Winter Meetings interview with Mike Scioscia

Q. Mike, just in general, how do you feel about the upgrades so far this winter?MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, I think that everyone knew and we knew that a lot of our upgrades were going to come in-house with the formation of a starting rotation that could really get our games where we need them to be on a consistent basis, and we feel that’s in the process of happening with Garrett Richards looking healthy, with Matt Shoemaker getting clearance, Ricky Nolasco, his improvements, Tyler Skaggs, Chavez, Meyer, all the candidates we have. There’s no doubt that’s going to be the biggest boost to our club, adding Maybin as we did. I know that Billy is working very hard to fill in at other positions and get some depth. I think we’re confident and very confident we’ll be better. Now, to what extent, that’s why you want to secure that depth to help you overcome some of those rough spots, and I know he’s working on it.Q. What kind of second baseman would you like to have?MIKE SCIOSCIA: Well, I think that’s one of the spots that we absolutely need to add some depth. I think we have a couple — we have some guys that can be part of the solution, but we need more depth there. So about what kind do you want? I mean, are you talking like — who are you talking about?Q. Leaning more towards defense, more towards offense, right-handed hitter, left-handed hitter, fast, top of the order, bottom of the order?MIKE SCIOSCIA: Where our club stands right now, the obvious look would be, hey, is there anyone out there that could hit left-handed. But you don’t always get your Christmas list answered exactly where you want it, but we definitely need some depth there. I know that Billy is working hard on it.Q. Is the defense something that you can’t do without?MIKE SCIOSCIA: I think that we need a level of defense out there. Obviously the hitters that bring the bigger offense and maybe can play average defense are still going to be guys that you’re going to put your arms around. But you have to have the minimum amount of defense there that can just settle down your pitching staff and make the plays.Q. When you talk about guys at second base, are you referring to Cliff and Kaleb, also, guys in house? Who else?MIKE SCIOSCIA: I think all of them. You saw a lot of the guys that we had played there last year. I’m not sure if they are all — some of them re-signed to the Minor Leagues, like Rey Navarro I know is back with them. Unfortunately didn’t get a look. Without going through the whole litany of names, we have guys that can be part of the solution, but I think that, I’ve said it already, depth is really something we need to look at at that position.Q. At the start of the off-season, you said you don’t think your team is as far back as the perception is, but you said you do need to get better. And I know you acknowledged you don’t always get everything on your Christmas list, but you did make two significant additions Maybin and Chavez. How many more additions do you feel like the roster needs to reach the goals that you have?MIKE SCIOSCIA: Whether something happens now, whether something happens between now and Spring Training or something happens during Spring Training, I think that I really anticipate us adding some more depth at some of the positions we’re talking about. I think we will be better, no doubt, Opening Day of 2017 than we were probably after the first month of 2016. But yeah, we’re going to welcome any depth that Billy can find, and we are better. To what extent, we’ll see when you start playing games.Q. So just so I don’t misunderstand, even without any further significant additions, just the depth additions, you feel like your team will still be better?MIKE SCIOSCIA: Absolutely. It’s going to be better with the reinstitution of Garrett Richards as a lead dog in the rotation, with Matt Shoemaker coming off of probably a 12-start stretch in which he really learned something and pitched like a legitimate No. 1; with Tyler Skaggs getting hopefully all the cobwebs of his rehab of Tommy John and ready to go. You saw Nolasco improve the last month. He made some big adjustments and Chavez and Meyer, all the way down. That’s going to be the biggest improvement in our club, is going to be our starting pitching. I think you combine that with the emergence of Cam Bedrosian, you saw Bailey, JC Ramirez, Huston Street working very hard and he wants to reestablish himself. We are going to be better. I don’t think there’s any doubt in my mind that we’re going to be better. To what extent we’re better, we’re going to be ready in Spring Training and hopefully get ourselves contending.Q. How do you see the eighth and ninth — I guess, seventh, eighth and ninth innings — shaking out for your bullpen?MIKE SCIOSCIA: We need depth in the back end of the bullpen, and whoever gets the job to close out the last three outs, we have candidates to do that. And I think you’ll match up before that to get there. But I think that a couple things have the potential to happen on our pitching staff, which is the biggest part of your defense. We definitely have the potential to bridge some of those innings more with not getting 15, 16, 17 outs from our starters. You get those 18, 19, 20 outs from your starters, your bullpen is going to respond better. I think that has a probability that that’s going to happen with the starting pitchers being more effective and being healthy. So whatever, seventh, eighth, ninth inning, whatever that ends up rolling into, we have some guys that we can put in some different roles.Q. Defensively you shifted a lot more than ever before. How satisfied are you with the results of that, and do you foresee tweaking the shifting at all?MIKE SCIOSCIA: There’s twofold to that. The data that we get that suggests shifting, we have the utmost confidence in. What we’re wrestling with now in the last three, four years is really the whole application of that and to cut off relays into how do we turn a double play, tweaking maybe some of the sets according to the situation. So I have 100 percent confidence in the data we get and the suggestion of shifting. Now we’re trying to get players comfortable with, really, playing out of position from where they played for their whole lives. Very rarely did you see a second baseman 30 feet on the outfield grass ten years ago. Very rarely did you try to turn a double play with one guy on the left side of the infield who has the responsibility of covering halfway between short and third but also the responsibility of getting to the bag on a double play. There’s a lot of things that we’re trying to apply and get players used to. So back to your question, I’m 100 percent good with it and we’re getting better with applying it.Q. It sounds like you think there are ways it could be improved going forward.MIKE SCIOSCIA: Oh, no doubt. Also, we’ve done it for the last four years through our Minor League system. So there’s less — I think it’s less culture shock when a young player comes in the Major Leagues and he’s kind of familiar with the neighborhood of where we’re playing on shifting, and what responsibilities are. Because the biggest thing, starting probably six, seven years ago, we started to look at more shifting and it was thrown onto the desks of managers and coaches. We have the task of figuring out, okay, when the ball is hit, how are we covering bases, how are we setting up cutoff of relays. And it’s great to sit down and put it on paper, but to get players used to this, that takes some work. It’s an ongoing process.Q. Where do you see Cameron Maybin hitting in your lineup?MIKE SCIOSCIA: Cameron, I think he’s good, because he’s a swing player. He can play, he can hit one or two. He can hit fifth or sixth. Although like obviously the power numbers are not going to jump up and grab you, his ability to square up a baseball and hit it hard is real, almost like Escobar, if you look at what Escobar does. Cameron has some different ways that we can look and gives us some exciting possibilities for how we can lengthen our lineup.Q. Is it ideally, if you can get him, Escobar, one, two, and then you can have Cole or a run producer down –MIKE SCIOSCIA: Yes, that’s one thing. That’s one thing we looked at. Not the thing, but that is one of the scenarios that play out in getting a guy like Cameron, yes.Q. There’s a lot of great reports on Matt.MIKE SCIOSCIA: Matt is really an advanced hitter for his experience level and his age. I got the chance to see him down in the instructional league, and he’s exciting. Where it shows up this year, nobody knows. Matt is in what is the proving ground, which is the Minor Leagues. His advancement and his preparation to get to the Major Leagues is going to be based on his performance, and we think he’ll fare very well. I think he learned a lot last year. It’s a tough year when you get out your first year halfway through after you’ve already played a collegiate year, and you play all the way through October, which is the end of the Instructional League. He held up great. We’re looking for big things. But I don’t think we need to set a timetable on him. I think that his performance and how he advance will happen on its own time.Q. Huston said he feels like he’s a better reliever when he’s closing, and Billy said he’s not going to be guaranteed that closing spot and he’s going to have to compete. Given that, how do you feel about Huston and his prospects?MIKE SCIOSCIA: We had some very candid conversation with Huston, and he understands this. I think his makeup definitely is suited to pitch in the ninth inning. He’s shown he can do it. It’s not an easy thing to get acclimated to, and that’s where we are going, where you see a young guy like Bedrosian or Bailey, Huston knows the neighborhood. He’s there. But his role is going to be based on his performance. If he’s …

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