The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Astros Reliever Jared Hughes Joins The Matt Thomas Show

Episode Date: February 19, 2020

Astros Reliever Jared Hughes joins Matt and Ross to discuss his unique sinker and the upcoming season

This is Sports Talk 790, live from Astros Spring Training. It's an excitement. You know, this is a new beginning. Exclusive coverage from West Palm Beach is brought to you by Carbock Brewing, crafted for serious fun, and by the Palm Beaches.com. Our coverage here from Spring Training continues on the Matt Thomas show, Sports Talk 790 from West Palm Beach. We are happy to be joined now by the newest member of the team. Jared Hughes. We were teasing Jared because you are 6-7.

absolutely play the five for the Rockets. It would be perfect size for you. But you decided that basketball wasn't your thing. Is that right? I mean, I loved basketball as a kid. I wanted that to be my sport. I tried everything I could do to make that my sport. But it turns out I can't run. I can't jump. I can't shoot. I can't dribble. So I can throw though. So I found a better sport. Yeah, I was going to say you're me except that you can throw. Your passing had to be decent in basketball, right? More full court. Yeah, full court passing. You're taking that basketball. The outlet pass. Man, that guy's outlet pass is like really fast.

Hey, someone need to talk to you sideways here. Looking at your resume, you have been with every team but the Cubs in the National League Central. Is that right? Yeah, that sounds right. And yeah, they were actually, so I just signed on here, but they were interested this offseason. So I thought maybe there was a chance, but I would much rather be an Astro. Well, that's nice here because you've got your family's in Dallas now, which we need to move you out of there. There's a bad virus in that metropolitan area.

I don't know if you knew that or not, but there is. You're walking in here to obviously an interesting offseason and brand new manager. So give me a thought or two back to what you know about Dusty Baker, who's got obviously strong ties to the National League. And he has strong ties to the Cincinnati Reds, which is a team I played for over the last two years. And everybody that I met in Cincinnati that knew Dusty, they loved him. And from Joey Votto to Homer Bailey, the guys that had played for him,

they said that Dusty was the best baseball mind they had ever met. and a great leader. And he made it easy to talk to him. He was a good communicator as well. So those are like the main attractions as a player to a manager. If they can lead, if they're smart, if they're easy to communicate with. So Dusty being here in Houston definitely played in my decision to come here. That's really cool, as you would say that.

We don't know a lot about him because there's one different style. So I think he's doing as much feeling out of you guys as you are of him. You mentioned how much you did some recon. Did you ever do recon of other managers and maybe hear a report or two? And you don't have to mention who they were, but kind of like, oh, really, that's how they run their thing? Okay, I think I'll pass on going there. Is this the time where you want me to, like, bash other ALS teams? God, it sounds so good.

You really would endure yourself for our audience if you did. Yeah, I know. I would absolutely gain the trust and love of all the fans. But, no, I would never speak poorly about any manager. So even if I heard anything that wasn't good, I would not tell you right now. All right, you tip out about 92. Is that right on the gun, basically? Sure, yeah.

I definitely am a low 90s sinker ball pitcher. I have a repertoire of a four seam that I can throw up. I can throw a slider down and a split finger down, but my pitch is my sinker. It's what I've done over the years. And I think the reason that Houston might like my sinker is because it's not a typical one. It's almost more like a power screwball. I throw it from a lower slot.

It comes out of my hand kind of funny. And it's a unique pitch. Love relievers with a different arm slot. release points. Always fun. Yeah, that's what we're looking for. His arms slots around these parts. That's right. Your pictures on Twitter are interesting. Somebody told me, I won't mention it was Astros PR,

said, go look at his pictures of his photos. I mean, you know what? You're just not going to be a temp... You're not a normal guy in the photo booth, basically, right? Well, I mean business, right? That's what you did. Anybody Googles you visiting with Jared Hughes? You do mean all business in your photo there.

It's a very serious look, and I want to make sure that when I come running into the game, because I'm the guy that sprints into the game. He sprints. Oh, we have so much respect for sprinter. You know, in the 80s, they had guys in golf carts. Would you tell the golf cart guy to go away, or would you tell him I want to race the golf cart or what? Well, a few fields still have the golf cart, and I always turn it down, and they actually timed me against the golf cart.

I'm much faster. It's not even close. I'm like double-street. Did you race Mr. Freeze in Atlanta at any point? Yeah, I've talked to him. I know him well. He started out as a grounds crew guy in Atlanta, and they just said, hey, you're so fast. You're training to be a track star.

You should do this race. And when he started out, I talked to him and I said, hey, man, can we race? And he said, don't even try this. It wouldn't even be close. It wouldn't even be funny because he is actually like a pro runner. So there's no video evidence of you guys going after each other. No, but we tried. We tried, but it got shot down.

It wasn't going to happen. This bullpen lost a very valuable member in Will Harris. You know, he's right down the street, as a matter of fact, literally. So there is a spot for a late in in a game. guy. You're going to try to prove the Astros organization that you can be that guy, that seventh-th inning guy. What has you been your approach going to a new baseball team, your off-season, knowing that there is a spot that somebody can easily have? Well, I'm myself, and I have to continue to be myself, and if they like who I am here, then I'll be an Astero,

right? So I think I have things that can, aspects of how I play the game that can definitely influence them to choose me on this team, but I think things that I do well is that Sinker plays well against left-handed hitters and I know Will had a lot of success against left-handed hitters. So I feel like I could definitely play into fulfilling that spot that's open. But overall, like I just got to be myself. And if they like me, then that's great. If not, well, that's a bummer. But I think they will.

How much you know about Brent Strom before coming here? You know, I've heard a lot of good things. And actually, when I signed on board, I had five or six buddies on other teams that texted me and said, hey, you're really going into a good spot with Brent. I talked to Garrett Cole last year. He and I went to breakfast in Cincinnati when he rolled through, and he told me nothing but good things about Stromi, about the whole pitching side of the team here

and how the information is just outstanding. He didn't get into detail with it because he wasn't allowed to share, but now that I'm here, I realize that it's special. Yeah, obviously, no details, but is it eye-opening, or what have you noticed so far early on? It's unique. The information is unique, and I'm an info guy. I love soaking it in and trying to learn

because I want to keep getting better. but it's unique information. The way they present it is unique. The way they look at it is unlike any other team I've ever been on. And I think that it's going to make me a better player. You can say no to this, but we feel like Word is starting to travel around Major League Baseball that the Astros have some metrics on spin rate in particular.

Garrett is an example. His strikeout numbers went through the roof in his two years here. Is that moving around at this point? Or is everybody trying to sell you on our pitching, our intelligence can make you even a better picture than you were before. So every team is into the spin rate stuff, right? It's across the board of the major leagues now. Spinaxas spin rate.

It's how you think it matters, right? It's how you relate it to the game, and it's how you teach that. And what I'm seeing here is something I haven't seen yet anywhere else. Oh, it's interesting. Yep. Okay. Biggest moment of your major league career beyond the first time you got the call to the show,

give me, if I was to look up Jared Hughes on YouTube, besides looking at a picture of your strange face, where would it be the biggest unbelievable? Yeah, that's Jared Hughes right there. Wow, moment. Years ago, I think it was like 2014 or 15, we clinched when I was with the Pirates, we clinched the playoffs.

I came in and I had a four-pitch inning to get a hold in that game. And it was like, it was like ground ball, two-pitch ground ball, one-pitch ground ball, four pitches I was out of the inning, all sinkers. And I remember thinking, like, Not only are we clinching tonight, but I just did what I'm here to do, and I was really fired up about it. And you didn't have to shower after the game because four pitchers, well, you may have to warm up with a bullpen.

I've been a little bit of lather at that point, right? The sprint in, usually. Oh, okay. So you're telling me that when we, you sprint during a spring training game. Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I'll sprint honestly in my live BP in the next couple days. It'll just be like a little BP here on the spring training field, so I'll go from the bullpen and I'll sprint out there. Okay.

Can we come video that tomorrow? I would be honored, yes. Sure, we could. We could get some serious clicks on our website for this. I think so. And I just want to ask you, as a groundball guy, you've got to be happy about this defense you're going to have behind you. Extremely happy. I think honestly it was a big part of why I chose to come here, yes.

And I think that it will help me have more success and it'll help the team have more success. Good infield defense is something that makes me a better pitcher. When I was in college, I went to Long Beach State in California. The left side of my infield was Evan Longoria and Troy Tulawitzky. So it was okay. Yes. And I said the only reason I got. So you're entitled now is what you are.

I said the only reason I got drafted is because those guys just fielded every ground ball I was able to get. However, now I think with the information I'm getting, I will be able to strike more hitters out. Okay. But having a Breggman and Correa and Altuve and Yule and it's not going to hurt. Without a doubt. They never want to take days off either. No, that's extremely exciting to me, just to hear those names. You hear them being behind me on defense.

I'm fired up. All right. So what time is your workout tomorrow? So I'm pitching in two days. I mean, the workouts every day around 10 a.m. Yeah, you get up earlier, you hit the weight room, then you go out of the fields. 10 a.m. Yeah, you're going to race them, right?

No, I'm not racing. That actually would be funny, but I don't think the – Inbe's kind of cranky right now, so I don't think I get on the fields. We have to give you a Mr. Freeze-like lead. No, no, no. Here's the catch. When I sprint in, I'm not joking around. Yeah, right?

I don't want to see you go over there mocking me because I'll probably give you an elbow. Yeah, run them over. That's what I'm saying. This isn't a joke. This is me getting ready to get after. Let me tell you something. If he's going to film me something, why would I want to be embarrassed? I want to stay with you as long as I could, which would be about three seconds.

Yeah, well, then you'll look at my face and you realize I don't want any part of this guy and you'll back off. So who told you how to – did dad tell you how to do this? Or, I mean, it's just something, just kind of your own idea. No, in the minor leagues, I was a struggling starter. I threw in the 80s. I wasn't that great. And they put me in the bullpen. I was kind of at the tail end of my career.

And I had a buddy tell me, a catcher in the bullpen tell me, dude, you should just sprint in and try to throw every pitch as hard as you can. I did it. I started throwing four or five miles an hour harder. I made it in the big leagues in two months. Perfect. Yeah. So it was the sprint changed my entire career. I'll do it forever for as long as I can play.

All right. I've already been warned. I'm going to warn you. Joe B. and he's going to talk your head off. So this is a funny story. I met him yesterday I met him. I sat down at breakfast across from him.

And I said, I didn't know who he was because we had never met. And I said, oh, hi, I'm Jared. What's your name? And he goes, good question. Good question. Oh, no. Wait, what's your name, man? He goes, uh-huh, yes.

My name is Joe. And I was like, okay, this guy's unique, but he is hilarious. He's so sharp. Everything he says is like you can think about it in a different way. One of the smartest players I've ever played with, I already can tell you. I'm going to tell you something right now. We're going to have to clear half-hour commercial space out because I don't think we can get him off the air once we bring him on.

He's really chatty? See, I've got to get that out of him because I'm really chatty too. I'd love to talk to him, that stuff. All right. So tomorrow, if we can find you, we're going not to film me versus you because I don't want that to be embarrassing. I don't want to go hashtag viral. I just want to see you

this. Nobody does this in spring training. You're going to sprint from, where you're going to start from where to where tomorrow? Just wherever. Well, it's in two days. And I'm going to sprint from where. Oh, in two days. Okay, yeah.

Wherever I warm up, I'm going to sprint from there into the live BP. And I do it because that's how I pitch. Why would I not practice how I do it in the games? You know what? You got your game face on in February. We can respect that around these parts. Yeah, that's how you have to do it. All right.

Don't be a stranger to our show. We want you, A, to be successful, and B, to come on the show as often as you can and tell stories all the time. I mean, you got this, you got a meaty career ahead of you, I think, when you're done. I would love that. I don't know. I think I'm going to have to stay in baseball some way. I just love this game too much.

Perfect. Jared Huggins with us here on the Matt Tuggan's show. What's that? Do I say, I call you Huggins? You did, but I'll take whatever. No, no, no. We were watching West Virginia basketball last night. I was watching West Virginia yesterday.

Who's your college team? UCLA is who I grew up rooting for. Okay, we got Russell Westbrook plays for the Rockets. Do you know him? Oh, yeah. I want to know him. How about what? Would you like to come?

Well, I don't they let you do the first shot because you're in the season. We have a little charity contest we do. We take celebrities and put them out there. Could you shoot a free throw from 15 feet? Oh, yeah. Are you going to make it? Yeah, oh, yeah. Because many people don't make it.

Well, I mean, like, I'm like 50%. Oh. There's only 17,000 people looking at you. 50%. Remember, basketball wasn't my sport. All right. Jared Hughes. Not to be confused with Jared Huggins, Bob's cousin,

with us here on the Matt, Tom.