March 5, 2026 • 17 mins
Bill Krueger joins Softy and Dick to talk about the Mariners building on 2025 with their off-season moves, the group trying to fill second base and designated hitter, the offense trying to maintain the level they were at last season, Julio Rodriguez working with Edgar Martinez on a successful season, and the team avoiding a slow start with a better team.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Duke of Duke Seafood letting you know that
this hour of Softy and Dick on your home for
the Huskies and Kraken is probably brought to you by
Duke Seafood. Why not make it a Duke's night tonight.
Reserve your table today at Dukeseafood dot com. On Sports
Radio ninety three point three KJARFM, It's time for.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Our weekly conversation with Bill Krueger, brought to you by
the brand new Occidental Hall next to Lumenfield on Occidental
Seattle's newest hot spot for sports fans, with massive HD
screens in the menu, backed with Seattle's best smash burger,
wings and the best local craft beers in town. Now
with Bill Krueger, here's Saftie and Dick.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I recommend getting to the Occidental Hall before and after
every Mariner game and trying the burger at Occidental Hall
after the Mariners the Guardians says perfect. But joining us
right now on the radio show a guy who was
definitely not on the air and Bill Kruger and I
were talking earlier today, Bill, you can vouch and verify
(01:01):
this conversation. I was informed by your representatives of your
financial demands to come back and return and do this
radio show on a weekly basis. And I told you,
all right, give you a couple of weeks and we'll
get on it and see what we can do. We
may have to fire multiple people here at the radio
station to meet your financial demands, but I got news
(01:21):
for you in the last couple hours. Those financial demands
have been met. Our friends at the queen Ann Beer
Hall are back, and you are locked and loaded, my
friend to join us yet again, starting every Monday and
Week one of the Mariner season as our pre eminent
Mariner analyst.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
How does that make you feel?
Speaker 5 (01:40):
Wow, that's a tall order and wow amazing when you
put the right people in the room together.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, it didn't take much, that's it.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Just took Justin Andrews at the queen An Beer Hall
beings and agreeing to that deal. That's what happened. Well,
it's been a while, man since we've had you on
the show. We're fired up to have you back on
the air. World that we'll pick us up on kind
of a weekly basis as we get closer to opening day,
which is only heck three weeks from today, for God's sakes,
but how about you just give us kind of your
general thoughts on where this team was when they lost
(02:09):
to Toronto roster wise.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
And where they are now.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
We were debating on the air, are they better on
paper worse on paper?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
The same?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
What's your take on the job Jerry Justin company did
and hopefully trying to make this baseball team better over
the offseason.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Well, I think that this team was every bit a
good enough team to win the World Series last year,
and it's unfortunate that Brian wu couldn't post. Had he posted,
I believe they'd have gone to the World Series, and
the way the Dodgers played against the Blue Jays, I
think the Mariners would have given him a better fight.
I mean, those are all suppositions and we can have
(02:47):
some butts, but a very good team that I think
he basically brought back Josh Needler. It signed the long
term deal. Your pitchings all intact. They go out and
get a left hander from Washington and get a compliment
for Gave Spire. They go and get a all fields, hitting,
high on base guy, and Brendan Donovan is a great
(03:08):
pick up in the trade. So I think they've done
a lot of good things. I mean, he's still with
the departure of Polonco, they don't have somebody that's replaced him, right, Uh,
So they are lacking in the DH spot and ref
Snyder and can Zone take that spot over and deliver
remains to be seen, and there's questions that we can
(03:30):
we can we can sit their way through. But when
you look at their starting rotation, when you look at
the back end of their bullpen, when you look at
the star power on this team, you have to say
they are well positioned to now with the confidence and
maybe a little bit of a burn the saddle that says, hey,
we were so close, We're not going to let this
slip through our fingers again this year. And their pitching
(03:50):
got tested, had injuries last year, so there's every bit
of a reason to think they'll be they'll be healthier
this year, at least in the starting rotation, so I
think there and then the als doesn't look nearly as
it continues to water itself down, so the marriage the
cream of the crop there. So I think they're a
great spot.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Bill.
Speaker 6 (04:12):
How comfortable are you with Cole Young and second, you.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Know, honestly, I think he's a good player. And if
he's allowed to just play the game and work his
way through the ups and downs, would be he was
a twenty one year old player last year? Or is
he twenty one this year? Was he twenty last year?
He's really young, and I think I like the player,
So I just think he needs a chance to play
(04:36):
through the ups and downs, not have a high expectation,
play solid defense. And you know what we saw of
him when he did start to swing the bat better.
Everybody points at the four and forty foot home on
off to hit it here at cafe, But what I
saw was a guy that really wanted to pull the ball.
What he got up here and struggled. But then when
he started to stay up the middle of the field,
(04:57):
he started to show that he can He can be
a pretty good player. Yeah, I just got some power,
But I don't think the power is the answer. That
the answer is to have good at bats and put
more balls in play and play solid defense. And I
think he can do all those things. I mean, I
think he's a nice player. And you know, you need
the core of your lineup to deliver. The Guys like
(05:18):
Cole Young just need to play above league average and
play solid defense, and I think he can do that.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Well.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Bill Krueger's with us on the air, and Bill, you
mentioned JP or excuse me, Hori Polonko, And I'm with
you that they haven't replaced you know, the eight twenty
one ops. And I mean, I don't know about you,
but I just think that they certainly will not get
sixty home runs again from cal Raley. I mean, it took,
you know, a million years for a catcher to hit sixty.
I think expecting it in two consecutive years is crazy.
(05:49):
But I mean there's a little bit of a gap there, right,
like does this get replaced by a group effort? I mean,
can can Brendan Donovan be that guy? Can ref Schneider
be that guy? How concerned are you, honestly that they
just have not replaced those numbers from Polanco and that
cal Rawley's numbers most certainly will maybe come down a
little bit.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
Well, I don't think you can expect Calvally to his
sixty home runs, but you know, cal could be a
more productive hitter, hitting maybe forty home months. Maybe he
puts a little more contact in his games, he drives,
drives in an equal or more runs. He's just a
little bit more productive. I mean, I don't know how
much better you could ask the player to be. I mean,
I think I'm not really worried about sixty home runs
(06:31):
with cal Rawley. No. I mean, I think it would
be great to see a Rose Arena have a more
consistent season since they bought him back. Maybe getting out
of the off spot and being down in the order
will allow him to be the more instinctive hitter that
he is. Can you know the advantage now of having
(06:52):
Josh Nair for a full season. That's a real infusion
because they only had him for two months. Brendon Donovan
brings a really nice track record and a guy that
can hit lead off because they really don't have one,
and I already think Crawford can do it. That's another story,
But I think Donovan's a nice left can hitter, sprays
the ball around to hit her, lots of doubles, puts
(07:13):
the ball in play, gets on base. Yeah, that's a
great pickup for a team that has a little bit
of a swinging this in it. So you're really just
looking at this point at whether or not you can
get you know, some kind of can Luke really give
them something in the d H spot and you know,
I don't know where it's going to fall. Is Luke
(07:34):
really going to split time with Robays in the outfield?
And can Zone is going to play? Is the D
eight is a young player? Resnier is going to hit
against leftenant pitching because he's got big numbers. Yeah, I mean,
I think the concerns are things like you would love
to see who the overdrigis kind of game, uh, and
and really sort of propel himself forward from what adjustments
(07:57):
he made the second half of the season and his
dad a little bit he got on time at the
fastball he chased as much? Can can we not go
backwards and have to, you know, grind your way up
to the middle of the season to see him perform again.
I mean, I think that's what everybody wants to see.
The overall numbers are good, but you want to see
it be more consistent. Right, And maybe now he realizes
(08:20):
that the light is shining much brighter around cal Riley
and not quite as much on him, And I'm sure
he'd loved to have the light shine on him equally, right,
So let's see if he can he can start a
little quicker and learn things that he may be picked
up last year and apply them an earlier part of
the season. But I think that the concerns are things like,
(08:40):
you know, is Crawford going to be healthy enough to
play short? I mean that's a concern, right. Is Miller's
little injury a little thing or or more of a
thing than that. I mean those are the things that
you kind of worry about a little bit. But yeah,
production in the d H spot, you know how the
and a outfield will play prefident brightfield. Yeah, I mean,
(09:05):
every team's got things to worry about. But I don't
know there'd be a team out there that wouldn't say,
could you would you take uh, Raleigh and Rodriguez up
the middle of the field, with those five starting pitchers
and brash munos and lefties at the end and build
from there? Nobody? Nobody would. Everybody would take that and
build from there. So the Marriags are sitting in the
catbird seat and they have a confident team. Now they've
(09:27):
added another guy that really I think is a grinder
type player that models the way that you want to
play the game. With Donovan now and Nayler in there, uh,
these guys really set I think a tone for the
way the team would like to play, and maybe more
modeling around that style play will make this team more productive,
more consistently offensively.
Speaker 6 (09:49):
Noil Krueger joining us. Bill, you mentioned they're confident now,
and they also got to be a little you know,
po do that. They lost in the seventh inning of
the American League Championship, So that kind of a good
combination to have where you're you're edgy because of the
late loss in that series, but you're also confident because
you know you can win the division now in advance
(10:09):
in playoff series.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
I think it's all those things. I think you're confident
because now you know that you're good enough to be there.
You've got, you know, the depth of starting pitching in
the bullpen that's going to complain a lot of games. Yeah,
I think it's it's it's frustrating that Brian mood couldn't
post and start in the playoffs that would have made
(10:32):
all the difference. Yeah, I think it's all those things,
and I know they believe they can do it now,
and I don't think they're going to be the type
of team that's going to sort of say, ah, yeah,
you know, it doesn't matter how we start. You know,
we're good. We're going to get there. We're going to
get there. I think this team is going to come
out with a real mission to be the elite team
in the American League. I think that's what you're going
(10:53):
to see. And as long as their pitching stays healthy,
they will because they can rely just pitching. They just pitch,
you know, a couple of long balls and you win
with pitching. I mean, this isn't a team that has
to slug like the old big Red Machine and Art win.
This team can win two to one, and if they hit,
then it's Yachtzi right.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Right, Well, you mentioned his name already and I'll mention
him again. Talking about forty four Julio Rodriguez, I'm gonna
give you four numbers here, all right. You probably know
what these numbers are, guys, six eighty one, six oh six, seven,
forty three, five, forty four, you know what those are?
First half, first month, Ops's for Julio Rodriguez.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Everybody is watching. This is year five.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
We're all watching to see if Julio Rodriguez can finally
get off to a good start, a hot start, and
keep it rolling. I mean, nobody expects him to be
dynamite every night. There's gonna be ups and downs, we
get it. But this is a guy Bill that's put
up some pretty significant numbers and he's almost taken the
first month of the year off every single year.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
How does he fix that?
Speaker 5 (11:59):
You know, players, players have you know, everybody. You hope
this isn't a pattern, although it looks like one, right.
You just want to see some of the things he
did last year stay in place. I mean, you don't
necessarily can't force you to get off the hot start.
You just baseball. You have to let it come to
(12:20):
you and be the good player. But what I want
to see is, you know, being on time in the
fastball and flatten the bat a little bit, which is
what he did. I saw it wasn't quite as as
vertical with the bat. He didn't have as much forward press.
He didn't get as long, because when he gets long,
that's when you have to cheat, and that's when you
get you start to chase the breaking ball, and you
(12:42):
chase the fastball up and all the things that kind
of he runs a ground on. But this is a
guy that brings a pretty unique still set to the table.
He's an elite center fielder. He can really run. He
ruthers through slumps because three hoppers shorts and knock for
him because he can really run, right, and that saves him.
But we just like to see him be a little
(13:03):
have a little more of a solid approach at the
plate and if he's become that hitter where he can
just you know, be a little short of the ball
and now make the pictures come to him rather than
the other way around. And if I think he starts
that approach, he's a problem, right, He's a real problem.
I sit there and look at him, and when his
bat was flattered and he was getting to the fastball,
(13:25):
and he's a good breaking ball hitter and he's not
chasing as much. Wow, what are you going to do
with him? Right? So yeah, you just we all just
have to hope and believe that he's going to do it.
I mean, he's got he's got a great compliment around him,
he's got great hitters around him. There isn't as much
attention being paid to him, so maybe that will lighten
the load and he can really get it out there
(13:46):
and let it rip. He's got Edgar Martinez and he
couldn't really have a better opportunity to have someone who
speaks so clearly, speaks his language, speaks from such a
respected spot and talks to you about the actual that
as opposed to how fast that is or let's look
at the video and all this other bs that I
(14:07):
think doesn't really matter, but all our kids are caught
up in it. Yeah, I think that in Kevin sicher Sizer,
he speaks the same language, and he's a guy with
a tremendous hitting measurement so that he's got all the
right pieces around him to be successful. And he's a
guy with tremendous enthusiasm. He likes to win, he's he's
a great teammate, he comes to play a place hard.
(14:30):
So there's a lot of redeeming things to like about him.
We just want to see him have a smoother and
better start.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Bill.
Speaker 6 (14:37):
This team has won one hundred games at home over
the last two years. The problem, though, is they start
slow thirteen and eleven in the first twenty four games
last year at home, fourteen and ten the first twenty
four games in twenty twenty four at home. Despite the
fact that they're fifty one and thirty overall and forty
nine and thirty two the year before that. So how
(14:57):
do we we talked about closing the roof, you know,
keeping the roof closed in April and early May. I mean,
how does this team stop from treading water in the
first month and a half of the season at home.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
I just I just think they have a clear identity
of who they are and they got they got a
better lineup they do. You had donovated the lineup, you
had nailor the lineup. You had an uber star like
Rowley now and what Regus brings to the table a Rosa.
You can look two years back and that's not what
they had here. They had a lot of loose parts
(15:29):
that couldn't play. This is just a better team and
they can win with pitching. And you know, I always
thought that, you know, it would be nice to see
baseball and the Mariners. I just have starters that are
ready to go. I mean this whole like, well, these
is gonna throw you need two pitches today? It's like,
come on, I remember being able to be ready to
(15:52):
go six innings easy, but that was in a strike
certain season. But I don't understand why would all are
the starters own nu First of all, they call her
a period, and then you're collaring your strength. Yes, I'm
not saying run guys out there and throw one hundred
and twenty, but I just think we're just like, oh,
you know, three and a third and you know, you're
so so much caution to the wind when you have
(16:13):
to dig into the bulk of the bullpen every game,
and you're taking your strength away because you're playing this,
you know, measured game of how many pitches we're going
to throw in our first start, our second start. Can't
we get ready in spring training? What do you doing
taking naps?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Yes, because you've been complaining about that for years and.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
They should be able to start sooner and ready to go.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
They're not changing. They're not changing, Bill.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
It's it's like I'm just telling you that's what you
use your strength.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
It's not going to stop. It's it's the new day
and age of Major League Baseball. I mean, I'm with
you one thousand percent, man, and it drives me nuts
as well. But Bill, listen, we're fired up to have
you back on the show this year or reconvene in
a couple of weeks before the Guardian Series Big thanks
to the Occidental Hall, the brand new Queen Anne Beer
(17:01):
Hall venture right there across from Lumen, just north of
T Mobile Park on Occidental head there before and after
every Mariner game. Phenomenal spot to hang out before and
after every Mariner game. Great stuff and looking forward to
doing this every week starting night in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Man. Great love being home with you guys and looking
forward to a great season.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
Thanks no doubt. Bill Krueger with us on the radio
show
This is Duke of Duke Seafood letting you know that
this hour of Softy and Dick on your home for
the Huskies and Kraken is probably brought to you by
Duke Seafood. Why not make it a Duke's night tonight.
Reserve your table today at Dukeseafood dot com. On Sports
Radio ninety three point three KJARFM, It's time for.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Our weekly conversation with Bill Krueger, brought to you by
the brand new Occidental Hall next to Lumenfield on Occidental
Seattle's newest hot spot for sports fans, with massive HD
screens in the menu, backed with Seattle's best smash burger,
wings and the best local craft beers in town. Now
with Bill Krueger, here's Saftie and Dick.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
I recommend getting to the Occidental Hall before and after
every Mariner game and trying the burger at Occidental Hall
after the Mariners the Guardians says perfect. But joining us
right now on the radio show a guy who was
definitely not on the air and Bill Kruger and I
were talking earlier today, Bill, you can vouch and verify
(01:01):
this conversation. I was informed by your representatives of your
financial demands to come back and return and do this
radio show on a weekly basis. And I told you,
all right, give you a couple of weeks and we'll
get on it and see what we can do. We
may have to fire multiple people here at the radio
station to meet your financial demands, but I got news
(01:21):
for you in the last couple hours. Those financial demands
have been met. Our friends at the queen Ann Beer
Hall are back, and you are locked and loaded, my
friend to join us yet again, starting every Monday and
Week one of the Mariner season as our pre eminent
Mariner analyst.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
How does that make you feel?
Speaker 5 (01:40):
Wow, that's a tall order and wow amazing when you
put the right people in the room together.
Speaker 4 (01:45):
Yeah, it didn't take much, that's it.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
Just took Justin Andrews at the queen An Beer Hall
beings and agreeing to that deal. That's what happened. Well,
it's been a while, man since we've had you on
the show. We're fired up to have you back on
the air. World that we'll pick us up on kind
of a weekly basis as we get closer to opening day,
which is only heck three weeks from today, for God's sakes,
but how about you just give us kind of your
general thoughts on where this team was when they lost
(02:09):
to Toronto roster wise.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
And where they are now.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
We were debating on the air, are they better on
paper worse on paper?
Speaker 4 (02:16):
The same?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
What's your take on the job Jerry Justin company did
and hopefully trying to make this baseball team better over
the offseason.
Speaker 5 (02:26):
Well, I think that this team was every bit a
good enough team to win the World Series last year,
and it's unfortunate that Brian wu couldn't post. Had he posted,
I believe they'd have gone to the World Series, and
the way the Dodgers played against the Blue Jays, I
think the Mariners would have given him a better fight.
I mean, those are all suppositions and we can have
(02:47):
some butts, but a very good team that I think
he basically brought back Josh Needler. It signed the long
term deal. Your pitchings all intact. They go out and
get a left hander from Washington and get a compliment
for Gave Spire. They go and get a all fields, hitting,
high on base guy, and Brendan Donovan is a great
(03:08):
pick up in the trade. So I think they've done
a lot of good things. I mean, he's still with
the departure of Polonco, they don't have somebody that's replaced him, right, Uh,
So they are lacking in the DH spot and ref
Snyder and can Zone take that spot over and deliver
remains to be seen, and there's questions that we can
(03:30):
we can we can sit their way through. But when
you look at their starting rotation, when you look at
the back end of their bullpen, when you look at
the star power on this team, you have to say
they are well positioned to now with the confidence and
maybe a little bit of a burn the saddle that says, hey,
we were so close, We're not going to let this
slip through our fingers again this year. And their pitching
(03:50):
got tested, had injuries last year, so there's every bit
of a reason to think they'll be they'll be healthier
this year, at least in the starting rotation, so I
think there and then the als doesn't look nearly as
it continues to water itself down, so the marriage the
cream of the crop there. So I think they're a
great spot.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Bill.
Speaker 6 (04:12):
How comfortable are you with Cole Young and second, you.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
Know, honestly, I think he's a good player. And if
he's allowed to just play the game and work his
way through the ups and downs, would be he was
a twenty one year old player last year? Or is
he twenty one this year? Was he twenty last year?
He's really young, and I think I like the player,
So I just think he needs a chance to play
(04:36):
through the ups and downs, not have a high expectation,
play solid defense. And you know what we saw of
him when he did start to swing the bat better.
Everybody points at the four and forty foot home on
off to hit it here at cafe, But what I
saw was a guy that really wanted to pull the ball.
What he got up here and struggled. But then when
he started to stay up the middle of the field,
(04:57):
he started to show that he can He can be
a pretty good player. Yeah, I just got some power,
But I don't think the power is the answer. That
the answer is to have good at bats and put
more balls in play and play solid defense. And I
think he can do all those things. I mean, I
think he's a nice player. And you know, you need
the core of your lineup to deliver. The Guys like
(05:18):
Cole Young just need to play above league average and
play solid defense, and I think he can do that.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Well.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
Bill Krueger's with us on the air, and Bill, you
mentioned JP or excuse me, Hori Polonko, And I'm with
you that they haven't replaced you know, the eight twenty
one ops. And I mean, I don't know about you,
but I just think that they certainly will not get
sixty home runs again from cal Raley. I mean, it took,
you know, a million years for a catcher to hit sixty.
I think expecting it in two consecutive years is crazy.
(05:49):
But I mean there's a little bit of a gap there, right,
like does this get replaced by a group effort? I mean,
can can Brendan Donovan be that guy? Can ref Schneider
be that guy? How concerned are you, honestly that they
just have not replaced those numbers from Polanco and that
cal Rawley's numbers most certainly will maybe come down a
little bit.
Speaker 5 (06:10):
Well, I don't think you can expect Calvally to his
sixty home runs, but you know, cal could be a
more productive hitter, hitting maybe forty home months. Maybe he
puts a little more contact in his games, he drives,
drives in an equal or more runs. He's just a
little bit more productive. I mean, I don't know how
much better you could ask the player to be. I mean,
I think I'm not really worried about sixty home runs
(06:31):
with cal Rawley. No. I mean, I think it would
be great to see a Rose Arena have a more
consistent season since they bought him back. Maybe getting out
of the off spot and being down in the order
will allow him to be the more instinctive hitter that
he is. Can you know the advantage now of having
(06:52):
Josh Nair for a full season. That's a real infusion
because they only had him for two months. Brendon Donovan
brings a really nice track record and a guy that
can hit lead off because they really don't have one,
and I already think Crawford can do it. That's another story,
But I think Donovan's a nice left can hitter, sprays
the ball around to hit her, lots of doubles, puts
(07:13):
the ball in play, gets on base. Yeah, that's a
great pickup for a team that has a little bit
of a swinging this in it. So you're really just
looking at this point at whether or not you can
get you know, some kind of can Luke really give
them something in the d H spot and you know,
I don't know where it's going to fall. Is Luke
(07:34):
really going to split time with Robays in the outfield?
And can Zone is going to play? Is the D
eight is a young player? Resnier is going to hit
against leftenant pitching because he's got big numbers. Yeah, I mean,
I think the concerns are things like you would love
to see who the overdrigis kind of game, uh, and
and really sort of propel himself forward from what adjustments
(07:57):
he made the second half of the season and his
dad a little bit he got on time at the
fastball he chased as much? Can can we not go
backwards and have to, you know, grind your way up
to the middle of the season to see him perform again.
I mean, I think that's what everybody wants to see.
The overall numbers are good, but you want to see
it be more consistent. Right, And maybe now he realizes
(08:20):
that the light is shining much brighter around cal Riley
and not quite as much on him, And I'm sure
he'd loved to have the light shine on him equally, right,
So let's see if he can he can start a
little quicker and learn things that he may be picked
up last year and apply them an earlier part of
the season. But I think that the concerns are things like,
(08:40):
you know, is Crawford going to be healthy enough to
play short? I mean that's a concern, right. Is Miller's
little injury a little thing or or more of a
thing than that. I mean those are the things that
you kind of worry about a little bit. But yeah,
production in the d H spot, you know how the
and a outfield will play prefident brightfield. Yeah, I mean,
(09:05):
every team's got things to worry about. But I don't
know there'd be a team out there that wouldn't say,
could you would you take uh, Raleigh and Rodriguez up
the middle of the field, with those five starting pitchers
and brash munos and lefties at the end and build
from there? Nobody? Nobody would. Everybody would take that and
build from there. So the Marriags are sitting in the
catbird seat and they have a confident team. Now they've
(09:27):
added another guy that really I think is a grinder
type player that models the way that you want to
play the game. With Donovan now and Nayler in there, uh,
these guys really set I think a tone for the
way the team would like to play, and maybe more
modeling around that style play will make this team more productive,
more consistently offensively.
Speaker 6 (09:49):
Noil Krueger joining us. Bill, you mentioned they're confident now,
and they also got to be a little you know,
po do that. They lost in the seventh inning of
the American League Championship, So that kind of a good
combination to have where you're you're edgy because of the
late loss in that series, but you're also confident because
you know you can win the division now in advance
(10:09):
in playoff series.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
I think it's all those things. I think you're confident
because now you know that you're good enough to be there.
You've got, you know, the depth of starting pitching in
the bullpen that's going to complain a lot of games. Yeah,
I think it's it's it's frustrating that Brian mood couldn't
post and start in the playoffs that would have made
(10:32):
all the difference. Yeah, I think it's all those things,
and I know they believe they can do it now,
and I don't think they're going to be the type
of team that's going to sort of say, ah, yeah,
you know, it doesn't matter how we start. You know,
we're good. We're going to get there. We're going to
get there. I think this team is going to come
out with a real mission to be the elite team
in the American League. I think that's what you're going
(10:53):
to see. And as long as their pitching stays healthy,
they will because they can rely just pitching. They just pitch,
you know, a couple of long balls and you win
with pitching. I mean, this isn't a team that has
to slug like the old big Red Machine and Art win.
This team can win two to one, and if they hit,
then it's Yachtzi right.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Right, Well, you mentioned his name already and I'll mention
him again. Talking about forty four Julio Rodriguez, I'm gonna
give you four numbers here, all right. You probably know
what these numbers are, guys, six eighty one, six oh six, seven,
forty three, five, forty four, you know what those are?
First half, first month, Ops's for Julio Rodriguez.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Everybody is watching. This is year five.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
We're all watching to see if Julio Rodriguez can finally
get off to a good start, a hot start, and
keep it rolling. I mean, nobody expects him to be
dynamite every night. There's gonna be ups and downs, we
get it. But this is a guy Bill that's put
up some pretty significant numbers and he's almost taken the
first month of the year off every single year.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
How does he fix that?
Speaker 5 (11:59):
You know, players, players have you know, everybody. You hope
this isn't a pattern, although it looks like one, right.
You just want to see some of the things he
did last year stay in place. I mean, you don't
necessarily can't force you to get off the hot start.
You just baseball. You have to let it come to
(12:20):
you and be the good player. But what I want
to see is, you know, being on time in the
fastball and flatten the bat a little bit, which is
what he did. I saw it wasn't quite as as
vertical with the bat. He didn't have as much forward press.
He didn't get as long, because when he gets long,
that's when you have to cheat, and that's when you
get you start to chase the breaking ball, and you
(12:42):
chase the fastball up and all the things that kind
of he runs a ground on. But this is a
guy that brings a pretty unique still set to the table.
He's an elite center fielder. He can really run. He
ruthers through slumps because three hoppers shorts and knock for
him because he can really run, right, and that saves him.
But we just like to see him be a little
(13:03):
have a little more of a solid approach at the
plate and if he's become that hitter where he can
just you know, be a little short of the ball
and now make the pictures come to him rather than
the other way around. And if I think he starts
that approach, he's a problem, right, He's a real problem.
I sit there and look at him, and when his
bat was flattered and he was getting to the fastball,
(13:25):
and he's a good breaking ball hitter and he's not
chasing as much. Wow, what are you going to do
with him? Right? So yeah, you just we all just
have to hope and believe that he's going to do it.
I mean, he's got he's got a great compliment around him,
he's got great hitters around him. There isn't as much
attention being paid to him, so maybe that will lighten
the load and he can really get it out there
(13:46):
and let it rip. He's got Edgar Martinez and he
couldn't really have a better opportunity to have someone who
speaks so clearly, speaks his language, speaks from such a
respected spot and talks to you about the actual that
as opposed to how fast that is or let's look
at the video and all this other bs that I
(14:07):
think doesn't really matter, but all our kids are caught
up in it. Yeah, I think that in Kevin sicher Sizer,
he speaks the same language, and he's a guy with
a tremendous hitting measurement so that he's got all the
right pieces around him to be successful. And he's a
guy with tremendous enthusiasm. He likes to win, he's he's
a great teammate, he comes to play a place hard.
(14:30):
So there's a lot of redeeming things to like about him.
We just want to see him have a smoother and
better start.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
Bill.
Speaker 6 (14:37):
This team has won one hundred games at home over
the last two years. The problem, though, is they start
slow thirteen and eleven in the first twenty four games
last year at home, fourteen and ten the first twenty
four games in twenty twenty four at home. Despite the
fact that they're fifty one and thirty overall and forty
nine and thirty two the year before that. So how
(14:57):
do we we talked about closing the roof, you know,
keeping the roof closed in April and early May. I mean,
how does this team stop from treading water in the
first month and a half of the season at home.
Speaker 5 (15:09):
I just I just think they have a clear identity
of who they are and they got they got a
better lineup they do. You had donovated the lineup, you
had nailor the lineup. You had an uber star like
Rowley now and what Regus brings to the table a Rosa.
You can look two years back and that's not what
they had here. They had a lot of loose parts
(15:29):
that couldn't play. This is just a better team and
they can win with pitching. And you know, I always
thought that, you know, it would be nice to see
baseball and the Mariners. I just have starters that are
ready to go. I mean this whole like, well, these
is gonna throw you need two pitches today? It's like,
come on, I remember being able to be ready to
(15:52):
go six innings easy, but that was in a strike
certain season. But I don't understand why would all are
the starters own nu First of all, they call her
a period, and then you're collaring your strength. Yes, I'm
not saying run guys out there and throw one hundred
and twenty, but I just think we're just like, oh,
you know, three and a third and you know, you're
so so much caution to the wind when you have
(16:13):
to dig into the bulk of the bullpen every game,
and you're taking your strength away because you're playing this,
you know, measured game of how many pitches we're going
to throw in our first start, our second start. Can't
we get ready in spring training? What do you doing
taking naps?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Yes?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Yes, because you've been complaining about that for years and.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
They should be able to start sooner and ready to go.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
They're not changing. They're not changing, Bill.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
It's it's like I'm just telling you that's what you
use your strength.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
It's not going to stop. It's it's the new day
and age of Major League Baseball. I mean, I'm with
you one thousand percent, man, and it drives me nuts
as well. But Bill, listen, we're fired up to have
you back on the show this year or reconvene in
a couple of weeks before the Guardian Series Big thanks
to the Occidental Hall, the brand new Queen Anne Beer
(17:01):
Hall venture right there across from Lumen, just north of
T Mobile Park on Occidental head there before and after
every Mariner game. Phenomenal spot to hang out before and
after every Mariner game. Great stuff and looking forward to
doing this every week starting night in a couple of weeks.
Speaker 5 (17:17):
Man. Great love being home with you guys and looking
forward to a great season.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
Thanks no doubt. Bill Krueger with us on the radio
show
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