January 23, 2025 • 19 mins
Tony talks with Emilio Pagan, Chase Burns, and Cam Collier of the Cincinnati Reds on the Reds Caravan, on ESPN 1530!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is Skyline Chile sincey three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Skyline Chile. Stop by Skyline Chili
for a three way or cheese coney today. Feeling good,
It's Skyline Time. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, what's going on?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
It's since he three to sixty ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station. Thanks for listening along a service of our
good friends at Skyline Chili. Anytime you're feeling good and hungry,
it's always Skyline time, Austin. Let's get right into it today.
Obviously a little bit different day here. The Reds caravan
has rolled through the iHeart Studios and with us right now.
We got Amelio, Pagan, cam Callier, Chase Burns all in
(00:42):
studio with us right now, so they're making their rounds.
We're lucky enough to get to talk to these guys
for a few minutes. Obviously we'll spend time talking about
some happenings with the Bengals, what happened to the Xavier
Musketeers last night, and many more things. But let's get
things started on a positive. Let's talk about the Cincinnati reds. Uh,
let's start. Uh, Amelio Pagana's here. You're healthy, Yeah, you're healthy.
(01:04):
I've heard you talking about being healthy through the off
season from a baseball standpoint. Uh what what? What kind
of a difference does that make getting ready to go
to spring training, having a healthy offseason as opposed to
having to rehab yourself during the off season.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah. Uh, you know, I tried not to talk about
it too much because I didn't want to make any
excuses last year. But I showed up to spring training
last year and I hadn't even played catch yet. So
to try and go into a major let alone a
major lea any baseball season, having not thrown as a pitcher,
it was a lot more difficult than I could have
even imagined, just because like the baseline for your body
(01:44):
being prepared to throw at max intensity, uh, it just
wasn't there. And so I started to kind of feel
like myself. Probably early May to the middle of May
felt like I was, you know, the VLA was starting
to climb again, the strikeouts are starting to show again.
And then at the end, I think it was early
June when I hurt my lat and I truly just
(02:05):
believe that it's just because I didn't have that that
strong base of off season throwing and lifting and conditioning.
You know, the soft tissue muscles, you know, they just
weren't worked out enough to last and sustain a full season.
And so it was extremely embarrassing because I've always prided
myself on being a guy that can throw, you know,
as much as the team needs me to, and so
(02:29):
it was embarrassing. It was frustrating, it was emotionally draining
going through it. But it's it's gone. I can't change
it now, So you know, that's done. And as soon
as the season ended, I started, you know, trying to
get in as best shape as possible to give this
organization and my teammates, you know, a full season of
who I think I can be. And you know, I'm
excited for spring training. I feel great.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
You mentioned this city, you mentioned this organization, such an
influx of young talent. We're gonna talk to to more
of this young talent in this room right now. But
you get to feel it, you get to see it.
Terry Francona is coming in uh as mentioned the young talent,
the core group that's here, the city that Cincinnati is
for baseball. What what makes it different here in Cincinnati
(03:12):
that that you can feel what this city needs and
wants in a in a baseball team.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I mean, the history here is pretty unmatched. You know,
I've played in I've played in some awesome cities and
some great organizations. You know, unfortunately Oakland's not a major
league city anymore. But really, of all the places I've been,
I guess that's probably the only one that can compare
historically to what to what Cincinnati has. And I don't
know if they even really get there, you know, with
(03:39):
their teams in the nineties and stuff. I think they
have eight or nine World Series championships. So uh, you
talk about the Big Red Machine and the caliber of
players that have played here in the past, it's hard
to compare to that. And so that's that's what makes
this city unique. And then you know, present day, you
look at what we have with our young guys and
the guys that are coming up. You know, hopefully very soon,
(04:02):
you know, there's a chance where we can have another
golden era of Cincinnati Reds baseball. And I'm grateful to
be a part of it now, and you know, hopefully
that can be a part of it for a long time.
How much can you take from the stops you've made Seattle, Oakland, Tampa,
San Diego, Minnesota, you know, as a as a young team,
you are a veteran on a young team. How much
can you take from other stops, from locker rooms, from
(04:24):
the culture, which is such a keyword now a buzzword
in right in sports, of the culture. How much can
you take from all that and instill and incorporate in
this Reds locker room. I've been very fortunate, man. When
I when I was going through all those moves and
those trades, you know, it wasn't easy. You know, I'm
trying to establish myself in the big leagues and learn
what I need to do to be successful. And every
(04:45):
year I'm on a new team with a new staff
and looking at a new schedule, the way it looks
and everything, and learning which fields are which at spring
training complexes, And there's a lot of minor details that
go into making somebody feel comfortable, and then one you're comfortable,
then you can learn how to be successful. And so
going through it it sucked, I mean, just just being honest,
(05:06):
But I've been fortunate to be around some some really
amazing players at each stop. You know, when I was
in Seattle, I was around Felix, I was around Kyle Seeger.
You know, guys like that, and you know, I can
take stuff from from all those guys. I moved to Oakland.
I'm around two of the best corner infielders in the game,
Matt Chapman, Matt Olsen uh Marcus Simon is one of
(05:29):
the best leaders I've been around. He's gone on to
do amazing things in Texas. I get to Tampa and
we had a really young group there, but Kevin Kiermar
was kind of the face of the team and and
our leader and our vocal guy in the locker room.
Charlie Morton was there, who's more of a lead by
example guy. He's he's kind of a quiet and nature guy,
(05:51):
but has had a ton of success in this league.
I go to San Diego, I'm around two of maybe
the most talented baseball players I have ever seen in
my life in Manha Machado for Nando Tatis Minnesota. You know,
I get to go play with Byron Buds and Carlos Grea,
Royce Lewis, and then some of the pitchers on that side.
You know that sint down. He knows Sonny Gray real well. Sure,
(06:12):
Kyle Farmer was there. Who who was big in our
locker room? And so these guys have seen winning. Uh,
They've seen it in a lot of different ways. I
can take things from from everywhere I've been. I'm grateful
for where I've been, but I'm I'm really excited for
where I'm at right now and what's to come for
this organization.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Chase Burns is in here as well. Uh number two
overall pick uh. For those that are not familiar with
your pitching style at this point, for fans that are
just becoming accustomed to it, how do you describe what
you bring on the mound?
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Uh? Really, I just throw it down the middle and
let it move. Uh. That's kind of always how I've
had success. I think just putting your your strengths and yeah,
you know, hitting is hard, pitching is hard too, But
I feel like, just let my stuff eat right down
the middle and see what they can do.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
You are a proud Demon Deacon. You got the Wake
Forest hat on today. Rhet Louder was also a Demon Deacon.
He's in this uh, this organization. I know you guys
didn't really cross pass at Wake. But how much can
you lean on him coming from the same area that
you did, highly touted prospect, how much can you lean
on him for your growth and your development?
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Yeah, a ton Mee and him have grown. Our friendship
has grown a lot in the past couple of years,
you know, watching him while I was at Tennessee and
seeing what he was doing, and then transferring to Wake
Forest and actually being able to meet him and pick
his brain. It's been huge. You know, we'll actually be
living together in spring training, so you know, I'll be
(07:41):
a little annoying asking him a lot of questions, but
basically following him around and you know, trying to learn
from him.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
What what do you want to accomplish your you have
the invite to spring training. Uh, still very new to
the game here. What are you looking to accomplish? As
you start to report pictures and catchers reporting, what's one
of those things it stands out that you're trying to accomplish.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Uh, you know, just get my feet wet a little bit,
Like I said, learn you know, there's a lot of
great pictures up there, so just kind of trying to
get under someone's wing and really show show me how
different professional ball is, and then also just make a
little bit of an impact, you know, stay healthy and
(08:22):
try to move up the affiliates.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Talk about the city of Cincinnati. Obviously you're you're new
to the city of Cincinnati as well. What have you
learned not just about the baseball club itself, but what
have you learned about the city of Cincinnati. What do
you enjoy about it?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, I mean this is like my third or fourth
time being up here. It's beautiful. But also just seeing
the fans how much they care. This is our second
day and I've met a lot of people, a lot
of people that are you know, wanting the city and
want the Reds to get back to where they were at.
So it's exciting.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Cam Call. You're also in the building as well. The
twenty twenty four Futures Game MVP. Uh, you go into
a game like that, the Futures Game, you're talking about
the future of Major League Baseball. I look at baseball
like any other sport. It's such a confidence driven sport.
How much confidence do you gain from going up against
the best young prospects in baseball? As the MVP that
you can now push to your game to the next level.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
Yeah, most definitely was a confidence booster. It's what I
needed to go into that second half and finish off
my season on a good note. But yeah, being able
to perform that well in that big of a stage
with the best of the best was definitely experienced.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
As a player. You know that that's at the plate,
in the field. How how do you describe your game
as well? A lot of fans that are thirsty for baseball,
They're thirsty for winning. They want to know about the
young players. How do you describe your game to an
average baseball fan?
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Yeah, I would definitely say, Man, I'm somebody that wants
to win. I'm play hard and be a really good teammate,
and I'm gonna do anything I can to help the
team win no matter what.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
What is something that as you get into spring training
that that you are are looking to work on and
fine tune in your game to help get yourself to
the next level.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Yeah, I just want to get that consistent, consistent aspect. Yeah,
I'm going to big Lee spring training. I want to
ask these big league guys like, hey, what do you do?
What did you do to get to where you were? Like,
just be a sponge Like I said earlier.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
How how different is today's game of baseball? Because I
remember growing up you play a position, maybe you play
two positions. In today's baseball, the more positions you can play,
the more successful you're gonna because you're gonna have opportunities,
especially in an organization that does have an influx of
infielders and an influx of position players. So how much
(10:32):
do you try to work on an individual position or
how much are you trying to play as many positions
as possible to make yourself as ready to go as
possible for the organization.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
Yeah, I trying to move around as much as possible,
trying to play everywhere. I know I did a lot
of work at first basis offseason just so it can
be more flexible, be able to play more positions and
help the team win. So there's definitely something I've always done.
I've been doing this as a young age because on
a smart thing, they do be able to hope your
teams in more ways than not.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
For sure, a new manager coming in, and obviously I
know that you guys haven't had a ton of opportunities
to be around Terry Francona. But in the times that
you have or the opportunities. Uh, what does Terry Francona,
in your opinion, bring to the organization as a boost
of a manager that's been in every situation in baseball before.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
He just brings a great amount of experience. Man, He's
he's he's been in the World Series, He's been around
some really good players, and he's mentored a lot of
good players. And I just know that him come in
Cincinnati is just great for this team and his knowledge
his NOSS organization is gonna do a crazy amount.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Obviously, Amilia, you were here last year. Culture the buzzword
that we use in any sport now. Culture Not to
say that it was a terrible culture, but it's a
different culture now this year with Terry Francona, with so
many young core players. Is there a difference that you
can see already or does that really iron itself out
as you get into spring training and spend more time
(11:54):
with the team and with Terry Francona.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Yeah, I would say, you know, we got to ask
kind of a more question that this morning. We were
talking with some season ticket holders, and I don't necessarily
think the culture was was a problem. I do think
we're we are already holding ourselves to a higher standard
than we did last year, you know, setting the bar
a little bit higher of what our expectations need to be.
(12:20):
And you know that's no disrespect to to dB who
is here, but you bring in a Hall of fame
manager like Terry Francona, like, that's an upgrade to know,
no matter who was in the chair before, you know
what I mean. And and you know Terry's he's been
great so far. Our group chat has been very excited. U.
We've talked to you know, basically all off season. We've
kept in touch. You know, some of our guys have
(12:42):
had some big life changes. You know, Nick Martinez just
had another baby, and so you know, the second that
Tito was hired, we were all very fired up. And
I've talked to a lot of guys. I wouldn't say
all of them, that'd be a lie, but I talked
to a lot of guys about how excited we are
going into the season, and uh, you know, you bring
Tito in and it just it just raises the bar. Man,
(13:03):
It's it's it's go time. There's no more for you know,
we got to develop this, We got to do that better.
It's no, it's time to win. You know, the windows
now and it's time to go.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
As a as a pitcher, are you a fan of
the pitch clock? Do you enjoy that?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know? Push so before the pitch clock was uh,
inst instant and stated, I guess is the word. I
was told that I was the slowest working pitcher in
the game, and I didn't even really, I didn't realize
I was moving slow at all. And so my initial
reaction was, you know, the game doesn't need to change.
The game is perfect how it is. But I can
(13:38):
see the benefit to it now, both as a fan
and as a player. You know, like those four hour
games were tough. Trying to stay locked in mentally for
that long is not easy, and so to have the
game to be two and a half hours, there's benefit
to the competitive side of the game, and there's benefit
for fans that you know, maybe can't commit that that
long of a time on a week night, you know,
(13:59):
their kids at school the next morning. And so I
would say I'm indifferent to it, you know, because I
can see the benefit to it. But I'm an I'm
a traditional baseball fan, so I try to I try to,
you know, hope that the game stays as close to
what it was for me growing up as it was, so,
you know, I see the benefits, but I think the
game's perfect how it is.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Cam. We talk a lot about pictures in the pitch clock.
Does it change for you? Have you had to make
an adjustment with pictures moving at a faster pace in
what your tendencies are at the plate?
Speaker 5 (14:31):
Honestly, not that much, because I'm a quick mover, Like
I like to stay in the box, like I like
to get back in there. I don't like to take
too much time away from the box. So I kind
of like it, you know. It keeps me in the rhythm.
You know. The only problem I ever had with it
is maybe I'll get to the play a little bit
too late and I'll give up a strike. But besides that,
it's been pretty good.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Chase, you mentioned throwing strikes, getting the ball moving. In
today's baseball, a lot of guys are trying to be
power hitters. What in your concept, there's a picture. What's
harder to deal with someone that does want to hit
the ball out of the ballpark or someone that wants
to get on base and kind of wreak havoc on
the base pass. From a pitching standpoint, what would you
rather face? For me, someone who wants to get on
(15:10):
base and steal bases. That's something that I've been working
on the off season, is my leg times and stuff
like that. But someone that's hungry to get on base
anyway possible, I think that's that's the most dangerous. How
much can you use that You have a guy on
the roster and La Da La Cruz who is a
threat to steal multiple bases every time he gets on
how much can you learn or work on that from
(15:33):
a spring training aspect of a guy that is going
to move, of a guy that is going to hold
a pitcher accountable. Can you take things from spring training
from one of the fastest in the game and use
that going forward?
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Just finding what they're looking at
in pitchers and using that to my ability. I think
timing is also a huge thing, mixing up your holds
and then you're just your pickoff.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
So merely, what is something that these guys who are
getting uh a fresher taste of spring training? As someone
who's been to multiple spring trainings, uh, do you have
advice that you give to younger players. Is that lead
by example? Is it you know kind of learners that
go how do you kind of incorporate teaching younger guys
what to expect at spring training?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Yeah, I think the the best advice that I can
give is advice that was given to me is, uh,
you know, try your best to be a part of
the club. You know, like don't just sit in your
locker and be quiet. You know, if there's an open
share at a table, you know, come sit down, Come
sit down. Let's let's let's chop it up. Let's talk
about the game. Let's talk about you know, the team fundamental.
We just did whatever on the on the backfield. If
(16:39):
there's questions, ask, But it's always it's not always just baseball.
You know, let's talk about your family. Let's talk about
what you like to do away from the field, because
you know, this season's long, it's a grind, there's gonna
be ups and downs. And if it's constantly one percent
of the time talking about you're at bats or your
inning or whatever, it is like you know, the that
(17:00):
can that can weigh on you. And so there's got
to be a connection outside of baseball that you can
go to and like, hey, let's go grab a dinner,
you know, if somebody's struggling, you know, let's go to
breakfast in the morning before the game has got our
head right going into the tonight's game. Stuff like that.
But you know, these guys are so talented that you
know their game is going to do a lot of
the talking for him, and so you know they at
(17:23):
the end of the day, it's just be yourself, have
fun and remember that you know the game is still
the game, you know, just because you know the guy's
name that you're facing, you know, and you're I'm sure
you're a fan of because I am. You know, I
love this game and there's guys that we play against
that I love watching them hit, you know, and so
but strike one is still strike one. And you know,
(17:43):
if you pitch to the name on the jersey instead
of playing the game the way it is, you know
that you're making it harder than it needs to be.
And so you know, that's the advice I was given
when I was making my debut from some of the
veteran hitters. And you know it's the same today.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
You obviously you felt it last year last thing for
Chase and Cam do you guys feel and get a
sense of the fans in this city. I mean, I
know Amelio has from being here. I get it talking
on the radio every single day that this is, regardless
of how good and the lengths that the Bengals are going,
(18:19):
this has been rooted as a baseball town. Do you
guys get a sense of that when you get a
chance to come to Cincinnati, when you get a chance
to interact with fans, that it is different here in
Cincinnati and you can feel not only anticipation, but the
desire for a winning organization for these fans to get behind.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Yeah, one hundred percent. I mean just seeing it this morning,
I mean people are in the clubhouse at nine am
want to speak to us and talk to us and
ask questions. But yeah, I was fortunate enough to come
out to a game just before I got drafted and
just seeing the atmosphere and the fans and how much
they cared it, It's truly exciting.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Cam It's not like this everywhere. Do you get a
sense of that as well when when you're traveling around
when you're playing that that it is different in Cincinnati
and to get that ultimate goal of being on the
club but also bringing a winning club back to Cincinnati. Yeah,
for sure.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
You can just tell in Dayton, the way the fans
come out there and support us.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
In Dayton.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
You know that the city of Ohio wants the winning team,
especially the Cincinnati and I feel like these fans are
amazing and they deserve to see a winning team.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
That's Cam Callier, Chase Burns, Emelio Pagan. I know it's
a it's an eventful time. I know you guys are
being rushed all over the place. I can't thank you
enough for giving us a couple of minutes today and honestly,
we look forward to following along with everything you guys
do this season. Appreciate you guys, Thanks, thank you. We
are just getting started. Since he three to sixty, We're
here till three o'clock. ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
(19:44):
Thanks to Skyline Chilling
Is Skyline Chile sincey three to sixty about Cincinnati from Cincinnati,
sponsored in part by Skyline Chile. Stop by Skyline Chili
for a three way or cheese coney today. Feeling good,
It's Skyline Time. This is ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
All right, what's going on?
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Welcome in.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
It's since he three to sixty ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati
Sports Station. Thanks for listening along a service of our
good friends at Skyline Chili. Anytime you're feeling good and hungry,
it's always Skyline time, Austin. Let's get right into it today.
Obviously a little bit different day here. The Reds caravan
has rolled through the iHeart Studios and with us right now.
We got Amelio, Pagan, cam Callier, Chase Burns all in
(00:42):
studio with us right now, so they're making their rounds.
We're lucky enough to get to talk to these guys
for a few minutes. Obviously we'll spend time talking about
some happenings with the Bengals, what happened to the Xavier
Musketeers last night, and many more things. But let's get
things started on a positive. Let's talk about the Cincinnati reds. Uh,
let's start. Uh, Amelio Pagana's here. You're healthy, Yeah, you're healthy.
(01:04):
I've heard you talking about being healthy through the off
season from a baseball standpoint. Uh what what? What kind
of a difference does that make getting ready to go
to spring training, having a healthy offseason as opposed to
having to rehab yourself during the off season.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Yeah. Uh, you know, I tried not to talk about
it too much because I didn't want to make any
excuses last year. But I showed up to spring training
last year and I hadn't even played catch yet. So
to try and go into a major let alone a
major lea any baseball season, having not thrown as a pitcher,
it was a lot more difficult than I could have
even imagined, just because like the baseline for your body
(01:44):
being prepared to throw at max intensity, uh, it just
wasn't there. And so I started to kind of feel
like myself. Probably early May to the middle of May
felt like I was, you know, the VLA was starting
to climb again, the strikeouts are starting to show again.
And then at the end, I think it was early
June when I hurt my lat and I truly just
(02:05):
believe that it's just because I didn't have that that
strong base of off season throwing and lifting and conditioning.
You know, the soft tissue muscles, you know, they just
weren't worked out enough to last and sustain a full season.
And so it was extremely embarrassing because I've always prided
myself on being a guy that can throw, you know,
as much as the team needs me to, and so
(02:29):
it was embarrassing. It was frustrating, it was emotionally draining
going through it. But it's it's gone. I can't change
it now, So you know, that's done. And as soon
as the season ended, I started, you know, trying to
get in as best shape as possible to give this
organization and my teammates, you know, a full season of
who I think I can be. And you know, I'm
excited for spring training. I feel great.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
You mentioned this city, you mentioned this organization, such an
influx of young talent. We're gonna talk to to more
of this young talent in this room right now. But
you get to feel it, you get to see it.
Terry Francona is coming in uh as mentioned the young talent,
the core group that's here, the city that Cincinnati is
for baseball. What what makes it different here in Cincinnati
(03:12):
that that you can feel what this city needs and
wants in a in a baseball team.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I mean, the history here is pretty unmatched. You know,
I've played in I've played in some awesome cities and
some great organizations. You know, unfortunately Oakland's not a major
league city anymore. But really, of all the places I've been,
I guess that's probably the only one that can compare
historically to what to what Cincinnati has. And I don't
know if they even really get there, you know, with
(03:39):
their teams in the nineties and stuff. I think they
have eight or nine World Series championships. So uh, you
talk about the Big Red Machine and the caliber of
players that have played here in the past, it's hard
to compare to that. And so that's that's what makes
this city unique. And then you know, present day, you
look at what we have with our young guys and
the guys that are coming up. You know, hopefully very soon,
(04:02):
you know, there's a chance where we can have another
golden era of Cincinnati Reds baseball. And I'm grateful to
be a part of it now, and you know, hopefully
that can be a part of it for a long time.
How much can you take from the stops you've made Seattle, Oakland, Tampa,
San Diego, Minnesota, you know, as a as a young team,
you are a veteran on a young team. How much
can you take from other stops, from locker rooms, from
(04:24):
the culture, which is such a keyword now a buzzword
in right in sports, of the culture. How much can
you take from all that and instill and incorporate in
this Reds locker room. I've been very fortunate, man. When
I when I was going through all those moves and
those trades, you know, it wasn't easy. You know, I'm
trying to establish myself in the big leagues and learn
what I need to do to be successful. And every
(04:45):
year I'm on a new team with a new staff
and looking at a new schedule, the way it looks
and everything, and learning which fields are which at spring
training complexes, And there's a lot of minor details that
go into making somebody feel comfortable, and then one you're comfortable,
then you can learn how to be successful. And so
going through it it sucked, I mean, just just being honest,
(05:06):
But I've been fortunate to be around some some really
amazing players at each stop. You know, when I was
in Seattle, I was around Felix, I was around Kyle Seeger.
You know, guys like that, and you know, I can
take stuff from from all those guys. I moved to Oakland.
I'm around two of the best corner infielders in the game,
Matt Chapman, Matt Olsen uh Marcus Simon is one of
(05:29):
the best leaders I've been around. He's gone on to
do amazing things in Texas. I get to Tampa and
we had a really young group there, but Kevin Kiermar
was kind of the face of the team and and
our leader and our vocal guy in the locker room.
Charlie Morton was there, who's more of a lead by
example guy. He's he's kind of a quiet and nature guy,
(05:51):
but has had a ton of success in this league.
I go to San Diego, I'm around two of maybe
the most talented baseball players I have ever seen in
my life in Manha Machado for Nando Tatis Minnesota. You know,
I get to go play with Byron Buds and Carlos Grea,
Royce Lewis, and then some of the pitchers on that side.
You know that sint down. He knows Sonny Gray real well. Sure,
(06:12):
Kyle Farmer was there. Who who was big in our
locker room? And so these guys have seen winning. Uh,
They've seen it in a lot of different ways. I
can take things from from everywhere I've been. I'm grateful
for where I've been, but I'm I'm really excited for
where I'm at right now and what's to come for
this organization.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Chase Burns is in here as well. Uh number two
overall pick uh. For those that are not familiar with
your pitching style at this point, for fans that are
just becoming accustomed to it, how do you describe what
you bring on the mound?
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Uh? Really, I just throw it down the middle and
let it move. Uh. That's kind of always how I've
had success. I think just putting your your strengths and yeah,
you know, hitting is hard, pitching is hard too, But
I feel like, just let my stuff eat right down
the middle and see what they can do.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
You are a proud Demon Deacon. You got the Wake
Forest hat on today. Rhet Louder was also a Demon Deacon.
He's in this uh, this organization. I know you guys
didn't really cross pass at Wake. But how much can
you lean on him coming from the same area that
you did, highly touted prospect, how much can you lean
on him for your growth and your development?
Speaker 4 (07:20):
Yeah, a ton Mee and him have grown. Our friendship
has grown a lot in the past couple of years,
you know, watching him while I was at Tennessee and
seeing what he was doing, and then transferring to Wake
Forest and actually being able to meet him and pick
his brain. It's been huge. You know, we'll actually be
living together in spring training, so you know, I'll be
(07:41):
a little annoying asking him a lot of questions, but
basically following him around and you know, trying to learn
from him.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
What what do you want to accomplish your you have
the invite to spring training. Uh, still very new to
the game here. What are you looking to accomplish? As
you start to report pictures and catchers reporting, what's one
of those things it stands out that you're trying to accomplish.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
Uh, you know, just get my feet wet a little bit,
Like I said, learn you know, there's a lot of
great pictures up there, so just kind of trying to
get under someone's wing and really show show me how
different professional ball is, and then also just make a
little bit of an impact, you know, stay healthy and
(08:22):
try to move up the affiliates.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Talk about the city of Cincinnati. Obviously you're you're new
to the city of Cincinnati as well. What have you
learned not just about the baseball club itself, but what
have you learned about the city of Cincinnati. What do
you enjoy about it?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, I mean this is like my third or fourth
time being up here. It's beautiful. But also just seeing
the fans how much they care. This is our second
day and I've met a lot of people, a lot
of people that are you know, wanting the city and
want the Reds to get back to where they were at.
So it's exciting.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Cam Call. You're also in the building as well. The
twenty twenty four Futures Game MVP. Uh, you go into
a game like that, the Futures Game, you're talking about
the future of Major League Baseball. I look at baseball
like any other sport. It's such a confidence driven sport.
How much confidence do you gain from going up against
the best young prospects in baseball? As the MVP that
you can now push to your game to the next level.
Speaker 5 (09:15):
Yeah, most definitely was a confidence booster. It's what I
needed to go into that second half and finish off
my season on a good note. But yeah, being able
to perform that well in that big of a stage
with the best of the best was definitely experienced.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
As a player. You know that that's at the plate,
in the field. How how do you describe your game
as well? A lot of fans that are thirsty for baseball,
They're thirsty for winning. They want to know about the
young players. How do you describe your game to an
average baseball fan?
Speaker 5 (09:42):
Yeah, I would definitely say, Man, I'm somebody that wants
to win. I'm play hard and be a really good teammate,
and I'm gonna do anything I can to help the
team win no matter what.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
What is something that as you get into spring training
that that you are are looking to work on and
fine tune in your game to help get yourself to
the next level.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Yeah, I just want to get that consistent, consistent aspect. Yeah,
I'm going to big Lee spring training. I want to
ask these big league guys like, hey, what do you do?
What did you do to get to where you were? Like,
just be a sponge Like I said earlier.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
How how different is today's game of baseball? Because I
remember growing up you play a position, maybe you play
two positions. In today's baseball, the more positions you can play,
the more successful you're gonna because you're gonna have opportunities,
especially in an organization that does have an influx of
infielders and an influx of position players. So how much
(10:32):
do you try to work on an individual position or
how much are you trying to play as many positions
as possible to make yourself as ready to go as
possible for the organization.
Speaker 5 (10:42):
Yeah, I trying to move around as much as possible,
trying to play everywhere. I know I did a lot
of work at first basis offseason just so it can
be more flexible, be able to play more positions and
help the team win. So there's definitely something I've always done.
I've been doing this as a young age because on
a smart thing, they do be able to hope your
teams in more ways than not.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
For sure, a new manager coming in, and obviously I
know that you guys haven't had a ton of opportunities
to be around Terry Francona. But in the times that
you have or the opportunities. Uh, what does Terry Francona,
in your opinion, bring to the organization as a boost
of a manager that's been in every situation in baseball before.
Speaker 5 (11:18):
He just brings a great amount of experience. Man, He's
he's he's been in the World Series, He's been around
some really good players, and he's mentored a lot of
good players. And I just know that him come in
Cincinnati is just great for this team and his knowledge
his NOSS organization is gonna do a crazy amount.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
Obviously, Amilia, you were here last year. Culture the buzzword
that we use in any sport now. Culture Not to
say that it was a terrible culture, but it's a
different culture now this year with Terry Francona, with so
many young core players. Is there a difference that you
can see already or does that really iron itself out
as you get into spring training and spend more time
(11:54):
with the team and with Terry Francona.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Yeah, I would say, you know, we got to ask
kind of a more question that this morning. We were
talking with some season ticket holders, and I don't necessarily
think the culture was was a problem. I do think
we're we are already holding ourselves to a higher standard
than we did last year, you know, setting the bar
a little bit higher of what our expectations need to be.
(12:20):
And you know that's no disrespect to to dB who
is here, but you bring in a Hall of fame
manager like Terry Francona, like, that's an upgrade to know,
no matter who was in the chair before, you know
what I mean. And and you know Terry's he's been
great so far. Our group chat has been very excited. U.
We've talked to you know, basically all off season. We've
kept in touch. You know, some of our guys have
(12:42):
had some big life changes. You know, Nick Martinez just
had another baby, and so you know, the second that
Tito was hired, we were all very fired up. And
I've talked to a lot of guys. I wouldn't say
all of them, that'd be a lie, but I talked
to a lot of guys about how excited we are
going into the season, and uh, you know, you bring
Tito in and it just it just raises the bar. Man,
(13:03):
It's it's it's go time. There's no more for you know,
we got to develop this, We got to do that better.
It's no, it's time to win. You know, the windows
now and it's time to go.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
As a as a pitcher, are you a fan of
the pitch clock? Do you enjoy that?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know? Push so before the pitch clock was uh,
inst instant and stated, I guess is the word. I
was told that I was the slowest working pitcher in
the game, and I didn't even really, I didn't realize
I was moving slow at all. And so my initial
reaction was, you know, the game doesn't need to change.
The game is perfect how it is. But I can
(13:38):
see the benefit to it now, both as a fan
and as a player. You know, like those four hour
games were tough. Trying to stay locked in mentally for
that long is not easy, and so to have the
game to be two and a half hours, there's benefit
to the competitive side of the game, and there's benefit
for fans that you know, maybe can't commit that that
long of a time on a week night, you know,
(13:59):
their kids at school the next morning. And so I
would say I'm indifferent to it, you know, because I
can see the benefit to it. But I'm an I'm
a traditional baseball fan, so I try to I try to,
you know, hope that the game stays as close to
what it was for me growing up as it was, so,
you know, I see the benefits, but I think the
game's perfect how it is.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Cam. We talk a lot about pictures in the pitch clock.
Does it change for you? Have you had to make
an adjustment with pictures moving at a faster pace in
what your tendencies are at the plate?
Speaker 5 (14:31):
Honestly, not that much, because I'm a quick mover, Like
I like to stay in the box, like I like
to get back in there. I don't like to take
too much time away from the box. So I kind
of like it, you know. It keeps me in the rhythm.
You know. The only problem I ever had with it
is maybe I'll get to the play a little bit
too late and I'll give up a strike. But besides that,
it's been pretty good.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Chase, you mentioned throwing strikes, getting the ball moving. In
today's baseball, a lot of guys are trying to be
power hitters. What in your concept, there's a picture. What's
harder to deal with someone that does want to hit
the ball out of the ballpark or someone that wants
to get on base and kind of wreak havoc on
the base pass. From a pitching standpoint, what would you
rather face? For me, someone who wants to get on
(15:10):
base and steal bases. That's something that I've been working
on the off season, is my leg times and stuff
like that. But someone that's hungry to get on base
anyway possible, I think that's that's the most dangerous. How
much can you use that You have a guy on
the roster and La Da La Cruz who is a
threat to steal multiple bases every time he gets on
how much can you learn or work on that from
(15:33):
a spring training aspect of a guy that is going
to move, of a guy that is going to hold
a pitcher accountable. Can you take things from spring training
from one of the fastest in the game and use
that going forward?
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Yeah, one hundred percent. Just finding what they're looking at
in pitchers and using that to my ability. I think
timing is also a huge thing, mixing up your holds
and then you're just your pickoff.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
So merely, what is something that these guys who are
getting uh a fresher taste of spring training? As someone
who's been to multiple spring trainings, uh, do you have
advice that you give to younger players. Is that lead
by example? Is it you know kind of learners that
go how do you kind of incorporate teaching younger guys
what to expect at spring training?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Yeah, I think the the best advice that I can
give is advice that was given to me is, uh,
you know, try your best to be a part of
the club. You know, like don't just sit in your
locker and be quiet. You know, if there's an open
share at a table, you know, come sit down, Come
sit down. Let's let's let's chop it up. Let's talk
about the game. Let's talk about you know, the team fundamental.
We just did whatever on the on the backfield. If
(16:39):
there's questions, ask, But it's always it's not always just baseball.
You know, let's talk about your family. Let's talk about
what you like to do away from the field, because
you know, this season's long, it's a grind, there's gonna
be ups and downs. And if it's constantly one percent
of the time talking about you're at bats or your
inning or whatever, it is like you know, the that
(17:00):
can that can weigh on you. And so there's got
to be a connection outside of baseball that you can
go to and like, hey, let's go grab a dinner,
you know, if somebody's struggling, you know, let's go to
breakfast in the morning before the game has got our
head right going into the tonight's game. Stuff like that.
But you know, these guys are so talented that you
know their game is going to do a lot of
the talking for him, and so you know they at
(17:23):
the end of the day, it's just be yourself, have
fun and remember that you know the game is still
the game, you know, just because you know the guy's
name that you're facing, you know, and you're I'm sure
you're a fan of because I am. You know, I
love this game and there's guys that we play against
that I love watching them hit, you know, and so
but strike one is still strike one. And you know,
(17:43):
if you pitch to the name on the jersey instead
of playing the game the way it is, you know
that you're making it harder than it needs to be.
And so you know, that's the advice I was given
when I was making my debut from some of the
veteran hitters. And you know it's the same today.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
You obviously you felt it last year last thing for
Chase and Cam do you guys feel and get a
sense of the fans in this city. I mean, I
know Amelio has from being here. I get it talking
on the radio every single day that this is, regardless
of how good and the lengths that the Bengals are going,
(18:19):
this has been rooted as a baseball town. Do you
guys get a sense of that when you get a
chance to come to Cincinnati, when you get a chance
to interact with fans, that it is different here in
Cincinnati and you can feel not only anticipation, but the
desire for a winning organization for these fans to get behind.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
Yeah, one hundred percent. I mean just seeing it this morning,
I mean people are in the clubhouse at nine am
want to speak to us and talk to us and
ask questions. But yeah, I was fortunate enough to come
out to a game just before I got drafted and
just seeing the atmosphere and the fans and how much
they cared it, It's truly exciting.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
Cam It's not like this everywhere. Do you get a
sense of that as well when when you're traveling around
when you're playing that that it is different in Cincinnati
and to get that ultimate goal of being on the
club but also bringing a winning club back to Cincinnati. Yeah,
for sure.
Speaker 5 (19:10):
You can just tell in Dayton, the way the fans
come out there and support us.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
In Dayton.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
You know that the city of Ohio wants the winning team,
especially the Cincinnati and I feel like these fans are
amazing and they deserve to see a winning team.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
That's Cam Callier, Chase Burns, Emelio Pagan. I know it's
a it's an eventful time. I know you guys are
being rushed all over the place. I can't thank you
enough for giving us a couple of minutes today and honestly,
we look forward to following along with everything you guys
do this season. Appreciate you guys, Thanks, thank you. We
are just getting started. Since he three to sixty, We're
here till three o'clock. ESPN fifteen thirty Cincinnati Sports Station.
(19:44):
Thanks to Skyline Chilling
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