00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Xtion Earning post game show with Bill Laska'm I to have my guests on one of the young pitchers in spring training trying to get back on track. Let's welcome in Will Bounder. Will, how are you today?
00:00:12
Speaker 2: Wonderful, another beautiful morning here the complex. It's been awesome, So I have no complaints at all.
00:00:21
Speaker 1: Well, I think the biggest question is health. You know, we've had a lot of expectations from you over the past few years, and the back issues and the shoulder issues are gone. How healthy and how do you feel? Put it a much.
00:00:34
Speaker 2: I feel great. I mean this is the best that I felt, especially coming into you know, spring training. This is the most prepared and ready I think I've ever been.
00:00:42
Speaker 1: You know, you've had a couple opportunities on the mound, a couple of things have got good, couple of things of a ball thrown in the center field on a little anxiety more or less. But you come back and you get a groundball double play. How did you just calm yourself down at that time?
00:00:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's just kind of realizing that, you know, that's just part of it. You know, it's it's just kind of keep on doing what I was doing, because you know, before that, I know I was throwing a lot of strikes. Both pitches were working well, so I just you know, obviously the that PfP didn't didn't quite go as well as I'd hoped. But uh, but no, I just I just kind of put my head back down and and and kept doing what I was doing.
00:01:25
Speaker 1: That has to make you feel good about just settling down. You know, the heartbeat starts racing, anxiety gets going. Both of us are pictures that it happens to all of us. But at the same time, you did the right thing. You just calmed down, You got back in the zone. As I said, you got a nice groundball double play. What was the pitches working for you that day?
00:01:45
Speaker 2: Uh, fastball and slider we're working really well. The slider's been uh kind of a new newer pitch or I guess it's different than my old slider. So it's it's harder, and it's a little bit more, uh a little bit more or up and down. Then it is side to side, so it plays a little better off my fastball.
00:02:05
Speaker 1: Well, you've been in spring training a couple of years. Arizona is really tough. When it comes to breaking ball's humidity is in. The ball just doesn't spin sometimes, Right, How do you overcome that?
00:02:17
Speaker 2: I think just kind of not putting too too much thought in it and just I think just not worrying about it because knowing that, you know, when you get in the season, things will start to click a.
00:02:30
Speaker 1: Little bit more.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: But you know, so far, I haven't had any major problems with that where it's it's too drastic of a change.
00:02:37
Speaker 1: Before she heard the Externing postgame show, Will Bednar, Let's go back in time Mars, Pennsylvania. You grew up there. You had an older brother named Dave. But one of the cool things you got to play for your dad. And that's something that we all remember about playing for your dad as a coach. How was that for you?
00:02:56
Speaker 2: It was good? I mean he was, uh, he was always on me from the time that I could play baseball. He was He was definitely on me more than everyone else. But no, you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world. You know, I definitely wouldn't be where I am without you know, him, you know, being there and pushing me like he did.
00:03:18
Speaker 1: Well. The other thing too, Will, he got to play Andy is your dad's name. And uh, he did play some college baseball and you know he he ended up coaching you. Of course he was always in your brother's year too. When you have your dad that knows so much about baseball, and the conversation around the dining table between you, your brother and your dad has to be a lot of baseball.
00:03:43
Speaker 2: Uh, it's I think it's good and bad because you know, I mean, he he loves baseball more than anyone I know. And it's it's funny because you know, sometimes you know, when we get done at the field, it's it's the last thing we want to talk about, and that's the biggest thing he wants to talk about. But now, I mean, he he loves the game. You know, he loves coming to spring training and watching U games, practices everything. And even when we went to see Dave in spring training when he was at the padres, he'd want to go to the field and just watch practice and you know, young teenage meetings like dad, what are we doing? Like?
00:04:20
Speaker 1: But but now.
00:04:21
Speaker 2: It's it's definitely good having someone who loves the game so much. He's so close to me. Yeah, he's awesome.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about your brother. Dave, an older brother, yours a guiding hand, as your dad once said, somebody that you can reflect on some of the goods, some of the bad. He's older. Of course, he's pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the best relievers in the game. A lot of conversation you would have with your brother. What does he kind of tell you at certain times?
00:04:52
Speaker 2: I mean, his his biggest thing has been to stay steady, not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. And and he's been you know, the embodiment of that, like through throughout his career. He's he's been really good, obviously, and then there's been times that he hasn't been so good, and he's been the same guy, and he's been consistent, he gets his work done, and so he's just been just an awesome role model for how to go about your business, how to carry yourself. And I've been able to pick his brain and get a lot from him.
00:05:31
Speaker 1: You know, there's a lot of good things that you can talk to him about a lot of the mental side of the game that he's gone ups and downs on and he's trying to just more or less teach you. Hey, you just said it balanced. Let's keep it cool. Let's just bet on one level you can strike out ten. But the next day you got to look at the next start. You know, what are the some of the things that he kind of drives into you about the pitching part of the game.
00:05:55
Speaker 2: The biggest thing is is kind of just the the confidence part, knowing you belong and knowing you know the stuff's there. It's just it's all about just competing, you know, and you know, it's the competition and the work ethic. And then the other big thing that he's been big on is kind of helped me develop a routine, like a daily routine with prep work, catch play and even some routine for getting ready to go into the game.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: Boy, that's good, good advice right there from big brother. I was reading when you went to high school. Yeah, one of the first years you were you were a catcher and you were behind the plate before you went on the mound. You only had pitched fifteen innings that year, but primarily a catcher. Why putting that gear on was so important for you in high school?
00:06:50
Speaker 2: I mean, growing up I loved catching, and then you know, as I started getting older, started throwing a little better off the mound. It was kind of like a getting away from getting away from catching. And you know, this pitching thing's pretty cool. But yeah, no, I kind of I did the unconventional thing. I was kind of like mostly a pitcher only from my sophomore year on a little bit of first base. But I just I love pitching. I didn't really I didn't really want to play anywhere else.
00:07:21
Speaker 1: Well, we talked about your dad being your high school coach. Well, your junior year, I think he was proud of you. You went eight to oh of a point six y four e run average, one hundred and twenty strikeouts in sixty six innings. What clicked your junior year that all of a sudden, this consistency just popped in.
00:07:38
Speaker 2: I think, I mean the biggest thing was I started throwing a little harder and that that always helps against high school bats, sure, And I think it was just you know, attacking both sides of the plate and that was kind of a time when I kind of threw, you know, a little bit of everything, but the fastballs is what, you know, beat high school bats a lot.
00:08:02
Speaker 1: Well, out of high school, you went to Mississippi State, ended up going to the College World Series. When you reflect on Mississippi State, what were some of the easy parts of that and what were some of the hard parts? What part of the baseball was really a difficult part where you said, man, these guys can hit.
00:08:22
Speaker 2: I think just getting to throw in the sec where you know everyone's really good was It was definitely a big, a big, a big adjustment, you know, coming from from high school and then you know we had some some big time bats on our own team, so you know, intersquads were always very competitive. There's definitely definitely an adjustment.
00:08:49
Speaker 1: The key is, I think you went out and competed because you pitched extremely well in Mississippi State. You got drafted number one by the San Francisco Giants. At that time time of your career, you I know, Dave was already happy for you to be a part of the Giants organization, being picked number one in the draft, and your primily was probably saying, hey, it's time to put the uniform on and compete at the professional level. How exciting was that for you?
00:09:16
Speaker 2: Oh, I mean it was. It was unbelievable. I still kind of get goosebumps thinking about it. But but just be able to be picked by you know, such a you know, storied Franchi the Giants story franchise obviously, so just that and then you know, that day was specially we had a lot of family around, and uh, I think Dave had just gotten back from some trips, so he was able to be there.
00:09:42
Speaker 1: He was a little bit late.
00:09:43
Speaker 2: He was flying on the highway to get home to help celebrate.
00:09:49
Speaker 1: No, I mean it was.
00:09:49
Speaker 2: It was so exciting to go to the Giants and and I just specual day.
00:10:01
Speaker 1: Well. Bednar joined me on the exting postgame show for a few more minutes. Of course, a couple of injuries have sidelined you in the past years. You're healthy now. The mental part of injuries is the worst part. I was a pitcher as well as you are. It's sometimes you're just sidelined. Sometimes you want to compete and just can't. What did you do through those times?
00:10:22
Speaker 2: Oh man? The having to grind through that was obviously not easy, you know, and being in Arizona when it's one hundred and ten degrees isn't isn't very fun. But you know, I think just trying to stick it out and realizing it will get better, even though sometimes it certainly seemed like it wasn't. But you know, the biggest thing that that you know, Dave and my my family was trying to hammer home is that you know it will get better and eventually it did well well.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: Expectations for twenty twenty six as a starter or a reliever staying healthy one thing, velocity getting the velossity back up. As you talked about your slider, consistent to keep going on in the mound and putting zeros on the board. In your mind, what do you think expectations are going to do for you in this year?
00:11:17
Speaker 2: Expect It's hard to to say exactly what's going to happen, but I mean, in my heart, you know I I would like to make an impact at the big league level, and you know I'm doing everything I can every day to try to get better and you know, prove that that I can help out at the big league level. So you know, whenever that may be, you know I I've been trying to prepare to be ready whenever.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: Well will. I want to thank you for your time today. I want to wish you all the best in spring training and good luck in the upcoming season. I can't wait to see you compete at the big league level. But thank you again today.
00:11:59
Speaker 2: Thank you.
00:12:00
Speaker 1: That was Will Bednar and the externing postgame show. More coming up right here on K and BR, The Sports Leader
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Xtion Earning post game show with Bill Laska'm I to have my guests on one of the young pitchers in spring training trying to get back on track. Let's welcome in Will Bounder. Will, how are you today?
00:00:12
Speaker 2: Wonderful, another beautiful morning here the complex. It's been awesome, So I have no complaints at all.
00:00:21
Speaker 1: Well, I think the biggest question is health. You know, we've had a lot of expectations from you over the past few years, and the back issues and the shoulder issues are gone. How healthy and how do you feel? Put it a much.
00:00:34
Speaker 2: I feel great. I mean this is the best that I felt, especially coming into you know, spring training. This is the most prepared and ready I think I've ever been.
00:00:42
Speaker 1: You know, you've had a couple opportunities on the mound, a couple of things have got good, couple of things of a ball thrown in the center field on a little anxiety more or less. But you come back and you get a groundball double play. How did you just calm yourself down at that time?
00:00:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's just kind of realizing that, you know, that's just part of it. You know, it's it's just kind of keep on doing what I was doing, because you know, before that, I know I was throwing a lot of strikes. Both pitches were working well, so I just you know, obviously the that PfP didn't didn't quite go as well as I'd hoped. But uh, but no, I just I just kind of put my head back down and and and kept doing what I was doing.
00:01:25
Speaker 1: That has to make you feel good about just settling down. You know, the heartbeat starts racing, anxiety gets going. Both of us are pictures that it happens to all of us. But at the same time, you did the right thing. You just calmed down, You got back in the zone. As I said, you got a nice groundball double play. What was the pitches working for you that day?
00:01:45
Speaker 2: Uh, fastball and slider we're working really well. The slider's been uh kind of a new newer pitch or I guess it's different than my old slider. So it's it's harder, and it's a little bit more, uh a little bit more or up and down. Then it is side to side, so it plays a little better off my fastball.
00:02:05
Speaker 1: Well, you've been in spring training a couple of years. Arizona is really tough. When it comes to breaking ball's humidity is in. The ball just doesn't spin sometimes, Right, How do you overcome that?
00:02:17
Speaker 2: I think just kind of not putting too too much thought in it and just I think just not worrying about it because knowing that, you know, when you get in the season, things will start to click a.
00:02:30
Speaker 1: Little bit more.
00:02:31
Speaker 2: But you know, so far, I haven't had any major problems with that where it's it's too drastic of a change.
00:02:37
Speaker 1: Before she heard the Externing postgame show, Will Bednar, Let's go back in time Mars, Pennsylvania. You grew up there. You had an older brother named Dave. But one of the cool things you got to play for your dad. And that's something that we all remember about playing for your dad as a coach. How was that for you?
00:02:56
Speaker 2: It was good? I mean he was, uh, he was always on me from the time that I could play baseball. He was He was definitely on me more than everyone else. But no, you know, I wouldn't trade it for the world. You know, I definitely wouldn't be where I am without you know, him, you know, being there and pushing me like he did.
00:03:18
Speaker 1: Well. The other thing too, Will, he got to play Andy is your dad's name. And uh, he did play some college baseball and you know he he ended up coaching you. Of course he was always in your brother's year too. When you have your dad that knows so much about baseball, and the conversation around the dining table between you, your brother and your dad has to be a lot of baseball.
00:03:43
Speaker 2: Uh, it's I think it's good and bad because you know, I mean, he he loves baseball more than anyone I know. And it's it's funny because you know, sometimes you know, when we get done at the field, it's it's the last thing we want to talk about, and that's the biggest thing he wants to talk about. But now, I mean, he he loves the game. You know, he loves coming to spring training and watching U games, practices everything. And even when we went to see Dave in spring training when he was at the padres, he'd want to go to the field and just watch practice and you know, young teenage meetings like dad, what are we doing? Like?
00:04:20
Speaker 1: But but now.
00:04:21
Speaker 2: It's it's definitely good having someone who loves the game so much. He's so close to me. Yeah, he's awesome.
00:04:29
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about your brother. Dave, an older brother, yours a guiding hand, as your dad once said, somebody that you can reflect on some of the goods, some of the bad. He's older. Of course, he's pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the best relievers in the game. A lot of conversation you would have with your brother. What does he kind of tell you at certain times?
00:04:52
Speaker 2: I mean, his his biggest thing has been to stay steady, not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. And and he's been you know, the embodiment of that, like through throughout his career. He's he's been really good, obviously, and then there's been times that he hasn't been so good, and he's been the same guy, and he's been consistent, he gets his work done, and so he's just been just an awesome role model for how to go about your business, how to carry yourself. And I've been able to pick his brain and get a lot from him.
00:05:31
Speaker 1: You know, there's a lot of good things that you can talk to him about a lot of the mental side of the game that he's gone ups and downs on and he's trying to just more or less teach you. Hey, you just said it balanced. Let's keep it cool. Let's just bet on one level you can strike out ten. But the next day you got to look at the next start. You know, what are the some of the things that he kind of drives into you about the pitching part of the game.
00:05:55
Speaker 2: The biggest thing is is kind of just the the confidence part, knowing you belong and knowing you know the stuff's there. It's just it's all about just competing, you know, and you know, it's the competition and the work ethic. And then the other big thing that he's been big on is kind of helped me develop a routine, like a daily routine with prep work, catch play and even some routine for getting ready to go into the game.
00:06:29
Speaker 1: Boy, that's good, good advice right there from big brother. I was reading when you went to high school. Yeah, one of the first years you were you were a catcher and you were behind the plate before you went on the mound. You only had pitched fifteen innings that year, but primarily a catcher. Why putting that gear on was so important for you in high school?
00:06:50
Speaker 2: I mean, growing up I loved catching, and then you know, as I started getting older, started throwing a little better off the mound. It was kind of like a getting away from getting away from catching. And you know, this pitching thing's pretty cool. But yeah, no, I kind of I did the unconventional thing. I was kind of like mostly a pitcher only from my sophomore year on a little bit of first base. But I just I love pitching. I didn't really I didn't really want to play anywhere else.
00:07:21
Speaker 1: Well, we talked about your dad being your high school coach. Well, your junior year, I think he was proud of you. You went eight to oh of a point six y four e run average, one hundred and twenty strikeouts in sixty six innings. What clicked your junior year that all of a sudden, this consistency just popped in.
00:07:38
Speaker 2: I think, I mean the biggest thing was I started throwing a little harder and that that always helps against high school bats, sure, And I think it was just you know, attacking both sides of the plate and that was kind of a time when I kind of threw, you know, a little bit of everything, but the fastballs is what, you know, beat high school bats a lot.
00:08:02
Speaker 1: Well, out of high school, you went to Mississippi State, ended up going to the College World Series. When you reflect on Mississippi State, what were some of the easy parts of that and what were some of the hard parts? What part of the baseball was really a difficult part where you said, man, these guys can hit.
00:08:22
Speaker 2: I think just getting to throw in the sec where you know everyone's really good was It was definitely a big, a big, a big adjustment, you know, coming from from high school and then you know we had some some big time bats on our own team, so you know, intersquads were always very competitive. There's definitely definitely an adjustment.
00:08:49
Speaker 1: The key is, I think you went out and competed because you pitched extremely well in Mississippi State. You got drafted number one by the San Francisco Giants. At that time time of your career, you I know, Dave was already happy for you to be a part of the Giants organization, being picked number one in the draft, and your primily was probably saying, hey, it's time to put the uniform on and compete at the professional level. How exciting was that for you?
00:09:16
Speaker 2: Oh, I mean it was. It was unbelievable. I still kind of get goosebumps thinking about it. But but just be able to be picked by you know, such a you know, storied Franchi the Giants story franchise obviously, so just that and then you know, that day was specially we had a lot of family around, and uh, I think Dave had just gotten back from some trips, so he was able to be there.
00:09:42
Speaker 1: He was a little bit late.
00:09:43
Speaker 2: He was flying on the highway to get home to help celebrate.
00:09:49
Speaker 1: No, I mean it was.
00:09:49
Speaker 2: It was so exciting to go to the Giants and and I just specual day.
00:10:01
Speaker 1: Well. Bednar joined me on the exting postgame show for a few more minutes. Of course, a couple of injuries have sidelined you in the past years. You're healthy now. The mental part of injuries is the worst part. I was a pitcher as well as you are. It's sometimes you're just sidelined. Sometimes you want to compete and just can't. What did you do through those times?
00:10:22
Speaker 2: Oh man? The having to grind through that was obviously not easy, you know, and being in Arizona when it's one hundred and ten degrees isn't isn't very fun. But you know, I think just trying to stick it out and realizing it will get better, even though sometimes it certainly seemed like it wasn't. But you know, the biggest thing that that you know, Dave and my my family was trying to hammer home is that you know it will get better and eventually it did well well.
00:11:00
Speaker 1: Expectations for twenty twenty six as a starter or a reliever staying healthy one thing, velocity getting the velossity back up. As you talked about your slider, consistent to keep going on in the mound and putting zeros on the board. In your mind, what do you think expectations are going to do for you in this year?
00:11:17
Speaker 2: Expect It's hard to to say exactly what's going to happen, but I mean, in my heart, you know I I would like to make an impact at the big league level, and you know I'm doing everything I can every day to try to get better and you know, prove that that I can help out at the big league level. So you know, whenever that may be, you know I I've been trying to prepare to be ready whenever.
00:11:48
Speaker 1: Well will. I want to thank you for your time today. I want to wish you all the best in spring training and good luck in the upcoming season. I can't wait to see you compete at the big league level. But thank you again today.
00:11:59
Speaker 2: Thank you.
00:12:00
Speaker 1: That was Will Bednar and the externing postgame show. More coming up right here on K and BR, The Sports Leader
