Around the Nest 2021 Week 1: Meet the Broadcasters!

And we’re back!

Around The Nest is a weekly podcast all about the Blue Jays farm system featuring first-hand reports from people who watch the minor league teams every day: the broadcasters. The podcast was started by then-Dunedin Blue Jays broadcaster Craig Durham in 2012, with Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, the Voice of the Lansing Lugnuts, taking over as host between 2013 to 2020. With the Lugnuts switching affiliations to the Athletics, we are happy to announce that the Vancouver Canadians’ Tyler Zickel will be Around The Nest’s third permanent host.

This season, Zick will be joined by new guy Gregg Caserta of the triple-A Buffalo Bisons / Trenton Thunder and returning guy Tyler Murray of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Episode Topics

Gregg Caserta on the Buffalo Bisons / Trenton Thunder (Triple-A)

• The names of the Blue Jays’ triple-A team and some new workout shirts
• Veteran presents: Christian Colón and Breyvic Valera are key parts of the lineup
• Josh Palacios out for 6-8 weeks with a hand injury
• Tayler Saucedo coming to his own in the bullpen
• T.J. Zeuch had a good start this week
• Alek Manoah skips New Hampshire and is the first-ever Triple-A East Pitcher of the Week after making triple-A lineups look “downright silly”
• Nick Allgeyer reminds Gregg of a harder-throwing Jordan Montgomery
• An update on Trenton’s bat dogs

Tyler Murray on the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-A)

• The has been struggling at 3-6 but have been making fixable mistakes
• Jordan Groshans making great plate appearances but has made five fielding errors
• What the Fisher Cats do with their defensive alignment when Austin Martin switches between shortstop and centre field
• Simeon Woods Richardson has the maturity and approach of a ten-year major league veteran
• Cleanup hitter Gabriel Moreno is so hot he was given the green light by the manager on a 3-0 count, bases loaded, bottom ninth, tied game (but he took the pitch and had a walkoff walk)

Tyler Zickel on the Vancouver Canadians (High-A)

• Starting pitcher Troy Miller is off to a scorching start
• Catcher/first baseman Ryan Gold is leading the club in batting average, others also moving all over: Spencer Horowitz, Rafael Lantigua
• Donnie Murphy wants his team to be aggressive runners on the basepaths
• Hagen Danner, catcher converted to closer, now whipping 95, 96 mph with a 10-mph difference on his changeup
• Will Robertson placed on the IL with an apparent wrist injury on a diving play
• Adam Kloffenstein and CJ Van Eyk have had impressive starts
• L.J. Talley is worth keeping an eye on—plays second and third, clutch left-handed hitter

Tyler Zickel on the Dunedin Blue Jays (Low-A)

• Tough start to the season, in last place of the Low-A Southeast Eastern division
• Tyler Murray chimes in about the effect of the crowd sizes in Florida
• Outfielder Eric Rivera and catcher Zach Britton leading the team in hitting
• Roither Hernandez throwing up zeroes in relief