{"id":486051,"date":"2026-02-17T16:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/486051\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T16:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T16:08:09","slug":"how-stuart-fairchilds-three-position-versatility-and-right-handed-bat-could-be-the-guardians-missing-piece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/486051\/","title":{"rendered":"How Stuart Fairchild&#8217;s Three-Position Versatility and Right-Handed Bat Could Be the Guardians&#8217; Missing Piece"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"WS4XPQKHIJBABHWEDTSO7WLZHU\">CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 You might not recognize Stuart Fairchild\u2019s name among the Guardians\u2019 offseason moves, but inside Cleveland\u2019s front office, the veteran outfielder was identified as a priority target long before spring training opened in Goodyear, Arizona.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"BNHI33ZIX5G3HJV3Q7OLUJ73NQ\">\u201cThey had targeted and targeted him early in the off season, this is a guy they wanted,\u201d Paul Hoynes revealed during a recent Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, referring to manager Stephen Vogt\u2019s comments about Fairchild.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"4MOPE4TJGNCRVMRW4EBPJMRNVU\">Why such interest in a 28-year-old journeyman who signed on a minor-league deal? The answer lies in two critical areas where Fairchild addresses specific organizational needs: defensive versatility and right-handed hitting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"EOPVLWOWZZH6ZN4KWDI7DDARUU\">\u201cIt was important that he plays all three outfield positions and he\u2019s really good in center field,\u201d Hoynes explained, highlighting Vogt\u2019s comments about Fairchild\u2019s defensive value.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"JXBA4YMCXZGS7IPNADVKM72FSU\">In an outfield picture crowded with question marks, Fairchild\u2019s ability to play all three positions \u2013 particularly center field \u2013 gives the Guardians a flexibility that\u2019s especially valuable. While players like Nolan Jones might have stronger offensive upside, Fairchild provides a defensive skillset that Cleveland has lacked since parting ways with Myles Straw.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"FCEIC2US2ZFDJDRNY2WHSIW7AA\">Perhaps even more important than his glove is which hand he swings the bat with. In an organization dominated by left-handed hitters throughout the major and minor league levels, Fairchild\u2019s right-handed bat stands out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RPTMVD2NJVFBZPXTGQECFHTO4Y\">\u201cThis is a left-handed world for the Guardians right now. They need some balance,\u201d Hoynes noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"EE2KKQVKWRFILOHC6UYO3K4GUQ\">This lineup imbalance isn\u2019t just a statistical curiosity \u2013 it\u2019s a strategic vulnerability that opposing teams can exploit by stacking left-handed relievers against Cleveland in high-leverage situations. Fairchild provides a counter that the current roster largely lacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"XNE33PD355E4FOHI43ZPID6ZAI\">Though he enters camp on a minor-league deal, there are clear pathways for Fairchild to impact the major league roster, either by breaking camp with the club or joining later in the season. His three years of service time across stints with Cincinnati, Seattle, Arizona and Atlanta give him the kind of experience the Guardians value.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"63QDZO6EUBG4LBFZIMKENYXTOY\">\u201cThe way that Stephen Vogt is talking about Stuart Fairchild, it just feels like he\u2019s a guy who at some point is going to get a shot to play in the big leagues for the Guardians this season,\u201d Joe Noga observed during the podcast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"VEZ6D47UHRA3DAALVYNZ5IZR74\">Fairchild\u2019s spring training performance now takes on added importance as the Guardians determine their optimal outfield alignment. With a spot on the World Baseball Classic roster for Chinese Taipei, he\u2019ll get plenty of competitive at-bats early in camp as the coaching staff evaluates his potential role.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"G6FVPM2WBFHFLJF3YVY64AS4VQ\">Whether he makes the opening day roster or starts at Triple-A Columbus, Fairchild\u2019s specific skill set makes him a name worth remembering as the 2024 season unfolds. In baseball\u2019s marathon season, sometimes it\u2019s the under-the-radar acquisitions that end up making the most significant difference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"FJTT4ZF2TBFSVD7T2I3HMKTYBE\">Read the automated transcript of today\u2019s podcast below. Because it\u2019s an AI-generated transcript, it may contain errors and misspellings.<\/p>\n<p>Podcast Transcript<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"VML6SOQMV5BTPLUG3JMEYMZ75U\">Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I\u2019m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsie, it\u2019s Fat Tuesday, and the Guardians are getting ready for their first full squad workout. The big speech that Steven Vogt usually gives before the, the first full squad workout and then getting right to it. Today\u2019s the big day. What\u2019s, what\u2019s the temperature out there in Arizona?<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"4YW5H3YTYFBY7I67VOIXW3XS5Y\">Paul Hoynes: It was a little cool yesterday, Joe, but it\u2019s coming from Cleveland. It was like a heat wave. Everybody, everybody who\u2019s been out here, excuse me, said, you know, they were, they were a little shocked that I brought the cold weather with them. So I was getting, I was getting so much sideways, sideways glances from a lot of people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"SROLI2QLGRGORKXC2S7SEI5RSI\">Joe Noga: Nothing heats up the camp like a good battle for a spot in the rotation. And two of the main guys competing for a couple of those spots in the starting rotation, Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo, announced on Monday as the guys that will start the the split squad games that open Cactus League play for the Guardians at the end of this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ZZQ3HGA6CZH5ZGVIGUAMBL53KA\">Paul Hoynes: Yeah, the, the opener is Saturday. Steven Vogt said, as you did, Joe, that Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo will start those games. They haven\u2019t decided which games, which guy will pitch which game, but Vote is going to go to Phoenix to watch to the Brewers. So I, I would imagine. I, I don\u2019t know. I guess we\u2019ll, we\u2019ll, we\u2019ll have to wait and see how that goes. But yeah, yeah, definitely. You know, there\u2019s six PR in camp for five spots and Logan Allen and Cantillo are two of them. And you, Joe Vote, really was impressed with what Cantillo did last season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"MS3ADCEYGFAV7NUGHGKLL4G6YU\">Joe Noga: Yeah, Joey Cantillo, a season of not necessarily ups and downs, more like backs and forths. You know, he, he started the, made the club out of spring training, out of the bullpen, eventually worked his way into the rotation, got sent down to Columbus to get stretched out a couple of times to, to do that. But, you know, by the time he made and settled in, he actually earned American League Rookie of the Month honors in September last year. Just what\u2019s, what was Votes saying about Cantillo and the way he handled all of the things that were thrown at him sort of last season, Joe, he.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"QCD6R6INQVBHTK6HIRXLUSNRIM\">Paul Hoynes: Was really impressed that Cantillo never really complained. He never really argued with the decisions the coaching staff made. He just put his head down and went to work. He gets sent down on June 27 to get stretched out like you were saying. Then on July 3rd, Luis Ortiz gets banged with the put on, put on non disciplinary leave because. Which eventually turns into the betting scandal and Cantillo\u2019s called up right back to step into the rotation again. And you know, he handled that well and as you said, then he gets sent down again so they can get a look at Parker Messick and then he comes back and is part of that six man rotation in September that, you know, clinched the AL Central for the Guardians. He\u2019s definitely made a good impression last season and Joe, I think he\u2019s going to have a great shot to make this club one way or the other because he\u2019s out of options. But I would think he\u2019s got a leg up on that, on that race for the rotation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"E3AIKZ5Z7JAKFNSDICQDVARJ3Y\">Joe Noga: And you talked about, you know, having the right attitude. The kind of guy who was sort of just put his head down and go to work. You get that really chill vibe from him being a Hawaii native. I think he\u2019s just really low key. The, the impression that you get from when you talk to him is, you know, there\u2019s a, there\u2019s a confidence there, but definitely a guy who things kind of slow down for him and he sees the sort of the big picture there and understood why he was being sent up and sent down and where the opportunities would be and then really just did take advantage of them throughout the season. What do you like about Joey Cantillo and, and just his makeup and what his arsenal is. It\u2019s that change up that really is the difference maker for him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"YGV74NIUCVDRFPAOKPJJGXNTXY\">Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Vogt is in love with that change up. Says it\u2019s one best in the big leagues. He calls it a stop pitch. He said it seems like Cantillo\u2019s changeup just stops in midair and drops and the hitters, you know, really have a hard time adjusting to it. And then that sets him up for the fastball because coming out of Cantillo\u2019s hand, both pitches, the fastball and the changeup look alike. Joe, in 95 and a third innings last season, he strikes out 108 batters. The opposition hits 218 against him. And that\u2019s what in 34 appearances, including 13 starts, you know, he\u2019s kind of, you know, he was in and out of the rotation and in the 26 man roster so much he kind of, you know, lost sight of just what he did.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"GSN5QD643ZDFDKWS3JSXJRIUZQ\">Joe Noga: Yeah, and I think that they want him to be a starter. I think that the long range sort of vision for the of Cantillo is as a starter. But like you said, however, he\u2019s going to be able to contribute to this club in particular. I really do think that he\u2019s got a good, strong chance of breaking camp with the club as long as he stays healthy. The other, the other two guys he\u2019s competing with there in Parker, Messick and Logan, you know, all things being equal between the three of them, I think he\u2019s the one with the highest ceiling out of any of them. So we\u2019ll, we\u2019ll see what, what, what comes down with that. As far as Cantillo, name another guy in camp. You know, talk about high ceilings. This is a guy whose ceiling we haven\u2019t even been able to sort of gauge yet in Daniel Espino. He\u2019s out there throwing live batting practice and looking healthy for the first time in several years. Was. What did you gather about Daniel Espino while you\u2019re out there?<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"QKEJ5UCSFNGGXJGQ5UBKB7DPGA\">Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Espino saw a live BP session yesterday. We talked to him after the game or after the workout. Very excited. You know, this is a guy that Joe, like you were saying, really hasn\u2019t pitched, you know, full time at any level since 2021 because of knee and shoulder injuries and just, you know, he just hasn\u2019t been on the mound. He talked about how emotional it was to make, finally make a start last season for Columbus. Pitched an inning, you know, first really official game since 2021. His family came up from Panama, really, and he, you know, he\u2019s, I think it dawned on him that he can still do this job, Joe, that he can still pitch, that he\u2019s still got the, the great velocity, you know, he\u2019s throwing 99 to 100, you know, and we, we asked him, do you compare yourself to the guy in 2021? And he goes, I\u2019m, I\u2019m done comp. You know, I don\u2019t compare myself. I don\u2019t look back on, on what I, what I, what kind of pitcher I was before. I\u2019m just concentrating, you know, on the present. And I think if he stays healthy, Joe, there\u2019s a chance he could, you know, make his big league debut sometime this season. He says he thinks about it every day driving to the facility. He thinks about what his walk up music would be. So this is an engaging guy. This is really the first time I\u2019ve ever talked to him. Joe Torres, the assistant pitching coach, came into the press room and was just talking to some of the reporters and he said, this is, this is the kind of kid, you know, that, that you would adopt Daniel Espino. He said if you had a daughter, you\u2019d want her to marry this guy. This, this is, you know, this is the kind of reverence that this guy\u2019s held in, in the organization. And when, when he made that start for Columbus last season, the Guardians were in Minnesota getting ready to play the Twins. And he said everybody in the coaching staff and, and a lot of the players were watching the game, you know, on, on, you know, they\u2019re on the WI Fi, you know, just because he, you know, he\u2019s made such a good impression on the organization and just how he\u2019s never stopped working that he\u2019s, he\u2019s always, you know, hasn\u2019t been discouraged and has kept, you know, grinding away until hopefully he, he\u2019s back now and it stays healthy, takes shape about his big league debut. I mean, he\u2019s got to go pitch somewhere. He\u2019s got to build up, you know, and accumulate some innings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"7R2X6VFD75FANBI7MRL27NP4XY\">Joe Noga: Yeah, there\u2019s, there\u2019s two factors there. There\u2019s the, the building up physically to be able to, to get through a couple of innings. Because in the, you make your big league debut, it\u2019s not just going to be a, a one inning start like you would in the, the fall league where things are a little more controlled. They\u2019re going to need you to be able to go out there and throw a few innings. Secondly, there\u2019s, there\u2019s actually got to be some development between, you know, now and whenever he\u2019s able to make a debut there. He really hasn\u2019t had that over the last four years because it\u2019s all been just about getting back on the mound and being able to throw physically. Now you\u2019ve got to go out there and be able to, you know, quickly develop and learn the skills and the knowledge that you\u2019re going to need to take to the mound in a big league game. You can\u2019t go out there and just be raw. 99 will get you, you know, a few outs in a, in an outing, but it won\u2019t get you through against major league hitting. So Daniel Espino, you know, it\u2019s, it\u2019s the same old thing. You know, we\u2019re waiting and we need time, but now that time is just going to be for development purposes as opposed to, you know, is he, is he physically able and is he bouncing back and recovering the way he should because of injuries? So Joe, Joe, that those are great.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"IQLB4OEBWVFGHFUIQ6O3B2VJVU\">Paul Hoynes: Points because he was talking about that, you know, he goes, you know, once you get back to the mound where he is now, you, you\u2019ve got to start thinking about pitching again, holding runners, getting ground balls, you know, just the things, you know, field in Your position, you know, and you said, you know, I\u2019ve been so, you know, focused on just, you know, getting healthy, that you kind of, you know, those, those secondary parts of the job kind of, you forget about them. And so that\u2019s, that has to be sharpened as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"HNUYZXWEJVBJRLOESUNEEOEG2E\">Joe Noga: Yeah, there\u2019s a, there\u2019s a development phase there that needs to be accelerated now as well. And, and hopefully that doesn\u2019t cost him in terms of injury or loss in that way either. So we will keep an eye on Daniel Espino\u2019s development in camp as things go on. But certainly a great sign that he\u2019s, he\u2019s out there throwing batting practice and is healthy for the first time in, in many years. Speaking of guys that we would like to see stay healthy over the next couple of weeks, guys like Logan Allen, Stuart Fairchild, Travis Bazzana getting ready to, to sort of make their, you know, early camp debuts so that they can be ready and head off to their World Baseball Classic teams. These are guys who are going to see a lot of action early. Right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NMRGNB3HXZHT5FLVJ2J4LAL4FA\">Paul Hoynes: You know, Stephen Vogt was talking about that yesterday, said they want to get these guys, you know, as much, you know, as many at bats, as much as many innings pitched. So they are ready to go into competition. Allen will go, will pitch for Panama in Puerto Rico. I think that\u2019s like March, that\u2019s when the pool play in Puerto Rico starts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"F5GZSFO7TRHGVG7CJH6AGWN7JQ\">Joe Noga: They want to get him built up to about 60 pitches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"S3HPDNOSINAEFCTWA7CBDJYZX4\">Paul Hoynes: Right, right, right. Definitely that\u2019s one of the reasons he\u2019s starting Saturday, just to get him on that track. And he\u2019s been, you know, he came to camp early, so I think he\u2019s in a pretty good spot. Bazzana and Fairchild are going to have to leave first, you know, early March to join their teams, Australia for Banana and Chinese Taipei for Fairchild. And they\u2019re going to start pool play at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Joe. So they\u2019ve got a long way, they\u2019ve got a long way to go. So you know, votes said these guys are going to. Bazana and Fairchild are going to be getting a lot of at bats just to, you know, give, give them to make sure they\u2019re ready for that kind of competition. You know, Fairchild is a guy, you know, one of the rare guys that they brought into camp on a rare right handed hitter. Joe, on this team they brought in a into camp on a minor league deal. They vote said they targeted him very early. You know, he\u2019s a kind of a, he\u2019s been around, he\u2019s pitched. I mean, he\u2019s played in the big leagues and play all three outfield positions. He can run a little bit. So you know a guy that could at some point help them this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"LFZDEAEVYZDMPN5NDWAS7ULXZA\">Joe Noga: Yeah. Do you think, you know when we can get into the whole numbers game with the outfield and all that. But the way that, that Stephen Vogt is, is talking about Stuart Fairchild, it just feels like he\u2019s a guy who at some point is going to get a shot to play in a, in the big leagues for the Guardians this season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"UBGQUFBKA5A23C6GJC42IIFU2M\">Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I think so Joe. I guess it depends. There\u2019s two, two ways of looking at this. Does he make the team out of the spring training? You know, is as kind of a bench guy like a fourth or fifth outfielder, a platoon guy or does he agree to maybe start the season at Triple-A Columbus and then comes up when they need him. So you know he didn\u2019t play a whole lot last season. He was injured, played a few games with Arizona, I mean Atlanta. So he\u2019s a guy but you know he does have the kind of experience they want. And plus Joey, he\u2019s a right handed hitter and this and this is a left handed world for the Guardians right now. Everybody seems to hit left handed so they need some balance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"OIUU6RCET5FGFIDHSHJJVWF47Q\">Joe Noga: Yeah, that\u2019s sort of the, the other side of the coin there with Fairchild is he is a right handed hitter. The Guardians are so heavy. Not just, you know, the current 26 man roster throughout the organization really if you look at down into the minors, all their top prospects are left handed hitters as well. They need to balance the lineup sometimes and Fairchild will give them an opportunity to do. If you were to make the, the opening day roster, that would mean a guy like a George Valera might, might have to open the season in Triple-A and you know, I don\u2019t know they want to do that or you might have to move a guy like a Nolan Jones. So those are, you know, decisions for camp now it\u2019s more like let\u2019s see what Fairchild has to offer and get to know him that way. But this is a guy who\u2019s been around. I mean he was in Red\u2019s camp for a while so the organization is at least familiar with him and has seen his face before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"WOA3FJX2CBAYXINAQJWPZ7P7R4\">Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he\u2019s got three years of service time before playing with Atlanta last season he spent you know, two, two seasons with the Reds. He\u2019s played with Seattle, he\u2019s played with Arizona. So you know, like you said, he\u2019s been around. He\u2019s an experienced guy. They, you know, they brought him in for a reason and you know, usually when you bring in one of these guys, a veteran guy like that, he, his chances of making the club one way or the other are pretty good.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"XKXX4TKVBJCHXN64HCY5G433P4\">Joe Noga: Yeah. And you know, what are, you know, Vogt\u2019s impressions? Did you talk to him at all about Steven Vogt, say anything about Stuart Fairchild and what. Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RLPIXMZXSZFKNG5ITULA2IKCCM\">Paul Hoynes: He said, you know, that, that they had target. They had, you know, targeted and targeted him early in the off season, that this is a guy they wanted, that he\u2019s, it was important that he plays all three outfield positions and he\u2019s a, you know, he\u2019s really good in center field. I think that\u2019s where he\u2019s got most of his experience. And as you know, Joe, in center field, there\u2019s a cast of thousands out there and most of, most of them are right, our left handed hitters. Maybe Angel Martinez will help out, you know, in center field. But right now, Jones or DeLauter maybe the front runners in center field and they\u2019re going to need somebody to, you know, on when in days when they\u2019re facing lefties, they\u2019re going to balance that lineup out and that\u2019s, that\u2019s fair. Fairchild\u2019s chance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"Q7XUJ3T4HZHQNBO3VX2MUZYBJI\">Joe Noga: Yeah. I was surprised when I saw that Angel Martinez had, had started what, 87 games in center field last year. That seemed like a lot to me. I was like, wow, you know, looking back. But he was out there for a good chunk of the season. And Jones, I think Jones can play center field, but I think right field is more of a natural position for him with the, the arm that he has. It\u2019d be, it\u2019d be good to see a, you know, a natural center fielder guy like Fairchild out there and see what he, he can do. They really, really haven\u2019t had a natural center fielder since Miles Straw was out there patrolling the outfield. So definitely a move you want to keep an eye on there. How fair trial develops. What\u2019s on the agenda for, for today? Hoynsie, when you, you get to camp, a lot, a lot of stuff going on for the first time officially today.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NSF5S72GQJFMNEJY46NGB3IB34\">Paul Hoynes: Yeah. You know, this is the first full squad workout. I do not think Vote is going to give us, you know, his whole organizational speech today. It might be a couple and it might be a little later in this week. I\u2019m not sure about that. But they were supposed to talk to MLBPA, was supposed to make their annual, their, their spring visit to the Guardians and talk to them, you know, about, I would imagine about the upcoming labor negotiations on the basic agreement which expires after the 2026 season. But they, they had, they had a scheduling conflict and had to cancel that. So, you know, Vogt is talking to the media a little earlier today. I mean, at, at 9:50 today, Arizona time. And they will go from there and then they\u2019ll have, you know, the full squad workout. Everyone is in camp. Jose Ramirez showed up. I think on Sundays. Everybody\u2019s ready to go. Joe. I mean, these guys have been here for a few weeks. It looks, you know, the, the whole, the complex is there\u2019s ballplayers everywhere. They\u2019re running all over the place. So I think it\u2019s, they\u2019re ready to take the next step. You know, that\u2019s full squad workout and then the next step is, you know, starting to play games on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"U2TZ7IMYLVGQJCCSHYBKYBEFKE\">Joe Noga: Did you come across or run into Tony Arnerich? The, the new bench coach out there is the Stephen Vogue body double.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"YBJB64GZCRAKPESC7WJOLUMBN4\">Paul Hoynes: Oh my God. I saw him, Joe, and I, I was going to go up and, and say, what\u2019s up? What\u2019s up, voter? It\u2019s unbelievable. From behind, I mean, the sideways it looks just, I mean they\u2019re like twins. You know, I couldn\u2019t believe that. It was like, it\u2019s startling. You know, you find yourself, wow, you know, what\u2019s Vote doing over there? But I guess, you know, he\u2019s going to manage one team on Saturday and Vote will manage the other team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TOTVPXEG7VEETADYI34XH5LPWU\">Joe Noga: Man, I cannot wait until mid season and Vote gets tossed from a game and then they pull the, the Bobby Valentine. Yeah, they just switch jerseys up the tunnel and, and he comes back out there, you know, with sunglasses on or something. It would be just perfect. It would be the story of the year. But yeah, that, something fun to. Any other changes, anything new out there in Arizona? What do you think of the, the new spring training ball caps that have the cactus on the logo? I thought that was kind of interesting. But you know, anything different out there at the complex that, you know, it changed from last year that you see.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DDKNZ7HQAFEJ3I7UMYSIBZSUXY\">Paul Hoynes: Noticed something, you know, in the bullpen stuff, they have like a bullpen area where there\u2019s like six mounds on the pitchers are. That\u2019s where they do their bullpen sessions. In the middle of that at home plate, they\u2019ve got, you know, two kind of posts stretched across, you know, in front of the plate with rope tied horizontally from one post to the other. The rope can, you can move the rope up and down to assimilate the different strike zones that, that the hitters are going to have because of abs and it\u2019s, you know, this gives the pitchers a chance. Okay. If I\u2019ve got to throw a high strike. This is, this is where it\u2019s going to be. Or a lower strike that, you know, this is where it\u2019s going to be. It was, it was kind of interesting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NYDZKFWYQZC47EL5GC3DKLTJHY\">Joe Noga: Yeah. The, you know, it only measures up and down. It doesn\u2019t measure in and out because obviously the outside corner, the inside corner are, you know, they\u2019re on the plate that, you know, the ropes would measure the height of the, the hitter. A lot of the guys are getting measured officially for, for their height, I guess, right now so that they can be accurately entered into the system. For ABS, it takes like 73% of their height for the top of the zone and like 20 some percent of their height for the, the bottom of the zone. And then puts that into a computer program and that\u2019s, that\u2019s where you get that box for the strike zone on each, each player. So interesting. They\u2019re using posts and ropes to sort of simulate that at the, on the, the practice mounds. Hoynsie, the ABS system is coming and we\u2019re definitely going to be talking about that coming up, you know, in the next, definitely in the next few weeks. As we get closer to the season, it becomes more of a reality.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DOYOPYQNKBBJRI2DUZ4KDPD5WU\">Paul Hoynes: But I thought it went pretty training last year. It was a little, you know, kind of, kind of snarled the game a little bit, you know, the first few spring training games. But then I think people got used to it, got into a rhythm with it. But, you know, Vogt said, you know, he told players last year, just play with it because it\u2019s not going to be implemented in, in the 2025 season. But now they\u2019re taking it a lot more serious. And of course, you know, a lot of the AAA guys have had this, have dealt with this for two, for the last couple years. So they\u2019re, they\u2019re, they\u2019re used to it. Vogt said he\u2019s talked Andy Tracy a lot at the, the manager at Columbus on the strategy of using it. It\u2019s going to be, it\u2019s be to going, we\u2019ll see it unfold, you know, kind of game by game. But that\u2019s going to be an interesting part of the spring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"L3WMQCECZFFLPH5CXCBMP5CP6Q\">Joe Noga: Yeah, starting, starting at the end of this week when, when games start picking up, I guess it\u2019s, it\u2019s full go time because now you\u2019re not just experimenting with it and playing around with it. You\u2019re, you\u2019re actually sort of using your strategies that you\u2019re going to use in games and applying those that you\u2019ve developed all winter so it should be fun to see the difference in how the. The Guardians approach all that. All right, homies, that\u2019s going to wrap up today\u2019s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. Plenty more news coming out of Arizona as the week unfolds. And you\u2019ll be there to bring it to us. We\u2019ll talk to you again tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TKO7DO2JAZH73B6QY5Q344G2IA\">Paul Hoynes: Good deal, Joe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CLEVELAND, Ohio \u2014 You might not recognize Stuart Fairchild\u2019s name among the Guardians\u2019 offseason moves, but inside Cleveland\u2019s&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486052,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-486051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}