00:00Nice. Another person we have here, Vice President and Assistant GM of your Cleveland Guardians,
00:04Matt Foreman, joins us right now on the Make It Right Call Kyle Wright Hotline.
00:08Matt, good morning to you.
00:10Good morning, guys. Happy opening day.
00:12Doing well. Happy opening day to you.
00:15First question, when's Travis Bazzana coming up?
00:19Jeez, Ken, right after him.
00:20I told everybody I was going to get right to it. I had to ask it. I can't just lie
00:23to everybody.
00:24I had to ask them. Go ahead there.
00:26Well, I was going to say, I'm thrilled to see the blue seats at the ballpark filled today.
00:30And, yeah, we don't put timetables on players. We certainly haven't put a timetable on Travis.
00:39My hope and expectation is that at some point in the 2026 season, he'll be impacting our big league team.
00:46You know, we always tell players that there's some things they can control and some things they can't.
00:50They can't control, you know, whether or when there's an opportunity in the big leagues,
00:53but they can control their preparation for a potential opportunity whenever it presents itself.
00:59And one thing I know about Travis is that he's doing just that.
01:01He's working his tail off to keep getting better every day.
01:05Matt, obviously, you are on top of all the trends in baseball.
01:08It does seem like there's been a sea change over the last decade, really five years,
01:12where more of these young dudes are getting called up earlier and earlier.
01:17How do you think that is?
01:19How has that been the case that for my entire life, we've just determined that the young kids are not
01:24ready for baseball
01:25until like five years after they're drafted?
01:27And now more and more, you're seeing teams a little bit more enthusiastic about bringing these guys up.
01:35Yeah, I think you're probably right.
01:36Over time, I think we've seen the game trend younger and younger.
01:40More overall contribution is coming from younger guys.
01:43And what's contributing to that, I'm not sure.
01:46There's certainly some systematic things.
01:49And maybe one of those things is just the development of players is happening sooner and quicker.
01:55College programs are better than they've ever been before.
01:58Showcase events for high school players are probably more popular than they've ever been before.
02:02And I think those things are probably contributing to players developing at a faster rate
02:07than they have over the course of time.
02:10Matt Foreman joining us, assistant general manager of the Cleveland Guardians as well as vice president.
02:15Chase DeLotter, what have you thought of his start?
02:18Oh, it's been a ton of fun to watch, hasn't it?
02:21You know, he's a guy who we asked to debut in the postseason, one of six guys in the history
02:29that came to do that.
02:31Had some awesome contributions in the postseason last year, and it's certainly been fun to see the early impact he's
02:38made.
02:39I mean, the ball that he hit the opposite way in Seattle at night with the wind blowing in
02:43off of one of the best closers in the game, pretty impressive.
02:47He's a dynamic, well-rounded player, can contribute both offensively and defensively,
02:53and certainly he has the chance to change the game with one swing at a bat.
02:58When you have a guy who's that young and hits for that much power,
03:02and, you know, we're always looking for more power in this lineup.
03:06We've been trying to do it since Travis Hafner, really.
03:08What are some of the things that are important to you when you decide to make the call-up in
03:13the postseason form,
03:15and then with maybe the thought that he's going to start the next year on opening day for you guys?
03:21Yeah, well, I think on the offensive side, we really look at the quality of the at-bat that a
03:27hitter has.
03:28What type of swing decisions are they making?
03:30Are they swinging at strikes?
03:30Are they taking balls?
03:32Are they scaring the pitcher out of the zone?
03:34And when they have a chance to do damage, are they taking advantage of those opportunities?
03:38And certainly Chase has had that profile throughout his time in our organization.
03:44He's missed some time, but he's been a resilient guy.
03:47When he's been challenged, missed time due to injury,
03:51or drops a ball in a postseason game on the biggest stage,
03:54comes back the next inning and throws a runner out at third base in that situation and has a big
04:01hit.
04:03So I think we've seen his maturity over the course of time.
04:07He's developed really good routines in the weight room, in the training room,
04:12and on the mental side so that he's prepared every day.
04:16I think his goal for this season is to be available as much as possible over the balance of the
04:21season.
04:21Well, it didn't go unnoticed that he's been available every game,
04:25even after he fouled that one off in some capacity,
04:28whether he was in the lineup de-aging or came in as a pinch hitter.
04:32So with that said, is that something that comes down from the organization,
04:36or is that a gut thing for the manager to be able to go through the season,
04:42especially early part of the season, and let a youngster play that much?
04:47Yeah, it's a collaborative effort with Chase, our training staff, our strength staff,
04:53our coaching staff, including our manager, Stephen Vogt, our front office.
04:57We're all working together on this.
04:59And as I mentioned, Chase has a big voice in that.
05:02He's worked his tail off to develop routines so that he can be available as much as possible.
05:09And we're certainly monitoring him closely to make sure that he's strong, physically prepared.
05:17And we'll have to be thoughtful over the course of the season.
05:19I don't know that he's a guy who's going to play 162 games, but not many are.
05:25And the goal, like I said, is to have him available as much as possible.
05:27And he's certainly focused on that.
05:29And to this point in the season, he's done a great job.
05:32We are talking to Matt Foreman of the Guardians right now on the hotline.
05:36So I love talking about these young starting pitchers and to see what they were able to accomplish.
05:43Also, out of the bullpen as well, against that lineup with the Dodgers.
05:48Is that something that can galvanize the team very early in the season?
05:53I definitely think so.
05:54I mean, we saw it last September, right?
05:56We transitioned to a six-man rotation in September at arguably the best...
06:02You know, pitching staff contribution down the stretch, leading to overcoming a 10-and-a-half game.
06:10You know, trailing by 10-and-a-half games to Detroit in September last year.
06:14That group's certainly gotten off to a great start this season as well.
06:19I think the other night in...
06:21Monday night in L.A., it was Austin Hedges celebrating 10 years of service in the major leagues.
06:27And it looked like Parker Messick had been a 10-year vet in that start.
06:30Kind of impressive what he was able to do.
06:33And then a couple nights later, Davin Williams certainly pitched very capably as well.
06:39I think with this group, you've seen at times, they can build off of each other.
06:44You know, they're a really tight-knit group.
06:45They love watching each other's bullpens.
06:47They love participating in each other's throwing programs.
06:51And, you know, hopefully we'll keep stacking good start after good start,
06:54because that really can be a galvanizing force for the group.
06:58Matt Foreman joining us here from the Cleveland Guardians, assistant general manager and vice president.
07:03We've seen Stephen Kwan bounce around the outfield a little bit,
07:06making room for some other people to come up with all those other things.
07:10Have you guys kept an open dialogue with Stephen about possible extensions?
07:16Yeah, I'd probably be wise to not comment on any player specifically with respect to an extension.
07:24But, you know, we certainly love having Stephen as part of the organization.
07:28You know, four-time gold glove winner.
07:31I think he's one of three players to start his career with four gold gloves in a row.
07:36So, you know, he's played both left field and center field to start the season.
07:42And it speaks a lot to who he is as a teammate.
07:45You know, he mentioned interest in the possibility of playing center field in spring training to us
07:51as a way to help the team.
07:53And that says a lot about who he is.
07:55And certainly, you know, offensively, he's a wizard with the bat in his hand.
08:02He's got great contact skills.
08:04He controls the strike zone really well.
08:06And he's a presence at the top of the lineup every day.
08:09We know that Stephen Kwan's hitting leadoff for us and playing somewhere in the outfield.
08:14So thrilled to have Stephen a part of the organization
08:18and excited for him to have another great season.
08:21Really? That was his idea?
08:23He came to you guys to play center field?
08:25He did.
08:26Yeah, he did.
08:27He approached us with the idea of playing center.
08:29He said, you know, I know this is a place in the field that we've been trying to resolve.
08:36For the last couple years.
08:37And he said, I know we have some young guys who have great bats.
08:44And in order to improve the overall dynamic, if it helps the team, I'm willing to do it.
08:50And again, I think that speaks to his selflessness and his motivations to be a great teammate
08:55and do whatever it takes to help out.
08:57So far, you were always putting the closers under the microscope.
09:03Cade Smith, you know, taking over this role.
09:06You know, you try to have a big leash for these guys at the early start of the season.
09:11And then he has a good pitch that gets belted out by Freddie Freeman.
09:14And you just tip your cap.
09:16So how do you guard against not overreacting to things that happen in April, especially for a closer?
09:24Yeah, good question.
09:25I think by nature, it's my job to have a level of concern about anything and everything.
09:33And in this case, I'm not particularly concerned about Cade.
09:38You know, he's the most, one of the most, if not the most diligent workers I've ever been around.
09:44He prepares himself exceptionally well.
09:48He had a great offseason, a great spring training.
09:51And, you know, when you make a good pitch to a potential Hall of Fame hitter, you kind of,
09:58and it goes over the fence, you kind of tip your cap to him.
10:01But, you know, Cade has pitched super effectively over the last several years.
10:07One of the best, you know, what he does in the game.
10:11And know that he's going to be a big part of what we're doing this season.
10:13So Jose got a hold of one last time out, and he's just been incredible for this city,
10:21for the, you know, the discounts that, me personally, I don't ask players to take hometown discounts.
10:28But when they do, and it helps the ball club, you know, you have to absolutely love that type of
10:33guy
10:33and the leadership he shows.
10:34What has it been like, you know, on this otherwise young team to have somebody like Jose day in and
10:40day out?
10:40I know we can kind of take it for granted, and you guys probably are used to it.
10:45But what is that like for some of the younger players?
10:48I think it's special.
10:51It's truly special.
10:52I mean, he's one of the very best players in the game, a perennial MVP, candidate, and all-star.
10:59And truly, he embodies everything that a professional should be.
11:05And certainly, he hits big home runs like he did the other night, and he had a two-run shot
11:10in L.A.
11:11to kind of buffer the lead.
11:14But he also, you know, busts down the line when he hits a chopper, tries to beat out an infield
11:20single.
11:22He plays gold-glove caliber defense.
11:26He runs the bases hard.
11:28I mean, this is a guy who's got, you know, almost had a 40-40 season not too long ago.
11:33He had, you know, 30 stolen bases, 30 home runs just a year ago.
11:37He plays the game the right way.
11:39And I think that sets the tone and sets the standard for the entire roster,
11:44that little things are big things, right?
11:47Yeah.
11:48And I think that goes a long way with a young group.
11:53I mean, this is a team that just a year ago, right in the wildcard series against Detroit,
11:5821 of the 26 players on our roster had made their debut with Cleveland.
12:03So it's an internally developed young group, and Jose really sets the standard for that entire roster.
12:12We're thrilled to have him.
12:13I got two quick ones for you, Matt, before I let you go.
12:15First one, what do you think ABS, what have you thought of the struggles real quick
12:19at the beginning of the season with our ball club with it?
12:23Big fan of ABS.
12:24I think it gives a chance to get the right calls in the biggest moment of the game.
12:31And I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes throughout the course of the season.
12:35As far as our approach, you know, I've seen the numbers, heard the numbers about the challenge success rate.
12:42I think it's something that we're still learning how to use.
12:45I think everybody across the league is.
12:47The one thing I will say is that success rate may not only be the way to define the impact
12:55of a decision.
12:57If you're using them in the right spots, you know, big spots, big situations,
13:01that might be as important as your overall success rate.
13:05Over time, I think that'll balance itself out.
13:08And, you know, with a bigger sample, we'll probably be more successful than we have been so far.
13:14All right.
13:15Last time we had you, you said you grew up in the Philadelphia area.
13:19You were a Philadelphia sports fan, if I'm not mistaken.
13:21That is correct, right?
13:23I'm going to take a shot in the dark.
13:25That's correct.
13:26Okay, good.
13:26Thank God.
13:27Because I've messed it up before, and I was afraid to do it again.
13:30I got one more question then.
13:33Which media is meaner, Philadelphia or Cleveland?
13:39I think I appreciate both media groups, and I don't know that I'd say either is mean.
13:47I think I've enjoyed getting to know the media in both markets, and, you know,
13:55I appreciate our local media covering the Guardians as well as they do.
13:59Very interesting.
14:00Matt, thank you very much for the time.
14:02Enjoy opening day.
14:04Thanks so much, guys.
14:05Happy opening day.
14:06Matt Foreman, Vice President and Assistant GM of the Cleveland Guardians.
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