Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated once a week and celebrating its 11th season on TheSportsVirus.com!
The Voice of the San Jose Giants Joe Ritzo joins Inside China Basin to discuss the promotion of rookie catcher Joey Bart and chat about Logan Webb’s development, the emergence of Austin Slater as an offensive force and the Giants designating Hunter Pence for assignment. Joe also describes his MLB debut emotions from 2019 when he was called on to do four games on the radio for San Francisco.
Ritzo on Joey Bart: “He is a very special talent and that was very obvious from the first week of last season when he was with us in San Jose. All the different ways that he can impact a game. I love watching him hit because a lot of his power can go out to center and right. It’s power to all fields which isn’t very common for such a young hitter. He can also make an impact defensively.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated twice a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
This week we are checking in down on the farm and today we have interviews from the California League with San Jose Giants play-by-play announcer Joe Ritzo, general manager Mark Wilson, pitcher Logan Webb and catcher Matt Winn. Plus, we go down San Francisco Giants memory lane with one of their former pitchers, Danny Darwin, who is now the Cincinnati Reds pitching coach.
Join us again this weekend when we update you on the progress of players with the Sacramento River Cats, including an interview with Dereck Rodriguez who made his Major League debut this week with the Giants.
Check out our other Podcasts all year long. INSIDE CHINA BASIN is also available on ITUNES.
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated 3 times a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
Today we visit the California League and check on San Jose Giants infielder Jonah Arenado, the younger brother of Colorado Rockies All Star 3B Nolan Arenado. He was San Jose’s MVP in 2016 and now he’s battling to have a hot finish this season. As of Monday, Jonah was hitting .262, 9 HR, 58 RBI.
SAN JOSE, CA. JUNE 2- San Jose Giants play the Lake Elsinore Storm on June 2, 2017 at Municipal Stadium in San Jose, California. (Tim Cattera/San Jose Giants)
Arenado talked to The Sports Virus about growing up playing baseball and sometimes wiffle ball with his older brother Nolan (Rockies All Star 3B): …“When I was younger Nolan was always focused, he always worked the hardest. I worked hard, but I was never on his level. We always had something going on… wiffle ball all the time with the cousins and brothers…We’re a competitive family so fights break out in wiffle ball, that’s not a surprise for us, that’s just how it goes. Honestly, I think that helps us for when things like this (pro ball) matter, when you want to get competitive it’s not like a switch I need to turn on, I know it’s there because I’ve been doing it my whole life.”
Welcome to the INSIDE CHINA BASIN Baseball Podcast
Updated 3 times a week on TheSportsVirus.com!
The Giants Class-A California League affiliate had it’s home opener on Thursday and The Sports Virus was there to cover it for Comcast Hometown Network and chat with the Voice of the San Jose Giants/CHN broadcast partner Joe Ritzo.
Reynolds Photo courtesy of the San Jose Giants
Ritzo talked to The Sports Virus about the Giants first pick in the 2016 draft, Bryan Reynolds: “…He does a lot of things well. I watch him play and you don’t have maybe that one great tool that kind of jumps out at you like power did with Chris Shaw did last year. Or, he doesn’t have this unbelievable throwing arm out in center field. He just does everything well. He can hit for average, he can hit for power, he’s a switch hitter, the Giants are playing him out in centerfield, they think he can handle that position. As he learns the rigors of pro ball, I think as he settles in he’ll have a very nice season in the Cal League.”
Today we hear from Giants prospect Chris Shaw who is currently playing 1B for the San Jose Giants.
Shaw talked about using the whole field: … “when I was younger I was pretty much strictly an opposite way approach type hitter and I kind of got pull happy at the beginning of college (Boston College) when I started to come into my power. Once I understood that the power is still going to be there when I’m thinking that opposite way approach I got back to that approach. Ultimately I think it helped round me into a better player. It allows me to see balls deeper, lay off bad pitchers and be more consistent.”
San Jose Giants Play-By-Play announcer Joe Ritzo is our guest. Once again the California League will witness a team in the South Bay that is loaded with prospects.
Ritzo tells The Sports Virus why the San Jose Giants should contend this season: “…Balance and just a club that looks like they’ve got a little bit of everything…You’ve got four of the top ten prospects in the organization.”
While checking out Giants prospect Jose Vizcaino, Jr. in San Jose, we had a chance to talk to his dad, Jose Vizcaino, Sr., who played for San Francisco in 1997 and 2006 as part of an 18-year Major League career. When Jr. broke a few bats, Sr. was able to ask a good friend with the Angels for some new lumber.
Photo with Jose Vizcaino, Jr. (left), Albert Pujols (second from right) and Jose Vizcaino, Sr. (right) courtesy of Twitter
Vizcaino, Sr. tells The Sports Virus that his son used a special bat to hit his first HR in the California League for the San Jose Giants: … “Albert Pujols is one of my best friends. He always calls me and tells me, ‘when you need some bats just let me know.’ Two weeks ago I sent (Vizcaino, Jr.) Pujols’ number and told him to text Pujols and tell him to send you some bats. During spring training he sent some bats and now he’s sending more bats, especially (after Vizcaino, Jr.) broke 3 bats (in one game).”
The Voice of the San Jose Giants Joe Ritzo joins Inside China Basin to discuss the promotion of rookie catcher Joey Bart and chat about Logan Webb’s development, the emergence of Austin Slater as an offensive force and the Giants designating Hunter Pence for assignment. Joe also describes his MLB debut emotions from 2019 when he was called on to do four games on the radio for San Francisco.
us in San Jose. All the different ways that he can impact a game. I love watching him hit because a lot of his power can go out to center and right. It’s power to all fields which isn’t very common for such a young hitter. He can also make an impact defensively.”
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him play and you don’t have maybe that one great tool that kind of jumps out at you like power did with Chris Shaw did last year. Or, he doesn’t have this unbelievable throwing arm out in center field. He just does everything well. He can hit for average, he can hit for power, he’s a switch hitter, the Giants are playing him out in centerfield, they think he can handle that position. As he learns the rigors of pro ball, I think as he settles in he’ll have a very nice season in the Cal League.”
