Thirty five after the hour. Welcome back Exus and Bros. Throughout the Great State of Michigan. We're on in Grand Rapids on wmy X ninety six point one FM, the game, We're on in Cadillac WKD The Ticket ninety three point seven FM. In Potoski and Charloavoi WMBN one oh four point seven FM, The tickets Northern Michigan and Traverse City
WKAD The Ticket ninety three point seven FM. Jordan distract does a nice job of following the mud Hens and giving you updated info on some of the young prospects and the men who you hope will wear the old English d one day and the impact that they can make. You can follow him on x or on Twitter at Jordan's strack. It's pretty easy to follow and he does a nice job of it and he joins us here on Exus and Bros. Jordan, Welcome to the program. Thanks
for the time, man, appreciate it. You've saw a lot of Cold Keith, and Cold Keith has been a nice player for Detroit adjusting here at the major league level. What's impressed you most about his transition from the minor leagues to the major leagues.
Yeah, good morning, Shev. Honestly, it's not shocking at all. I think we all kind of saw this coming. I even talked to Colt Keith when I was down spring training this year and it's like you just the guy just kind of has an hit factor. It was a slow start, and he kind of experienced that at Triple A last year as well, where he got off to the slow start. But once he starts going, he gets
comfortable and you can sense that he belongs. And I think that's certainly the feeling I have got watching Cold Keith in Detroit so far, and it's not shocking at all. He just kind of has a little bit of a slagger about him. Yeah, he's not gonna be the he's not going to be a gold Glove, greatest defensive second basement of all time, but you don't I mean he's first month, he's been outstanding up there.
Yeah, you tweeted not too long ago that you think he could be in the conversation for Rookie of the Year. I really like why at Lankford as well, the adjustment that he's made though considering he's up to two fifty five and as you mentioned, he really struggled. The defense I think concerned some people. Is his offense ever going to be good enough to overcome his defensive efficiencies in your mind?
I think so. I mean, listen, second base isn't some position where you have to be the be all end all. He's not playing shortstop, he doesn't have to play center field. He's playing second base, and he has to be adequate, and I think he is. I think he's more than adequate. I think he's been perfectly fine. I don't know. I haven't looked into the metrics defensively enough to know, you know, if he's above average right now. But to me, the
offense kind of offsets it. You look at the last two months, there really hasn't been There haven't been many guys better in baseball. You know the whyat Langford day. I think Tigers fans are probably gonna look at Whyaet Langford for the rest of his career and wonder obviously because of the draft and why it was. It was either Max Clark or why at Langford, and the Tigers went with Max Clark. So I think that Wyatt Langford thing is going to stick in our minds for a
long time. So I think it's funny that he's probably potentially the rookie of the year this year if if cold Keith is not there, because he's going to be a thorn on everybody's side if he turns out to be a really good player for a long time.
Yeah, and to your point, look, Cole Keith's got more homers than batt and better. So it's that's the bottom line as of right now. And it's not like Texas is making this strong charge for a postseason part when so Perez I think has surprised a lot of people. He too has more home runs than why at Langford and justin Henry molloy. Now, I'm not saying you should be surprised by it, but the fact that they look like they belonged, that they're there, they're not overwhelmed, I
think is something that is worth noting. How did you recognize that while covering them there in Toledo.
Yeah, So, well, Jahan is a different one. I thought he was ready at the beginning of this year and it kind of felt like he was probably log jammed out up there. He's an interesting one though, because you know he made that trade. He has been a guy who has had to deal with moving positions a ton. I mean, he he spent so much time last year with Alan Tramble trying when tram would come down working at third base, and he wanted to be a really good third base and it just didn't work out. I
think he's more comfortable in the outfield. He told me that in Florida this year that he felt he felt more like a baseball player when he was out in the outfield. There was just something about it that worked for him. So Jay doesn't surprise me at all. I thought I thought he was going to hit once he had some time up there. I don't know that he's going to be an All Star whatever. He's a good player though, and defensively he's not great yet. I get that.
But he's a good player and he's one of and when I tell you this, I mean I mean this sincerely. He's one of the best kids you'll ever meet, like legitimately one of the best people in terms of clubhouse and leadership and just being a guy that people kind of flocked to. So with justin Henry molloy, that's kind of what I saw from him. What's surprises an interesting one? Didn't see we didn't see him as much. But he's
a guy who again has switched positions. And if there's a surprise this year, to me, he's the biggest surprise of all of them. I did not expect this from him this year, and that's not a knock on him. I just didn't see it coming. And I don't know if the Tigers saw this coming either, If they are being totally candid, I don't think they expected they would get him, get this out of him, and that he
would be their starting right fielder on most nights. So, yeah, just a couple of those guys that that kind of came up, and yeah, maybe there's a little bit of a surprise with him for sure.
Yeah, and I think look, I talked with Justin Henry Maloy a couple of years ago when the Tigers first acquired him. A great story by the way, only child, mom and dad have done a wonderful job with him. I think the concern for Tigers fans, and I think it's justified, is that a lot of these guys are coming up and you hope they hit. They have to hit,
because they're not very good defensively period. I mean, there's a reason for that he told me that he really felt better with his feet in the dirt when they first made that decision, and then they switched him back to the outfield. I get the sense there's a lot of guys, there's a lot of guys right now in this system who don't have defensive homes, and I think that's a legitimate concern. One guy who does have a
defensive home but is not up is Spencer Torkelsen. What's he looked like since he's been down there in Toledo, minus those two big games that we recently saw him have. I'm talking about approach, talk about a willingness to change and things like that.
Yeah. So yeah, you know the other day on what was it on Sunday? Had the seven RBI game on Sunday and he looked really good, but that followed up a three strikeout performance. I mean, yeah, like, there's no way to sugar coat is he struggled period and it's it's there have been a couple of days where, yeah, it's tough to watch and you just keep waiting for him for it to click again. I mean, listen, the
guy hit thirty home runs in the big leagues. He has shown that he can produce up there, I would say, like from a mental standpoint, he is smiling, he isn't. He has been a good teammate, But yeah, I think a lot of it is mental. Like that's just that's just being very candidate. Most of what he is going through is mental. I don't think there are some like overarching, sweeping mechanical things that you're gonna fix with him. I
think a lot of it's mental. And and when you get into that that play where you know you're starting to fight it and not know exactly what you want, Yeah, it can be a struggle. I actually asked Dylan Dingler about this the other day because he was red hot. I mean, there was nobody in Tripa a baseball hotter than Dylan Dingler last week. And he said for him, he literally just stopped thinking. It was like just seatball,
hit ball. And I get that's a real simplistic way to see it, but like, yeah, Torque is going through it like outside of Sunday like he's he's going through it, and the strikeout rate is actually higher than it was when he was in the big leagues. That's not a good thing. But you just keep hoping that that He's going to have something click. There's gonna be that aha,
light bulb go off moment. We just haven't seen it yet, and that's that's probably been the most frustrating part, not only for Tiger fans, but more importantly, Like nobody wants to get back up there more than Spencer Torgel's and I can assure you of that, like he wants it more than anybody wants it, and it's just a matter of when's it going to click for him, and hopefully that'll be soon.
Jordan Strack joining us here on Axes and Bros. He covers the Toledo mud Hands. You can foll him on Twitter at x at Jordan Strak. So Torkelsen's attitude has always been one that is positive. He's always been a great teammate. I get the sense that a lot of young players are clouded by analytics in general. How much do they use that with him down there in Toledo.
I don't know, I don't know. I mean they're listen, they're using everything that every tool they have at the big league level for the most part. I mean it's you know, there are video guys down here, there are you know, they're going in and watching it. Bats, they're they're doing all of the things that you see at the big league level for the most part. It might not look as pretty on camera or whatever at our level, but yeah, like they're they're using all of those things.
But to me, I think for Spencer torbels And I think they've tried to strip it down as much as they possibly can, and the are trying to get him just a base to start from. I think that's that's the most important thing is he needs to he needs to be able to just get comfortable once again. And I don't I have not seen him comfortable outside of Sunday in a long time. Like he just there. There's
there aren't bats aren't comfortable there. I mean, he's swinging and missing at pitches that that you just you're kind of surprised at. You know, there will be a ninety three ninety four mile hour fastball, but he'll swing through and you're like, that's that's kind of surprising, which kind of leads me to think maybe he's guessing a little bit and and a lot of that's why I think a lot of it is mental And that's the conversations
that I've had is that. Yeah, maybe it is a little mental right now, the approach, and he's just got to get it, got to get it back dialed in.
Do you think he'll be back up in Detroit at all this year.
At this point. I have a hard time believing it right now. Now. That's not to say, Listen, he could get hot for the next two weeks and and go on an absolute tear like he's got it in him, and that wouldn't shock me at all. I think, you know, defensively, I think he's been pretty good over at first base since he's been down that part's been fine. And could he go on a streak right now where he goes on a tear for two weeks and gets himself back in live sure, But right now the way that it's going,
I don't see the advance. I don't I don't know that there's an advantage to him to rushing him back up there if he's not he's not totally ready like he's got to be. He's got to be in the right mindset and he's got to be hitting once again, or there's just no point. If that makes sense, that.
Makes a ton of sense. Who else down there has caught your eye that Tiger fans should be excited about.
Well, I mean, listen, half of our Mudhens roster down here is of Detroit right now. Uh So, you know, watching last night was it was like watching a mudt Heens game because you know, Bli, Madriss, and Ryan Valaide and Dylan Dingler justin had not.
A good thing though. That's the problem. I mean, certain guys are not performing and this team's not winning, so that's not a good thing. I like the Dylan Dingler advancement for sure, and we'll talk about that in a minute. But who's actually down there that you look at and and maybe more importantly, scouts and coaches look at and say this guy's going to impact the major league roster.
I'm just gonna be totally honest with you. I don't know that there's a guy left down there that's going to come up and impact Detroit. Not this year. Like Andrew Navagado, I think has had a breakout year. I think he's had a really good year. He's kind of been a you know, he's a guy who can play a couple of different positions and he you know, he's hit a little bit, but he's not I mean, he's not an everyday guy in the big leagues right now. Like that's just not that's just not who we is.
I do think that Dylan Dingler is an everyday catcher in the big leagues right now. I talked to him Federomitch about that the other day. I just think I think Dylan Dingler is major league ready and I think he's going to be able to contribute, and he contributed last night. I think he can play right now at the big league level. I don't know that there are a bunch of guys right now as you look around the mud Hen roster that are going up and helping
in Detroit right now, they're just not are there. Some of those guys in Double A maybe, but not in trile A right now, not after all the guys that have been taken up.
Dylan Dingler. I said this the other day when somebody said, well, they trade Carson Kelley, and that's the reason Dingler gets moved up. He earned the promotion. How did you see him grow?
There's no quest. I mean, he was he forced their hand, I think, and I mean I think Carson Kelly was probably getting moved anyway. But like listen, Dylan Dingler has. The one thing that I think he's probably improved on the most is handling. Is handling a pitching staff. The offensive numbers have been much better. He's been really good the last week the half. He's been, as I said,
the hottest guy in Triple A Baseball. He had He had four or five home runs last week alone, so it felt like everything that was thrown at the plate he was hitting out. And defensively he's good. He can handle a pitching staff. I think that's been the biggest thing, and I think it helps having a former big league catcher as your manager at Triple A. Tim Federobach spent a lot of time in the big leagues and he caught for the Dodgers. I mean, he caught Clayton Kershall.
He has been around, and having him managing in Toledo, I think it has probably been a really big help for Dylan Dingler because you know, they sitdn't talk about all those things. And he told me the other day he thought he was ready and it was just a matter of time. And now he's getting his chance, and I would hope, I would hope and believe that he'll get a fair shot up there to get to play, you know, three four times a week the rest of
the way to show off what he can do. But I think to answer your question, Sheep, is that that he handles a hitching staff better than he did coming into this year.
We hear all the time, Jordan, that this team is full of pitchers, that this organization the strength is pitching. Where do you see that come to fruition in Toledo.
Right now? It's been a roller coaster. I mean it's been up and down. To be honest with you, like you know, Brian Salmons goes up and I thought he was really tight about Brian Salmons was awesome last night. He gave I think he gave the Tigers exactly what they needed to be able to save themselves for the next week. To be honest with you, which is extremely valuable. There aren't a bunch of guys down here in Toledo right now that are going to go up and help
at the big league level right away. I mean, they're just there. Just aren't those guys. There's you know, there's some older you know, there's some veteran guys who have been around, and but there's not a bunch of young guys that are ready to come up in Triple A right now. You know, Jackson Job in Double A is your next guy, right but you know he's still got a little bit of time, and I don't know that
maybe we'll see him in Toledo this year. I don't know that we're gonna I don't think they want to rush him in any way, there's no real reason to. But there's no guy. There's not a ton of guys in Triple A right now that are pitching wise, that are coming up to help Detroit.
Well, we'll keep in touch, man, because eventually the Double A guys will advance. We think guys like Jay, young guys like Jackson Job, and we'll obviously see some guys go down for some various stints to correct a few things like Spencer Torkolsen is doing right now. We appreciate the insight, good stuff, Thanks Jordan, keep up the good work man.
Absolutely appreciate that. Thanks,