Will the Rafael Devers DH decision linger into the season? #MLB Former 3B and '13 WS Champ Will Middlebrooks joins! Is the DH decision a demotion?
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00:00And on the call today will Fleming and our next guest will Middlebrooks. Hey, well
00:08Hey, what's up guys? I really wasn't expecting to be hitting the air guitar this early, but I
00:14Appreciate it good good play on the Stevie Ray Vaughan. I love it. Why what was there a
00:19reason why you would you would you decided you wanted to walk up to that back in the day, so I
00:25Grew up listening to that music with my dad. That was his favorite song, Texas flood. So that was it was for my dad
00:31Yeah, that's nice. Awesome, and it is early there. So we thank you for getting up this morning
00:36I how is the chemistry by the way coming along between you and will have you guys been working on it?
00:42Oh, well, yeah, I mean we obviously haven't done
00:45outside of spring trading games together
00:48But we've had a good relationship. Obviously we got to know each other really well last year. So we're fired up
00:53I know this is a
00:55Obviously, you know changing the guard a little bit with with Joe retiring and second taking a step away
01:00So I know I know Flynn is really excited to get going
01:04I think the two-wheel thing is weird for people. So we're gonna go with Brooksy for me. I think that's a little easier
01:13Brooksy so
01:15Let me ask you this as a guy who's played in the major leagues
01:18What is like the the thing that's easiest to get into first is it the pitching or is it the hitters like who who would
01:26just
01:27Earlier the pitchers or John the hitters
01:31well, I mean once you get to spring training, I mean the pitchers are always ahead of the hitters just because
01:36Pitchers can throw bullpens. It's not really a timing thing for them
01:39So they don't have anything to really combat other than throwing strikes right and building up their arms
01:44So I think that kind of bleeds into the regular season what you get
01:48Probably two weeks in I think everything's pretty pretty even but the way that they're managing players now in spring training
01:55They're not really baby and the starters in anymore
01:58Like these guys are playing six innings from the beginning of spring
02:01It used to be like, all right
02:02Go get your two at bats and take it to the golf course or the beach, whatever go hang out
02:06But if they kind of found out on the strength and conditioning side like get these guys in there get them going get them into
02:12Routine so hopefully, you know what these guys have in 40 50 at bats under their belt
02:17They're they're up to speed and they're ready to go
02:20Alex Cora on this station yesterday afternoon
02:24Seemed to suggest that Rafi Devers is on board with the aging
02:28Is that something that you think could?
02:32Could come up again during the season or do you feel like he has accepted what's going on there?
02:38no, no, I don't think so, you know and just being around the team and being in the clubhouse and
02:43Watching him because that's something obviously as an ex-player
02:48I want to watch his interaction with not only Alex Bregman but other players because
02:53Especially the young guys because if you have a veteran that's not happy about a situation a lot of times
02:58They just kind of keep to themselves which
03:01Rafi has not done at all. Not once he's been himself. He's been smiling. He's been happy
03:07He's been getting his work in and I don't think it's going to be an issue at all
03:11And I think a lot of that falls on the shoulders of Alex Cora and his relationship with Rafael Devers
03:16And I think winning is number one and it's got to be number one and it'll continue to be that way
03:21Well as a former third baseman, it was this the only decision for Alex Cora?
03:25like was this the correct decision and
03:27Putting Bregman at third base and we've gone back and forth about it Wiggy's been on this from the beginning
03:33Do you think that for Rafi?
03:35DH is almost a demotion. Do you guys not like the aging? I
03:41He I for Rafi I think it helps him stay engaged in the game and I feel
03:46When I went through my career and I would have DH days
03:49It felt like a mental day off just because third base you're getting missiles hit at you, you know
03:55So it's like it was good for me mentally to have it, but I was never a full-time DH
04:00But back to the decision as far as what of course this was I don't want to say an easy decision
04:06But if you're looking at like who's the better defensive player, it's obviously Alex Bregman
04:12But you do have to manage the human beings too. I think that's something Alex does really well is
04:17managing the personalities in the locker room and that obviously took a little time to get Rafi to come around to the idea of not
04:24playing third base and
04:26look, it's
04:27Rafi had really improved at their base. He really he's put a lot of work in with Alex and the infield grew here and
04:34It it wasn't the errors that were the issue like he made 12 errors last year. Bregman made 10. It wasn't the errors
04:40It's the balls that Rafi couldn't get to and if you start looking at the defensive metrics
04:45Balls right Adam and balls to his right so towards the third baseline
04:49He was actually in the plus numbers, but to his left towards shortstop
04:53It was like a negative 12 right and those those are the numbers where you look at his overall metrics and you're like wow this
04:59guy stinks
05:00It's not it's not that he's booting balls the balls. He gets to he's actually pretty good
05:05But he just the lack of range is what killed him metrically
05:09Well, you were on the last to first team 2013 that won the World Series after the disastrous Bobby V year
05:18When that year did you know the team was a little bit different and one of you witnessed with this team?
05:23With the addition of Bregman and the addition of crochet as you watch them begin their season
05:29yeah, so as soon as
05:30Johnny Gomes and Mike Napoli and all these guys walked through the door
05:35Shane Victorino, I mean the list goes on and on that we had a you know super veteran team you combine those personalities with
05:41Pedroia Ellsbury
05:43Poppy Lester and all those it was just like the perfect storm so honestly from day one
05:49I was like okay
05:50I know it's only my second year in the big leagues, but I've been on a lot of baseball teams in my life
05:55This is different
05:56And I think that whole thing changed when Alex Bregman work walked in the door this year because he's that guy
06:03and we talked about
06:05The the influence that Bregman has on the younger players and then Marcello Meyer Christian Campbell who obviously made the team
06:13Roman Anthony spending all this time with the young players and molding these guys
06:16which is very important to creating a winning culture and I like that he's doing that too because that means like he
06:22Realizes these guys are gonna be a part of the team and in the coming years, and he has some opt-outs in his contract
06:28Obviously, so it's like all right if he's if he's really cares about these young guys. Maybe he really does want to stay here
06:35but what he does for
06:37the middle area players or even the veteran players like the Trevor stories and the
06:42Ref Snyder's it takes pressure off of other guys to be leaders, too
06:46So it's when you can spread that around the room and all of a sudden
06:50There's a room full of adults now and not just a bunch of young guys with you know
06:53Two or three years in the big leagues trying to run a clubhouse
06:56It completely changes the tone and Bregman is a winner and and that goes back to I mean his first full season in the big leagues
07:03Who was his bench coach Alex Cora? So Alex is really molded this guy into
07:09Just a baseball lifer and and that is really contagious when you're under the same roof with a guy like that
07:14Well, you brought up Gary crochet
07:18He obviously was looking to get a new deal done by the start of the season
07:22They're not there if you were in the front office for the Red Sox
07:26Would you give this guy a new deal?
07:29Knowing that if he goes out there and he has the season what they expect that price tag can go through the roof
07:36Yeah, so this is a tough one. That's a great question. It's it's I think if I'm in the front office
07:41I think if I offer him like a five like five-year 125
07:45I if I'm crochet I take that but also in the same breath. He's 25
07:49He wants to bet on himself and that that price could go way up if he go out and he's a top
07:55Two or three in Cy Young voting or went to Cy Young which he has a stuff to be that guy that you take that risk
08:01If you don't get a deal done of that price skyrocketing
08:04But that's a good problem to have when when he's wearing your jersey, so
08:08The issue there lies is health, right?
08:10He has this big history of of arm issues with and that comes along with throwing 100 miles an hour
08:15He's only been a starter for really one full season. So I can understand
08:22Breslow
08:23kind of holding back on that
08:26It's it's one of those things where you can see both sides like yeah extend the guy
08:29He's a stud or okay. Let's wait and see because his arm could fall off
08:32so
08:33I like trying to offer him a deal
08:35Like I said, like I think five like 120 125 is a very good deal for both sides
08:41But you probably have a player that knows how good he is and he's gonna bet on himself
08:46So you think because you said earlier he you if you were him you would take that
08:52I would because he's making three. I have 43 career homers, but
08:55I have 43 career homers, but
09:02I know I know I know if you're garrett crochet you would take it
09:07yeah, I I think so just because
09:09I mean, it's not like
09:11At the end of that deal you're 30 and you probably still can get another
09:15Four to five maybe six year contract after that if you've proven to be healthy
09:20But let's say he he blows out halfway through the season
09:23This year
09:25It's like all right. What does the contract look like after you come back from a second arm surgery?
09:29so
09:30That's one if i'm him i'm laying in bed at night staring at the ceiling. Oh, man
09:34Should I and this is assuming I don't know if he has an offer or not?
09:38I feel like we would have an idea at some point in this world that
09:42The news would get out and we would know that there was an offer. But um
09:46If there was an offer there, that'd be a really tough one if you're garrett crochet