- 12 hours ago
Evan Carter joined the K&C Masterpiece LIVE from Spring Training in Arizona!
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Evan Carter with us right here on 105 Through the Fan.
00:02You're working on the daily crossword puzzle.
00:06Jack Leiter said that he has offered Josh Smith help in the past,
00:11and Josh is like, no.
00:12Do you ever take help from your teammates on the crossword or Sudoku?
00:16No, definitely not, especially not from Smitty or Jack.
00:21No, I'm not normally a crossword guy right now.
00:23I'm just kind of trying to fill some time.
00:24I'm a big Sudoku guy or however you want to pronounce it.
00:27That's kind of my jam.
00:28Is there another way people pronounce it?
00:30I don't know.
00:30Is there Sudoku?
00:31I don't think so.
00:32I would say Sudoku.
00:32That's kind of correct.
00:33I was going to make sure I wouldn't say anything.
00:35Okay, there we go.
00:36It's like incomplete.
00:36I just did everything by getting that right.
00:38Okay.
00:39There we go.
00:39All right.
00:40How are you?
00:41Are you feeling better?
00:42I know it's just an illness and everything.
00:44So does that mean you're a math guy?
00:45A math guy?
00:46Do you like math a lot?
00:47Because my girl is a huge math guy.
00:49I love numbers.
00:50I like math.
00:50Okay, all right.
00:51He said he didn't love the crossword.
00:53He likes Sudoku more.
00:54Yeah, I would rather do that than English stuff for sure, yeah.
00:57Did you feel like he was trying to math shame us just a little bit?
01:00No, I don't think so.
01:00I would say that.
01:01Okay, good.
01:02Okay, now you can just hear the call.
01:03Okay.
01:03I know it's just an illness, but feeling better.
01:06Good to go?
01:07Yeah, I'm going to still a little bit under the weather today.
01:10Just kind of sluggish feeling a little bit.
01:12But I'm going to try and get some bats in the bat game today.
01:15It's been a couple of days since I've hit.
01:17So hopefully it's going to be 100% scoring.
01:19For people who maybe they've never been to spring training, or even if they have, they're
01:23not familiar with that world, can you kind of walk us through what can happen and what
01:27can get done on those backfields?
01:29Yeah, I mean, it's no different than an actual game, I guess.
01:33Stats just don't count.
01:34I mean, I'm still going to.
01:35I think there's a couple big league guys pitching, and I'm not playing defense or anything,
01:39so I'll be able to get live at bats and run the bases if I feel like it, doing some
01:44stuff like that just in a setting without stats mattering, I guess.
01:48So it's no different, yeah.
01:49Is it a good place sometimes when we feel like we've seen some fans be able to get some
01:55autographs here and there, sometimes with easier access at spring training, and then
01:58sometimes just watching the players go home and stuff like that?
02:02Yeah, I mean, I think that spring training is a great time to kind of get to know the
02:05fans a little bit.
02:06I know walking around and stuff, and then especially with the ballpark in Texas, we're
02:11not necessarily able to sign for people at the fence or anything, so it's nice at this
02:15stadium to be able to walk past everybody and kind of sign for kids and
02:18stuff, it's good.
02:19I've always wondered that.
02:20Is it tough when you're signing autographs?
02:22Because you always have to have a cutoff point, no matter what, and there's always going to
02:26be that person who is the next person.
02:28Do you ever look back up?
02:29Do you ever feel bad?
02:30Because I know you have to stop at some point.
02:32Yeah, I always just try and end on, well, I mostly try and sign for kids.
02:36I'll try and end on if I'm getting close to a group of adults or something, I'll be like,
02:40all right, I'm the last one right here, and then they'll always say something and try
02:44and make it dramatic or whatever, but it is what it is.
02:48At the end of the day, we're here to play a game, and I can't stand there and sign for
02:53a ton of people.
02:54Yeah, for me, I always just tell people, I'm like, these are the last two, y'all need
02:57to just cut it off right here.
02:59Just let them know.
03:00When you're signing for autographs?
03:02Oh, you knew.
03:03How cool is it to see those kids who are like, they already look up to you, and they're like,
03:09oh my gosh, that's a huge, meaningful moment for them.
03:12Yeah, I know when I was going to minor league games when I was little, it's a huge deal getting
03:18to, at the end of the day, too, they may not even know who I am, but it's a big
03:21league
03:21baseball player, so it's like, this is so cool.
03:23And, you know, I know how I felt when I was in their shoes not too long ago, so I
03:28want
03:28to return the favor, you know, try and make their day or whatever it is that it looks like.
03:32When you were growing up, minor league ball was in your area, right?
03:36Like, it's predominantly in that area.
03:38Yeah, it's not anymore, but we had the Appy League there, so it was, I guess, short season
03:43baseball there for a while.
03:45It's like a wood bat college league now.
03:48But yeah, we had the Twins and Elizabethton and the Cardinals and the Mets were in Kingsport,
03:53all in that area.
03:54But don't say Elizabethtown, because that makes you sound foolish, right?
03:57No, yeah, Elizabethton.
03:58Yeah, Elizabethton.
03:59Okay, I want to make sure.
04:00What have been your thoughts about, you know, doing a little bit of left field and center
04:04field in spring training?
04:05I know you've got to prepare for all possibilities.
04:07What have you thought about that?
04:08Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, I think that, you know, we're going to pride ourselves
04:11on being able to play any of them.
04:13I think right now we're getting a lot of reps, or I'm getting a lot of reps in left, because
04:17I haven't played there since May of 2024.
04:20And then Wyatt's, you know, obviously probably got a little bit more experience doing both
04:24back and forth, just because he played center a lot last year and left.
04:27So yeah, I think that either one of us are comfortable in both spots, and whatever keeps
04:31us on the field is going to be ideal.
04:32What are the, and I want to get back to that, but what are the logistical differences for
04:36you personally, just playing left field versus center field?
04:39Yeah, I mean, I think at the end of the day, I mean, the reads off the bat are a
04:42little
04:42bit different.
04:43The decision making's quicker in left.
04:46A lot more hooked line drives from, you know, pull side guys.
04:49You're kind of just playing more towards the line a lot of the time, but you don't necessarily
04:54cover as much ground.
04:55It's one of those things that, you know, a low percentage catch in left field might
04:58be something where you only take a few steps versus in center field, a low percentage
05:02catch is I just made a 40 yard run in the gap and caught a ball.
05:05So it's just different.
05:05You know, you, the, the workload in center is definitely a lot bigger just because you
05:09run so much more, you've got both gaps and all that.
05:12Would it be just a bigger scale at all of like some of the challenges of third base versus
05:16shortstop then when you were talking about the quick reaction time in left field?
05:20Yeah, you don't, you know, I personally think left field's the harder position to play just
05:24because the reads are so much more difficult, but that could just be biased for me not playing
05:28it as much.
05:29Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:30Does the ball hook a little differently?
05:32A lot, yeah.
05:32Yeah, everything in center is pretty straightforward unless there's like a knuckleball that is
05:36like, uh, do I need to go for it?
05:37It's playback.
05:38That's really the hardest read you get in center.
05:39But in left, it's like, all right, this dude just snapped, hooked one, 110 of me.
05:43Like, can I go for it?
05:44If I go for it, am I missing?
05:45I'm the only one over here.
05:46Like, it's, it's a little bit more difficult.
05:48Um, yeah.
05:49What's that split second feeling when you do go for it and you realize, uh-oh, I have
05:53Yeah, you better turn into a goalie really quick and you better try and body it up, yeah.
05:57Now, you talk about it and it's something Skip said when we talked with him on Monday, is
06:01whatever it takes to get the guys able to play 162.
06:05Is that, I mean, I'm sure you go into every season thinking, let's play 162, but how important
06:10is that position versatility to be able to keep you out on the field wherever?
06:14Yeah, I think at the end of the day, you know, actually playing 162 versus being available
06:19for 162 is two different things.
06:21You know, I, I think for me and the type of player I am right now, it might be unrealistic
06:25to say I'm going to play 162 games this year, but, um, you know, maybe I want to stay off
06:30the aisle and be available for 162.
06:32That's a different story.
06:33Um, and that's kind of my goal this year.
06:35And I, you know, if they feel strongly that, you know, playing left and center, you know,
06:39back and forth is going to be beneficial for both of us.
06:41I mean, obviously I've had way more injuries than why it has, but at the same time, he's
06:45had some stuff too.
06:46So, um, keeping him on the field and then obviously, you know, me trying to keep myself healthy
06:51as well.
06:51If that is a solution that we find, then we're all for it.
06:54Robbing one off the wall or head first dive to steal something, what could be a double
06:59or triple, which one do you prefer?
07:01Which one gives you the most juice?
07:02I think robbing a ball is definitely the most juice.
07:05Diving plays are, you know, a lot more common, I feel like.
07:08And, um, I don't know, I feel like that's not nearly as cool as trying to climb a wall
07:12and catching one.
07:13Yeah.
07:13My co-host during the world series did criticize you a lot.
07:16Okay.
07:17That, not true.
07:18You jumped to her.
07:18We've actually had a talk about this.
07:20Do you still hold that against him?
07:21Yeah.
07:22Or you told me, you told me at the time you were learning the park, it was, you made an
07:27amazing catch against the wall.
07:28And I go, I don't know if he needed to jump.
07:30Oh, I jumped way too early.
07:31Yeah.
07:32I wasn't even at the wall.
07:33Yeah.
07:33Yeah.
07:34I remember that.
07:35Definitely not mass criticism.
07:36It was a great catch.
07:38I don't know if he needed that jump right there.
07:40Okay.
07:40Because he was already in great position.
07:42Nice work.
07:42Now, you talked about availability versus actually playing the 162.
07:46Do you have an internal goal?
07:48Are you thinking like, man, I really think I can play 130?
07:50Or is that a thing that you think of?
07:53No.
07:53At the end of the day, you know, I mean, I don't know how the lineup shakes out.
07:57I mean, I'm not going to sit here and say that I am going to be in the lineup every
08:00single day.
08:01I mean, I don't know what that's going to look like.
08:02But all I can control is being available.
08:06So if I'm available and, you know, doing everything I can do to perform on the field, then however
08:11many games I get in there, you know, I can't really put like a number of this is how many
08:15I want to be.
08:16Yeah.
08:16Yeah.
08:16How do you feel like you've advanced in terms of, I know, might not be your favorite question,
08:20but it gets left-handed pitchers.
08:22Yeah.
08:22I mean, I feel like the spring's been really, really good.
08:25You know, I've hit actually the hardest ball I've ever hit off a lefty or off of any pitcher
08:31for that matter, off of a lefty this spring.
08:33So that was pretty cool.
08:34What was the exit Vila?
08:35Do you know?
08:36Like 164.
08:37Yeah.
08:37Yeah.
08:38I think it was 111.
08:41Wow.
08:41Okay.
08:41So I was an out, so who cares?
08:43But at the end of the day, you know, that's going to be one of those things, a Twitter
08:46guy's like, he still got out.
08:47Like, well, that is what it is.
08:49Yeah.
08:49Yeah.
08:50But no, I feel like my at-bats have been very competitive against that.
08:54That's all I can control at the end of the day.
08:55The competitive at-bats, like, I think that's, it's fun for a guy like me.
08:59I love watching the way you stand there and you'll be like, it's not my pitch.
09:03It says, I'm, the strike zone's not big enough for me yet on whatever count you're at
09:07and the way you do that.
09:08Is it difficult to be that patient?
09:10And do you realize how much you're frustrating the dude on the mound?
09:14Um, no, I mean, I think that at the end of the day, it's one of those things that it's
09:18kind of a fine line of being patient, but then also when they give you a pitch to hit,
09:22you better be ready to go.
09:23And so that's that, that line that you're always kind of trying to balance between of
09:28like, you know, I don't want to chase and I don't want to swing at the bull crap, but
09:31at the same time, if you put something down the middle, I better be ready to go and punish
09:35those.
09:35And, you know, that's how people like, you know, you know, Soto or Seager, whoever walks so
09:40much is because whenever they come in the zone, it's getting punished.
09:42So they get scared out of the zone and then they don't chase.
09:44So, you know, that's a good combination to have right there.
09:46Did you ever get feedback from umps when you would do the kind of look back at them?
09:51Like that was a strike.
09:52No, I actually have gotten told by several of my teammates that I need to not do that.
09:56Um, especially like the shaking my head and stuff.
09:59And I'm not even shaking my head, the umpires, it's more of like self-affirmation for me of
10:03like, nah, that's a ball.
10:04And I'm just telling myself that, but then umpires take it of like, what are you just
10:08telling me that I'm not doing it?
10:10And they're sassy.
10:11Yeah.
10:11I, I don't even, most of the time I don't even realize the umpires are there.
10:15I'm just kind of doing my own thing.
10:16So it is what it is.
10:17How important is that?
10:18Because we talked with Josh Smith again yesterday about it and he talked about, I know people
10:22think it's the physical part, but it's the mental part of getting through the season.
10:26How huge is the mental part on an at-bat basis and on a whole, whole picture basis?
10:32Yeah.
10:32I mean, I think, you know, having confidence for a full season is definitely a skill set
10:38for people that is important to have.
10:40I mean, I know there's a lot of guys in here when you feel like you're confident going up
10:43into the at-bat, you're already in advantage versus if you're not confident going
10:47up there.
10:48You know, the rollercoaster of a season, you know, you can't play good every single day
10:52or else you're going to be a Hall of Famer.
10:53So, I mean, at the end of the day, that's not a lot of us in here, but it's just,
10:57it
10:58is, it's really hard.
10:59I mean, I feel like even physically sometimes if I'm not feeling the best, it's a mental
11:02battle of like, how do I get past this and how do I still perform?
11:05Because at the end of the day, nobody really cares if you feel good or not.
11:07You just got to go out there and perform.
11:09So how do you get past it or what has been the formula so far?
11:12Yeah.
11:12Just a lot of positive self-talk.
11:14I try to, and that's, you know, the stuff that you see me
11:17if they're shaking my head, like I'm just kind of always trying to have an internal
11:19conversation with myself and a lot of positive self-talk.
11:23And, you know, I feel like you can talk yourself into believing a lot of stuff, whether it's
11:27true or not.
11:27So I'm trying to go down that route.
11:29I like that because we've got so much mental health on our show and like we're always kind
11:33of trying to chip in and see, you know, how other people approach it.
11:36I like that take on it.
11:37Yeah.
11:37I mean, I think it goes both ways.
11:38I think that, you know, if you hear a lot of negativity around you too or read it or whatever,
11:43that creeps in very quickly as well.
11:45So that's been my big thing with lefties is having a whole lot of voices around me telling
11:50me how crappy I am at it versus me trying to do the opposite and tell myself that I am,
11:54you know, it's, it's always a constant battle.
11:56Do you ever find your way like seeking out or getting the feedback from people who are
11:59like, man, I want you to be awesome.
12:01Like, I know it's not, you talked about the one 11, but it was an out.
12:05Those people who are supportive, those Rangers fans who are like, no, man, you got it.
12:08Like next at bat, we got it.
12:10We got it.
12:10Yeah.
12:11I think, I think as a baseball player, I think if you're trying to find confidence and support
12:16from anybody, but your own self, that it's really hard to rely on that because nobody's
12:22ever going to be as consistent in that positivity as you can for yourself or maybe, you know,
12:26like with exactly like at the end of the day, I don't have somebody up there every at bat
12:30telling me like, you're going to do great.
12:31You're going to do good.
12:32Like it is, you know, it's, that's just not going to be there.
12:35I mean, you're not going to find it from outside noise.
12:37You got to be able to find it for yourself.
12:38Have you taken the time for yourself to enjoy the victories when you get them, whether
12:42they're personal, team or whatever?
12:44I'm trying to get better at that.
12:46You know, I'm, aren't we all, right?
12:48Me too.
12:49Yeah.
12:49Yeah.
12:49I'm pretty at fault of even when things do go good, I could have done this better and
12:53that better.
12:54So trying to find the small victories is definitely an important thing.
12:57Okay.
Comments