The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Brad Peacock Joins Matt Thomas At Spring Training

Episode Date: February 21, 2020

Astros Pitcher Brad Peacock Joins Matt at Spring Training in West Palm Beach, Florida,Our coverage from Spring Training is presented by Karbach Brewing and Discover The Palm Beaches.

is the Matt Thomas Show. Here we go with the second hour of the Matt Thomas show coming to you today from West Palm Beach. The pride of West Palm Beach is Brad Peacock. Can I say that? Sure. Yeah, I was going to say hometown high school. You've got a 10-year reunion coming up, 20-year reunion? You're not alone to have a 20-year reunion.

Just 10 years. It just passed. We ended up getting canceled. So, yeah, that was end of that. Because they would have made you probably pay for the whole thing. That's probably a smarter decision on your part. I think it was a couple years ago that it got canceled. So you don't have to worry about accommodations.

You just have a house down here? I do. It's actually me and wife just built one pretty close to my high school. Really? Do you throw the annual team barbecue for the guys? No, no, no, no. I just go out there and I went out to tryouts and talk to some of the guys out there. I'm talking about the cookout for these guys.

Oh, for these guys? No. No, I think I invited some. I usually advise some young guys fishing, and I'll have a big fisherman. Oh, I knew that, yeah. Yeah, and we all go out, and I take them out fishing, and, you know, they get to experience that for some of them for the first time, so it's pretty cool. Brad Peacock with us here on Sports Talks, I'm really fast.

We'll get this out of the way. You had maybe the longest meeting with your union rep ever in the history of union reps, right? Would that be fair to say? Yeah, it was going. Did y'all take a break or anything? I was telling you're a bunch of 20-something-year-olds. You can't not pay attention for three straight hours. You're going to be on your phone or something.

Everybody had a lot to say, apparently. Everybody was locked in, and it went really well. A lot of good things were said, and we're pretty happy about it. Minds at ease a little bit more than you were before the meeting. Would that be fair to say? Yeah, it went really good. That's all I'm going to really talk about it. No, I'm good with that.

I just want to make sure that it was cool. No, it was great. It went great. So let's talk about camp a little bit. I know that you've been derailed a little bit time-wise, but where are you right now as we speak? So I'm a little behind. You know, I expected it, but shoulders feeling great.

I'm up to, you know, 100 feet. I should get off the mound here in the next few days, so I'm pretty excited about that. That's one of the unfortunate things is that you can fall a little bit behind this time of year and be okay. You just don't want to be in a situation where it lingers into the start of the regular season. Exactly. We're taking it slow just because I don't want to go through what I did last year. Right.

I just taking it nice and easy, and I feel great right now. I'm glad or happy to be where I'm at shoulder-wise. It wasn't even my shirt. It's my neck that's causing the problem. But, you know, I'm happy where I'm at and throwing programs going great. And like I said, she'll be off the mountain here pretty soon. And so it should put you and lands on a separate category. Just take it easy.

We need you for April 15th, April 30, when it went over the start of the season. Is that, you know, both you guys, I think, are projected to have a huge part of this baseball team. So there is no need to rush right now. Exactly, man. I mean, I don't want to rush into things right now and, you know, have it feel like it did last year. So I'm glad it's feeling good. I'm taking it slow. and, you know, that's all I can't do right now.

There's a little adjustment, obviously, with a new manager, but having the same coaching staff, does that make that transition a little bit easier for you guys, you think? Absolutely, man. You know, seeing Joe and all the other guys here, and Stromies here, and we all miss AJ, obviously. Right. But, you know, glad to have Dusty here,

and he seems like a great guy. We got to talk to him a little bit, and he seems like a pretty laid-back guy. The one of the things that we've noticed with him is that he is literally a clean slate with everybody. You could have had 35 home runs last year or 120 games or had an a area of six. He's going to judge you based on what he's seeing in person as compared to what maybe the stats or what maybe with the video set. So that in some respects can give guys some new life and probably will challenge guys even been really good to still kind of amp it up with the new skipper. I think everybody comes in the spring training, you know, trying to do their best, obviously.

Right. Now we've got a new manager, clean slate for a bunch of guys, and it's going to be a fun year. Oh, how are you? Is there anything you're focusing on or just besides health or looking at or trying to zero in on for yourself as far as any goals or anything? Like, what are you looking for in 2020? Because obviously the discussion has been that you're probably not going to end up in the rotation, be a pull-pin guy. So just your outlook for 2020. For, you know, personally, I just want to be better against lefties this year.

So whether it's, you know, learning a new pitch or I'm going to talk to Straumny whenever we get off the mound. And we already talk about some rhythm stuff. So like just having more rhythm in my delivery and all that good stuff. But I'm going to talk to him, sit down with him and see what he wants me to do. I think we had Josh James was also talking about rhythm. So just to explain that more to us. So I'm more like when I come set, I'm still. So I come sat down at the belt.

And when I go to release a pitch, I'm still down my belt. So I'm going to start, you know, get some rhythm, bringing my hands up and trying some new things and all that good stuff. Are you done with the windup? No. I'm going to roll with it this year. Are you really? Yeah.

I think so. I liked it. I like when you went, you know, opening up and ending out of the stretch. What made you think about doing that and what would you think the end result was of that? So like I said, rhythm. So we were talking about it into last year, but, you know, I don't want to blame on my shoulder, but I just, I was just, just going through a tough time with my shoulder last year. And, you know, so I went through the windup trying that.

Yeah. Went back to the stretch, you know, but I need to stick with something and, you know, roll with it this year. So I'm going to do the wind up and just try to get more rhythm this year. So, yeah. And this, again, nobody knows the exact answer to this. But if, as you've said, the shoulders just didn't feel right at times last year, how do you fix that in the middle of the year?

I mean, you don't want to shut it down. You also don't want to go up there and hurt your team. So there's a balance. on that. Yeah, so I had, I just pitched through it. I mean, I had a couple of injections last year in my shoulder and my neck and trying to fix it that way. So the last one worked pretty well. Yeah. How thick's that needle, by the way? I don't know. I didn't look. So, yeah, I mean, I'm just, I don't want to do that again, obviously. So, yeah, just trying to stay healthy. There are spots in a bullpen because of a departure and there's a spot in the rotation. I'm looking

forward to seeing with, are you kind of, if just an observer kind of looking forward to seeing how this bullpen in this rotation shape up and who makes what? And so there are, there are some questions. And years past there haven't been. This shooter's got a couple of spots clearly open. Absolutely, man. I'm sure any guy in here, you know, we have a great group of guys and everybody's pulling for each other. Sure. Sure. So, you know, whoever ends up not getting the fifth spot is going to be in the bullpen. So they're still going to be in the big leagues. That's how I look at it. You're still going to be in the big leagues living out your dreams. So I'm sure they're going to be happy about it,

however they help the team. Lance is going to be hopefully get back in that starting rotation, but I think he's going to be an innings limit, clearly. I mean, when you come off with Tommy John, which means that that middle reliever, mid-leverage role guy is very important. I think you're prepared to handle that. You've done it in the past.

I told him already. I was like, I'll throw however many in the innings, need me out of the bullpen, whatever they need. Josh James is a multiple-innings guy, Devo, multiple-inings guy. Frambers in the bullpen or whatever, multiple in it. So we got it covered for sure. What is it like, as you've done both, what is your off day like after you've pitched,

let's say two innings and you've thrown 36 pitches? I mean, do you need the same sort of day off that you would need if you went out and pitched five and through 85 pitches? I mean, does your arm notice the significant number of pitch difference? No, I feel like you get the same amount of soreness. But obviously, you know, if you throw two innings, you have two days off. So you can mentally prepare for that and get your workout in. Yeah.

Do your rehab or, you know, shoulder stuff. So that's what I need to get on a better program of doing that after I pitch You know the night after doing my shoulders work or whatever so I need to get a better So you're talking about right after you pitch yeah And the day after it I just need to get a better routine to stay healthy and I think I have that this year Working with the guys in the training room right now so we got a good plan on doing that So that mean like icing up and then even even do you take that ice back to the hotel? I don't ice I don't I don't ice So you've got a bionic arm

I used to No one really icees anymore I tell the truth It's more heat or it's more like Yeah that we have these new things called the BFR It's like little I don't know they cut off your circulation Oh that sounds good

Do all that stuff so it's a lot of new new stuff Other than icing yeah A lot of guys don't ice so James Click coming on from Tampa Obviously we know they're privy to using the opener Have you guys heard any conversations about that possibly happening here in this year And what are your thoughts on that in general? That's my dream job.

Really? Okay. I'll be an opener, man. That's because you want your headlines in the media notes, right? Get a fresh clean mound out there. Right. But no, we haven't really talked about it. But, you know, I think I've done it a couple times already.

So I did the playoffs last year against the Yankees, and then I did it in Seattle. So I've done a couple times, and I like it. So you're telling me that guys don't manicure the mound properly when you're out there? No. So when the reliever comes in, that mound is messed up. Okay, before we let you go, let's out somebody. Who has the dirtiest mound? Messes it up the most?

Yeah. I don't know. Framber probably. I'd have more respect if you said Verlander or something like that. That's funny. There's a smart veteran movie. Yeah, you're not. You wouldn't have said anything.

You just said, no, they all keep it good. But at least you threw somebody under the bus. That's good. Hey, Brett, it's nice to visit with you. Thanks, sir, for coming by. I know it's been a long day with all the meetings and whatnot. Take care of that neck. We want to see you out there ready to go opening day, my friend.

I'll be ready. Sounds good. Thanks, Brad Peacock, joining us here on the mat. Thomas show.