Josh Donaldson and Russ are brutally honest about Vladdy... GIDL Ep. 14

In today's episode of GET IT DONE LEAGUE, Josh Donaldson and Russel Martin talk everything Jays - including how badly they need their superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

He's got to somehow flip the switch because we all got one. Like he's got to be able to deep go down in here and and and we're gonna see. We're gonna see what he's made of.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Yeah, got gotta look in the mirror. You guys gotta look in the mirror and be like, I'm I'm goddamn Vladdy Guerrero Jr., you know, son of a Hall of Famer.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

This isn't the Tri League. You know, this is the Get It Done League.

SPEAKER_01 0:40

Get it done league! It's the get it done league. It is the dog days of the summer, the dog days of the baseball season. There's the MVP Josh Donaldson, Russell Martin, of course. I'm your host, Arash Madani. We thank all of you for making us one of North America's fastest growing baseball podcasts. Please like and subscribe. We appreciate you joining us. Uh, fellas, before we get too far down the road on anything, um, look, I know you guys have played all over the big leagues, but obviously our connection is through the Blue Jays, so many of our followers come from Canada and Toronto. And just when it kind of seemed that there was a sell-off with Gossman being shipped out and Hoffman on his way and the rest. Somehow, some way, this Toronto Blue Jays team is kind of back in the hunt. Like it's it's it's the old dumb and dumber thing. So you're saying there's a chance. I mean, it's a it kind of feels that way right now. Uh, just as the Red Sox are starting to scuffle and the AL's wide open. What's it like when when you go from out of intensive care into being in stable condition when it comes with 40 games left to play in the season, Russ?

SPEAKER_00 2:04

I mean, it's it's kind of like groundhog day for those guys. It's kind of the same thing as last year. They it didn't seem like they had a chance last year, and then all of a sudden, out of the woodworks, they they start they start you know rolling on all center cylinders at the right time. I mean, they they still got a ways to go, and there's still a lot of season left, but if you peak at the right time, and if there's a time to peak, it's towards the end of the season. It's August and September. That's when it matters most. And you can scratch and claw and and find a way to get in there. Who knows? Who knows what can happen. JD, what are you seeing here?

SPEAKER_02 2:46

Well, I think that I've, if I remember correctly, the last episode when we talked about the trades, I said that I think they actually got better. You did, you did so um, yeah. I stand by that. They're they're showing some life, especially against the Red Sox, who they need to beat, right? Like, that's if they want to make ground, like now's the chance to do that, and they're doing that, they're taking care of business, they're getting it done in this short little span. Um I was interested probably the most though with like the Soriana. Like you went and looked at him and the uh the amount of breaking balls that he threw, like he kind of had some trouble with some command over there in Anaheim, and you know, good old uh Russ and I's buddy Pete Walker over there. I was like, Oh yeah, it seems like he's got a you know a really good curveball. Let's feature that a little bit more. And I thought that was on display. And I gotta tell you, man, like from what I saw earlier in the year, they were still kind of in that honeymoon phase of going to a World Series and then having the expectations of playing well, coming back, having the injuries that really set them back. I think um now we're here after the break with these trades that they've had. It shook things up at the core a little bit. Now these guys, they're like, okay, like we're here, we got a chance, we're in a good organization, we're still in it. Let's see what kind of uh run that we can make right now. And it seems to have given a little bit of life. Uh, I would obviously in a perfect world right now, I still need to see some more life out of the offense. The offense is just not there. The pitching is kind of keeping this team together, which we said if they're gonna win, the pitching is gonna have to do that, right? And uh so far, um, you know, they're doing what we've said they have to do to win right now. I think for this to be meaningful to really turn into something special, um the offense has to start, and they need a fire, they need a fire starter, and that guy's Vlad. Yeah, that guy is Vlad. He's gotta start turning it up. And you know, we've kept saying over and over he's gonna it's gonna turn around, it's gonna turn around. It has to start now. Like, there's no there's no if you want to go to the playoffs, it's right now.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

Well, look, it has to be Vlad because the entire engine of this team is him, and you're right, like as of this recording, the 11th of August, Guerrero still has not hit a home run at the Rogers Center.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

I can't believe that.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

I can't believe it. Which is wild. It's the Homer Dome, right? And and the numbers have been down, and his he's been uh he's been all over the map. And we've talked about it a bunch over the last couple of months, obviously. It was interesting. Voto, Joey Votto earlier tonight, uh Votto's got in the media game doing a great job with NBC. Votto tweeted, I'm watching the Blue Jays game. Vladdy's just not, quote, back legging or quote back hipping balls. His forward move is delaying his barrel from snapping in place. He sees the ball, knows it's drivable, but his move causes the bat to lag, keeps him from getting the barrel to the target. All right, so there's a lot there. Um, I always tell any analyst I work with, please help me translate football to English, please help me translate baseball to English. When we talk about back legging, back hipping, delaying the barrel, snapping in place, all those things. What's where what's Votto getting at here? What does that mean? And is it fixable with 25% of the regular season left to play?

SPEAKER_02 6:57

I I mean, personally, to me, like I think so to kind of explain what Votto is saying there, right there, it's the ability to catch the ball deep and still drive the baseball, right? Where guys that aren't, I wouldn't say like great hitters is they live out in front a lot, and every now and then they'll catch um you know a ball and hit it out, right? But Vlad is too good of a hitter to sit there and say, I'm gonna sacrifice playing, like he he wants to hit for a higher average. It's uh it's obvious, like he wants to hit the ball and and have a high batting average, so he's not gonna play in front a whole lot because he knows that he becomes susceptible to a lot of things. Uh, to me, whether it's the back issues that we were talking about earlier from the all-star break. Um, I think, and I've said this, this I've always said this about Vlad, but he's had a good, he has the ability to kind of pick counts to do some damage, is that he's he's a borderline like pushing of the barrel to where the hands push forward. Vlad's always had a forward move. I've watched side view from VAD from or from Vlad for a long time. He's always had a forward move. The ability, and for when I was for myself, I always had a nice positive forward move. But where that gets you in trouble is when your hands carry forward with you. So once the hands carry forward with you, now all I can do is push the ball off me. Now my I might be able to hit for a little average, but my power's gone at that point. So for me, what I had to think about. So if like if I show you, this isn't obviously with a bat in my hands, but pushing forward is as I'm going forward, my hands are coming with me. So for him, he has to be able to get as his forward move goes forward, the hands have got to come back this way to now where they can set and fall behind you, to where now I can actually turn behind the baseball and then be able to drive the ball out of the ballpark or in the gap and or or whatnot. Um, so I think where Vado is talking about the forward move, I've always seen Vlad have a forward move. He's never been a guy that's just been like Juan Soto that's just or or Shohei, but even Shohei, his hips slide forward in a swing. To me, right now, it's the bat is like his hands are coming with him, and they need to be able to stay back and get the separation to where when guys get out in front, and I'm gonna give you a little demo here, to where what happened, like when they somebody says to stay back and to be able to hit, if I'm gonna go forward, I got to be able to keep my upper body back while my lower body is getting forward to then now I can turn and get behind the baseball. And that's what I see what Vlad needs to do, mixed in with the chance of like, hey, let's hit some balls, like two irons out of the ballpark, and then like, hey, let's go out there and hit some balls. Let's try to like actually get some balls in the air and maybe get some confidence out of that. I mean, I don't know if you remember, but like some of Vlad's like better second halves is when he's done the home run derby. And everybody was like, oh, hey, man, like the home run derby might kill him, it might be bad for him. Well, I remember when he's done that, he's come back and it seemed like he's done better and performed, and the powers kind of come come with that. He's a different hitter, man, because he he's he likes to hit the ball on the ground, he likes to hit the ball low. And to me, like it's not working at this point. Like, he has to figure out how to get a little bit of play to be able to turn the barrel behind him. That's my biggest thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Well, it's interesting. Um, Ross Atkins, after the trade deadline, went and did the kind of media circuit. He did Blair and Barker's show, he did Overdrive, and one of the things Russ that that Ross talked about was he said, we're trying to reduce the number of voices basically in Vlad's head, kind of talking to Vlad in the cage with him, in you know, watching video with him. He said, We're trying to just reduce it. I think the number um that Ross said was three. And JD like is dissecting the physical part of it, but he talked about the confidence, and there's a there's obviously a mental aspect to this too. We don't know definitively. Um, Vlad's not going to come out and tell us maybe in the offseason he will, maybe he won't. But obviously, from a confidence and mental issue, it's not the same as it was last October. Have you been around a situation like this with a star? What would your advice be as if you're a vet right now with Vlad? Hey man, we got a shot here. Um, what are some of the conversations that may go on in a clubhouse at this stage of the season, the middle of August, where suddenly October is not far-fetched? There there might be a little shot here. What what were some what would be some of the things um that you want to share in that regard?

SPEAKER_00 12:19

Well, I remember there there was a year I was with the Yankees, and I didn't have a great season all the way up to September. And then September came around, and then my my bat came to life. And I and it just seemed like everybody forgot about you know the first four five months of the season. Because, you know, when it's when it comes down to playoff baseball and or and getting to the playoffs, those are the moments that people remember, right? So he's got an opportunity to to kind of wipe the slate clean. If he has an impactful like end of August, all the way through September, carries the team to the playoffs. We're not even gonna talk about the struggles he had early in the team. Nobody's gonna care, right? Because it's all about the team. So I mean, and he's he's got to he's got to put the team on his back at this point and and just be who he is, right? Uh you know, there's no more there's that's there's no time to feel sorry for yourself at this point. Like it's it's it's just you gotta go, right? You just you you put in the work, you've you you gotta forget like what's done is done, right? Like he he can't go back. He's not changing it. Like even if he has a monster last couple months, like the season isn't gonna be what it ended up like. It's not what it's not gonna be what he wanted, right? Numbers-wise, but but that doesn't matter. Like what people want to see is the team in the hunt, hopefully get into the postseason. And if he turns it around, he's gonna be remembered for the guy who carried the team into the postseason, if if that's the case. So he's still he still has that opportunity, and and that's and I think that's that's all that matters, really. So I mean that's that's the positive part of it.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Yeah, there's a couple of things that I would say. I and it's you gotta find out which one you are as a as a player. One, like right now, like it's easy like to sit there and be the guy when shit's going good, right? Like, that's easy. Like right now, like us watching, because we're not playing anymore, we're gonna like see like what he's made of right now. Like, what kind of heart do you have right now when shit's hitting the fan, when you ain't doing well, you don't feel good, it's not fun coming to the park right now because you don't know if what's gonna happen. Like, we're gonna find out a lot about Vlad right now because you are who you are when it's the toughest times. Like, are you that same guy when it's hard? And my advice to him, like some like sometimes for me, like whatever I felt like it was just like I didn't know if like the if like the walls were getting closer, you know, on on top of you. It's like sometimes you just gotta say f it. Like, I don't I don't give a shit. I don't give a shit if I strike out three times a night. And I'm gonna go up there and I'm gonna put my best at bat up there. And if I punch you, whatever. Like, but I'm gonna go up there and I'm gonna give you like my best at bat. You know what I mean? Because sometimes we just get too caught up in the results of things. It's real, it's real easy to take a glance at that beautiful scoreboard they have out in center field and be like, oh yeah, my numbers still suck. Like, oh, I just hit a double. Yeah, I'm still hitting this, like uh whatever. You know, it doesn't change because you have so many bats underneath your belt right now. So, right now, it's like you got to put the blinders on, say, screw it. Let's go play, let's focus on winning. Like we've talked about the entire time that we've been doing this show, because that's what winners do. And as I said about Rocky, one of my favorite quotes it's not how hard you can punch, it's how hard you can get punched and get back up. And right now, he's on the ground. Right now, he's he's an easy punching bag right now because we just talked about it. He doesn't have one home run at Roger Stadium right now. Roger Roger Center. He doesn't have to have Roger Center, he doesn't have one, like it's easy. You make 500 million, you don't have a home run in the homer zone. Come on. For him, he's gotta drown what I'm saying, like what we're all saying, what everybody else is saying. He's gotta somehow flip it, flip the switch, because we all got one. Like he's gotta be able to go down in here and and we're gonna see. We're gonna see what he's made of.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

Yeah, got gotta look in the mirror. You guys gotta look in the mirror and be like, I'm I'm goddamn Vladdy Guerrero Jr., you know, son of a Hall of Famer. I'm a bad man.

SPEAKER_03 17:27

Damn 100%.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Like, you gotta check yourself sometimes. I'd I'd I'd I'd bring a mirror, I'd bring a mirror in the dugout and be like, like, look at yourself. Come on, come on, puppy. You know?

SPEAKER_01 17:43

What were the ways, Russ, that you were able to flip that switch?

SPEAKER_00 17:50

I mean, it's you gotta dig deep. There's no there's no like secret recipe, it's just you gotta have heart, right? And like Josh said, it's it's you find out what you're made of when times are tough. And and sometimes you need like when this is all said and done, like this is it's gonna make him better. Because this is this might be or it's gonna kill him. One other two.

SPEAKER_02 18:18

It's one of the two, but I don't think it's gonna kill him.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

I don't think he's ever had to deal with struggling his whole career. Minor leagues, when he was a kid, this is his first time struggling, and it's after he gets the big payday. Like it's that's gonna play some tricks, you know, it's gonna play some mental games on you. And I mean, I I definitely think that you know he can overcome it because he's got the talent, you know, and and he's he the the kid's a star, right? It's just it's tough, it's tough to watch. It's it's tough to watch. You you definitely gotta be resilient. And um and I feel like if the best thing that can happen for him is a team continues to win and puts himself in a position to where winning matters. Because if it just becomes about him and his stats and and the team falls out of it, then I'm afraid that it's just it's just gonna keep going. But if it if winning stays relevant and and keeps and it's still important to the city, to the to the team, to the franchise, then he's got a shot. But if they if they fall too far out of it, I don't know, man. It's it's gonna be in deep waters.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

It it's wild because two weeks ago they're they're out of it. Three weeks ago, it felt like they were fully out of it, and now with 40 games to go, they're three bet three games back of a wild card. Now they got a leapfrog a few teams along the way, but like there's a quarter of the season to go. Like this is this is within striking distance, JD. I guess that's where I'm going with this.

SPEAKER_02 19:57

It is, it's it's right there at the tip. It's at the uh it's at their fingertips, they still control their own destiny, and at this point in the in the season, that's all you want. Like you want to have a chance to still go and and and do it. I mean, look at the Detroit Tigers. Uh what they traded like a couple guys at the break, got better in some instances, got some guys healthy, and came back and got into the wild card. It's definitely been done, it can definitely be done. Um, they have the pitching right now to do it, I believe. We just they need a spark. They need a spark, and um, I don't want to keep beating a dead horse, but you know, Vlad is that guy, and he needs to show up and he needs to start getting it done because we want him to get it done.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Yeah, and and if he does, that changes the entire complexion of this entire thing. And then it could get really uh really fun. Two series with the Yankees, one with the Rays, but then after that, there's two with Casey, the athletics. There's there's some teams in there that they got a leapfrog, like Baltimore and Cleveland along the way. This could get really interesting really fast. It was really interesting in the ballpark um a couple nights ago, that whole fourth out deal, the scoreboard flipping, nobody had any clue what was going on. I I thought to myself, the ball being wedged at the bottom of the wall in game six of the World Series was one thing. Um, Russ throwing the throwing the ball back off Shin Su Chu's bat was something. Um, you never know what you're gonna get when you go to the ballpark. What what did you guys make of it? What did it remind you of on the crazy scale of things that you've been a part of?

SPEAKER_00 21:52

I don't I don't even I don't even know if I understand exactly what happened. I know there's it said two outs on the scoreboard and And there was only one out. There's only one out. Guy flies out to center field. Center fielder catches the ball, throws the ball to first base to get the tag out. But the runner scored. The runner scored before the the the the force out at first base. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_02 22:20

Yeah, so um if he would have to the guy at the guy at third base never tagged up, but crossed home plate and they got the out at first, and they said it was the fourth out rule, which I don't understand like how you don't even tag and you cross home plate and they make a if he would have tagged and then scored at a home plate, right? Then I understand the fourth out rule at that point. But there was no tag, so that that's what that's confusing to me. Uh I mean I guess the only closest thing that I've could think of in some regard is um if they throw the ball go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 23:03

Go ahead. If they throw the ball to third base and get the tag and get the force out at third, does the run not count then?

SPEAKER_02 23:11

It doesn't count then. That's correct. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

So that was that was the mistake.

SPEAKER_02 23:15

So that's what they should have went to third base instead of first. I I still I think I think the rule how that transpired, I still think it's kind of bogus. I'm not saying it's against the rule book.

SPEAKER_01 23:27

It was a 15, it was a 15-minute delay, and the umpire said, We don't even know what's going on. We gotta go to New York, and they took forever to come up with a with a ruling.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

Yeah, I I guess like the closest thing that I've seen to that before is let's say there's like um a tag up from third base to home or whatnot, and the guy leaves early, right? Mm-hmm from third base. And then they're going to appeal. The pitcher gets the ball, they're going to appeal, and let's say there's a guy on first base. What you're taught as a baseball player at that time, if he did actually leave early, is for your guy to first base to take off as soon as the guy goes to appeal and then run. So hopefully they don't do the appeal that they tag the runner and get the out. Now the appeal is not a now, the run automatically counts. That's what a lot of people don't understand that. So that's the closest scenario that I could put into that.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Yeah. That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 24:35

Yeah. So it's that's that's the other fourth out rule in that scenario, too.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

What other confusing moments have you guys been part of? Obviously, Russ, we remember 15 and the DS and Texas and Dale Scott and um and all of those things that led to one of the most iconic innings in uh in Blue Jays history. What what else what else have you guys kind of been standing there on the field being like, uh what? Or in the dugout, kind of what's happening? What what's happening here?

SPEAKER_02 25:09

Oh man, I'd have to I'd have to think. I mean, I had one play where I thought was kind of bogus at one time. There was uh we were playing the White Sox when I was with the Twins, and there was a throw, a guy makes a catch in the outfield diving catch, and I think it was Grand Dahl that was at second base, and he was at almost at third base, and our outfielder just launches the ball back towards the infield, over like overthrows our shortstop, and I go to make a play for the ball, and as I made a play for the ball, I ran in front of the base runner, right? And he kind of had a I guess I don't think he uh I got in his way, but they deemed that I kind of um what's the word I'm looking for, Russ? Like I was um an obstruction, it was an obstruction call, yeah. Right. So so I went and caught it and spun through through to second base, got him out at second base, and then they called him safe and actually gave him I think third base as well. And I'm like, I don't understand because as a catcher, right? The rule is like you can run and go get the ball, and if the runner runs into you, then it's okay. Like he can run you over, right? Correct, right? But at that time, like and like if I'm an infielder and there's a ground ball hit to me, I have free reign to go get that ground ball. The runner has to go around me because I'm the defender, right? I'm making a play on the ball. I was making a play on the ball, and they call it an obstruction for me when the ball was thrown towards my direction and I had to go catch it and throw. Like, so that was one of that was a weird rule that um I thought of just off the top of my head.

SPEAKER_01 26:56

It's the get it done league. It's Josh Thomson, it's Russell Martin. We thank you for making us one of North America's fastest growing baseball podcasts. Please like and subscribe. Uh we talk a lot of Blue Jays on this show, but we talk a lot of baseball, and we would be remiss without two former Yankees to talk about the top prospect in the entire New York organization. Josh Donaldson likes what he sees out of a 21-year-old shortstop who can who looks like he has pop, he looks like he's got a decent glove, and he can fly. George Lombard Jr. guys, I mean, he's just kind of emerged onto the scene here. JD, what is it about him that may be different from the other air quote top prospects that so many um get excited about?

SPEAKER_02 27:52

I mean, first off, I mean, you just the eye test of looking at him like the kid's 21 years old, and he looks the part. Like there's not too many 21-year-olds that are from the United States, at least, that look the part at 21 years old. Um so the second thing that really excites me about him is like when I watch him defensively, and he's already made a couple plays that were not easy, and he made it look easy. Like, I'm gonna throw, and I actually text him today about it. Like, he reminds me of a Troy Tulowitzki at shortstop. Like, I look at his glove, like his glove is similar, how he shapes it, how he throws, but like the composure I see, like like I've seen some like hot shots, and like I haven't even seen his face like wrinkle. It's just like like he's just so calm. Like you can tell that he's put himself through a lot of these types of situations to be here right now where he's at. Like, whatever he's doing training is right. Uh, whatever how however he's prepared in the minor leagues, they've got him ready for this moment. The arm stands out right now, too. Um, and the bat, like I'm a little like he's young right now. I think the bat is gonna be a little bit sporadic at this time. I was watching one of his at bats tonight. He had a you know, probably a 12-pitch at bat. And you know, he in like two or three years, at least I hope, he needs to have a little bit better awareness right now of the strike zone. But that's what separates elite hitters, that's what separates the good young hitters. Like, that's why Juan Soto is Juan Soto because Joey Votto, we mentioned him, like he knows how to control the strike zone. I think right now he's excited, a little excited at the plate, and he's expanding, which isn't gonna be good uh in the in the oh in the long haul of things, yeah. Uh, but right now he might catch a little bit of fire, uh, just because guys don't know him right now. But I'm excited just from the eye test of looking at him, and defensively, um he looks the part. And like when I say Troy Tulowitzki, like when I mentioned that name and comparing somebody, Troy Tulowitzki was the first shortstop I saw that I actually played with. That when I said that's what a big league shortstop is supposed to look like, like that's what it's supposed to look like. And to play and see it up close and personal every day, like that was a treat for me. Like, that was a treat to sit there and watch Tulo play. So for me to get to watch this guy play defense right now, I'm excited about him. Yeah, I I love that. I what about you, Rush? You got to see Tulo from behind the plate. Say what do you what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 30:55

I mean, Tulo was just there, there's like two different Tulos. There's like early, like early career Tulo, where you know, he'd he'd like he'd catch the ball, he'd sit back like and just throw an absolute rocket across just an absolute rocket across a diamond, and it was just I mean, just super toolsy. Um just he just looked like an all-star from the get-go. You know, he just just an impact player, um, dynamic.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

And um he just did see Lombard at all? Did you do you see Tulo and Lombardo?

SPEAKER_00 31:35

I do Lombard? I do. It's a great, it's a great comparison. Um, you know, they're both dynamic players, big body. Um I mean Lombard looks super athletic, man, and and and like explosive. Uh, so there's there's some really good tools there. That's that's like that's a super compliment, right? Like Tulo is is you know, he's Hall of Fame worthy, in my opinion. Right? So I agree.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

But JD's had something interesting to say right off the hop, and I think this is something that maybe a lot of people don't quite understand. You said he plays the part and acts the part, like it can be intimidating as a 21-year-old who's got the title of top prospect wearing the pinstripes to come into New York with all that that represents. I remember when Judge was the you know, talk of town very early in his career, the way he carried himself, he gained a lot of respect early. What goes into playing the part? What goes into the way you handle yourself and how like Russ, you're a young player in New York. What what do you have like what are the requirements before you step on the field of the way you gotta go about your business when if you're a top prospect for the New York Yankees?

SPEAKER_00 33:04

Well, I think you have to learn how to be a pro. And what's being a pro? Being a pro is is doing things the right way. When it comes to the things that you can control, your your preparation, you know, how how how you train in the offseason, um, you know, your your attitude um, you know, throughout a season, um, how you carry yourself. And uh, you know, you you have to where does that come from? I mean, his dad is I I saw his dad, you know, cheesing out after his first game, uh, after that big uh that big game he had in his in his debut. And um his his father, I mean, his father played in the big leagues too, and and he coached for the Dodgers. And and um, so I feel like you gotta get a little bit of credit to his dad, who who probably you know showed him, showed him the way of of what it would what it takes to be a professional, you know, what what it is to be a pro. And I I think it's it's pretty simple. You just gotta you gotta do things right, especially the things that you can control. There's a lot of things you can't control, you know, in the game, but the things that you can control, you know, work ethic, attitude, all those things, that's what it, you know, that's what it's all about. And to me, when I when I look at that kid, he looks confident, and and and confidence comes from your preparation, you know. It's and you can tell that he's done everything right, and that's that's why he looks like he belongs, you know. And it's rare that you see rookies take the field and at the biggest stage, and it's rare that it doesn't, you know, it the moment isn't too big for them, it doesn't overwhelm them. And he just he fit he he fits right in. He he fits right in there. So um, you know, obviously the preparation's there, and now it's just time to to you know just go play, you know, and and that's it.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

So good luck to that kid. I yeah, I I don't I don't think he's gonna need much luck, but I mean we all need a little bit. Um but I'll I'll say this. I think kind of what you're alluding to, Rash, is there's no in New York, there's there's no room for a slip-up.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

Right.

SPEAKER_02 35:25

Like you that there's no room for like a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Like you gotta keep it like you know, you gotta keep that thing prim and proper. You gotta you gotta put that fancy suit on when you walk out there and because they're all looking to kill you out there in New York. They all like they want to be the first people to tell you that you're not gonna make it. Let's just say that. And so to have that preparation, to have where he's at right now for you is it's so important, especially where you're playing at right now. Like, like in Oakland or whatnot, like when I was coming up, like nobody cared. Like, if I made an error or whatever, or if I did something bonehead or whatnot, like I wasn't going on sports center, nobody cared. Like, sports center was already closed at that time, right? You know what I'm saying? But like when you're in the when you're on the big stage, the biggest stage, like I would say them in LA obviously, are probably you know the top two Chicago Cubs probably being another one, and Toronto, obviously. Um, like there's just no room for error. And I I what I what I see, I like so far.

SPEAKER_01 36:41

And the suave is important. The way you just kind of talk, the way you go about it, the way you interact with people, with opponents, how you carry yourself, how you carry yourself, and what what's important there for a young guy, Russ? Like it the way in terms of the way you carry yourself within the within the clubhouse, and then outwardly, what producer Sue, the opposite of Dalton Rushing. I like that. Um what am I dropping right? Um what what's important just the way you carry yourself with the fellas and then how you're kind of being observed by the um from the outside.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

I think it's just respect. Right? Respect your teammates. Be you know be a student, be a student. Like you have an opportunity to learn from a bunch of guys in a clubhouse who've had a lot of success. And it's just be the guy that seems to be willing and eager to learn. Like that's all you have to do, and that's all people care about. Like you will make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. The best players in the world make mistakes. You know, can can you can you learn from them? Don't don't don't shy away from them, don't shy away from the criticism because you're gonna get criticized, especially in New York. So you just gotta, you know, you just gotta you gotta take it, you gotta wear it. And um, but at the end of the day, and I and makes me think of Volpe, like why did he stick around for so long? He had, especially for the Yankees, he had such a long leash that's the guy had to be a great teammate. He had to be doing things right.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

One of the best, such a great kid.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

Yeah, so I don't think there you go.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

So he's my locker mate. Like the kid was always a student of the game, always working his tail off. But like, first off, I want to give Russ his kudos. I mean, these answers that he's given you tonight, for the people that are watching you, like, this is the real shit that like if you want to be a ball player, like if you like you need to lock in on what he's saying because he's giving you perfect answers to uh what what's going on, what's expected of like a young guy, like a people coming in, like, hey, if you want to be a big leader, the first thing that people want to see is like, are you a dude? Yeah, like are you a dude, or are you like, do you think you're better than people? Right, like what Russ is saying is like the right way to say is like show respect, respect your craft, respect your teammates, make sure you're doing your due diligence. Like you're there early, you're there putting your time in. Like, because we had said this before about one of my buddies that was a uh catcher one time for the Blue Jays, the Heineman. Like, you don't have any dirt in your spikes right now. Like, so you got you gotta earn that dirt in your spikes, and you do that by putting in the work. He's done that, he looks prepared at this moment, and props to his dad, like because his dad has done right by him. And you can see like it the eye test right now, like that first that first interaction that you see with a ball player, like that's gonna that means a lot. It really does.

SPEAKER_01 40:04

Yep. And and I think that's such a great point, Josh, that it's respect the craft, it's respect the work that goes into what it means to be a professional every day. It's not just your interaction with your teammates. What a lot of people don't or maybe know is hey, the way you interact with the clubhouse staff, the equipment staff, the trainers, the strength coaches, the assistant coaches, position coaches, all the way that stuff gets around when it comes to free agency, when it comes to you know, GMs you mentioned due diligence. The first thing they want to know, they they know they have all the data. They want to know what do you like to have around every day? How do you treat people? Are you turd or are you not?

SPEAKER_00 40:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 40:59

Are you somebody that I can count on? Or is it somebody that's gonna go help? Are they a good teammate? Are they gonna go help somebody?

SPEAKER_02 41:08

Preach.

SPEAKER_01 41:09

And and fellas, you both know this. There are tens of millions of dollars on the line that that make a difference on whether or not you do respect it, on whether or not you are a good teammate. These are some, these are realities of what goes on in pro sports.

SPEAKER_02 41:30

Yes, yes, and yes. I can't tell you how many times, and obviously I played for quite a few teams myself, but how many times a GM, especially around the trade, that live would be like, hey Josh, I know you played with this guy. What do you think? I does he fit here? Does he fit here or does he not fit here? And you guys know how I am. I told it how I told it straight. And they knew that that's what they were gonna get from me, so that's why they came to me. Um, but there was guys who I said yes, and there was guys who I said no to. Like they don't fit here, just as I said about myself and honestly, like when I was with Minnesota, like I could tell like that wasn't a fit for me. I wanted it to be one, but it wasn't really a fit. Um and that's you know, that's why there's 30 organizations. Like, you you gotta, as a ball player, you gotta find that right fit.

SPEAKER_01 42:25

You know who I thought right away, and obviously he grew up in it, was Bichette. Just the way Bo kind of conducted himself, kind of went about his business, the way he knew how to interact with vets, the way he knew how to interact with some of the young guys who he came up with. He just knew how to kind of maneuver that clubhouse, how to handle himself in a locker room. I think that helped him tremendously as a pro, especially early on.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

A lot of people, yeah. I mean, he's one of the guys. I mean, look, there's a reason why, whenever you're getting scouted in high school and college, like one of the questions that's on there is do you have any lineage to guys that played Major League Baseball? Like, do you have an uncle? Do you have a dad? Do you have a brother? Do you whatever it is? Because now they have this understanding of like, okay, this guy is gonna be a couple steps ahead of everybody else before he gets here. For the most part. Yeah. And this show right now, what Russ was just preaching, what you were just preaching a minute ago, like seriously, like this is like real, this is real stuff, and like for you to be able to get that from you know this show right now is it could it could play a big part in someone that's watching the show's career in the in the future.

SPEAKER_01 43:52

Yeah, just be a good dude, Russ. I mean, it comes down to that. Like it, I it's a big part of this whole equation, it's wild. Uh fellas, this has been great. This has been great. The Jays are back in the conversation. We just had an awesome conversation. Um let's see how this thing unfolds because adding Soriano, there's some pitching. We'll see what happens, you know, over the next little bit. And uh, and for sure we'll be back next week uh to talk it further. Um, this has been the Get It Done League. That's the MVP Josh Donaldson. There's Russ Martin. I'm your host, Arash Madani. Looking forward to seeing you all get it done league!