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00:00This edition of the Infil is presented by Gerakargo Logistics, whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want.
00:17What's up, friends of the Infil podcast, we are with you, Carlos Balmores Rodríguez and Efraín Zavarce, for this edition.
00:24We are here to talk about the beginning of the 2025 Baseball League campaign, which, as usual, brings news.
00:32In this case, we want to dedicate these first minutes of the Infil podcast to the change, Carlos, of position of two Venezuelan players of relevance, of importance.
00:46The future member of the Hall of Fame, José Altuve, and the outstanding, now a starter, formerly a receiver, Wilson Contreras.
00:57You had the opportunity to see them both during the recently completed Spring Training, to talk to both of them.
01:06And the first thing I would like to ask you is, what impression did you get from those conversations about this change of role, of function, from 2025?
01:23Yes, Efraín, I saw Wilson Contreras very willing to take on his new role as a starter.
01:37He said he was trying to enjoy the process, that it had been a beautiful experience, that was the term he used.
01:45I saw him confident, in the sense that, in his opinion, after being a catcher, anything comes down.
01:58More or less, Contreras didn't say it like that, but that's what he meant.
02:05That is, when you are a receiver, everything else is easier. Anything is easier than throwing.
02:13And, to be honest, I saw him encouraged. I saw him encouraged to take on a new challenge in his career.
02:20In fact, in one of the interviews we were able to have, he said that he recommended to the young players, to the players who were signing,
02:35that they do not close themselves to change the position in which they started their careers.
02:43Because in baseball you know where it starts, but you don't know where it ends.
02:48Altuve was a little more cautious in his approach to the subject.
02:57Altuve was also quite honest in saying, it's more about learning than learning in this new position.
03:08But he did say, I am sure that I will be able to do an adequate job in the gardens to help the Astros win.
03:19By the way, he was asked if that could have any impact on his offensive,
03:26due to the fact that he had to go for a new position.
03:31And he said, I have been in the big leagues for a long time, I can share the different responsibilities and tasks that one has in a league like the big leagues.
03:46So there are two elements that I think help a lot that the transition of these two players to their new positions,
03:54be as calm as possible.
04:01Understanding that there will always be a degree of difficulty when it comes to going to a new place to defend.
04:09And it has to do with the contractual condition of each of them.
04:14Both are protected by multi-annual agreements, multi-million dollar agreements.
04:23In the case of José Altuve, in addition to a career already done,
04:29one can refer to José Altuve as a future member of the Hall of Fame,
04:34although from this 2025 a contract for five campaigns begins to come into effect.
04:43The one that he signed before the start of the previous one, to prevent him from declaring himself a free agent,
04:50an agreement that also guarantees him to finish his career with the Houston Astros.
04:54He would then be a player who would develop his entire professional career in the United States with a franchise.
05:05I think that helps. Knowing that the economic future is already guaranteed.
05:10I would like to know if you share this same impression, especially in the case of Wilson Contreras.
05:17If Wilson Contreras had the free agency in front of him,
05:21that is, if this movement had taken place four or three years ago,
05:26probably the mood of the Venezuelan would have been different.
05:37Why? Because one understands that it is not the same for Wilson Contreras with his offensive as a receiver than as a starter.
05:46One tends to think that as a receiver, that offensive gives him more value, more value than as a defender of the first base.
06:01Which is what I don't understand about Rafael Devers.
06:06Because I could understand Devers if he were facing the challenge of the free agency
06:14and that he says, as a first base or as a designated, I am worth less than as a starter.
06:21But Rafael Devers is starting a succulent and long-term contract.
06:27So I don't see why he showed so much resistance to the move.
06:36A resistance that neither Altuve nor Wilson Contreras opposed.
06:43And regarding the change of position, we also ask you about the effects of the World Cup
06:50and how both would be inserted in the Venezuelan team.
06:55Altuve did not want to speak out. He said, look, I don't know, because we don't even have a manager yet.
07:02I would prefer to wait for the appointment and for things to evolve.
07:10Wilson Contreras, let's say, was more receptive with the question, but he also expressed doubts.
07:18Look, I don't know, because imagine, as a catcher, we have Salvador and my brother William.
07:23First, there are also other alternatives.
07:27One assumes at this moment, seeing it from the prism of March 2025,
07:35that Contreras could perfectly be the first base of that team,
07:39but there is also the alternative of Salvador Pérez.
07:43But those are other elements that are part of this move,
07:48to know where they could play in a Venezuelan team.
07:52That is a very good question for whoever has been appointed manager of the Venezuelan team.
07:57But also remember that there are players who put their conditions at the time of going to the Clásico.
08:05And there have been cases of players who say, look, I'm going to the Clásico,
08:11but I'm going to play in this position because it's what I need for my performance in the United States.
08:17If that's not the case, I'd rather not go.
08:20That has happened.
08:21We'll see what happens with Altuve and Wilson Contreras,
08:26who, I insist, both were enthusiastic.
08:29Altuve has already played in the Clásico, Wilson Contreras has not yet,
08:34but Contreras said, I'm booked for that Clásico if they call me.
08:41Speaking of that, the Clásico Mundial, who will be the manager of the challenge,
08:46who will be the one to direct the Venezuelan team.
08:50Remembering, on the subject of this last point,
08:56remember a few months ago, during the LVVP, the previous campaign of the local circuit,
09:02talking to Juanlu Guillén about, if you were the manager of the Venezuelan team, what would you do?
09:09And he seems to be very clear about what kind of players he would take.
09:15I'm going to take a shortstop, a starter, a receiver, a left back, a central back,
09:24a lead fielder, a third base, a waiter, who are the ones who are going to play every day.
09:30I don't want to have alternation.
09:34Yes, but he also said, I don't want to have two star receivers,
09:38because that's going to create a problem for me.
09:41Because if I have two catchers or two shortstops ranked,
09:46what expectations can both have?
09:49Well, I want to play, because I also have a range.
09:53So I came here to waste time.
09:57And he's very right.
09:59And that's going to be an element now, I think it will be much more important,
10:05because these two players, one understands, should be there,
10:09but from now on they are going to play in different positions
10:12than they have been throughout their career.
10:17And that's why this season of the Grande Liga is so important for Venezuela,
10:20because it will help to elucidate to a good extent what is going to happen
10:26and where these two pieces of players would fit,
10:31who are part of the first line of Venezuelans in the Grandes Ligas,
10:36because they are figures of maximum hierarchy,
10:41both José Altuve and Wilson Contreras,
10:44and who have already built solid careers.
10:47Altuve's career is already pointing towards the Hall of Fame,
10:52Wilson Contreras's is exceptional too, especially with his offensive.
10:59The issue of the offensive, in the case of Wilson Contreras,
11:03can also generate some questions, and in fact we asked him,
11:10traditionally it has been said that a first base is a man
11:16who must provide strength, quadrangular extra bases.
11:22Wilson Contreras is not a snorer, he is a man who can give extra bases,
11:27who can give a good amount of snorers, but he is not a born snorer.
11:32He is not a guy who is going to give you 30, 35 close flights every year.
11:37And the question was, are you going to change any offensive pattern
11:44for the fact of moving from the reception of the first base?
11:48And his answer was categorical, no.
11:50I will not allow that to contaminate my offensive.
11:56And the truth is that you have to give him the right,
12:01because if Wilson Contreras has been able to do something in his career,
12:06it is to bat, beyond the fact that he does not give quadrangles,
12:09but his contribution is exceptional.
12:12So he was very clear, look, I'm not going to start doing swings from the heels,
12:18or be less selective and be doing more swings up,
12:23for the fact that now I am first base.
12:26That's not where the shots go with me.
12:28And although traditionally the initialists have been the first base,
12:33this is an era in which there are not many who cover that position
12:39and offer an important amount of quadrangles,
12:44Matt Olson, Freeman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Pete Alonso,
12:50there are not many more at this time,
12:53so I think the reasoning offered by Wilson Contreras in that regard is even more logical.
13:01We take a first break in this edition of Infield Podcast.
13:04The Dodgers won again yesterday, three victories in their first three games,
13:11something that of course does not surprise,
13:13there is no discussion as to whether that is the most complete team in the major leagues,
13:20and there is of course a very big opportunity for the Dodgers to become the first team in the major leagues
13:27to win consecutively the World Series after those Yankees
13:31who beat their rivals in the autumn Classic in 1999,
13:37before in 1998 and then in 2000.
13:41There is no doubt.
13:42The best team in the national league and of the major leagues, the Dodgers of Los Angeles.
13:46Now, what is the great team in the American League?
13:49If there is any set that can be qualified as a great team in the American League,
13:58because in the national league you also see the Phillies as a very complete set,
14:03even the Atlanta Braves, the D-Bucks of Arizona,
14:08from the acquisition of Corbin Burns, they also look very good,
14:14San Francisco is going to improve,
14:17but is there a great team or is there a clear favorite in the three divisions of the American League?
14:24I don't perceive it at the moment, I don't see a great team in the American League,
14:29that is, a set that is armored from north to south and from east to west.
14:37On the official page of the major leagues,
14:41they did a kind of survey among the editors
14:47and for the most part they agreed that the Boston Red Sox are the favorites
14:57to advance to the World Series in representation of the American League.
15:03It makes a lot of sense because Boston really reinforced themselves.
15:06Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Alex Bregman.
15:10It is a team that looks solid.
15:14Now, does Boston have a bullpen?
15:17Is the arrival of Harold Dicham or the presence of Leon Hendricks
15:23a guarantee that Boston will be able to stop the rival offensives in the final entrances,
15:30something that is so important, especially in the playoffs?
15:34The paradigms have been changing, Efraín.
15:37Before, one looked for the favorite in the team with the best rotation.
15:42In the current analysis, it is concluded that it is more important to have a deep bullpen
15:47than even a hermetic rotation.
15:50Before, what did one say?
15:52No, the openers are the most important thing,
15:54because what good are the relegates if the openers get slaps?
15:58Well, I think that's still true.
16:02The openers are still throwing more innings than the relegates,
16:06but the trend is that with the passing of each campaign,
16:12the openers add fewer innings than in the previous season.
16:18In fact, the pitchers are less and less, adding 200 or more episodes per campaign.
16:23So there is my doubt with Boston.
16:26For example, I ask you, do you see enough strength in Boston's bullpen
16:31to categorize the Red Sox as the favorite to advance to the World Series
16:37as a dignitary of the American League?
16:40They have a very good offensive, they are going to improve their defense,
16:45but yes, there is a doubt there.
16:48You don't know, Aldis Chapman, how many guarantees he's going to give
16:55at this stage of his career, and Lien Hendricks.
16:58Well, the season starts on the injured list,
17:01remember, Tommy Young comes from surgery.
17:05At this point, it's a doubt.
17:09What is true is that Boston has the money in its favor.
17:16That is, it is an accomplished franchise, like others, by the way,
17:22in that division, the American East, the Yankees, the Blue Jays.
17:26But if Boston arrives in July competing and it is concluded
17:33that what is needed is to reinforce the bullpen,
17:38there are economic resources and prospects,
17:42because Boston also has very good farms.
17:45We will have to see what the policy is, in this case,
17:48not only of the owners of the Red Sox, but of those who today
17:53direct that set for, in this case, the former launcher, Craig Breslow.
18:02They say he's a brilliant mind.
18:04Yes, well, his academic studies confirm it,
18:08and it seems to me that he is developing a good job.
18:10Yes, but there are people who study and he is not brilliant.
18:12Well, yes, but anyway, in the university where he studied,
18:17the degree he obtained and the qualifications he added,
18:22one understands that he is exceptional.
18:26So, if these conditions are given so that Boston,
18:36in case the bullpen is not brilliant,
18:43it is not a group of consolidated analysts,
18:46it can go to the market.
18:48Yes, they can look for Ryan Helsey, for example,
18:50who could be in the market in July.
18:53Of course, because, I repeat, it is an organization that has money
18:56and it is also an organization that has prospects,
18:59of the best at the moment.
19:03You don't like Baltimore?
19:06Yes, but I like it because of the youth,
19:11because of the offense it has.
19:15We'll have to see how much weight the absence of a launcher like
19:22Corbin Burns has.
19:25That, for me, is an element to consider,
19:29but it is a young team that, during the last two years,
19:32has been in the postseason in a division that is usually
19:35quite competitive, because this year even the Rays have attributes.
19:41That is, that East American is going to be really competitive.
19:46Yes, but notice that all the teams in the East American,
19:51which is usually the great division of that league, have doubts.
19:56The Yankees, which a month and a half ago was the great favorite
20:01to take the division, will not have Garrett Cole.
20:05Throughout the season, Luis Gil will miss the first few weeks
20:10of the season, at least the first two months.
20:13Clark Schmidt will miss the first few weeks of the season.
20:16That is, three of his five consolidated starters,
20:21Marcus Stroman, will go to New York.
20:24Good thing we didn't change him.
20:28He couldn't be worth it.
20:29Yes, he comes to have an important weight.
20:32It is not known when Giancarlo Stanton will be able to play.
20:36Giancarlo Stanton now suffers from severe discomfort
20:40on both elbows, which means that there is a total uncertainty
20:46in terms of his ability to be able to help the Yankees.
20:51And there is another doubt that the Yankees have.
20:56They have a Venezuelan as a protagonist.
21:00I see Osvaldo Cabrera as a very good utility.
21:05I think that any team that has Osvaldo Cabrera as a utility
21:09has an ace in that difficult role.
21:16I don't know if he will be a third baseman every day.
21:21And especially now that Giancarlo Stanton is not there.
21:25DJ LeMahieu also starts the season injured.
21:29He comes from his worst campaign last year.
21:31We are talking about someone of advanced age
21:34to play in major leagues.
21:36So it is difficult to think that he will have,
21:39in case he spends more time in the game than on the injured list,
21:44an important rebound.
21:46That is also a doubt.
21:48I don't know if the Yankees at some point will regret
21:51not having made an investment for a third base,
21:54not having done what was possible, for example,
21:57so that Nolan Arenado has been with them from the beginning.
22:02Well, they opted for Cody Bellinger,
22:04so that he could play in the Central Garden.
22:06They solved that problem.
22:08Of course, but there is the third base.
22:10Arenado is still there.
22:12Gonzalez could be replaced at any time.
22:15But maybe the ideal thing for the Yankees
22:18would have been for him to start the season.
22:20By the way, I hope that Osvaldo Cabrera shuts us all up.
22:23But not being a player,
22:28tested every day in that position,
22:30for his offense, not for his defense,
22:32for his offense,
22:34leaves a question mark.
22:38So, let's take a new break in Infield Podcast.
23:08Follow me on Instagram at yera.cargo
23:11and remember, Yera with a J.
23:13We continue in the Infield Podcast.
23:17We are analyzing the season of the big leagues
23:21that has just begun, at least in block, this week.
23:28And, of course, from a Venezuelan approach.
23:37And there are a couple of players from this country
23:44who are at the gates of statistical achievements
23:51of enormous transcendence.
23:56Salvador Perez has the possibility
24:01of reaching 300 quadrangles in his career.
24:07Salvador Perez would enter a tiny group
24:13of permanent or habitual residents of the receptory
24:20who have added that number of quadrangles
24:24during his career in the big leagues.
24:28Most of those characters are already in Cooperstown.
24:34And, as a journalist and as a person who follows
24:40baseball and its history,
24:43I would be interested and would see with pleasure
24:50that Salvador Perez, in this same campaign,
24:53could get there.
24:5527 quadrangles are at hand for a man
24:58with the characteristics of Salvador Perez.
25:00Yes, of course.
25:02It is a goal that could be achieved.
25:06No one would be surprised if he did it.
25:09I hope he stays healthy, because I think
25:11that is what he needs to do it.
25:15Considering that he was more valuable than a world series,
25:19considering the amount of gold gloves he won
25:23as a receiver, five of his appearances or selections
25:28in the Star Games, a really brilliant career,
25:31the Venezuelan one, who has the opportunity
25:34to be back in the postseason,
25:37because within that turbulent or unclear
25:42scenario in that circuit,
25:47you see the Royals of Kansas City with some possibility
25:51of being back in the playoffs.
25:54And even of winning the division.
25:56Also, as an alternative receiver to Salvador Perez,
26:01a magnificent defender of the position,
26:04in the Venezuelan Fredy Fermin,
26:07they have one of the most complete and spectacular
26:10players that you can see at this moment
26:12in the majors, Bobby Witt Jr.,
26:14who last year came second in the vote
26:17for the most valuable player of the American League,
26:19only behind Aaron Judge.
26:22Hopefully, and I say this sincerely,
26:29that Kansas City is back in the postseason,
26:32because there is a group of important Venezuelans there.
26:35That delegation led by Salvador Perez,
26:38I think those things also help to enlarge
26:41the resume of a player.
26:43The appearances in the postseason.
26:45And there is another attractive story, Efrain.
26:48Luis Arraez.
26:50Luis Arraez has won three championships in a row,
26:54in different leagues and with different teams.
26:57If he were to be crowned again,
27:04as the Toledero with the highest average
27:07of his circuit,
27:09he would win four triumphs in that statistic,
27:15something that no one has done in the major leagues
27:18since Tony Wynn between 1994 and 1997,
27:25that is, almost 30 years ago.
27:28We already talked about Tony Wynn,
27:30an insignia player who is in the temple of the immortals.
27:38The big question regarding Arraez
27:42is whether he will stay in San Diego,
27:44whether he will change leagues or not,
27:46at what point will they change him
27:49if he moves from the circuit,
27:53and if he has the capacity to reach
27:56that fourth title in a row.
28:00That will also depend a lot
28:02on the performance of the parents of San Diego.
28:04I mean the possibility that Arraez
28:07ends up with the parents or not.
28:10At this moment they seem to have
28:12an important possibility of going to the playoffs,
28:15considering that there are six of them
28:17in each division,
28:19which is quite complicated,
28:21as the west of the national league.
28:24A.J. Preller has been characterized
28:26for being an extremely aggressive
28:30head of the baseball operations office,
28:33capable of making changes at any time of the year,
28:36and Luis Arraez is a proof of that.
28:38Last year he went from the Marlins to the parents
28:41during the first half of May.
28:44I think that if the parents
28:46remain with the option,
28:48I think Luis Arraez will end the campaign with them,
28:52because he is in a team with clear possibilities
28:55of accessing the postseason again,
28:58but it would not stop being a major achievement
29:00that he gets that fourth title in a row,
29:04four titles in a row,
29:07which I think at any time in history,
29:12or as it is achieved in a row or not,
29:14is a really important figure,
29:18worthy of highlighting,
29:20of praising.
29:22Four in a row speaks of consistency,
29:25and the fact that in 30 years
29:28only Tony Wynn has been able to achieve it,
29:31already in the mid-90s,
29:33speaks of how difficult it is
29:36for Venezuela during the last 25 years
29:38to have great batters,
29:41several winners of the batting title,
29:45even two of them,
29:47leaving Arraez out on more than one occasion,
29:50we are referring to Miguel Cabrera and José Altuve,
29:54but they did not achieve four batting titles
29:57in a row.
29:59Let's see then what Arraez can do,
30:02and how long Luis Arraez's career can be,
30:04because you have to consider,
30:06when you talk about Tony Wynn,
30:08and you understand that the comparisons
30:10are very attractive,
30:12between Arraez and Wynn,
30:16the amount of hits in the games
30:19in which they have played,
30:22comparing where Arraez is going
30:24with respect to Wynn at the time,
30:27but you have to consider something,
30:29those last four batting titles,
30:33of eight, that Tony Wynn achieved,
30:36he concretized them,
30:38he added them after being 33 years old,
30:41and that speaks of the magnificent career
30:45that the now unfortunately deceased
30:48member of the Hall of Fame had,
30:50but Luis Arraez's follow-up
30:53will be fascinating,
30:55that's why he had a magnificent
30:57sprint training,
30:59I don't like to take as a reference
31:01the numbers of sprint training,
31:03unless it's about a prospect,
31:05someone who's fighting for a position,
31:07a young player,
31:09but it doesn't stop being significant
31:11that Arraez had his best sprint training
31:13in this 2025.
31:15Well, with these considerations,
31:18we end this episode of Infield Podcast,
31:23remember you can write to us,
31:25we will be attentive to anything
31:28you want to tell us,
31:30or suggest to us,
31:32and it will be until a new opportunity.
31:36This episode of Infield Podcast
31:38was presented by
31:40Geracargo Logistics
31:42What you want, when you want, wherever you want.