#nationals Mike Rizzo Building for Future with #dylancrews | The Sports Junkies

good morning Mike hope all is well morning guys how are you what's going on great nice night for Dylan Cruz last night right yes it was uh you know a good a good start for him and hope with hopefully as a long illustrious career and uh uh you know handled all the hoopla very well you know not easy to start your career with stto in the house and the Yankees uh you know pitching a you know throwing a Sai Young wward winner at you and uh you know they've got a good team and it's a it's a tough challenge for them and uh I think he's you know he's up for what is Cruz like personally because if I were him I'm number two pick and goodlook and athletic I'd be just I think I'd be probably an insufferable cocky type of guy they say he's a great dude seems like a great guy yeah they say he's I I would I would kind of describe him as a uh as a very warm welcoming uh uh but very very uh uh positive and confident uh uh you know type of swagger to him he's not uh over the top and he's you know he's it's not it's not all me me me it's he's the guy that I think really uh Embraces the team concept and feels feels most comfortable in in a clubhouse in the locker room and and that type of thing I I think he's uh he's gonna he's going to fit in you know wonderfully with this good young group of guys and uh you know that kind of you know you know cut their teeth together in the minor leagues and uh you know you're trying to transcend into the into being you know the core that big Le Club who's the most unassuming because a lot of these guys are I mean James Wood is very unassuming at least he appears to me to be who's the most unassuming superstar in baseball you've been around Mike I would have to say randone is up there you know with the with the top of those guys I always describe I always describe him as you know he's you know the the the best player that nobody knows about you know very you know doesn't doesn't talk he didn't never talk wanted to talk to the media you know four for four old for four you know just wanted to go about his business and you know very unassuming very unassuming guy that that was a hell of a player and yeah I think you know James Wood is that type of guy Zim certainly you know epitomizes the you know the kind of uh uh team leader and uh and you know Mr National type of Personality that was you know a a leader but a leader by example not a not a real vocal and verbal leader but leader by the way he conducted himself and and was such a professional so uh you know the list is long but uh the uh you know those type of players are you know we we've seen this this type of player through n Park before all right Mike so I'm gonna uh I'm gonna throw my producer under the bus here so he so drabby his conspiracy this is his conspiracy theory and you could shoot it down okay his theory was that um you guys called up Cruz when you did because you wanted to bring all your your young Talent have all your sillies there so then when Juan shows up you remind him what a great place this is to play and what a bright future there is signal yeah a bright future there is here in DC yeah I mean it's total coincidence you know believe that or not it was just you know we we felt it was time for uh for Dylan to get to to the big leagues and you don't have to remind uh W of what uh what Washington is all about he's you know he had the he had the biggest moment of his life here and uh and you know speaking to him you know since then he'll moments moments and Seasons that he'll never forget he actually speaking of unassuming I mean he was a superstar but he everyone like he was like one of the most lovable Superstars right would you say that or no no no question about it yeah just Ador adorned by his fan base one but his teammates too they they these guys protected Juan SoDo like like you would protect your little brother uh you know when uh when you talk about uh you know other players you know the the eatens and the Howard Kendricks and that group of guys uh they protected a a very young Juan stto well you know during those during those years there here uh you know like he was a little brother so yeah he very very very well uh uh very loved and adored in the uh in the in the clubhouse and you know the fan base obviously you know it's hard not to like a guy with that kind of smile that kind of talent and that kind of personality is last night's lineup the youngest lineup you've ever had you think I don't know yeah I mean you guys could do that math but you know there's there's about six seven six rookies on that uh on that page last night and uh you know a couple of seconde guys so you know that's that's who we are right now we're we're a team that's that's young you know we're we're we're trying to establish our our young core group of of of big Leaguers for our next championship run and uh and you know I think that you you've seen this kind of slow pace and and uh and piece this thing together adding a guy or two you know uh you know throughout this season and uh and I I think you you're you know you're looking at a lineup that uh that is uh is very young it's very talented and uh but it it also you know we we make our fair share of mistakes and uh and uh you know we're going to learn and be better for it tell us about uh Jose T's game yeah uh Jose was highly touted by our by our scouting people uh you know his Barrel rate is Swing uh you know he he's a very handsy hitter he's he's got uh he's got sneaky surprising power uh you know plays the middle he played mostly middle infield there at Cleveland and and you know his uh his short tenure in in our minor league system and and uh you know we kind of uh kind of tossed them at third base and said you know sink or swim at the big league level try you know try and learn the big league big league pitchers and and and a new position at the same time and he put in a lot of work with Ricky Gutierrez and Miguel Cairo over there third base and I think you're seeing a guy that's getting uh you know more comfortable defensively and uh he's got all the skills to to be a good two-way player he's got good hands and feet on defense he's got a he's got a solid throwing arm and he's he's got a real good hands and swing with some with some power so he's a he was a guy that was very attractive to us at at the trade deadline and uh know uh it was he was an important part of that package that we got for for Lane Thomas we we mentioned it earlier Mike um I don't know if it's statistically his best start but Corbin's start last night with that lineup that might have been his best start of the year yeah he was dealing uh you know he's kind of re kind of re remade himself really uh uh and uh you know throughout this year he's throwing you know throws you know two or three different uh uh speed breaking pitches and kind of expands and subtracts with the with the break of those and uh throws less fast balls and more off speed and you know had a had a terrific lineup you kind of handcuffed last night and it's you know Testament to to you know his uh you know his pitch ability last night that uh you know you made big pitches at the at at Big moments and uh and gave us a chance to win and uh that's you know you you you go six Str out against that lineup and uh with h with those big with those big three uh in the middle and and and you know a good Supporting Cast behind him it's it was it was a terrific start for him and uh I'm ha I'm happy for it and I'm curious how you feel um about tonight's game against um the Yankees with Mack going Mt cor is going to go against rodone and um you know we've talked about McKenzie and you've talked about it I his vo's fine but he just hasn't found the um the strike zone so what are your thoughts on McKenzie tonight against that lineup well his first 11 starts he was he was Allstar and his last 13 starts or so uh he's been he's been struggling with mechanics and and release point in in command so kind of turned it around last through a nice game and uh and we'll we'll see where where he's at today against against a good lineup stuff is there uh the the makeup's there the uh the the attitude I I I love that's there and uh he's not he's not afraid and uh will be will be on attack and uh if he's if he's commanding his fastball he'll have a good night and I think even against this this vaunted lineup I think that uh that he he uh he matches up well against them and uh and you know this just you you just tack on you just tack on another learning experience for for uh this group of pitchers you know you're you're facing you're facing the New York Yankees with 34,000 people in the stand it's going to be loud it's going to be you know it's going to be a you know close to playoff atmosphere atmosphere as we're going to play this year and uh I think it's it's going to be a good experience for for all of them and uh I think uh I think Matt's going to uh going to uh learn by it and uh and and uh you know go out there with the mindset that he's going to he's going to give us a chance to win the game Mike I know I know it didn't work out for Victor roblas here as he was released in I think it was June one he's found Second Life out in Seattle he's been crushing it out there for them to the point where they signed him to a two-year extension earlier uh in August so I I I know that you obviously spent obviously spent a lot of time scouting him and with him here in Washington you have to be happy for what he's doing out in Seattle at this point oh no question about it d uh you know the important thing for that for that period of time where he was really playing well he was he was uh you know maybe for the first time all year 100% healthy he's since going on a DL again but uh but you know he's a guy that uh he's got he's got great skills and uh and you know if he is uh if he's there and uh healthy and and playing you know playing you know free and easy I think that uh that you know he could be a he could be a a really good player for us we saw at 19 who was a who was a big part as a rookie as a big part of our world championship team and you know he goes into Seattle with a little Swagger he's got something that a lot of those guys don't have and that's a World Series Championship so you know that uh you know that brings some uh you know that brings some uh Swagger to to his game you know when he walks in the clubhouse