ILM-Ep92

Pulling back the curtain... the special guest is Kari

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:03

I love Mondays with Mike Heller.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Podcasting Live from an undisclosed bunker in the Badger State. This is I Love Mondays with Mike Heller. Powered by determination and a little bit of duct tape. Here's your host, Mike Heller.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Hey, welcome uh to the bourbon trail. I'm looking out a window here at downtown Louisville, Kentucky, uh on the Bourbon Trail, taking a uh we have a trip with 21 folks uh with us uh from Red and White Wine Bar and Bourbon Bar. And uh we made our way down here yesterday, stopped at uh a really cool place in southern Indiana, Nashville, Indiana. It's in Brown County. Um I kept looking for Brown County Arena and I didn't see it. But they have a distillery there called The Hard Truth, uh, and it was fantastic. It's gorgeous, what a beautiful spot. And uh we had a great first tasting and uh bought some urban and then had a really nice um uh evening out in Louisville because we're right downtown near Whiskey Row. So uh welcome in. I didn't do a brew daily last night, it would not have worked. So um you can uh use your imagination on why it wouldn't have worked, uh, but it wouldn't have worked. So we welcome you aboard on a Thursday. Vinny Rettino joins in just a bit. I want to get to a little bit, it'll be a lot on uh what the Brewers' situation is right now. Uh they lost a game off the lead last night. The Cubs won in Baltimore and the Brewers um kind of a non-competitive loss in St. Louis. There aren't many of those for Milwaukee. 5-1 doesn't sound terribly non-competitive, but it just seemed all along that it wasn't competitive too in the first for St. Louis, and Milwaukee really never had much opportunity and didn't get a whole lot going scored late. So 5-1, and they'll wrap up the five-game series, and they've already won this series, but trying to get another win out of it before they leave for Pittsburgh, it's a getaway night, not ideal scheduling for the Brewers to play a night game on a getaway day. Um, I don't know who manages that, if it's Major League Baseball or how much the home team has to say that the game is not a day game. Many times they are on a getaway day, but it isn't, regardless. So 645 tonight. Logan Henderson gets the start his first time since May 22nd when he worked a scoreless game through five innings against the LA Dodgers, but has dealt with uh injury issues, arm issues. Uh he's rehabbed and he gets the call tonight in this uh series finale. Then it's on to Pittsburgh for three games to get them uh to the all-star break and to see what happens with all of that. Big thank you to all of our sponsors, begin with one community bank, one community.bank, member FDIC, equal housing lender, feel good banking, and wonderful checking account options from one community bank you can explore. There are no fee checking accounts today, and enjoy simple everyday banking design to help you spend less time worrying and more time doing what you love. We are also presented by our friends at M3, your independent and privately held insurance broker and risk management firm. They leverage world-class resources and a specialized team to protect and grow your business. You can visit them online at m3ins.com, m3ins.com. We're also presented by the neuroscience group, my buddy up there, uh Ben, who I'll get to see coming up in a few weeks at our Brewers Fantasy Camp reunion game at American Family Field. We talk about uh neuroscience group. Whether you've had a concussion, if you've ever had one, you understand how much that can change your life from a car accident, workplace injury, sports related. Their team provides one of the most comprehensive concussion programs in the state, specialized care designed to help you recover and return to life safely. And we are always brought to you by Pottawatomy Sportsbook and Casino Bed Above the Rest and Havish, Havish and Rotier. All of our injury updates are presented by Havish. 13 locations, ensuring you get a hometown attorney who understands your life and the impacts of your injury on your life. They're personally committed to your recovery. All right. So uh plenty to plenty to kind of decipher. Let me start where I want to go with when Vinny joins us here in a little bit. The Luis Lara call-up from earlier this week. Now it happens when David Hamilton uh has the hamstring and Lynn it lands on the 10-day I. But I I wonder if the if it wasn't gonna happen regardless. And now that it has happened, even with Hamilton on the I. I mean, they brought up Greg Jones too. Lara is such an interesting storyline. They option Blake Perkins down. So Lara is their fourth outfielder. I have a feeling he's their third outfielder, but I don't know how that works. And I'm just curious. I'm gonna bring Vinny in now. We'll we'll we'll jump right into the fray and and talk about this. So uh good morning, Vinny. How are you? Hey, good, how are you, Mike? I'm doing I'm doing well. I'm I'm curious as to your thoughts on the Luis Lara call-up and if you think that it was imminent, gonna happen anyway, or was it the injury that said, okay, now's the time? Where do you feel on that?

SPEAKER_02 6:19

Yeah, I think the injury kind of like put things in motion with David Hamilton going on the I. L. Obviously, a dynamic runner in David Hamilton. Doesn't play the outfield. Obviously, most of his time this year was spent at third base, gets injured, and I I just think I just think the team just said, okay, now's a good time. He was swinging the bat well. He's already signed to a nine-year, uh could be a 10-year deal. He's a major league player. Yeah, so so I and and to kind of answer your question, Mike, in terms of um, you know, the specifics of it, I don't think we know exactly how it's gonna play out in terms of playing time because Sal Freelick's gonna be the odd man out, right? I mean, Garrett Mitchell's I don't I don't think anyone really expected this from Garrett Mitchell. So he is entrenched in center field. Then you have obviously Jackson Cherio, he's not going anywhere in left, so right field is really the the question here. And I think we're gonna find a lot of Luis Lara playing right field, and Sal Freelick is swinging the bat well, though. So I think I think it'll be a situation where you're gonna be able to get guys some days off, and you know, especially you know, Garrett Mitchell. I think I think they wanna at this point, I think they were trying to figure out what is Garrett Mitchell, and now I think they're getting a pretty good idea what Garrett Mitchell is, and so now that they know that, I think now a priority is going forward, quite frankly, with some of the production that we're seeing from him is keep him healthy. Um, he's never been healthy for a full season, so I think that's probably part of the calculus here that they're gonna find spots and pick spots to to get Garrett some days. Um, I don't think Jackson's gonna get too many days off, but but Sal Sal Sal's gonna get more days off, and Luis Lara, in my opinion, is is gonna play. I no one's told me that. That's just my speculation. It just kind of makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

I'm with you.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Yeah, I'm with you on that. And I and I was thinking how complicated this is because Sal Freelick had a great June. Now he's off he's off to a pretty sluggish July start. I know it's early, but he's 1421 in July. Uh, so he's he's currently slumping, but he hit 348 and had an OPS of 879 for the month of June. So then I was thinking, well, shoot, you if you if you do go ahead and bring Lara into the mix, yeah, it's sitting Sal, who's hitting 350 for a month, but then he's got a slow start to July. And and there is a rotation, I would think, that you know, you get Mitchell some days off and you give Freelig some days off, and Lara is that guy that flips between center and right when they get a day. Uh because I think Lara's in their lineup most every day, otherwise, they don't have him here, right? I mean, that's kind of the philosophy. You have a guy like that, you bring him up, you gotta play him, otherwise, he's staying in Nashville.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

Yeah, he's then they didn't bring him up to sit the bench. Certainly, he'll get some days off. He'll he'll he'll get some days off as well. Um, and here's the other part of this whole thing is that the Brewers are crazy deep, you know. I mean, yeah, it's just insane how deep this roster is. It's up and down the lineup, up and down, the lineup, and then the guys that you have on the bench you can go ahead and bring off the bench and mix and match. I mean, you have Andrew Vaughn, he's hitting well over 300. And is he still? I know he's he he didn't have any hits last night, I don't think, but yeah, I think he's so he's still swinging the bat well enough to like he to play every day on a team on a different team, and he's on the bench most nights, especially against a tough righty. And then you have you're gonna have Sal Freelick gonna be able to come off the bench. Uh it's just you get your your ability now to mix and match. Yeah, Luis Lara is not up here to to sit the bench. That's that's 100%. I mean, he's just he's so young yet. Um, he's a dynamic player. Uh, he's only 21 years old. So, you know, he he's not gonna be 22 until November or this November. So it's like this kid's here to play. I mean, he looks like he belongs already. He looked it's not look, it's it's not like a situation where when I say he looks like he belongs, I'm saying he's not he's not a player where there's any kind of red flag in terms of his approach, where all of a sudden it's like remember Jackson Cherry's a free swinger, okay. He had to kind of get comfortable and figure it out his first two months in the big leagues, and he did. We we all knew he was going to. It just took him a couple of months of of big time struggles with the bat. Luis Lara, I mean, the the ability to have a quality at bat is there, all right. That's kind of the prerequisite for a player uh nowadays uh with the Milwaukee Brewers. If you're not going to be like a super high ceiling guy, and I don't think Luis Lara is a super high ceiling guy, I think he's a high floor guy. So because he's a high floor guy, one of those attributes of being a high floor guy is the ability to have a quality at bat, and he is already having those. He had another nice base hit last night to the opposite field um late in the game, and so um only a couple of games in, but I am just watching his at bats and the way he's carrying himself on the field and in the box. Should have made the play early in the game as well. Uh, but those are some first game jitters, but those are things that he's not gonna hurt you uh certainly. In fact, he'll help you uh with his play and with his brand of baseball that fits quite nicely with the Brewers, and he's he he he already looks like he fits in on this team.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

Let me ask you about Kyle Harrison. A lot of times we talk about young hitters or hitters when the league adjusts to them and then the the hitter has to adjust to back. Are we seeing some of that with Kyle Harrison? He is his outings of late have not been where he set the bar early. Has the league adjusted to him, or what do you see something there?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Combination of factors here with Kyle Harrison. So Kyle Harrison and Pat Murphy said in his post-game press conference after the game, he said he's tired. Okay. Um he's dealing, he they even said he's dealing with a little elbow soreness. They don't think he's injured, and so they really got to protect the player, and so that's why you see a couple of of outings now with with really short leashes. Now, when when a player has some kind of ailment, like a little bit of uh some soreness, a player tries to pitchers now, they try to compensate a little bit, okay? So now the ball isn't really coming out of your hand as cleanly, and we're talking about we're talking inches now, okay. We're talking subtle movements at home plate, and so hitters can pick up on this stuff. I think that's what's happening with Kyle Harrison. That the finish to his pitches are not the same, and so um, is there uh cause for concern? I think they I think that they have to really be careful here. I think one, you got to protect the player, but also protect the team because if you don't have a healthy Kyle Harrison going down the stretch, what do you do? So they got to play this one really close. And Pat Murphy, Mike, talks about this all the time. You're an inch from the top and an inch from the bottom. The Brewers one game or two games out from the best record in all the baseball behind the Dodgers at this point in the season. And now all of a sudden we're talking about okay, what if you lose Kyle Harrison? And and look, I don't think, and again, I trust Murph. I don't think he's injured. They just got to be really careful that they that he is at full strength because we're seeing now what happens when Kyle Harrison's ball, it does, it just doesn't have the same effectiveness at home plate. Uh, we saw some fastballs into the low 90s, like 93 range last night. So a player can feel that the ball's not coming out as as hot, and so what do they do? They try to add a little bit, and then your command is off. And I do think, and so that's the one that's the first part, and Mike, I uh it's astute of you to to understand, yes, that it's very much a situation, also, where he attacks hitters pretty much the same way, yeah up and down the lineup, and he's got that invisible fastball where guys can't square it up, but hitters are now understanding okay, he's gonna do this with a fastball at the top, top rail, and then also he's gonna he's gonna throw the slurp. So it's so it's it's a where where hitters can plan easily for him, how executing that plan when he is at full strength and he's 97 at the top, yeah. That's another story. Now, 93, not as not as hot of a finish at the plate. Now that's a different story. Hitters can get on top of that. So I think those are the two issues going on with Kyle Harrison right now. Main thing is they got to get him well rested. He won't pitch again until after the all-star break. So that's gonna be a benefit to him. Hopefully, he comes back really, really strong and sharp after the break.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

Vinny, we get we can also take it back to um a little bit of Brandon Woodruff, who we uh you and I haven't visited on since that happened. Um it's it it makes you pause right now, at least it does for me, on what his availability is going to be. And it's a little bit more troubling when it recurs another time. He was six weeks away, and now you have the same issue that pops up. Um, just give me your impressions of of what we saw earlier this week, and you feel for the guy, but we also talk about the team because this is a it's on both fronts. What are your thoughts here? I I feel terribly regular.

SPEAKER_02 15:57

So the imaging, the newest image uh on the MRI saw another tear in the anterior capsule in his shoulder, so which is like he's getting a second opinion. Hopefully, the first image is wrong or something. But Mike, we're talking about another major shoulder injury that's gonna need and require another major surgery. I don't know how else to fix that injury. It's it's one of the hardest injuries to come back from. Pitchers, pitchers don't come back from this very often. He did, it took him a couple of years. He looked awesome, he was pitching exceptionally well. The the stuff wasn't the same. We've always talked about that with Brandon Woodrow, but the effectiveness was okay. So this is um this is very troubling for the for the guy for sure, and for this team. Uh, you know, the dead arm thing, the the dead arm thing earlier in the year, I think he thought it was just dead arm. I know I talked to Chris Hook about this, he thought it was just dead arm, and I think that it was. And then all of a sudden, now there's this new there's this new development and this new injury there, which where does he go? So at that point you think, okay, he's 33. Is he done? Uh you know, he's probably you know, who knows? He's a warrior out there, he's a bulldog. So, but I yeah, I would consider after this new information, and it's so early in trying to figure this out, but just you know, I I don't want to alarm people and and if it's and if I'm wrong, like okay, this is a probably a bad take, but he's he's Mike, he probably is unavailable for the rest of the year, okay, with a new tear in his shoulder. So that's where how the brewers probably have to operate going forward. Hopefully I'm wrong. Hopefully the image was wrong, they'll get a second opinion, and then maybe it's just something else. But that's kind of the information that we have right now, and it does seem like he's probably gonna be done for the year.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Yeah, and and that that that stinks uh in so many ways. Now let's talk about it from a team perspective. If indeed the first image and the initial report is accurate, that would certainly end uh the season for Brandon Woodruff. There was already some certainly conversation about the Brewers trying to get that starter at the trade deadline. Now you're a week closer, and you've probably lost your number two or three starter for the duration, and you have some concern over the number two if that's where you wire them up in Kyle Harrison. So Woodruff probably gone. Uh Harrison at least there's some worry there. Um it certainly is trending and looking that the brewers might be in a position to do what they don't normally do, and that's go higher-end acquisition. Uh, I just wonder where you live and breathe in that area because you know it better than we do. And we're all watching it. That it's not the brewers mo to go out and get a Terek Scuble or somebody of that ilk, but maybe now is different.

SPEAKER_02 19:11

Yeah, I I mean I've wanted I've wanted the Brewers to take a shot. It certainly they're gonna kick the tires on terror, a guy like Terek Scuble, but I've wanted him almost uh you know empty a couple uh rounds and fire a couple of rounds and and see if you can in terms of prospect capital. They're so deep in the in the prospect uh in the minor leagues, they're so deep. And so I would like to see it just because you know, my goodness, would that be fun for us, first of all? Yeah, uh, fun for us covering the team, fun for everybody watching the team and the fan fan base, and then they gotta be maybe the favorites to win it all if they did go ahead and and get him. Now, you do do that with a ton of risk because it really these these playoff series, we've seen teams. I mean, think about the 2018 Brewers when they had uh Julise Chassin as their number one starter, and was it Zach Davies? Some guys that and they and they would and they were taking down other teams in the playoffs that had starting rotations that were you know high dollar, yeah, best pitchers in baseball. So it's just it's just such a crapshoot. And we even seen we've seen Terek Scuble last year. I think he lost his two playoff starts. So um it just it is risky. I I would like to see him kind of take that shot now. If Brandon Woodruff is out, and especially, especially Mike, if you if if you really want to try and protect some of these arms going down the stretch, these young, young arms. Kyle Harrison 24, Jacob Mizorowski, 24. So these guys are still so young, and we don't really think of them that way because of how well they have dominated, quite frankly. I mean, especially Miz dominated, and then Harrison's dominated, you know, for a big chunk of the season. Um, take three starts out, and and he's been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. So I think I would I I don't here's my take. Would I like to see it? Yes, I think they would even like to see a Terek Scuble join this rotation. Will it happen? It's a it's a low percentage, in my opinion. I think there's other teams that are out there that are gonna just totally empty their tank in terms of prospect capital. That though they'll just say we're gonna go ahead and give you one better prospect or two more than whatever offer this team is giving you. Okay, one of them just I mean with the Cubs. Yeah, yeah. Well, that's interesting because Jed Hoyer probably is if he's probably on the hot seat pretty soon if uh if something big doesn't happen. So maybe they that would seriously leverage their future because they don't have a strong farm system, uh, which would be great for us, right? For the for the Brewers, sure uh on the Road. Yeah. But yeah. Yeah, down the road. Down the road. So that's my take on it. I I I think what you'll probably see is the Brewers um acquire a lower, a lower cost guy, whoever that is, you know. So we'll see. I you know, maybe it maybe Freddie Peralta. I don't know. I don't think David Stearns would make that deal. Yeah. So that would look really bad on Stearns if all of a sudden he's returning Freddie Peralta for uh way lesser prospects than the ones that they got back. But yeah, but yeah, no, look, it's it is a it is a concern with with the starting pitching. It's crazy that we're saying that because the starting pitching has been the best in baseball, or or one or two, whatever the whatever it is at this point. And then we're talking and we're concerned about this the starters.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

When we look at that, I mean uh so much of it has come from. I mean, just look at this week. What Sproat has done, what drone did, and what Gaster did. Not none of those guys are expected to be the that when the season began. Um, but the way they're pitching now is is very high level. They they've had uh a couple of excellent turns through the rotation, more than a couple. Um, and then you top that with with Miz. Logan Henderson's back on the mound tonight. Now he's had some injury issues too, but the last time he pitched at the big league level, uh, he gave up nothing to the Dodgers in five innings, uh, seven strikeouts and no runs. Um so they they do have it it is funny, sort of, to talk about they got to go out and get a pitcher when their pitching has been nothing but fantastic all season from all of these guys.

SPEAKER_02 23:48

Right. Right. I think the contingency would be to get someone to cover innings, but you're right. I mean, now that you look at the you look at the way that those guys have performed, but again, all those guys injury history. Shane Drowan had a flexor strain last year, only had 56 innings last year. Robert Gasser has had a history of of injuries, Logan Henderson. Love love him. He's okay, he's he's certainly a wild card. This whole thing, because if he can stay healthy the rest of the year, then this is uh completely a moot point. Now they will have to make a decision here coming up because it's it's quick, it is a quick decision. But if you do go ahead and acquire a guy, you think about uh, you know, they acquired Aaron Savali at the trade deadline a couple of years ago, and then you you do have to have him that player, whoever it is. Let's say it is an Aaron Savali type where it's a lower cost acquisition. He's he's gonna he's gotta pitch. So, what if now none of these guys get hurt and you don't need that player anymore or that pitcher anymore? Because certainly you would like to continue to develop and and you know, not only develop these guys are bona fide major league caliber starters at this point. Now, they haven't established themselves in terms of them actually getting the innings quite yet, and say, Okay, this is for sure a guy that we can plug and play, he is healthy now, blah blah blah. Like, so you have to uh weigh that. Like, what is the risk of not getting a guy? We do have these number of guys that can fill all these innings and fill all these starts in this rotation. Uh, but you are kind of thin at that point, if that's what you're relying on, especially with Woodruff going down. Um, and then Kyle Harrison. Again, that's that's you know, yeah, we'll see after the break, but you have to make the decision before the break. That's the only thing here.

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Right. Harrison's at 83 innings, uh, which is also you just wonder on innings load. Uh Sproat is at 79 drone that you talked about. I think you said he went 57 innings a year ago. He's already at six to the third, yeah. Yeah, so so he's already above that, and these guys are all young. And I don't know that there's a question, but Vinny, some people are gonna always bring it up because of how how Miz throws the baseball, but he's at 111 innings. I mean, he he's easily he's on that 200 inning pace. Well, he's never touched that. Uh, you know, so these things all they're all looking at all of these elements in the ivory tower that Murph calls it, um, uh to hook to Henderson and to Pat. They're all looking at where where are these guys from a load standpoint? How much can we put on them in late August and September when they're reaching thresholds they haven't been to before, as far as workload, right?

SPEAKER_02 26:41

I'm sure they would want to welcome another guy. I don't know who that guy is. It has to be the right fit because of what what you're talking about. Because would you like to be able to skip a start or two for each of these guys to make sure that they're healthy for the long haul? I I think that that's gonna be part of this this calculus, and and and I misspoke. So so the trade deadline's August 3rd. So so the starts right after the uh the all-star break, they're gonna take a really close look at all of that um and see where they're gonna be at. Miz is now scheduled to pitch the day before the all-star break, last last um, last game against the pirates game three. So is he gonna when is he gonna throw after? So we'll see. So they're always they're all these guys are gonna pitch on five days rest, none of them for the rest of the year. That's my opinion as well. None of them are gonna pitch on the four days, the traditional four days of rest. So you're never you're always gonna have you know someone come up or maybe a bullpen day in order to get these guys rested. Off days the rest of the way should help as well. But they had a bunch of off days earlier in the season, so we'll see how that plays out. They're gonna be really careful, Mike. They're gonna be because look, the reason why this team is as good as they are, and we're watching it right now against the Cardinals. You know, I know that they blew them out in game two, but this entire road trip here so far, they haven't been swinging the bats with runners in scoring position. They're winning baseball games, they're winning these close one-run games, um, because their bullpen's been fantastic, but also because of the starting pitching and the defense. Now, in Arizona, their starting pitching wasn't great, they got short starts, but just their pitching in general. It's the oldest cliche in the books, right? It is the oldest cliche in baseball. How do you win games with pitching and defense? The brewers have epitomized that, they continue to do that. So you have to make sure that your starters go deep at you know, five innings. You know, these short short starts can't that is gonna decimate your bullpen. So at least five innings from your starters, give the brewers starters a chance to uh to to give the team a chance to win, and that's what they do because they have this thing with with their with their makeup of this team is you know, just give a ch give us give us a chance and we're gonna come through with that big hit, or we're gonna come through with a great at bat and someone's gonna bloop one in there, or someone's gonna create an error on the opposing defense side of things. Like they find ways to win as long as it's close, and that's what's so fun about this team, but that's also exactly why they're so darn good in terms of stacking these wins when they're not swinging the bats all that well. They're really, they're really not. They loaded the bases last night against McGreevy, who quite frankly, I'm sure they think that that guy stinks. Um, but not stinks, but is a very comfortable at-bat, and they just couldn't put anything across against that guy. Um, so that's they they have to be very, very careful here. There, and and it's funny because they are so good. This team is you know, top two team in record in all of baseball, but and still you and I are talking right now. Like, let's be careful. I know that's how they're thinking because it is so it is an inch from the top and an inch from the bottom. It truly, it truly is the case. So they got to be very careful with these starters, and I'm sure they would love to add somebody to help with cover these innings.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

I want to ask you a little the two more thoughts. Uh um, one about Kristen Yelich and Murph made it a point the other night to talk about that he came in that I think he's trying to make sure that the that the media, and then they're the conduit, obviously, to the fan base, knows how hard this guy works and how much he cares about what it is he's doing. He kind of comes off on body language to some as you know, Joe cool, and and it that it doesn't bother him, but you're around it. This dude works hard all the time, and he cares a ton. You can't see it on facial expressions, but Murph made it a point. That was that was done with intention about how hard this guy works at it.

SPEAKER_02 31:14

Yeah, he's a special kind of um guy. Uh, he he he is. I was around him actually, Mike, when he was just a uh uh a rookie in in Miami. Uh my my one of my last years playing was 2015. That was my second to last year. I was in big league camp, Christian Yelich, young, I think he was 20 or something. And he he was just he comes up to you, he's very humble, he was raised the right way. Uh he just he's just a very humble guy, he's very unassuming, he's not the biggest personality, just in terms of being eccentric or overly outgoing, but he he's he's very funny and he's very smart, and when you get to talking to him, you can see how conscientious he really is. And so he learned from a young age, and the Marlins actually did a good job of this of teaching, and this is this starts in the minor leagues. Guys do change sometimes when they get to the big leagues, but Christian Yelich is not one of them. This this is created in the minor leagues, and the Marlins again did a good job of with Christian Yelch in terms of of creating a winner. He he what he really does want to win, he really does care a lot about his teammates. He understands everything that Murph and this this philosophy that Murph kind of you know inserts into this clubhouse of right and it's simple, but but it not every clubhouse has this, certainly in baseball individual sports, so it's very hard to think about the team first. How can I help the team win? That's what Christian Yelich thinks. You can see you can sense it when when you're talking to him and when you're around him, but yeah, the uh on on the air when we're watching these broadcasts, and he's striking out and he's kind of walking. That that's a player's this is the this is I'll explain the reason why players do that. That that in your brain, after you are over seven after two games, and you don't want to go over eight, you want to get a hit in that last at bat in the second game of struggling, you have to so some players have to, in their mind, have to just totally act like they don't care. It's it's it's it's a weird thing, Mike, but you deal with so much failure in the game of baseball. Like again, this is cliche, but seven out of ten times you fail seven out of ten times, and you're an all-star because why you're hitting 300. Think about failing that often, and there's and it's a there's a game every day, and if you don't feel good for a stretch a couple of weeks, all of a sudden, where's my swing? That you feel that at times during the season, you have to kind of have that keep your highs low and your lows high, you know, stay very even keel, act like you don't care, you know, and you have to almost really believe it that you don't care because if you did care about every single time that you struck out or every single time that you had a bad at bat, you would drive yourself absolutely crazy. And so it's a bit of his personality, but it's also a bit of a it's a mechanism for players to kind of just be able to clear it. Now, the fact that he's showing up at seven o'clock in the morning in a double header day, and and then he goes out and goes three for four, he's trying to figure something out with his swing. He's got he tinkers a lot, he he's got these, he's got a a complicated feeling. I think he doesn't get too deep with whenever I've asked him about his swing, he he really doesn't want to talk about it. Yeah, so he it's it's a very because some players just don't. I never wanted to really because I'm like, oh man, do I start creating something that's not there? That happens too. So so he's very kind of like trying to figure things out, and when he does figure it out, what look what happens, right? Last year, 29 home runs and 103 RBI. So so he's probably close. We're hoping that he's close to getting super hot and staying hot for a while because um what you know when he's when he's going well, he he's he's he can carry the team. We've seen that. So hopefully that happens soon. But that he definitely cares, he's a very smart guy, and um he cares a lot about this team.

SPEAKER_00 35:26

Vin Vinny, my last two thoughts. One is uh an opinion that I had the other night that I just wanted your uh perspective on, and then I want to talk to you a little bit about the draft and uh so many of our young Wisconsin players who have something cool in front of them coming up with Major League Baseball's draft. The opinion that from the other night, I'm they kind of run together right now, but uh I don't know if it was Monday or Tuesday in St. Louis. Um there was an intentional walk in front of Jake Bowers to load the bases. And Bowers had already had two doubles, I believe, in the game, lefty on lefty. And Murph pinch hit for him with Vaughn. I just wondered if that surprised you the way it surprised me. And I get the splits with Vaughn against left-handers, but I said in real time, I said, I don't think you do this. One of your best hitters all season long, and he's already got two hits against lefties tonight. I just wondered if you had the a similar opinion in that moment that I did that I thought didn't think it was the right move.

SPEAKER_02 36:35

I was a little bit I I was also with you on that. I was a little bit surprised. That's almost like um pinch hitting for Christian Yellich in a in that Christian Yelich would never be pinch hit right in that situation. So I I'm with you there. The only uh kind of caveat to that is you know, I think he's trying to find spots for Andrew Vaughn, right? Yeah, so he he knows that Andrew Vaughn can hit. He he did it last year, he was one of the best acquisitions in all of baseball last year. And was it against so so Jojo Romero would yeah, Jojo, yeah, Jojo Romero. So I mean, he's pretty nasty against lefties. So I just think Murph's trying to find he's got these gut feels during the course of the game at times, where it's like, okay, that one didn't really make sense, but he's also trying to help and protect players. So he won he wanted Andrew Vaughn to find spots for Andrew Vaughn, who's been one of the best hitters against lefties, and those spots worked out in the past, in recent past, when he has pinched hit with with um Andrew Vaughn in certain situations against lefties, and it's worked out. So that one didn't, uh but yeah, with Jake Bowers, that I'm with you. It's like you wouldn't pinch hit for Christian Yelich. This guy is producing like uh you know, like Christian Yelich produced last year in Jake Bowers. So you wouldn't really and the other thing, it took Jake Bowers out of the game in case he needed to have it. I don't think that spot came up again, but it could have um in that game. I think that was game one of the doubleheader. Yeah, or game. I think yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:18

I think I thought it was the first game. I agree with you. In the bigger picture, though, I just wondered if you if you had a similar thought. I did, and sort of we do. Yeah, tell me about this the the draft. This used to obviously um be your lifeblood, uh one of the things you've focused on so much. What what what is this weekend? What is the draft like? It's the one that we don't pay attention to in the grand scheme of things in sports. The NFL draft is is a show. Uh the NBA draft is only two rounds, uh, so we we pay attention. This is the one we just don't follow nearly as close. What's this like and what's the Wisconsin Wisconsin talent base uh look like for the draft?

SPEAKER_02 39:01

Yeah, I love I love the baseball draft. We don't follow it as close because these players are three or four years away, whereas in football or basketball, they are inserted into the starting lineup that following year, typically. So I I I absolutely love it. I can't wait. Uh, so this year, Dominic Sanarelli, a kid from St. Joseph's high school, uh St. Joseph's Academy in Kenosha. He's the best high school hitter I've ever seen in the state. Um, best hitter in the state, quite frankly, ever since he was an eighth grader, Mike. I've been watching him since he was an eighth grade. So this kid is special, left-handed bat. He went to the he went to the scouting combine a couple of weeks ago, and it was 116 miles per hour off the bat with Wood hitting the ball 450 feet um in that scouting combine. Super uh impressive swing. Like you every person, probably big leaguers are probably taking a look at that swing. Like, I wish I had that swing. Like it is so smooth and pretty. It's a left-handed swing. He's uh he's playing, he played center field this year. He can really run, he's a six-seven runner. We thought originally he was just gonna be a first base only type, but he's he can he can run now. He he's really done a great job of uh putting together all uh you know a lot of work in the gym. Uh he's done a lot of speed training and stuff like that. So he can hit and he can run and he can now play outfield, probably left field uh defender uh in Pro Ball. Um I wouldn't think it would be center, but we'll see. They'll probably send him out there anyway. But uh, so he is impressive. He's probably gonna go, he's probably the first pick drafted, and then there's a kid named Jace Matazinski, who's a shortstop from Hudson High School, very, very impressive. Um, like 99 miles per hour across the infield from shortstop, super athletic. His mom was, I think his mom broke some records at uh the University of uh Minnesota for basketball. Um, and so she was like an incredible athlete. So I joke with the dad that you know what what did you contribute to this, you know. But good great family, great kid, exceptional makeup. Um, so he is very he's a special player as well. So there's some talk that maybe he gets drafted ahead of Santorelli. We'll see. Mike, it all depends on the number that they give scouts, okay? This is in terms of the dollar amount. So I will not sign for less than this. So teams will just pass on guys like that. So um we'll see how that plays out for both of them. And there's a kid named Tyson Grokowski who's a pitcher from Mosquego High School. He's like 94, he looks like uh he looks like Brandon Woodruff.

SPEAKER_03 41:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:54

I have lost Vinny Rettino. Uh you're back?

SPEAKER_02 42:02

Sorry, Mike. Yeah, I think I've been dealing, I think I've been I think I've been dealing with some lag issues here. Sorry about that. But okay, I I so Jace Matazinski and then Tyson Grokowski is a pitcher, really good stuff. And then there's just a number of players in the state that it's just crazy how deep the state is now with talent. So it's been it's been fun uh to kind of follow everything. But I'm excited about the draft. The uh the Brewers have the lowest amount of picks on the first day in the in the top 100. Remember, they traded their 67th pick for that Kyle Harrison Shane Drowing deal that sent Caleb Durban to Boston. So they have to work more with less. Uh they try to try to do more with less in this draft. But Todd Johnson will find a way. He's he's done a phenomenal job. My goodness. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:52

So uh hey Vinny, uh, thank you. I appreciate uh you uh jumping in uh again on this Thursday. I always love our conversations and I look forward to next week when we get to do it again. Awesome. Me too, Mike. We'll see you later. All right, thank you, Vinny. Vinny Rettino joining us. His time here brought to you by Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino. I've got bourbon I need to go drink. It is uh day one and a half on the bourbon trail. We will go to Buffalo Trace later this morning and then on to Woodford Reserve this afternoon. I'll give you an update on it uh later tonight, I think, on Brood Daily, uh, and then tomorrow morning with I Love Mondays uh again on a Friday. Uh thanks to all of our sponsors from One Community Bank to M3 Insurance, to the Neuroscience Group, uh Traditions Lighting, Pottawatomi Sportsbook and Casino, and to our friends at Habish, Habish and Rotier. All right, off we go uh to Frankfurt, Kentucky, and a stop at Buffalo Trace. We'll talk to you later today on Brood Daily, and then again tomorrow morning. Thanks for being part of what we do with I Love Mondays.

SPEAKER_04 44:00

I love Mondays with my hell.