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WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: 2ND ROUND POOL FMarch 14, 2017Jim LeylandChristian YelichDrew SmylySan Diego, California Q. Drew, the way you've joined the team and following it from camp and to joining the team now and getting ready to pitch? DREW SMYLY: Yeah, it's just been an honor to participate on this team. When Joe Torre texted me and asked if I'd like to play, it was honestly a no-doubter. I said absolutely right away. Just to wear USA across our chest is something I've always wanted to do, and to play against the best in the world, it's an honor, so I'm excited to get my chance tomorrow. Q. Christian, as one of the younger guys on the team, is there an extra motivation in the sense that the United States hasn't fared that well in previous WBCs, but now it's a new, younger group, and maybe trying to take it to new heights? CHRISTIAN YELICH: I don't know about extra motivation. I think we have a pretty motivated clubhouse. It's all guys who wanted to be here. Nobody forced us to come play. Everybody took pride and wanted to represent our country. We wanted to have a good showing, and we all came with the goal of winning this thing and going out and playing hard every night and doing the right things. That's why we got to the second round, and hopefully we can head up to L.A. Q. Can you speak on the atmosphere and what you're expecting from the crowds here at Petco Park? DREW SMYLY: I hope it's just like Miami. Miami, that was an unbelievable atmosphere down there playing those games. It really got I think everyone's adrenaline pumping right from the start. It's just a whole 'nother element when you're playing country versus country, the best of everybody. It just really is a great atmosphere to be a part of. So we're expecting a lot here in San Diego. Q. I know you guys kind of touched on it already, but no American team has made it to the finals, so why do you think with the team you have formed now, you guys have the opportunity, a real opportunity at it? CHRISTIAN YELICH: We just have a talented group. Like I said, guys who enjoy playing together. It already has the feel of a tight-knit group. We're all pulling together for one goal; the goal is to go out there and win every night. And we've got the guys to do it. So now it's about going out there on the field, executing and playing the games, putting ourselves in a position every night to win. Q. Jim, how would you assess the team and how they performed in the first round? Just as moving into the second round, where you feel the team is at? JIM LEYLAND: I think we got over the initial package in Miami, obviously. So I think guys are settling in. This is a little bit different venue, as you know, and I think guys are settling in really well. Just an you unbelievable group of guys as far as being cooperative. Anything you've asked them, they've done. You talk about playing time, they've all understood the situation. This has really been an honor for me, to be honest with you. I know most of these guys or seen most of them play. But to be around them in the setting of a clubhouse and everything else and actually on the bench with them, it's a big thrill. I'm old. I'm done. This is great. This has even got my heart ticking pretty good, you know. I just hope not too bad, you know? I'm in the last quarter; I just hope it's not the two-minute warning (laughing). Q. All the years that you were in baseball through the Minor Leagues through Pittsburgh and all the different places, did you ever imagine the game would really become global and have so many great international players in complements to what we have here in North America? JIM LEYLAND: No, you know, I never really thought about stuff like this, to be honest with you. I never knew something like this would happen. You know, to be honest with you, I don't want to be phoney about it. I was concerned about this when I was just managing my team, because there are concerns about your players. This is a big job, to be honest with you. But to see this thing unfold and see the great players from all the countries, I mean, this is what it's about. Let's play the best, let's line them up, and let's have fun. I don't know if it's a total true sense of who the best is. I don't know if anybody could ever say that for sure. But it's an honor. Like I said, I've worn a lot of jerseys. I've never worn one like I'm wearing now, and that's pretty special. Q. Drew and Jim both, just thinking with you getting the start tomorrow, Drew, back to Game 1 of the 2012 ALCS, you were put in that extra-inning situation, Yankee Stadium as a rookie, obviously in a potential walk-off scenario for the Yankees in that ballpark. Drew, I'm thinking your emotions that night, and what that meant Jim's trust in you, and, Jim, your trust in Drew in that situation, and how confident you were back in that moment? DREW SMYLY: For me, Skip's made me feel very confident from the git-go, from Spring Training when they awarded me the job to that game in the ALCS when he called on me in extra innings. He's great at making their players feel special, feel confident, and you just want to run with that as a player and show him he made the right decision. So very excited to start this game tomorrow. It's a special night for me just to wear Team USA across my chest. I just want to make the country proud and do the best I can. JIM LEYLAND: Obviously it's great to be reunited with Drew. He was special. Brought him up as a young player, obviously. But he was ready for it. You could see the maturity. The a lot of times it's a lot more than just watching a guy pitch. It's watching how they handle themselves. I mean, he had ice in his veins that night in New York. It was an unbelievable performance. So I have total confidence in him, and I'm just thrilled that he decided to pitch for us. I'm proud for him and proud that he's going to pitch for his country tomorrow. I think it's a great thing. It's really nice to be reunited with some guys that are very special to you. Q. Jim, there are a lot of teams that worry about injuries in the WBC, and yet players can get injured in Spring Training anyway. What are your thoughts on it? Should that be a concern? JIM LEYLAND: Well, I disagree a little bit in the sense that, yes, they could get hurt in their Spring Training, but their Spring Training is a little bit different than this. Honestly, you're asking the players to amp it up a little bit more than they would for this venue than they would in their normal Spring Training. Spring Training is more of a lengthy process where they just kind of go at kind of their own pace. So it can be a little dangerous because you're asking them to amp it up a little bit quicker than they normally would. That's the one thing that makes you a little nervous. But I think the best way to do it is I don't think you can tiptoe. I think you have to be aggressive. I think when you get hurt is when you try to tiptoe and avoid getting hurt. I think you just play the game like they would, and that's what I want them to do. Hopefully things will turn out all right. Obviously, like I said, there's a lot of pressure on any of the managers when you're dealing with somebody else's players and what's at stake for those players. Our number one goal is to send these guys back healthy. Hopefully it could be in a winning situation, send them back happy. But to be honest with you, my biggest goal is to send them all back healthy. I think that's the most important thing. Q. Jim and Drew, of course you're going to be facing a couple familiar faces tomorrow in Miguel and Victor, guys that you know well. I know, Jim, when you and I first talked about this a year ago, we were kind of joking about how you'd handle facing Cabrera. So now that it's in front of you for both of you, what are your emotions? JIM LEYLAND: Well, this is a day off; I'd like to enjoy it (smiling). No, we're going to play the game. They're going to play the game. We know all about them. I know that firsthand. Drew knows that firsthand. But I think Drew's pretty damn good too. So, you know, it is what it is. These are the best players playing against the best. May the best man win a situation. If there's a strategic decision to be made, I will be forced to make that at some point. I'm not exactly sure what that would be right now, but I have some thoughts. But like I said, all the respect in the world for those guys. When this is all over, I'm going to be back in camp with those guys. So they were kidding me before I got out here. But I know they were trying to lull me to sleep, you know. They were trying to get me laughing and lull me to sleep. They're going to be really competing, and hopefully they know I will be too. DREW SMYLY: Yeah, watching Miguel and Victor hit back-to-back is something pretty special I got to witness the years I was in Detroit. I mean, Miguel is one of the best hitters on the planet. I mean, he's special. But as a player, these are situations you embrace. It's a challenge that I really look forward to. I got to face Miggy with Tampa the past few years, and it's always a fun battle to face a guy of that caliber. But as a player, I think you look forward to that situation. Q. Christian, you and Giancarlo are both from the L.A. area. What are your thoughts on not only playing for Team USA, but getting to do it in your home region, and potential championship in your home stadium up in L.A.? CHRISTIAN YELICH: Yeah, that's exciting. We had an opportunity to play at our home ballpark last round, so that's really cool to see all the support there. Then to come back out to Southern California where we're both from, San Diego, and hopefully L.A., that's exciting. It's definitely something that you take in and enjoy the opportunity and the experience. JIM LEYLAND: Plus, if he gets a couple hits tomorrow night, he can use my tickets the next night, because I don't have anybody out here. Q. Speaking of that, one more follow-up on Christian. Obviously, you haven't had a chance to manage him or be around him a ton previous to this tournament, but how has Christian's at-bats really impressed you, the way he carries himself as well? JIM LEYLAND: Last thing I want to do is put pressure on anybody. But I truly believe this, I do, and I believed it before this series. I'm not talking about it now, I believe he's going to win a batting title some day. That's what I think is going to happen. I have no idea. I don't want to put any pressure on him. But I think with that swing, he can run, he can do a lot of things. He's impressive to watch when I'm on my couch on Sundays watching the second game after the Tigers or something, he's -- he's a special player. That's why he's here. But he's just fun to watch. But they all are. They're all fun to watch. Everywhere you look on both teams. That's one of the fun things about managing. It's fun to watch your own players to play, but it's also fun, to be honest with you, to watch how good other teams are too. That's what amps you up to compete. Athletics is about competition. To be able to manage the best players in the world, and manage against the best players in the world, that's pretty good. Q. An odd question for Drew or Christian. Doing a story about Fernando Rodney and his plantain. I was wondering if you've seen it, if you have any thoughts on it, and is there any sort of equivalent for the US Team? Buster Posey said he had seen a bald eagle a couple times, but that's about it? CHRISTIAN YELICH: Well, just from playing with Fernando last year a little bit in Miami, he's a really funny guy. He shoots his arrow and stuff like that. But he doesn't really mean anything by it. It's just something that he does. He likes to have fun playing the game. I've seen him dance off the field before after getting a couple outs. Yeah, we do have a bald eagle in the clubhouse, but it's not something that we wave around in the dugout really. I think it's just something their team does. But they're having a lot of fun, and that's why this tournament is so great. All the teams seem to be really enjoying it. We were able to play the Dominican, and they were having a great time over there. And we're looking forward to doing it again. Q. An actual bald eagle? CHRISTIAN YELICH: Well, it's not alive. But we have a statue. Yeah, it's like on a branch with some snow around it, and just hanging out in the middle of the clubhouse. JIM LEYLAND: It's not me either, I can tell you that. Q. As they grow this tournament, there's been a great debate about what they should do schedule-wise. Is there a perfect place to put it so all the great players, including the pitchers who might be at risk, could be geared up really to do it? Do you have any thoughts last week of Spring Training, something creative around the All-Star break? Though you wouldn't want to shut baseball down for a whole week, but what do you think? JIM LEYLAND: You know, I really have no opinion on that, because I don't really know the answer. I've heard a lot of guys talk about different scenarios. I think somebody was talking about shut it down for ten days at the All-Star break and play. But then I think, on the other side of that coin, it's going to be different because players at that point are going to say, Geez, I'm sore. I could use the ten days off. So it might be more difficult. So I'm not sure there's a perfect formula. They're doing the best they can with it. There is no perfect time for this thing. There's no question about that. So I think the best thing to do is just accept it for what it is and get yourself ready to play the best way you can and perform the best you can and let somebody else a whole lot smarter than me figure out if there's a better scenario for this. I'm not going to get involved in the political part of this of when to do it. That's really not my job. My job is to try to manage this team for the next few days to the best of my ability and let -- somebody a whole lot smarter than me is going to figure out a better formula than I can come up with. Q. Drew, Jim had mentioned where he is right now in his career. What can you say about maybe what you advised your teammates here on Team USA what it would be like to play for Jim? And how is Jim the same or different than he was when you played for him in Detroit? DREW SMYLY: That's a tough question. I told them he's great. Honestly, I wanted to play when I knew Leyland was the manager, to get to play for him one more time. I have tremendous respect for him. I feel honored to get to play for him the last few years in Detroit. He's a Hall of Fame manager, and, you know, not many players get to say that to play for a guy like that. So it's another honor for me to just suit back up with him. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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