The official podcast of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Join Woodpeckers broadcaster Matt Dean as he welcomes a myriad of guests ranging from some of the top prospects in the Astros system, coaches, Woodpeckers staff, Fayetteville community leaders, and more. They'll chat about everything Woodpeckers on field and off it.
Fayetteville Alums 'Peckin in the 2020 Postseason feat. Pitching Coach Thomas Whitsett
Season 1 of the Woodpeckers Baseball Podcast wraps up with an insightful conversation with Fayetteville Pitching Coach Thomas Whitsett, whose 2019 Woodpeckers staff set a Carolina League record with 1,476 strikeouts. Matt chats with the Woodpeckers pitching coach about what young minor leaguers in the system are doing to improve without games this season (5:30) and what it's like as a coach to watch seven former Woodpecker arms make their MLB debuts this season (7:07), including the standout performances of former Fayetteville studs Cristian Javier (8:17) and Enoli Paredes (10:53). Plus, Whitsett touches on one of the most underrated sliders in the game by a former Woodpecker in The Show (12:18), his early experiences that got him interested in player development (13:24), what it was like to coach one of the Astros' current top-10 prospects as a high schooler (14:40), and a dynamic pitcher-catcher combination to watch in Houston's system (16:26).
2:40- Interview with Fayetteville Pitching Coach Thomas Whitsett
Music: "We'll Never Sleep" by Ryan Anderson, courtesy of the Free Music Archive
18 Sept 2020
Episode 19: Livin' in Beverly Hills with Astros OF prospect Marty Costes
On the penultimate episode of the season, Matt is joined by Marty Costes, an Astros outfield prospect who was a key contributor in the Woodpeckers' 2019 playoff run. Among other topics, the Baltimore native chats with Matt about his passion for music production, how he became connected to the Fayetteville community last year (8:04), juggling three different sports before receiving a baseball offer from the University of Maryland (16:20), and the role his father played in keeping him engaged in the game when he didn't have a lot of peers pursuing careers in baseball (18:14). The former All-Big Ten standout with the Terps (#BigTenPod) also discusses being drafted twice by the Astros (19:48), playing with a future pro ball teammate in the Cape Cod League (22:15), the impact the Astros' player development machine has had on his career (27:03), and how last year's postseason run helped him bounce back from an injury to end the season on a high note (29:48). Peck that five-star rating!
4:40- Interview with Astros prospect Marty Costes
42:42- Woodpeckers Virtual Season Wrap-up
11 Sept 2020
Episode 18: "Playoffs?!, You Wanna Talk About Playoffs?!" with Astros prospect Chandler Taylor & Fayetteville Sportswriter Sammy Batten
Almost a year to the date from his dramatic Game 5 home run that helped send the Woodpeckers to the Mills Cup Championship Series, slugging Astros prospect Chandler Taylor shares the behind-the-scenes perspective of Fayetteville's dramatic postseason run in 2019. The former Crimson Tide masher touches on his day-to-day routine without minor league games (4:10) and how his 50 days on the injured list after a hamate injury helped him reflect and refine his approach before a monstrous return in which he clobbered 12 home runs from June to the end last season (9:02). The Astros preseason No. 30 prospect according to Baseball America also takes us behind the curtain of his iconic home run that helped the Woodpeckers clinch the second-half (13:41) and his game-tying blast in Game 5 against Down East (18:50), along with highlights from his collegiate career playing for three different coaches (22:29) and an unforgettable experience in the College World Series Home Run Derby (26:12). Next, longtime Fayetteville Observer sportswriter Sammy Batten joins the program to provide perspective on the bad taste left in the mouths of baseball fans when pro baseball left the city in the year 2000 (35:43), his chance encounter with the recently passed Cardinals icon Lou Brock (38:17), the excitement swirling around Fayetteville when talks of a new pro team coming to town first came up (41:44), and what it was like covering Opening Night at Segra Stadium last year (44:34).
2:50- Interview with Astros No. 30 prospect Chandler Taylor
34:27- Interview with Fayetteville Observer sportswriter Sammy Batten
Music: "We'll Never Sleep" by Ryan Anderson, courtesy of the Free Music Archive
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.8 / 5
6 ratings
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