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00:00It's Curtis Meade of the Tampa Bay Rays.
00:02George is poking fun, but I heard this guy's name several years ago with Tampa Bay,
00:06so this is not surprising for me to see all of a sudden him come up.
00:10If I'm not mistaken, Curtis Meade from Australia didn't play baseball growing up,
00:14all of a sudden just sort of found it, and boy, has he found it this spring.
00:18He's making his case to make the team, George.
00:20I don't think the Rays have announced anything as of yet.
00:25So, okay, they did announce that.
00:29Thank you, Sam.
00:30That's why we have Sam here.
00:31So, now that he's made it, how much playing time will he get?
00:36I mean, my only fear with somebody like this is, will they allow him to go through it
00:41in April and May and keep him up?
00:44I think so.
00:45I think the Rays are in a position to try and get the most they can out of him.
00:48I think, once again, he's going to be in that platoon, and once again,
00:54he's at the wrong end of the platoon.
00:56So, he's got to hit.
00:56He's got to hit to get in that lineup here.
00:58Listen, we know what the Rays are going to do, right, Craig?
01:00They're going to play the guys who are playing.
01:02They do that because they have no choice here.
01:04He's sort of the guy who can play all over the field.
01:06He can play a little first, a little second base here.
01:08First base, okay, that's Yadi Diaz, right?
01:11You're not getting much playing time there.
01:13Second base is Brandon Lowe.
01:15So, that's really where you're looking at it.
01:16Maybe a little DH as well here.
01:18He's got to hit, but they have so many guys that are just like him, you know?
01:23If he doesn't hit, they're going to move on.
01:26They're going to find the guy who is going to hit there.
01:27So, good for him.
01:28He's going to get a shot.
01:30You know, he's a big guy, 6'2", but only 170 pounds.
01:33So, he's a little wiry.
01:34So, we'll see what he can do there.
01:36He's got to continue.
01:37I'm curious about what the Rays as a team are going to do.
01:39Remember, they're not playing in Tropicana.
01:41They're playing at Steinbrenner Field.
01:42All those home games in March, April, and May, what are they playing, 49-57 at home?
01:47Something crazy like that.
01:49So, we'll see.
01:50That ballpark, though, is built after the Yankees, which means it's built for left-handed power.
01:55Something Meade is not.
01:56So, Brandon Lowe may be able to take advantage of that.
01:59If you're looking for a little cheap power there, maybe it's Brandon Lowe later in your draft there,
02:02taking advantage of what is the short porch at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
02:06So, it's not really going to be built for the right-handers.
02:10Yeah, I still think that if he performs, you're right about Yandy Diaz.
02:15I don't see him playing over him, but I still do see quite a bit of playing time coming for him if he performs.
02:20The Rays really have nothing to lose.
02:22But, you know, again, it's one of those things where you don't know how a rookie is going
02:26to perform at the beginning of the season.
02:27All right, Brandon Drury signed a pretty big contract, George, to be honest with you.
02:33Coming off, like, his best season where we thought he was, like, gone and finished in baseball,
02:38came back with Arizona, signed a mega deal, I believe over $50-60 million with the Angels.
02:44Angels were just handing out money.
02:47Finally, he's having a really good spring here.
02:48He had a disastrous season last year.
02:50Is it possible that there's a bounce back here for Drury going into the season?
02:56Oh, I mean, you're playing in Chicago.
02:59It's a bandbox all over, left, center, right.
03:01So the bull does fly out of there, especially once the weather heats up there.
03:05That being said, of all the drafts I've done, I don't think Drury's been drafted in any of them.
03:09I mean, not even drafted.
03:10So I don't think people are expecting it.
03:12So, I mean, what do you want me to tell you here?
03:16Yeah, can you take a shot at him late, middle infielder, bench con kind of guy?
03:20Sure, doesn't bother me to do that here.
03:22But another guy, I think you're moving on from eventually here.
03:25I'm not, what are we hoping for here?
03:27He's going to hit 20 plus home runs, steal here, some sparring at base with a good average here.
03:32I'm not so sure I see that or I feel that.
03:35He's not a guy I'm after here.
03:36He's a guy, Craig, that'll be for me.
03:38Oh, look at that.
03:39He is hitting.
03:40You know, and okay, I'm going to take him over this guy.
03:42It's already on my roster.
03:43That's probably where I go with Brad Drury.
03:46Bruised hand is the latest injury for Drury.
03:50Nassim Nunez, who I'm quite familiar with.
03:52He's a member of the Washington Nationals.
03:54Was a Rule 5 pick.
03:55Didn't play all that much.
03:56This kid can steal, man.
03:58Like, they can move him up and down now the entire season.
04:01I just wonder if they will.
04:04Uh, so we all need bases though, right?
04:06He can fly.
04:07If he can play, he'll be valuable for that one category that I keep saying that I have a big problem with.
04:12And I always have a big problem.
04:13I tried to, I tried to correct that this season, Craig.
04:15I actually tried to transfer stolen base guys.
04:17Uh, so that's what we're looking for with Nunez.