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00:00Championship is on my birthday, just so you know, St. Patrick's Day.
00:03Watch out.
00:04Want to give me an early gift is, if you get there, are you starting skeins or scoop?
00:09Well, here, and this is kind of the rub, right?
00:13Well, the show is going to be a little different this week.
00:15My partner, John Heyman, is a little under the weather.
00:18So my interview person is going to turn into my co-host.
00:22Mark DeRosa was supposed to be part of like segment two.
00:25When we interview someone, he's going to be part of all three of our segments.
00:28We're going to talk a lot at the top about the New York teams.
00:31Mark is a guy who played a lot of positions.
00:33We'll ask him about Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco playing new positions.
00:37He was on various teams that did a lot like the Mets and a little like the Yankees in an
00:42offseason.
00:43We'll ask about that.
00:44Of course, we're going to ask him all about the WBC, Aaron Judge, Nolan McClain, etc.
00:50With that big tournament coming up and him being the manager for the second time.
00:54Him and I will play hit and error at the end if you stick with us on the show.
00:58I'm Joel Sherman, John Heyman, and this week, Mark DeRosa.
01:07I'm so grateful to be joined this week by Mark DeRosa, 16-year major leaguer,
01:15the manager of Team USA for the second straight time.
01:19And I really do mean this.
01:20I'm blessed.
01:21I am his teammate at MLB Network, where he's been for a long time.
01:26One of my favorite shows to do, MLB Central, him, Robert Flores, Lauren Shahadi.
01:31They make anybody who sits on that couch feel comfortable.
01:35And so, D-Road, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
01:38No, Joel, thanks for having me.
01:39You know how I feel about you.
01:42Northeast guy, grinds.
01:43I know how much time and effort you put in everything.
01:46So, yeah, let's have fun with this.
01:49Yeah, yeah.
01:49And, you know, John Heyman's a little under the weather.
01:51He'll hopefully be back next week.
01:53But, again, D-Road was nice enough.
01:55He's going to be with us for all the segments.
01:58The next one will be exclusively about the WBC because people are really fascinated and excited that it's coming.
02:05But, D-Road, I thought I'd use your expertise at something.
02:07I went and looked at your baseball reference page.
02:09You played everything but center field and catcher on a baseball diamond, no pitching, but positioning.
02:15And you started as a shortstop.
02:17You were a good prospect as a shortstop, drafted as a shortstop, played it in the minors, came up doing
02:22it.
02:22And, ultimately, to extend your career, you moved around the diamond quite a bit.
02:27The Mets are trying to turn a shortstop, Bo Bichette into a third baseman, Jorge Polanco, who's never played first
02:36base into a first baseman.
02:37And, I mean, even Brett Beatty is going to move around.
02:40He's never played first base.
02:41He's going to play some right field in first base.
02:43Juan Soto's going back to left field from right field.
02:46Just wonder, the trick of moving positions, the one that really interests me is Bichette at third.
02:53It's a move you made, right?
02:54Shortstop to third base.
02:56You know, it's funny.
02:57I can only go through my experiences with it.
03:00I never played another position my entire life but shortstop until I got to the big leagues.
03:05And then, I just, you have a decision to make.
03:07You're on the backfield.
03:08Raphael Fercal starts throwing the ball across the diamond, brings a skill set that I couldn't.
03:13And, I kind of knew the writing was on the wall.
03:16And, Glenn Hubbard was our infield coach and said, hey, dude, I'll see you at 7.30 tomorrow morning.
03:20We're going to start learning second base and third base and the outfield and all different stuff.
03:25So, I got a chance to touch it all.
03:27I come at it from a different point of view.
03:31I think Bo Bichette's transition to third will be easy.
03:35Why?
03:36I felt it was a day off.
03:38I felt like the shortstop, you're the captain of the infield.
03:41Although, all the angles are presenting the game the proper way to you, everything's moving towards first base.
03:48You are constantly involved in everything.
03:52I felt like third base, there's not many guys laying down bunts anymore.
03:57You're really just playing hockey goalie.
04:00And, if you've got good hands, it's kind of a day off mentally.
04:05So, I don't feel like Bo, and Bo does have good hands.
04:09I mean, for him to do what he did in the World Series, I didn't know what that was going
04:13to look like on a bad leg.
04:15And, made that play up the middle, hit a couple tanks that kind of set Toronto on fire.
04:20From my point of view, him going to third is way easier than what Jorge Polanco is going to try
04:27and do.
04:28So, first of all, you hit two things that I absolutely believe.
04:33I was stunned.
04:35He had never played second base.
04:37And, you watch him do it under the greatest pressure with a bad leg, I thought was one of the
04:42most impressive things about an unforgettable World Series that he did that.
04:46So, that gives me confidence.
04:47And, I hate to channel Ron Washington from Moneyball, but I think first base is a lot harder than people
04:53make it out to be.
04:55You know, you've got to handle throws from all over in different ways.
04:58You're involved in cutoff plays constantly.
05:01And, look, D. Roe, you and I both know this.
05:04We grow up.
05:04You mentioned the Northeast thing.
05:05When you watch Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly do this, you realize what a difference maker it is when a
05:11first baseman can throw and create an out at second base and maybe two outs on a 3-6-3.
05:17When the line is guarded, I agree with you, bunts don't come as often as they used to, but those
05:21guys shut down bunting games.
05:24They both had incredible clocks for which base they could throw to when.
05:27And, I just think that's a â like, I get it.
05:30That's where you hide a slugger.
05:32Yeah.
05:32When you do, the World Series last year was played between Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Freddie Freeman, two exceptional first
05:39basemen.
05:39And, I think that was one of the reasons those teams were there.
05:42They had exceptional defensive first basemen.
05:44Yeah, and I think it puts everybody in the infield at ease.
05:47I remember being with the Cubs, with Derek Lee.
05:51I mean, you just had to get it in the vicinity, and he was picking it.
05:55Adam LaRoche, these guys worked hard at their craft, had amazing hands, could work the bag.
06:01Everything's foreign for a middle infielder to go over the first base.
06:05And, the thing that I had the most difficult time with was the pitcher picking over.
06:12Why?
06:12I just could â because they're throwing absolute chainsaws.
06:16I could remember being in Colorado, if I'm not mistaken, and Kerry Wood come and set for the Cubs.
06:22I'm like, please don't pick Goff.
06:23Please don't pick Goff.
06:24I don't know.
06:25You know, it's going to handcuff me.
06:27Your infielders are expecting you to scoop.
06:29You've got to work the bag a proper way.
06:31I think that's going to be a way harder transition than Bo going to â I think Bo's going to
06:38be â honestly, I don't think it's anything, to be honest.
06:42It's just learning positioning.
06:44Vinny Castillo taught me, play as far as your arm will let you, you know, step in a dive.
06:50Either way, all this different stuff.
06:52I didn't feel like â I love third base.
06:55If I could have hit a little bit more, I would have preferred to play there.
07:00By the way, Mark DeRosa, also very good at self-deprecation.
07:04You don't stick around 16 years as a major leaguer unless you're an exceptional major league baseball player.
07:10D-Row, this week the Mets kind of went to â the guy paying everybody's salary, Jorge Polanco, Bo Bichette,
07:17Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Steve Cohen.
07:19And one of the things he made news with when he spoke to reporters on Monday was that he â
07:28while he's there, he'll never have a captain.
07:31And, you know, there had been a lot of talk last year that maybe the Mets were on the brink
07:35of naming Francisco Lindor captain.
07:38And then there was some talk, especially after the season, about did Brandon Nimmo not like that because he was
07:43around a long time?
07:45And, you know, that there was some discord in their clubhouse over the course of the year.
07:50Where, again, somebody who played in a lot of places with a lot of probably great leaders, which probably includes
07:55you in a lot of the places, are captains necessary?
07:59Is it extraneous?
08:00Please, let's limit this to hockey.
08:02Yeah, no.
08:03The guys on the team know who the captain is or co-captains.
08:08Right.
08:08You know, there's always a saying in the clubhouse, it's tough for a pitcher to be a leader because he's
08:13not on the field every day.
08:14But I've certainly been in a lot of clubhouses where there's some pretty damn good pitchers that their voices carried
08:20a lot of weight.
08:21When Tom Glavin and John Smoltz and those guys spoke, I mean, the position players were listening.
08:27But, you know, I always think it was a Yankee thing, right?
08:31DJ, Derek Jeter was the captain.
08:32I think Judge, you know, makes perfect sense for the captain.
08:35For Team USA, they wanted us to name a captain.
08:38I felt like Aaron was the obvious choice there.
08:42But I think if he wasn't named the captain, everyone going would still know he was the de facto captain.
08:49So I would put no stock in it.
08:52Yeah.
08:52You know, look, I never suited up like you did, D-Rowe.
08:56But I've been in clubhouses for close to four decades now.
08:59And they're just, to your point, I think they're just obvious.
09:03Yeah.
09:03I agree with you.
09:04Who do people gravitate to?
09:06Who, when there is a team, A, can call a team meeting, and B, when they begin to talk, it's
09:12EF Hutton.
09:12Everybody leans in and they're listening, as opposed to Johnny come lately who feels he has to say something and
09:18everyone's like rolling their eyes.
09:20You know who the reels are.
09:21And I think that, like, it just doesn't have to be forced in baseball.
09:26And with as much change as there is year to year, you run the problem if the chemistry changes or
09:31the captain is shrieking, what do you do?
09:33Yeah.
09:35I always think, for me, people would be surprised that it's not always the best player that's the captain in
09:41the clubhouse.
09:42I mean, there's a lot of people that were tabbing Miggy Rojas in the Dodgers when he spoke.
09:47Everybody listened.
09:48So I've been in a lot of different clubhouses with a lot of different players, Hall of Fame players.
09:54Certainly, when there's a team meeting and people have something to say, there's different guys who carry more weight.
10:00But I think people would be pleasantly shocked to know it's not always the most talented guy on the field.
10:07Yeah.
10:07Look, you know, I'll just throw this in before I change the subject here is I saw very quietly, like,
10:14Chili Davis was near the end with the Yankees and was like a DH.
10:17And not even a full-time DH, he was Chili Davis.
10:20He carried incredible weight in the clubhouse with Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez,
10:27et cetera, like Tim Raines did a little bit.
10:30Look at Brett Gardner, Joel.
10:31Yes, Brett Gardner with the Yankees all those years, like, you know, as the fifth or seventh best player, always
10:37his â because people knew where his heart was and where his passion was, and there was never any doubt
10:42about it.
10:42D-Roll, I thought you were perfect for this again also because you played â you're A, observant, B, played
10:48in a lot of places, and I think played in places that in the offseason, your Braves teams often didn't
10:54make lots of changes.
10:55They were very good, and they kind of rolled it back.
10:58We're dealing with the two â with the dichotomy in New York.
11:01The Yankees kind of, like, hardly did anything.
11:05You know, it was Ryan Weathers.
11:08Now, I would argue they traded 15 prospects for six players last July, and all of those players, I think,
11:15are coming back this year.
11:17So, like, for a full season, that's not nothing.
11:20If this offseason they traded 15 players for six guys, we'd be going, wow, the Yankees did a lot, plus
11:27Ryan Weathers.
11:28So, I think there's that.
11:30The Mets did a ton, and they changed the face of the team.
11:34You know, the four most experienced, you know, senior players for longevity there were all moved out.
11:41McNeil, Nimmo, Alonzo Diaz are all gone.
11:43I just wonder, do you think that there's a better pathway to success?
11:48Does it matter?
11:50Any thoughts on it?
11:52Because it's, like, both fan bases have moaned about it.
11:55Yeah.
11:56It just shows me we live in grievance America.
11:58You'll find a reason to hate either side of it.
12:00I just think everything's case by case, right?
12:03All right.
12:03I look at the Yankees.
12:05I think the one kind of move that, for me, startled me was when they gave the qualifying offer to
12:13Trent Christian.
12:14Yep.
12:14But that, everything else, and he could show up and be the same center fielder.
12:20Maybe he's figured something out in his swing.
12:23Maybe being around Judge and all those guys have locked him in.
12:27We know he can play D.
12:29Like, maybe that short porch works for him.
12:31But that's a big what if.
12:34Bellinger covers you.
12:35The reason I was, I was devastated when he was, decided not to do Team USA because he wanted to
12:42honor the Yanks and, you know, kind of be in camp with them.
12:45He covered us in so many places and not just with the bat.
12:50It's like gold glove defense at four different positions.
12:53So, if you can sign him, he's, like, signing two or three guys.
12:59I think there's big upside in some of the young starters, the Schlittlers.
13:03What are we going to get out of him this year?
13:04You know, you're going to get Rodon back when?
13:07End of April, early May at some point?
13:10Kohl's coming back.
13:11There really wasn't, I didn't think, like, the Yanks had a ton of moves to make that would have, like,
13:20shot, I don't know.
13:21Maybe you tell me.
13:22Maybe off the cuff, if there's one move that you would have liked to have seen them make.
13:27So, look, I'm with you.
13:29You know, they didn't, the line I keep using is they're not running back the 119 lost Rockies.
13:34They're running back a 94-win team.
13:37By the way, that Garrett Cole didn't play for at all, that Ryan Weathers didn't play for at all,
13:42and a bunch of their guys, Ryan McMahon-Caballero, played for two moves, you know, like, who should bring other
13:49stuff.
13:49You know, Ryan McMahon's defense was a changer for them, especially when Freed and Rodon pitched the lefties.
13:55When the ball's on the ground, you've got to have a third baseman there who could defend, and they hadn't
13:58for a while.
13:59I thought that was a big deal.
14:00I think the one place I would wonder about is just somebody, he's going to play for you on Team
14:06USA, David Bednar,
14:07somebody more comfortable to get him the ball than what they have.
14:12Historically, the Yankees have kind of found that out of whole cloth, and they didn't last year for about the
14:17first time in 10 years,
14:18their bullpen wasn't good, and they didn't find that.
14:22You know, like, for example, they traded for Jake Bird last year at the deadline, and he was terrible,
14:27but he was a borderline all-star for the Rockies, and does he turn into it?
14:32You know, and flipping to the Mets, I'm just, you know, were you ever involved?
14:37You might have been part of, say, a group that went someplace in an offseason that really, like, shook up
14:42a group.
14:42Like, when you went to the Cubs, was there, like, a bigâ
14:45That was a big shake-up.
14:46Yeah, yeah.
14:46That was a big shake-up.
14:47Luke, obviously, the manager, Luke Piniello, was stepping in his first year.
14:51They signed Alfonso Soriano.
14:53They brought in myself.
14:54They brought in Ted Lilly.
14:56They brought in Jason Marquis.
14:57There was a big shake-up for them.
14:59It took us a minute.
15:01So it's interesting.
15:02Let's just dig into that a little before we go to break here, which is we don't think of baseball
15:08as a cohesion sport,
15:09like basketball or football, where, like, everyone's got to know where everyone's moving all the time.
15:14And it's more than you think.
15:15Yes, it's more than you think.
15:17And I think the big cohesion is you're just together for 220 to 250 straight days.
15:23Because, to me, we alwaysâhow many times me and you do a show in the offseason, we're talking about the
15:28winners and losers of an offseason.
15:29It's always the team that brings in the most, spends the most money, spendsâand those teams are often disappointing.
15:35Because I think the cohesion, in some way, takes a long time to work.
15:39I wonder what youâbut your Cup team was pretty successful, right?
15:43You know, it took us a minute in 07 to get it rolling.
15:46We eventually won the division, but won it close.
15:48And then we came back in 08 and just put the throttle down.
15:51And I thought it was us and the Phillies all the way through.
15:55We're the two best teams in the National League.
15:57And we get bounced by Manny Ramirez, who was on a heater in the postseason.
16:01And then I get traded.
16:02And I would have liked an opportunity to run that back.
16:05Lou Piniella and their front office thought we were too right-handed at the time.
16:09Thought I was a movable contract, and I got moved to Cleveland.
16:14You know, it's funny.
16:14I look at the Mets, and it's like a lot of moving parts.
16:21But let's take out the fact that Juan Soto's a top three hitter in the game.
16:25He's going to hit.
16:27That's done, right?
16:29Lindor's going to get his.
16:30He's going to play lead shortstop, and he's going to get his.
16:33He'sâbo.
16:34Bo Bichette's going to be fine.
16:36I think we all know that.
16:37It's going to be the Luis Roberts.
16:39It's going to be the Polancos.
16:42It's going to be, what are we doing in right field?
16:44Is it the bench kid?
16:45Is Vientos going to recapture glory?
16:48WhatâI liked the way Brett Beatty was playing last year.
16:51And now he's gotâ
16:52I feel like he's going to know where Brett Beatty was pretty good.
16:55So I think it's justâit's not going to be the stars.
16:58I like their starting rotation.
17:01There's a reason I call it Nolan McClain.
17:03Yeah, you're bringing two of them with your team.
17:06This kid's built different.
17:08Getting on the phone with these guys, Joel, and I know we'll talk about it.
17:11Matt Holiday kept pushing Nolan McClain on our Zoom calls because of Oklahoma State,
17:16and he knew him.
17:16He's like, D-Row, he's built for this.
17:18He's built for this.
17:18And obviously, this stuff speaks for itself, right?
17:21You saw it in the eight or nine starts, he was up.
17:24And I called him, and it was like, oof.
17:26He was giving you Skeens-y vibes.
17:29Like, Paul Skeens, that kind of belief in himself.
17:32So, I mean, Freddie Peralta's a one.
17:35He getsâMcClain stays hot.
17:37Senga comes back.
17:38Minaya's got to be better.
17:40I think the Mets have a chance to be really good.
17:44If the underbelly comes together.
17:47But the three at the top got to make the underbelly come together.
17:53Yeah.
17:54That'sâthat'll be the key.
17:56Yeah.
17:56You know, and Iâlook, I think one of the other keys is, like, Atlantis starting pitching
18:00is already problematic.
18:01No doubt.
18:02Schwellenbach is hurt.
18:04Waldrop is hurt.
18:05They came in with worries about how much they could get out of Lopez.
18:09Awesome.
18:10Kimmich shortened down.
18:11So, the Phillies are older.
18:13There's aâthere's a lane for the Mets to drive through here if they could take advantage
18:18of it.
18:18Look, you gave us the appetizer.
18:20I want to even dig more into McClain, McClain Holmes, Aaron Judge is your captain.
18:25Mark is the manager of what I would say is the best American team ever assembled for an
18:32Olympics.
18:33Like that.
18:33Or a WBC.
18:34Stick with us on the show, and we'll talk about it coming up next.
18:42Back with Mark DeRosa on the show, and look, Mark, we love having you on this show for
18:47lots of reasons, but the most obvious is this tournament is coming up.
18:51I believe pool players March 5th to 11th, the semifinals and the finals 15th and the 17th
18:58in Miami.
19:00And, Mark, I know because I was up at the network with you so much last year.
19:05While you were doing a full-time job, you were doing a full-time job.
19:08You were recruiting like crazy.
19:11And, I mean, people should know that.
19:13How much you care, how diligent you were, how much you were working behind the scenes.
19:20So, I wonder if I could start with theâliterally the big guy with Aaron Judge because it feels
19:25like from talking to you when we were up at the network together that everything falls
19:30in place a lot easier once you get that piece.
19:33Can you talk about your kind of recruitment of Judge and what it meant to have him as first
19:40piece on the chessboard in place, captain of the team, to putting the rest together?
19:45You know, we get back to the first part talking about captains.
19:49When I did this in 23 and Mike Trout was the captain, when we would hit, you could sense
19:55guys wanting to see him.
19:59Even the game's greats, they were watching what he was doing.
20:03They were enamored by the way the ball came off his bat.
20:05It sounded different, Joel.
20:06There's no denying it, right?
20:08So, like, I knew if we could get Judge, position players would fall in line because who doesn't
20:16wantâKyle Schwarber asked to be inâhe wants to be in his hitting group.
20:19Like, you know what I'm saying?
20:20They want to be around this guy and see what he's about.
20:23We tried to get him in 23, and that's when he was going through the whole free agency
20:28process.
20:29I had reached out to him in 23.
20:31He didn't know if he was going, you know, San Francisco, and we were at the winter meetings,
20:35and there was a bunch of stuff going on.
20:37I remember it.
20:37And he kind of just said, it's too much on my plate mentally.
20:40I'm going to back out.
20:42And then hopefully in 26, it works out.
20:45So, right when I got to the network, right before opening day, Andy Pettit, who's the
20:51pitching coach, who's a friend for life now and one of the best dudes I've ever met in
20:55my life, he texted me and goes, hey, just so you know, I've talked to 99 already down
21:01in Tampa, and he's in if you want to call him.
21:05I called him literally within the hour.
21:07And I just left a message, just said, hey, Aaron, I'm not going to bug you throughout the
21:11year.
21:11This is Mark DeRosa.
21:13I talked to Andy Pettit.
21:14I'd love for you to be, you know, obviously the captain of Team USA and kind of start
21:19with you and filter everything around you as the pillar of this thing.
21:23And he called me back within 48 hours and was like, hey, I'm in.
21:27I want to do it.
21:28So I just kind of slow play.
21:30That's how I kind of, Joel, I started it in April.
21:33I just started slow playing and trying to make pitches to if I was building a dream team
21:38at night in my apartment on paper and, you know, trying to make lineups out and pitching
21:44staffs and all.
21:45And, you know, I was just slowly cold calling people and seeing where their head was at.
21:51Paul Skeens was my next call.
21:53And how'd that take us through it?
21:55So that's good.
21:56So I want, I knew I had the pillar for the, for the position player side.
21:59I figured, you know, the rub on Team USA has always been, it's very tough to get their
22:05pitchers.
22:05Not for lack of want to, for lack of teams, not wanting them to.
22:10And, uh, you know, the risk reward aspect of it, which I totally get, but this thing
22:15is, this thing's got legs.
22:16Now, this thing's a monster.
22:18So guys want to be a part of it.
22:21So I knew with Skeens is kind of military background, the whole Air Force Academy transfer
22:26and LSU.
22:27I knew it would kind of be in his heart to want to do it.
22:30I just didn't know.
22:32So, so I just reached out to him and, and he called me back right away.
22:36I said, Hey, Paul.
22:37And he goes, I'm in.
22:39I said, I don't have to pitch you.
22:41I got a whole pitch in place, ready to give it to you.
22:44And he goes, no, Mark, this has been on my heart for a while.
22:47I want to do it for every serviceman and woman that, that stands and protects us and allows
22:52us to do what we want to do.
22:54I said, are you, I mean, you're changing the game now.
22:57You're going to change it for us because you will be the best pitcher that's ever put
23:02on the USA uniform and, and taking the bump.
23:04So after that, it was like, all right, if I got judge and I got Skeens, a, we got to
23:11hold
23:12them and B let's start.
23:14Then it was school bull.
23:15Then it was Zach Wheeler.
23:16Then it was, you know, I just kind of went down, started going down the line.
23:20Um, yeah, everybody has been just over the moon to want to do it.
23:26And, uh, I, you know, it's funny.
23:29I wish, I wish we had 35 roster spots because there's some guys that are getting left out
23:33that shouldn't.
23:34So, so, so Mark, you, uh, mentioned that, uh, the, that the, this has legs, uh, and everyone
23:41wants to do it.
23:41Is that because of last time?
23:44I mean, I think that there was such great momentum and then like, come on, man, if you
23:49and I are drawing it up, we'd probably draw it up with trout getting a home run.
23:52They certainly draw it up as Otani versus trout to end the tournament and us versus Japan.
24:00Look, I don't want to be disrespectful to any of the other teams in the tournament.
24:03This is so great that players from all over the world, player sport, you know, in a, like
24:09we're not going to get political, but in a problematic time in the world and our country about people
24:13coming together, like people come together and play baseball.
24:16If you could see a clubhouse, how many different people from how many different places create
24:21harmony to make things work.
24:23And this is a time where people get to show some pride in where they come from, but clearly
24:27people would like to see it come down, uh, to, to you two again.
24:32Is that why do you, is that why there's such enthusiasm this time around?
24:36Yeah.
24:36I'd like to give some credit to the Latin American countries as well.
24:39I mean, I played winter ball in, in Venezuela when I was coming up through the brave system
24:44and it changed my whole mindset, um, how hard it was for me.
24:49And they took me under their wing out in Caracas and I wouldn't have been able to eat and sleep
24:54and do all the things I wanted to do.
24:56So, you know, I was always kind of loyal to the Venezuelan guys on my team that I played
25:01with after I went there in 99.
25:02So for Trey Turner hits that home run against that grand slam against Venezuela, that was like a
25:09serious moment for me and all the guys I had told the, the guys prior to that game
25:16that if someone went deep, I wanted us to all go to home plate.
25:19Like I want to change for, for listen, for one 62, it's a marathon.
25:25You, you can't, I, at least I couldn't act a certain way for one 62, but for two and a
25:33half weeks with the whole world watching in a blast like this, I know how my son is 16
25:39years old and consumes the game.
25:42And I wanted to like, let's take it to the next level.
25:46Like let's we're, we're okay to have a little fun as well.
25:50So I thought that was a huge moment.
25:52I always felt like the Dominican and Venezuela and Puerto Rico and the way they play with
25:58such passion and their fans and Mexico, Mexico, that was a tough night for us in 23.
26:04I mean, they were on fire, hitting bombs.
26:07The fans are going nuts.
26:08So I think the Latin American countries kind of gave it this passion.
26:12And then it's like the miss, the mysteriousness of Japan, right?
26:18Like just everything that, that kind of about them, that makes them so fantastic.
26:25And then, uh, obviously Yamamoto becoming a star in game seven, but even going back to
26:29that, Joel, I kept looking at the lineup card going, no way, no way.
26:35And you said, I could see him walking down to the bullpen.
26:38I'm like, this is gonna, this is coming down the pike.
26:42Like this is going to happen.
26:44Actually, like I was hopeful that Mike could get them, but.
26:48In March, throwing a hundred with that kind of movement, it was just like, it was a big
26:55ask.
26:56Yeah.
26:57Uh, look, Mark, I, I do wonder, uh, I think Japan has won is the defending champion is one
27:03of these five.
27:04The Americans have won one time, uh, during this you have assembled.
27:10Uh, well, look, I think people would go back.
27:12There was an Olympic team in the late eighties that had like bonds and like, like McGuire,
27:17great, great players.
27:18I dare say, this is the best group of Americans ever assembled, uh, for the, for, for a thing.
27:26Is there, but you mentioned how, you know, this is baseball, like Mexico can have a good
27:30night and you're no doubt it'd be over.
27:32Right.
27:33Is like one night, what's the pressure on you and this team to kind of, uh, especially
27:39unseat the Japanese.
27:41I'm, I'm proud of, of, of the work I put in with the coaches and Mike Hill in the front
27:47office to, to, to build the team.
27:49I wanted to build and, and, and I, I want to stress this, a team, high character guys
27:58that added a certain vibe and value to the ball club for the lineup to flow.
28:03If you go back to some of the other teams in the past, whether they won or lost it, there
28:08may have been like, listen, you're never going to get judges, one of the best players of all
28:14time, but like the Griffey juniors and the Chipper Jones.
28:16And I can make the argument, another team might've had more start, but there hasn't
28:22been a team that's been assembled to win this thing.
28:25Right, right, left, all the way down the lineup, the bullpen, every guy there can handle lefties
28:31and righties.
28:33Um, the closer, Mason Miller that kind of bleed off David Bednar.
28:37Everything has been built strong defense up the middle speed at the top and bottom of the
28:45lineup, like it was done by design.
28:47I did not just say, Hey, let me get the best superstars in the game and put them in a
28:53room
28:53and see what happens.
28:54I tried to truly like build it.
28:58All right.
28:59Bobby Witts leading off who's hitting second judges.
29:02Where does he feel the most comfortable two or three?
29:05Where does Schwarber like to hit and try and get the best players that fit our profile, high
29:12character guys where they, there is going to be no feeling out process when they show
29:17up.
29:18I'm, I don't want any of that garbage.
29:20Like who, who's the alpha in the room?
29:23You're all alphas.
29:25There's a reason you're here.
29:27Like Corbin Carroll.
29:29Listen, I could have made the argument for about three or four different left fielders
29:33that made sense, but for the way I wanted to build the lineup in a way that it was, was
29:38currently built.
29:39I felt like Roman Anthony checks so many boxes for us that it was like, he was, he's the
29:46guy.
29:47Maybe if we were constructed a little differently, it'd be someone else.
29:50But I feel like he, he's the, he's the perfect addition.
29:54Plus he's kind of, he's got that it factor to him and you're trying to grow the game too.
29:59You want a championship is on my birthday.
30:02Just so you know, St. Patrick's day.
30:04Watch out.
30:05When you give me an early gift is who, if you get there, are you starting schemes or school?
30:09Well here, and this is kind of the rub, right?
30:14We do have to honor some of the parent clubs.
30:17Guys are going to have to throw on certain days to be ready for them to start opening
30:23day.
30:23And that is kind of the, the rub.
30:26So, you know, like Logan Webb is going to probably pitch game one because they open up
30:32with the Yankees a day before everybody.
30:34And the way it lines up, he's got to throw that game.
30:39Yeah, it remains to be seen, but I, I'd leave it alone for now, but that'll be done more in
30:46honor of the parent club than what I totally want to do.
30:51So, so, so I wonder if we could dig into that a little bit more is like, like the resistance
30:55for this tournament is always about that.
30:57It's about the picture, right?
30:58Like organizations don't want to give you their guys because out of sight is also out
31:03of their ability to control how hard they're going effort.
31:07And no, nobody wants to get into one of these games and go 90%.
31:10This is a hundred percent tournament in March and like guys, and you know, teams don't want
31:16these guys at max effort on March 11th, right?
31:20They want something else.
31:22What, what do you tell teams to convince them that you and Andy and everybody who's there,
31:30Andy Pettit and everybody there is going to take care of their guys to the best ability
31:34possible?
31:35Yeah, I would, I would say, Joel, we, we honor, like I probably, I probably should give
31:42all these away.
31:43Like we honor as much as we can, right?
31:45Like Paul schemes is going to have his bullpen guy.
31:49There is going to have, have, have people there that are preparing him that work with
31:54Pittsburgh.
31:55Same with, same with Scooble.
31:56Like we're on, I've been on the phone with AJ Hinch and, and his representation, and we're
32:02going to honor as much as we can to make them feel good.
32:06There's a 65 pitch limit in pool play.
32:08That's where they would be in spring training anyway, but there are some teams that say,
32:13Hey, can you, can you dumb it down to 50?
32:16The relievers have, have almost more guardrails on them than the starters, right?
32:21Because.
32:22And that kind of like put you into the box last time.
32:25No doubt.
32:25It'll put us in a, it'll put us in a little bit.
32:27That's why the roster has been, been built a little bit differently.
32:30We were carrying an extra arm.
32:32People were shocked that Kershaw was put on the roster, but the reason we did that was
32:38because of what happened to us in Mexico last year.
32:41When, when we played Mexico last year or in 23, Nick Martinez struggled, Brady Singer struggled.
32:50The two piggyback starters struggled.
32:52So we had to go get them quicker than we probably wanted to.
32:56And by the time we got done with the game, we had burned, we had had to, I, Devin Williams
33:02threw one pitch and I asked them to go back out for the ninth and he had never done that.
33:07So he, he didn't do it.
33:08So I had to bring Ryan Presley, burn him.
33:11We didn't have coverage for the Canada game.
33:15So if Lance Lynn doesn't go 65 pitches, Adam Wainwright's got to come out of the bullpen on,
33:21you know, two or three days rest and, and basically throw, you know, he'd be fine and
33:25he grinded out, but he's going to basically throw aside.
33:29So the reason we wanted to add a pitcher that could bail us out in a situation, whether we
33:36were blowing a team out or vice versa was to not use the pen guys to reset us.
33:42And who's going to do that?
33:44Getting ready for a season.
33:46That's a big ass.
33:47You might pitch.
33:48You might not just hang out in the bullpen.
33:51Well, who do these guys want to be around?
33:53They want to be around the best.
33:55So I called Kershaw.
33:56I said, would you be willing?
33:58Let me walk you through what I'm thinking.
34:01And he's like, oh yeah, I'm in.
34:03So he's been kind of sending me videos of him throwing.
34:06So there will be a moment where Clayton goes into this, into the game and pool play to
34:11kind of, you know, get some outs for us and, and, and hopefully allow us to, to roll out
34:16things the way we want to roll them out.
34:19You know, Mark, I could almost feel like I could do hours on this going through every
34:24player on your team.
34:25And I, I'm, I am actually going to be in Arizona for your, some of your workout days.
34:29And so I'll personally ask you some stuff there.
34:31I wonder if the place to end is, uh, this on, on the WBC you're managing this team for
34:37the second time.
34:38Yeah.
34:39You're still, you're, you're in what would be your prime years to manage.
34:42Uh, and you're, you're highly regarded around the sport, uh, for your passion, which anybody
34:48who's watching this is seeing your intellect, which is anyone who watches the network sees,
34:53uh, do you want this to roll into the next thing?
34:57Joel, it's funny you say that because I really don't think past this.
35:01I really don't, um, you know, my son's 16 years old.
35:05He's a sophomore.
35:06He just started playing.
35:07He's starting varsity for, for his high school team, playing the outfield.
35:13I didn't, my parents were always at everything.
35:16I did football, baseball didn't matter.
35:19My, my dad was there and I didn't appreciate it at the time, but now that he's gone, I lost
35:26him when in 2012, I almost felt like, I mean, I played that last year in, in 2013, just to
35:33play one year for myself.
35:34I felt like it played every other year for him, you know, his approval.
35:39Um, I want, I want to see what, what goes on with my son.
35:44Um, I mean, listen, if I was wowed, if I, you know, I would certainly take, take the
35:49interview and go in there and, and, and, and try my best to get it.
35:53But, um, I want to see the next two, three years, what, what, what he's doing, because
35:59you know, this, I mean, boom, what time's Booney at the yard noon?
36:03What time's he leaving one in the morning, midnight?
36:06I mean, it's all encompassing.
36:08If you're going to try and do, if you're going to do it, you got to put your guts in
36:12it.
36:12Well, we even see it, right?
36:14Like Sean Casey's a friend of both of ours, the network to be the hitting coach.
36:18What is that commitment?
36:20And you're not questioned 24 seven about every move.
36:24It's the, you know, like, like I think New York reporters are blessed.
36:29We get Carlos Mendoza and Aaron Boone, whatever you think of them as managers.
36:32I'm telling you that both guys are blessings for reporters to deal with because they have
36:39to answer every day in a way that our politicians on much more important stuff do not have to
36:45answer every day, right?
36:47These guys before and after every game and they handle it with a plum.
36:51So I hear you when you say like, like, do I actually want to jump into that commitment
36:56under that scrutiny and pressure?
36:59I, I like, I'm excited, I'm excited, so you're totally equipped for it.
37:04And yet who wants to be so totally equipped for that job?
37:08I'm excited to get back in a dugout with this team after doing it once, because there are
37:12moments where it gets quick.
37:13I learned so much from the last time being, being an inning or two ahead, like not like
37:20the vantage point from the dugout, as opposed to watching it on TV, you know, different things.
37:27Um, I've enjoyed the process of, of putting the team together, kind of, you know, the
37:33GM aspect of it with Mike Hill, kind of what fits you talk about the chemistry we're going
37:39to see with the Mets, like, can they make that work?
37:42Yeah, I enjoy, I enjoy that part.
37:45Well, I'm sure it's going to be a great tournament.
37:47It's going to be fascinating.
37:49Uh, and it was great talking to you about this.
37:51You're going to stick with us for one more segment.
37:53We're going to play hit and error at the end.
37:55If you stick with us on the show with Joel Sherman and John Heyman and Mark DeRosa.
38:05So, uh, you get to, uh, fill in completely for Heyman today.
38:08We play hit and error at the end.
38:10It's your, uh, floor, uh, Mark hit or error.
38:14Yeah, I'm going to say, uh, listen, I'm going to say it's a hit.
38:19I'm going to come at it from the positive, um, growing up in New Jersey and watching the
38:26career of Mike Trout and, and being just in awe of what he's been able to do.
38:32And he's obviously a first ballot hall of famer.
38:35He goes, he will go down as one of the best of all time to do it.
38:38I had the privilege and honor of coaching him and getting to know him in 2023.
38:42We've created a friendship over the years.
38:45And I just see so much on social media on how he was.
38:50How can you not have him on team USA?
38:53How can you not have him on team USA?
38:54And Mike's a quiet guy.
38:55I think today was the first time he actually came out and addressed the, the insurance
38:59portion of it.
39:01There was so much, so many reasons why I wanted him on this roster and, and the judges and
39:07the Harper's all these guys wanted him on the roster, but there is a process to this
39:12thing.
39:13And a lot of it was based on, you know, medicals and playing time from last year.
39:19And, and there's been a couple of guys over the course in 2023.
39:24We couldn't get Clayton Kershaw insured.
39:26I've tried to, I told you this in the break, a guy who bleeds red, white, and blue, who I
39:31think would be perfect for this tournament is Nate Evaldi.
39:34He's, he's called me and asked me to pitch in any capacity, like I could get him on the
39:40team.
39:41So to think I didn't want Mike Trout or the staff didn't want Mike Trout on the team.
39:46I just would like to, to kibosh that social on social media.
39:52So, so, so can I hopefully help you?
39:55And I don't think I'm betraying a trust.
39:57Like if you do my job at MLB network, you're a bit of a vagabond.
40:01Uh, you don't have an office, you move from office to office.
40:05The one I get the most is the one that Mark DeRosa and Al Leiter share.
40:10DeRosa is, Mark's there in the morning, often when I'm there, uh, to do his show.
40:15And I remember you telling me that Trout was going to be on the team and I was the one,
40:22me.
40:22So like, if anyone wants to get upset, like I said, Mike Trout, like he isn't what he
40:26used to be.
40:27Why are you putting them on the team?
40:27And you looked at me like I was out of my mind.
40:29You're like, he's Mike Trout.
40:31Yeah.
40:32Of course I'm going to put them on the team.
40:33So I'm here.
40:34If anyone says that you didn't want them on the team, I know months ago before the words
40:39insurance and WBC were using the same sentence that you were going to put them on the team
40:45because.
40:45And I don't know all the variables to how you get insured and how you don't.
40:49Obviously you got to get on the field for, I mean, Byron Buxton played 130 games this year.
40:55I kept reading reports that he was going to have a tough time getting insured.
40:59I mean, he posted, I mean, yeah, everybody's got to go down the line, but I mean, we've
41:06seen it with, with the Carlos Correa's and Lindor, obviously with the ham eight bone situation,
41:11but Mike was one of those guys that didn't get on the field much last year.
41:16And yeah, I love Trey Turner hit five homers for us and hit a huge grand slam, but I felt
41:23like it was Bobby Witt's time.
41:25And there you go to clubhouse chemistry.
41:27I didn't want Trey Turner backing up Bobby Witt.
41:30And like, there's a whole vibe there that I think I didn't, I didn't want to put him
41:35in that position.
41:36So there's a lot that goes into these decisions that I think kind of gets lost in translation,
41:41but you know, it's obviously Aaron judges time.
41:45We would add a, we would add a tough time.
41:47If Mike wasn't playing center field, where, where was he kind of going to fit in?
41:51It was the D D D H with Kyle Schwarber, but it just, from an insurance standpoint, there
41:57are some, some things that we just couldn't get across the finish line.
42:01Look, I, I'm, I'm going to forego because that was good.
42:04A traditional hitter error at the end.
42:06I will just, and I hope it embarrasses you make a hit.
42:08I was mentioning that if you do what I do, you know, I'm a vagabond.
42:12You know, I moved from office to office, depending, whatever.
42:16Mark, your kindness when I'm in your office is unreal.
42:21Your willingness to share your knowledge with me in those situations.
42:25I learn a lot of baseball, 120 and 180 seconds at a time, as you're running in and out of
42:31the office to go do your breakdowns on film.
42:36So this show is done usually by me and your other colleague, John Heyman.
42:41John couldn't do it.
42:43It's a hit.
42:44You stepped in and said, yes, I'll do the whole show.
42:47Unreal.
42:47Unreal, your kindness to me at the network, which makes it so much easier to convince other
42:54former baseball players that I'm somebody they could talk to and not be an idiot.
43:00It does, does help.
43:02So I'm giving a hit to Mark DeRosa for joining us on the show and wishing you nothing but the
43:08best of luck in your, your tournament.
43:10I don't, let me just do this quickly before I say goodbye, Mark, our MVP every week, though,
43:16is Tommy Hogan, our producer, Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts, please rate
43:21and review us the New York Post sports YouTube page.
43:25You could watch us on this.
43:26It always helps if you leave some comments and some likes and watch the whole show.
43:31Mark, I am going to see you in Arizona in about a week and a half or so whenever you're
43:36getting out there.
43:36I think there's a press conferences, March 2nd and 3rd in Arizona.
43:41I'm going to be there.
43:41And sincerely, you are going to be our guest this week, but stepping in to do the whole
43:47show is a helpful and B means a heck of a lot to me.
43:51So I truly appreciate you.
43:52No, thanks for having me.
43:53I listen, I feel the same way, Joel.
43:55I appreciate people who care and put the work in.
43:58And you've shown me that from from my time when I was a player to watching you do the
44:04draft to watching you anytime you're on MLB Central.
44:07So, yeah, it was a no brainer to do it.
44:09All right.
44:09Well, the manager of Team USA is Mark DeRosa.
44:13I hope everybody watches that tournament because it was special last time.
44:17And, you know, we see when it is countries like nobody cared about the NBA All-Star game.
44:23And then all of a sudden they did over the weekend again, because people do have national
44:27pride.
44:28And I hope people turn in to watch you and your team.
44:31So thanks again, Mark.
44:32And please, everyone, stick with us on the show.
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