll stick with him.
(36:00):
It's not just like, well, let's let's ease him into
the big leagues. You know he's doing well, put him in,
you know, if you can help out and they're helping
every you know, Springer goes down, it's a huge hit
for Toronto. The guys that have come in before them,
they just didn't try. One or two guys and everybody
that's come in is like, do not'ing ready to go
because I feel like the whole organization, everybody on the
(36:22):
team isn't going. Okay, Springer's down, we've lost it. No, No,
this is a chance for so and so to get
a hit. Now, this is a chance for this opportunity
and everybody's excited about it. And that's a good team
and a good nucleus, and man, Toronto might be here
for a long time and build a dynasty up there.
So they're, uh, it's not just the Dodgers aren't hitting.
(36:45):
Toronto can hit. And we all said that, we just
said I think maybe the only might Like I said
the edge I give to the Dodgers, but it was
a small edge, and I actually said Game seven, but
it was because the Dodgers have been there, that's the
only reason. And but Toronto's is that team that's like,
I don't care if we're down, I don't care where
(37:05):
we're playing. We're gonna we're gonna score, we're gonna hit,
we're gonna pitch. And they've done that and it's exciting
to watch. It really is.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Yeah, And again, the Blue Jays have been competitive for
a while, but there was always a sense that they
weren't getting the most. Their rosters were better than their production.
But it's not like this was a team that was
struggling for a long time.
Speaker 2 (37:23):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:24):
They reached the playoffs in twenty twenty two, twenty twenty three,
they were a ninety one win team in twenty twenty one.
Last year, the bottom fell out. They were in last
plays last year, but that was a case of everything
that could have gone wrong did go wrong. Now they're healthy,
guys are producing. And it's important to note too, they've
done this without having Bobaschett for the first two rounds
and now George Springer has been out these last couple
of games in the World Series. They've been missing key
(37:46):
guys and they've still been doing this, which again speaks
to their depth. And we talk so much about the
Potters offense, but they have to build. The Blue Jays
were a team that had the second fewest strikeouts in
baseball and scored the fourth most runs. They hit for power,
they hit, They led the majors in average, they led
the majors on base percentage. They have a bunch of
thirty home run threats. This is what a championship offense
(38:06):
looks like. One to nine. They hit for power and average,
they don't swing and miss. They're able to make contact
against high end pitching, which you have to do, and
they have done consistently throughout this Again, they killed Max
Fried and Carlos dn absolutely destroyed them. George Kirby Logan, Gilbert,
Luis Castill. These guys are studs on the Mariners had
(38:27):
no problem with them. We just saw them take Blake Snow.
I mean they've made Blake Snow look bad twice. Now,
this is a team that can take down elite pitching.
And that's how you do it. You have to be
deep one to nine, you have to do everything, hit
for power, hit for average. They don't run much, but
they don't have to. This is just a really good offense.
And oh look will they close it out? They're certainly
(38:47):
in great position too. I do agree with you now,
I do think this goes seven. I just have a
hard time seeing the Dodgers going down so feebly. But
it's been a really, really good show. And I also
would be remiss. I don't mention Trey Savage, a rookie
who at this time last year had just been drafted
out of East Carolina a mid major, had not thrown
(39:08):
a single professional inning, jumps four levels of the miners
this year to get to the majors, and just set
the rookie record for strikeouts in the postseason game. Facing
the defending World Series champions on the road in a
critical Game five, like let's you appreciate this. This is insane.
Speaker 3 (39:29):
Savage was a savage. He literally like when they came out,
everybody like hugged him one at a time. And that
just shows to show you how close these guys are.
If you're a veteran, if you're a rookie, everybody is
just on board. And you know, on a side note,
they got a day off and then they're going to
(39:49):
there in Toronto. Who would you start game six for
a few of the Dodgers? Would you get a rookie
out there?
Speaker 1 (39:55):
I mean, Yamamoto's dude, he's been your best guy. I
mean he's he's who you throw and then game seven, look,
it's all the hands on deck. You start glass now,
but you bring show hat of the bullpen if you
have to, And I.
Speaker 3 (40:05):
Mean, yeah, that's what I would do. Let's go. Yeah,
you know that's your best bet. But Toronto, man, it's
it's been a fun series really as it doesn't matter
who you're rooting for. I mean, I know if you're
a Dodger fan, bummed, but it was it's back and forth.
And when I say Toronto runs, it's not stealing, it's
on a pass ball. The ball hits the ground, they'll
(40:27):
take the extra base, even if it gets out in
front of them. Yeah, and that's what I'm saying. They're aggressive,
And yeah, they're going from first to third. They're they're trying,
they're going from second to home. They're trying. Even though
they got thrown out a couple times, they're like, we're
still gonna go.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
Yeah, it's true will Smith, Will Smith that throw a
runner out first inning. But we still saw them be aggressive.
You know, some pass balls while pitches. They definitely put
the pressure on the Dodgers. The last thing I'll say
is going back to your savage again, this is you know,
Baseball America, Kyle coming out here. For anyone in their
draft year to just get to two levels, like, jump
(41:04):
two levels, that's a fantastic first year. If you jump
three levels, you are in a very very very select
group of minor leaguers, Like that's incredible. To go through
all four levels in the minors is insane. And then
to get to the majors, even if he had done that,
gotten to the majors, gotten his butt kicked first three
starts of his career, been like, hey, just the fact
(41:26):
he's even there, this is amazing. He'll be fine for
him to be as successful as he's been in the majors.
I mean, we're watching something. You know, we talk about
historic and unprecedented, and those words get thrown around a lot.
This has never happened. We have never seen a rookie
strike out as many batters in a World Series game
as Tray Savage did, and we have certainly never seen
it be done by someone with so little professional experience.
(41:48):
And the thing that just had my mind blown is
his splitters. I have never seen Freddy Freeman take such
feeble swings. This is one of the best hitters of
our generation. You never see Freddy Freeman look out of
sorts the play when he's healthy. I have literally never
seen such feeble swings from Freddy Freeman. And it was
everyone else too, but that just, I mean, that was
(42:10):
insane to watch the swings he's getting with that splitter.
Are you kidding me?
Speaker 3 (42:15):
Well, here's the thing is, you have to give credit
to the Blue Jays organization. They I would say nine
add ten times when guys get called out all a sudden,
the catcher or the pitching coach or somebody's like, okay, well,
this is how you pitch in the big leagues, and
I always think that's the worst thing to ever say.
It's like, hey, whatever you did in triple A or
double A, wherever you came from, keep doing it. Who
(42:37):
cares if you're facing you know, Freddy Freeman or Mookie
Betts or Otawani. Just keep doing it, man. You know,
here's here's how we pitch to those guys. But you
pitch to your strength. You do you. You know, it's
kind of like my kid always says, you do you boo.
So it's just one of those things that you got
to give credit to that organization to believe in those guys.
(42:58):
And you know, some guys in the minor leagues will
tear it up and move up, like you say, and
then it's like, well, we're not going to bring him
just up yet. And I think it's a business decision
because you know, his clock starts where, hey, bring him up.
If he's dealing, bring him up. Especially if you got
room and your guy's not dealing, try him out. If
he doesn't do well, then he sent him back. But
(43:20):
sometimes people make business decisions. Organizations do that, and I
think it hurts in Toronto, and you got to admit,
Toronto's a really good organization. They've showed a lot the
last couple of years, and their players are playing their
hearts out for him.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
You know, it's interesting too, because you talk about bringing
a guy up or not. Jose Barrios and Chris Bassett
two very accomplished starters. They moved them to the bullpen
and made room for Tray Savage and it has been
the right decision. And it kind of brings me back
a little bit too, what we talked about with the
podres and Game three, looking at look hype saving Game two.
Dal and cs and new Darwage have not been effective.
(43:55):
Randy Vasquez has been effective. Do you choose experience or effectiveness.
The Potters chose experience, it didn't work out. The Blue
Jays chose who's actually getting the job done, and that's
worked out for them.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
Well that's why I think you just go with your
hot hand. I mean, you go with your best guys,
not or traditionally he's been the better guy. Well, but
maybe he's having a bad year, you know, and you
got you the hot guy. You know. I remember Wayne
Wright when he got caught up. He was closing, and
I forget who was closing the whole year. But he
came up and he was just hot in the playoffs
(44:27):
in six was.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
It Jason Isronhausen? I think was the Cardinals closer back then.
Speaker 3 (44:32):
It was it was Ironhausen or somebody else, Yeah, but
it was he had He had like thirty or forty saves,
doing really well. But isn'n houser was nasty at the end.
It was like, you're gonna be our guy. Yeah, you're hot,
let's go. Nobody could, nobody's seen you. Let's do it.
And he got the Cardinals to the World Series and one.
So it's just, uh, sometimes you got to go with
(44:54):
your gut instinct and go with the hot guy and
say over the veteran that well, I know he can
do it.
Speaker 1 (45:00):
Yeah, Jason ni Zeringhausen was the closer of thirty three
saves that year. I have to ask, as a member
of the Mets who was watching it, how often does
that Adam Wayne or at curveball to get Carlos belt
trend looking to end the series replay in your mind.
Speaker 6 (45:11):
Every playoffs, just sending the bullpen going hit it swing
like we just paid your one hundred and nineteen million
swim so you had the year before you hit what
ten twelve home runs?
Speaker 3 (45:25):
Like it was like, that's what we signed you for.
So but whatever, it's all good.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
That's what it is, all right, he any final thoughts
as we wrap up here, Popters man geral search a
World Series all the above.
Speaker 3 (45:38):
Uh, you know, the World Series has been fun to watch.
I really hope it goes to game seven so I
get two more games under my belt. You know, I
hope Toronto, like I said, Toronto's every time they've went
to the World Series, they've won, so why not make
it a third time? Managers with the Padres. You know,
I really hope Nick Hunley gets it. A good friend,
you know that I've always talked to this app But
(46:01):
I just hope the Padres pick out the good, the
best manager for the job, and I hope it works
really well. Whoever they make, whatever decision they.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Make, we will see what happens. The Potters have well,
I should say, reports are the Padres will make a
managerial higher by the end of this week. We'll see
what happens.
Speaker 3 (46:20):
Again, did they say the end of this week or
by the end of the.
Speaker 1 (46:22):
Week, So that's right, the week, assuming it's this week,
but we'll see what ends up happening. We will have
full coverage of the Potters manager will higher when it
is an announced, so make sure and keep it here
on Friar Territory. This has been another great addition. Go
ahead subscribe like five stars, leave us a comment all
the good stuff. We love talking ball with y'all. For
(46:44):
Heath Belt, I'm Kyle Glazer. Thank you for watching and listening.
We'll see you later on.
Speaker 3 (47:00):
If the facts
Speaker 1 (47:05):
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