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00:00And let's get right back into the Royals and welcome in the general manager and president of baseball operations, J
00:05.J. Pucullo.
00:06He joins us every couple of weeks here on Cody and Gold.
00:09J.J., good morning. Good to have you on the show.
00:11We were talking about where this homestand is, of course, what the road trip looked like when you have that
00:16kind of swing here on the last couple of weeks.
00:19Do the I guess the conversations within the organization change at all, whether it be with players, with with Q,
00:25with ownership?
00:25Just I guess how how different, if at all, are the daily conversations when you have the team, unfortunately, playing
00:31the way it has?
00:33Well, you want to be honest and upfront, you know, with everybody, you know, I got to look in the
00:38mirror and be honest with myself.
00:40Q and I got to have tough conversations that are real.
00:44And when you're not playing well, you know, they are a little bit more, you know, emotionally charged.
00:50I mean, there's a sense of urgency, you know, but at the same time, we got to keep perspective.
00:55We got to keep guys in the right mindset that you don't want to, you know, pull, you know, send
01:01up a flare and there's panic.
01:03You know, you can't do that because the reality is we're not even a third of the way through the
01:06season yet.
01:07But we certainly got to get things moving in the right direction.
01:10So that's the challenge.
01:12You know, it's a it's a it's a balance somehow of how do you address it without causing so much
01:17concern.
01:18But at the same time, I think the players understand themselves, you know, what we're not doing well.
01:22It's just a matter of how do we fix it and how do we keep the right mindset?
01:26And that's a winning mindset and recapture that.
01:28When it comes when it comes to guys like, you know, like the hitting struggles, if it was Cags earlier,
01:34Vinny at this time or Salvi at a different time, whatever.
01:36Right. Is there a we're thinking or overthinking it in some capacity where maybe the amount of information you guys
01:44have can be too much information.
01:45Does that make sense?
01:46And the we have a lot of data and analytics and we can use those things, but sometimes can it
01:50be too much for the player to comprehend and actually, you know, like working against you a little bit?
01:55Yeah, that's that's that's case by case.
01:58I mean, some guys can really handle a lot of information and apply it and then others really aren't able
02:04to do that.
02:05And then there's times where even if you're able to do it, let's just back off and let's just simplify
02:10things.
02:11What makes you a good hitter?
02:13Why did you get to the major leagues?
02:14What did you do well?
02:15And then when you start breaking it down that way, you might start finding some chinks in the armor and
02:20some little things that you might be able to adjust to get you back on track.
02:23And then things are moving in the right direction.
02:26But that's it's really case by case.
02:29It's there's plenty of information.
02:30There's no doubt about that.
02:32But I like to say, you know, none of this is a math equation.
02:35You know, these are real life human beings that have emotions and frustrations and, you know, have to break down
02:42and slow down the game at times.
02:44And if the wheels are spinning, then it's hard to slow those things down.
02:48So it's really case by case.
02:50And that's where you lean on our coaches and the relationships with the players.
02:53And you try to point them in the right direction and keep them calm.
02:56One game's over.
02:57You move on to the next game.
02:59Whether you go 3-4-4 or 0-4-4, that's done.
03:01You can't do anything about it.
03:02Let's move on to the next game.
03:04And it's the same thing with the pitching.
03:05You know, I thought recently, you know, with Noah Cameron, I thought he did a really good job.
03:10He went through a little bit of a lull, got knocked down a little bit, bounced right back up, and
03:15handled that adversity really well.
03:16And I think what he did was he got very simple, throw strike one.
03:20And now I can do other things.
03:21So it's just unfortunately not always that easy to make the correction that quickly.
03:27When you look at, I guess, where those guys are.
03:29So Salvi's got a hit in two straight and three of the last five.
03:31Vinny's got a hit in four straight.
03:32Are you comfortable thinking that those guys are coming around offensively?
03:37Or do you guys, because you're talking about, hey, you've got to have honest conversations,
03:40are you guys still looking at possible lineup changes in order to jumpstart the rest of the offense?
03:45Yeah, I mean, we talk about it all the time.
03:47I mean, that's nonstop.
03:49That's a daily conversation.
03:50But in the end, what we do know, track record has told us that Vinny is a certain type of
03:56hitter and Salvi's a certain type of hitter.
03:58So we can choose to believe that or we can choose to go in another direction.
04:02What I think we've seen with Salvi, and Salvi's the best, it's like really understanding his ups and downs.
04:08He just does not get emotionally charged up or down too much.
04:12He just understands the game.
04:15So there's a lot of faith that he's going to figure things out because he knows sort of the type
04:20of hitter he is.
04:21There's a boom and bust effect to him.
04:23With Vinny, it's the first time he's really extended struggles.
04:26But what we've seen over the last three or four days is Vinny just simplifying his approach.
04:30He's using the off-gap a lot more.
04:32He's taking the singles.
04:34When he gets the ball in, you know, he hit a ball really good.
04:37A game he lost against Seattle, just on the nose, right, at the right fielder.
04:41But that was a product of his other at-bats because he was staying behind the ball.
04:45And he hit a ball down the third baseline.
04:47He walked earlier in that game.
04:48They're good signs.
04:50That's why Vinny has had the success he's had in the major leagues.
04:53And that's why he'll continue to have the success that he's had in the major leagues.
04:57So, lineup changes.
04:59Maybe it ignites things.
05:00Maybe it doesn't.
05:01But the reality is we know those two guys need to be a big part of our offense, regardless of
05:06where they hit in the lineup.
05:07Todd, J.J. Bacolo here on 96.5.
05:10The fan, you mentioned the history of some of these guys and knowing what they have been as big leaguers.
05:15We're not a third of the way through the season yet, but is there a certain point in time where
05:19you do have to say, okay, we know what the history has been, but maybe the results here in present
05:23day are not there.
05:25I mean, is there a certain point where you, and I don't know, I'm not asking you for an exact
05:28date or anything, but just is there a point, though, where you have to do look at that and say,
05:32you know what?
05:33All right, the history is this, but that's not what we're seeing out there.
05:37So, is there a point?
05:39Potentially, yes.
05:40But, you know, one of my favorite sayings is when emotion walks in, logic walks out.
05:45So, when you think about things rationally and logically, and then you come to the conclusion that this is what's
05:51best, you know, for the player, which in turn is best for the team, that's when you make a change
05:56like that.
05:57But we are not there.
05:59And the other part of this is if you have somebody that's pushing the envelope, that's really driving to be
06:04your three-hole hitter, four-hole hitter, that's a different discussion as well.
06:08But right now, we don't feel like we've had somebody that's really showing signs that they will give us a
06:14better chance in those spots than Vinny and Salvi.
06:17So, it's not just those two individuals, because now when you take any other hitters and you slide into a
06:22three-four, you're changing the dynamic of what you're asking them to do as well.
06:26So, there is a little bit of a cause and effect of this, and you've got to be careful, you
06:31know, if and when you do it.
06:32But it is something that you constantly look at and you play with and you try to figure out what's
06:37best.
06:37And right now, the way Q's running them out there, that's what we think is best.
06:42Very early in his career, still a very young player in Jack Caglione.
06:45I remember when you were underdating Moore in the previous regime, you guys had talked a lot about, or just
06:51as an organization had talked a lot about,
06:53hey, we want Alcides Escobar hitting in this spot, because when we need him in that spot, we want him
06:58to be ready.
06:59How do you balance that with a young player like Cags, even against a lefty, knowing that he is a
07:04big part of your future plan?
07:05And how do you choose, or how do you decide down the road, hey, they need some of these at
07:10-bats now for when we really need him to take these at-bats?
07:14Excuse me, I think there's a lot of things going to that.
07:18I mean, first of all, is what are the expectations of the team?
07:21Is the team expected to win right now?
07:24If it is a team that's expected to win right now, then you're going to handle certain players a certain
07:29way.
07:30If it's a team that's not expected to win right now, and you're in that rebuild mode, you know, we're
07:36playing for the future, then you take a totally different tack.
07:40But the most simple way I can put it is, you know, we've got a group of guys right now
07:45that we think we can compete at the top of our division.
07:48We're not off to a good start, and we understand that, but we still feel like we have the talent
07:52to compete in our division.
07:53So there is an obligation, in my mind, not only, you know, to our fans, but to our team and
07:59our individual players on this team to do what's right for the team.
08:03And that may have different effects on different players.
08:06At the end of the year, you know, I hope we can sit here and say Carter and Kag's got
08:11a lot of at-bats against left-handed hitters.
08:13But when you're expecting to win, production comes into play.
08:16You know, so what we've tried to do right now is balance it out.
08:21We've given some opportunities for them to play against left-handed pitchers.
08:25We've given opportunities to let them hit against a left-handed reliever.
08:29And with those experiences, the production should get better.
08:33And when the production gets better, that's when you don't have these conversations as much.
08:38But right now, when you guys can go down and break down the numbers, you'll see what they tell you.
08:44You know, so, you know, we want to have a competitive at-bat in a high-leverage situation.
08:50And if it calls for Kags to hit or Carter to hit or for Lane Thomas or Sterling Marte to
08:55hit, we've got to do what's right for the team to try to win that game.
08:58Because I know this, when we have 25,000 people here like we did yesterday, they want to go home
09:04happy.
09:04And they're not worried about who gets what at-bats.
09:07They're worried about the team winning.
09:08And that's what we're worried about.
09:09So every decision we make is to try to help the team win.
09:12JJ, we got bad news yesterday on the Cole Reagans' front.
09:15Q said that he had a setback after one of his throwing sessions.
09:19Is there optimism that it could be a short setback?
09:22Or how far back does, I guess, his setback Cole Reagans' return?
09:26Yeah, you know, so we'll see how he feels today.
09:29We do have a good feeling that this is in very minor.
09:33And he'll throw a side here in the next couple days.
09:36And then he'll go out and make another rehab assignment.
09:39You know, the good news was when he was pitching, he felt great.
09:42You know, there was nothing.
09:43And he actually threw the ball very well.
09:45We were contemplating, does he make a start in Texas?
09:48Or do we give him another rehab start?
09:50Unfortunately, you know, he woke up with some soreness.
09:53You know, and at this point of the season, we're not going to push through that.
09:56We've got to get this resolved.
09:57So we'll see what these next couple days brings as far as recovery and how he's feeling,
10:01how he feels after a side session.
10:04And I think it's pretty safe to say he'll need to make another rehab start.
10:07So we have the confidence that he is 100%.
10:10So, you know, leaving the ballpark last night, it seemed like a small setback.
10:15But I think the next couple days will tell us a little bit more, if there's more concern or not.
10:20On the pitching front, staying with that, Stephen Kolick had you guys' best outing from a Royals pitcher in quite
10:25some time.
10:26You know, he wasn't someone that anybody was really talking about around opening day, of course.
10:29What have you seen from him?
10:30And how do you guys, as an organization, feel about Stephen Kolick moving forward?
10:34Yeah, he pitched phenomenally.
10:36And he's done it a couple times now.
10:38And he did it, you know, for a full month last year.
10:40I think what's kind of neat about Stephen, and this is something that we could talk for hours about,
10:46you know, our game has changed quite a bit.
10:48And we value the strikeout, the swing and miss, the hard hit, all those things.
10:53But what Stephen does, he throws strikes.
10:55You know, he's not worried about striking guys out.
10:57He has the ability to strike somebody out when he really needs to,
11:01which one of his two strikeouts was a pretty big strikeout late in the game.
11:05But he pitches the contact.
11:07He's effective.
11:08He gets off barrels.
11:09It's actually kind of refreshing to watch a guy like that pitch.
11:12And it's actually similar to Waka, similar to Lugo.
11:15You know, I think they're the type of guys that have long, successful careers
11:19because they're efficient and they give you six or seven innings and outing.
11:23But he's picked this up quite a bit.
11:26And I know going into the year, we felt really good about our pitching depth.
11:30We've taken a couple hits with some injuries.
11:33We've had to put Avila in the bullpen.
11:35So, you know, things haven't gone as planned.
11:36But when a guy like Stephen steps up and does what he's done, it brings a lot of comfort.
11:41And, you know, it allows us, quite honestly, to handle, you know,
11:45Cole Reagan's the right way and handle Chris Bubich the right way
11:48because we have somebody that's reliable to take the ball every fifth day.
11:52JJ, I saw Dave Dombrowski.
11:53He was talking about hard-hitting right-handed outfielders just as it relates to it
11:57because that was something that came up a lot in conversations,
12:00especially because you guys have a lefty-heavy lineup.
12:03Have you found, because I think the OPS is down to, like, borderline all-time lows
12:07for right-handed power-hitting outfielders.
12:10Did you find that that was a difficult thing this offseason to search for or develop?
12:14Where do you think the game's, I guess, going in that department?
12:17Yeah, well, it certainly was hard to find.
12:19I mean, there were very few options, which, you know, I think we've talked about that before.
12:24I mean, no matter what you want to go get, you know, it's got to be out there, you know,
12:28and you've got to feel good about it.
12:30So for whatever reason, I think the game goes through some ups and downs,
12:34and right now there seems to be, you know,
12:37a low in productive right-handed outfielders for some reason.
12:41I don't know how to explain it, but I remember a few years back, you know,
12:45we were talking about how there's very few power-hitting third basemen anymore,
12:49and that used to be a position that, you know,
12:51most of the third basemen were going to hit 20 to 30 homers.
12:54So for some reason, that position changed at a time.
12:56So I think there's just trends in the game that are hard to explain at times.
13:00I don't have a really good answer.
13:02I just know that, you know, you look at the supply and the demand,
13:05the supply is low and the demand is high.
13:07So when you get somebody that is a right-handed hitting power guy,
13:12it's a commodity right now, and it's a tough one to come by.
13:15Before I let you go, I do have to ask,
13:17would 16-year-old J.J. Pocolo been part of the Tarps off-section of the Coffin Stadium?
13:23Well, I think you guys know me well enough.
13:25I don't think so.
13:27You didn't have a wild child moment when you were younger, J.J.?
13:30No, I was one of those guys that when I went to a game,
13:33I wanted to be as close to home plate and watch the game
13:35and watch the pitching and the hitters.
13:37Yeah.
13:39I don't want to say I wasn't there to have fun,
13:41but I was there to really just watch the game
13:44and, you know, fortunately had a chance to watch a lot of Hall of Famers as a kid
13:48and enjoyed every moment of it as a fan.
13:51Were you keeping score as a kid?
13:53I did.
13:54Yeah, I actually kept score even in the late games.
13:59You know, the Braves were on PBS.
14:00They were in the National League West at the time,
14:04and that was one of the highlights of my night.
14:06At the end of the night, after my hometown team played,
14:09I watched the Braves play a West Coast team,
14:11and I would keep score of the games.
14:13Yeah, that's how I watched the games.
14:15J.J. Piccolo, Royals General Manager, President of Baseball Ops.
14:18Appreciate the time.
14:19Okay, guys. Thank you.
14:20There you go.
14:21J.J. Piccolo with us here on 96.5.
14:23The fan, yeah, the Tarps off-section, obviously,
14:25has taken off in the last week or so.
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