RaysUp - Tampa Bay Rays - Zach Littel, Taj Bradley & Kevin Cash

297 RaysUp BaseballBiz

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to Baseball Biz on Deck. I am Mark Corbett. And with me of course, is Mr. Mat Germain. How are you doing this fine day, Mr. Matt. 

[00:00:08] Mat Germain: I'm living the dream Mark. All of its body.

[00:00:16] Mark Corbett: Oh, brother. Well, you know, we've had kind of a good dream going on in the last week here for the Rays. That's, that's been a good one. I really like that. I'm I, alright. First off, I gotta say complete shock. Who is this Kevin Cash guy? Because I don't know, dude, I mean. Zach Littel, 117 pitches, and we're talking in nine innings, the whole game.

[00:00:42] Who are you? Kevin? Cash. How'd you let this happen? 

[00:00:47] Mat Germain: I wonder what, like if they had a meeting before this where all the pitchers ganged up on them and they, and they like got Snyder in cash in the corner and they're all pointing fingers in their chest going, this is it. We're throwing a [00:01:00] revolt. You must let us pitch later into the game.

[00:01:03] This is June, now it's June. Let's move on. 

[00:01:08] Mark Corbett: I, I think Littel was a little sore after all that, but I think he appreciated the opportunity. I'm, uh, looking here at Adam Barry's Rays , beat newsletter here, and he says, Littel had just pitched nine the day before throwing complete game, and I see no, no, no. It was the, it was only the 10th complete game in the majors this season, and the first by the rays.

[00:01:30] Since Ryan Yarborough went the distance at Yankee Stadium on June 3rd, 2021, how rare is it? He says, consider this. So the 106 complete games and franchise history, only three have come in the past 10 seasons. Letell on Saturday? Yeah, Yarborough in 2021 and MatAndrews in uh, may of 2016. Good gravy. 

[00:01:56] Mat Germain: What's also interesting, mark, because you, you go through this, right?

[00:01:59] [00:02:00] You have the two back to back over a hundred game, uh, a hundred games, a hundred pitches in each game, right? Yeah. So Littel was well over, but I think they've come to realize that Zach has zero injury history. I. Like major history, right? So, so they're able to push him a little bit harder, I think, and allow him to be that old proverbial workhorse that, you know, really gives their pen a break now and again, which, you know, it used to be the norm in a, in a rotation that you would have that guy, and now you, you just don't, so maybe the rays are seeing the light and, and they're kind of, uh, shifting gears with each pitcher.

[00:02:37] I'll say that because of this, the next day you, you saw. Shane B go through the same kind of thing, and then last night. Very efficient. Start from Drew Rassmuson. He did not get the same long leash that the other two got allowed. One hit one mark and that was it. As soon as he did, they got him outta there with under 80 pitches [00:03:00] thrown, so he's on a tight leash.

[00:03:02] Mark Corbett: Well, Matt, he should be too. I mean, the man's amazing to watch, but after, what is it, two now, three times the of surgery the man's had. And, uh, we all wanna enjoy watching him, and I'm sure he wants to enjoy, continue to play the game. So I, I, you know, you, he's somewhat, you want treat him like, uh. A, a glass piece, you know, just some something of menagerie you put up there on the shelf.

[00:03:25] But he's much more than that. He, his performance is amazing. 

[00:03:28] Mat Germain: Drew, he would love to hear you describe him that way. 

[00:03:31] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Sorry, drew. No, I mean, he's, he's, he is treasured, I'll say that. He is treasured and we want him to stay healthy. And I know he does too, but we, we enjoy what he gives us. And then this week has been some great pitch.

[00:03:48] I mean, let's see, Taj, he was like seven innings the other day. 

[00:03:51] Mat Germain: Mm-hmm. 

[00:03:52] Mark Corbett: And had 10 strikeouts. 

[00:03:54] Mat Germain: Yeah. Woof. He's another one that the rays won't be, won't hold back anymore, I don't think. [00:04:00] 'cause again, he has no major injury history. And uh, and I think, like I said, you have the two months to kind of warm into it and now they're, they're just gonna let the row horses run.

[00:04:09] For the most part. I. 

[00:04:11] Mark Corbett: I hope so, but like I said, I always, always worry about the, the health of these arms and, but my gosh, Matt, to see, you know, Taj being able to do that, we lost the game. But it wasn't because of him, it's because the boys scored nothing in that game. And who is it? Was it Hunter Brown?

[00:04:28] They were facing, I think, and, and who is phenomenal pitcher. You know, whether you like the end result of that game or not, you had to love. See the efficiency of pitching of both of those guys, and it was just amazing. 

[00:04:43] Mat Germain: The good thing is the rays are playing good baseball. Like they're not. I remember last year we would sit here, mark, and talk about the games and there'd be so many frustrating running plays and this and that, and there was just a general frustration at this point of the year that they weren't where they were supposed to be.

[00:04:59] Now [00:05:00] we, we seem to have this positive shift because they've been gaining momentum as they go, but really record wise, there are only two wins above where they were at this point last year. So there's not a huge difference. It's just how they got there, where they had a real struggle at the beginning. Now they're beginning momentum positive, whereas last year you still didn't really see the, the hope, I guess, was a little harder to, to see through because of the things that you're talking about when it comes to the pitchers doing so well and, and showing length and strength and that that'll take you far in baseball.

[00:05:37] Mark Corbett: Okay. I gotta ask you. Yeah. Did you ever think, Matt, that we would see the fire come out of Taylor Walls this past week like we did? Jeez, Pete. Now, you know, I, I may have said this before 'cause I, I thought maybe 'cause there's a little heat, 'cause that spot, you know, some people think that's gonna be reserved for Ha-Seong Kim, but I, I would like to talk a little more about how [00:06:00] song Kim.

[00:06:00] 'cause you know, he, he, here's this guy. We're putting a few bucks together and he's starting out here in. Aa Durham. It's not exactly looking what a lot of people thought. 

[00:06:11] Mat Germain: No, I mean, I'm hearing positive things in terms of his health, but yesterday he, you know, I. He had another tough day and, and then he's now hitting somewhere around 100, which isn't ideal.

[00:06:22] His OPS is just over 300. Mm-hmm. That's not where you want to be. And he only got three at bats and then was pulled for somebody else. So at that point, you're starting to Rays question marks, like, is something barking? Is it, uh, just his timing that isn't there. And we've seen that happen before where guys just, they're working on certain things and their timing isn't there.

[00:06:43] And. They rush a little bit too quickly to aaa, but, um, he definitely seems like he needs more time to, to get to where he needs to be. So I don't think the rays are gonna rush him back. To be honest. I think Taylor is safe for another couple of weeks. 

[00:06:57] Mark Corbett: Well, good. Good. I mean, that they're not [00:07:00] gonna rush him because let's get him right.

[00:07:02] You know, let's make sure that he's, he's in sync and he's a little bit older too, if I remember correctly. I think he's like 28, 29 and, you know, so, we'll, we'll see. But I hope he gets in sync soon. And I, we've, we've seen some changes in the lineup and there's, uh, some, been some interesting love watching Lowe & Lowe

[00:07:21] They seem to be doing both, , pretty well. Both of those guys. And, uh. Yeah, I'm liking, 

[00:07:27] Mat Germain: I'm liking the fact that they're, they're using Josh Lowe in, in the lead off. Like I'm, I'm warming up to that, like the mm-hmm. Amount of power and speed that he offers and the more mature that bats, I guess you could call them, than what Chandler Simpson would be providing.

[00:07:41] I get it. Like he's got a bo a more, uh. Threatening bat, I guess if you're the other, other team. And tonight they're using, uh, Meisner in the nine hole, which gives them like that intriguing lefty power. All of a sudden you've got Meisner to Low, and then later on, Brandon Lowe and, and [00:08:00] Jonathan Aranda. So that left-handed power through that phase of the lineup just started to get really intriguing.

[00:08:06] The rays haven't had that in forever, it seems So. The, the renewed shift towards left-handed bats. I, you know, me, I, I'm loving it because I think it's something the Rayss didn't do enough last year. Yeah. Um, I will say that Travis Jankowski was the outright it, and he ended up electing for free agency down in aaa.

[00:08:27] And that's because of the numbers game with Chandler going back down. And they also put, uh, tRays Barrera on a, uh. What they call it, a development list. Mm-hmm. I don't even know what that means, but they had five catchers in aa, so that's also because of, uh, Ben Rortvedt accepting his, uh, his outright assignment to aaa.

[00:08:49] Yeah. So now they've got, you know, you can argue that they have the best catching depth that they've had in a while, so it's good to know. Th those are just a, a few extra notes from aaa [00:09:00] and Hassan Kim is in the lineup tonight for the DUR Durham Bulls, but he's, uh, only DH'ing. 

[00:09:04] Mark Corbett: We'll see how that plays out then. That's good. Hmm. No, I've, I've, I've really been happy to see the guys playing as well as they have, you know, it's, uh, the offense, well, that one game I felt like Hunter Brown was, was a pretty hard pitcher to have to face, and he, he seemed to have every one of their numbers, of course, I guess that, and they, that's why they put Taylor in.

[00:09:25] Okay. Let me, let me ask you, so let's go back to Taylor for a minute and the whole big deal. With him walking back up to and putting his helmet on and patting it down three times. Now, conscious, subconscious, I don't know, but when I saw that first thing I thought of, oh, we're in spring training and somebody's asking for the a ABS system, or they're in the, I know everybody's, well, he, he's just adjusting his helmet.

[00:09:53] Yeah, I think the, um, part may have overreacted, but, uh, you know, [00:10:00] oh gosh. 

[00:10:01] Mat Germain: I mean, when you're, yeah, the, I think sometimes you almost have to Lowegh about it just because of, of the situation, how it played out, but I. Umpires are going to be touchy. They, they, they definitely take the things to heart and uh, it's nice to see Taylor be passionate about things and he should care and he should be involved.

[00:10:20] Right. Uh, I, I don't mind that. And I think we've seen that before with other guys. I think Yandy Diaz has did something like that once where I was like, yo, good for him. Showing some passion. It gets people going and that's, this is why Canadians fight in hockey, mark. This is why it happens. Because you want to get the guys going and everybody gets rah, rah rah, and boom, you take off like a rocket.

[00:10:42] So, um, yeah, it, it's all good. I like to see the team coming together. I think a few road trips too will, will help him out. 

[00:10:49] Mark Corbett: Yeah. 

[00:10:49] Mat Germain: Uh, because they've been spending so much time at home. But, uh, I don't know what's gonna happen with Taylor, like between him, Jose and Hassam Kim coming back potentially within the next two, three weeks, [00:11:00] there's some tough choices to make for sure.

[00:11:03] Mark Corbett: It has to make it very competitive for all three of those guests. I mean, they want that spot. They want to keep that spot. And it, it is tough. Getting to the show is tough, but staying in the show is even tougher in many cases. 

[00:11:15] Mat Germain: Absolutely. Yep. I also wanna tip my hat to the Rays lineup because Tyler Mahle was no, you know, easy, uh, matchup in, in this series and, uh, and he had never allowed.

[00:11:27] More than three earned runs this year. They, they scored four against them and got 'em out early enough, you know, that, that they could actually, um, do some damage to the, against the, the pen as well. But, you know, he, he was carrying a, a. 1 64 ERA when he went into the, the game against the raid for the season, um, you know, that's about as dominant as you can get.

[00:11:51] So while they were, you know, hoping for Jacob deGrom and, and, uh, Nate Eovaldi, who's on the il and other guys to carry the low Tyler Mahle become the. [00:12:00] You know, they're focused basically in that rotation now. And uh, I think we're looking back at it. He only had given up three runs once, and he'd given up two runs twice.

[00:12:11] The rest of them were all one run or, or shutouts. So the Rays lineup did well, and I think that comes from that mature approach they have through the lineup and wearing pitchers down. Mm-hmm. Over time. Mm-hmm. That's really having a good impact and that's why I like that addition of MatDice and I, and I like the fact that it's tough all the way through, even though the, you have some guys with strikeouts like Misner, they are still forcing pitchers to make a lot of pitches and, and have tough at bats all the way through.

[00:12:39] So hopefully that keeps up because like we saw Yes. You know, when that Bradley. Game. The Rays line of can be feast or famine on occasion, but the more that they are that way that they can touch up pitchers as high quality as Tyra Mahle, then it gives them that confidence that, yeah, it doesn't matter who we're facing, we're able to produce.

[00:12:58] So hopefully that keeps up. [00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] Mark Corbett: And produce. They did. I mean, if we look at the numbers at two of those games, we put what, 13 up on the board on one and 16, up on the board on the other. And that is exciting as can be to see all of those guys. Bang, bang, bang, hit after hit RBI home runs. Oh my gosh. It has been an, an exciting week to watch the Rays, you know?

[00:13:22] And now with, with the rangers. I'm looking, uh, forward to seeing tonight's game as well. So I think I haven't looked at you. Have you seen what the score is at this point now? Boz is pitching, 

[00:13:31] Mat Germain: uh, right now, I think it's three Nothing Rays they must have just score. So, uh, Jonathan, Aranda, uh, drove in, uh, Brandon Lowe with a single and, uh.

[00:13:47] Oh, Brendan Lowe doubled and, uh, scored Josh Lowe, who had doubled right before him. Couple of doubles by Lowes Lowes. Lowes Lowes. Lowes Lowes. 

[00:13:57] Mark Corbett: I love those loud, low boys. [00:14:00] Oh gosh, his time. Yeah. No, it's, it's been fun. Oh, I forgot to tell you, uh, there's gonna be an event up at the Tampa Baseball Museum in later this month.

[00:14:13] It's going to be Dave Madigan and, . Larry Rothschild. So we're talking two coaches. He got coaches, Connor and they're q and a with folks. It should be really neat, you know? I know, uh, Magadan and he was manager. I know the last part of his career, I think with the Rangers. As long as we're talking about that.

[00:14:30] Mat Germain: Yeah, I remember him from his Mets days. Like I remember when, when I was a kid and I was just collecting baseball cards. Mm-hmm. He was one of the cards that I had for the Mets at that time with Darryl Strawberry and all the rest of the guys. And they, um, I always remembered, you know, him from those days.

[00:14:46] I, for some reason, I never, uh, I never disliked the Mets. I always appreciated them from that point on, just because of that stretch of time with Dwight Goodin and the rest of the guys. But, um. He was, he was a [00:15:00] good player. And I think, uh, it's good to, to have those kinds of, uh, opportunities. So hopefully a lot of people do attend and ask them questions because you, you're always learning in baseball.

[00:15:11] And those guys that have been around for quite a while, and they have a lot to share, A lot of good wisdom, 

[00:15:16] Mark Corbett: no doubt about it. I mean, Megan and, and then also Rothschild and anyway, and a lot of people forget that. Uh, Larry Rothschild was also I, the pitching coach with the Yankees. And, uh, he was, what is it?

[00:15:27] He was there for Jeter and, um, I think maybe Sathia and I know some others. I have to dig it all out. He, he was a, I think he's got a World Series. For that as well. Somewhere along the Yankees. I'll see about getting him on here sometime soon, but we'll see. But again, that's sounds good. Yeah. Uh, again, Dave Mag, Dave Mag. And , Larry Rothschild will both be there and that's going to be on I. Let's see, the June 27th, between six and 8:00 PM guys, if you go to the Tampa Baseball Museum dot org's [00:16:00] website, you'll find an events page and you get your tickets there if you'd like. So, and it's relatively inexpensive.

[00:16:05] I think it's like 35 bucks, so enjoy. 

[00:16:08] Mat Germain: Yep. And uh, just an extra note, the res are rock and rocker. Oh, 

[00:16:14] Mark Corbett: now what? 

[00:16:15] Mat Germain: They're up five, nothing. So, uh, Jake Mangum drove in another one, um, on a single and uh, and then he stole second base. I think they're up five. Nothing now with only two and two thirds thrown. So it'd be a good night for the Rays?

[00:16:29] I think 

[00:16:30] Mark Corbett: so. Mangus, let's see. We brought him back up when Chandler went down. Right, 

[00:16:36] Mat Germain: right. So, uh, Jake had gotten injured, so he was just returning him from injury and Gotcha. Yeah, it made, it made sense. Like for sure he had to it, to that point, he's doing really well. 

[00:16:49] Mark Corbett: Yeah, I, I'd say he's proven himself. Plus, let's see what else is going on, brother?

[00:16:58] Mat Germain: I wanted to talk about baseball. America's [00:17:00] new top a hundred list. Uh, they actually released, um, an updated version, so they'll do that.

[00:17:05] This one is not a complete rewrite of all the writeups that they do for each player. Mm-hmm. But it was more of a rejigging of who's slotted where based on performances to this point. And there was some interesting ones for, for the Rays because, uh, one player that's. Looked outstanding. Every time that I watch him, I like him more and more is Theo Gillen.

[00:17:24] And, and he's moved up basically to be right alongside of, uh, Xavier Isaac. I'm not gonna give away the rankings. I get to baseball America, look up the rankings and, and I want to bring attention to it because I do appreciate what Baseball America does. Um, but Theo Gillen is one of those special players that if he stays healthy, his hit tool ability, like if it wasn't for the injury risk.

[00:17:47] In the draft, he would've been in the top 10 and the Rays took a chance on him, uh, outside the top 10, hoping that he would give him that performance. So far, he's paying dividends because the bat is just [00:18:00] so advanced for his age. He's only 19 years old. He's got an OPS well above 900 now. Uh, he's showing power.

[00:18:07] He is showing speed. Wicked patients at the plate. Very stable approach, like I think. There's a good chance that by Midseason, he ends up being an A plus if, if they have enough pushing behind him to take his rollover in, in low A, and they feel he's ready. But, uh, he's the one highlight on that list for the Rays.

[00:18:27] And I'll also note that they've dropped Carson Williams down to, you know. It is a decent amount of numbers, uh, just because he, he is struggling so much with the bat that they're waiting for that to pop up again. As soon as it does, he'll skyrocket back up into the, and the rankings aren't, uh, the be all, end all.

[00:18:46] Uh, but when you're looking at it from an a l E's point of view, uh, I think that Blue Jays, uh, don't have anybody before you get through. Four rays that are on the list. So there's still a healthy [00:19:00] amount of rays that are, you know, ranked among the best in, in the majors. And, uh, and I expect a few more to come around and, and pop onto that list.

[00:19:09] So that's what I wanted to talk about today. Basically we say, you know, I think Yoniel Curet and we talked about 'em with, um. With Kevin. Yep. I, I think if he returns to health and, and shows what he can do, there's a very strong chance that he ends up popping up onto that list and he mentioned the other guy, co.

[00:19:26] Cooper Kinney. Who, talent-wise, he should be on that list, but he just hasn't proven it long enough to get the, you know, quote unquote respect that he probably should have. And I think he'll get there if he continues, uh, playing really well and stays healthy for the rest of this year. So those two guys by the end of this year might pop up onto the, uh, top 100 list as well.

[00:19:48] Mark Corbett: Yeah, I was just kind of taking a quick gander back at the transcript from, um, the show when you went down this think the Top 50 prospects for the Rays. Mm-hmm. And Gil, and I think you had right there in the top 10, [00:20:00] and Kenny, I can't remember where you had Cooper Kenny, but you had him in there as well.

[00:20:04] Mat Germain: He's in the top 20. About 20. 

[00:20:05] Mark Corbett: Yeah. But it is, it's amazing to hear how these young men are doing. I know you think, you said with Kenny, you were talking about 2026. We might see him in, uh, I don't know where Durham, or actually all the way up to the show by then. 

[00:20:19] Mat Germain: Is he sort of like in the same role? Like we, like I mentioned to Kevin where Tanner Murray was playing, right?

[00:20:25] So he is a first, second, and third base kind of guy. 

[00:20:28] Mark Corbett: Mm-hmm. 

[00:20:29] Mat Germain: Can handle the left field more than likely. Sort of like what Christopher Morel is doing if he had to. But because of that, if you're imagining, okay, Tanner Murray, is there a possibility he comes up with a Rays if there's an injury of some sort?

[00:20:42] Absolutely. He's ready. He's, he is ready to take that challenge. It's just a matter of how long would you have to keep him up and da blah, blah, blah. So when you say ETA is 2026, it doesn't mean they're going to be a permanent, you know, fixture fix. It, it more or less means they'll break [00:21:00] into Major league baseball and they'll get an up and down sort of, uh, rhythm going where, you know, depending on how they played and the needs of the team, they could end up sticking around, but at least they're getting their toes in the water and, and seeing, you know, how cold or warm it is.

[00:21:16] Mark Corbett: Wow. And so Ba Baseball America, they just went ahead and just updated this as a new article out this week? That's right. Yeah. Okay. Yes. Everybody remember you can check it out there. Well, if we're looking across now with the, I think we need to start seeing. Rays, we need to work for the, the Road to the World Series for the Rays.

[00:21:38] That's what we need to do. We need, we need maybe is it too soon to start saying what that's gonna look like? Do we say, okay, the Yankees have the a l East and we're just gonna have to get a wild card? Or, or are we gonna be able to say that the rays could eventually take the AL East? 

[00:21:54] Mat Germain: Yeah, the Yankees don't have the pitching to maintain a full season.

[00:21:58] So [00:22:00] everything depends on what happens between now and the trade deadline and how healthy they are and how much wheeling and dealing they have to do to patch up whatever it is they're gonna do. So. They're the rays and blue Jays are making it interesting and I think the Red Sox still have time to get back into things if, if they make some moves.

[00:22:17] I've heard rumblings of them possibly dangling Jaron Duran, you know, making room for, uh, Anthony to come up. But, uh. I think the, the key there is for the rays don't wanna get ahead of themselves either and sell the farm before they actually, you know, are ready to, to make that long-term leap. But when you're looking at the pitching depth, when you're looking at position, player depth and generally like not top end, so what I could see the is an amalgamation of a few talents to go get that one special piece wherever they actually need it.

[00:22:54] Knowing the Rays, you could name almost anybody, but there is one team that they've dealt with. [00:23:00] I, I think I've mentioned before, the pads and the Padres for, for trades of the Rays. But the D-Backs are one that's starting to fall steadily, and Corbin Burns just went on IL for significant period of time.

[00:23:12] I don't know how they feel about their chances now that that's happened. I don't know. If they're the type of franchise that would press any panic buttons and start saving costs. Um, but you know, the rays have made 3D uh, three way deals with the D-Backs involved twice. Uh, they have a good rapport with them.

[00:23:30] , If it had comes to money, somebody else could absorb the money and they get some players moving around that makes sense for everyone. So they've got, you know, pieces that the Rays could have serious interest in if they want to get involved. Gabrielle Moreno is one that comes into mind if they want to get a upgrade at Catcher Again.

[00:23:48] Um, there's a lot of of players that, you know. Would still make the Rays bench better than what it would be otherwise. And then they can keep Carson Williams and the rest of the guys down [00:24:00] in the minors without having to pull them. So, I don't know. They're one of the teams that I throw out because I started looking through the athletics, which who are really struggling.

[00:24:08] Mm-hmm. Uh, the Rockies who are really struggling, like unless the rays want to go after Ryan McMahon, I don't really see with the roster makeup being what it is. How that upgrades from Yandy Diaz or, or Brandon Lowe or anything like that. So I just don't see the fit. So I think when you look at the teams, it just seems to make more sense that they would go for somebody off a team like the D-Backs that have a lot of high quality players, they've got really deep outfield, prospect wise and some intriguing pieces even in the the penant rotation that the rays might have interest in.

[00:24:42] Mark Corbett: Wow. Wow. 

[00:24:43] I've talked about this before and I think last week we mentioned about gambling and it was interesting some things with talking about with Bolesy, Mr.

[00:24:51] Kevin Bolesy with the Montgomery Biscuits and I. Talking about how, well, when players are out [00:25:00] there, they're, they're aware of some of these things, you know, that, that, you know, will gambling force things like the a BS system to happen sooner because there's looking for accuracy in, in less troubles. But it's the story with McCullers Lance, McCullough's pitcher for the Astros who'd been out for a couple years, came back and had a couple of.

[00:25:22] Terrible games. And in the middle of all that, somebody across the ocean who was ab betting and lost money, put death threats out online about McCullers and his family. And I don't know what they're gonna do with the, the person who did that. The person has apologized. But you know, you, they're, you put a family in fear.

[00:25:44] He was talking about his five-year-old daughter, you know, she was, she was asking, daddy, what, what, what is this threat all about? You know, it's like a five-year-old girl. And then come to find out that earlier this year, Liam Hendriks had been through something similar, another pitcher, [00:26:00] you know, and had been threatened.

[00:26:01] He and his family had been threatened. And MLBI know it's great to give 'em 24 7. The team gets 24 7 security to a family in a situation like that. But I just think the more that we allow gambling in the door, the more we allow this sort of thing to happen, the more that we have, uh, announcers or pre-game stuff about all the odds and what's gonna happen, it's just created a beast.

[00:26:29] So I'm. You'll hear me chant that from time to time on this show because it's really gotten to be insane the way some people are reacting. 

[00:26:41] Mat Germain: So I have some thoughts on this and I, and I've kind of, you know, given it a little bit of, uh, uh, you know, more. Long-term theory when it comes to baseball because baseball has a long history of guys getting yelled [00:27:00] at, of guys having things thrown at them, of guys having, you know, name calling, whatever you want, you stand out in Yell Field, the knee.

[00:27:08] You know, the fans will let you have it. And depending on the city you're in, it can get very colorful or it can get very, uh, personal at the same time. But when you think of, of Lou Gar, uh, not, well, not really Lou Gehrig, but you know, the people that have come up, I. And broken records, right? So if you're talking about Hank Aaron, you're talking about, you know, the guys that have actually hit more home runs than Babe Ruth, they went to the point where of actually losing their hair and then actually having physical, you know, draining energy from them, from the threat and, and sometimes the name calling and everything else that went along with it, um, to the point where it, it honestly had, you know.

[00:27:52] Life shortening, uh, impacts and, and could have ended their careers at that point if they so chose to [00:28:00] just call it quits and say, you know what? I've had enough. This is too much. And these were the biggest stars of their time. Like this isn't just, you know, the. The bench guy who's a, a role player, this, these are the stars of the game and that's how they were treated by the fans.

[00:28:17] So I think the fans have always felt a sort of entitlement when it comes to baseball that if they're paying to be in the seats, they're allowed to say whatever it is they want and. Baseball has never stopped them from doing it. Yeah. Ever. They have never spoken up. They have never protected the players.

[00:28:34] They've let the show go on, the show must go on, and that's how they've treated the players. And I think the next, you know, agreement that the M-L-B-P-A comes to with Major League Baseball, the way for those players to address it is to make a demand that there be investigations. Actions and, and charges lead when this kind of stuff happens.

[00:28:58] As simple as that, yeah. [00:29:00] Charges not, and, and like complete bands, they did it to that fan that reached for a freaking ball in the el field for the the Yankees game. If you're gonna do it for that, you should do that for a death threat. And across all stadiums in major league baseball, not one stadium, 

[00:29:16] Mark Corbett: right?

[00:29:16] Mat Germain: All of them. Right. Uh, there's things like that, that Major League Baseball needs to take a stand on and say, you know what? This is not okay. These are our players. We're going to protect them. And the major league ba uh, uh, M-L-B-P-A should be right on board with that, forcing that into the next, uh, you know, CBA.

[00:29:35] Um, I think that's the resolution and nobody. Seems to be leaning towards that. I'm not hearing that at all. They're more, um, I don't want to say like doing the woe is me thing 'cause it's all valid. But if that's happening to in enough occasions, and I guarantee you Mark, we haven't heard even a 10th of what's happening out there.

[00:29:57] You know, I am positive there are more of that. [00:30:00] Austin Meadows is still. Out of baseball because of anxiety issues, which I guarantee are partially related to those kinds of things. So, um, yeah, it is time for us to grow up as fans and to realize that what we say matters. Right. Simple as that. 

[00:30:19] Mark Corbett: Thank you, Matt.

[00:30:20] That's, that's a very good way of pointing that out. I mean, um, but we talked with some of the women for the USA women's national team about bullying young girls. I mean, but the bullying goes much further as well with this. You know, I mean, you talk about Hank Aaron going after, uh, Babe's record and the people who were so angry about somebody, you're gonna take baby's record away.

[00:30:39] And of course, in the racism layered on top of that, uh. It's, it's an ugliness that I agree that Major League Baseball needs to address. We've had semi on here in the past from Major League Baseball Players Association. Maybe we need to get them on again and talk about, mental health.

[00:30:56] I know mental health is something that they talk about all the time, [00:31:00] but I would like to hear. In this particular instance, what they are doing, meaning Major League Baseball to help these players get through it. And I know you brought up Austin Meadows and it's like, yeah, I, I, any young man coming up and if they have to contend with that, are we surprised that they're having challenges because of this?

[00:31:19] No. So. Yeah, if MLB cracked down on it, uh, I don't even think the guy who grabbed Mookie's hand when he was trying to catch that ball, I don't think he's banned for life.

[00:31:30] Mat Germain: Anyway, it was just for one or two years. Yeah, something like that. Yeah. Yeah. It's 

[00:31:34] Mark Corbett: like you grab a freaking player's arm who's catching a ball and try to take the ball out of his glove, and you should never be able to see the inside of a baseball park major.

[00:31:43] League a again, I'm sorry. Uh, if you, otherwise you just allow that kind of behavior to continue and say, oh, let's, let's encourage that. Yeah, let's go ahead. But anyway, soapbox. There we go. Sounds good. I've said my peace. Well, let's see. [00:32:00] I've said my peace. That's it, brother. Okay, well I haven't really got any other goodies to share.

[00:32:05] I know. I'm looking forward to see the Rays continue to come up and, uh, I'm, I mean, it's interesting right now, like I said, looking at the a l East, obviously the, the Yankees are at the moment they're doing well. Uh, let's see where we get the American League. No. Yeah, American League Yankees at 6 27 and their winning percentage.

[00:32:25] Look down to the Tigers. 6 45 is the next one after that, but in the east we've got the Rays. 5 17 31 wins, 29 losses. Blue Jay's the same. Red Sox dip a little lower, but not much. 30 and 34. Uh. They can get that win average up a little better. But Orioles. Orioles, geez, my knees Matt, 23 and 36. That has got to continue to hurt, but we'll see.

[00:32:53] There's seven 

[00:32:53] Mat Germain: in three over the last 10 games though, so they're, they're starting to pull it up a little bit. Good. Uh, I think, uh. [00:33:00] They'll hang around a little bit and, and I don't know, it'll depend on how, where they are at end, June before they, they start really pressing the panic button. 

[00:33:08] Mark Corbett: Yeah. But they 

[00:33:08] Mat Germain: never really invested to be much more than what they are.

[00:33:11] So, um, you know, it's, it's weird. Um, I will say that the. The, the wild card Rays is going to be very interesting 'cause you have the Royals rays and blue Jays just outside of the wild card card spot. And you have the Mariners and Guardians, uh, taking up the last two uh, spots. Right now they're tied. So I think all of those teams are within one and a half games.

[00:33:36] Um, and then you have the Rangers who, assuming that the rays are able to pull off the win tonight will be five games. Out of the wild card spot. So the winds that the rays are accumulating against the Astros and the Rangers and the Blue Jays recently, they all matter. They're all huge for that playoff Rays.

[00:33:54] Uh, even though we're talking in, you know, may and June. Uh, it definitely has a huge impact with the [00:34:00] minimal amount of games that get the impact, what those teams actually do in the course of a year. So the rays are doing a good job. I'm, I'm actually very encouraged with where they stand. I'm encouraged with the number of runs that they're able to score how things are looking, the.

[00:34:15] You know, the values that they've been able to draw out of this team is really impressive. I think Kevin, this might be Kevin Cash's most impressive and growth oriented. We pointed out some things today. Yeah. Like he's really pushing a lot of buttons that are not always cash-like so. Who knows it. It's a very interesting year.

[00:34:35] And last point I'll make is Evan Longoria's retirement's coming up. So, uh, if you can get out there, enjoy it, uh, relish it, look at the videos, remind yourself of what he accomplished with the Rays, and uh, hopefully we'll see him, uh, with the team, uh, much longer now. 

[00:34:52] Mark Corbett: Alright, brother. Well, Matt, thanks once again and thank you all for joining us here at Baseball Biz On Deck, and we're looking forward to talking to you [00:35:00] guys again real soon.

Find Mat @matgermain.bsky.social & Mark @baseballbizondeck.bsky.social. You may also find Baseball Biz on Deck, at iHeart Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and at baseball biz on deck dot com

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