‘Hot Stove’ podcast with new Mariners closer Steve Cishek, Charlie Furbush and more
Jan 26, 2016, 9:27 PM | Updated: Jan 27, 2016, 10:21 am
Steve Cishek saved 73 games as the Marlins' closer from 2013 to 2014 but struggled last season. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Mariners Insider, Seattle Sports
The first “Hot Stove” show of the week is in the books and yes, we have a podcast.
Hour 1 of the show featured a segment with new closer Steve Cishek, who is currently on the Mariners’ caravan and called in from a ferry on the way back from Poulsbo. Cishek sounded genuinely excited to be in the Pacific Northwest and passed the pronunciation test on “Poulsbo” and “Sequim.” He is looking forward to having the opportunity to close again and talked a little bit about the mechanics that tripped him up early last season, saying lessons were learned.
Rangers beat writer Evan Grant followed and told us what he saw from new Mariners center fielder Leonys Martin while he was with Texas. The review was mixed, but Grant felt the move from the top of the lineup to the bottom of the lineup should benefit Martin. As for the Rangers, he pointed to what he considered as a key area of need still for the team: starting pitching. He believes the team could be on the hunt for an extra arm at the end of spring training.
Reliever Charlie Furbush, also on the caravan, joined us in the second hour of the show. Furbush has had little down time in the offseason, putting in a ton of work to rehab the slight tear in his rotator cuff. Furbush is the lone returning full-time member of the bullpen and it was interesting hearing him talk about the pen and the team. He’s been with the Mariners for five seasons now and a little bit of leadership came out in what he was saying. Always good to hear.
New first-base coach Casey Candaele was our final guest. I’ve been told by some who know him that he will be the guy who keeps things light. We definitely heard that in the two-segment chat. We also heard the great story of his family’s place in baseball history. His mother and her sister played in the All-American Girls Professional League and his brother produced the documentary film “A League of Their Own,” which was the inspiration for the movie of the same name.
The next “Hot Stove” comes your way Saturday from FanFest. We will be broadcasting from the 100 level on the third-base line from noon to 1:30. Another quick programming note: the “Hot Stove” turns into “The Cactus League Report” when spring games begin and will be heard on Monday nights from Feb. 29 to March 21.
