- 3 hours ago
Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young joined the GBag Nation LIVE from Spring Training in Arizona.
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00:00Hey, good evening, sir. As Chris Young getting ready to sit down, Rangers President of Baseball Operations here on your
00:06home of the Rangers, 105.3 The Fan, a beautiful blue quarter zip.
00:11Chris Young sitting down with you here on 105.3 The Fan, and a good evening, sir. How the heck
00:16are you?
00:16I'm well, guys. How are you all? Welcome to Arizona.
00:19Is this day one here?
00:21It's day four.
00:22Oh, day four. I apologize.
00:23No, you're good, man.
00:25It's good to see you.
00:25You guys have the wind here tonight. It should be an interesting game.
00:29Got a breeze cutting through the press box a little bit.
00:31Yeah, I know.
00:31It's been a lot of fun getting to watch Cuba and Brazil yesterday, so thanks for having us out, man.
00:36No, we're glad you're here, and it's a different spring training with the WBC, obviously, and it was fun seeing
00:40Team Brazil, and it sort of mixes it up a little bit.
00:42But, yeah, this is a fun time of year and excited about what we have to look forward to.
00:48There were reports this morning that you guys had signed Andrew McCutcheon. Can you confirm that at this time?
00:54Not quite officially yet, but there's a pending physical, but we're likely trending the right direction, and, you know, assuming
01:01everything checks out, we're excited to welcome him to camp.
01:04He seems pretty excited, too.
01:06Saw a video of him.
01:06He's decked out in his cowboy hat.
01:08He's got all the gear.
01:09He's got the cowboy boots on.
01:10Yeah, I didn't see that, but I'm glad he's embracing the Texas theme, and, you know, my hope is that
01:16he was still a very productive player last year, and, again, I don't want to comment too much prematurely,
01:23but, you know, he's somebody that he's a veteran who knows how to play.
01:27He still has a skill set that we need, and, you know, it could be a good fit.
01:33He's a patient guy at the plate, right?
01:35Is that something you're still looking to?
01:36He's still got an elite approach.
01:37He's a patient guy at the plate.
01:40You know, he handled left-handed pitching last year, and, you know, with what we're looking at this spring and
01:46kind of some of the competition,
01:48we're exploring outfielders who can have at-bats versus left-handed pitching and complement our lineup when we maybe have
01:57Jock or Evan or Smitty or some of our lefties out of the lineup.
02:02So, you know, we're looking at Sam Haggerty certainly is going to fill that role as well, but we need
02:09another bench bat, and Andrew will be in competition assuming everything checks out.
02:14So we're excited to get to watch McKenzie Gore tonight.
02:16So for you, how have you thought about him so far, and what are you looking for tonight out of
02:21him?
02:21Well, mainly at this time with all of our starters, Jacob yesterday, McKenzie tonight, we want to see them just
02:27get their work in.
02:27We want to see them get their work in that, you know, you don't expect them to be perfect, but
02:31you want them to get their work in, come out of it healthy, feeling good.
02:34The pitch is starting to take shape, the command, the mechanics all kind of taking form, but you don't want
02:40to see him in midseason form right now.
02:42You want to kind of build into that, but it's been so fun watching him, and we had heard great
02:46things about McKenzie when we traded for him.
02:48We did a ton of background information and work on him, and really everyone raved about the person, the competitor.
02:55This is a player who's 26, going on 27 years old, who, you know, got to the big leagues quickly,
03:00experienced some of the challenges of being a young player in the big leagues,
03:04but has an elite competitive mindset who just strives to be the best.
03:09He works hard.
03:10He's quiet.
03:10He just embodies everything we want, and so we really believe that he's ready to take that next step,
03:15and you put him in a rotation with Nathan Ivaldi and Jacob DeGrom and Jack Leiter and whomever else is
03:21in the fifth spot.
03:22We have, you know, Cody Bradford, Jordan Montgomery coming back at some point, and then, you know, some of the
03:28young guys and Kamar Rocker.
03:29We have some very talented players that we, you know, will hopefully have, you know, the ability to choose from
03:36over the course of the season,
03:37but Jacob and Evo and McKenzie and Jack as, you know, four at the front of the rotation is pretty
03:42exciting.
03:43When you talk about a guy like McKenzie Gore and his competes, is that something you get from watching him
03:48play,
03:48or is that like when you interact with him face-to-face kind of thing?
03:51Before we trade for him, you know, I'm not allowed to interact with him.
03:55I can't pick up the phone and call him and say, hey, McKenzie, what makes you tick?
03:58We can with free agents, but with a trade, we're not allowed to.
04:01It's tampering, so you're not allowed to really have face-to-face or personal contact,
04:06but we have scouts all over the industry.
04:09We have colleagues in the industry that we, you know, he's been with multiple organizations that we check in on,
04:14and we get background information and really try to understand the person.
04:17And, you know, every time we acquire a player, we are making, you know, in some ways a bet on
04:23that player
04:23and what their ability is and then the conviction we have that they can reach that full potential.
04:30And with McKenzie, when you hear about the intangibles and the competitiveness and the work ethic,
04:36you'd like to say you believe that type of player is going to reach his full potential,
04:40and we think the best is yet to come.
04:42What else can you tell us about his athleticism?
04:44Sandler told us earlier he could have been, like, the best defensive center fielder on a lot of the teams
04:49he's been on.
04:50You know, I do know he took a line drive off the thigh last outing and just wore it like,
04:57I mean, I know how bad, I got hit a lot, and so there's a lot of surface area here,
05:02and I got hit a lot.
05:03Those things hurt.
05:04I mean, it's not fun, and he picked it up and threw the guy out and just kept, you know,
05:07continued on like it's no big deal.
05:09He showed me the bruise the next day, and I was like, man, that looks like it hurts.
05:13He's like, I'll be fine.
05:14He just sort of –
05:14He's a dog.
05:15Yeah, it shows a level of toughness with him that, you know, he just blocked it out and kept competing,
05:20and I think that speaks to the athleticism as well because, you know,
05:24elite athletes have a toughness that they demonstrate out there, and they don't show pain,
05:29they don't show fear, and they just put their head down and get the job done, and I loved it.
05:35I truly loved it.
05:36How hard is it to put together a complete season because I think that's been the one thing with them,
05:40right,
05:40where the second half of the season hasn't been as good as the first?
05:42Why did that happen?
05:43Yeah, last year, certainly the second half, there were struggles.
05:46The numbers were inflated in the second half.
05:49You know, there were really three starts primarily that were responsible for that.
05:53He did deal with some shoulder fatigue.
05:54He had a stent in the IL.
05:55He came back, and he finished fine.
05:57The stuff was fine at the end of the year, and, you know, part of the –
06:01there are a number of factors that contribute to that.
06:03Part of it is just a young player getting to the second half of the season,
06:07and there were years where, you know, I went through that in the second half,
06:10and you kind of just hope to get to the finish line,
06:12and there are other years where you sprint through the finish line no problem.
06:15And so it's our job to put him in positions over the course of the season
06:19where, similar to what we're going to do with Jacob and Jack and Ivo,
06:24we're going to give him extra rest at times, we're going to monitor his workload,
06:28we're going to have systems in place that make sure that his stuff is maintaining a level
06:33that is going to keep him healthy, and we're going to have quality depth options
06:37that when he needs an extra day or he needs, you know, to skip a start,
06:41we're going to be able to do that.
06:42And that, to me – and, you know, frankly, our goal is not just to have him strong in September,
06:47but we need all these guys strong, you know, hopefully through October,
06:50and that's our goal as an organization.
06:51And that starts in spring training.
06:54We have to be cognizant of that now,
06:56and our pitching group has done a tremendous job of already mapping that out.
07:00And so I think we have the first, you know, six weeks of the rotation mapped out
07:03and how we're going to provide extra rest to these guys
07:05and protect them as much as possible.
07:07Okay, so you brought up, like, the fifth – the starter in the rotation, that battle.
07:12Does that mean everybody – it kind of will figure itself out,
07:15or is there something that you're looking for to – one of these guys to set themselves apart?
07:18Well, you know, one, you want competition.
07:20You want these guys to be in competition, and you want to see how they perform.
07:24You don't want somebody to win it by default, so to speak.
07:28And so I think competition's a healthy thing for an organization
07:30because it means you have a number of players that are putting themselves in position to win that spot.
07:36So that's the first thing.
07:37And then, really, it's going to be performance-based.
07:39It's going to be who's going to be the right player to come out of the gates and help us
07:44win games.
07:44We've got a tough schedule to start the season.
07:46We go to Philadelphia and then Baltimore.
07:49We come home, Cincinnati, Seattle, two playoff teams there.
07:52So we're talking about a schedule out of the gates that we can't give any games away.
07:57We've got to be ready.
07:58We've got to have our best players out on the field.
07:59And, you know, by the time we have to make final decisions when we leave surprise or get back to
08:04Arlington,
08:05we need to know who those top five in the rotation are.
08:08I think we have a pretty good idea who four are going to be, and then we need to know
08:10who the fifth is.
08:11And, you know, right now Jake Latz has really pitched great and established himself,
08:15but there's still a lot of camp left, and we'll see how it plays out.
08:18We got to see a little bit of Kamar Rocker yesterday, a few innings.
08:21How's his spring been going?
08:22You know, there's some signs that get you excited.
08:27You see the talent and the potential there.
08:30Yesterday was not his best against Team Brazil.
08:33There were some things that are still sort of characteristic of a young player who is still finding his way
08:39in the big leagues,
08:39where the game, you know, sort of controls him at times, and instead of him being in complete control of
08:45the game.
08:45And so we're looking for him to take that next step.
08:48His talent is there.
08:49We have no doubt about it.
08:50Is the consistency there yet?
08:52And can the little things that sometimes sneak up on him, whether fielding his position or executing pitches in certain
08:58counts
08:59or whatever it may be, there's a little bit of refinement that's still necessary, and that could happen quickly.
09:06It could happen his next outing, and all of a sudden it clicks, and he starts to realize, okay, and
09:10he gains confidence.
09:11And you never know when that moment is going to be, but you do know that when guys like that,
09:16at that talent level,
09:18when they have the ability, at some point when it clicks, they're going to be pretty good.
09:22World Series champion for your Texas Rangers, Chris Young with us here on the fan.
09:27Brandon Nimmo.
09:28We're all excited about him.
09:30What excites you about what he brings to the table?
09:32Brandon, as much as any player I've been around, Brandon, his work ethic, desire, I mean, every single minute of
09:41his day
09:41is mapped out around what he needs to do to be successful the three hours of the game.
09:47And so it's pretty impressive.
09:48He's got his routine down.
09:51He's made himself into an everyday player.
09:53I mean, when he got to the big leagues, we talk about, you know, Evan Carter, Josh Smith, Jock, some
09:58of the lefties.
09:59It's Brandon made himself into a player who could handle left-handed pitching,
10:03and I think that's going to be a great thing for Evan.
10:05I think it'll be a great thing for Smitty.
10:07And then just for Wyatt as well in the outfield with Evan, Wyatt, and Brandon together
10:12to learn from a veteran player who has really established himself as an everyday major league successful player.
10:19It's a great example for these guys.
10:21He brings a real positive energy and attitude, and he's so personable.
10:26I just think he's going to be a great fit for our group.
10:28I'm really excited about just the energy and the person he is
10:33and the way he's gelled in our clubhouse, and, you know, I'm glad to see him in games now.
10:37He's off to a good start.
10:38He, you know, had some good swings on the backfields today.
10:41Nice.
10:41Yeah, it's exciting to think what, you know, what this outfield could be if they stay healthy.
10:45Can we expect Schumacher to implement more of a bag-stealing offense?
10:49It's certainly something we've talked about,
10:50and I think it's not specific to being an offense that is stealing bags because we can necessarily or we
10:58have to.
10:59We want to be well-rounded.
11:00We want to be able to run the base as well.
11:02We want to be able to get on base.
11:04We want to be able to hit for power.
11:06We want to be able to beat you in different ways,
11:07and if the game is calling for us to steal a base to put us in a position to win
11:12a baseball game,
11:13we need to be able to do that.
11:14We cannot be one-dimensional.
11:15It's one of the things that I regret in the last several years, the last couple years,
11:18is that, you know, we constructed rosters that were a little too one-dimensional,
11:22and we didn't do some of the things that we needed to do at times to win baseball games,
11:28and so we've got to be more well-rounded.
11:30We've got to use our speed at times when it's required,
11:32and there may be times where it's not required.
11:34We've got Corey Seager up, and, you know, runners on first and second,
11:37we don't want to run into an out, right?
11:39We want to let him hit and hit a three-run homer.
11:41There are going to be times where we're facing a tough pitcher late in the game in a one-run
11:45game,
11:45and the difference in winning that game is going to be stealing second base
11:49and getting in scoring positions so that, you know, a base hit scores a run off a leverage arm.
11:55So we've got to be dynamic.
11:57We've got to be able to play multifaceted baseball and score in different ways,
12:02and that is part of Skip's philosophy, and I'm excited to see it.
12:05What's your guys' approach to all the news around Wyatt Langford and a possible extension?
12:11What's your guys' approach to that?
12:12Yeah, you know, Wyatt is obviously we drafted him.
12:15We've seen his ascent through the minor leagues, the big leagues.
12:19We've seen his first two years as a successful major league player,
12:22and we truly believe the best is yet to come.
12:25So we certainly would welcome the opportunity to explore that,
12:31and, you know, Wyatt, nothing would make me happier than for him to spend his entire career as a Texas
12:37Ranger.
12:38So, you know, if and when that happens, it's two parties that need to come together to make it happen,
12:42but I think both parties are open to it, and, you know, we'll do our best to try to see
12:47it through.
12:47There's been so much talk about the offense,
12:49but how do you go about maintaining that dominant-level defense that we had last year?
12:55Yeah, you know, look, the defense is critical because you're not going to hit every night,
12:59but if you can pitch and you can catch the ball, you've got a chance to win,
13:02and that's really important for our team.
13:04And last year, you know, we did that.
13:06We were in a lot of games, and we put ourselves in positions to win,
13:09and there were just a lot that we came up short because we couldn't score offensively.
13:12But if the offense can be a little bit better and our pitching can maintain the same level
13:18and our defense maintain the same level, it will give us a chance to win night in, night out.
13:22And that's, you know, and it starts with starting pitching, and they set the tone.
13:25They come out, they attack the strike zone, they throw strikes,
13:28they put the opposing team on the defensive, and then our, you know, our position players,
13:33they've got to catch the ball behind a great group of starting pitchers,
13:36and then all of a sudden, you know, you add on some runs,
13:38and you, you know, you take some pressure off the bullpen as well late in the game
13:42by having, you know, starting pitching that can get you deeper in the game,
13:46and you catch the ball and you don't beat yourself.
13:48So, you know, today's game, more than ever for me,
13:51and something that I've noticed in this role, the best teams win at the margins.
13:56They win at the margins, you know, you do the little things well.
14:00It's one of our core philosophies, we call it dominate the fundamentals,
14:03and it's certainly a core philosophy for Skip and the staff, the work that we've put in,
14:09the attention to detail, even things the way we touch first base,
14:13and the way we cut, you know, distance off rounding first base.
14:17I mean, Skip is a stickler for these things, and, you know,
14:20it may be the difference between getting a double or getting thrown out at second base,
14:24and so you have to do these little things well in a league that's super competitive,
14:28and if you do it over and over and over, eventually it's going to manifest in wins and losses.
14:34Man, we're getting some good wafts of that brat.
14:36You smelling that?
14:37What is CY's favorite ballpark smell?
14:40Oh, man, that's a great question.
14:42Sometimes it depends on my mood in a certain stadium.
14:44If we're getting our butts kicked somewhere, I lose my appetite.
14:49Everything smells like garbage.
14:50Yeah, but, you know, I actually remember from Seattle when I played there, the garlic fries.
14:54I mean, I'd be on the mound in Seattle, and the garlic fries can permeate the entire field,
14:59and it's a really good smell, but there have been some moments in Seattle the last couple years
15:03where I have had no appetite for garlic fries, but that's certainly one that stands out.
15:10We've had a standout in Cam Colley.
15:12I mean, he's been awesome.
15:13We had a great conversation in the clubhouse with him.
15:16He's such a great young man.
15:18What do you think about Cam Colley?
15:19What more can you share with us about him and his future?
15:22Yeah, it's really exciting, and he's had a great spring,
15:24and it's been so fun to see his maturation, you know, through the minor leagues.
15:28You know, last year's second half, he really turned it on at AA,
15:32and he's put himself on the map.
15:35He's dynamic.
15:36He can really hit for average.
15:38He can hit for power.
15:39He can play multiple positions up the middle, whether it's shortstop, second base, center field.
15:44He can steal bases.
15:45He can, you know, he's just a dynamic athlete, and there's some real pop in there, too.
15:50We've seen that a few times this spring.
15:52The ball's like crazy, dude.
15:53All over the field.
15:54I mean, you could say in some ways he's been our MVP this spring.
15:56Aaron Zavala, too, has been really fun to watch.
15:59So it's one of the great things this spring for me is that you get these young guys that get
16:03opportunities
16:04to get out here and compete against major league competition.
16:06It doesn't mean they're ready to do it consistently over a six-month period,
16:10but in a short window, you get glimpses into their talent level, and, you know, it gets you excited about
16:15the future.
16:15And Cam has made significant strides.
16:18I'm really happy for him and the work he's put in, and my hope is that we'll see him in
16:23Arlington at some point this season
16:24if he continues doing what he's doing.
16:26Heck yes, dude.
16:27We love that guy.
16:28Go for it.
16:28What do you think about the possibility of a salary cap in major league baseball?
16:33You know, it's not my position to say.
16:35I mean, one, the league has really said stay out of labor at this point.
16:40So I can't say, you know, whether it's good or bad.
16:43I really haven't studied enough to know.
16:45So I just, you know, my job is to, you know, one, convince our ownership to spend as much as
16:51possible to go win baseball games.
16:54And, you know, but my hope just in general with labor is that we have a wonderful game.
17:00I really believe that the game is in such a good spot,
17:03and I really believe in both sides' ability to come together and find a solution.
17:07I know that there's some fundamental differences on both ends of it,
17:10but I do think the commonality that both sides have is a wonderful product,
17:14a wonderful sport right now that our fans love,
17:16and we should all put that first and foremost when it comes to this labor negotiation.
17:21Well, we'll drink to that.
17:23We'd love to be right back here next year, no interruptions.
17:25Likewise.
17:25Same for me.
17:26Absolutely.
17:26Yeah, really excited you guys are here.
17:28Thanks for being here, and let's get a win tonight.
17:30It's always a pleasure.
17:31See you on the Range Rover.
17:32President of Baseball Operations, Chris Young here with you on 105.3 The Fan.
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