Raul Dominguez
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00:00Spencer, I guess to start off, overall it's been a pretty solid season.
00:04It feels like maybe there's a way to unlock more of his potential.
00:07How do you do that?
00:09I mean, it's been a long conversation with him offensively, defensively,
00:14even the base running, just trying to stay on the objectives,
00:18starting the process.
00:20And again, it doesn't matter what happened the night before.
00:24He always come here just to keep learning, just to keep pushing,
00:27just to keep working hard, especially in the cage, get his routine done.
00:34And I seen the same person Jones, and I told him it doesn't matter what
00:37happened on that game, you're going to have another game,
00:39you're going to have another opportunity.
00:41I know they're bad, just keep working and especially get a good pitch to hit.
00:45I know the K rate is probably the biggest criticism people have of him.
00:48Is there a way to cut down him?
00:50Has he been working on that, trying to get that down still?
00:52Yeah, yeah, again, just what I said, you know, he's working on get a good pitch to
00:57hit, try to get better pitch in the sun.
01:02Because, I mean, we know that he's focused on get a good pitch to hit,
01:05he's going to do damage.
01:07And that's one of the main goals.
01:09I mean, stop chasing pitches out of the sun.
01:12I think that's going to help him to finish strong here in Somerset.
01:15What does he do to kind of work on swing decisions?
01:17Is it stuff?
01:19Working, yeah, working in the cage with the trajet,
01:22try to do some different drills, focus on get those good pitch to hit,
01:29the number one, number two pitch right there in the morning,
01:31especially earning the count, try to tag those pitch earning the count.
01:35And same thing with those strikes.
01:38Even if the umpire make a bad call with two strikes, I mean, it doesn't matter.
01:41Nobody want to get a strike out, but I mean, it doesn't matter.
01:44It's a win for him just to not swing those bad pitches.
01:46Getting Chase Hampton back and hit the one inning with him before going to season him.
01:50Yeah, I mean, I was so excited last week in Bowie.
01:52When I get a text that we're going to get Chase Hampton.
01:55And, I mean, it was impressive just to see him, how competitive he was on the first outing here
02:01in Somerset.
02:02That was the same Chase Hampton that we have here last year.
02:05And, I mean, I'm so happy to see him healthy, back in the mound.
02:09And, I mean, excited to see him for the last one and a half that we have here.
02:13How encouraging, how encouraging was it to see that not many of your players were moved
02:19at the trade deadline for you guys?
02:21Like, how encouraging was that for the team?
02:22Um, you know, the big one, the big move that we have here was Ben Cows in Bowie.
02:29I saw him in the lobby.
02:30He was there with his teammates, just wishing the good luck to him.
02:35And, I mean, I wish him the best love.
02:38I can't wait to see him play in the big leagues.
02:41He did everything here.
02:42I mean, he played hard every day, put all the effort, learned a lot.
02:46I mean, he's 10, all the teammates, all the coaches.
02:48He thanked me for everything that we did for him.
02:50And, I mean, that was a big move that we have on the last week.
02:55And, I mean, it's hard just to lose players because, you know,
02:58we spend so much time with those guys here.
03:00But this is a business.
03:02You just got to keep working hard with the different organization.
03:05And I told him, I wish you best luck in your career.
03:09Would you mind sharing maybe one or two under-the-radar players that not too many people are talking about that are on your squad right now?
03:16Uh, no, not really.
03:19You know, there was a lot of rumors.
03:21And people were talking on the media about Spencer Jones, about those guys.
03:26But just the same thing that I told the guys here in the media that, I mean, we didn't, me as a manager,
03:32I didn't get any information until the day that they're going to trade a player.
03:38That was rumors and stuff, like, and they were asking me players, like, no, I haven't heard anything.
03:43I got my phone here.
03:44I haven't heard anything.
03:46And as soon as they sent me the text or they call me, I mean, everybody's going to know that.
03:51But, I mean, you just try to keep it, like, very quiet.
03:54No, no, no start saying rumors and stuff.
03:58Because, I mean, you know, people talk a lot in the media.
04:00Yeah, yeah.
04:01Yeah.
04:02But is there a player on the team that you feel like many people aren't talking about,
04:07that you feel like should be talked about more?
04:10Like a really good player that we're not talking enough about?
04:13Well, maybe Flores.
04:14Yeah.
04:15Maybe.
04:15I don't know.
04:16I don't know.
04:17But, I mean, he's a very valued player here that we have.
04:19And, I mean, he's been really good behind home play offensively.
04:23He hit the ball pretty hard.
04:24And, I mean, he just got to continue.
04:26Yeah, yeah.
04:27A lot of first base from Flores.
04:29Some catching.
04:30What do you like more?
04:32I like to see him on both sides.
04:34I mean, I mean, he's got a lot to keep working on.
04:37I'm behind home play.
04:38Pitchers love him when he's behind home play.
04:41Just the way that he communicates between innings with the pitchers.
04:44Just the way that he runs the meetings before every other with the pitching coach and also
04:51with the starter.
04:52And, I mean, he's very special.
04:54I mean, really smart.
04:55Know what he's doing.
04:56Seems like he prepared before he got here.
05:00How are we going to attack the opponent?
05:02I mean, it's very special.
05:04Finding that catching first base hybrid role that Ben Rice was in.
05:08Ramirez, can you kind of see him kind of maintaining that moving forward?
05:12Yeah, yeah.
05:13He's going to be catching four games per week.
05:15Two of first base, maybe some of the age.
05:18You know, the goal is to give more opportunities to get more at-bats and just to get better.
05:22And, I mean, we don't know what's going to happen in the future.
05:26We don't know if he's going to be a catcher on first base.
05:28But, I mean, at least he had the opportunity to play multiple positions to get more at-bats.
05:32Yeah, Hartman, I know statistically it's been a little bit of a struggle this year.
05:36We've seen what he can be, especially towards the end of last year before he got hurt.
05:39Kind of same with Spencer.
05:40Is there a way to kind of unlock more of that and kind of limit some of that chase?
05:44Yeah, yeah.
05:44The same thing.
05:45Just the same thing on what I see so far this year.
05:48I mean, he put really, really good numbers last year before he got hurt.
05:52And just the same thing.
05:53I mean, he's been missing by nothing those pitches in the sun, hitting some foul balls.
05:59And, I mean, when he put the ball in the barrel, I mean, he can show what he did last year.
06:03And he just got to continue.
06:04The good thing that he's healthy.
06:06I mean, he got surgery in the offseason on his arm.
06:10He's been solid at third base, making some strong throws to first base.
06:14And, again, playing first, that's another opportunity for him to get more at-bats.
06:17Spencer's been striking out more this year than last year.
06:21He's been in AA for about a whole year now.
06:23Been just kind of inconsistent up and down.
06:25I mean, what's the internal assessment of him at this point of just how he's doing here?
06:30Just, I mean, he's doing the same thing.
06:32Just the way that he's preparing himself.
06:33But, you know, players, I mean, it's just the same in the big league.
06:37Players got a good year.
06:38The next year is not good as the year before.
06:41And for me, this is the year that may be the first time that he played all year in AA.
06:48Maybe this is something for him to keep working on just to finish the season's turn and be ready for the next year.
06:55Do you guys look at the strikeouts as more of a mental thing or something mechanically with his long swing that he's still trying to figure out?
07:02I mean, that's more about hitting, but I think it's a little bit of both.
07:08Maybe a little more about mental.
07:10But again, in the cage, he's working hard physically.
07:14And mentally, he's working really hard between at-bats and getting the scouting report for those pitches,
07:19getting the scouting report for the start and the advance meeting.
07:22And he's been very participating on those meetings, giving information, preparing.
07:28And that's the thing that we see on him that you just got to keep going.
07:32You feel like in the last, you know, I know he had kind of a tough July and then he had one player per week for the first week of August.
07:37Have you seen him kind of turn a corner a little bit here?
07:39Yeah, yeah, maybe a little bit.
07:41It was fun because I think I was here at home after the Asta break.
07:46He got a really, really good week.
07:48And I was coaching on third, hit a homer.
07:51And when he was turning on third, but he told me, I'm back, bro.
07:54Okay, let's keep going.
07:55Let's keep going.
07:56But again, it doesn't matter what you do.
07:59You get a fourth strikeout, the next day you got to come here and work hard.
08:02And you hit four homers, it's the same thing.
08:04That's over.
08:05That's the next day.
08:05You got to prepare for the next day.
08:07And, I mean, since he made that clip one day, then he go back again.
08:12And, I mean, the goal is for him to stay consistent, getting good pitch to hit.
08:17And do you know with Chase Hampton at his next start and kind of beyond,
08:21like, where you're going to be at with him pitch count-wise,
08:23is the plan to get him back up to around 90 or so pitches by the end of the season?
08:26No, you know, he's coming from IEL.
08:29I believe last week he got 60 hard cap.
08:32Maybe he just go 60 again or 65.
08:35You know, that information that we're going to get for the pitching coordinator, Sam.
08:39And, I mean, I don't know yet how many pitches he's going to throw this week.
08:43I noticed the day in the morning when I get the sheet about how many pitches he's going to throw.
08:50But I know for sure he's going to be just little by little until he gets to 90 or 100.
08:54With Ben Cowell's trade moving to Chicago, how do you think the team has adjusted so far since his departure league?
09:00I mean, with all the team, everybody's missing him.
09:04But, I mean, now, those infielders that I have here right now, I mean,
09:09they know they're going to have more chance, more opportunity to play.
09:12And, I mean, they've been doing the same thing.
09:15When we got Ben Cowell here, they're preparing every day.
09:18They're communicating every day.
09:20And they're just trying to go out there and play hard every day.
09:23I don't see anything different after Ben Cowell left because before we trade Ben Cowell, you know,
09:28he was hurt when we were playing here.
09:30He got hit by pitch.
09:31And, I mean, I don't see anything different.
09:34Those guys, they're pushing each other, working hard every day,
09:37and trying to go out there and do the best and win games.
09:41So, you guys recently got Ben Shields up to double-A, and he's immediately made an impact.
09:46What do you see in his approach and how he throws the ball that impressed you the most?
09:49Competitive. He's been very aggressive on the mound.
09:55He's not afraid to throw the ball in.
09:58I mean, he got very, very – his breaking ball, he's – I mean, one of his best pitches,
10:03and he's been using that pitch a lot.
10:06I see him getting frustrated when he missed location between innings,
10:10and that's something that he's working with the pitching coach.
10:13And every time when he goes out there, I'm excited.
10:15I know that we're going to have a good game, and, I mean, that's another pitcher that,
10:21I mean, he's feeling really good with this group in here.
10:25And, I mean, I can't wait to see him keep going, playing the triple-A and in the big league,
10:30I mean, maybe this year or next year.
10:31Yeah, and also on top of that, you know, when you're talking about, like, managing games
10:35or your in-game approach, how do you balance managing to win,
10:38and then also managing to try to develop these players and get them to the next level?
10:42Yeah, you know, the goal here is just to develop those players, but – and I don't talk too much
10:49about winning games, because sometimes you win games, but you don't play good.
10:52You get too many strikeouts, you get 15 strikeouts.
10:55Sometimes you play good, you don't get too many strikeouts, you hit the ball hard.
11:00All pitchers, they don't want guys, but the other team, they just got luck,
11:02and they win the games.
11:04And those players, they know that, because that's the quota that we create here
11:08when they start playing in the complex league, so they know when they play good,
11:13they know when they play bad.
11:15Win or loss, I mean, everybody want to win games, but those players, they compete every day.
11:21They try to go out there, they try to win games, they know every week is sixth game,
11:26they're trying to win series, they want to be in the playoff, and yeah, I mean,
11:31they don't – they don't feel like winning is the main goal here.
11:36I mean, the bellow is the main goal.
11:39But when you win games, that means that most of the time you develop.
11:42Yeah, and my last question for you is kind of based on that question as well.
11:46How do you feel your background as a pro player helps you kind of contextualize,
11:50or I guess, you know, manage these players and connect with them?
11:53Everything starts in the beginning of the season.
12:00When I'm in spring training, I kind of meet with the staff and just give it the goal.
12:04This is what we're going to do.
12:05This is – we got to work together, we got to be on the same page.
12:10That doesn't mean that you've got different opinions, I want to know.
12:12So that communication, I mean, it's crucial to have a good environment
12:18in the clubhouse with the players, and when we start the season here,
12:22that's the message that we give to the players and do whatever you need.
12:25I mean, if you have any opinion about pitching,
12:27you have any opinion about hitting, about myself on defense,
12:31on managing the game, just communicate and just – I just let the coaches,
12:37the staff to know, like, we are here for the players.
12:39So whatever they need, we're going to try to do the best to help those players
12:42to get better, and the players can feel that.
12:44And just being communicated, being together, work together as a staff,
12:48I think the players are going to work together.