OverDrive - Dempster on Scherzer's role with the Blue Jays, Toronto's ceiling in the AL East and the ABS challenge system

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

MLB Network Analyst Ryan Dempster joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the league, the ABS challenge system for pitchers, Max Scherzer's role with the Blue Jays, Toronto's search to contend in the AL East, the Dodgers' elite status and more.

Lights camera action the 2025 Juno Awards are hitting Vancouver on March 30th and IHAR radio is your ticket to the stars Hosted and performance by Michael Pooble Plus a final performance by Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees some 41 and more you can win an IHAR radio Experience with tickets flights and a three-night stay at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver Here's longtime MLB pitcher you hear him and see him on intentional talk and off the mound here's Ryan Dempster How would you react to a situation like that Trey Turner and Max Scherzer if one of your former teammates? Knew it was a strike, but said I got a I got a challenge this because I know Dempster is not gonna love it right now. Oh I love every side I didn't see it at the first time hearing of that and I think it's

great I think spring training is what that stuff is all about I think that former World Series champions together I'm sure that I'm sure that either way maybe that would have been funny like I wonder if it was a ball if Max would have Done the same thing Yeah, well it back it cuz damn like he's on he's on record Scherzer being like I'm kind of cool with the way It's always been done. I don't need Yeah, he's that's kind of crazy when you got a pitcher who's praising the OMS I guess if you're as good as Scherzer though, why wouldn't you love the OMS?

Yeah, I'm kind of all for of the empire's is called ball strike to uh... it's just me i i i get it what people want but i just don't i don't know i it's part of it white baseball where we just going to take adversity out of the game so we don't have to overcome adversity like a bad call by the empire

well no we don't have those overcome adversity like a bad call by the umpire. Well, no, we don't have those anymore, so now eventually we're just gonna have to blame ourselves when we fail. It's gonna be awesome. Yeah, that's music to my ears, man. I've been preaching that forever. I'm cool with human element and in large part because of what I do and exactly what you just said. Hang on a sec, Ryan, let me correct this guy.

He loves the human element until his own team gets screwed. That's inaccurate and totally untrue. Totally untrue. Dude, if this was not only untrue in the world series and they got screwed and they wanted a robot up he would come on the show the next day and say I want robot ups. I would yell and scream about the idiocy of the umpire which I can do as well as anybody and that's what I'm saying I love that the human element gives us some good content and something a little bit different every once in a while. That's right yeah where where would we be if we would have had

replaying you know Don Denkiger I don't play it first or we had you know perfect game by Milt Pappas with Bruce Freming behind the plate and apparently was right down the middle or could he have tapped his helmet we can go back in time now and yeah change all those yeah that'd be good no exactly like history that and who wants that man triple play by the Jays Kelly Gruber we got him he tagged it was great they won the World Series anyway who cares that he didn't get credit for the triple play they screwed it up it gave us something to yell and scream about and they still went on to win and with Ryan Dempster I'm curious what what go ahead go ahead I was gonna say that's like you know

spring training's fun like that you know I kind of go curious what that that go ahead good i was going to say that you know spring training from like that you know i can go back to that we we take it all because of the way it is now in tickets are more expensive and all of a week you like the wins and losses matter they matter in a sense of learning how to win an execute and you want every player going out there doing that but the fun part i remember thrown a rynn and he was my former teammate in the minor leagues and he came up to bat and I just waved my glove like four seam fastball

and he was like, and then I threw a four seam fastball, I was a ball. And then I did it again and then he hit it about 450 feet. It was great. And then I never threw him that pitch again. Not one more time. That was it. That's the only time he got it in a spring training game that doesn't show up on the back of my baseball card. Right. You got your, you know, time. That was it. That's the only time he got it in a spring training game That doesn't show up on the back of my baseball card, right? You got your you know, you're making the team you got that guaranteed money coming He can hit one off you and it's all good. Like that's that's exactly that's exactly what it should be and with Scherzer Like I'm curious what your anticipation is for him this year and what you expect because you know, he's coming off the surgery

He's been injured a lot the last few years. He's 40. He's now, he's actually pitched against the Phillies twice, but he's looked really good, looked good over the weekend. Like if you were to map out what you think is a reasonable kind of stat line for him this year, what do you expect to see out of Scherzer? Yeah, I don't know what to expect to be honest with you and I think that the expectations are kind of hard to nail them, but the ceiling is through the roof. I think that's why you take a shot on that, not only veteran leadership, to watch guys what he does, this guy's, there's a reason he's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer and he's done the things in the games that he's done because of his work ethic, his tenacity, his diligence, his you know leadership and

those kind of things and he's a nuts man like he is he's very very like determined and I think that he could have a monster year if he stays healthy you know it's not a pitch as good as anybody in the game even with stuff that isn't quite what it used to be it's still really darn good and with that change-up and he can have a you can have a comeback season and be sitting here going, at the end of the year, American League come back player of the year is Matt Sturzer. No doubt, you can 100% see that happen. Ryan, there's so much that goes into an MLB season.

You know all the pitches thrown, all the travel, all the games that go into it. But with the roster and the additional transactions, again, do you see anything different than the Dodgers as the last team standing at the end of the season? I mean, for them to just continue to reload this offseason, I thought it looked crazy. Do you see anybody taking them down? Well will sure but I do I think on paper it's a no-brainer to not see there's odds on favorite to win the World Series

or at least get there but I mean a million things can happen between now and then and and you hope that everybody stays healthy just for the greater the game because they have so many super star players but we did this thing at the network and I'm a be network where since 2017 there's the top 100 every year that runs on the network this is a great step for you and there's a top 100 that players in the game right now it's been going on it at MLB Network and in that top 100 since

2017 every team that has won the World Series has had at least five of those players in that list and the Dodgers have nine on that list. Like that's they have guys on their bench like Tommy Edmond who are in the top 100 like it's crazy like you know what kind of roster they have. Now awesome that's on paper and David and Goliath I get it but if you don't let that creep in and you really just go out there and worry about your team there's plenty of good teams and like you're playing somebody in a series who can't beat, who can't be the better team for a week or for five days.

But yeah, I mean, they're, they're definitely Goliath in the game of baseball right now and it's going to be fun to watch target on their back the whole year. Ryan, where do you think the Jays fit in as a contender? Are they, I don't think they're top five, but are they top 10? Like where do you see them this season? Yeah, I think the possibilities are there. I think there's just a little bit of, you know,

lack of kind of experience in the bottom half of the lineup. But, you know, that being said, I mean, I see them as a team probably in the top 12 right now and like that could change. You get off to a good start, you keep guys healthy, like that's been a constant theme, right, is how to keep guys healthy and out there and some of those guys are in that boat. So if they can do that, in that locker room, there's a good enough team to be a playoff contender and then you get yourself in a position that you can maybe acquire somebody that makes

you a little bit deeper in your lineup and a little bit better but yeah they got a lot of talent and a good pitching staff. With Ryan Dempster and you know obviously two guys who will be free agents at the end of the year and Vladi and Beau Bichette. In your history were you comfortable with one year left on your deal? Did you thrive under that type of pressure or would you have always preferred to pitch with security? To be honest with you, I think statistically if I looked at it all my free agent years, I had pretty good years. So I would say that I kind of believe in the Sparky Anderson philosophy

of give me 25 guys on a one-year contract and I'll take you to the World Series. I think it's inevitable when you have these guys who are, you know, Alpha, everything in their high school and they have it inside them and now they come to this moment where they got to produce. The only thing I think that stops those really good players from producing is injury. It's not, you know, the mental side. They all know how to rake. I think their confidence can be.

So yeah, I think you could have some really big years out of a couple guys and that bodes well for your team playing well like that's what you want you know a good season comes from a bunch of individuals you know having some really solid good seasons. He is Ryan Dempster longtime MLB pitcher you see him here I'm on intentional talking off the mound and good Canadian boy as always great catching up with you Ryan thank you for doing this. Yeah absolutely guys. Appreciate it. Thanks very much. There is Ryan Dempster by Michael Pouble. Good evening Vancouver! Plus, a final performance by Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Sum 41 and more.

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