Had a really good convo with Tim Tadlock this morning. Here's a large majority of what he said to the media conglomerate today...
Could you speak on your roster building philosophy this year, how y'all went in the portal on the mound: "Yeah, I mean, you said it best. I mean, we definitely tried to add some depth, and kind of looked at what was out there in the summer and had the opportunity to add some guys. You know, all those guys have shown signs of being really good. I think they're going to provide a lot of depth. I think they're going to get a lot of people out. I mean, obviously (Jack) Cebert, you know, you're kind of looking at it going, Hey, should fit somewhere in there in the weekend. And Bevis is a guy that could be better than everybody when it's all said and done, you know, Crotchfelt is a guy, left handed with a good arm and he's going to help us a bunch. And, you know, a lot of big spots wherever that lands. Who am I forgetting? Probably try a few other ones. In a nutshell, like, if the opportunity to add, you know, arms to the back end, or even, you know, obviously, to your weekend opportunities there felt like we needed to do that. At the same time, I tell you, Jackson Burns, Jorden Espinosa, Connor Mohan, Tyler Boudreau, (Daniel) Bass, all those guys, you know, they're talking about some high school guys, couple junior college guys. Those guys have been really good, too, and so at the core what we do, we're always going to put teams together, you know, with the high school group and the junior college guys, but just felt like there's some guys that were available."
How about the versatility on defense, saw Schulze at 2B a couple times & such...: "I think we'll see how that evolves. The guy you mentioned actually played left field. You know, played left field for, I don't know how long at Long Beach, but he did play left he played first last year, and he catches a baseball wherever you put him. Really good baseball player. Moved Bravo around. I mean, Bravo's been in on the dirt a little bit. Logan Hughes has been on the dirt a little bit. Robin Villeneuve played some left. Think he played left last year opening day against us. If I'm not mistaken, I think he did. And so, yeah, there's some versatility there. I mean, you got, you got three middle infielders, obviously, those guys usually can bounce around. Pompey, we've all seen him play all three infield spots. We've got a group of guys that are good baseball players at the same time. You know, Kendyl Johnson, he's an above average center fielder. He's gonna go catch the baseball. And you know, you got Kyeler Thompson, I mean, he's sitting there. He's one of the faster guys we've had. And so there's some versatility, obviously, but you know, like, there's also some, some things. Like Maxcey, he's got some skins on the wall. He's caught some college baseball games. He's put good at bats together. He's shown the ability to kind of be in control of himself in big moments. And so those are things you're looking for as you go down the road."
How does this schedule put your team in the right place for the postseason, especially with the RPI?: "It does exactly that. I mean, we fully intend on playing five or six home games at the end of the year here. We put that schedule together with the intent to, you know, to host a regional and to host a super and that's what it does. It puts you in position to do that. And guys are excited about it. Really didn't want to leave it to chance. An opportunity to go to Chapel Hill, you know, came about last summer, and we're like, okay, yeah, why wouldn't you? The last time we went to an ACC school was probably in 16 we went to Florida State, and that set our RPI pretty good that year."
"First and foremost, you try to put your team in position to be a national seed, and really felt like with them leaving the league, you just didn't know where the RPI was going to fall. And so the simplest way to build an RPI is to go on the road, because you get more points for games on the road. So that's where we started. Then opportunity to go to again, like you got North Carolina probably predicted to win the ACC I'm not sure predictions mean much, but they are Grand Canyon is probably predicted to win their league. And so anytime you go in and play a three game set against a team that's the best in their league, that bodes well for you towards the end of the year. So just felt like, you know, to do that, to set it up by early in the year again, like we did, we did look at it, though, and say, Hey, let's go somewhere it's warm. I mean, Vegas is warm. Phoenix will be warm. North Carolina, you really don't have that choice. I think it's scheduled to be in the 50s right now. Just really wanted to put our guys in position to do what they've always wanted to do. And again, your your goal is to host post post season baseball here. That's what we're trying to do first. You know, with your schedule, I should say, obviously, there's bigger goals than that. But I mean, really it's these guys have done a good job of really just their day to day right now. We're talking big picture stuff."
How does Maxcey's experience last year set him up to be the starting catcher?: "I think playing the games, and I think also watching Kevin Bazzell. I think the combination of those two things. I think watching Braxton Fulford move around the facility, you know, every year in the off season, I think all those things. I think combination guys being around, you know, older guys, some of the pro guys, but I think probably your biggest values in the innings, but also your values in watching a guy like Bazzell going through his business. but Dylan's always been his own guy, and he's always had a knack for, you know, being a baseball player and kind of have a little gamer about him. That's just something some guys are just born with. And I think he has that."
Do you envision playing multiple catchers this year like you have in the past?: "I think Davis Rivers is gonna catch plenty. He's gonna be in a lineup every day. I mean, he really, at the end of the fall was he evolved into the guy that we recruited, and we really felt like he got in a spot where he was going, you know, he just really putting good at bats together. We always believed he could hit. And he's caught really well this spring so far. And I think Hudson Parker will catch plenty also. I think Hudson will be able to get those guys off their legs at times, maybe towards the end of games. And I think there's going to be days where he gets them off their legs, possibly. And I think Dominic Archilla is, he's like the Energizer buddy, man. He's like, he's like, a guy just brings great energy every day. Does everything you can, you know, everything that you want a teammate. And I don't think anybody hesitate to stick him back there either."
Expectations for Tracer Lopez this season?: "So I would say Tracer is in a really good spot, and what you're looking for from him is to be more committed to his plan. You're probably talking offense there, and sticking to it and staying with the plan and staying within himself. He does have a knack, and he has some strength that every once while he can hit the ball out of the ballpark. That sometimes that gets him in trouble. We need him to be a guy that really separates balls and strikes, really has tough at bats, routines the ball on defense, leads the infield. He's always had a knack for doing that. Got to remember that he's a guy that was supposed to graduate in '23 and he played for us in '23 and so he's got 100 something games under his belt. And I really think he's ready, I think he's in control what he's doing. You can control what you control. And I think he's, he's making the effort to do that. And I do think this team, and I think he understands, you it's not going to be perfect. The game's just not going to be perfect. But you can chase and his work ethic and his day to day and his preparation shows the guys chasing it. But it's also gotta be realistic with it. I mean, baseball's you're not going 10 for 10, but you can have good at bad after good at bat."
What about Cebert wanted you to bring him here?: "Cebert and Pirko, Pirko is the other guy. Both those guys had a number of starts, and so you could see looking at that, and you could go in and look at their stuff. You're talking about two guys, if you put them in a big league game with the secondary pitches they have, could compete as long as they can control what they can control. In other words, if they go pitch the pitch and just execute pitches, their stuff warrants. Hey, you got to respect both sides of it. Anytime a guy's a weekend starter and has some success and you put a bunch of innings together, it shows you that there's been a lot of good there. And so feel like Jack's in a spot where he can put a lot of starts together. He's got some maturity about him. He's done it and again. Now you're just looking for him to go out, you know, take the ball."
Where do you see Cebert slotting in?: "I think it's going to fall Saturday or Sunday. I think Mac (Heuer) right now is going to go on Friday. I would say, even though we hadn't had we haven't talked about it. We've talked about possibilities. But I think everybody in this room says, yeah, if Mac can go out there and go pitch the pitch and and do what he needs to do. He can get anybody out too. And so where does that leave Cebert? Saturday or Sunday. We're excited about those guys. And then there's going to be some things said about that. What I mean by that is, there's guys competing for those spots, and if you're good enough to go on the weekend. We haven't mentioned Trendan Parish. Think about that, talked about all these guys, and you're talking about a guy that's been here four years. We were lucky to get here at the time he came, and he can tell you, the ball is coming in there, and it's going to sink enough that, man, it's going to be hard to hit. And he's really good off the mound, and so nothing set yet. But as far as is Jack Cebert going to pitch some big innings? Absolutely."
How much improvement have you seen from TJ?: "And TJ has got a year under his belt. And, I mean, obviously, you're talking about a guy that ran 10 balls out of the ballpark, I don't know how many doubles he had, and showed some really signs of, like, really being an impact guy. We've seen that every week. Playing good defense, moving around good, has a lot of confidence, should be ready to have a really good year, excited about the possibility of that. He played great last weekend. Don't expect anything less than that."
How are Zane Petty and Brady Trombello doing?: "Yeah, I mean, that's a guy mentioned in Petty. You could throw him in that mix that we're talking about with all that, like we got some things to figure out as far as the weekend, who's going to go, who's going to take the ball, and at the start of those games. Petty has thrown the ball really good the last two weeks. Brady, for the first time, the other day, probably touched some 90. So he's getting his strength back. And really are playing with Brady all along is just to give him time to try to get his legs back under him and get his strength. Believe me, how hard you throw means nothing. As far as getting college hitters out, it's about executing pitches, but at the same time, it is a barometer. When a guy's coming back off of what he went through, you can see his body's getting stronger, he's getting more confidence. He's always going to have the secondary pitches. And so that's there. And so it's just, it shouldn't be just a matter of time with Brady."
@ALL HANDS
Could you speak on your roster building philosophy this year, how y'all went in the portal on the mound: "Yeah, I mean, you said it best. I mean, we definitely tried to add some depth, and kind of looked at what was out there in the summer and had the opportunity to add some guys. You know, all those guys have shown signs of being really good. I think they're going to provide a lot of depth. I think they're going to get a lot of people out. I mean, obviously (Jack) Cebert, you know, you're kind of looking at it going, Hey, should fit somewhere in there in the weekend. And Bevis is a guy that could be better than everybody when it's all said and done, you know, Crotchfelt is a guy, left handed with a good arm and he's going to help us a bunch. And, you know, a lot of big spots wherever that lands. Who am I forgetting? Probably try a few other ones. In a nutshell, like, if the opportunity to add, you know, arms to the back end, or even, you know, obviously, to your weekend opportunities there felt like we needed to do that. At the same time, I tell you, Jackson Burns, Jorden Espinosa, Connor Mohan, Tyler Boudreau, (Daniel) Bass, all those guys, you know, they're talking about some high school guys, couple junior college guys. Those guys have been really good, too, and so at the core what we do, we're always going to put teams together, you know, with the high school group and the junior college guys, but just felt like there's some guys that were available."
How about the versatility on defense, saw Schulze at 2B a couple times & such...: "I think we'll see how that evolves. The guy you mentioned actually played left field. You know, played left field for, I don't know how long at Long Beach, but he did play left he played first last year, and he catches a baseball wherever you put him. Really good baseball player. Moved Bravo around. I mean, Bravo's been in on the dirt a little bit. Logan Hughes has been on the dirt a little bit. Robin Villeneuve played some left. Think he played left last year opening day against us. If I'm not mistaken, I think he did. And so, yeah, there's some versatility there. I mean, you got, you got three middle infielders, obviously, those guys usually can bounce around. Pompey, we've all seen him play all three infield spots. We've got a group of guys that are good baseball players at the same time. You know, Kendyl Johnson, he's an above average center fielder. He's gonna go catch the baseball. And you know, you got Kyeler Thompson, I mean, he's sitting there. He's one of the faster guys we've had. And so there's some versatility, obviously, but you know, like, there's also some, some things. Like Maxcey, he's got some skins on the wall. He's caught some college baseball games. He's put good at bats together. He's shown the ability to kind of be in control of himself in big moments. And so those are things you're looking for as you go down the road."
How does this schedule put your team in the right place for the postseason, especially with the RPI?: "It does exactly that. I mean, we fully intend on playing five or six home games at the end of the year here. We put that schedule together with the intent to, you know, to host a regional and to host a super and that's what it does. It puts you in position to do that. And guys are excited about it. Really didn't want to leave it to chance. An opportunity to go to Chapel Hill, you know, came about last summer, and we're like, okay, yeah, why wouldn't you? The last time we went to an ACC school was probably in 16 we went to Florida State, and that set our RPI pretty good that year."
"First and foremost, you try to put your team in position to be a national seed, and really felt like with them leaving the league, you just didn't know where the RPI was going to fall. And so the simplest way to build an RPI is to go on the road, because you get more points for games on the road. So that's where we started. Then opportunity to go to again, like you got North Carolina probably predicted to win the ACC I'm not sure predictions mean much, but they are Grand Canyon is probably predicted to win their league. And so anytime you go in and play a three game set against a team that's the best in their league, that bodes well for you towards the end of the year. So just felt like, you know, to do that, to set it up by early in the year again, like we did, we did look at it, though, and say, Hey, let's go somewhere it's warm. I mean, Vegas is warm. Phoenix will be warm. North Carolina, you really don't have that choice. I think it's scheduled to be in the 50s right now. Just really wanted to put our guys in position to do what they've always wanted to do. And again, your your goal is to host post post season baseball here. That's what we're trying to do first. You know, with your schedule, I should say, obviously, there's bigger goals than that. But I mean, really it's these guys have done a good job of really just their day to day right now. We're talking big picture stuff."
How does Maxcey's experience last year set him up to be the starting catcher?: "I think playing the games, and I think also watching Kevin Bazzell. I think the combination of those two things. I think watching Braxton Fulford move around the facility, you know, every year in the off season, I think all those things. I think combination guys being around, you know, older guys, some of the pro guys, but I think probably your biggest values in the innings, but also your values in watching a guy like Bazzell going through his business. but Dylan's always been his own guy, and he's always had a knack for, you know, being a baseball player and kind of have a little gamer about him. That's just something some guys are just born with. And I think he has that."
Do you envision playing multiple catchers this year like you have in the past?: "I think Davis Rivers is gonna catch plenty. He's gonna be in a lineup every day. I mean, he really, at the end of the fall was he evolved into the guy that we recruited, and we really felt like he got in a spot where he was going, you know, he just really putting good at bats together. We always believed he could hit. And he's caught really well this spring so far. And I think Hudson Parker will catch plenty also. I think Hudson will be able to get those guys off their legs at times, maybe towards the end of games. And I think there's going to be days where he gets them off their legs, possibly. And I think Dominic Archilla is, he's like the Energizer buddy, man. He's like, he's like, a guy just brings great energy every day. Does everything you can, you know, everything that you want a teammate. And I don't think anybody hesitate to stick him back there either."
Expectations for Tracer Lopez this season?: "So I would say Tracer is in a really good spot, and what you're looking for from him is to be more committed to his plan. You're probably talking offense there, and sticking to it and staying with the plan and staying within himself. He does have a knack, and he has some strength that every once while he can hit the ball out of the ballpark. That sometimes that gets him in trouble. We need him to be a guy that really separates balls and strikes, really has tough at bats, routines the ball on defense, leads the infield. He's always had a knack for doing that. Got to remember that he's a guy that was supposed to graduate in '23 and he played for us in '23 and so he's got 100 something games under his belt. And I really think he's ready, I think he's in control what he's doing. You can control what you control. And I think he's, he's making the effort to do that. And I do think this team, and I think he understands, you it's not going to be perfect. The game's just not going to be perfect. But you can chase and his work ethic and his day to day and his preparation shows the guys chasing it. But it's also gotta be realistic with it. I mean, baseball's you're not going 10 for 10, but you can have good at bad after good at bat."
What about Cebert wanted you to bring him here?: "Cebert and Pirko, Pirko is the other guy. Both those guys had a number of starts, and so you could see looking at that, and you could go in and look at their stuff. You're talking about two guys, if you put them in a big league game with the secondary pitches they have, could compete as long as they can control what they can control. In other words, if they go pitch the pitch and just execute pitches, their stuff warrants. Hey, you got to respect both sides of it. Anytime a guy's a weekend starter and has some success and you put a bunch of innings together, it shows you that there's been a lot of good there. And so feel like Jack's in a spot where he can put a lot of starts together. He's got some maturity about him. He's done it and again. Now you're just looking for him to go out, you know, take the ball."
Where do you see Cebert slotting in?: "I think it's going to fall Saturday or Sunday. I think Mac (Heuer) right now is going to go on Friday. I would say, even though we hadn't had we haven't talked about it. We've talked about possibilities. But I think everybody in this room says, yeah, if Mac can go out there and go pitch the pitch and and do what he needs to do. He can get anybody out too. And so where does that leave Cebert? Saturday or Sunday. We're excited about those guys. And then there's going to be some things said about that. What I mean by that is, there's guys competing for those spots, and if you're good enough to go on the weekend. We haven't mentioned Trendan Parish. Think about that, talked about all these guys, and you're talking about a guy that's been here four years. We were lucky to get here at the time he came, and he can tell you, the ball is coming in there, and it's going to sink enough that, man, it's going to be hard to hit. And he's really good off the mound, and so nothing set yet. But as far as is Jack Cebert going to pitch some big innings? Absolutely."
How much improvement have you seen from TJ?: "And TJ has got a year under his belt. And, I mean, obviously, you're talking about a guy that ran 10 balls out of the ballpark, I don't know how many doubles he had, and showed some really signs of, like, really being an impact guy. We've seen that every week. Playing good defense, moving around good, has a lot of confidence, should be ready to have a really good year, excited about the possibility of that. He played great last weekend. Don't expect anything less than that."
How are Zane Petty and Brady Trombello doing?: "Yeah, I mean, that's a guy mentioned in Petty. You could throw him in that mix that we're talking about with all that, like we got some things to figure out as far as the weekend, who's going to go, who's going to take the ball, and at the start of those games. Petty has thrown the ball really good the last two weeks. Brady, for the first time, the other day, probably touched some 90. So he's getting his strength back. And really are playing with Brady all along is just to give him time to try to get his legs back under him and get his strength. Believe me, how hard you throw means nothing. As far as getting college hitters out, it's about executing pitches, but at the same time, it is a barometer. When a guy's coming back off of what he went through, you can see his body's getting stronger, he's getting more confidence. He's always going to have the secondary pitches. And so that's there. And so it's just, it shouldn't be just a matter of time with Brady."
@ALL HANDS
