Al Leiter on the Dan Patrick Show Full Interview | 8/22/24

he is Al lighter MLB network analyst won three World Series titles and two-time Allstar by the way MLB network has Phillies Royals this Saturday it showcase telecast also Sunday at 8 Eastern a documentary on Greg Max called One of a Kind MLB Network now available direct to Consumer Al thanks for joining us um how do you quantify what Aaron judge has done so far this season uh I don't think we're that surprised Dan based on what he did a couple years ago and the amazing season that he had with the Yankees in his free agent year he is uh amazing to watch as I watch with a critical eye as a as a retired pitcher um he marginally ever looks fooled um his ability to stay on the baseball and go the other way honestly he's a behemoth of the guy huge massive uh hitter person um super impressive could play center field and he's just that good honestly uh I'm not surprised and and it's mostly because of where he is now as next Echelon Superstar the fact that here's the thing what I here's the thing that I think is what's happened Dan and I watch over the years I'm glad you mentioned about the Greg Maddox uh piece because I can't wait to see it I've been on the network uh this week and we've been showing Snippets of it and you know we could argue about generations and who would be who and how would they play now and they're better now and they're better athletes well there's a skill to our sport as you know and there's a Nuance to all of it and I think what Greg Maddox brought you know he doesn't throw 95 to 100 but his ability to carve up a hitter's weakness is beautiful and I don't think as a broadcast ever and I did it for a long time with the Yes Network and I and I messed around with ESPN I think you were there and then also Fox we don't get into the Nuance of truly how special it is of a great arms the best arms in the world but the ability to make pitches and I think when we're talking about a a guy like Aaron judge I'm watching saying how do I fool this guy how do I get him out front how do I step on the gas pedal step on the break and all of that is is is not by chance so when you hear fans like yeah like baseball I watch a little bit they throw the ball they hit it no there's so much more that goes into that and Aaron judge is as locked in as anybody stays on the ball goes to right center field uses the whole field and then can hit it out of Yellowstone so it's yeah but if Maddox and Maddox threw hard when he was with the Cubs now he wasn't throwing a 100 but he was probably throwing 95 or maybe somewhere in that vicinity but then he became 9s but fair okay but then he became a pitcher I don't know how baseball would react to a pitcher uh and that's what Greg Maddox is he's a he was a pitcher not a thrower a pitcher I just don't know how if let's say the scout are out there and they go man this guy he gets them to hit comebackers and you they get themselves out it doesn't throw very hard but I just don't think Greg Maddox gets the chance uh to be Greg Maddox in today's game fair and how how how shameful is that I I'm not I'm not disagreeing with that although we did watch Nester Cortez last night go seven Innings three hits no walks and four punch and he doesn't throw very hard look I played with a lot of guys over the years of course uh you know you know great stuff so so stuff uh I here's the issue when you have Nu the Nuance that's overlooked based on metrics based on analytics based on statistics and angles and vertical approach angles and horizontals and spin efficiency and all that you lose the sight of what the guy is actually trying to do and that's to stand on the mound look at the hitter know his strength and weakness and play the cat and mouse as as the piece said there's a part of the piece is Barry Bonds you know they're talking about the same at bat and you know Barry makes alludes to a comment he says yeah now we start playing chess and I love that comment because it really is a thing and I I could tell you all I ever keep hearing about in this day and age is that hitters can hit a speeding bullet oh yeah well hitter if he knows it's coming he can hit it yeah okay well you know why are we all just enamored with always trying to find the guy that throws at 95 to 100 but that has very little idea of where it's going the random act of throwing the baseball and hoping that you throw it somewhere so I I I hear you I don't know yeah but but social media falls in love with this like baseball is how far did you hit that home run how fast did it leave the ballpark how fast are you throwing you know this pitch so baseball's doing this to itself yeah well so I think fair and I'm I'm not in any rooms to take the study or the surveys on all of this but I think as a result of techn ology and it's all the sports I mean you're at Ground Zero I it talking to guests all day with every sport you know we're we're enamored with the next wave of technology I can I can tell you my son uh he's with the Rangers he's in triaa and they have in the PCL I guess in the in the all them tripa uh they have the challenge the ABS balls and strike and I'll be honest with you I am old school I I I want humans to to be in charge of the game and not a computer however I think the the the challenge of balls and Strikes and it's happening and it's very quick Dan it's boom you're up at plate I throw a pitch they call it a strike you tap your helmet I don't think it was a strike you look at the board and it's seven seconds boom umpire right or wrong and it's putting accountability to the umpires I don't mind that I don't want a full robot but we're enamored by that right I was just out at uh there was a charity thing with agasse and a bunch of the tennis players out there I did think about you because you used to make fun of me about how I used to Grunt and they were all grunting last night for some reason at the US Open and just playing around remember he used to play he goes out lat oh a which one oh Stephie grab I'm gonna I'm gonna pop him one day but that's how you pitched you you you grunted like a tennis player I I didn't make up something you would throw that 89 mph fast ball and you go no time out time out you're talking about Greg madx I threw up to 97 miles an hour and I threw a cut fast ball that guys couldn't hit or Center so that cutter was about 88 to 91 so give me a couple miles an hour there Gand man well no you used to throw really hard and then all of a sudden you became more of a pitcher but like Ben Joyce threw 105 the other night Al I mean at what point I mean how far can you go with how fast you can throw a baseball in your opinion we'll find out but I do think as you know talking about Maddox and generations of pitchers and all that how they evolved I do know this from firsthand watching my son my son touches 100 miles hour the other day uh I never did that my son is barely 61 but the the the understanding of the kinetic chain and and the body movement of trying to maximize the energy to allow the body to be strong enough and the and the sequence of the body movement to allow your arm to be able to throw a ball that hard without popping your UCL or any other kind of muscular ligament so yeah Joyce has got that kind of we'll see I mean Nolan Ryan threw 105 miles an hour you know 30 years ago 40 years ago whichever so I I don't know I do know this on a kadab and I I know I don't want to get in the weeds because this You're great and fun all that but uh on a kadab they take the kadab of a of a UCL and they they bend it back and they measure it in newton meters without now it's a kadab so there's no for muscles or or bicep muscles tricep muscles 75 newton meters a UCL in the elbow snaps every pitch you see over 90 miles an hour give or take estimated it you the the Newton meters on the elbow goes greater than 75 most of the time it goes up to uh you know up up to 90 or 100 so technically the UCL should snap every time but you protect it with muscles and and things around it so I don't know what the answer is we'll find out but I think we're probably there with the you know the Chapman of the world and you mentioned Joyce and others that that have thrown Hicks and others that have thrown into the hundreds it's crazy talking to Al lighter MLB network analyst and uh winner of the World Series three times two time Allstar if I said Otani if Otani was with the angels and Aaron judge of course with the Yankees who would you give the MVP to or well so far who would be the leading candidate between those two with the seasons they've had well we're going to have to put in Bobby Whit Jr as well I mean he's I I think judge ultimately gets it and yes so right there the nationally is a little bit more gray for me Zuna is having a heck of a year with the with the injury Riddle Braves and I'll tell you what Marte I know he went down with the ankle injury uh can tell Marte with the Dbacks but he's been unbelievable but uh it's hard to overlook judge it really is uh as much as I love Otani and what he has brought to the game I think judge is I mean he's on I don't think he catches Bobby wit Jr maybe he does 334 Bobby Wht is at 352 for the uh the triple round of average home Runner RB but judge is just he's special man he really is and it's fun to watch see somebody I mean wa is must see he's must see TV he's he's a he's a whole lot of fun and you know he gets lost uh you know that people aren't spotlighting his games but they are his advat uh let me ask you this before I let you go possibility of a six inning rule for starting pitchers all right how do you enforce that and the fact that baseball kind of floated at makes me nervous that it feels like they're a little further down the road on this than I would like them to be yeah I just hope they include players because the you know players you need to feel comfortable about this um I I I guess I I have to see it Dan I mean look I I was to this day I I am so grateful for my manager and Bobby Valentine who kept me in games that gave me an opportunity to succeed or fail and gave me moments of greatness the opportunities to be great um you know whether it's the 163rd game in 1999 which we're doing a 25th anniversary Robin ventur and I have been doing some stuff at City Field I can't believe it's 25 years but Bobby you know letting me pitch a complete game shut out uh they game five world series I got 143 pitches against the Yankees in 2000 like those are moments that I just wouldn't you wouldn't get so if you know now you got a guy you know 73 pitches he gives up a run and they take him out in the fifth inning there's somewhere between you know AB use and then just being too cute and I and I think there's something there there I I mean I I think it was a 2020 World Series and not to pick on any managers but when it gets analytically driven I think Blake Snell with the raise get the Dodgers yeah was Co year and he gave up like he had like one hit he was no runs if you remember Dan and in the in the sixth inning they winning one nothing I I should have drilled down on it but he gave up like a another hit and they took him out and I just like he had like 70 something pitches I'm like what a what are we doing here like this guy's dominating um but yeah so I I'd have to see it to uh to embrace it be because uh you know now you're really messing with manager's ability to manage the game would you have been pulled in your no hitter I'll tell you what if if if if Renee Latchman my manager of the Marlins would pulled me there I I he might have beat me up but I would I would have not let him take me out of the game uh I would say no I think I threw like 100 how how are you going to tell your manager you can't take me out even though you're throwing a no hitter if this was today in today's game I just run out on the field I mean like literally they come running out I start running out the center field no you're not taking me out you just sit on the mound I'm not going I'm going to take my ball I'm not going to give it to you wait got a no hit on the night thing yeah all right yeah uh the uh Greg Maddox one of aind documentary coming up this Sunday night at 8 and uh MLB network has Phillies Royals this Saturday for its showcase telecast great to talk to you as always Al thanks for joining us thank you take care D that's uh Al lighter he threw a no hitter and won the world series three times