Gary Van Tol

The Blue Sox roster is taking shape, and Director of Player Development Gary Van Tol joins Andrew to explain how it’s all coming together.

Gary reflects on the Cincinnati Reds prospects who developed during their time in Sydney, the lessons learned from last season and the challenge of balancing competitiveness with player development. He also looks ahead to Jaylin Rae’s return, Cohen Wynn’s move into the starting rotation and what Australian additions Brett Iredale, Blake Cavill and Josh Beezley could bring to the team.

We also explore Sydney’s relationships with the Houston Astros, NC Dinos and Tokyo Yakult Swallows, along with the injuries, player plans and international partnerships that help to form an ABL roster behind the scenes.

Single-game tickets and memberships are on sale now. Follow the Sydney Blue Sox on social media for upcoming player announcements and all the latest news ahead of Opening Day.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:11

Welcome back to Blue Sox Insiders. We continue to hurdle toward opening day of the 26-27 Australian Baseball League season. Hard to believe that the new season is nearly already here, but such is the way of life, right? What's the saying? The days get longer, but the years get shorter as you get older. And I'm I'm definitely feeling that as I as I get older. I'm I'm embellishing a little bit. But uh with us is Gary Vansol, the Blue Sox Director of Player Development. Uh Gary, you're the busiest guy in baseball. Like it's pretty poor of me to to bring you on and and talk about how hectic my life is because you've been managing in Arizona. You're you're now back home. Um a lot of your uh duties with the Blue Sox take place late at night in the United States. So how how dare I embellish at the beginning of this episode? But it is it is good to see you. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:06

No, thanks, Andrew. It's uh great to see you again, and it means we're getting closer to the ABL season. So uh I better step it up a notch because yeah, this is a good reminder for me that um there's still a lot of work to do, but we're making some good progress and we're excited, and it'll be here before we know it. And uh yeah, there's there's no time to waste, and and we'll just keep going. But I'm I'm blessed to to be busy and not bored.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

It is is it is much better to be busy, that is true. And look, obviously, we got a lot of feedback on our chat last year at the beginning of the year, which fans really appreciated, sort of getting to understand how the roster was constructed, how things come together. So that's in essence what we want to do again, just sort of let the Blue Sox fans know what this roster makeup will look like, some of the um affiliated uh partnerships that the Blue Sox will have this year. But before we do that, I do just want to touch on what you've been doing in the Northern Hemispheric summer, and that's obviously managing in Arizona for the Cincinnati Reds organization. And there'd be a lot of names that Blue Sox fans are familiar with that you managed. I mean, namely Irvine Murillo, which unfortunately we lost him before the end of last year uh in the Sydney season because the Reds recalled him back because they basically wanted to send him into spring camp. Pablo Nunez, who I think will always be beloved amongst Blue Sox fans, uh Hansel Limenez, well um as well, another guy that you had a lot to do with uh in the Northern Hemispheric summer managing that Arizona team. Can you just give us sort of an update uh on on sort of how those guys went? I mean, I checked in on Irvine Marillo. He had 13 home runs before he got called up. Pablo obviously was having a great season before sort of being shut down with injury, but just what's kind of your read on the season that those guys had in the U.S. after spending a couple of months in Australia last year?

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Yeah, I know it was it was great. One, because this time last year, I had just finished the AAA season in Louisville. And when we made the announcement that we were going to send those three players to Sydney, I knew a little bit about them, but not a lot. And then following them during the winter and the ABL season and watching them play and getting over there on the ground to actually meet them in person for the first time and start that relationship. That that was special for me. And then fast forward, the organization asked me to manage in Arizona, where I had an opportunity to manage all three of those players on a daily basis and get to know them even better. And yeah, what a what an opportunity it was to work with those three. And uh obviously Marillo, you know, developing as a catcher in our system and a switch hitter, getting promoted after the season was over, obviously was a uh a huge reward for his efforts and his work. And and all three of these guys, um, because of their experience in the ABL and going to Sydney last season was was huge in their growth and their development. And the organization saw that, and uh we were all in and sending our young prospects to Australia during the offseason to continue to develop and play. But yeah, Pablo had a setback with an injury, and you know, it's just been really difficult for him to get back to 100%. We thought he was there, and he got called up out of Arizona to Daytona Beach, which is our uh low way affiliate in the Florida State League, but then was sent back to Arizona again to go through his rehab, and he is still there right now. We're trying to figure out what's best for him moving into uh an offseason to get him ready to come back to spring training next year at full strength. And then Hansell, you know, was with me the entire time. He had a brief setback with an injury for a few weeks and was out of action, but but came back strong and ended up having a great season for us in Arizona, performed very well in the playoff run that we had. And of course, we lost out in the championship of game three against the Colorado Rockies, and we wouldn't have been able to get there without Marillo and and Jimenez and with what they did during during the summer in Arizona, and just having that opportunity and that special connection with them, like I said, you know, setting them up and and bringing them to Sydney and seeing them on the ground there and just watching them grow and mature. It's what it's all about. And so they're uh they're all doing good. Uh Hansel's finishing instructional league right now. We're in our last week of instructional league, so he'll finish that up and then head back home to the DR. Pablo will stay uh in rehab. And then Mario uh came in for a brief stint. He's been grinding quite a bit and was in instructional league. I got to see him before I got home last week, and uh he'll get home for a well-deserved rest too during the offseason.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

It's funny, like, because we do and we will today often talk about the Australian Baseball League as a league to help young Australians hone their craft and develop and and get better at doing that. Um and and and seeing players from all around the world. The development process of a young group of guys like that, of good because I mean prior to last year, largely all of their baseball was still played in the Dominican Summer League. So getting to go to Australia and sort of spread their wings in an English-speaking country, albeit you know, halfway across the world. Do you feel like that experience that they had last year? And I mean, each guy is different, but do you feel like the experience that the three of them had last year in Australia is what allowed them to springboard themselves to Arizona and be comfortable sort of being out of what would be their comfort zone playing in the Dominican Summer League as they had been previously?

SPEAKER_00 7:06

Yeah, I believe so for sure. You know, just the opportunity to be on their own, to figure things out. And of course, we had Yosh there at the beginning on staff uh as one of our coaches. And um that was huge because Yosh was big in getting them acclimated and holding them accountable and helping them grow up. And it made a big difference for them when they came back ready to start spring training and the fact that they had that experience, and then also with the success of the season in Sydney, and Sydney hosting the uh championship series against Adelaide. And, you know, obviously Marillo wasn't there because he had to come back to the U.S. for that early camp in January, which he was very disappointed in. I mean, he didn't understand the importance of the invite to go back to the U.S. because it was only a select number of players that were invited. But once he realized, wow, what the honor really meant for him to come back, um, it still gave Pablo and Hansel the opportunity to play meaningful games. And obviously, you know, the electricity of that final series and and and the fans coming out. I mean, that that's a life experience that those guys will never forget. And it was very important in their growth and development. And I think it really paid off because when they came into spring training with that same class of players that they have been competing with within our organization, I think it did give them a little bit of an edge and a confidence boost going into spring training. And I think a lot of the Latin players, you know, who do play winter ball, they it's an advantage for them. And I really encourage with all of our players in our system, if there's an opportunity for you to play meaningful games during the offseason, take advantage of it. And those guys did, and of course, I was always a little bit concerned, okay, because of their age, how are they gonna perform? How are they gonna fit in? And just talking to the they's down there that played with them and and the staff and hearing the comments, I was hoping that they were gonna be able to perform and I guess hold their own with being young players being out on their own for the first time, trying to navigate through it. And of course, we can look back at the season and we can see just yeah, how successful it was for the Blue Sox organization, for each of those players, and for the Cincinnati Reds. And um, they held their own, they performed, and I think the the fans there appreciated their effort and what they brought to the team. And it was uh again, for me personally, being a part of the Reds organization and these players representing our organization, yeah, it was uh a huge success.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

So yeah, it it's one of my favorite things about this league and developmental baseball, or I guess young baseball players in general, is seeing that light bulb moment come on for them when they realize personal experiences can enhance their professional experiences. So the ability to come down, live a life completely different to what they were used to, um, and all have good seasons in Sydney and then translate that back to their to their professional life. And again, all of them basically still kids, right? Um I think you and I can you and I can both call them kids. Um but yeah, really, really cool to see them flourish after a year in Sydney. And as you talked about, probably the best marketing tool that this league has ever had, at least from a player standpoint, is word of mouth. Because players talk. And if those guys all have a good experience when they come to Sydney or come to anywhere in the Australian Baseball League, go back and they look like a transformed human, not only a transformed baseball player, that's only a good uh advertisement for the league as far as other players are concerned, I would imagine, and the ease for somebody like you putting your Cincinnati Reds hat on to make it easier to get those guys to go to Australia because of the things they've heard and what they've seen when these guys come back.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

No, absolutely, no, for sure. And then it's funny because you know, they come back, they come to spring training, and I had a few players approach me and say, Hey, is there an opportunity maybe I could go to Australia next season during during the offseason and and play? And so it it definitely spread, and that's because they had a positive experience. And Cole came in during spring training and had a chance to sit down with all three of them and talk to them. And he brought a videographer and did some interviews and did some stories, and I would see them wearing their blue socks gear, you know, at the complex. And yeah, they uh they had a great experience and really, really enjoyed it, and that's what it's all about.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

It's awesome. I'm d definitely looking forward to sort of tracking those guys' progression uh as they do get older and and and no doubt more wiser um in the years to come. Uh look, before we talk about sort of the roster construction this year, because there have been some changes in terms of affiliation. There's going to be some new faces from an Australian standpoint, which we're excited about. What was the big takeaway for you after last year? I mean, obviously you've been in the game a long time in a lot of different roles. This was something completely different for you, trying to manage rosters across two different teams. I mean, the the Black Pearl Sports Group obviously was involved with Perth last year. That'll ramp up again this year now with the news that Black Pearl Sports Group is taking over the Adelaide Giants. But I guess trying to keep a Sydney Blue Sox lens on this question, which I get will be somewhat difficult for you, but what was a big takeaway or a big learning point for you, or maybe something that surprised you about last year in terms of the makeup of rosters of this league? Um either pleasantly or or or a challenge, but when you sort of sat down at the end of last year, what was something that that you had sort of been taken aback by, and maybe something you didn't expect?

SPEAKER_00 13:26

Yeah, that's a good question. I think probably just how much of a challenge it was to keep our rosters intact and survive the season because you don't have the luxury of a farm system and you know Sydney to Los Angeles is not a short commute. Uh the time difference, the holiday season, you know, Thanksgiving and Christmas over here. Um it was kind of it reminded me of independent baseball on steroids a little bit because if you lose a couple players to injury, which we did early in the season, uh wow, it was crazy trying to find some last minute replacements that could fill some roster spots and get Brooke through another round unscathed. And you look at last season with the start that Sydney had, what a blessing that was with the challenges that we had with the roster with a couple key guys going down. And then the second half, it was just survival mode when J-Ray got hurt and we lost him for the season. And then, you know, Marillo, we knew was going to come back to the U.S. And we had one of our catchers in our system ready to land the same day that Irvin was flying out, and his visa got lost in the abyss, and Jaime couldn't get there in time until really the last round, you know, just to get his feet wet and give us a little bit of coverage in an emergency situation. But that was probably the biggest challenge. It was great for me to finally get over there and get my feet on the ground and see it live in person, both in Sydney and Perth, and meet some people and talk to some people and just sit back and and watch the teams compete and just see the level of competition and sit there and go, wow, this thing has tremendous potential. And you start looking at just the possibilities and what the ABL can be, and you look at the history of the ABL and what I learned up until the start of last season, and what I'm continuing to learn, talking to as many people as I can all over the world who have experienced the ABL, who have heard about the ABL, who want to be a part of the ABL. And it's really an exciting time, but we're going through a transition right now. We only have four teams in the league. We need more teams. We need to figure out a way to expand and just get some stability, especially from a financial standpoint. And I think the ABL can brut can become the premier winter league option for young prospects across the globe, not only with major league organizations, but Japan, Korea, Taiwan, um, and more importantly, Australia. And I think that is very, very important as we look at where we're at now currently, not getting too far ahead of ourselves, but what is the vision? What is the long-term goals of the ABL? What makes the most sense, especially with the Olympics and the World Baseball Classic? How can we get the ABL caught up to the rest of the world with technology, data, video, the pitch clock, you know, there's just so many things that Stuart and I talk about on a daily basis, late at night for me, and also Cole. And now operating three out of the four teams just to survive another season and to stay afloat. Uh, that's that's the most important thing right now. But I'm telling you, as I talk to more and more people with professional organizations and with major league organizations and the resources that I'm blessed to have, you know, working with the Cincinnati Reds and a major league organization, uh, it's it's awesome. And talking to Baseball Australia to find out, you know, who who is the next wave, who's the future of the national team, and making sure that we don't miss anybody there in Australia. And what can we do to add resources and build resources for future baseball players in Australia to grow in the game, to open up opportunities, to come to the U.S. for college, to sign a professional contract in Asia, or to play for Team Australia in the Olympics or the next World Baseball Classic. That's a lot of really exciting conversations, but we got to pump the brakes and just stay in the moment. And right now, my priority is to finalize the rosters, not only for Sydney, but also Perth and now Adelaide. And so there's still a lot of work to do, but the possibility is really endless. But it's going to take the right people, it's going to take a village, uh, and it's going to take the right support to, I think, make this league viable again and make this league the premier winter league destination for young prospects around the world, which it's very difficult to find our young prospects an opportunity to play in the winter because they don't have the experience. And if you're going to go to the Dominican Republic, you're going to go to Mexico, you're going to go to Venezuela, Puerto Rico, those teams are looking for AAA guys, guys that have had a cup of coffee in the big leagues. Of course, the Dominican players that are playing in the big leagues can't wait to go back home and play in front of their hometown fans where they grew up. It's it's a special thing. But there's no reason why the ABL can't get to that point. It's just it's going to take some time.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

Well, the difference between the ABL and those leagues is they're not afraid to cut you in those leagues if you don't want to be able to get out of the way.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Oh, yeah. No, and you're getting paid too, so it's it's real. But yeah, you're there to win. And I think the ABL to really, in my opinion, find its niche is to be a developmental league that is going to give an experience that combines that development piece and growth. But we all know how important it is to compete and win a Claxton Shield. And we saw that firsthand last season with Sydney and Adelaide going head to head. And I watched every pitch from the US and pulled three all-nighters in a row. And it was well worth it. And what I was able to witness from afar was pretty special. Just again, having some relationships with the people on the ground there and just seeing it all unfold. And what a great series, you know. And for our players, I mean Jagger Beck, for him to have the opportunity to pitch game three, he will never ever forget that. And what he felt in that moment, especially with his heartbeat. Sometimes you don't feel that in a minor league season when you're just out grinding trying to take care of yourself to get to the next level. You miss those moments of that team, that camaraderie, and playing for a championship. And that's important, and that's an important piece of development. And we talk about that in the Reds organization all the time. All four of our lower level teams Dominican, Arizona, Daytona, and Dayton. All experience the playoffs this year. And that that's exciting for the future of our organization. And I know it really made an impact with those players in Sydney last year, even though, yeah, they were a couple, you know, timely hits away. That game one walk-off for Adelaide, I think, changed that whole series in their favor for sure. But what a great opportunity. And if we can continue that momentum, get through this next season and really stabilize this league and what Cole has been able to do from an investment standpoint and a commitment standpoint to look beyond and into the future of the value this league can have in the game of baseball worldwide. I think that says something. And I think people are starting to realize that. And there's a lot of people that are making sacrifices, especially the players, you know, taking salary cuts and trying to be financially responsible in their decisions to make sure that, you know, we're we're sustaining a strong foundation moving forward. So there isn't this roller coaster ride of teams dropping off and teams not being able to support the day-to-day operations. And then can we run it like a professional league? Going to a four-game series was important Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. So guys aren't playing doubleheaders because of the workload and treating it like a true professional type of routine, but yet they're not grinding every day and playing every day like they are back home. And they do have a little bit of an opportunity to catch their breath and experience the Australian way and what Australia has to offer in terms of, you know, the culture there and the people. And yeah, I can't wait to go back this season uh and to see some more people and meet some more people. And I know all of our partners that we've been able to partner with, with major league organizations, with organizations out of Japan, Korea, and even talks that we've had with uh teams in the CPBL have all been encouraging. And again, more importantly, the Australian players that we've been able to sign and give opportunities to this season that are going to be able to continue to keep their dream alive, whether they're coming back from college and didn't get drafted, and there's still an opportunity for them to make the national team here in the future or to sign a contract with a team in Asia. That's important. And I think the league, for this to be successful, we need to identify the top players in Australia. And the guys that are on the national team should have priority. Guys like Drew Davies, who are playing with the Cincinnati Reds and have an opportunity to come back home to Adelaide and play in front of friends and family and compete and get better. Those guys need to have a priority. And then, of course, you know, the guys like Josh Beasley and Blake Cavill coming back from very good college careers that still have some gas in the tank and still have some ceiling to reach in their development, these guys need to be a priority. And that is all part of the roster build, which it's a lot of moving parts and it keeps me going. But yeah, the more and more I talk to the players and the organizations and agents and the excitement that they have. I mean, the announcement last week that our games are going to be on MLB network, that is that is big. That is huge. And we can't miss this opportunity. With our games be on being on MLB Network and people tuning into that, there's going to be an expectation there, and we need to be ready for it, and we need to nail it. We can't miss this opportunity, and it's exciting. And just to get that chance.

SPEAKER_01 26:10

Yeah, and look, I mean, I I agree wholeheartedly with with everything that you've just said. In terms of roster construction, I mean it really is about finding a balance in terms of putting, I mean, I guess A, putting a competitive team on the field. B ensuring that that team has a group of Australians that can continue to develop in their own home league, but then C, making sure that that roster is financially viable. And that I mean that that that is basically the juggling act that you're now having to work with Black Pearl on for three of the four teams in the league. And we actually, I mean, we will have an explainer video coming out maybe a weekly in a couple of weeks' time, just talking about roster makeup and how rosters are constructed, because it is a question that we see a lot from fans who just don't understand particularly how difficult it can be to put the pieces of the puzzle together and and what timing looks like and the financials of all of it in terms of do you sign Australian players, how do you get the affiliated teams on board, filling in the gaps with those independent guys. So certainly can uh can respect how difficult of a job it is to do for one team, let alone here you are trying to do it do it for three teams. Uh but I do just uh I want to jump into the roster construction for Sydney, if we can. I mean, you you we'll we'll start with the Australian guys. Um you just mentioned a few names there, but uh I want to start with some of the returning guys. Um, probably most notably Jalen Ray. We we know how it ended for Jalen last year, and I think everybody was heartbroken for him. I know that entire team was, the fan base was for him. I mean, he was having a career year. There were calls coming in from overseas, potentially that he would get, you know, his first overseas professional contract, and then obviously went hurt. I mean, he was hitting 400 in his first 23 games before he had that left hand injury just before Christmas. What have the conversations been like with him? Because I mean I've spoken with him a couple times, and he seems locked in. He seems he seems ready to go. I think he knows that this is his chance to pick up where he left off last year prior to the injury and use this as a springboard for something bigger. I mean, obviously he's stoked to come back and play for the Blue Sox, but I think he knows that this is a catalyst season for him to be able to use this platform to springboard him to something that's next.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

Yeah, I mean he's the first guy I called. And uh obviously what happened to him last year was devastating, you know, and there was a point there where he didn't know if he was gonna ever play again. And so just going through that as a young player, yeah, it was it was difficult for sure. But how he handled it, man, I have the utmost respect for for him. And I think for him to be in the place he's in right now, just again, how he handled it, his approach, you know, he he stayed positive, he put in the work, he knew there were no guarantees, and it was gonna have to be just one step at a time to make sure that he healed up properly. He didn't push it too early. And I told him the entire time there's no rush here. Let's make sure that you're good to go. Make sure you're doing your rehab and just have patience and take take the time necessary to get yourself where you need to be. And easy for me to say, tough for him to do, especially these young players, right? Patience is not, yeah, one of their strengths. And uh, I understand that because things move fast nowadays. But, you know, he is uh so valuable to this team right now. And when I talk to him or send him messages and just the energy that he has, and he's fired up and can't wait to get going, and he'll send me video of him hitting the ball off a T when he first started to be able to swing the bat and and hit a ball off a T. And so he's he's progressed, he's made huge strides, and he's gonna be ready for the season, and we can't wait to see him out there. And it's gonna be an emotional day, game one in Perth, which I'll have the fortunate opportunity, if my schedule plays out right, to be there for that moment. And yeah, I'm gonna hug him, and there's gonna be some tears because when he got hurt, I know for sure not only him, but a lot of people said, man, I don't know if he's gonna play this game again. So just the fact that he's gonna be able to go out there and compete, we're we're excited. And knowing him, yeah, if you didn't know he got injured, you wouldn't know because he's not gonna miss a beat. And uh we're excited to to have him on board. And he was the first first guy that we reached out to to get him signed right away. So we're excited.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Yeah, we will have a chat to him on Blue Sox Insider before the season starts. So looking forward to just sort of hearing what that rehab process was like for him. And yeah, no doubt it will be certainly emotional uh once he takes the field. Um you know, obviously knocking on wood, nothing happens between now and then, but certainly looking forward to to Jalen strapping on the boots and and and hopefully he can, I mean, if he puts together half as good a season as what he was having to the halfway point last year, Blue Sox fans are are in for a treat. Uh just in terms of some of the other returnees, um, you know, guys like Cohen Wynn, Joe Stevens, Harry Fullerton, some names obviously that Blue Sox fans will know well. And it is important, as we talked about, in constructing a roster to make sure that you do have that Australian core. It's a thing that's still important to have guys that understand what it means to pull the jersey on. And those group of guys that I just mentioned certainly fall into that category.

SPEAKER_00 32:06

Right. Yeah, we're excited to have those guys back on board. And and uh yeah, they were one game away. So I know that has stayed in their taste buds uh during the off season down there, and they're looking for another opportunity to to get a shot to finish it. And it was a successful season all the way around in Sydney last year. And you look at the pitching staff that we had, that that really carried us. I knew that there were gonna be a lot of changes with the staff. And uh looking at the current staff right now with the guys that we have signed, you know, I'm I'm excited how it's all come together. And of course, Cohen Wynn is the centerpiece of the pitching staff, and he's gonna get an opportunity to start this season. And we talked about a number of different roles and which role would best serve him and also the ball club. And we're gonna give him a chance to be a starter, which last year he he came out of the pen just because of how that staff was built. And he was very, very valuable. But I think giving him a chance to start and being our our number one guy uh with his experience, yeah, is is gonna be huge. And he's gonna be the leader of that pitching staff, and we're we're excited to give him the ball and and let him do what he does and set the tone. So he uh he will be huge as a returner and experienced player and national team guy to uh to really solidify that pitching staff. And then, you know, as you mentioned, uh Joe Stevens and Harry Fullerton coming back, again, having that experience, you you can't put a price tag on experience, in my opinion. And they're a year older and a year wiser, and and we're expecting them to contribute even more so. And then with the new players that we've signed and brought on board, you know, as I mentioned, Blake Cavill and Josh Beasley, two uh two hometown guys coming home. It's been a long time since they've been home because uh they were pursuing their dreams in the U.S. in college and had very successful college careers. Unfortunately, they didn't get drafted or signed by a major league organization, but there's still a chance that something can happen. And they're hungry and they're fired up to be coming back home, and we're really excited to see them in a Blue Sox uniform and uh go out there and compete and help us win a championship in in Sydney. And then one of the probably latest additions to the roster is Brett Iredale, um, which, you know, a huge, huge sign for us. It just became official the other day when we got his contract back from his agent. But, you know, for those people back home that know Brent and his story and his journey and playing at Arkansas and getting drafted by the Pirates, we tried to sign him last year, but with it being his first year in professional baseball, the Pirates wanted him to just, yeah, pause things and shut things down and have some time to recover and get ready to come into his first spring training, which I totally respect and understand, working for, you know, the Reds. And I would have probably done the same thing. But this year, yeah, he was eager to come back home and play. And so we talked a few different times, and I reached out to the organization to get their blessing. They gave it to us, and we were able to uh get Brent signed up on the dotted line, and uh he he couldn't be more excited. He had a great first professional full season. He did have some adversity, some ups and downs with some injuries, but finished the season strong, got called up, experienced the playoffs in the Pirates organization. So, yeah, he's gonna be ready to go and uh yeah, all cylinders firing, and he's gonna be a huge addition to the ball club.

SPEAKER_01 36:19

Those three names that you mentioned there, in terms of Beasley, Cabill, and Brett Iredale. Um I can't remember a Blue Sox team that has had three guys coming back from college that have the potential to make as big an impact as those three guys have this year. And I mean, you spoke about Jagger Beck getting the opportunity to play in big games while he was in Australia as a youngster. You talk about guys that have played in big games in their college career. I mean, Beasley was a game away at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, of going to a college World Series. Blake Cabill played in the College World Series. Brent Iredale played in the college world series. So not only are those guys coming back from college, and I mean, uh obviously Iredale, a year removed from college, um, and having played in the minor league system with the Pirates and had a great season, but those aren't just three guys that are coming back to play from the Blue Sox because they have New South Wales roots. These are legitimate bona fide potential stars of the ABL that have a chance to, I mean, especially when you talk about Cavill and Iredale, really for the first time since I can remember, inject actual power in the middle of the lineup coming from Australian players. And for me, that that's maybe one of the we'll talk about some of the affiliated guys in just a second that that will come on. But for me, that's maybe one of the most exciting aspects of the way that you've been able to put this roster together is that not only do you got some thump in the middle of the order now, but they're Australian guys that are going to be providing it.

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Yeah. Especially in in uh Blacktown, which, you know, you got to run into one to get it out. Uh so it it's a pitcher-friendly environment. And being able to, yeah, have have some guys in that offensive lineup that are homegrown, I think is pretty cool. And uh, you know, even for J. Ray and and Joe, just being a year older and you know, what they're capable of, I think those guys are not only excited to to be together, it's calm, it's almost like getting some of the band members back together because they grew up playing and and you know, getting after it. And so it's it's kind of a cool story, really. And sometimes you got to get lucky. I mean, the Pirates had to give us their blessing for Brent to play this winter. And we even got the okay from the Red Sox to have Adam Bates on board on that pitching staff. And so we're actually gonna set him up with his own personal VLO program during the first half, and he won't be activated until the second half. But that's an arrangement that we're making with the Red Sox to get their blessing. And Adam's excited to be able to come back home and continue to develop and put himself in a better position going into spring training next year, and the opportunity that we can partner with him and the Red Sox to help us win a championship at the end of the season. We're looking forward to that opportunity as well. But that is a unique situation. And here are two Australian players that are with Major League organizations that we still have to execute their player plans through their organizations. And that is part of my role and responsibility as well once the season starts. Because, yeah, those organizations have high expectations for those guys. And we want to respect that and we want to do everything that we can to follow the process that we need to to make sure that we're doing everything that we can to continue to help those guys uh with their future and not put them at risk just to win a ball game. So it's very similar to what they experience in affiliated baseball, and we'll do that for all of our import players. And we have to be on the same page with our organizations because they're making a huge investment in sending their players to the ABL. And um, it's uh it's just one of those balancing acts that that come with the territory. And, you know, I have that experience and you know, I know how it works, and I I totally respect the process that each organization has. But also that's what makes it also a great and unique experience for maybe some of the guys like Kyle Golgoski getting another opportunity to put on a uniform in Blacktown. And he was with the Reds organization and had a professional career, and now he's, you know, trying to find his place. And does he have any other opportunities left? And can we help him open up another door? I don't know, but he definitely has the experience. And having a veteran guy like that uh to kind of piggyback with Cohen is gonna be huge. So we're really excited to have a veteran guy kind of come out of nowhere and you know, resurface. And I was able to reconnect. And he's he's fired up. He can't wait to to get going. And I have a little bit of a history with him because he was with the Reds organization, and um it's gonna be something I think that is is a cool story as well. And so um, yeah, we're we're excited to to get some of these guys going and on the roster and getting a chance for them to play with each other. And yeah, we're really excited.

SPEAKER_01 42:09

Well, and I mean that that there is sort of a microcosm of what we spoke about at the beginning of the episode and and and why these international affiliations are so important, not only from an international player standpoint, but from an Australian player standpoint, right? Because you're forging those relationships which allow the Australian guys potentially to come home, and the organizations are familiar with the league and familiar with the teams and feel comfortable allowing the Australian guys to play, but then also guys like Kyle Glagoski is because of former international relationships, has found himself back in Sydney with a chance maybe to springboard his career back into international baseball. So you you did a you're good at this, guys. You're you're you're you're you're very good at tying a bow on things. It's supposed to be my job, but you're doing it for me. So um, really enjoying uh really enjoying this catch up. I do want to have a look now at the international guys because we obviously started the episode speaking about uh the Cincinnati Reds guys that came last year. And look, there were guys from different organizations. Anthony Quazo was here from Houston, Eric Radichek was here from the Marlins organization. This year we've changed tact a little bit. Houston are still involved, but Houston look like they will be, in essence, the only major league organization that'll send teams for the Blue Sox. Can you just sort of give us some intel as to what the shift was there away from Cincinnati? I guess maybe the Reds players are being sent elsewhere in the ABL this year, and and how you settled on Houston becoming the main major league affiliate for the Blue Sox this season.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Yeah, there's been a lot of moving parts. There was that one point, all the import players, and of course, for those that don't know, when I put the roster together, I have to have a minimum of 12 Australians on the roster. We can only sign. 11 imports, and only two out of those 11 imports can be independent players. So one of the first things that I have to do is reach out to organizations to find out if they have any interest in sending players. And it's so early for them, it's almost like making a dinner reservation at your favorite restaurant, but you have to make a reservation six months in advance. And some of the places that I ate when I came to Australia last year were outstanding. And I'm going to go back and I'm going to make some reservations to make sure I get a table, but that's what it reminded me of. And so there was one time that all 11 import players in Sydney were going to come from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. So that's kind of where it started. And then it just evolves. And so it's just constant communication with all those organizations that see the value in sending their top prospects to the ABL and working with them on okay, what positions are you looking to send? And pitching is the X factor, but most organizations want to send position players, and I understand that. So it just, you know, it's one day at a time. And then it just kind of evolved. And then we had Houston on board. We decided to pivot and move some of our players from Cincinnati to Perth to give them an experience to be in there. But the players that we were looking to send, it kind of matched up better in Perth. Uh, so we had some flexibility overseeing two teams, and now Adelaide's coming into the picture. They've had a long relationship with the Phillies, the Tokyo Giants. So I've been on the phone with them to see what interest they have in sending players again. And okay, what type of player, what position? So having some flexibility to accommodate some of the organizations that want to send specific players, but I can tell them we don't have any room for those positions. But let me check. So there is the ability to move some things around as I get down to crunch time and finalize each roster. And right now I'm really two or three contracts away from finalizing the roster in Sydney, where I don't believe there's going to be any movement. Uh but again, things can happen. So, you know, one of our players that we were sending to Perth from the Reds got hurt in Instructional League. And now we're trying to decide if he's going to be available and ready to go to start the season in Perth mid-November, or if we're going to have to find a replacement for him. So, yeah, you just never know what's going to happen. You got to be prepared for any and everything. But as of right now, yes, we have the Houston Astros partnered in Sydney along with the NC Dinos and the occult swallows of uh Japan. And then we'll have a couple independent pitchers on board. We have one signed and one offer out. And um then we put the rest of the jigsaw puzzle together with what positions now become available and make sure, too, we're not missing out on any of the priority guys locally in New South Wales. And, you know, there's only so many opportunities. That's why we need to grow the league, to create more opportunities for Australian players uh first and foremost, and then continue to build new relationships and partners with major league organizations. And we've had a lot of success with the conversations over the last six months of organizations that want to be a part of this. And the Rays have had a long relationship in Perth, and they invest a lot and they send some very good, talented young players to Perth because they believe that it is going to benefit their organization as we do, and as do all the other organizations. And who knows, again, what the future looks like. Because if I can get to the point where, and I already have, I've I've told an organization that, you know, they called me the other day and, hey, we want to send an infielder. Do you have room? And I said, sorry, we don't. And to get to that point, that's a huge accomplishment. And hopefully we can continue to gain some momentum and build a foundation where my phone's ringing off the hook, and every organization wants to send players here, and I'm turning them away because we need to make sure that, yeah, we've got 12 Australian players on each roster. And who knows, maybe the league will make some adjustments in the future. And I know they have over the course of the history of the ABL, but it's it's kind of a, you know, let's see what happens and what are our issues now that we need to address to tweak things to make things a little bit better. Can we get one more player added to that roster? Can we travel with 24 instead of 23? Well, that's an extra expense. So, where can we come up with that expense? Those are things that we're talking about all the time because when we can only travel with 23 guys, 11 pitchers, 12 position players, and you have a couple guys go down to injury. That's you know what we talked about earlier in the segment, man. It is really challenging to uh to replace some of those players. And you got to have some guys that are on the reserve list. You have have some developmental players that are, you know, 17, 18, that we can give them an opportunity to expose them and give them a taste and a kind of a front row seat, which is gonna be huge for their development as well as they prepare hopefully to go to college. But yeah, it's uh it's a lot, but it's it's been a lot of fun and it's a massive jigsaw puzzle. And then you throw in two other teams on top of it with Sydney. Um, it does give us a little bit of flexibility, though. If we don't have room, we might have room somewhere else. And also for an Australian player, yeah, if there's a player in New South Wales that all of a sudden pops out of nowhere, you know, like uh uh Lockheed Rosser, you know, who was signed to go to University of Nebraska and things fell through, and all of a sudden he ends up back home. And we find out about him and start having some conversations, and you're not going to Nebraska, you're at home, you're still young enough, there's something there. Let's see if we can help you. And boom, he's gonna be on the roster and get an opportunity to wear a Blue Sox uniform. And so you just you never know. But I think first and foremost, making sure that those Australian players have the opportunity, but also to know that the Australian players, yeah, need to be at a certain level to compete. And especially when you see all the import players being sent over, they're all 19, 20, 21. So that's where I think the niche of the future of a successful ABL is that Premier Winner League, you know, destination coming to Australia to develop future big leaguers or big leaguers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan.

SPEAKER_01 52:17

And yeah, I mean, that was going to be my point. The Houston Astros would have just been over the moon with sort of what they got out of Anthony Huazo and Jagger Beck coming down last year. And look, we are being careful to not mention too many names here because we are still a couple months out from the start of the season, but at least preliminarily looks as though the guys that Houston will send over will be sort of in that same age group, 19, 20, 21 years of age, a couple of outfielders, potentially a catcher as well. So it just goes to show, again, like we said earlier, that if teams and players have good experiences here, it only then sort of helps the league going forward. Um look, you touched on it just then, and again, I know we're uh still a couple months out, so being careful not to mention any names. But the affiliations of the NC Dinos and the Tokyo Swallows, those are big ones. Um teams that typically haven't sent heaps of players in the past, sending them to the same organization. I'm just interested as to what those conversations have been like for you in in dealing with some of the Asian clubs. I mean, you said there that potentially at one point Sydney was going to have players from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and that was going to be the entire international lot. Obviously, you you've had to change tact a little bit there, but what's it been like having those conversations with the dinos and the swallows of the KBO and the NPB respectively?

SPEAKER_00 53:36

Great, really positive. Yeah. And I mean, my Korean and Japanese is not very good. But when we're talking about baseball and growth and development, you know, just to have the opportunity to talk to these organizations and Cole and Stewart flying over to Japan and Korea and Taiwan and meeting with people, I mean, that's where just the potential and future, you know, to me is very bright if we we do this right. And um, but no, the conversations have been very positive. And I mean, I'll give you the last example because we talked about obviously Adelaide here and the relationship that they have with the Phillies and the Tokyo Giants. And you look at last year's championship series, I'm going, I'm looking at the lineups, you know, game one, and I'm starting to count, okay, Phillies, Phillies, Phillies, Phillies, Phillies, Phillies, right? And uh yeah, we were able to continue to keep that relationship going. But the Tokyo Giants, I mean, we had to get in front of them, and they had some valid questions. Who are you and what's your plan moving forward, and how can this benefit our players? Because we've sent players in the past. We definitely are interested to continue to send players, but we had to go through kind of an interview process to show them that we were going to be capable of executing their player plans to make sure that we could provide an opportunity for their players and their investment. Um and, you know, we were able to keep them on board. So we we actually have uh players from Japan on all three teams, even in Perth. So, and three different teams, which is huge. But the conversations have been positive, they're excited, they're fired up, they're not only sending players, they're sending interpreters, they're sending coaches, they're sending support staff. They're all in and they're serious, and we need to be serious uh because of their investment. And so it's exciting. And yeah, I'm I'm looking forward to building more of those relationships. And you know, the challenge with the players from Japan is they have to leave early, which doesn't make my job easier because I've got to backfill those roster spots, but it does give me a little bit of time to backfill those spots, and I'm already strategically doing that, and I've been able to fill a couple of those spots, but then will there be an opportunity in the future if we do execute this and we can meet their expectations? Do they keep their players here the full season? And it's okay for them to come to spring training a little bit later, but they want to finish out the commitment and let their players have a full season experience in the playoffs, chance to win a championship, and come back to Japan ready to roll right into whatever their schedule is. I don't know, maybe, but I've had conversations with them about that, and they appreciate the challenge that I have as a professional putting a roster together. How do I fill those spots? Especially because the commute between Tokyo and Sydney is not short. So, you know, some challenges, of course, just like with all of this, but some really positive, exciting conversations. And again, I'm I want to put this league in a position in all the teams where I get calls from organizations and I I don't have any spots available and I have to turn them away.

SPEAKER_01 57:45

Yeah, I mean it's it as funny as it is for you to say that, it would be a good spot for the league to be in. And look, I think this Blue Sox roster is is sort of a good snapshot of the way that that a roster can be constructed in the Australian Baseball League. I mean, look, we've talked about a lot of these returning Australian core guys, some really exciting Australian newcomers that I know Blue Sox fans will be stoked to see. Still great to have that MLB affiliation, but uh the the the the the fun and excitement that comes with Korean and Japanese baseball as well. I mean, I I know Sydney fans had a lot of fun with the Chiva Latte Marines guys that were here several years ago. So it'll be fun to have that that Asian influence back in Sydney as well. And yes, look, we have been a little bit coy and and not able to release some of these names because we are still a couple months out on the season, but it's an exciting roster, Gary. And it's it's one that's very different to I think what we've seen, particularly in Sydney previously, for a lot of the reasons that we've mentioned. I mean, there's a lot of reasons that I'm excited about this team. The the the the new Australian guys that have talked about getting that Asian influence back. Um, but then also what we've seen that the these MLB prospects can do. I mean, we saw it with with your guys from Cincinnati last year. It'll be interesting to see what these guys from Houston bring this year. So it's a really, really fun mix. It's a team that's gonna have some expectations, having been minor premiers the last couple years, despite the fact that the team does look a little bit different. I think I think that there is probably still some expectation, certainly from the young Sydney core, that they think they get back to playing for an ABL championship series. So there is a lot to look forward to, in my opinion, for Blue Sox fans this year.

SPEAKER_00 59:23

No, for sure. And I mean, even there's a couple guys that we haven't mentioned that I think it's important to bring up Jimmy Nattai, for example. Okay, so yeah, Jimmy gets uh signed as a free agent by the Royals, right? I reached out to him prior to the draft and said hello. And of course, we had his younger brother on the team last year who's at Oregon State, and you know, told him, hey, if there's an opportunity and you want to come back home, it's been a while and play for the Blue Sox, please let me know. Stay in touch. We only have so many roster spots. And then, of course, the draft happens. He played at Stanford, nothing happened, and then the Royals offer him a free agent contract. And I had a chance to meet Jimmy in person uh when we played the Royals after the uh the draft, and when he signed and came in for what they call bridge camp, and all the draft picks come to the complexes and we get them acclimated, and we'll play some games against other organizations close by. And so I reached out to the Royals organization and talked to their farm director, and we talked about what's best for Jimmy moving forward. And so they sat down and talked about, you know, what was gonna be best for Jimmy. And when I went over and we played him at their complex and had a chance to meet with them, he made the decision that he's gonna stay in the U.S. He's gonna train at the complex and be close by and get as prepared as he can for his first spring training with the Royals. And again, that's the world I live in. I respect it. I totally understand it. And um was I disappointed? No, because this is about Jimmy and this is about his career. But is there a chance maybe when he comes home for Christmas and there's an opening on the roster to backfill a spot? And he wants to suit up and play the second half for the Blue Sox before he goes to spring training and get some live A Bs, we'll have that conversation. But right now, Jimmy will not be on the roster, but the conversation definitely happened, and a lot of people can't see that, right? Uh, when they're looking at the players that were signing. But there are some players for sure that are maybe no-brainers that depending on where they're at in their journey and their space, coming back and playing in the ABL, just it's it's not the right time, you know, or they've had an injury, or the organization wants to just shut them down and recover. Sometimes fans don't get the backstory to some of that stuff. So I I think just, you know, I wanted to mention that because there are there are a lot of players right now from Australia that are professional baseball players with major league organizations and that are also in college that have graduated and have come back. And so, yeah, the timing's got to be right, but I'm on the phone trying to uncover every rock that I can. And at the end of the day, there's only so many roster spots that we can fill, and those spots might be filled, and we've got to just keep guys in constant communication and up to speed on what's happening because things always change, as you saw last season, almost every round. I mean, even when we lost Mario, I was not ready for that when the organization called me and said, um, yeah, we're sending Mario home early for uh invite-only uh opportunity to be with the big league staff and everybody in the organization in January, which was awesome. But again, you know, wasn't prepared for that. We couldn't get Jaime there in time because of uh what happened with his visa application, and you just you got to be ready for any and everything. And I learned that definitely uh every day from afar, trying to make sure that I keep the roster intact for the coaches so they can do their job and make sure that the players are dialed in and have everything that they need to go out and compete. And I'll be the bridge between all of that. So everything hopefully moves smoothly. But yeah, we wouldn't be here right now with Al Stewart Scott and obviously Cole and his investment and commitment into the league. And, you know, we've talked about it. Yeah, he was in the right place at the right time because if the league was financially stable in a better place, Cole wouldn't never have got the opportunity. But, you know, when he started looking around and had some interest, boom, all of a sudden Sydney was available and landed on his lap. And then a month later, I think Perth became available, and now Adelaide became available. And so, yeah, we're just trying to do what we can and for for sure him doing what he can to keep this league valid and uh and and also just keep our head above water as we can catch our breath and do some really neat things that a lot of people can foreshadow and look into the future and really, I think, buy into because yeah, there's no reason why it can't happen.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:54

Well, you know as much as anybody, Gary, in this sport, both on and off the field, you're only as good as the people you surround yourself with. So I know you won't say it that Cole would. He he wouldn't be able to do what he's done without the hard work that you've put in. And then obviously, hopefully, our Blue Sox audience has gotten a real insight into what goes into putting a roster together. I mean, obviously, you are in the unique spot of having to do it for three teams as opposed to just one. Uh I knew you were a busy guy, now the rest of the Australian baseball public knows how busy you are. So thanks for giving us some time, Daz. It's good to see you, and uh, we'll chat whenever you're down here in Australia in a few months.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:28

Thanks, Andrew.