Clint Hurdle on the Royals

[Brock Beauchamp]

Kyle Odegard shared this with me via email:

Article: https://www.actionnetwork.com/mlb/clint-hurdle-interview-paul-skenes-rockies-rebuild

Hurdle on the impressiveness of Bobby Witt, Jr.

"He's everything you want in a ballplayer. He's everything you want in a teammate, from my understanding. Everybody's a fan of this guy. Just the work ethic. I know his dad.

"The game of baseball needs men like that involved. He is a postcard for the game of baseball, for the younger generation to pull for and identify with. He's another guy we just hope can stay on the field and be healthy, because I think a lot of good things will happen."

Hurdle on if it’s a matter of time before Witt, Jr. wins an MVP

"Well, you'd like to think so, but there's just so many good players on that level. The fact that he hasn't won the MVP with the years he's had, it tells you how good the talent level is.

"I had (Todd) Helton and (Larry) Walker in Colorado, Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young in Texas when I was hitting coach, Andrew McCutchen in Pittsburgh. Most of those guys found MVP seasons. You like to think Bobby will.”

Hurdle on why his good friend and ex-teammate George Brett became an MLB legend

"I think the one thing that people don't realize about George is how hard he worked to become good. He was a second-round pick, but he wasn't that guy that everybody talked about. I was a first round pick. I was a phenom on SI. Jamie Quirk was talked about more. Willie Wilson was talked about more than George Brett.

"George Brett's in the Hall of Fame. George Brett's work ethic was off the charts. Discipline and focus. He was an okay fielder when he came up. He became a gold glover. He was a tremendous base-runner. He was the definition of a ballplayer. He could lead with words, but he led more by example every day, the way he played the game. His brand, once he walked on the field, was to beat your a–. That's it. There's two guys I've had like that. Todd Helton was the other one. When they walked on the field, they had one goal. To go on the field and beat your a–."

Hurdle on still rooting for the Royals

"I always pull for them. I always love going to KC. It's kind of like your first girlfriend. It was a team that I broke into the big leagues with. We had good teams. We played on the turf.

"We were a good team nobody knew about out in the Midwest until we knocked off the Yankees and went to the World Series in 1980. A lot of wonderful memories. I do like to follow the Royals and keep up with them. Tremendous fanbase, and you hope for good things for them this year and moving on."