April 17, 2025 • 17 mins
Former Mariners All Star Bret Boone joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to discuss the win today in Cincinnati, Seattle’s offense and numbers at home and on the road, the performances of Cal Raleigh lately, bunting philosophy, and Ben Williamson coming up.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, the Mariners got to win today. They won the
series against the Reds. They're now ten and nine, back
over five hundred before they head the Toronto and Boonie.
Sometimes you gotta win a ball game by scoring a
bunch of offense. And that's what happened today. How about
the boys today, going up five to three, falling behind
seven to five, but then rallying to win eleven to seven.
(00:20):
This feels like the kind of game, my friend, the
Mariners would not have won in years past.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
How about you, I'll tell you.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
I'll tell you what I think the key is for
for us to threaten lou Panella stories. And it seems
like they it seems like they kick it in. Had
a great week today. I watched the game today. Rose
Arenas had more high you know, more big hits he's had.
He's had a year's worth of big hits already. Uh,
(00:48):
him and him and Raley going back to back in
the ninth to tie it and then then opening up
and I believe it was the tenth. But got a
pretty good performance out of Hancock. You know, he's been
he's been hit or this when he's when he's been
asked to fill in and that was decent to see
of him.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Uh, great week.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I was more impressed with Texas rolling in. They had
to gram, they had a Valdi and they swept the Rangers.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
That's kind of.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
An early not that it's that big of a deal.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I don't get into that, Oh we're gonna we're gonna
show our dominance when we play early. Nobody really cares
about that. But but it's a subtle message.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It's a subtle message.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
What I'm what I'm getting is I'm looking at this division.
I mean, they're all kind of clumped together. You know,
it's kind of gonna might be one of those years
where who's gonna take control of this division?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Texas is up now, but uh, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
All in all, really good week for the Mariners. Uh,
nothing but positive. I see looking at looking at the
offensive numbers and and looking with the what the pitching
is the same old thing. It seems like the starter
goes out and gives up one or two, has a
solid outing every time, and it's a matter of whether
they score or not. And this week was was definitely
(01:59):
they did what they had to do well.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Boonie the perception and we make fun of Jerry Depoto,
and he says, well, the perception is this of our team,
and the reality is this of our team. But if
you look at the numbers, they got a six to
twenty three OPS at home. Their OPS on the road
is over eight hundred, limited sample size. I know their
era at home is three, their era on the road
is six. So are these pitchers just not as good
(02:24):
as we give them credit? And is the are the
hitters better than we give them credit?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Well, wait a minute, Boonie, Before we get to that,
we gotta let Jerry Wade.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Is the reality of our offense and then the perception
of our offense?
Speaker 6 (02:36):
Okay, just so you know, all right, just go ahead, okay,
all right, okay, Well I mean tea mobile. It's always
been a challenging hitters part. Uh, it's it's smaller than
it used to be. I'll tell you that they brought
the fences in. It's a different ballpark. The ball flies
better than it did before the changes they made, but
(02:58):
it's always had that reputation of being a pitcher's ballpark.
Hitters didn't like it.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
I liked it, some guys liked it, but but all
in all, guys didn't like coming in there was a
tough place to hit.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
It wasn't didn't lend itself to the home run. I
don't know.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I watched this staff. I watched the stuff early in
the season. Yeah, you look at the ops's on the
road versus home. You look at the ra's home versus
the road. Maybe that's that's just a coincidence early in
the season. Yeah, maybe it's something. Maybe it's something too
that gets to get it gets in your head when
(03:38):
you when you start the guys that that struggle at
at t Mobile because the ball doesn't carry. It's not
that it's so big. It's not like that ballpark is
so big. It's the it's the air in the Northwest.
That's what's what's different about it gets into the evening.
It's that heavy, heavy air that sits in a ball
just doesn't carry. It doesn't not carry, but it never carries.
(03:58):
That's all I'm saying. You know, so you players don't know.
You players will just find a way to whine about everything.
You know what, you're making a million dollars a minute.
It hit the damn bad shot. Well, I'll tell you
what they like playing in Cincinnati, don't they.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
That's right, was a jet stream. But here's but Bill, I.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Mean it also to begin with Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But what Dick brought up though about the numbers, we
don't even need to look at look at last year,
look at the year before that. I mean, the offense
was great at home, or excuse me, great in the road,
not good at home. Uh, pitching staff was great on
the road or at home. Oppositely, this is that this
has been going on for years now, So why should
we think it's gonna change.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
I don't think it's gonna change. I think it's the
it's the group. It's the roster that changes. It's not
this particular roster. I don't think it's gonna change. I
think you're gonna have more dismal numbers at home, you're
gonna have better on the road. And that becomes psychologic
if you start to believe in certain ballparks. I'll just
give you the inside of of of a hitter places
(04:58):
I didn't hit well for whatever reasons.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Maybe I didn't see the ball good. I just didn't
like it.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
When we're going to that city, I get on the plane,
it's already just a seed in the back of my
mind going man, I don't. Hopefully I can.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I can do some damage here.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
If I'm going to Anaheim, if I'm going to do
Yankee Stadium and I'm not swinging well, I'll tell you.
I get on the plane and something in my mind goes, yeah,
I'm not swinging well, but I'm going to a place
where it's really friendly to me. So if you let
it get there as a player from a pitcher's perspective
or a hitter's perspective, right, psychology, what's in your mind
(05:34):
that is real and it tends to play out well.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
It's like golf courses, right.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
I mean, there's just some courses that you're already three
shots down, so you step on the first tea because.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
You don't play well there some holes, how about the hole.
Let's bring it down to a hole. Sometimes you sit
on the tea box and it just sets up good
to your eye, yeah, and to the guy next to you. Man,
this is a tough one for me.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I would love to look at all perspective.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, and just dick real quick. I love to look
up the numbers with the batting average with runners in
scoring position versus last year right down the road, because
now the Mariners are It's only been six road games, right,
that's a lot. But they're averaging five point six runs
per game on the road. Last year they were four
point five eight, So they're averaging a run more per
game on the road. So I just wonder if this
(06:20):
is just a better hitting, clutch team than they were
a year ago at this time.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Well, look at this. A year ago, Polanka wasn't doing
what he's doing.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Rose Arena had a lot of success in Tampa Bay
and a lot of postseason success.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
He had a real down year last year. He's he's
kind of had some.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Heroics early in the season so far. Look at Dylan Moore,
He's getting an opportunity to play. He's hitting three thirty.
So there are some positive Raleigh. Who knows Raleigh, maybe
I'm I'm a fan, accounts just all around. From a
catcher's perspective, I think he's one of the best in
the game. He's always had that big time power. Maybe
(06:58):
this is the time Raleigh growing up he's going to
be better. He's leading the league now, I think in
home runs. So early on, there's been a lot of
positives that a year ago these same guys weren't weren't
playing at the same level. So until I get too
deep into the weeds on that, it's just one year
you start off hot, another year you get off to
a slow start, and it's it's year to year, it's
(07:20):
player to players, So I don't put too much into
it early. I'm just thinking where they were a week
ago to where they are now at game over five hundred.
That team's got to feel pretty good jumping on that plane.
I think they're headed to Toronto. So, yeah, guys, Danny's
got them playing well.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
So let's let's say there's this Mariner fan that just
came back from a month and a half long vacation.
He hasn't seen one twenty five game left yet. How
would you describe how the Mariners hit this year and
how it's different than how they hit last year? To them,
I would explain it, well.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I think, how is it different?
Speaker 4 (07:56):
How was it?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I think they've they've had some big moments early in
the season at the right time that has made the
difference in a win or a loss. When you look
at the record, ten and nine, that's great, okay from
where they were a week ago, But ten and nine
is that great? You're a mediocre team. You're missing the playoffs,
but from a week ago, how you started.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
Oh you're doing great. Lanta Braids would love to be
ten and nine right now.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
So it's all perspective.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I think, right now, if you're fifteen and or you're
fourteen and five, you're going, wow, okay, there's something to that.
Why is this so much different this year? But they're not.
They're ten and nine. They just came off a great week.
I need to see a little more before I say
there's a real difference in this particular player. I see
a big difference in him this year. It's too small.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The samples.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah, the rum pacer eighty five wins, which would kind
of be right maybe there in this division.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
But just sit there, just back to cow for a second.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I mean, he's hitting home runs, but he's not doing
much else. I mean, Calray, that's fine. I'm fine with that.
By the way, he wants to hits seventy's. He's having
like a Mark McGuire early nineties type year where he's
on pace for sixty six home runs but only ninety
four RBIs. It's just insane. So seventy five base.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Hit right, I mean, honestly, at eight he's got eight.
He's got eight.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, he's got.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Eight so far, eleven ribbies.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Do you find yourself getting worked up about his batting
average too much?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Kyle Rally?
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Well, in the day and age, where you know, I've
been worked up for years about the averages in general
in big league baseball. But I'm getting to the point
where the players don't train for it anymore. They train
for what they get paid for, and they get paid
for ops, and they're told that control the strike zone,
get on base, and hit home runs, hit the ball
over the fence. And that's how players are, that's how
(09:46):
the culture is coming up through the minor leagues. We
don't care about this. We don't care about that. We
care about slug we care about ops. So guys aren't
making average your priority. I still think the great hitters
just naturally are going to hit for higher average. I
look at Cal he kind of is what he is. Offensively,
You're probably gonna hit around two twenty right, two thirdy.
(10:06):
You know, he's going to hit some homers, but that's
not where his value is. His value is behind the plate.
I mean, he's a rock back there and he's he's
really good, and those pictures. When you have a talented
staff like that, those pitchers really like throwing to Cal Rawley,
and that's that's a plus that exceeds just that doesn't
show up in the box score. That's something that really
(10:28):
is key to a team having that backstop that those
pitchers come whistling to the ballpark and no, I love
throwing to my catcher. And that's where Cal's vout real
value is. And then he adds thirty thirty five homers.
He's an elite catcher. He's one of the best catchers
in the game. But I to look for cal rally
to hey, he's going to hit sixty two seventy this year.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I'm not ready to say that.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
Well, I just loved what I saw from extra dings
today from Dan Wilson. I mean, you get a runnerund
at second, you know, automatically he bunts him over to third.
And then instead of JP Crawford's striking out like we
would see so much from these guys last year, with
a runner on third, what does he do he gets
two strikes on him, he just kind of throws the
bat at the ball and hits one thirty five feet
(11:12):
for an RBI infield single. I mean, I just I
just think this approach that Edgar Insitzer and Dan had
been preaching, I think is really getting into these guys.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Well, you know, Dick, the one thing about this game
that drives me crazy. And I'm coming around on a
lot of things. You know, I understand it's not my time,
it's not my era, it's a new game. I get that.
The thing that drives me crazy is that situation you
just talked about, the runner on third less than two.
I watched the approaches. I watched the at bats and
those big situations, and not just the Mariners, just in
(11:44):
Major League Baseball in general.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
They're horrible.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
It's like, there's no idea what we're doing in this situation.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
What is the goal?
Speaker 3 (11:50):
The goal is to get that runner in, no matter
how you can. So you've seen the bunt go away
quite a bit. Well, I watch these guys strike out
time after time after time. I say, now, I know
why they don't bunt him to third. It doesn't matter.
They're probably going to strike out anyway. I think Danny
still is from that old school where he thinks, all right,
I got a guy Crawford that in those situations Crawford's
(12:11):
one of the few guys that I see on this
team that really when it comes to he doesn't get
bigger when the moment gets bigger. He kind of hones
in and says, all right, I got a job to do.
So if I'm in that situation, I got the right
guy at the plate to drop a bunt down, and
all the analytics they know you're wasting time with a bunt, Well,
I still don't believe that. If you have the right
guy up there to bunt and the right guy on
(12:31):
deck coming up, and I think he saw that with Crawford.
He trusted Crawford's going to put this ball in play,
so he played it that way and it worked out.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I like that play with the right personnel, right well.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Brett boons with us courtesy Avenue Kings dot Com every
Thursday at four o'clock here on ninety three three ks ARFM.
I don't know if you've had a chance to watch
him much yet. Ben Williamson got caught up from Triple
A Tacoma the other day. I had it hit in
his first major league get back. If I'm not mistaken,
Yes he did. His family was up there. All that
(13:02):
good stuff. Have you got a chance to watch this
this kid play yet.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I'd love to lie and throw out some stats right now,
but no, I have not.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Well, I will keep an eye on that for you
and I will have an answer for you.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, because he came in today obviously for Telez late
in the game. Was it was actually early in the game.
And I just think if you're gonna call a guy
up like that, he needs to play almost every single day.
I mean, Ben Williamson to me kind of feels like
you're starting third basement. Now what does that mean? What
does that mean for Polanco? I mean he's obviously, you know,
banged up a little bit, can only hit from one
(13:37):
side of the plate because of his knee. What would
be your long term plan for Jorge Polonko defensively.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Well, that's gonna be a conversation between Dan and Polonko
and what he can handle and what he can handle.
So if you know, for me, if Williamson's turns out
to be a guy that you think you can turn
to and count on.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Especially to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
What a guy needs at Layton games, tight situations. What
a manager wants is a guy that he puts at
a position that he trusts in that situation, if if
the if the kid proves that he can do that
at third base, But then Polanco becomes a guy. If
if More keeps hitting the way he is and the
Williams kid comes up and is able to be trustworthy defensively,
(14:21):
well Polanco will sit there and be in the DH roll.
Right And you know, because I think early on, from
what we've seen, we know Polanco's natural position second base.
Moving him over to third uh this year and I
didn't think it would be that big of a deal.
But if you got knee issues, if you get if
you're banged up, not only you change your position, but
now physically you're you're you're playing on one leg. Let's
(14:42):
just say, uh, why not keeping.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
In the DH.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
I mean, he's hitting three eighties, top top hitter in
baseball right now, and uh, you know, I think it's
gonna play it. It's gonna depend if they have somebody
that can fill the bill, that is a big league player,
big league ready.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
They could play every day.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
You could put him in the lineup every day and
it's gonna be Uh, he's gonna be competent. Is that
that guy, if that guy steps up. I think it
just eases Polanco into that dhril Brett.
Speaker 5 (15:11):
It seems like every guy game these guys play is
a one run or two run game, or like today
it was a four run game, but it was an
extra inning game. I mean, is that is that good
that this team is going through so many of these
games or is it is it just gonna wear on
him because you just don't have a lot of games
that are over by the fourth or fifth inning.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I think I think if you come out on top
the majority of the time in these in these tight games,
I think it's a real positive because then it all
it starts to be a mind game, and it starts
to be uh something that your opponent that given night
knows and you have an advantage over them. I've played
on teams where it seemed, wow, we came back again,
(15:53):
or it was late and we knew we were gonna win.
That that can be a positive thing. Now, if you're
on the other end of those oh, it'll wear you
down and make you sit in the corner and start
to shake. But if you come out on the winning
end of those tight games, man, that that that gives
you confidence, that allows you to puff your chest out,
and not only for the internal and your team and
(16:15):
that group down on the field in that clubhouse, but
the opponent as well. They start to take notice and go,
these guys.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Man, we don't want them hanging around.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
We don't want this close and late because they're gonna
come get us. And it almost becomes a psychological thing
that you have the upper hand with.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yeah, I think Polocko's days at third base might be done, guys,
to be totally honest with him, I think you're right, Booney.
I mean they started master Boney again today over at third.
Polanco was in the DH spot again, So I think
you might be right his his days at third could
be finished because he's just not he's hurting you defensively
over there. All right, dude, good stuff man. I really
appreciate you being here on time again. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I'm I'm you know, I'm a stickler for being on time. Thanks. Boys.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
All right, but we're talking week and I will and
I will have a bard on the.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Young Actually, actually time out. We will not talk in
a week because next Thursday is Round one of the
NFL Draft, so we're gonna have to probably give you
the week off which means you got to pay us
back for the money we paid you ahead of time.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
To do mind goodness, Well, I'm coming on. I need
to get I need to get paid, so we need
to tape something. I'm coming on.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I want to check on the mail for a thirty
five hour refund. All right, dude, we'll talk soon. We'll
figure it out. But thanks Ton, Thanks guys. All right,
Bret Boone with us, we're gonna break. We're live at
Husky Stadium for spring ball. Land Zerline will join us,
by the way. Coming up at five point twenty with
the draft, the mock draft, the real draft. That's all coming.
Six days until the mock draft, seven days until the
(17:38):
freaking reel draft. Man next on ninety three to three
kJ RFM
Hey, the Mariners got to win today. They won the
series against the Reds. They're now ten and nine, back
over five hundred before they head the Toronto and Boonie.
Sometimes you gotta win a ball game by scoring a
bunch of offense. And that's what happened today. How about
the boys today, going up five to three, falling behind
seven to five, but then rallying to win eleven to seven.
(00:20):
This feels like the kind of game, my friend, the
Mariners would not have won in years past.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
How about you, I'll tell you.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
I'll tell you what I think the key is for
for us to threaten lou Panella stories. And it seems
like they it seems like they kick it in. Had
a great week today. I watched the game today. Rose
Arenas had more high you know, more big hits he's had.
He's had a year's worth of big hits already. Uh,
(00:48):
him and him and Raley going back to back in
the ninth to tie it and then then opening up
and I believe it was the tenth. But got a
pretty good performance out of Hancock. You know, he's been
he's been hit or this when he's when he's been
asked to fill in and that was decent to see
of him.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
Uh, great week.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
I was more impressed with Texas rolling in. They had
to gram, they had a Valdi and they swept the Rangers.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
That's kind of.
Speaker 4 (01:13):
An early not that it's that big of a deal.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
I don't get into that, Oh we're gonna we're gonna
show our dominance when we play early. Nobody really cares
about that. But but it's a subtle message.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
It's a subtle message.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
What I'm what I'm getting is I'm looking at this division.
I mean, they're all kind of clumped together. You know,
it's kind of gonna might be one of those years
where who's gonna take control of this division?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Texas is up now, but uh, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
All in all, really good week for the Mariners. Uh,
nothing but positive. I see looking at looking at the
offensive numbers and and looking with the what the pitching
is the same old thing. It seems like the starter
goes out and gives up one or two, has a
solid outing every time, and it's a matter of whether
they score or not. And this week was was definitely
(01:59):
they did what they had to do well.
Speaker 5 (02:01):
Boonie the perception and we make fun of Jerry Depoto,
and he says, well, the perception is this of our team,
and the reality is this of our team. But if
you look at the numbers, they got a six to
twenty three OPS at home. Their OPS on the road
is over eight hundred, limited sample size. I know their
era at home is three, their era on the road
is six. So are these pitchers just not as good
(02:24):
as we give them credit? And is the are the
hitters better than we give them credit?
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Well, wait a minute, Boonie, Before we get to that,
we gotta let Jerry Wade.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Is the reality of our offense and then the perception
of our offense?
Speaker 6 (02:36):
Okay, just so you know, all right, just go ahead, okay,
all right, okay, Well I mean tea mobile. It's always
been a challenging hitters part. Uh, it's it's smaller than
it used to be. I'll tell you that they brought
the fences in. It's a different ballpark. The ball flies
better than it did before the changes they made, but
(02:58):
it's always had that reputation of being a pitcher's ballpark.
Hitters didn't like it.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
I liked it, some guys liked it, but but all
in all, guys didn't like coming in there was a
tough place to hit.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
It wasn't didn't lend itself to the home run. I
don't know.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
I watched this staff. I watched the stuff early in
the season. Yeah, you look at the ops's on the
road versus home. You look at the ra's home versus
the road. Maybe that's that's just a coincidence early in
the season. Yeah, maybe it's something. Maybe it's something too
that gets to get it gets in your head when
(03:38):
you when you start the guys that that struggle at
at t Mobile because the ball doesn't carry. It's not
that it's so big. It's not like that ballpark is
so big. It's the it's the air in the Northwest.
That's what's what's different about it gets into the evening.
It's that heavy, heavy air that sits in a ball
just doesn't carry. It doesn't not carry, but it never carries.
(03:58):
That's all I'm saying. You know, so you players don't know.
You players will just find a way to whine about everything.
You know what, you're making a million dollars a minute.
It hit the damn bad shot. Well, I'll tell you
what they like playing in Cincinnati, don't they.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
That's right, was a jet stream. But here's but Bill, I.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Mean it also to begin with Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But what Dick brought up though about the numbers, we
don't even need to look at look at last year,
look at the year before that. I mean, the offense
was great at home, or excuse me, great in the road,
not good at home. Uh, pitching staff was great on
the road or at home. Oppositely, this is that this
has been going on for years now, So why should
we think it's gonna change.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
I don't think it's gonna change. I think it's the
it's the group. It's the roster that changes. It's not
this particular roster. I don't think it's gonna change. I
think you're gonna have more dismal numbers at home, you're
gonna have better on the road. And that becomes psychologic
if you start to believe in certain ballparks. I'll just
give you the inside of of of a hitter places
(04:58):
I didn't hit well for whatever reasons.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Maybe I didn't see the ball good. I just didn't
like it.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
When we're going to that city, I get on the plane,
it's already just a seed in the back of my
mind going man, I don't. Hopefully I can.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
I can do some damage here.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
If I'm going to Anaheim, if I'm going to do
Yankee Stadium and I'm not swinging well, I'll tell you.
I get on the plane and something in my mind goes, yeah,
I'm not swinging well, but I'm going to a place
where it's really friendly to me. So if you let
it get there as a player from a pitcher's perspective
or a hitter's perspective, right, psychology, what's in your mind
(05:34):
that is real and it tends to play out well.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
It's like golf courses, right.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
I mean, there's just some courses that you're already three
shots down, so you step on the first tea because.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
You don't play well there some holes, how about the hole.
Let's bring it down to a hole. Sometimes you sit
on the tea box and it just sets up good
to your eye, yeah, and to the guy next to you. Man,
this is a tough one for me.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I would love to look at all perspective.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Yeah, and just dick real quick. I love to look
up the numbers with the batting average with runners in
scoring position versus last year right down the road, because
now the Mariners are It's only been six road games, right,
that's a lot. But they're averaging five point six runs
per game on the road. Last year they were four
point five eight, So they're averaging a run more per
game on the road. So I just wonder if this
(06:20):
is just a better hitting, clutch team than they were
a year ago at this time.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Well, look at this. A year ago, Polanka wasn't doing
what he's doing.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Rose Arena had a lot of success in Tampa Bay
and a lot of postseason success.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
He had a real down year last year. He's he's
kind of had some.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Heroics early in the season so far. Look at Dylan Moore,
He's getting an opportunity to play. He's hitting three thirty.
So there are some positive Raleigh. Who knows Raleigh, maybe
I'm I'm a fan, accounts just all around. From a
catcher's perspective, I think he's one of the best in
the game. He's always had that big time power. Maybe
(06:58):
this is the time Raleigh growing up he's going to
be better. He's leading the league now, I think in
home runs. So early on, there's been a lot of
positives that a year ago these same guys weren't weren't
playing at the same level. So until I get too
deep into the weeds on that, it's just one year
you start off hot, another year you get off to
a slow start, and it's it's year to year, it's
(07:20):
player to players, So I don't put too much into
it early. I'm just thinking where they were a week
ago to where they are now at game over five hundred.
That team's got to feel pretty good jumping on that plane.
I think they're headed to Toronto. So, yeah, guys, Danny's
got them playing well.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
So let's let's say there's this Mariner fan that just
came back from a month and a half long vacation.
He hasn't seen one twenty five game left yet. How
would you describe how the Mariners hit this year and
how it's different than how they hit last year? To them,
I would explain it, well.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
I think, how is it different?
Speaker 4 (07:56):
How was it?
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I think they've they've had some big moments early in
the season at the right time that has made the
difference in a win or a loss. When you look
at the record, ten and nine, that's great, okay from
where they were a week ago, But ten and nine
is that great? You're a mediocre team. You're missing the playoffs,
but from a week ago, how you started.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
Oh you're doing great. Lanta Braids would love to be
ten and nine right now.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
So it's all perspective.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I think, right now, if you're fifteen and or you're
fourteen and five, you're going, wow, okay, there's something to that.
Why is this so much different this year? But they're not.
They're ten and nine. They just came off a great week.
I need to see a little more before I say
there's a real difference in this particular player. I see
a big difference in him this year. It's too small.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
The samples.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Yeah, the rum pacer eighty five wins, which would kind
of be right maybe there in this division.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
But just sit there, just back to cow for a second.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
I mean, he's hitting home runs, but he's not doing
much else. I mean, Calray, that's fine. I'm fine with that.
By the way, he wants to hits seventy's. He's having
like a Mark McGuire early nineties type year where he's
on pace for sixty six home runs but only ninety
four RBIs. It's just insane. So seventy five base.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Hit right, I mean, honestly, at eight he's got eight.
He's got eight.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Yeah, he's got.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
Eight so far, eleven ribbies.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Do you find yourself getting worked up about his batting
average too much?
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Kyle Rally?
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Well, in the day and age, where you know, I've
been worked up for years about the averages in general
in big league baseball. But I'm getting to the point
where the players don't train for it anymore. They train
for what they get paid for, and they get paid
for ops, and they're told that control the strike zone,
get on base, and hit home runs, hit the ball
over the fence. And that's how players are, that's how
(09:46):
the culture is coming up through the minor leagues. We
don't care about this. We don't care about that. We
care about slug we care about ops. So guys aren't
making average your priority. I still think the great hitters
just naturally are going to hit for higher average. I
look at Cal he kind of is what he is. Offensively,
You're probably gonna hit around two twenty right, two thirdy.
(10:06):
You know, he's going to hit some homers, but that's
not where his value is. His value is behind the plate.
I mean, he's a rock back there and he's he's
really good, and those pictures. When you have a talented
staff like that, those pitchers really like throwing to Cal Rawley,
and that's that's a plus that exceeds just that doesn't
show up in the box score. That's something that really
(10:28):
is key to a team having that backstop that those
pitchers come whistling to the ballpark and no, I love
throwing to my catcher. And that's where Cal's vout real
value is. And then he adds thirty thirty five homers.
He's an elite catcher. He's one of the best catchers
in the game. But I to look for cal rally
to hey, he's going to hit sixty two seventy this year.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
I'm not ready to say that.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
Well, I just loved what I saw from extra dings
today from Dan Wilson. I mean, you get a runnerund
at second, you know, automatically he bunts him over to third.
And then instead of JP Crawford's striking out like we
would see so much from these guys last year, with
a runner on third, what does he do he gets
two strikes on him, he just kind of throws the
bat at the ball and hits one thirty five feet
(11:12):
for an RBI infield single. I mean, I just I
just think this approach that Edgar Insitzer and Dan had
been preaching, I think is really getting into these guys.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
Well, you know, Dick, the one thing about this game
that drives me crazy. And I'm coming around on a
lot of things. You know, I understand it's not my time,
it's not my era, it's a new game. I get that.
The thing that drives me crazy is that situation you
just talked about, the runner on third less than two.
I watched the approaches. I watched the at bats and
those big situations, and not just the Mariners, just in
(11:44):
Major League Baseball in general.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
They're horrible.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
It's like, there's no idea what we're doing in this situation.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
What is the goal?
Speaker 3 (11:50):
The goal is to get that runner in, no matter
how you can. So you've seen the bunt go away
quite a bit. Well, I watch these guys strike out
time after time after time. I say, now, I know
why they don't bunt him to third. It doesn't matter.
They're probably going to strike out anyway. I think Danny
still is from that old school where he thinks, all right,
I got a guy Crawford that in those situations Crawford's
(12:11):
one of the few guys that I see on this
team that really when it comes to he doesn't get
bigger when the moment gets bigger. He kind of hones
in and says, all right, I got a job to do.
So if I'm in that situation, I got the right
guy at the plate to drop a bunt down, and
all the analytics they know you're wasting time with a bunt, Well,
I still don't believe that. If you have the right
guy up there to bunt and the right guy on
(12:31):
deck coming up, and I think he saw that with Crawford.
He trusted Crawford's going to put this ball in play,
so he played it that way and it worked out.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I like that play with the right personnel, right well.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Brett boons with us courtesy Avenue Kings dot Com every
Thursday at four o'clock here on ninety three three ks ARFM.
I don't know if you've had a chance to watch
him much yet. Ben Williamson got caught up from Triple
A Tacoma the other day. I had it hit in
his first major league get back. If I'm not mistaken,
Yes he did. His family was up there. All that
(13:02):
good stuff. Have you got a chance to watch this
this kid play yet.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
I'd love to lie and throw out some stats right now,
but no, I have not.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Well, I will keep an eye on that for you
and I will have an answer for you.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
Yeah, because he came in today obviously for Telez late
in the game. Was it was actually early in the game.
And I just think if you're gonna call a guy
up like that, he needs to play almost every single day.
I mean, Ben Williamson to me kind of feels like
you're starting third basement. Now what does that mean? What
does that mean for Polanco? I mean he's obviously, you know,
banged up a little bit, can only hit from one
(13:37):
side of the plate because of his knee. What would
be your long term plan for Jorge Polonko defensively.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Well, that's gonna be a conversation between Dan and Polonko
and what he can handle and what he can handle.
So if you know, for me, if Williamson's turns out
to be a guy that you think you can turn
to and count on.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Especially to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
What a guy needs at Layton games, tight situations. What
a manager wants is a guy that he puts at
a position that he trusts in that situation, if if
the if the kid proves that he can do that
at third base, But then Polanco becomes a guy. If
if More keeps hitting the way he is and the
Williams kid comes up and is able to be trustworthy defensively,
(14:21):
well Polanco will sit there and be in the DH roll.
Right And you know, because I think early on, from
what we've seen, we know Polanco's natural position second base.
Moving him over to third uh this year and I
didn't think it would be that big of a deal.
But if you got knee issues, if you get if
you're banged up, not only you change your position, but
now physically you're you're you're playing on one leg. Let's
(14:42):
just say, uh, why not keeping.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
In the DH.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
I mean, he's hitting three eighties, top top hitter in
baseball right now, and uh, you know, I think it's
gonna play it. It's gonna depend if they have somebody
that can fill the bill, that is a big league player,
big league ready.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
They could play every day.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
You could put him in the lineup every day and
it's gonna be Uh, he's gonna be competent. Is that
that guy, if that guy steps up. I think it
just eases Polanco into that dhril Brett.
Speaker 5 (15:11):
It seems like every guy game these guys play is
a one run or two run game, or like today
it was a four run game, but it was an
extra inning game. I mean, is that is that good
that this team is going through so many of these
games or is it is it just gonna wear on
him because you just don't have a lot of games
that are over by the fourth or fifth inning.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I think I think if you come out on top
the majority of the time in these in these tight games,
I think it's a real positive because then it all
it starts to be a mind game, and it starts
to be uh something that your opponent that given night
knows and you have an advantage over them. I've played
on teams where it seemed, wow, we came back again,
(15:53):
or it was late and we knew we were gonna win.
That that can be a positive thing. Now, if you're
on the other end of those oh, it'll wear you
down and make you sit in the corner and start
to shake. But if you come out on the winning
end of those tight games, man, that that that gives
you confidence, that allows you to puff your chest out,
and not only for the internal and your team and
(16:15):
that group down on the field in that clubhouse, but
the opponent as well. They start to take notice and go,
these guys.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Man, we don't want them hanging around.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
We don't want this close and late because they're gonna
come get us. And it almost becomes a psychological thing
that you have the upper hand with.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yeah, I think Polocko's days at third base might be done, guys,
to be totally honest with him, I think you're right, Booney.
I mean they started master Boney again today over at third.
Polanco was in the DH spot again, So I think
you might be right his his days at third could
be finished because he's just not he's hurting you defensively
over there. All right, dude, good stuff man. I really
appreciate you being here on time again. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
I'm I'm you know, I'm a stickler for being on time. Thanks. Boys.
Speaker 4 (16:57):
All right, but we're talking week and I will and
I will have a bard on the.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Young Actually, actually time out. We will not talk in
a week because next Thursday is Round one of the
NFL Draft, so we're gonna have to probably give you
the week off which means you got to pay us
back for the money we paid you ahead of time.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
To do mind goodness, Well, I'm coming on. I need
to get I need to get paid, so we need
to tape something. I'm coming on.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
I want to check on the mail for a thirty
five hour refund. All right, dude, we'll talk soon. We'll
figure it out. But thanks Ton, Thanks guys. All right,
Bret Boone with us, we're gonna break. We're live at
Husky Stadium for spring ball. Land Zerline will join us,
by the way. Coming up at five point twenty with
the draft, the mock draft, the real draft. That's all coming.
Six days until the mock draft, seven days until the
(17:38):
freaking reel draft. Man next on ninety three to three
kJ RFM
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