The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Astros Outfielder Zach Cole Joins Matt & Ross From Spring Training

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Astros Outfielder Zach Cole Joins Matt & Ross From Spring Training

Zach Cole. He's been hitting that with the weight room this off season. Fellas, how are we doing? How are you doing more importantly? Dude, I'm doing good. This headset's kind of cool. Ross? I'm Matt.

Matt? Yes, we're going to be best friends this year. I hope so. You're going to hit 30 bombs. Okay. You want that left field spot, I'm assuming, correct? I will take whatever they need me for me. I'll play any position and whatever I can do and help them win.

So what are you doing? Again, it's been limited workouts, but I'm sure you've been here a couple days at least. Left field, center field, what have you been working on? All three? Have you really? Okay. They told me early. They wanted me to work in at all three spots to get as much working as I could. And so I've been taking reps at all three, just trying to make myself versatile. You got the call up late. Take us through that moment in time when it was either a phone call, a text, a visit with your manager.

What was that like? And then take us through the next 24 hours of you were trying to get yourself into an Astro uniform. That was an exciting time, I remember. It was right after a double-heder game. I had actually just spoke, we were in Round Rock when I was in AAA. I had been there for, I think it was just 15 games. And we had just played a double-header on a Wednesday. Just saw my agent. And he's like, I'll see you after the season's over, you know, getting prepared

because I was supposed to go to the Arizona Fall League. That's where they had lined me up. They had told me I was going there already when I was in AA. So I was like, yeah, I'll probably see you there. And I was like, who knows? maybe in Houston, and I crossed my fingers. And it was a funny joke. And then I walked right in and 30 minutes later, got the call.

And I had to call my agent back. And I was like, hey, you might want to change your flight because I'm going to Atlanta. It was a really cool moment. But I met with my manager, Mickey Story in AAA, great guy. He called it. He brought me in there and sat me down. And it was cool. He asked me what day I wanted off that week because I just played a double header.

And I was like, well, what's our schedule for the rest of? the week. How about Friday? And he goes, nah, it says you're playing in Atlanta on Friday. And I was like, what? And I was like, oh my, I was like, this has got to be a joke. But it was a, it was a dream come true, man. I held in the tears until I called mom and dad. Oh my God. How emotional is that got to be? I mean, it was such a win for them. I told them that we did it. It wasn't just a me thing. I know I was the one getting to wear the jersey, but I mean, you can't do it without mom and dad. I got so blessed. They're such a blessing to me that they helped me through every stage my career and you know my dad was the one who gave me the passion to love the game and did you

play you play travel ball when you were a kid right of course well then of course they helped you out yeah i have a travel daughter buying volleyball so yeah if she makes it to big international i'm getting half the credit exactly that's right i gave the i gave the home run i gave the first hit home run ball to dad and uh it was a no-brainer it was uh the easiest thing i've ever done because it belongs to him he's the one he's the one that got me there mom and mom and dad are the ones that got me there and I love them so much if they're listening right now. I love you, mom and dad. Where do they live?

They live in Missouri. They're not listening. They're not listening. It's okay, though. They'll hear the recording, maybe. You can find it on any major podcast or I heard radio, Spotify, Apple, we'll post it. We're somewhat famous, so it'll have, you. That's what I've heard.

No, you got a chance. He heard about the ego, I guess. No, you got a chance to be major famous. So you did not go to Arizona Fall League. Correct. Why was that the decision made? Because I got called up. So they were obviously with the intention at the time, you know,

what I make the 40-man roster coming up that off-season. And the play at the Fall League would determine that. But since I made it to the big leagues and played the last two weeks there, they felt that it didn't really need to go and do that anymore. So I got the whole off-season, if you will. Thank you honestly you got a lot of people

impressed with you because we didn't know much about you honestly and then you came in and had a great September when you look back at it was it just you were hit the ball really well at that time that nothing to matter who you were going to go against you were going to hit the ball hard or was it a case that you just

you could try to slow it down because you just talked about the emotions of playing a double header game and then trying to get family and friends to Atlanta and do that kind of thing that had to been like a constant, like a stopwatch about how fast you were going to get from point A to point B. Absolutely. And I think about, I think back on that time now too, just all the emotions running high and, you know, we're here and we're there and new experiences all at the same time, meeting new people and just trying to stay grounded. I take a look at, you know, the things that can be grounded where obviously my faith was number one.

You know, God brought me to the dance, so I'm going to go home with him. I'm going to make sure I stay true to him. and then obviously just relying on my close family and friends. We have so many great guys in our clubhouse that helped me through that, you know, stressful time as a rookie, especially, you know, thrown right into a playoff race as well to some big games and situations. So to stay grounded, to just try to be myself and not do too much, you know, I don't need to come in and be a superhero every game because some games, you just got to do one small thing to help the team win.

If that's a walk or moving a base runner or a bunt or making a play on defense, You don't always have to be the guy that steps up and hits the big home run or gets the walk-off hits. So having guys in our clubhouse like that have been there, done that with all the experience and accolades, it's such a comforting feeling for a rookie like myself for such a young guy. But a lot of times I really was just piecing it together, just relying on what I knew that, you know, the God-given ability I had, what I had worked on, what got me here, just stick to those things. because, you know, if they bring me up, they liked the player that I was in AA and AAA, right? That's the guy they want in the league, so I don't need to try to do anything different.

I can rely on what got me to this level. That's unfortunate. You cranking it up over there? You knew who that is? I don't know who that is. Can't hear it. But I have no idea why they're playing that. That's terrible timing on their part.

We're testing it with distracting. Distraching games. But, yeah, it was really just piecing it together, just trust in my abilities. Just remembering. This is the cool. I've dreamed of this my whole life. But it is baseball. Baseball is the same game.

It doesn't matter what jersey you're wearing or where you're playing it at. It's the same game. They got to throw the white ball over the white plate. So just trying to remember that and just trusting it. It's the same game. Just do what I've always done. Go compete. It's interesting to me, the timing of you got the short time.

You were so successful. And then boom, the season stops. Didn't make the playoffs, unfortunately, to where you didn't get to kind of, in a way, see how the story would have been. ended if you got to keep working. So what's that like for you hitting the off season, knowing how successful you were, but also trying to keep that going, knowing that there's going to be tape on you, there's going to be certain ways you're pitching and kind of trying to figure that all out during this off season? Absolutely. And, you know, that's what it's like every off season. We want to,

we want to try and capitalize on those things that we learned from the season. You know, I was there for a short time, but it was an excellent opportunity to get to go up there, you know, just just tip my feet in a little bit, just trying to see like, okay, this is what the big leagues are like. This is what is expected of me. This is what it's going to be like. This is what I'm going to have to compete at the level. So we take a look at the things that I did well. We celebrate those early. We're thankful for a great season. Very blessed. God helped me so much. Gave me so much. And then it's time to get to work, right? We take a look at those things where I'm exposable, those things where I have weaknesses, and we try to correct as many of those as we can. Let's say if there's four easy ways that I can get exposed at the big league level,

let's try to knock off two of those this off season and make myself a more complete hitter, a more competitive at bad. Because at the end of the day, that's all I'm trying to do is just be a more competitive out every time I step at the box. Zach Cole with us here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross from West Palm Beach. Everybody's fastball, AAA to Major League. It's 95. I, when I talk to guys like yourself that are fresh of the big leagues, it feels like to me the off-speed stuff is the stuff that's separate.

rates the really good AAA guys and the guys that do at the highest level. Agreed. You know, obviously the stuff we're seeing, especially the way the game is developed, you know, over the last 20 years, it's the best it's ever been. There's no doubt. I talk to guys like Bagwell who will say the same thing.

You know, even guys like Correa who are saying, like, the league has changed since I came up versus right now. It's the tough it's ever been. You know, guys are throwing harder. Stuff is moving more and it's difficult. There's no other way to say it. But for me, The biggest thing that I noticed

and the difference between the minors and the majors was just the way the pitchers and the catchers think the game when you're on offense. It's all chess. The way they set you up, the way they target your weaknesses, the pitches that they throw, it's all a plan that they have set up beforehand

and you have to try to make your counter move. If they're going to keep throwing this pitch over and over again until I can hit it. As soon as I prove I can hit that pitch or lay off of it, here comes the next challenge. You know, maybe it's off speed away until I prove it, and then it's heaters in. And then they're going to keep trying to find ways. And then it's just, you know, he evolves, you evolve, he changes, you change.

So it's just this constant chess match. And, you know, a lot of the times in the minor leagues, it's just, you know, guys are like, here's my stuff. This is what I'm good at. I'm going to go right at you. But in the league, they know what you can do. There's no secrets. So they're going to try to expose your weaknesses, for sure. So you hit the home run on the very first hit bat, very first pitch, too, correct?

something like that oh come on you know he knows what was a pitch it was uh i think it was a cutter it was a cutter and uh i was just really really hoping i didn't swing and miss and your hooks bros uh were watching it live yes they were how many text messages did you have when you looked your phone after the game too really too too many too many to read i didn't i was and i was too i couldn't come up with runs we're in response and copy and paste it yeah it was it was a lot of emotions love you bro keep it nice and simple but they were great man getting to see that video And a lot of the guys are here right now. I'm getting to talk to him.

I got to see him as everyone's getting back in this week. They're making more money than they are right now. I mean, it's truth. Just a little bit. But they're not making you, like, buy dinners and stuff, are they? You don't make them great money. No, no, no, they don't. He's doing fine.

No, I'm just, I'm just happy to see them. And just to be able, like I said, that experience, you know, getting to see that video was unbelievable. Like, those guys, they truly cared about me and to see their raw reaction. after a moment like that. It made me emotional. It did because I care about each and every one of those guys. And you grind with them in the minors. It's tough, man.

And you go through the stuff. Before let you run, Crawford Boxes presents challenges. That left center field that it darts back. That's also a tricky spot. I'm assuming you can practice that until you're blue in the face, but you need to be in live competition for that to become a part of your, I got this part of my defensive game, right? I would say so, yeah, there's nothing better than doing the thing.

So, like I said, when we practice on it, the fields we actually have back here are replicas of Diken Park dimensions-wise to help us actually get accustomed to that. But obviously, yeah, if left field is what they need for me, then I'll get as many reps as I can there and get more comfortable with it for sure. But like I said, all three for me is what they told me. So I'm just working wherever they need me and trying to be as versatile as I can. All right. Well, I mean, you got the challenge in front of you now. What is it being like here in camp? It's obviously a new experience for you, being somebody who is expected to try and win a spot.

How is that dealing with that mentally? For me, I love it because for me at the end of the day, you know, this is just a game, you know, and we can go out here. And there's always going to be competition. It's the name of this game, right? It's all performance. And unfortunately, is a killer-be-killed-type world. And for me, you just can't focus on that.

You know, we have great guys in here. And obviously, we all know. what we're doing. Everybody's trying to go out there and win their spot, go out there and help the team win as much as they can. And we just focus on those things. We just focus on going out there and being competitive and trying to keep guys up because at the end of the day,

a lot of these guys that you're competing with are going to be your teammates. So we don't want to create divides with guys are going for the same position. And for me, just being able to come out here and enjoy playing and show what I've been working off in the offseason. It's just so much fun. I love being out here. I love

competing with the guys. I love coming out here, learning from the veterans, and just excited to become a better baseball player. You are well beyond your years in terms of interviewing skills. You get a 10 out of 10. We're going to have you on like every other day. So every time you're at a home run, you're going to be on the show with us. Hopefully it's at least 30 times this year. Oh, my God, at least. You have good speed? How's your speed? You got some strong bases too? Very fast. I can run. Are you Jake Myers fast? I can run. He's very humble. Oh, my God. The humility as well. Wow. I've not raised Jake. He's pretty quick, but...

He had the calf strain last year, right? Let him take it easy. Can you run down there and tell him to turn that off? He'd do us a huge favor. We can't run away for a couple minutes. Zach, it was really nice to visit with you face-to-face. We will be talking to you a couple times in the course of the year, maybe in the clubhouse as well.

We wish you nothing but the very best, and you have been given a great opportunity, and I hope you make the most of it. Congratulations. Thank you guys so much for having me on the show. You guys are awesome guys. Oh, you don't know us that one. Well.

Oh, God, no. We're being nice now. I can tell right away. You guys are good dudes. Thank you so much for having me. And all the people out there listening. Go Astros. We'll see you guys in a bit.

And mom too. Mom and dad. We'll send a little podcast to him. Mom and dad. I love you. All right, Zach Cole, joining us here on the Matt Thomas show with Ross. We take a quick time out.

Back with the second hour, the Matt Thomas show with Ross from West Palm Beach here on 790.