January 23, 2025 • 16 mins
We were joined in studio by Reds reliever Emilio Pagán, 2024 Futures Game MVP Cam Collier, and last year's second overall pick, Chase Burns.
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Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Montana is doing if it means I never have to
hear Joe Montana again. It is twenty two away from
five o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. The Reds Caravan
has stopped here. Ballplayers in studio, ballplayers live and in person,
ballplayers and three good ones. Chase Burns with us.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Has yet to.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Pitch professionally for the Reds, but boy, a lot of
upside for this guy. First round pick number two overall
twenty twenty four draft out of wig Forest. He is
with us in studio the Futures Game MVP from last summer,
still just twenty years old. Cam Collier is here and
the old head, the established vet, Emelio Pagan. It is
(00:42):
awesome to have you guys in studio. Thank you for
joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
How are you doing great? Thanks for having us in
gad to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Thank you very good. Hi Emelia, I'm starting with you.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So last year was kind of tough because it felt
like you were throwing the ball really, really well, right
kind of toward the end of May early June. Then
the injury you got to come back. I've got to
think for any player, you're looking for good health. But
more than anything you just want to get through a
full season, and if we see what we saw Englins's
last year, that's going to be a major asset for
this team.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, it was super frustrating, man.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
You know, I had the off season surgery and so
I didn't really get to prepare my body for the season,
and so it was a kind of a slow start.
You know, the numbers were kind of there, but I
didn't think my my stuff was quite there yet. And then,
like you alluded to, I started hitting my stride there
at the end of May, and you know, really that
West Coast trip out to La and Arizona and San France,
(01:33):
I started to really feel like myself. And then, you know,
unfortunately my life kind of gave out on me there
in La, which I truly think is just because I
wasn't physically prepared for the season the way I normally am,
and so I was really excited to get back. I
tried to get back as fast as I could last
year and basically felt the same thing right when I
(01:54):
first came off the IO the first time and went
back and had another MRI, and it looked, you know,
worse than it did the first time. So you know,
probably had to swallow the pride a little bit and realize, like,
I need to really make sure this thing's right before
I get back. And so felt great again when I
came back the second time. But yeah, I definitely I
want to give the organization and the fans and my
(02:14):
teammates and most importantly a true version of who I
think I can be.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And so.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Off season started immediately right when I got home. Yeah,
got into getting myself back in shape, and I feel
great right now.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So I'm looking forward to season.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And you come back and right when you come back,
the pitching staff kind of falls apart, and so that
had to be doubly frustrating.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Right, Yeah, it was tough because you know, when you
come back from injury, you're you're really not supposed to throw, uh,
you know, four or five times in a week. But
you know, that's where we were, and I felt ready,
and you know, it went. It went really well for
the first couple of weeks, and then you know, we've
talked about it enough in the last couple of days,
(02:57):
Like you lose the amount of arms that we lost
in a short period of time, It's it's tough for
any any pitching staff in the game to keep it
going and keep the team on track.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
But we had a lot of guys step up. Man.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Julian Aggie are threw amazing for us. Rhet Louder came
up and did awesome, and then Nick Martinez was maybe
the best pitcher in baseball the last month of the season.
And so, you know, I'm excited for what we can do. Man,
I think we've got a chance to be one of
the best pitching staffs in all of baseball, not just
our division. And so you know, we got a chance
to be really special on that side of the ball.
(03:33):
And you know, obviously the world knows what Ellie and
those guys can do offensively, so our job is just
keep runs off the board for them and then let
them go be superstars.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
It was it was, you know, sad, but also I
think very encouraging that despite the fact that the team
maybe didn't win as well, they didn't win as much
as any of us would like, they got really good
starting pitching and there was some really good bullpen performances,
and there's a lot of youth and a lot of upside.
Is as a more established guy, I won't say old, yeah,
established guy, what is it like when you're surrounded with
(04:02):
you know, so much established big league talent that's really
just getting started.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, it's it's difficult.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
You know, it's exciting on one hand because you see
what we could become and there's a window here where
the Cincinnati Reds can really be the talk of baseball
for a long time and these two guys next to
me are going to be a huge part of that.
But on the other side, yeah, you know, like you know,
there's there were stretches where we were playing really good
ball and not winning games, and you know, myself and
some of the older guys in the room, we're trying
(04:31):
to relay the message of you know, this is how
we're going to get to the playoffs. And if you've
never done it, and if you've never been through it,
you know, it's hard to understand, Well, we're not winning,
so you know something needs to change. The danger of
that is you start doing stuff that or it could
be bad habits. You know, you start trying to do
too much. You know, Hitters start swinging to pictures outside
of the zone, Pitchers start trying to throw, you know,
(04:54):
overthrow a little bit. You walk, a couple of guys Well,
if you walk the wrong guy at the wrong time
in the game. Well, now you're facing the heart of
the line line up with second and third no outs, yeah,
and their starters rolling, you know, and they're not getting
into their bullpen. And so there's little there's little aspects
of the game that you have to make sure you're
doing correctly. And if we do that, if we just
(05:14):
stay out of our own way and do the little
things like we're are a playoff team and make no
mistakes about it. And so it's exciting, man, it's exciting
what we can be. It's exciting for who's on the way? Yeah,
and we're all looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So you talk about who's on the way and who's
on the way or the two guys to your your
left cam.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
It's interesting.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You're just twenty years old and yet I've been talking
about you and following you now for a few years.
It's remarkable. The first Red ever, the first Reds farm
hand ever as a teenager to hit twenty home runs
in a season futures game, MVP, let's talk about that experience.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
What was that like?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah, it was a great experience.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
I had all my family there, I mean, playing that
game with the best competition, meeting those guys and being
able to represent the Bread, represent the Reds and just
win that award. It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Do you have I mean, you want to advance through
the system as quickly as possible. You spent all last
year and date and put up really good numbers. Is
there a goal that you're hoping to achieve by the
end of the season where you go, I want to
be here or I want to have done this.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
You know, I never really think too much into I
want to be here because I know the team has
a plan for me and I trust them completely. But
really my plan is to just get a better as
a player, get better as a teammate, and be somebody
that I can help this organiation win games in the future.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
All Right, what is getting better as a player this year?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Look like? All around?
Speaker 5 (06:36):
Games? Getting better, just being more consistent. I know I've
struggled with consistency over my first two seasons, and that's
something I really went to offseason and worked on.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, the futures game MVP though, I mean, it's it's
a game, right, but it's it had to be such
a boost. Not that you're shy in confidence but I
had to provide such a boost and confidence when you
could do something like that on that stage surrounded by
all that talent.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
You know.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
I had a lot of friends out there and being
able to do that in front of them, be able
to share that with them, it was It was pretty cool.
But again, it was really big for me and my
family because the future game is anybody's dream and being
able to win the MVP was amazing.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
When you become a professional baseball player before you're allowed
to vote, what is that?
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Like?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I can't wrap my brain around that.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
You know, Like when I first got into it, it
was it was a lot. I came into Pro Bowl
at seventeen. Yeah, you know, away from my family for
the first time, and it took some time to get
used to but you know, it's just baseball at the
end of the day, and you get used to it
over time.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
What's the hardest part? I would just say, like being
away from your family. Like it's struggling, right, Like I
had never struggled before my life, coming from high school man,
always being the best player, always playing the best, But
coming to Pro Bowl're gonna struggle. You gotta work on
your mental and just knowing that you're facing the best
competition and these guys are the best of the best
as well, So just getting over that humping and moving.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I mean, when I was seventeen years old, I was
playing baseball. I was sitting on the bench for Scott
High School in northern Kentucky, right seventeen years old.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Bit different.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
It's it's remarkable when you're when you're that young, and
when you're eighteen nineteen years old, you're surrounded by younger guys.
But is there someone in the organization? Is there another
member of what are the teams you've been on that
you've leaned on a little bit?
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Yeah, Like like last wing train and I got the
opportunity to stay with a couple older guys that in
an organization for a while and they took me another
wing and they helped me a lot, Like Reese Ivan
Ivan Johnson, those guys really helped me a lot. They
explained to me what I need to do, how I
need to carry myself when I come to the field,
and it really helped me and helped me move forward.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
All right, Chase, walk me through.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
So you get drafted, and I want to talk about
that process and then you you don't pitch in any
competitive games, wait for a season ends as late as
it did, and the plan was, you know what we're
gonna We're gonna get you started in twenty twenty five,
and yet you've been invited to big league camp. What
was it like just going to the last half of
the summer not pitching in competitive situations.
Speaker 6 (08:54):
Yeah, I'd say I'm a pretty competitive person. So as
soon as I got drafted, you know, I was eager
to be like, where am I good? Where am I going?
Where am I getting sent out to? But uh, you know,
you got to look at it as a professional. You know,
they put a lot of time and money in me already,
so I just wanted me to develop. I guess to
spend some time in rookie ball, you know, games every day,
(09:15):
you know, just uh working on some arm care and
stuff like that. So I was there about for about
three months. I did get one live and one inning
and rookie ball, yeah, you know, just get my fee
wet and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Then they sent me home.
Speaker 6 (09:29):
But I was out there for Battery Camp and that
was a cool experience to see some more top prospects
and learn about them. Then I got the call that
you know, I would be going to major league camp,
which is a huge opportunity for me.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
So I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So you get the call and the number two overall pick,
and it's interesting. You know, we we talked about the
draft leading up to it, and we had folks on
the show that said, this is a no brainer Chase
Burns college pitcher Wig Forest, this is who you want,
and so you know the call is coming.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
But when the call comes, what's that moment, Like, Uh,
this is a surreal moment.
Speaker 6 (10:02):
I mean I remember watching Big league spring training games
on TV all the time, so to actually try to
be a part of one and uh, it's huge. But
also just being around the guys, being around a lot
of older pitchers, you.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Know, and just learning from them.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Yeah. Have you talked to Emilia just Rain a little bit?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yeah, since I've met him here, you know, I talked
to him. He's awesome, dudes.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah. Yeah, So you know, it's it's sort of the
same thing.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
You're going to go into the first year where you're
going to pitch, you know, in a regular rotation at
the professional level. Do you have like a specific goal
that you want to accomplish. I mean, you want to
get better and you want to you want to accumulate
innings and stuff like that. But you're like, all right,
my first full season of pro ball, here's what I
want to do.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Uh yeah, make an impact? Really, I mean that's really it, honestly.
You know, the pro season is a lot different than
the college season, so I want to stay healthy, work
on things I need to work on to make an impact.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Yeah, the college season is starting usually right when spring
training is starting. Is that going to be an adjustment?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Really.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
You know, I think that I took the time this
off season to be ready for it, so I don't
think there'll be any huge adjustment.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Yeah. How did pitching at the level that you pitched
at in college prepare you for what's next?
Speaker 3 (11:21):
It was huge?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
You know.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I was at Tennessee for my first two years.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
I was a Friday night starter as a freshman, so
I kind of was already thrown into the fire pretty young.
So and then this year being in the acc same
level of talent. Really, it's really two leagues that are
really good at baseball. So I think it. I think
it got me ready for the big adjustment.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
But you have somebody that is you have worked your
way through you know, high school and various organizations and
two colleges that you've tried to sort of pattern yourself after.
Speaker 6 (11:52):
I mean, yeah, there's definitely pitchers in the big leagues
that I try to mimic what they do, you know,
learn about you know, how how they go about their
busines this. But uh, I mean right now, the big
one's htt coming from wake Forest. Be able to get
close to him really, So did.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
You have a chance to watch him when he got
caught up last year? Because he was awesome?
Speaker 6 (12:09):
Yeah, he was awest. Yeah he's he's awesome. I couldn't
be happier for him, and he's been He's been great
to me.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
So the Reds take Hunter Green in twenty seventeen, and
we've seen what's happened with him. And one of the
first things that I noticed and just listening to him
and then eventually getting a chance to talk to him,
was look, he's he's uber talented, but head on his
shoulders mature beyond his years.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And so when we're reading about you, there's.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Those comparisons, it's like, man, this guy's got the stuff
and he's going to be able to pitch, but he's
going to remind you of of Hunter Green, and in
that regard, that's that's high praise, now right.
Speaker 6 (12:47):
I mean he reached out to me when I got drafted.
He texted me all the time. So just to be
compared to that guy, it's it's huge for me.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah, it's a really fun time to be a Reds
fan when you look at the collection of talent that
is coming through the system. Obviously you're just getting started.
Cam you're on your way. Amelia, you're almost washed up.
I don't know what to tell you. I got I
got a few good more years.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Amy.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
It is how many of these have you done so far?
How many?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Like?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
I mean, this is a whirlwind for you guys.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
You're talking about just for the Reds caravan. Yeah, this
is day two for me. Yeah, it is a whirlwind.
We've been We've been in a number of different rooms already,
met a bunch of people, forgotten a lot of names,
but you know, we're working on that and it's been
it's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Spring training will start here in a couple of weeks.
Do you, as an established big leaguer, are you like
ramping up now or are you gonna take a little
time off before you go to Good Year?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
What's what are the coming weeks gonna look like?
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Man, it's funny you asked that question. It's a it's
a it's an approach. I try to take every year
to show up ready for games, not just spring training.
As I've gotten older, I try to remind myself that
I don't need to be throwing you know, mid nineties
when the day one of spring training. But it's hard. Man,
(14:06):
I still feel like a young kid. I mean, I
still get to play a kid's game for for a living.
And so I get out there and you know, the
competitive juices start flowing and the ball I just start
throwing harder and harder. So you know, I'm trying to
remind myself to to ease into it, and not just
because I'm gonn establish big leader, but because it's what's
best for myself and for the team. If I go
(14:28):
out and start trying to throw too hard too soon,
that's how injuries happen.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
And so.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
You know, I said it earlier. I want to give
the organization and the fans and my teammates a full
season of who I think I can be.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
It's I've been good at doing that.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
My career up to last year, and so last year
was very frustrating and so to me, you know, I've
said it already, this guy's limit for this team. I
really truly believe we can win the division, and so
it would be a disservice to show up and be
trying to show off for whatever ever day one.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
You know, I want to go about this the right way.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Cam, What are the coming weeks look like? Take time
off when you're going a good year? What's what's gonna
happen between now and the start of spring training?
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Gonna go back home, ramp it up a little bit more,
start getting some live at bats, and then had it's
a good year.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
February sixth, Okay, have you have you hit off him yet?
Speaker 1 (15:17):
No, Chase, I know you're you're itching to get started anytime.
What what what are the next three weeks look like
before camp begins?
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Yeah, kind of just be ready, game game ready as
soon as I get there. Kind of a little bit
of different approach, you know, I kind of want to
be ramped up one hundred percent to be able to,
you know, show them.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
The talents that I have.
Speaker 6 (15:42):
So I'm going to wake here here soon and fine
tuning in some things and then head out to Arizona.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Great to have you guys. I appreciate you guys doing this.
I will be watching you a great American ballpark this summer.
You Cam hopefully very soon and Chase, Chase, same for you,
hopefully very very quickly. But best of luck to all
three of you. Great to have you guys in studio.
Thank you so much, thank you, thank you for having
us ball players in studio. Emilie O Pagan, Cam Collier
and Chase Burns. We thank the Reds for providing them
(16:11):
during Red's caravan week. We are way late tearing my apologies.
Six away from five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
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Montana is doing if it means I never have to
hear Joe Montana again. It is twenty two away from
five o'clock. This is ESPN fifteen thirty. The Reds Caravan
has stopped here. Ballplayers in studio, ballplayers live and in person,
ballplayers and three good ones. Chase Burns with us.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Has yet to.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Pitch professionally for the Reds, but boy, a lot of
upside for this guy. First round pick number two overall
twenty twenty four draft out of wig Forest. He is
with us in studio the Futures Game MVP from last summer,
still just twenty years old. Cam Collier is here and
the old head, the established vet, Emelio Pagan. It is
(00:42):
awesome to have you guys in studio. Thank you for
joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
How are you doing great? Thanks for having us in
gad to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Thank you very good. Hi Emelia, I'm starting with you.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So last year was kind of tough because it felt
like you were throwing the ball really, really well, right
kind of toward the end of May early June. Then
the injury you got to come back. I've got to
think for any player, you're looking for good health. But
more than anything you just want to get through a
full season, and if we see what we saw Englins's
last year, that's going to be a major asset for
this team.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, it was super frustrating, man.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
You know, I had the off season surgery and so
I didn't really get to prepare my body for the season,
and so it was a kind of a slow start.
You know, the numbers were kind of there, but I
didn't think my my stuff was quite there yet. And then,
like you alluded to, I started hitting my stride there
at the end of May, and you know, really that
West Coast trip out to La and Arizona and San France,
(01:33):
I started to really feel like myself. And then, you know,
unfortunately my life kind of gave out on me there
in La, which I truly think is just because I
wasn't physically prepared for the season the way I normally am,
and so I was really excited to get back. I
tried to get back as fast as I could last
year and basically felt the same thing right when I
(01:54):
first came off the IO the first time and went
back and had another MRI, and it looked, you know,
worse than it did the first time. So you know,
probably had to swallow the pride a little bit and realize, like,
I need to really make sure this thing's right before
I get back. And so felt great again when I
came back the second time. But yeah, I definitely I
want to give the organization and the fans and my
(02:14):
teammates and most importantly a true version of who I
think I can be.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
And so.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Off season started immediately right when I got home. Yeah,
got into getting myself back in shape, and I feel
great right now.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So I'm looking forward to season.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And you come back and right when you come back,
the pitching staff kind of falls apart, and so that
had to be doubly frustrating.
Speaker 4 (02:37):
Right, Yeah, it was tough because you know, when you
come back from injury, you're you're really not supposed to throw, uh,
you know, four or five times in a week. But
you know, that's where we were, and I felt ready,
and you know, it went. It went really well for
the first couple of weeks, and then you know, we've
talked about it enough in the last couple of days,
(02:57):
Like you lose the amount of arms that we lost
in a short period of time, It's it's tough for
any any pitching staff in the game to keep it
going and keep the team on track.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
But we had a lot of guys step up. Man.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
Julian Aggie are threw amazing for us. Rhet Louder came
up and did awesome, and then Nick Martinez was maybe
the best pitcher in baseball the last month of the season.
And so, you know, I'm excited for what we can do. Man,
I think we've got a chance to be one of
the best pitching staffs in all of baseball, not just
our division. And so you know, we got a chance
to be really special on that side of the ball.
(03:33):
And you know, obviously the world knows what Ellie and
those guys can do offensively, so our job is just
keep runs off the board for them and then let
them go be superstars.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
It was it was, you know, sad, but also I
think very encouraging that despite the fact that the team
maybe didn't win as well, they didn't win as much
as any of us would like, they got really good
starting pitching and there was some really good bullpen performances,
and there's a lot of youth and a lot of upside.
Is as a more established guy, I won't say old, yeah,
established guy, what is it like when you're surrounded with
(04:02):
you know, so much established big league talent that's really
just getting started.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah, it's it's difficult.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
You know, it's exciting on one hand because you see
what we could become and there's a window here where
the Cincinnati Reds can really be the talk of baseball
for a long time and these two guys next to
me are going to be a huge part of that.
But on the other side, yeah, you know, like you know,
there's there were stretches where we were playing really good
ball and not winning games, and you know, myself and
some of the older guys in the room, we're trying
(04:31):
to relay the message of you know, this is how
we're going to get to the playoffs. And if you've
never done it, and if you've never been through it,
you know, it's hard to understand, Well, we're not winning,
so you know something needs to change. The danger of
that is you start doing stuff that or it could
be bad habits. You know, you start trying to do
too much. You know, Hitters start swinging to pictures outside
of the zone, Pitchers start trying to throw, you know,
(04:54):
overthrow a little bit. You walk, a couple of guys Well,
if you walk the wrong guy at the wrong time
in the game. Well, now you're facing the heart of
the line line up with second and third no outs, yeah,
and their starters rolling, you know, and they're not getting
into their bullpen. And so there's little there's little aspects
of the game that you have to make sure you're
doing correctly. And if we do that, if we just
(05:14):
stay out of our own way and do the little
things like we're are a playoff team and make no
mistakes about it. And so it's exciting, man, it's exciting
what we can be. It's exciting for who's on the way? Yeah,
and we're all looking forward to it.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
So you talk about who's on the way and who's
on the way or the two guys to your your
left cam.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
It's interesting.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
You're just twenty years old and yet I've been talking
about you and following you now for a few years.
It's remarkable. The first Red ever, the first Reds farm
hand ever as a teenager to hit twenty home runs
in a season futures game, MVP, let's talk about that experience.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
What was that like?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Yeah, it was a great experience.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
I had all my family there, I mean, playing that
game with the best competition, meeting those guys and being
able to represent the Bread, represent the Reds and just
win that award. It was amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Do you have I mean, you want to advance through
the system as quickly as possible. You spent all last
year and date and put up really good numbers. Is
there a goal that you're hoping to achieve by the
end of the season where you go, I want to
be here or I want to have done this.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
You know, I never really think too much into I
want to be here because I know the team has
a plan for me and I trust them completely. But
really my plan is to just get a better as
a player, get better as a teammate, and be somebody
that I can help this organiation win games in the future.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
All Right, what is getting better as a player this year?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Look like? All around?
Speaker 5 (06:36):
Games? Getting better, just being more consistent. I know I've
struggled with consistency over my first two seasons, and that's
something I really went to offseason and worked on.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah, the futures game MVP though, I mean, it's it's
a game, right, but it's it had to be such
a boost. Not that you're shy in confidence but I
had to provide such a boost and confidence when you
could do something like that on that stage surrounded by
all that talent.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, it was pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
You know.
Speaker 5 (06:59):
I had a lot of friends out there and being
able to do that in front of them, be able
to share that with them, it was It was pretty cool.
But again, it was really big for me and my
family because the future game is anybody's dream and being
able to win the MVP was amazing.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
When you become a professional baseball player before you're allowed
to vote, what is that?
Speaker 4 (07:15):
Like?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I can't wrap my brain around that.
Speaker 5 (07:18):
You know, Like when I first got into it, it
was it was a lot. I came into Pro Bowl
at seventeen. Yeah, you know, away from my family for
the first time, and it took some time to get
used to but you know, it's just baseball at the
end of the day, and you get used to it
over time.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (07:32):
What's the hardest part? I would just say, like being
away from your family. Like it's struggling, right, Like I
had never struggled before my life, coming from high school man,
always being the best player, always playing the best, But
coming to Pro Bowl're gonna struggle. You gotta work on
your mental and just knowing that you're facing the best
competition and these guys are the best of the best
as well, So just getting over that humping and moving.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
I mean, when I was seventeen years old, I was
playing baseball. I was sitting on the bench for Scott
High School in northern Kentucky, right seventeen years old.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Bit different.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
It's it's remarkable when you're when you're that young, and
when you're eighteen nineteen years old, you're surrounded by younger guys.
But is there someone in the organization? Is there another
member of what are the teams you've been on that
you've leaned on a little bit?
Speaker 5 (08:14):
Yeah, Like like last wing train and I got the
opportunity to stay with a couple older guys that in
an organization for a while and they took me another
wing and they helped me a lot, Like Reese Ivan
Ivan Johnson, those guys really helped me a lot. They
explained to me what I need to do, how I
need to carry myself when I come to the field,
and it really helped me and helped me move forward.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
All right, Chase, walk me through.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
So you get drafted, and I want to talk about
that process and then you you don't pitch in any
competitive games, wait for a season ends as late as
it did, and the plan was, you know what we're
gonna We're gonna get you started in twenty twenty five,
and yet you've been invited to big league camp. What
was it like just going to the last half of
the summer not pitching in competitive situations.
Speaker 6 (08:54):
Yeah, I'd say I'm a pretty competitive person. So as
soon as I got drafted, you know, I was eager
to be like, where am I good? Where am I going?
Where am I getting sent out to? But uh, you know,
you got to look at it as a professional. You know,
they put a lot of time and money in me already,
so I just wanted me to develop. I guess to
spend some time in rookie ball, you know, games every day,
(09:15):
you know, just uh working on some arm care and
stuff like that. So I was there about for about
three months. I did get one live and one inning
and rookie ball, yeah, you know, just get my fee
wet and stuff like that.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Then they sent me home.
Speaker 6 (09:29):
But I was out there for Battery Camp and that
was a cool experience to see some more top prospects
and learn about them. Then I got the call that
you know, I would be going to major league camp,
which is a huge opportunity for me.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
So I'm really excited.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So you get the call and the number two overall pick,
and it's interesting. You know, we we talked about the
draft leading up to it, and we had folks on
the show that said, this is a no brainer Chase
Burns college pitcher Wig Forest, this is who you want,
and so you know the call is coming.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
But when the call comes, what's that moment, Like, Uh,
this is a surreal moment.
Speaker 6 (10:02):
I mean I remember watching Big league spring training games
on TV all the time, so to actually try to
be a part of one and uh, it's huge. But
also just being around the guys, being around a lot
of older pitchers, you.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Know, and just learning from them.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Yeah. Have you talked to Emilia just Rain a little bit?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Yeah, since I've met him here, you know, I talked
to him. He's awesome, dudes.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah. Yeah, So you know, it's it's sort of the
same thing.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
You're going to go into the first year where you're
going to pitch, you know, in a regular rotation at
the professional level. Do you have like a specific goal
that you want to accomplish. I mean, you want to
get better and you want to you want to accumulate
innings and stuff like that. But you're like, all right,
my first full season of pro ball, here's what I
want to do.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Uh yeah, make an impact? Really, I mean that's really it, honestly.
You know, the pro season is a lot different than
the college season, so I want to stay healthy, work
on things I need to work on to make an impact.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Yeah, the college season is starting usually right when spring
training is starting. Is that going to be an adjustment?
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I don't think so.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Really.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
You know, I think that I took the time this
off season to be ready for it, so I don't
think there'll be any huge adjustment.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
Yeah. How did pitching at the level that you pitched
at in college prepare you for what's next?
Speaker 3 (11:21):
It was huge?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
You know.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
I was at Tennessee for my first two years.
Speaker 6 (11:24):
I was a Friday night starter as a freshman, so
I kind of was already thrown into the fire pretty young.
So and then this year being in the acc same
level of talent. Really, it's really two leagues that are
really good at baseball. So I think it. I think
it got me ready for the big adjustment.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
But you have somebody that is you have worked your
way through you know, high school and various organizations and
two colleges that you've tried to sort of pattern yourself after.
Speaker 6 (11:52):
I mean, yeah, there's definitely pitchers in the big leagues
that I try to mimic what they do, you know,
learn about you know, how how they go about their
busines this. But uh, I mean right now, the big
one's htt coming from wake Forest. Be able to get
close to him really, So did.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
You have a chance to watch him when he got
caught up last year? Because he was awesome?
Speaker 6 (12:09):
Yeah, he was awest. Yeah he's he's awesome. I couldn't
be happier for him, and he's been He's been great
to me.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
So the Reds take Hunter Green in twenty seventeen, and
we've seen what's happened with him. And one of the
first things that I noticed and just listening to him
and then eventually getting a chance to talk to him,
was look, he's he's uber talented, but head on his
shoulders mature beyond his years.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
And so when we're reading about you, there's.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Those comparisons, it's like, man, this guy's got the stuff
and he's going to be able to pitch, but he's
going to remind you of of Hunter Green, and in
that regard, that's that's high praise, now right.
Speaker 6 (12:47):
I mean he reached out to me when I got drafted.
He texted me all the time. So just to be
compared to that guy, it's it's huge for me.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
Yeah, it's a really fun time to be a Reds
fan when you look at the collection of talent that
is coming through the system. Obviously you're just getting started.
Cam you're on your way. Amelia, you're almost washed up.
I don't know what to tell you. I got I
got a few good more years.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Amy.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
It is how many of these have you done so far?
How many?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Like?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
I mean, this is a whirlwind for you guys.
Speaker 4 (13:15):
You're talking about just for the Reds caravan. Yeah, this
is day two for me. Yeah, it is a whirlwind.
We've been We've been in a number of different rooms already,
met a bunch of people, forgotten a lot of names,
but you know, we're working on that and it's been
it's been a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Spring training will start here in a couple of weeks.
Do you, as an established big leaguer, are you like
ramping up now or are you gonna take a little
time off before you go to Good Year?
Speaker 2 (13:39):
What's what are the coming weeks gonna look like?
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Man, it's funny you asked that question. It's a it's
a it's an approach. I try to take every year
to show up ready for games, not just spring training.
As I've gotten older, I try to remind myself that
I don't need to be throwing you know, mid nineties
when the day one of spring training. But it's hard. Man,
(14:06):
I still feel like a young kid. I mean, I
still get to play a kid's game for for a living.
And so I get out there and you know, the
competitive juices start flowing and the ball I just start
throwing harder and harder. So you know, I'm trying to
remind myself to to ease into it, and not just
because I'm gonn establish big leader, but because it's what's
best for myself and for the team. If I go
(14:28):
out and start trying to throw too hard too soon,
that's how injuries happen.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
And so.
Speaker 4 (14:32):
You know, I said it earlier. I want to give
the organization and the fans and my teammates a full
season of who I think I can be.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
It's I've been good at doing that.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
My career up to last year, and so last year
was very frustrating and so to me, you know, I've
said it already, this guy's limit for this team. I
really truly believe we can win the division, and so
it would be a disservice to show up and be
trying to show off for whatever ever day one.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
You know, I want to go about this the right way.
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Cam, What are the coming weeks look like? Take time
off when you're going a good year? What's what's gonna
happen between now and the start of spring training?
Speaker 5 (15:09):
Gonna go back home, ramp it up a little bit more,
start getting some live at bats, and then had it's
a good year.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
February sixth, Okay, have you have you hit off him yet?
Speaker 1 (15:17):
No, Chase, I know you're you're itching to get started anytime.
What what what are the next three weeks look like
before camp begins?
Speaker 6 (15:27):
Yeah, kind of just be ready, game game ready as
soon as I get there. Kind of a little bit
of different approach, you know, I kind of want to
be ramped up one hundred percent to be able to,
you know, show them.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
The talents that I have.
Speaker 6 (15:42):
So I'm going to wake here here soon and fine
tuning in some things and then head out to Arizona.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Awesome.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Great to have you guys. I appreciate you guys doing this.
I will be watching you a great American ballpark this summer.
You Cam hopefully very soon and Chase, Chase, same for you,
hopefully very very quickly. But best of luck to all
three of you. Great to have you guys in studio.
Thank you so much, thank you, thank you for having
us ball players in studio. Emilie O Pagan, Cam Collier
and Chase Burns. We thank the Reds for providing them
(16:11):
during Red's caravan week. We are way late tearing my apologies.
Six away from five on ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 5 (16:19):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty Traffic.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
From the UC Health Traffic Center.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
At uce Health, you'll find comprehensive care that's so personal
it makes your best tomorrow possible.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
That's boundless care for better outcomes. Expect more at ucehealth
dot com.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Southbound seventy five at Western Avenue, two right lanes are
blocked from an accident.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Traffic there stop and go from the Western Hills Viaduct.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Keep an eye out for water main work eastbound on
Beachmont Avenue.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
That is between Wilmer Avenue and Batavia Road. I'm at
ezalk with traffic.
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