MLB Momentum, Rays, Hot Rods & River Dogs promising + Magadan speaks to Jesuit HS champions

375 Baseball RaysUp & MLB Healthy

Mark Corbett: [00:00:00] Welcome. What? What? What is that? 

Mat Germain: There's a gremlin in the room, Mark. 

Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck. Mat and I are trying to chase a gremlin out of the room. I tell you, it has been a test today. My gosh, Mat , what a wonderful time it is as we get closer and closer to postseason. I know each one of you have your teams out there, and well, we can talk about, a little bit about them, but you're not gonna be surprised if Mat and I talk a little bit about, , the Tampa Bay Rays, I hope, and certainly , what's going on with the minor leagues.

So, Mr. Mat Germain, if you would, I'm unfurling the red carpet to hear what you have to say. 

Mat Germain: A red carpet for the little gremlin that spoiled your intro. Oh, no. That's terrible, man. Um, yeah, there's a lot going on, and you have to enjoy the, the, the way things are going, [00:01:00] right? Like, there's, there's a good feeling around baseball if you block out the rest of the world and everything that's going on, all the craze.

Uh, the baseball world's in a pretty good place. The A's are getting a new stadium wherever, you know- ... uh, Vegas is allowing them to build it, and, and the Rays are gonna break ground this month on a new stadium. MLB is announcing that expansion is going to be part of the next CBA. Uh, so there's a lot of positives in all of those aspects.

If you imagine, okay, now the MLB's taken two of their bottom five franchises and elevated their attendance in the future and their money-making machine to a mid-tier level, then all of a sudden the floor of the entire league gets propped up. You add in those two expansion teams, again, that should be propped up even more.

So the league is seemingly headed in the right direction, Mark [00:02:00] Eric.

Mark Corbett: Healthy. I mean, and you're looking across right now.

I know when we see these, as far as the standings right now, the Rays are doing very well. And if you look across the entirety of the American League , there is only one team [00:03:00] that is no longer available to be in the playoffs, and that is the Angels. The Angels. So Mike Trout will once again not win the World Series because the Angels can't be there Hey.

Uh, yep. And if we look to the National League, who has been omitted from the race thus far, two of the National League West teams, the Giants and the Rockies. Uh, let's see, with, uh, Rockies with a .382 win-loss record, 55 wins, 89 losses. Ouch. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. Did you catch that game, the Rockies, where they were throwing the ball around like a Little League, , team?

And, ... You could tell Jake McCarthy was just not having any of it. He was so embarrassed by the way that they were throwing it around. But, uh, you got to feel for that, the, the fans of that franchise. Hopefully they can turn it around. 

Mark Corbett: I hope so, because we, I mean, we've [00:04:00] talked long ago as far as looking at the Angels, and kind of looking back to that, how they had had Ohtani, and they had Trout- Mm ... and were not able to make it happen. But now, like you were talking about when we're looking at the Rockies and the Giants, and some of the silliness that's going on out there, it's like, "Ah, well, you know, what the heck?

What's going to be silly about..." And Mat , I don't know if it's just me or maybe it's just happening more often or being criticized more often, and that is the performance of some of these players. Uh, th- they're at t- they're being attentive to what's happening on the field with the ball. And I can't remember if it was Cincinnati...

Oh, Cincinnati the other day. This ball was went out way out deep into center field, and it took a while to personally get it, and they sent it in to the cutoff man, and the cutoff man in Cincinnati, and it was Elly De La Cruz, and that's the man you want for that. And to see the [00:05:00] finesse of making sure that they could get that ball in, I don't even remember if the guy was safe or out at this point, but it was amazing just to watch that sort of teamwork to make that happen.

And then I relate that to looking at our own team and the, uh, p- Freddy Peralta, who's really started looking good the last few games. He, he made a, he made a junior mistake. And running down a player back to third base, and he's throwing the ball over to the b- third baseman, practically over his head, and luckily it gets caught.

Because at this point it was, it was done. That guy was already out. There was another player who had come from second to third, and the p- person who had been on third had, went head to home. He's, was caught in a pickle. It was done, but he threw the ball. And that sort of awareness, the expectation of players, I, I don't think it's unrealistic when you think about how much some of these folks are getting paid.

Then you... [00:06:00] Well, as long as I'm bouncing, let's look at about a month ago with Pat Murphy and the Brewers. Mm-hmm. He had a new guy come in, and the guy just kind of strutted down t- to first. Potentially, he could have made, you know, he could have made a single. He didn't, and what did Pat Murphy do? He sat this young player on the bench for the next game, and people were like, "Well, what, why are you doing that?

Why are you doing that?" Well, sometimes a lesson needs to be learned even if you're a grown-up, so kudos to, to Pat. And I don't-- I think that was just a misstep for Peralta. Uh, I think he's doing great otherwise for the team. 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: But I don't... Your thoughts. 

Mat Germain: Yeah, no, I think there, you know, baseball's a... Who was it that, uh, said that?

Albert Pujols, I think. When even when he started managing or coaching or whatever it is that he's doing now, he said that to somebody at one of the All-Star games, like, uh, he never stopped learning all the way through his career. Like, and, and it's a [00:07:00] game of lessons, right? Yeah. Everybody that along the way, even managers that have like, you know, they're 70, 80 years old, they're still learning on the go and, and the game's always evolving and changing, and the focuses are changing.

And so the one thing that he's trying to point across there is the work ethic. The work ethic, because that will leave you if you're not pushing all the time. Yeah. The work ethic, you'll start getting, I don't wanna call it lazy, but just lackluster in your performance because you're not taking advantage of every inch that you're able to get.

And, and I find that the Mets' woes recently are a lot of that, that I've seen, is they're, they weren't for a long time taking advantage of the talent that they had. Yeah. It was basically just kind of doing okay, the, the bare minimum, the, you know, uh, flashing it when they needed to, that kind of thing. Um, so, so that's something that gets ingrained, and I think that's where the Rays have had a lot of success, is to [00:08:00] build that all the way through their affiliates.

Mm-hmm. And that's why two of them are in the playoffs right now, and they played their first game, uh, yesterday. 

Mark Corbett: Do tell. 

Mat Germain: So the Low A and the High A team, the Gold- Bowling Green Hot- Hot Rods and the Charleston RiverDogs both had their first, uh, playoff games yesterday. Both of them were 5-0 ahead, you know, early in the games.

Both of them ended up with a 9-8 score. 

Wow. 

By the end of it, after going to extras. So both of them ended up in extras, in 10 innings. The Charleston RiverDogs, won it 9-8, and the Bowling Green Hot Rods lost it 9-8. Oh, gosh. So we have two different versions of the same kind of thing. Uh, so it's really ironic, Mark.

It, it was like watching s- teams in a mirror. Um, but, but Taitn Gray looked [00:09:00] outstanding. You talk about a guy coming in with a performance to kind of pull his team ahead, he was the reason. He hit a triple in the key moment at the beginning. He hit a sacrifice fly later on. Great performance from him.

So now they're up, uh, one-nothing in low A. They're, uh, down one-nothing in high A, and both of them have a day off today and they'll resume, 'cause now the way home field advantage works in, in that level is that they play the last two games at home.

So if you had the better record, you get the advantage of having the second and the third game at home. So they always have a break day between the two. 

Mark Corbett: Good, good, good. 

Mat Germain: So all that to say that we're gonna find out within the next few days, you know, whether or not they win, uh, or they move on to the championship series.

, So this is the semifinal. And, uh, yeah, Really, like, the taste of the playoffs is, is what you get out of b- out the benefit for that, right? So now at both levels, the Rays will [00:10:00] have players who have that playoff experience, that taste of the playoffs, and they get to transfer that into the following season, and they go out on a high because they were in the playoffs, right?

They have a encouraging performance to kind of build on and, , , take into next year with the positives. So, , the Rays are doing a great job with that. I don't think any of the two higher affiliates are gonna make it in. Uh, there's still a little bit of time for the, the Bulls to do it, but,, it's still, it's still great to see, and I, I like the performance I saw from Trevor Harrison in particular in Bowling Green on the mound.

Uh, looked really strong, so. 

Mark Corbett: So we don't, don't necessarily see any, , Biscuits or Bulls necessarily going into the, the playoffs? 

Mat Germain: I doubt it, yeah. Okay. But the Bulls are in action tonight, Mark, and Brodie Hopkins, I noted, was hitting 99.5 miles an hour now that he's in the pen. And I was like, "Oh, 99.5," so I started watching, and then the next hitter, all [00:11:00] three pitches that he struck him out with were over 101 miles an hour.

Oh, 

Mark Corbett: good Lord. 

Mat Germain: Including the fastest one at 102.1. We're getting into that Mason Miller category now, when you're getting to that level. So Brodie Hopkins is seriously looking strong, like a contender to push for a play- a, a pen spot, and if he's able to stay locked into that zone for the next couple of games and outings that he's in, I don't see how the Rays don't bring him up at some point and, and see what he can do at MLB level, because he, he has the tools.

He just has never been in the zone consistently enough to be usable as a starter they can trust. So yeah, the aggressiveness was great to see. I didn't expect it, Mark. , Honestly, the way he was working before, I did not expect him to break 100 miles an hour. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Mat Germain: Hmm. 

Mark Corbett: Well, but you feel like his targeting is still on par there?

He's, he's [00:12:00] doing what he needs to? Looks 

Mat Germain: better. It's like he's more aggressive, 'cause he's only using the fastball and the cutter. Like, that's all I've seen tonight anyway, the cutter's at 94 and the fastball is at 100. You're talking about such a little difference between the two, but at that speed, the little bit of difference between the two is just enough to, you know, you get miss hits.

He, I think he struck out two of the first three batters that he saw, so, um, just really looked strong. Stayed at the bottom, worked at the top, so he was doing both, , north-south, which the Rays love. , So if they're able to zone him in on that plane with cutter and fastball, uh, the, you know, the Rays are looking for that kind of, of pen assistance because Manuel Rodriguez, who'd come back from injury, got hurt, and so now he's back on IL, so they need some guys to come in.

Although Sage, Shane McClanahan, you know, with that, uh, barking elbow again. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

Mat Germain: If he does come back this year, to me, he belongs in the pen as well. [00:13:00] Like, stop the madness of trying to keep him in starting. It's too much strain and pressure on that arm. Just let him, you know, even if you don't bring him in, uh, like every day, like bring him in every second or third day if you have to.

'Cause that left-handed arm, like in the pen, would be lethal compared to what they have right now. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. That's, I think, I think you're right there. I kept wondering how much longer do we try to keep, , Shane as a starter? Hmm. Instead of just really you f- you f- what? Focusing on a few select innings with him.

Would he be like a, a Kevin Kelly, for instance? And, uh 

Mat Germain: I think he, he would be a lot like, uh, John Smoltz if he was in the pen- ... you know, for a lengthy period of time. And, and if he ever got the, the strength and the stamina again in his arm the way that he could, he could become like an Aroldis Chapman. 

Mark Corbett: Wow.

Mat Germain: I think. Because he does have that kind of velocity when he's at [00:14:00] his peak. Whether or not it ever comes back fully and he trusts it enough, I don't know. But- 

Mark Corbett: Yeah ... 

Mat Germain: um, yeah, he, he would be pretty interesting, 'cause he has a wider array of pitches even to work with than Aroldis does. So, uh, you know, if he brings out a, a changeup once in a while and something else to kind of throw people off, it would be pretty insane.

Mark Corbett: You know, this past week, um, I did a little bit of traveling. 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

Mark Corbett: And the wife and I went to Dallas and saw the Rays and Rangers. And then we went over to Houston and saw the Astros and Diamondbacks. And with ... I gotta tell you, Mat , those are two completely separate experiences. Now granted, the Rangers has been up since only what?

Oh, 2020 I believe, their new stadium. And it's right across from [00:15:00] their old, the Choctaw Stadium. And the Choctaw Stadium was not an indoor stadium Mat, we're there, it's 100 degrees out. I don't even talk about heat as far as the heat index, and I can only wonder what it was like to play in those type of temperatures before, and the impact that that could make on a game.

Now, Karen and I were delighted that there was air conditioning in both the Rangers' and the Astros' stadiums, but I just don't know. The, I, I, I kinda wonder, when we went to s- the Astros, they got a much older stadium. I think it's about from 2000, I believe. And so it, it's a much older stadium, and it shows.

You get in there, let's just say personal hygiene in that place was questionable, and people's ability to take care of it was questionable, too. I'd, I'd have to say when we were [00:16:00] in Dallas that, , the fans were more pleasant. The w- the place was obviously kept better, it looked better, and I don't... The, the people in Houston were just rude.

And I'm not talking about because I was wearing Rays gear, 'cause I wasn't. I wasn't wearing anybody's gear since I didn't have a team in that race. Mm-hmm. But it was just a... I would not recommend anybody going to an Astros game. I, I 

Mat Germain: w- To an Astros 

Mark Corbett: game, yeah. I, I went, when we went there in Houston, and I was always intrigued about looking back there at that outfield wall, you know?

And it was... Uh, it was nothing as far as I was concerned. It w- They've, they've got a nice little corridor, I guess a home run corridor of heroes, and that was kinda nice. But the Rangers, I liked everything about that place. There was just so many different places you could watch the game. You know, we'd [00:17:00] go to...

There's, like, even a Budweiser court up on a upper tier, and they got these big, giant, uh, Adirondack chairs to sit in and watch the game. And I've... There was so many things about the Rangers as far as that stadium over the, the Astros, plus just the way we were treated. And I would have to say if I'm gonna go to Texas again, I would not m- I would not make my way to Houston.

Mat Germain: I wonder how much of that reflects the ownership.

Mark Corbett: Could. It could be 

Mat Germain: Like, there's, there's something to be said about ownership setting the tone for how things are gonna operate. And the, and the two things that they have control over are the front office- 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm ... 

Mat Germain: and who is doing what in the stadium.

Like, that's, that's essentially what the owner's role is, is to market the team, you know, with his team of marketers and everything else, and to hire the right people to manage his team or, or the group's th- you know, depending [00:18:00] on what the ownership group is. So when you're looking at the Astros, and I can name a dozen things that have gone sideways for the Astros, from cheating to how they treat the people in their front office, the m- chauvinist things to- Yep

there is a sentiment around all of those things that is sort of Tone setting. And to me, that feeds into the stadium. The, the same kind of aura feeds into who you're hiring, how happy they are to be there, how far they'll go to, , make things better overall. A- and I think that probably screams to part of the reason why you got that feeling that you got.

Um, I, I don't know much about the Rangers ownership, just to be clear on that one. Uh, I do know the Astros one, though. 

Mark Corbett: Well, yeah, the history, there's no doubt about the history with the Astros, and that may [00:19:00] very well be. But . i'd hoped while we were on this Texas trip I'd get to see Nate Eovaldi, but that didn't happen.

Did get to see- Mm ... Isaac Paredes. That was fun. Always fun to see, see old fellow Rays out there. But, you know, but, uh, uh, the one Ray that I keep looking at right now, and that's Jake Bauers. You know, pe- him with the Brewers. Right now, let's see, of the teams in the MLB that are leading in wins, I think it's the Dodgers, the Brewers, and then us.

We're leading the American League, and I think the Brewers are second to the Dodgers in the National League. And I th- I don't know if they're at 90 wins or not, but they're right there if they aren't 

Mat Germain: Yeah, I thought the Brewers were ahead for a bit. I haven't looked recently but, uh- 

The Brewers are ahead of the Dodgers by two games. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, wow. Geez. 

Mat Germain: Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I absolutely love that, then. Yeah. So I'm glad Jake Bauers is still there. I wish that, uh, I wish Willie was still there to enjoy it as well, but, [00:20:00] you know. 

Mat Germain: Mm. Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: When you look at our team... Go ahead, I'm sorry. 

Mat Germain: Oh, go ahead. No, I was gonna say, Ohtani apparently isn't, uh, may not be the healthiest player for the rest of the season as well, so, , that's a big knock for, for Dodgers' chances of tri-peating.

Mark Corbett: Yeah. Yeah. Then, then you have, you look, 'cause we're looking across, the Yankees. I think Judge was brought in, and I, I don't know, man. I, you know, hope they bring him in and he's still healthy enough to do it. Obviously I don't want him be, the, the Yankees to be too strong. I want us to finish this out leading the AL East, but we'll, we'll see how that plays out.

Now right now, as far as injuries with the Rays, is ? Taylor Walls, is he, uh- 

Mat Germain: Yeah, he's out for a bit and, and Jorge Mateo's, , taking over a little bit of the shortstop duties. But the Rays did bring in Nick Madrigal. Yeah. And Nick [00:21:00] Madrigal had been, , the table setter for the Durham Bulls.

Yeah. 

He was hitting above .400 for them for his time that he was,, with the Rays. Um, started the season with the Angels, uh, but they- Uh, Nick Madrigal is one of those guys that when you talk about, , being pesky, being somebody that can lengthen the lineup, can play a versatile role, third base, second base, a little bit of shortstop if you need him to.

I, I watched one of the games that you were at. I don't know if you were at that game, but Jorge Mateo, I think, cost the Rays a, a win this week just based on his defensive lapses, right? Both on a throw to Aranda and on one that he misplayed. So I think,, , you start to see the value of Taylor Walls when you see those things happen.

, But Nick Madrigal is one of those guys that for the lineup, at least, he will im- move it up a notch. He's like, , very much a Chandler Simpson type without all the speed. So a little bit more power, uh, does, uh, get the bat on the ball and, and [00:22:00] squared up probably as well as Chandler does. So, uh, and the defensive play at second base, at least from what I've seen, has been really solid.

So I, I'm glad that they're, they had somebody like that to draw on. And since he left Durham, Mark, the funniest thing is that Caden Bodine and Xavier Isaac, who had just been promoted to AAA, are now hitting one-two in Durham. Ooh. Which is, says a lot about their performance so far, right? Both of them have, have an OPS above .900.

Um, so when you're talking about, you know, Brody Hopkins, Xavier Isaac, Caden Bodine, all performing, like, really, really, really well in AAA. And Jacob Melton is another one. It'll be interesting. I mentioned on Blue Sky today, when the Rays brought up who they have right now in the lineup, uh, including Nick Madrigal, they're very right-handed.

So then I started doing some digging. I was like, "Well, who are they facing coming up?" And almost half of their games are gonna be against left-handed starters from now until the la- [00:23:00] the end of the year. So I was like, "Oh, well, that makes sense then," 'cause they want to be able to attack left-handed pitching,, and try to get that, home field advantage through the playoffs.

So, uh, it'll be interesting to see how long he gets to stay with the Rays. , But I wouldn't be surprised if at some point they decide to switch, , Kenny Piper with, , Jacob Melton, 'cause I think he's a huge asset for the Rays lineup if they can get him in there. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I have to be honest and say I didn't realize even that, uh, Piper was in the mix.

You know, I mean- Eh ... obviously, you know, suddenly it's like, whoa, where'd this guy come from? You know, I mean. But, uh, 'cause we've talked about Jacob Melton so much, and Caden Bodine, and it's like, uh, so what was not a name I anticipated seeing on the Rays roster. Uh, and, and, I know you brought up Mateo. Yeah, I saw those, I saw some of those miscues, some of those plays, those, those errors, if you will, that he made.

And that's why I think I started thinking about Pat Murphy again [00:24:00] and the Brewers. And just basically, if you got a guy who's making some basic mistakes, sit him down. Let it, let him stew a bit. Let him get it. It goes to, uh, something else this evening. I had the good fortune of attending an event at the Tampa Baseball Museum honoring Jesuit High School for winning yet another state championship, uh, with their baseball team.

And as a special guest for the evening, a former Jesuit baseball player by the name of David Magadan was there. And he was sharing a lot of stories. People were asking about, you know, favorite players or w- uh, pitchers that were hard to go up against. And you would hear names too as far as like, uh, p- I guess players that impressed him a lot during his career.

Barry Bonds, you know, he, he's honest about that. Then they said, uh, oh, Tony Gwynn. No, no surprise there. But one thing he did say, one of the students asked him, one of [00:25:00] the players, "And how do you face the next day, the next time you go out to play if you've had a bad game?" And he said, "Well He turned the page and he says, "That is what you have to do."

That's what he said, "What I do," he says, "after every pitch, you know, that I'm up there, that I, no Mat er how great or how bad it was, I'm starting fresh again. It's like the first pitch of the game." Mm-hmm. And I was like, wow. I mean, you hear people say that, but I believe, I c- from everything I've seen on David Magadan, I believe he lives that.

But I thought, what a great nugget to share with these young people. And I said, "That's, that's one every parent should teach their kid, and that they teach themselves too as far as what their expecta- expectations of their children are in the game." 

Mat Germain: Yeah, I think coaches should do that as well. 'Cause too [00:26:00] often the coaches will be harping, like they will bring up things, right?

That, that are- Yeah ... going back and bringing it back instead of focusing on the next thing. So I find a lot of positive coaching, especially in the moment or in the game or, you know, as things are happening, should be focused on what's coming up, not what the player just did. 

Right. 

But, you know, you coach when the game isn't happening, and then you kind of help them get set, get mentally, you know, ready for the next, uh, part that they're gonna be facing.

So that's where the, uh, I hate to say, but those iPads that they keep s- watching on the, on the benches, you know, like they're looking at whatever, well, that's what it's about, is basically being able to flip the page after you find out what happened. So they find out what happened, they eat it, they move on, and then they know.

They have a little bit more knowledge, right? Um, so I think that that's definitely a good asset, and I'm glad that Dave brought that [00:27:00] up. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah, he, uh, I think he really got them, you know, with that. And there's, there were parents there and Coach Miguel Menendez, he was there. And I spoke with him, the coach that is, before and after all this, and he's- You could tell he felt very comfortable saying that, uh, uh, 'cause I was commenting on his players and how they actually were behaving and such while I was there.

He said, you know, and, and obviously what they're doing on the field, and he said, "A lot of that comes from the parents," he says, and how these kids are when they come to this school. He said, "It's just, that doesn't just happen." He indicated to me that what happens w- with these kids because who they are, the expectations from their - parents that have been set and that sort of thing.

You know, alls I can think of is we need to have some of that in our political life going on now too. We should have more parents calling and taking care and getting these folks in, in line. But anyway, getting back to it. It was a great evening, and I'd like to thank David Magadan and the, all the great people at the Tampa Baseball [00:28:00] Museum, and congratulate once again the, uh, Jesuit High School team for winning the state championship, and I think that's the fourth one under the belt of the manager who's been there, I think, six years.

So- 

Mat Germain: Mm-hmm ... 

Mark Corbett: and they've won six, like, out of the last nine years too. So he, uh... It's, um, it's amazing to see a team like that to continue to succeed, and a lot of it comes down to work ethic and mindset 

Mat Germain: Absolutely. No, it's, uh, you know, and it shows good consistency for that school. When you're winning in a consistent basis, then you know you have a, a formula that works.

It's not just one set of players that gave you that championship. So, uh, yeah, that's, that's impressive 

Mark Corbett: Another thing I'd like to mention, we're not gonna get into, but the, is the season is concluded, the official season for the WPBL, Women's Pro Baseball League, and they are beginning their post-season now, the four teams.

It'll be [00:29:00] interesting to see how this plays out. We had Mary Mustard on here a couple weeks ago to talk about the teams, and I would recommend if you wanna follow what's going on, she writes I love her writing, man. She was talking about, what was it, a, a Swiss cheese of a bullpen, something along those lines.

And I said, "That's perfect," 'cause she's like, you, the holes that are there are, you know, you never know what you're gonna bite into. She didn't say it that way, but just saying the Swiss cheese of the, of the bullpen. And it's great to, to read, fun to read. But it's g- it, it will be interesting to see how the season concludes, and I guarantee you there will be a lot of criticism, and that's to be expected on a first season with a new team, or excuse me, a new league.

But I, I don't know. We'll see how this plays out. I hope there's enough strength there that there is a second season and that it grows the teams and fan base as well, but we'll, we'll see how that plays out. Uh, let's see. What 

Mat Germain: else do we got? I wonder if there'll, there'll be, um, uh, [00:30:00] if there's a chance at some point that the Little League World Series has a female version of it, and then it can grow from there, right?

Hmm. 

Mark Corbett: That 

Mat Germain: would be kind of interesting. I don't know if there's a, an avenue for that to happen. Maybe not in the same location, 'cause they are busy, lots of fields, et cetera. 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. 

Mat Germain: But a similar concept would be worthwhile doing. Um, funding would be an issue, but I'm sure there's ways, uh, to, to figure that out 

Mark Corbett: I would like, I would like to see how that plays.

I mean, we've, we talked about this earlier this year that, uh, some of the you- there was two young girls at this year's Little League World Series. 

Mat Germain: Mm. 

Mark Corbett: And I, I don't know. You know what I mean? It's, one, I, I like the idea that they're incorporated with the team, period. You know, male, female, whatever at that point.

But there's a strength, too, in the girls baseball, and there's a lot of that across the US. There's travel teams, et cetera. And if you're [00:31:00] going to build a base for girls and women's baseball, what better place to start than with Little League? So I see where you're at, Mat . I mean, you know, you- the first place we're...

If we look right now across women's professional baseball, you're gonna see some great players in there. You're gonna see a Danae Benitez, you're gonna see Ashley Lansdowne, you're gonna see Ayami Sato, you're going to see, oh, um, Magen Meidlig- Meggie Meidlinger, and others. But the thing of it is a lot of these women have even been playing on two or three teams.

They'll be playing on a World Cup team for their nation. They'll be playing on, you know, in this league here. They'll also, some of them are playing for the Savannah Bananas with different- their teams. So there's all these different facets 

Mat Germain: I will say that that's not unique though to the girls baseball.

There's soccer players that do the same. And so if you think of somebody in the EFL, in the, , English, uh, Football League, they will play for their [00:32:00] team as part of the English Football League, then they have a cup that is played at the same time, it within players of all levels of that team. So that's done, you know, it used to be called the Emirates Cup.

I don't know what it's called now. 

Mark Corbett: Right. 

Mat Germain: But that's a different tournament. Then they have the, the Champions League, which includes a whole bunch of European teams that they go and play at. And then there's their national teams when they are chosen to represent their tr- their national team. So they, they have to balance all of those demands, you know, and then it gets to be quite tedious and they play a lot of games.

But, I think the more experience you get playing in games, the better performance it gives you and the, the more tenacity it gives you and exposure. And I, I just think we need to get more eyeballs on it, Mark. Yeah. And then that's the thing that's gonna drive it. So in some ways, if they do come back for a second season, I hope they amp up and, and apply lessons learned for getting more eyeballs on, uh, on it and maybe [00:33:00] diversifying, you know, the location so that it's not just one location constantly, 'cause that can get quite demanding on the fandom in that, , in that one area.

Mark Corbett: Wow. Yeah, and, and I always wonder, would you have those different organization coordinate? Are they all, you know, are they working completely independently or are they saying, "Hey, let's make sure that, uh, we know the other league season's coming up here. We make sure we n- we need to schedule ours a little differently."

I don't know. But, um, hey, it is Wedns- yeah, it is Wednesday. It's Wednesday, September 9th, and the Rays are playing tonight and playing the Braves in Atlanta. What's the score right now, Mat ? 

Mat Germain: It was 7-2, , last time I looked, and,, the Rays are looking strong. Griffin Jax looked great , in his start.

Uh, Ty Johnson followed him up and looked pretty good. The Braves are a tough team. Obviously, they've got 85 wins, the Rays have 86. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Mat Germain: So they're very similar in terms of where they are, , [00:34:00] win-loss-wise. , But I think Victor Mesa Jr., Mark, every time I see him play, I, I just get more and more impressed with, with, you know, how important a key cog he is to the Rays' roster, and when you're looking at the l- the lineup tonight, there's only one hit for the five guys at the top of the lineup.

There are four guys at the top of the lineup. The bottom half of the lineup has done all the work in terms- Wow ... of putting up runs. So, uh, it's really great to see that because you need that kind of performance from, a variety of, of people. So, uh, when Victor Mesa Jr. is in there, I was just looking today at Baseball Savant and in Statcast they have a rating system for the types of catches that people make in the outfield, right?

They have a five-star, a four-star, a three-star. So the higher the star, the more complicated the, the catch was. So when you look at the percentage of five-star potential opportunities Victor Mesa caught, he caught 4 [00:35:00] of 11, which gives him a 36%, you know, catch rate for the hardest, , fly balls to, to catch.

So there's only four players in the MLB that are above him, and Pete Crow-Armstrong being one of them. 

Mark Corbett: Wow. 

Mat Germain: But if you're looking at opportunities, uh, for people that have more than 10, he would be second in line to Pete Crow-Armstrong. , And I find that, , when you're seeing him play in the outfield, the arm, the range, the types of catches he's making, and how confident he makes the team around him I just see him as one of the key members of the Rays going forward if he keeps this up.

He's hitting home runs at a very steady rate. When I look at his performance, uh, over the last seven games, 15 games, and,, 30 games, so you're looking at his batting average improving from, , .263 over the last 30 games. If you look at the last 15, it's .294. 

Mm. 

And in the last seven, it's .320. Sure. So he keeps [00:36:00] improving all the way through the season, and you're just seeing the confidence building.

And I think the Rays have the potential of an all-star right fielder, which is what I think at the deadline I kept saying that they needed to target. Well, they already had one in-house, Mark. I didn't even know it. So, so you know, it, it's great to see the Rays have belief enough in him. , And I'm glad that he's back and healthy, and hopefully he stays that way.

Mark Corbett: I didn't know what to expect when we first heard his name, you know, months and months ago. But he has really proven to be pivotal, and as you've s- pointed out, how much he's continued to get better and better, and that's just exciting. So- Mm ... glad to hear that he's back and healthy now.

Let's hope, uh, that continues on. Anything else when we're looking at the Rays here? W- how many games we got left? Maybe 15, 18, roughly? 

Mat Germain: Well, if we're looking at the standings, the, uh, the Rays are at 86 and 58. After tonight, probably [00:37:00] 87 and 58. So they'll have, uh, was it 17 games left? 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. Right. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: It should be a, a quick final stretch. , If the Rays win half of those games, so let's say they win 9 of their next 17- 

Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm ... 

Mat Germain: , then they'll end up with a 95, or excuse me, 96 win season. 

Mark Corbett: Oh, 

Mat Germain: that's great. So would put them, you know, within range of one of their better seasons. , And I think it would make it almost impossible for the Yankees to catch them if they do just that.

Mark Corbett: Mm. 

Mat Germain: Um, so then they'd be, have home field advantage. We wouldn't have to see Yankee Stadium as much, which is always great. Right? Yes. Uh, so the Rays are, are starting to get into that good spot. It's nice to see. And, uh, I, I think the, the league is on notice. Like the way that they're playing and the way they're able to score runs and against the, some of the best pitching in the league, uh, [00:38:00] it's just becoming more consistent.

You saw it against the Rangers and, and you're seeing it now against the Braves. Like it doesn't Mat er who they're playing against, they have a plan and it's working- Yeah ... and it's, it's keeping them consistent. 

Mark Corbett: Well, I am thankful for that. I know here this is, this is it, the last home stand, I believe. And, uh, we got the, uh, the A's.

We've got the, oh, we have the Astros. Mm. And I am actually, Karen and I are gonna be able to go to, well, I'm going to two games. And one of them I'm gonna be there with the Tampa Baseball Museum. We'll have a stand out there showing some of the different, uh, artifacts from players from this area.

And then, then I am going on Sunday when there is a very special event during the Rays game That's right, Keith. Pokemon Go night.

S- so, so break out your phones. Are you gonna 

Mat Germain: play, [00:39:00] Mark? 

Mark Corbett: Oh, I've gotta play. I mean, come on. What is it, you gotta catch them all? That's what we s- That's, 

Mat Germain: oh, you gotta ... That's what you have to- I think you have to get... Yeah, they're gonna have some of them that are hidden in the weirdest places, and you're gonna have to go and find them.

And then, you know, one of them's gonna be in front of a urinal in the men's washroom. They're gonna be like- Oh. ... "Well, how are the girls getting in there?" 

Mark Corbett: Oh. Oh, it, it should be interesting. I don't know. I, I keep... They said, keep thinking back to that one TV series, I can't even think of it anymore, where they actually had a c- some sort of Pokemon Go character on the mound, you know?

Mm-hmm. But- 

Mat Germain: Yeah ... 

Mark Corbett: anyway, it, it shows the insanity of the game and the marketing of doing pretty much anything. Uh, years ago there was, if you went to the stadium, there was a, a Game of Thr- Thrones throne sitting there, and they had Longoria sitting on the throne as a bobblehead.

Mat Germain: I have the three bobbleheads for the Rays', uh, Game of Thrones. [00:40:00] 

Mark Corbett: You 

Mat Germain: do? Uh, in fact, I do. Yeah. 

Mark Corbett: Well, what, what are the three? I mean, I know there's one with- 

Mat Germain: Oh, God. One of them was Raymond, one of them was the- ... Ice King, one of them was... You know, it was just one of those, uh, um, as one of the last things that I did where I was actually still managing a site, et cetera.

So the, the person who was managing that company contacted me and gave me some freebies- ... and, uh, I still have them, so yeah, it's kinda cool. I was a big Game of Thrones fan, so I was shocked that he was even offering it, but, uh, the, the Pokemon thing is great because we've talked, uh, you know, in the past about Nickelodeon and what they do for the NFL.

Getting the kids involved and even the young kids adults, um, it's great. And it gets them wanting to go back to the ballpark to find out what's next. Well, it was Pokemon this time, it was this that time, so they'll keep wanting to go back to the ballpark and, and keep them involved. So it's good. 

Mark Corbett: I'm curious to see [00:41:00] what it looks like.

If it's just a Mat er of things that people see on their, uh, phone or if there's actually gonna be something up on the b- on the screens, et cetera. Mm-hmm. So it, it'll be fun. It's all about enjoy- enjoying the game and I wanted to kind of, uh... But what else would you like to talk about? Is there anything else tonight?

Mat Germain: Uh, just I, I wanna know if you got your shovel ready, Mark. No, I'm not doing that. When they break ground in the new stadium, are you gonna go in there and, uh, throw a little dirt around? Or are you gonna wait for them to pour the first thing of cement and put, uh, Mark was here in cement, uh- ... you know? Mark plus Karen, you know, with a heart around it.

Mark Corbett: I'll put B-Biz, Mat and Mark. There you go. And- 

Mat Germain: There you go. I like it. 

Mark Corbett: Yeah. You know, the, I'll probably go down there and get whatever sand, earth that's been toiled over, you know, see, uh, see if I put that in a magic bean in a pot and see what grows out of it. Yeah. 

Mat Germain: It won't be billions of dollars like the Rays will make out of it, that's for sure.

Mark Corbett: No. [00:42:00] All right, well, hope you all find your magic bean. Well, we've looks like we're gonna have a say and we're excited about that, and I'm really excited about seeing what happens with the Rays as we come closer and closer to the conclusion of the season. And Mat , I tell you what, brother, I've never been...

I don't know if I've been more excited about a season or not, at least at this point, to see this team congeal and have the strength, have the patience, and personification as one person almost as a team to do what it takes to win. So I'm excited about the year this year, and I can't wait to see how we write it all up here in a couple of weeks.

Mat Germain: Right there with you, Mark. I think it's gonna be exciting. There's a lot of good stories, a lot of good rivalries that'll be back at it again in the playoffs, so, , it'll be really interesting to see, , the Yankees, some other AL East teams, and, , even in the National League, the races are pretty fun.

So we'll see when, when that National League team knocks the [00:43:00] Dodgers off their throne. Everybody will get even more excited, so it'll be, uh, you know, quite of an, a- an eventful October, I think. 

Mark Corbett: I am looking so forward to it, and I'm so glad to see that the Brewers are leading and not the Dodgers right now in the National League.

It just makes me so happy. But all righty. Well, I wanna thank all y'all again for joining Mr. Mat and I here today on another lovely evening as the Rays looks like they're about to take another win against the Braves, and we hope you've enjoyed this evening. Please go ahead, continue to send your remarks to us, and actually, we'll read some of them, and we'll, uh, talk to you again real soon.

Mat Germain: Bong!.