Breyvic Valera, Phil Plantier talk about the “juiced ball” at Triple-A

In this week’s episode of A Call Away, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre radio broadcaster Adam Giardino catches up with RailRiders infielder Breyvic Valera and RailRiders hitting coach, Phil Plantier.

Valera describes how surprised he has been with his six home runs over the first 11 games with the RailRiders. It is also his fourth organization since the start of the 2018 season, and he dives into how adjusting to constantly changing scenery has shaped him as a player.

Plantier meanwhile, acknowledges the effect the new baseball has had on hitters as a whole this year for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He also speaks about Mike Ford and what has made him a better hitter this year while working to make sure he didn’t lose what he was good at.

Giardino is joined, as always during the podcast, by his broadcast partner with the RailRiders, Adam Marco. This week they look again at Valera, who continues to be a surprising bright spot after being claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants. The pair also dives into the new baseballs and shines some light on the effect they’re having on the game thanks to a candid chat with pitching coach Tommy Phelps. They wrap up by discussing what they had seen from Didi Gregorius in his first five games with Scranton, as the shortstop gets ready to head back to the Yankees.

The podcast finishes with reports from broadcasters Matt Dean of the Charleston RiverDogs (Single-A), Nick Flammia (High-A), Jon Mozes of the Trenton Thunder (Double-A) and a report with Marco (Triple-A).

As always, don’t forget to subscribe to the Pinstripe Alley Podcast Network for the latest updates and programs.