March 2017 – Matt Murton

Audio version in Episode 51 of the podcast

HTEN: Well, I’m here again with Matt Murton, Welcome back to the show. This is your second time joining us. If you want to become a regular, you can join us every week!

MM: Thank you for having me. It’s fun, man. I enjoy it. As I said to you earlier, playing for the Tigers was a great honor. I love the team, the people, the fans, and the organization. I want to see the team succeed, so being able to connect with you and having a chance to reach out to all the people is fun. So if we do this on a regular basis, it wouldn’t be a bad thing!

From Tigers to Tigers

HTEN: You are now a part of the Detroit Tigers organization, is that right? 

MM: That’s correct. I went through the offseason as a free agent, preparing and looking forward to another opportunity, and it kind of came down to the wire. At the end of the day, it seemed like the best thing to further my career was to play in Detroit, so I went from one Tigers team to the other. Hopefully, that’s a good omen and it will carry over into the season. 

HTEN: How was this past offseason different from your typical offseason? 

MM: Up until last year, I always had a pretty good understanding of where I would be playing the following year. I think after six years with Hanshin, and knowing that was the end of the road going into 2015, I was going to be a “free agent” for the first time in my career. And what that means is just that you’re training, preparing your body, doing everything that you’ve always done, but you’re not exactly certain as to where you’re going to be, so you really got to have some faith and just take things a day at a time. I know it’s cliche, but all you can do is prepare your body and wait and see what happens. Most ballplayers get back to the gym soon after the season ends, but there’s something special about January 1st.  There’s that internal clock that says, “Hey, it’s time to go!” I’ve done that for the past 14 years, but this past year, I was all dressed up with no place to go! The last three or four weeks prior to signing, I was getting a bit anxious and stressed out because I had done everything on my part. My body felt good, my swing felt great. and I was like, “Man, if I go through all this and then nothing comes of it, it’s going to be kind of frustrating.” When that opportunity came up and it looked like our best situation, it was just a big relief, to be honest with you, just to be able to sign and get to camp and get in uniform. 

HTEN: So does this deal guarantee that you’ll be playing AAA or will you have a shot at the majors? 

MM: It’s undetermined. Back in December was when we had our first conversations with Detroit. At the time, everything was really positive. Barring something crazy happening – and as an athlete, we talked about this, it’s our job to perform and we have to go out and produce, and if we don’t then obviously things change – there was a chance to get everyday at-bats in AAA. but the one thing that was lacking there was a big league camp invite. It was an interesting offseason; a lot of players kind of signed late. There were a lot of guys still left even in February. So we kind of waited, because there were some really good conversations with other teams. We were waiting for a major league camp invite, but at the end of the day that didn’t really come to fruition, so we circled back to the Tigers, maybe about 2 weeks ago. The terms that we had talked about in December were still there, however, the biggest thing that had changed was that they’d signed a few more guys since then. Given that fact, obviously now I’m in a situation where I’m going to have to compete and show what I still have something left in the tank. So at this point, there is no guarantee as to exactly what that’s going to look like. 

HTEN: Hanshin has some pretty strong connections with Detroit, not only because they share the name Tigers, but a lot of the Imports that have come to Hanshin have at one point in their careers played with Detroit.

MM: That’s really cool. I know that Cecil Fielder played there (with Hanshin) and later became a star for the Detroit Tigers. I love the history of the game, and coming to this organization, what I have realized is that Detroit has a long-standing history and they are very true to their roots. It’s been fun to be around and see some of the history down the hallways and stuff. Much the same as it was there at Koshien and with the Hanshin Tigers.

HTEN: Well, you’re coming from an organization (Cubs) that actually has a very long history, and they won that World Series the same year you were with them, so maybe Matt Murton is the missing piece for the Detroit Tigers this year?

MM: It’s very possible! Haha. I’d like to think that, but I really didn’t have a whole lot to do with them winning the World Series last year. But I was happy for the city, the organization, having been a part of that organization and playing in Chicago. The fanbase obviously deserved it, and so did Theo Epstein, one of the bright minds in baseball. I was fortunate enough to be drafted by him back in 2003. To see him go over there and take that thing and tear it apart and build it back up, and to see the whole thing come to fruition was cool. It was nice to be able to spend some time with the young guys, and to try to invest into them a little bit. Some of those guys were able to make it to the big leagues, and actually had a big part throughout the playoff run, so it was really fun to see those guys succeed. 

HTEN: Well there you go man, so even if you weren’t actually in the series, you were part of the lives of the guys that were in it, so that’s really cool, that’s got to be pretty exciting. 

MM: It was, and the main thing is, you try to do the best you can to be a good teammate and love on people, and try to invest in them in any way you can, and that’s a two-way street. They did a lot for me too, coming back to the US. Leaving the great fan support environment I had, and going to AAA baseball is not the easiest. It kind of feels like you’re in spring training every day, so to be able to be around that group of guys, and see their positive attitude towards the game and how hard they play, that was encouraging to me, and made it a lot easier for me to be there, so it goes both ways. 

Challenges as a Veteran

HTEN: Let’s go back to your offseason a little bit. As far as workouts go, you probably have a fairly set routine, but are there things that have gotten easier or harder over the years?

MM: Yeah. I think it’s a little bit of both, man. I’ve always prided myself in working very hard and taking care of my body. I would say that on average when I was over there playing, I would get home some time in mid-October, and by the beginning of November, I was back in the gym going at it. So I didn’t take a lot of time off, but this past year, for the first time, I was done in September. It was the first September in a long time that I’ve been off. I actually took some time, and I didn’t jump right back into things. I just felt like my body had gotten to a point where it needed a little bit of a break. So I stayed active, I kept stretching and doing my core exercises and stuff, but in terms of working out really hard in the gym and taking a lot of swings, I didn’t do that right off the bat. I gave my body a little bit more time this year, because of September, not playing. So I would say that in the middle of November, I really got back at it on a daily basis. Coming off 2015 there in Japan, there were definitely some things in my swing that had broken down over the course of that year. I wasn’t swinging the bat the way that I had become accustomed to swinging it. And so in 2016, I was really just trying to find myself and get back to where I needed to be. At the end of last season, maybe right before I went on the DL from running into the wall, my swing kind of came back. I started getting some of that separation of my hands again, I started getting that same circular pattern with my hands that I had in 2013 and 2014. And I started feeling better about how my lower half was working and stuff. So heading into this offseason, I had a really good feel for where I wanted to be. From a hitting perspective, I was a lot more comfortable and relaxed. I think as you get older, after you’ve put in so many swings and so much time, you don’t necessarily need to do that as much anymore. You have to be in touch with your body and save some bullets, if you will. So it becomes a balancing act. You have to work more efficiently. There are certain things that get easier because you understand yourself better, but obviously the biggest thing with your body is the ability to withstand high repetitions and recovery. Your strength may still be very good and you may still be able to run well. You might have the explosiveness you need, but you have to know when to back off. So I go through all that to say that there are certain things, whether it’s your swing or other things, you feel a lot more comfortable with and it makes it easier, you kind of know what you need to do, and the biggest challenge is continuing to push your body as you age. That’s the biggest thing. 

HTEN: Sounds very familiar, almost like Toritani’s situation. He’s also a hard-working guy who’s excelled at the game and all of a sudden had a bit of an off-year in 2016 like you say you did a bit in 2015. He lost his starting position, and I read this morning that Kanemoto has basically said he’s going with Hojoh in the spring this season. Do you have any advice for Toritani, as he’s going through some of the stuff that you went through a year prior?

MM: I think more than anything, he’s been extremely successful. But sometimes, some of your greatest attributes are some of your biggest weaknesses, too. I mean, this guy went and played every single day, it didn’t matter if he was hurt or not, he was on the field and he played. That takes a toll over the years, and more than anything, that’s kind of where I was at when I came into this offseason. I realized that after spending six years in Japan, coming back, and really pushing my body last year to make a run at the big leagues again. Coming off that appendectomy, I was gassed. I got to the point where I probably pushed too hard. There are times when you have to back off. This offseason, I was able to do that, and my body has been really responsive. I feel really good in camp. As you get older, you put more time in, that doesn’t change. And for Toritani, he knows the things he has to do to be successful. There are years, whether you’re 35 years old or you’re 25, that you don’t perform. Baseball is an extremely difficult sport, and the reality is that it’s not always going to go your way. I often talk to hitters, and I say, “Guys, what separates the .300 hitter from the .260 hitter?” And they kind of look at me strangely. I say, “It’s four hits. That’s it. Every hundred at-bats, it’s four hits.” You typically get a hundred at-bats a month if you’re an everyday player. So it comes down to one extra hit a week. So there’s a very thin line between success and failure. I mean, it’s a huge difference, but in all reality, it’s just a hit or so per week. So there are going to be years that don’t necessarily go your way, and the hard thing is that as you get older, people start to wonder if it’s because you’ve gotten too old, or because you’re not able to produce anymore, or whatever. I think that only you know yourself and you’ve got to be true to yourself. He knows where he’s at physically. There’s the reality that we start to get to the point where maybe physically we are not capable of doing the same exact things we did at 28, but dang, we can be pretty close to it. And now we use our knowledge and experience, and couple that together to be successful in different ways. So there’s no doubt that Toritani has the ability to still succeed at a high level. I think that he needs to be in the position to have an opportunity like any other player does. More than anything, it’s about being able to make adjustments. Sometimes that means learning to back off or change your training regimen. Something that worked in your late 20s may not work when you’re in your mid-30s. The last thing I would say in regards to the training is, we’re always working on the engine and how strong and fast we can be, but as you get older it’s time to start working on that suspension a little bit more, you know? You need to change the oil a little bit. The engine is what it is, you better start working on other stuff that will get you on the field. 

Kanemoto the Teammate and Manager

HTEN: Another guy that has an impressive streak of longevity is now the manager of the Hanshin Tigers, Tomoaki Kanemoto. If Toritani plays in the first 15 games of this season, he will surpass Kanemoto for second on the all-time ironman list in NPB history. Pretty impressive stuff. 

MM: Extremely impressive. And there’s a perfect example of a guy who Tori can go to and talk about what it takes at this point in your career to stay out there. Kanemoto-san is an example of that. When I first signed with the Tigers in 2010, for a couple of years, his shoulder made it pretty tough for him to go out there and throw. But he found a way to be out there and he was able to work through it, and I think if anything, Kanemoto-san will have an understanding of where Toritani is at in his career. Hopefully, he will be a good sounding board for Toritani to be able to work through this part of his career. 

HTEN: There’s a balance between actual production and continuing to believe in a player who is struggling. Toritani’s at an age where he’s already proven himself, so maybe he deserves a bit of a longer leash. 

MM: There are guys like David Ortiz a few years back, who had a bad year and everyone thought he was done. But then in the last year of his career, at 40 years old, he produced close to MVP numbers. The reality is that maybe it’s age and maybe it isn’t, and that’s where there’s that uncertainty. The other thing is that when you have players that have excelled at such a high level, when they come off of that mountaintop, people start to take notice. Jose Bautista with the Toronto Blue Jays is a prime example of that. This guy hit 40 home runs a year, but then last year, he didn’t do that. He might have had some injuries and stuff, and granted he’s 35 years old, but he still hit 25 home runs. These guys can still be productive at that age, it’s just that the expectation is for them to be the best version of themselves, and to be able to reproduce at the level that they did when they were in their primes. That might not be possible, but they may still be a very valuable asset to the team and still be very successful at playing the game.

HTEN: When you were teammates with Kanemoto, he was in left and then you played center, is that right?

MM: I was in center to start. It’s hard to think about that outfield! We had a guy that was essentially a corner guy that was playing center, and then Kanemoto-san was at the latter stage of his career, and Sakurai was in right. It was the first time I’d really been in center field since college or high school, and Koshien has that very expansive outfield. It was definitely a challenge playing centerfield there. But it was great to be able to play beside Kanemoto-san. I have a lot of respect for what he was able to do over his career, and just to be out there and watch him go about his business on a regular basis was a lot of fun.

HTEN: Did you see something in his personality or in his game that kind of said, “This guy’s going to be a manager someday”? What was it like in the clubhouse seeing him interact with the other guys?

MM: He had a leadership-type presence about him. You knew that he was to be respected, and I think more than anything, that’s what stood out. I mean, here’s a guy that was able to play as long and as successfully as he did. And I think in regards to his ability to manage, it’s not necessarily all the numbers he put up, but his ability to take the field every single day. In this day and age, I think that’s becoming a lost art, where if guys don’t feel 100%, maybe they aren’t going to go out there. For him to have that mentality shows what he was made of. More than anything, he possessed those leadership skills in his presence and how he carried himself. He’s got a knowledge of the game from being around it for a long time. But the ability to fight and to never quit, that’s something special that’s deep down inside of him, and not everybody has that. I think it can take you a long way in life, whether managing or anything else, for that matter. So it’s not surprising to me that he’s managing in the NPB now.

HTEN: Last question. I don’t know how much you follow Hanshin, but what do you think the prospects are for this season?

MM: Like I said earlier, I hope that they get to a place where they don’t only make it to Central League Championship, but that they become perennial contenders. I think that with them now working to build a foundation with some of the youth coming up, if those guys can continue to excel, it will help them compete year-in and year-out, and have sustained success. Obviously, the little bit I’ve been able to follow, I know they signed Itoi, who’s is a great player. Takayama, Itoi and Fukudome-san, they’ll have to find a way to work all that out. If I’m not mistaken, first base is one of those things where they are looking to fill a hole, and I’m not sure how that’s going to work itself out. I know there are battles going around in the infield. More than anything, especially playing at Koshien Stadium, it really comes down to starting pitching and the bullpen and the ability to play defense. Playing in that ballpark, games can tend to be low-scoring, so the ability and depth of starting pitching and the bullpen are key. What are their prospects for the year? Everyone wants to believe at this time of year that they have a chance to win. I believe that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to follow close enough to know all the improvements they have made. With their financial resources and fan base, the Tigers should definitely be one of those teams that can put themselves in a position to compete year in and year out. I know last year was a little bit of a setback after being in the playoffs for three consecutive years. Last year that didn’t work out, but we just talked about the Chicago Cubs and what Theo Epstein was able to do. Hopefully the Tigers, after being broken down for a little bit, will let the young guys play and next year they’ll be able to take that next step and put the team in contention again.

HTEN: I appreciate your time, Matt, thank you so much. I wish you all the best this year with the Detroit Tigers. Gambarimasho!

MM: Gambarimasho!