RaysUp - Rays lineup shakout, Angel flies away plus Bob Kendrick & Negro League stats

• Retirement of Angel Hernandez, controversial MLB umpire.
• Mat Germain suggests that umpires over 60 should retire due to declining reflexes and eyesight.
• Mark Corbett and Mat Germain talk about other umpires like CB Buckner and Joe West, noting that Joe West started a podcast after retirement.
• Discussion about various sports personalities who have ventured into podcasting, including former Yankees’ CC Sabathia and Rays’ Pete Fairbanks.
• What would a Tyler Glasnow podcast  sound like  - “potty mouth”
• Harold Ramirez and Ahmed Rosario poll
• Mat Germain analyzes the Rays' performance against left-handed and right-handed pitching
• Lineup changes made by Kevin Cash.
• Mat Germain mentions Richie Palacios' success against certain types of pitches and criticizes the lack of playing time for Harold Ramirez.
• Randy Arozarena's should he be sent down to AAA for motivation.
• Potential call-ups from AAA, including Austin Shenton and Rene Pinto, and the importance of balancing offense and defense in player selection.
• Mat Germain questions what Randy Arozarena's legacy will be in Tampa if he is sent down or traded.
• Question about Randy Arozarena's legacy if he were to leave the Rays.
• Kevin Cash's Frustration: Mark Corbett expresses that it must be frustrating for Kevin Cash to deal with players' personalities, as they need to step up or not.
• Injuries and Absences: Mat Germain notes that key players like Jeffrey Springs, Shane Baz, Brandon McKay, and Junior Caminero are not returning, necessitating reliance on fringe players.
• Opportunities for Fringe Players: Mat Germain advocates giving fringe players like Ruben Cardenas and Tristan Peters a chance to play and prove themselves.
• Josh Lowe's Struggles: Josh is currently dealing with injuries, hoping he recovers post-All-Star break.
• Front Office Decisions: Eric Neander and Stu Sternberg are they willing to invest in the 2024 roster given the team's current performance.
• Attendance Issues: Mat & Mark discuss the decline in attendance and its potential relation to ongoing stadium issues and fan fatigue.
• Stadium Location Concerns: Mat Germain points out the lack of aggression from City of Tampa to secure the Rays' stadium, suggesting Yankees fans might be influencing the decision.
• Negro League Stats in MLB: BaseballBiz On Deck celebrates the inclusion of thes stats in MLB history, noting the impact on historical rankings and records.
• Praise Bob Kendricks’ work in promoting Negro League history and achievements.
• Inclusion of Negro League stats results in Josh Gibson topping the all-time career batting average leader list.
• Combination of Willie Mays MLB & Negro League stats
• Potential Hall of Fame Inductions: Mat Germain speculates that the updated stats might lead to new Hall of Fame inductions.
• Ryan Pepiot's strong performance on the mound, comparing his style to Roy Halladay's and suggesting he could bring back complete games for the Ray 

Thanks to Mat Germain for bringing his knowledge, wit and wisdom to the show. You can catch more of Mat on Twitter x.com @Mat_Germain_   
 Mark can be found on Twitter x.com  @TheBaseballBiz & and at  http://www.baseballbizondeck.com
Subscribe, follow and rate the show. Thank you.
BaseballBiz can be found on iheartradio, Stitcher, Apple, and Spotify
Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music “Rocking Forward"

Transcript

DeScript 237 for Transcript

[00:00:00] Mark Corbett: Welcome to BaseballBiz On Deck.com. I am Mark Corbett and with me, of course, is Mr. Mat , Germain . How are you doing today, Mat ? 

[00:00:12] Mat Germain: I'm doing excellent. How about you, Mark? 

[00:00:14] Mark Corbett: Brother. I am enjoying it. It is a special day today. I've marked it in my baseball calendar. I'm going to be able to celebrate it. Every year, uh, the angel Hernandez day.

[00:00:28] Mat Germain: Yeah, it actually happened. I, I know you like the majority of MLB fans probably had some sort of moment when it was announced. 

[00:00:42] Mark Corbett: Yeah. I mean, let's face it, the poor guy. It's come under such criticism. You know, if you look at Angel Hernandez and there's probably more videos up on this poor son of a gun than anybody else out there, I know he's complained to MLB about, uh, possibly being discriminated against, but my gosh, that man should never be allowed into any kind of postseason game or any other.

[00:01:05] Mark Corbett: So maybe he and MLB came to some understanding as some sort of agreement, but he, you know, the man is retired and I wish him well. But, uh, gosh, the game will probably be a little better. 

[00:01:19] Mat Germain: Yeah. Well, you know, if you're, if you're teaching new umpires on how not to umpire and how to, to not make it about yourself, uh, he would be the prime example to show.

[00:01:29] Mat Germain: I mean, it's not a popularity contest for umpires. Let's not get, you know, anything out of sorts on that front. They're not there to make friends on the field. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. Um, you know, it depends. Each personality is going to be different with the players anyway. So the point is that the game is supposed to be about the game and the calls should be important to some degree.

[00:01:51] Mat Germain: And I still come back to the fact that anybody over the age of 60 should just be automatically, you know, okay, it's time to retire now. Um, because, you know, at some point your reflexes, your eyesight, all of those things start to get to a point where they're not keeping up with the speed of the game. So just on that alone, nevermind all the, you know, controversies that he's caused over the years and all the times he's made it about himself, you know, the, the fact that he's 62 years old, that's enough to me.

[00:02:21] Mat Germain: Yeah. You know, go retire. CB Buckner is 61, by the way. Ooh, 

[00:02:28] Mark Corbett: well, see that, that, yeah, thank you. That, that begs another question. Who do we get to poke at now that angels on? I mean, we, we had what a country Joe West for a while, but he left us and. Uh, now angels leaving us. So is it Buckner's going to be our next, uh, pivot person to point to?

[00:02:48] Mat Germain: It kind of points to the fact that if you're going to have some sort of personality out there and you're going to be, you know, what we would call flamboyant, like calling strikes really loud and doing this and making your name known, then you're going to be a target at some point because you're going to make, you're going to miss some calls.

[00:03:03] Mat Germain: That's the name of the game for umpires. But I think how they react to it says more. So a lot of the end and how Hernandez issue was the arrogance with which he conducted his job. It wasn't the fact that he was making right or wrong calls. He wasn't the worst. It's been proven in the statistics. Like he was maybe, you know, in the bottom 10.

[00:03:23] Mat Germain: Yeah, maybe, but, but he's not the actual worst. So I think it just. It was highlighted more because of how he dealt with those calls and the people and the situations when guys got angry. 

[00:03:37] Mark Corbett: Well, he had the color and he had the personality, you know, uh, speaking of color and personality, cause I do think of country Joe West, all that he achieved, uh, you know, he said, well, what, what was Joe going to do after he left?

[00:03:51] Mark Corbett: Well, Lo and behold, he started a podcast 

[00:03:55] Mat Germain: and I haven't heard this. I knew he did some music, but I didn't hear about the podcast. 

[00:03:59] Mark Corbett: Oh yeah. Yeah. He came out with a podcast. I think it lasted about 20 episodes and it was weird and varied. I mean, he would talk with some people in the game, but he'd also, one of his guests was Charles Barkley.

[00:04:13] Mark Corbett: Yeah. And another one was, uh, yeah, another one was, was a country singer too. No, Emmy Lou Harris. Emmy Lou Harris was one of them too. 

[00:04:22] Mat Germain: Interesting mix, man, that doesn't make any sense to me in my head, how he even got in contact with those people. 

[00:04:29] Mark Corbett: Well, he's country Joe West. I'm sure some, some dollars behind it because if nothing else, he was colorful, but it didn't last as long.

[00:04:37] Mark Corbett: And it's kind of going off on this rampart for just a moment. It's kind of interesting looking at, at other. People who've done podcasts. I know that, uh, let's see, see, see some Bathia. One of my favorite pitchers of all time. Just wonderful person, wonderful person. And he probably is in real life. Just, just not the persona I saw on the mound pitching at the race, but he, yeah, he, uh, he, he had his own, uh, Was it R2, C2?

[00:05:09] Mark Corbett: He was with some other fellow too. I can't remember. Obviously C2 is for CC Sabathia. And that also lasted, I think, about a year. But, uh, one of my favorites is a Tampa Bay Ray. And, and I think there's only four episodes of his podcast. Uh, something I think Neil Solon's helped Pete Fairbanks with. It was called Horsin Around with Pete.

[00:05:32] Mark Corbett: Oh, I like that. That's awesome. It's well, Fairbanks is a colorful enough guy anyway, and he has a great voice. Uh, it's worth digging it out folks. It's Horson H O R S I N around with Pete and jig it up. It's. I don't think he's done anything within a couple of years, but it was fun to hear him and, and Solon's kind of banter back and forth and some of the other dialogue they would have with other players as well.

[00:05:57] Mark Corbett: So 

[00:05:58] Mat Germain: I think if Tyler had stuck around, they would have had an R rated version called, uh, something else around with, with Tyler.

[00:06:09] Mark Corbett: Oh, Gosh, 

[00:06:11] Mat Germain: oh, Tyler, the amount of cursing he does in certain places. I wouldn't doubt it. Hilarious to listen to. And then you beep everything out whenever it came across. 

[00:06:24] Mark Corbett: Well, you remember one of the celebrations he did in the raised locker room and he said something in front of Trisha Whitaker live, Trisha being the, the reporter there.

[00:06:33] Mark Corbett: And as soon as it came out of his mouth, he realized, he said, Oh, Oh, he looked at the camera and said, sorry, mom. 

[00:06:41] Mat Germain: Exactly. I can't remember what her response was, but there was somebody that asked her about it. And she said that, uh, Oh, he has such a potty mouth. It was funny. Oh, 

[00:06:55] Mark Corbett: well, coming back to the actual game of baseball, you know, as bad as I felt about What's going on with the raise lately.

[00:07:04] Mark Corbett: And we mentioned glass. Now I was like, the thing is the Dodgers took five in a row, man. The Reds took them to the woodshed. I mean, geez, Pete, I did not anticipate seeing the Los Angeles Dodgers lose five games in a row. Wolf. I can almost feel good about the race. 

[00:07:24] Mat Germain: Almost the the Dodgers. I've I keep saying it over and over again, like they're too thin overall, and they are susceptible to some loosened streaks because of that.

[00:07:33] Mat Germain: So if they're big guys aren't running hot, then they had, you know, the bottom part of their lineup you can navigate through. So, yeah. Um, they really need those guys to be wearing guys down in order to have success. And sometimes you just don't get there. I heard Otani is getting close to throwing again though.

[00:07:52] Mat Germain: And uh, that's really interesting. 

[00:07:54] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Everybody wants to see that. That's, that's something. My gosh. Yes. I can't wait to see him back on the mound. You know, you look at the money that goes into the Dodgers. And you look at the money that goes into the Yankees and you look at the money that goes into the Mets and the, the Mets, my gosh, man, you figure that somebody putting that soup together as much as it costs for all the ingredients, that thing would be serving up hot and it's anything else has been served cold.

[00:08:22] Mat Germain: I would, I would. So imagine if the Rays had the number of injuries that they have, but they had a quarter of the system to work with. And that's basically where the Mets are. And it, you know, they've, they've just changed leadership within the team. I don't know who's giving that leadership advice by any means, but I do know David Stearns knows how to build a team.

[00:08:45] Mat Germain: And, uh, I think, you know, Ronnie Mauricio going down the injury at the beginning and in spring, that really set them back for the full year he's out and he was their top prospect, basically. So it'd be like Junior Caminero being out for the year. So, he, um, He was expected to play a lot of second base, but really the pitching injuries that they've had, you know, those are the ones that have set them back a lot.

[00:09:10] Mat Germain: Pete Alonso not performing the way he should. They still have an older outfield overall with Starling Marte and a couple of other guys. Brendan Nimmo is, is awesome when he's playing. Um, and, and I think Francisco Lindor is having a really strong season, but I think we saw when they came with Brett Beatty at third base, when they came to Tampa, um, there's just some youth and, and, and lackluster play at, at key positions on the field, sometimes center field, third base, second base, where they have lapses in judgment, they really hurt their guys at the worst time in the game.

[00:09:50] Mat Germain: Um, so I, I don't, I would say they're not far off. Edwin Diaz, I think is the biggest, uh, disappointment for them this year. And, and I don't think he's going to be back for a little bit now. He's on the injured list with a shoulder issue. So like he was expected to really carry the bulk of the pen. And he also lost Brooks Raley, which used to be with the Rays and he's down for the year.

[00:10:16] Mat Germain: So, um, you know, It's one of those things where I know what they had to work with. And to be fair, I don't think they've called on enough guys from, from their minor system. I thought they would be more aggressive on that, but I think they know where they stand and they probably don't want to make those calls right now.

[00:10:34] Mat Germain: They would rather just wait until they have more control over those players and then call them up at that point. 

[00:10:41] Mark Corbett: Well, here we are Wednesday, May 29th, and I know earlier you and I both saw a part of what happened with the Mets and Alonso got hit at the plate. Uh, have you seen any information on, on the injury on that?

[00:10:56] Mat Germain: Not yet. No, I imagine we're going to have to do x rays and with fingers and stuff like that, like it tends to be more, uh, Tedious, like if there's any swelling or anything, it can sometimes hide the injury. Um, and sometimes it can be such a fine fracture that they don't really see it right away. Um, so I don't know.

[00:11:12] Mat Germain: We'll, we'll find out soon though. I'm pretty sure. 

[00:11:15] Mark Corbett: Well, you and I were talking before the show and we both had hopes that, uh, that, that Tampa boy could one day return here and be playing for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

[00:11:26] Mat Germain: I can see it. He's lowering his value enough right now Where if the rays wanted to take a chance on him as a dh he wouldn't be playing playing first base So he would be a full time dh Might even not play he might he might almost be The same kind of role as when they brought in nelson cruz, you know where?

[00:11:49] Mat Germain: He's playing, he's in the lineup the majority of the time, but he will get games off when the matchups don't make sense or, you know, if his splits dictate it. 

[00:12:00] Mark Corbett: Well, as long as we're talking about DHs, let's talk about position for the Tampa Bay race. Let's actually make this a Tampa Bay race show again. Uh, but my gosh, Mat , you put out, uh, you put out a poll last week, asking folks about some different changes that might come up and, uh, see what you were asking about who may or may not be traded.

[00:12:22] Mark Corbett: And I think one of them was, uh, Harold Ramirez and the other series. Is that correct? 

[00:12:27] Mat Germain: Um, it was, uh, Harold Ramirez or Ahmed Rosario, and the reasoning behind it is that the rosters just built wrong. And, and what I mean by that is that you're, they're playing, you know, against left handed pitchers about 20 to 25 percent of the time.

[00:12:46] Mat Germain: Uh, and when you're looking at their plate appearances against left handers, they're doing well, they're, they have 102, uh, weighted runs created, which means that they're about 2 percent better than the average. And now I'll be, yeah, that's, that's not great, but it's solid as a team. But that's the problem is that they're built.

[00:13:05] Mat Germain: To do well against left handed pitching against right handed pitching. They're one of the worst in the league and it has to do with the fact they have too many right handed batters in the lineup that don't perform as well against right handed pitchers. And so they, they need to shed one and add a left handed bat or somebody that can dominate against right handed pitching.

[00:13:27] Mat Germain: They're really, really, really, really Are not doing well against right handed pitching and when you're in a league where 80 to 75 percent of the pitchers are right handed, that's a problem. So when you're looking, think back to last year, right? You had, uh, Luke Raley and Josh Lowe, which were just raking.

[00:13:47] Mat Germain: Right. When we started the season, Brandon Lau was chipping in from the left handed side. So you had those three monster left handed bats carrying the lineup against all right handers that came in and wore them down enough to, along with Yandy having an awesome season as well. He's good against both sides of the plate.

[00:14:06] Mat Germain: So you had. You know the ability to attack right handed pitching right now. There's just everybody's ice cold Except for ritchie palacios against right handed pitchers so it's no way to to build your roster and so I feel like and to top it off when When kevin cash did have austin shenton aboard. He didn't even play him How do you leave a left handed bat that you know lethal against right handed pitching on the bench constantly?

[00:14:34] Mat Germain: I don't get it. So And it's the same thing that's happening with Harold Ramirez right now. He's not seeing much playing time. He's playing tonight. But I think it's only his second game out of the last seven that he's starting. Wow. So you're starting to see some of that, you know, and that's my point. It's sort of, first of all, it doesn't do Harold any good because he's not playing enough to keep his bat going and to keep his timing down.

[00:14:55] Mat Germain: And second of all, when he does get in there, he's cold. He's got to find his, you know, his form again and his timing. And so it, It's not doing anybody any service to not be in the lineup constantly, uh, consistently so that they can get their form. Right. And I think they needed a left handed bat some way, somehow.

[00:15:14] Mark Corbett: Yeah. And you know, I was hoping to see more from Brandon, but I got to tell you, man, it was exciting watching him the other day, hit that triple. Oh gosh, that was awesome. That was amazing. I thought, good. He's coming back. He's coming back. So we'll see if he can, you know, can, you know, Continue to compound on top of that and put some more success with it.

[00:15:33] Mark Corbett: But, uh, as far as who's coming up to bat, Kevin's last few game is, uh, has mixed up the lineup a little bit. I mean, Diaz, don't you think Yandy was his first tonight? If was he leading off yesterday? I can't remember. 

[00:15:47] Mat Germain: No, he, he did what I suggested, which is great. I love to see it. Um, so when you're looking at the, I don't only look at left and right.

[00:15:56] Mat Germain: I also look at what the pitcher's strength is. Like, if, if somebody's, uh, throwing a lot of breaking balls or a lot of change ups, I think you need to stack the lineup to attack those. You know, the pitcher's strengths, uh, so, so that you're actually having success early in the lineup. Um, so Richie Palacios happens to do extremely well against the breaking ball and, and, uh, and the fastball.

[00:16:18] Mat Germain: So when the guys are dominant in those pitches. You know, put him at the top, get, get that going. And when he doesn't, when it doesn't, then you can put Yandy back up and then put somebody like Johnny DeLuca or somebody like that behind him, whenever it makes sense. Sadly, I think you'll, you were going to note that Randy has been slid down in lineup.

[00:16:38] Mat Germain: And I heard Zach, uh, on WDA today asking, uh, whether or not they should, uh, you know, send them to AAA and he asked Dennard span and Dennard span said, I think I would give him 50 more at bats, you know, and then if he doesn't figure it out by then he would consider it. Wow. He would send them to AAA. And I don't disagree.

[00:17:02] Mat Germain: I think there's a point in time where, um, you know, the hard part is if he keeps playing like that, then you're probably out of the playoff picture anyway. Yeah. So by sending him down to AAA, you're devaluing him in terms of a trade asset. Right. Um, so I don't know if they actually would, but I understand the concept behind it.

[00:17:26] Mark Corbett: I think they need to make sure that idea has been put in front of Randy, because yeah, well, come on, there's certain things about motivation. I don't know what it takes for a player. I know that the player can get things in their head that doesn't allow them to execute the way they like to. And Randy, we've, we have a lot of expectations for, and it's just not happening.

[00:17:49] Mark Corbett: And while we're talking about moving, you know, the potential. Uh, you know, we're, we're looking at players possibly coming up and going down. We talked about Austin Shenton, I know earlier on this season, you know, you were saying, are they really giving him a chance or is he getting enough opportunity to be out there and maybe, maybe not, but you said even more so.

[00:18:15] Mark Corbett: I think it was Alex, uh, Tyler Alexander and my gosh, there's a decision. I think where the young man, Has been given plenty of opportunities. He is done well, but he is not done Ray well. He's done AAA well, and you've, you and by the way, folks, check Mat  out on Twitter and it is at Mat  MA, tco Jerma, G-E-R-M-A-I-N under.

[00:18:39] Mark Corbett: You're gonna find a lot of this information. Mat  does a lot of good work and research there. If you're talking about making some changes. Mat , I know you've talked about how Renee Pento is looking good in Triple A and why wouldn't we bring him up? He rakes. He's 

[00:18:55] Mat Germain: the, he's the best raise hitter to this point in terms of weighted runs created against right handed pitching.

[00:19:01] Mat Germain: So, it's exactly what the Rays need, but for some stubborn reason, they continue to value defense at the catching position over any offense. It boggles my mind. I don't understand why, and I understand, what I do understand is that Alex Jackson was doing well offensively in AAA. That's it. He really was.

[00:19:22] Mat Germain: He's just looked completely lost at MLB level. So like you said with Randy or Rosarena, at some point, sometimes you need to take a step back and kind of go, you know, Oh, um, maybe we should give you a little bit of time away. I do want to ask you this though. If, if Randy or Rosarena does, For whatever reason, either get sent down or treated out of Tampa this year.

[00:19:43] Mat Germain: What is his legacy going to be in Tampa? 

[00:19:48] Mark Corbett: Oh my, oh my, uh, you know, it's, I mean, he'll be in also ran is what it's going to look like, you know, I mean, well, Brett Phillips have a larger following in five years than, than Randy Rosarito, as far as I've been. Former Tampa Bay Ray. I don't know. 

[00:20:09] Mat Germain: It's a, it's a good question because they literally built Randy land for them.

[00:20:15] Mat Germain: They, they embrace the whole playoff thing. They had, you know, they've given them every opportunity. Personally. I think that a lot of it has to do with With, uh, the way that Randy feeds off of crowds. And, and when you're in a crowdless environment, it doesn't really get him going. I remember watching him at the WBC, he becomes a showman.

[00:20:39] Mat Germain: When, when there's big crowds, when there's a rowdy crowd. He, he just lights up. And he becomes a completely different person and different player because of it. Same thing in the playoffs, you know, he lights up because he sees the spotlight and he wants to perform under that spotlight. So if they do end up training him at some point this season, I hope he goes somewhere like Chicago, like go, go, go to the Cubs, have big crowds there all the time, uh, you know, get to perform in the biggest stages and, and actually be.

[00:21:11] Mat Germain: You know, yourself, the best version of yourself, because he's not being mad with the raise this year, and I noted it like in spring, I noted it early, his persona just tells me he's not into it this year, for, he could have personal reasons. Like other than what I'm saying could be a million different reasons, but I feel like he's at his best when he's in the spotlight, high pressure environment that he can actually shine.

[00:21:39] Mark Corbett: Well, there's no doubt. A lot of players feed off of synergy with what's going on in the crowd. And that's always been a challenge of the trap, but you'd hope with, with Randy land, I'd always hope that I'd see that full every time they're there, but it's, it's not, and that has to kind of pull him down a little bit, but I'm hoping that there's nothing.

[00:21:58] Mark Corbett: Overly personal going on, but like you said, that could, that could very well be the case. Uh, man, he he's got so much, he's got the energy, the face, he's got that positivity. When you see him on camera. Uh, I don't know. I don't know what it's going to take, Mat . That's for sure.

[00:22:20] Mark Corbett: Well, what else do we want to say about our raise? We know last week had you start off with everything going on with the minor leagues, because it was the one place where we had some shining moments. 

[00:22:33] Mat Germain: Yeah, there's always shining. That's part of the reason I love to watch the, the minor leagues when it comes to the raise.

[00:22:39] Mat Germain: But, um, you know, you were talking about Tyler Alexander, um, you know, today, and, uh, there just so happens to be, you know, Joe Rock, who's also a left handed pitcher. Who I think is, is getting, I don't want to say that he's ready right now because you have to do things a little bit more consistently at a certain level before they, you know, they'll deem you ready to add you to the roster.

[00:23:03] Mat Germain: Because once you're added to the roster, you're it, you can get called up at any, any time. And right now the Rays also have Jacob Lopez on the 40 man, and I don't know if they've decided what they want to do with him yet, so. They may take some other moves, but he's been doing well overall. He like the last, uh, game that he threw was extremely strong.

[00:23:24] Mat Germain: And tonight I've been watching. On, uh, on TV, and, uh, he's got two innings in, he's only allowed one hit, and he's got two Ks, no runs. He just keeps getting better, I find. He's got that kind of, uh, The same kind of thing as the Rays did with Jake Diekman, where they maximized the left handed, you know, slot that he's using.

[00:23:48] Mat Germain: And kind of getting him to hit certain spots that make it really hard for the hitters to square anything up. So when they do get hits, they're usually singles, they're usually dribblers, you know, once in a while he'll get hit a little bit harder. But ever since he's become on, he's been getting better and better and better and allowing fewer and fewer of those things over time.

[00:24:10] Mat Germain: So I think you're going to see him sometime soon. So that's a positive. Another one is Trey Morgan in high A. He's just tearing the Cover off the ball, uh, continues to be one of the best hitters in the minors. And now they've got him playing some left field because he's at the same level as where Xavier Isaac is.

[00:24:28] Mat Germain: And so they can't have them both playing first base as much as you would like to. Uh, I've never seen the team do that. Play two first baseman. That would be unique. But, uh, he's, he's just having a great time. Um, the Razor is starting to make some of the minors, uh, shuffling in terms of promotions. Um, Enzo Polino is a guy that, that pulled up from FCL and over to a ball and they'll keep making some adjustments.

[00:24:57] Mat Germain: One guy that I'm curious about that's coming back from injury is Ryan Sermak, uh, who's in the FCL right now on a rehab assignment. And I always liked him as a center fielder. He's a great fielder. And, and when he gets, but I think he's probably going to get assigned to A plus, uh, which would mean that he, he would be there with, uh, with Brock Jones and both those guys play the game so hard on the field and they, they have really intriguing tools that as, as outfielders.

[00:25:24] Mat Germain: So I, I'd like to see them both play together again in a, in high. So all the way through, I think you're looking at the race system and we're like on the brink of, of a glut of promotions going on and, uh, it's fun to watch. 

[00:25:40] Mark Corbett: Well, that seems to be where we're going to have to keep our enthusiasm is right now, what we're in the middle of a run here at the trop with the rays and the A's and last night we lost the A's.

[00:25:53] Mark Corbett: I think thus far Pepiott is pitching and there's been, let's see, let me change them, but I got a sound here. I got to let pass real quick.

[00:26:05] Mark Corbett: Anyway, I'm looking at what's going on right now with the raise and you're seeing tonight there's there in the middle of a, let's see, a series with the Oakland A's having lost last night. And tonight we've got Pepeo pitching and I think the A's just put one up on the board. So we had what, uh, a series of losses, six in a row.

[00:26:28] Mark Corbett: Uh, one more than the Dodgers, you know, 

[00:26:29] Mat Germain: but. Miguel Andujar has driven in all four runs against the Rays. He did the three run home run last night and he's got a sacrifice fly tonight. So, you know, the A's are, are a pesky group. I think they're getting some benefit from the, some of the trades that they've made recently.

[00:26:47] Mat Germain: Like Estes today, that's on the mound. He's a product from the Murphy deal that they did with the Braves. And, uh, you know, these are talented guys. They're not nobody's. And I think a lot of people still think of the A's as, um, being chalk full of nobody's, but the truth is, is that they do have some talent on board that can really drive some games home.

[00:27:11] Mat Germain: So if they're, if they pitched to their top caliber, they can beat almost any team, really. 

[00:27:17] Mark Corbett: Well, we'll see how it continues to develop, but I don't know, brother, I mean, it's not a 500 season right now, but I feel confident the race can turn it around and I know it's got to be frustrating for Kevin Cash and it's because you can only do so much with personalities.

[00:27:33] Mark Corbett: They're either going to step up or they're not. They're either going to be feeling it or not. 

[00:27:38] Mat Germain: Exactly. I think the realization has to be this though, Mark. So, I used to put a lot of weight on the fact that Jeffrey Springs was going to come back, Shane Boz was going to come back, maybe Brandon McKay would chip in, Junior Caminero would arrive.

[00:27:52] Mat Germain: None of those things are happening. None of them. So, so, the, the quote on quote, Heroes that you're looking for are going to have to be more of the fringe guys that they give opportunities to, like the A's who are here tonight, uh, are doing. You have to give those guys a chance and play them, not call them up and have them on the bench, play them so that they can show you what they can do.

[00:28:20] Mat Germain: Example, Ruben Cardenas is a guy with tons of power. The Rays are looking for power. Give him a shot. Tristan Peters, another guy plays the field. Great. He's a left handed bat. Hey, you know what? Give him a shot. What do you got to lose? I'm not saying they have to go full out on that, but you have to pick one or two that you have the most confidence in and see where it goes.

[00:28:40] Mat Germain: And if it doesn't work out, then, you know, you know what you have. And there are guys on the roster that you can definitely DFA. Nobody would miss them, you know? So So the, what I'm saying is that there's nothing wrong with them trying a couple of those things and seeing if it sparks something because all you need is for one of those to get hot to really light up the roster, maybe give it some energy.

[00:29:03] Mat Germain: And I think that's where, you know, when Josh low came back, you started to see a little bit of that again, and I think he is the driving force, uh, but he's obviously dealing with too much stuff to the point where he. He can't carry the load like he did a lot of the end of last year. Um, so I'm hoping he comes out of it, you know, after the All Star break, maybe.

[00:29:26] Mat Germain: Uh, but he's got some hurting body parts that need some resting, obviously. Oh, yeah. And I'm not sure that Eric Neander and, and, and to be honest, Stu Sternberg are willing to invest much in this roster with the way they're performing right now. You know, like how do you make those moves, those aggressive trades to get yourself better this year when you're looking around going, well, geez, are they really this bad?

[00:29:53] Mat Germain: Like, are they going to figure it out at all? So. I get, you know, the, I get all of the angles. I get the fan frustration. I get the front office frustration. I get Kevin Cash's frustration. It's just been a frustrating year overall. 

[00:30:08] Mark Corbett: Yeah. I don't think the front office is a bit, we'll abandon the team this year with practically a third of the way into the season, but you do have to wonder sometimes you say, is it worth investing at this point is I think what they need to invest in and some of the ideas that you.

[00:30:27] Mark Corbett: Put up earlier and much like what's happening with let's try shaking up the lineup. You know, let's move these guys around a bit, do some things of that nature. I think that was a positive and what you're meant talking earlier about Ruben Cardenas. Hey, raise front office. Listen, these are some of the things that's trial.

[00:30:43] Mark Corbett: I mean, not all these things are going to give a kill the, uh, finances of the company. I mean, these are changes that we hope can make a positive difference. So Mat , keep telling her by that. Would you please. 

[00:30:55] Mat Germain: We'll do. And then you, Brandon Lau hit another triple that make it square to one, one. So he keeps tripling his, his, his work effort to, uh, to chip in some wins.

[00:31:07] Mat Germain: So hopefully they can keep building on it. 

[00:31:09] Mark Corbett: All right, everybody pick up, pick that vibe up from Brandon on the dugout, man. Cause it, it needs to channel all through the rest of them. Cause man, that's, that is something we need to see for those race. 

[00:31:20] Mat Germain: What do you think the, um, the, the issue is with the tendons right now?

[00:31:25] Mat Germain: I haven't, like, I understand winning helps, but, but I haven't seen. So last year we got a bump, I think because of a lot of things. And this year it seemed like the, um, the city connect got a lot of people into the seats. Um, and then there was the complete drop after that. So I'm wondering, like, are you hearing anything?

[00:31:46] Mat Germain: Like, Because what I hear, listen to WDAE, what I'm hearing from some of the announcers is that they're getting more negative about the stadium issue over time. The more that it drags on towards the vote. 

[00:31:59] Mark Corbett: Well, that's something that it's come up time. And again, as far as what people are saying, well, I don't know.

[00:32:04] Mark Corbett: I mean, there's even as far as stadium talk, there's a story the other day point toward Himes and the development they had elsewhere in the U S. I can't remember exactly where it was. I think it was somewhere out in Texas and they kind of paused on it for a while, but it wasn't the same sort of setup.

[00:32:20] Mark Corbett: Where you're working directly with the city. It was a, it was a private developer. And when people see those sort of stories time and again about like, I've heard about the stadium for so long. I'm just tired of hearing it. I get that kind of response from some people, Mat . And. I think it does take a little bit of shine off of the team and maybe the attendance as well and say, well, I'll, I'll just watch them on TV and think it's really starting to look good and exciting.

[00:32:45] Mark Corbett: Again, if Randy starts really cracking it, if, if, uh, see Yandy start cracking it, well, yeah, maybe I'd like to go see him in person or, or, uh, you know, play, uh, play a series. I think where we're going to win most of them. 

[00:32:58] Mat Germain: Exactly. No, I, I'm with you. I just wanted to know if there was anything like more, I guess, louder or more recent that had come out.

[00:33:07] Mat Germain: And I, to be honest, like, I'm still from being an outsider because I am in Nova Scotia. Uh, I, I'm still shocked that there is no aggression whatsoever from the Tampa side of things to kind of jump in and see if they can, they can wheel them back towards the Tampa side. But I still don't understand that.

[00:33:28] Mat Germain: Like you have a professional sports team. Most cities around the country would be screaming to get the franchise into their downtown. Good, but for whatever reason, the Tampa side just wants nothing. And I still come back to like, when I was at SB nation with D Ray's Bay, we were convinced that it's because all the people in charge there are Yankees fans.

[00:33:52] Mark Corbett: I think it had merit. Yeah, I think I think that has some merit. I truly do. I believe that I've said this time and again, this is a city, not of natives, but of people who transfer their lives here. You know, I mean, uh, I've talked to before, you know, work when I came down, I started working in New York times, but also the time.

[00:34:12] Mark Corbett: There's also a lot of people from the Boston globe down here. And, um, I mean, that's just one piece, but there are so many transplants, folks who, who came from up north to be part of what's going on in this area. That one, they have an allegiance to the team they, they grew up with. And, and to, yeah, I'll come watch the race when the, when my team comes in plays, when the Red Sox come or when the Yankees come, uh, but as far as what has brought this lack of enthusiasm now to, to even lower attendance, I don't.

[00:34:45] Mark Corbett: I don't have a solid answer for you that, I mean, 

[00:34:49] Mat Germain: so there, there is some credibility to it in this form. If the raise had been successful in going into Ebor, then George Steinbrenner field would have had to either change hands and become a raise affiliate, or they would have had to shut it down and build something else there.

[00:35:06] Mat Germain: That's the way the MLB rules, you know, state how close you can be to a stadium in another, you know, areas, uh, perimeter, I guess. 50 mile range or something like that. 

[00:35:20] Mark Corbett: So that's even with that, to remind folks, that's even with like a minor league, as long as it's affiliated with a major league team, there is a proximity rule about.

[00:35:30] Mark Corbett: Okay. Yeah. As I think we've talked about that before, but it is. I could see where that could be an issue. And there is like, as a strong New York contingent in Tampa Bay of people who've come from, uh, come down from up North in this area. So anyway, I don't know, brother, uh, would like to maybe finish up here today with some good news and that's, what's going on with the statistics that the major league baseball has historically, and this has had to be a real task for people to try to get together.

[00:36:04] Mark Corbett: What I'm talking about is as of today. The incorporation of the Negro league baseball players, their achievements, their box scores, all of that is being incorporated into the history of the entire major league baseball stats. So, you know, once upon a time. You would not have heard of Josh Bell as far as being mentioned with anything to do with baseball, major league baseball, rather, but that has changed.

[00:36:34] Mark Corbett: Uh, they're what they've done is they've gone through all of these box scores that are able to pull up. All the records they're able to to integrate and you're gonna see some changes. I mean, if you, you'll see Satchel page in there for all things. Okay. The lowest single season ERA, the man had 1.01 in 1944.

[00:36:54] Mark Corbett: So that puts him third amongst historically across all major League baseball pitchers with that type of ERA. And it's like, wow, man, to have the history side by side with that, which we've promulgated for years. And, uh, the regular major league baseball and had them included in this is huge. 

[00:37:14] Mat Germain: Well, it just makes sense.

[00:37:16] Mat Germain: Like there's no reason to not have it this way. And I'm surprised really that it's taken this long. They've, they've included other leagues into this, right? Uh, the Japanese leagues included. So for it to happen while Bob Kendrick is still, you know, and I, you're talking about bar, uh, podcasts earlier. Like his podcast and what he's doing, the work that he's doing for the, uh, Negro leagues, uh, baseball museum is just second to none.

[00:37:43] Mat Germain: Like you couldn't paint it any better. You, if you were to write a story and say, you know, this person had done the best job possible with this. You know, stadium issue, uh, to, to spread the knowledge of what the legal leagues were all about. He has done the, the, an insane job, really. Like if you're talking about a great individual that just with this news will be elated and, and we'll know that, you know, they're finally included on an even level with.

[00:38:16] Mat Germain: All the statistics included so they can measure things and they can even just to have them. So when you're doing searches, when your kids are doing searches and your grandkids are doing searches of statistics, they'll have questions about those players, you know, now, and they'll say, Oh, well, this guy was actually ranked here and here and here and did this, you know, talking about stolen bases and everything else.

[00:38:37] Mat Germain: Like it just, it's great to see it. Finally come to fruition and then now they can kind of just digest it and, and promote some of it and say, wow, we've had some great stars play the game in all forms of leagues and, uh, and just cherish that. 

[00:38:56] Mark Corbett: Well, it's about time. It's one of those. It's about time. And.

[00:39:00] Mark Corbett: Certainly with all the information they have now, I'm glad they were able to pull it together. And Bob Kendrick, he's been a man of magic as far as trying to bring attention to the Negro leagues. And it's still on my list of Kansas city, not so much to see the Royals and certainly not the 49ers, but to see the Negro league museum and all that he has achieved up there with his staff.

[00:39:18] Mark Corbett: But looking today at the new numbers from major league baseball, if we look at the top batting average leaders, once upon a time, this is what it read. The day before it would have read Ty Cobb, number one, Roger Hornsby, um, Ed, Joe Jackson, Ed Delahanty, Trish Speaker, Billy Hamilton, and Ted Williams would have been the first few folks on there.

[00:39:39] Mark Corbett: Starting out with a batting average of three 66 with Ty Cobb. Now with the incorporation Of everything coming in for the Negro leagues, a player, everybody's pretty well known about anyways, Josh Gibson, he now tops the all time career batting average leader with a three 72 batting average, 

[00:39:59] Mat Germain: just crazy.

[00:40:00] Mark Corbett: Yeah, you know, I mean, and then you say you have tech cops still in there right beneath that three 67, but then you have Oscar Charleston from the Negro leagues with three 63, uh, Roger Hornsby. But. With, uh, from, has been there before with three 58, two new guys from the Negro leagues, Judd Wilson, three 50 and Turkey Stearns for the three 48.

[00:40:19] Mark Corbett: So look at that. Me one, two, three, four, five, six, the top six, four of them are now from the Negro leagues. And it's like, it's going to be as interesting. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of people contorting this way and that, about how statistics are measured. Uh, and that's fine. It gives some discussion to the game.

[00:40:41] Mark Corbett: One thing. I found interesting too, is players who came from the Negro Leagues and then later joined Major League Baseball, people like Willie Mays. And, When they put all this together, Mat , they're limited to whatever information was out there. So when Willie Mays transferred from the Negro Leagues and came into Major League Baseball, the only stats that followed him was when he was with the Black Barons and they were rather limited.

[00:41:08] Mark Corbett: So they only added 10 hits. To his, uh, all time record, uh, you know, there had to be so much more than that. But so there's, there's a lot of folks that still probably won't get the full exposure of what they once achieved through the Negro leagues, especially because they had so many other sub leagues through the, the, through that as well, but, uh, it's an exciting day, I think for baseball and to, to recognize a lot of these men who made a big difference in the game and, and, and, I can only wonder if Satchel Paige was pitching across for a lot of the people in major leagues back then, they would have been quite surprised of what, of what they would have to face 

[00:41:53] Mat Germain: yet.

[00:41:54] Mat Germain: You know, it begs the question, like, so will some of those statistics. Um, you know, they look back sometimes at who they put in the Hall of Fame and for what reasons could there be inductions that happen because when they've digested these statistics after a while, that they're like, hey, this person actually deserves it.

[00:42:14] Mat Germain: So the veteran committee where however they do it, um, I think there's, there's opportunities there because of this. To add a few people that may not otherwise have made the hall of fame to the mix So and then the same thing when you're looking at because I I always looked at it this way When I know when ichiro goes into the hall of fame, they're going to look at his japanese league stats They're not just going to wait the the mlb stats So, you know if it's that way it should always be that way for all of them depending as long as it's a professional league You know of a certain stature.

[00:42:50] Mat Germain: It's not you know, the I don't want to name any, any areas or countries, but you know, as long as it's not a, a, um, an amateur league. Yeah. A bunch 

[00:43:03] Mark Corbett: of Bob, Bob's meat market this week. And yeah, 

[00:43:07] Mat Germain: exactly. Yeah. Uh, I think it's valid and it definitely should be included, but I'm, I'm happy. I'm glad for them. Yeah, 

[00:43:15] Mark Corbett: I am too.

[00:43:15] Mark Corbett: So I think it's, to me, it's one of the best positive things for baseball this week for me. And I was really glad to see it happen. And. Bob Kendrick. Yeah, I've got to dig in more into some of his podcasts because I got a lot of respect for him. I see some of what he puts on YouTube and when other people interview him and what he's achieved in just a few scant years, um, probably more than that.

[00:43:36] Mark Corbett: What he's achieved has just been fantastic as far as exposure and giving more attention to the achievements of all those players in the Negro 

[00:43:44] Mat Germain: leagues. Some people are just outstanding storytellers. My grandfather was one on my mom's side. He could just talk and tell me the same story five times. I would listen to it every time like it was the first and, and they have a way of pausing at the right moments and drawing you in and saying things in a certain way with a certain life that just makes them, you know, stand out.

[00:44:08] Mat Germain: And so that's the way I could listen to Bob Kendrick talk, tell stories all day. No doubt. Wow. 

[00:44:15] Mark Corbett: Well, I'm glad you had that with your grandpa, man, this good storyteller. So they're, they're sometimes hard to come by. So it's nice that you had that in your life. 

[00:44:24] Mat Germain: It's great. 

[00:44:25] Mark Corbett: Hey, tell me, brother. Okay. So again, here we are Wednesday.

[00:44:29] Mark Corbett: It's about eight Oh five. What's happening to right now with the raise? What's the score? 

[00:44:33] Mat Germain: Uh, the score is still 1 1, as far as I know, and, uh, Pepiott is still on the mound, so that's a good thing in the 5th. Uh, I don't think it's going to be, um, yeah, I don't think he's going to get a substantial amount of run support, although I hope they prove me wrong.

[00:44:51] Mat Germain: But, uh, in terms of the pitch count, just let me take a look here. He's at 64. So, I'd say he has, he could go 6 overall. Uh, if he keeps going the way he is, he has one out right now in the fifth. So, um, yeah, it's been a good outing. I noticed today, the first inning he was when he's really amped, he seems to lose a little bit of his command, right.

[00:45:14] Mat Germain: And he gets a little bit wilder, but when he's zoned in. He gives me some, uh, vibes of Roy Halladay and how he pitches, not his demeanor on the mound, but how he pitches like the movement of the ball, uh, in terms of the intensity and the aggressiveness in the zone and trying to draw contact early. And not wanting to have high pitch counts.

[00:45:37] Mat Germain: So when we talk about sometimes, you know, the lack of complete games, I could see Ryan Pepiott being one of the first to really start to, uh, to bring that back into the fold for the raise once in a while. 

[00:45:51] Mark Corbett: Well, I welcome that. I was glad when he came in. I mean, we know we needed somebody that's going to be again.

[00:45:57] Mark Corbett: And there's all kinds of questions. Oh, we're letting go of toddler glass now, you know, but, uh, Pepiott seems to be proving himself and then some. 

[00:46:05] Mat Germain: I really like the stuff. Him and Bradley, like I said, they're, they're really going to help the Rays drive things up. And, and, you know, if you picture those two with Zach Littell and then Shane McClanahan coming back next year, the Rays are going to be in a really strong spot.

[00:46:21] Mat Germain: They're going to have Jeffrey Springs back at some point. I'm hoping they caught, I think it was a lat issue, they said. So if that heals up, I still have faith in Jeffrey Springs, as long as the arm is healthy. And, um, I mean, they could have two really strong left handers and three extremely strong right handers.

[00:46:39] Mat Germain: And that's the right mix that you want to have. Um, you know, with a bunch of guys, like there's another name I'll throw out there. Another left hander is Ian Seymour, uh, who's just lighting up AA and, and I love his demeanor on the mound. He's like a raging bull. He just, he's, he's pounding the sand. He's walking around the mound after every, you know, strikeout or pitch or, you know, he just seems like he's in the zone.

[00:47:03] Mat Germain: He's really. Active, uh, out there and fun to watch. And I can remember when I watched the expose as a kid, Carlos Perez used to pitch like that and be really animated and get into every strike and kind of have those polls, like, yeah, it just, it got you drew you in, it brought you into the game, uh, Pedro Martinez, his brother used to be like that too.

[00:47:25] Mat Germain: Uh, and he used to get really, uh, you know, Kind of animated on the mound. So, uh, it's fun to watch sometimes when guys have a little bit more personality out there. 

[00:47:37] Mark Corbett: Well, I'm going to say it, man, you know, from your mouth to Neander's ear. Uh, what you were saying earlier about looking at, you know, Reuben Cardenas and some other ones coming up, looking at what we have in our own system and, uh, you know, they pulled a few things that you were talking about before, as far as changes in the lineup, it'd be interesting.

[00:47:59] Mark Corbett: And, and I would be the 55 at bats for a Rosarita. That you're giving them 

[00:48:07] Mat Germain: 5 more at bats?, 

[00:48:10] Mark Corbett: Hey, you know, what can I say? Yeah, that's five more than Denard gave him. 

[00:48:16] Mat Germain: I like it. I like it. You're giving him extra breathing room. 

[00:48:20] Mark Corbett: Come on, Randy. Get ready for Randy land. All right. Well, 

[00:48:26] Mat Germain: That's awesome.

[00:48:27] Mat Germain: You know what, you know, what's going to happen if they do send them to AAA or trade them, it'll be on a Thursday. 

[00:48:33] Mark Corbett: Yeah. Oh gosh. All right, brother. Any other things we should cover or share with folks? 

[00:48:42] Mat Germain: No, uh, I'm starting to get primed up for the draft coming up next month. Uh, well, I shouldn't say next month, I think it's an early July, a little bit later than usual this year, but, but there's some interesting names out there to raise, we'll be adding.

[00:48:54] Mat Germain: And then I always get into it because I start thinking of promotions that are happening in the system. And then all those draftees getting added really fast, because now we remember we used to have like the long delay in signings. And like you had to wait forever for guys to actually figure out how to budget their signings.

[00:49:12] Mat Germain: I'm so glad that with that. So now it happens fairly quick and you know, they're getting to the FCL right afterwards or low way. So, so you have to make room for those guys. So recently the Rays have released, I think three or four FCL guys and, um, and low A guys that, you know, to make room for guys that they want to promote.

[00:49:32] Mat Germain: And so you see a lot more of that because there's limited room. So they're forced to make decisions a little bit earlier. So I'm kind of looking at that and like, there's a bunch of drafted picks that I don't know anything about. So doing some research on that end, so I can be a more educated when the draft comes around.

[00:49:51] Mark Corbett: Well, man, I love all that you shared, dude. I mean, whether it's on the show or on Twitter daily, uh, folks, if, again, I'll say, if you haven't been watching, you should be checking out Mat  on Twitter and that's Mat , M A T underscore Germain  G E R M A I N underscore @mat_germain_ . So at, at Mat  underscore Germain  underscore on Twitter. X. com, et cetera. Oh man. Well, well, Mat , thanks again, brother. It's always fun to talk with you about the rays and everything else that's going on in the wild world of baseball. 

[00:50:21] Mat Germain: Absolutely. Always a pleasure, Mark. And, uh, thanks for having me. 

[00:50:24] Mark Corbett: Alrighty. Well, thank you everybody for joining us today here to again on baseball biz on deck.

[00:50:29] Mark Corbett: com. You can find us there. Of course, you can find us at podcast. You can find Spotify, iHeartRadio, and everywhere else there's a podcast. So thanks again, everybody. We look forward to talking to y'all again real soon. Special thanks to XTaKeRuX for the music rocking forward.