Every Thursday of baseball season, I'll be sitting down with the head coach of Canes Baseball, Coach JD Arteaga. A transcript of our interview is below:
DMoney: All right, we are here with a very, very special guest for what’s going to be a weekly deal here, the JD Arteaga Show, brought to you by Sallah Astarita and Cox, the man himself, Coach JD Arteaga. How we doing?
JD Arteaga: I’m doing great, man. Thank you for having me. Finally on your show. Been a big fan for a long time and finally get to be on the show.
DMoney: I don’t believe that, but I appreciate it. Before we get into this season, I want to rewind a bit. You take over the job and the portal’s basically picked clean. Year one is about getting your feet under you. Year two, you have the most portal additions in the country, a nine-win improvement, and you’re an inning away from Omaha. What did last year’s team mean for getting this program back on track and getting your operation fully rolling?
JD Arteaga: It got us back on track and back at the level we’re accustomed to being year in and year out. As good as the ending was, it still fell short of our goal. Our goal here is always Omaha. Being one run or one inning away is a step in the right direction, but there’s still another step to make. We’ve got a good core back offensively. On the mound, we lost a lot of quality innings and have to replace them. I like our arms—it’s just a matter of who fits where. As a head coach, you never leave practice happy. You’re worried about hitting, pitching, or defense because it never all evens out. That group last year maybe wasn’t the most talented, but the character, makeup, and competitiveness were exactly what we want around here.
DMoney: I know you're a football fan. Watching football, you see how the roster gets bigger, faster, more physical year by year. From the stands and at your practices, it feels like that’s happening with your team, too. Is getting more physical and athletic a conscious effort?
JD Arteaga: Absolutely. It’s the type of players we’re recruiting combined with the work Nick Soto does in the weight room. Baseball’s different—you don’t have to be a certain size to play—but physicality helps. It lets you get away with things you can’t if you’re not strong and fast. That said, our biggest grade is CHP—can he play. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw or how fast you run if you can’t play. Look at a guy like Altuve. He shouldn’t be doing what he does based on size alone, but he can really play. We want to be more physical, but above all we want the best baseball players.
DMoney: One guy who checks every box is your third baseman, first-team All-American Daniel Cuvet. Why is he the kind of player our listeners should go buy a ticket to see?
JD Arteaga: He does things offensively that other guys just can’t do. One of our issues is he tries to teach teammates what he does, and I have to tell him, don’t do that—nobody else can do it. He’s a student of the game. He asks great questions. You have to explain the why with him, and he’s very coachable. He understands what pitchers are trying to do and knows his strengths and weaknesses. Early last year, when people thought he was struggling, he was still hitting over .330. He was just swinging at some pitches early in counts. Once he laid off those and made the adjustment, he took off. He put up his power numbers in about half a season, which makes them even more impressive.
DMoney: Last year opposing coaches talked about your lineup being top-heavy but extremely unselfish, especially situationally. Now you’ve got more firepower on paper. Does that change how you approach games?
JD Arteaga: I hope not. Unselfishness and situational hitting are still baseball. You still have to pitch and play defense. Against good pitching, you’re not scoring eight or nine runs. The little things still decide games. It’s great to hear that respect from peers, and we want to keep that identity. With the talent we have now, it should be a relentless lineup one through nine. You might have a guy hitting seventh or eighth who hit .330 with 14 homers and 30-plus steals last year. That’s tough on pitchers.
DMoney: Coaches lose sleep over the catcher position. You’ve got three guys you trust. How do you see that group?
JD Arteaga: Alex Sosa brings a ton of experience—College World Series, two-year starter at NC State. Offensively, he fits perfectly hitting behind Cuvet as a lefty who can do damage. His experience behind the plate is huge, especially with a young talent like Alonzo Alvarez. He’s special. If he’s not a top-two or three-round pick down the line, we failed him. Switch hitter, athletic, can really throw. Then you’ve got Hugus, a fifth-year guy who really catches and throws. That mix of experience and talent makes it a real strength.
DMoney: Starting pitching has been a journey the last two years. How do you see it shaping up now?
JD Arteaga: Ciscar and DeRias both made significant starts last year. Rob Evans has made big jumps after coming back from injury. You never know that first year back, but he’s pitching like we thought he would. We feel good about those guys, especially on Friday nights and at the back end. Early on, with the schedule we have (13 games in 16 days), we’ll need depth to fill in between.
DMoney: Menendez and Robert aren’t ready yet. How do you see them fitting in when they are?
JD Arteaga: I don’t know the exact plan yet, but by late March we’re going to be a different team when you add two arms like that. Whether they start or come out of the bullpen, we’ll be smart with them. The goal is to be at our best late May and June. They’re going to change the look of the staff.
DMoney: Entering year three, what’s the journey been like for you personally?
JD Arteaga: It’s never straightforward. That’s the fun part—the twists and turns. I’m better prepared now and still getting better. Last year we weren’t in position to land elite portal talent, so we focused on the right guys. We hit on that. Retaining our core—Ogden, Williams, Galvin—has made a huge difference. In this era, that’s the hardest thing to do. That’s how you build a program instead of just a roster.
DMoney: You’ve got a lot of talent up the middle. How do you manage it all?
JD Arteaga: Vance Sheahan fits what we want—team-first, versatile. Ogden’s the same way. He’ll play anywhere, hit anywhere. Retaining those core guys is what gives us depth and flexibility. That’s the biggest difference right now.
DMoney: FanFest is Saturday and the season starts next week. Why should people come out to the Light?
JD Arteaga: It’s the best ticket in town. Friday or Saturday night with the family, you’re close to the players, the atmosphere is great. I remember those nights growing up more than anything else. It’s a special place, and it’s something kids remember for a long time.
DMoney: JD, appreciate you. Fired up to do this every week. I’ll see you at the Light.
JD Arteaga: Appreciate you, DMoney.
DMoney: All right, we are here with a very, very special guest for what’s going to be a weekly deal here, the JD Arteaga Show, brought to you by Sallah Astarita and Cox, the man himself, Coach JD Arteaga. How we doing?
JD Arteaga: I’m doing great, man. Thank you for having me. Finally on your show. Been a big fan for a long time and finally get to be on the show.
DMoney: I don’t believe that, but I appreciate it. Before we get into this season, I want to rewind a bit. You take over the job and the portal’s basically picked clean. Year one is about getting your feet under you. Year two, you have the most portal additions in the country, a nine-win improvement, and you’re an inning away from Omaha. What did last year’s team mean for getting this program back on track and getting your operation fully rolling?
JD Arteaga: It got us back on track and back at the level we’re accustomed to being year in and year out. As good as the ending was, it still fell short of our goal. Our goal here is always Omaha. Being one run or one inning away is a step in the right direction, but there’s still another step to make. We’ve got a good core back offensively. On the mound, we lost a lot of quality innings and have to replace them. I like our arms—it’s just a matter of who fits where. As a head coach, you never leave practice happy. You’re worried about hitting, pitching, or defense because it never all evens out. That group last year maybe wasn’t the most talented, but the character, makeup, and competitiveness were exactly what we want around here.
DMoney: I know you're a football fan. Watching football, you see how the roster gets bigger, faster, more physical year by year. From the stands and at your practices, it feels like that’s happening with your team, too. Is getting more physical and athletic a conscious effort?
JD Arteaga: Absolutely. It’s the type of players we’re recruiting combined with the work Nick Soto does in the weight room. Baseball’s different—you don’t have to be a certain size to play—but physicality helps. It lets you get away with things you can’t if you’re not strong and fast. That said, our biggest grade is CHP—can he play. It doesn’t matter how hard you throw or how fast you run if you can’t play. Look at a guy like Altuve. He shouldn’t be doing what he does based on size alone, but he can really play. We want to be more physical, but above all we want the best baseball players.
DMoney: One guy who checks every box is your third baseman, first-team All-American Daniel Cuvet. Why is he the kind of player our listeners should go buy a ticket to see?
JD Arteaga: He does things offensively that other guys just can’t do. One of our issues is he tries to teach teammates what he does, and I have to tell him, don’t do that—nobody else can do it. He’s a student of the game. He asks great questions. You have to explain the why with him, and he’s very coachable. He understands what pitchers are trying to do and knows his strengths and weaknesses. Early last year, when people thought he was struggling, he was still hitting over .330. He was just swinging at some pitches early in counts. Once he laid off those and made the adjustment, he took off. He put up his power numbers in about half a season, which makes them even more impressive.
DMoney: Last year opposing coaches talked about your lineup being top-heavy but extremely unselfish, especially situationally. Now you’ve got more firepower on paper. Does that change how you approach games?
JD Arteaga: I hope not. Unselfishness and situational hitting are still baseball. You still have to pitch and play defense. Against good pitching, you’re not scoring eight or nine runs. The little things still decide games. It’s great to hear that respect from peers, and we want to keep that identity. With the talent we have now, it should be a relentless lineup one through nine. You might have a guy hitting seventh or eighth who hit .330 with 14 homers and 30-plus steals last year. That’s tough on pitchers.
DMoney: Coaches lose sleep over the catcher position. You’ve got three guys you trust. How do you see that group?
JD Arteaga: Alex Sosa brings a ton of experience—College World Series, two-year starter at NC State. Offensively, he fits perfectly hitting behind Cuvet as a lefty who can do damage. His experience behind the plate is huge, especially with a young talent like Alonzo Alvarez. He’s special. If he’s not a top-two or three-round pick down the line, we failed him. Switch hitter, athletic, can really throw. Then you’ve got Hugus, a fifth-year guy who really catches and throws. That mix of experience and talent makes it a real strength.
DMoney: Starting pitching has been a journey the last two years. How do you see it shaping up now?
JD Arteaga: Ciscar and DeRias both made significant starts last year. Rob Evans has made big jumps after coming back from injury. You never know that first year back, but he’s pitching like we thought he would. We feel good about those guys, especially on Friday nights and at the back end. Early on, with the schedule we have (13 games in 16 days), we’ll need depth to fill in between.
DMoney: Menendez and Robert aren’t ready yet. How do you see them fitting in when they are?
JD Arteaga: I don’t know the exact plan yet, but by late March we’re going to be a different team when you add two arms like that. Whether they start or come out of the bullpen, we’ll be smart with them. The goal is to be at our best late May and June. They’re going to change the look of the staff.
DMoney: Entering year three, what’s the journey been like for you personally?
JD Arteaga: It’s never straightforward. That’s the fun part—the twists and turns. I’m better prepared now and still getting better. Last year we weren’t in position to land elite portal talent, so we focused on the right guys. We hit on that. Retaining our core—Ogden, Williams, Galvin—has made a huge difference. In this era, that’s the hardest thing to do. That’s how you build a program instead of just a roster.
DMoney: You’ve got a lot of talent up the middle. How do you manage it all?
JD Arteaga: Vance Sheahan fits what we want—team-first, versatile. Ogden’s the same way. He’ll play anywhere, hit anywhere. Retaining those core guys is what gives us depth and flexibility. That’s the biggest difference right now.
DMoney: FanFest is Saturday and the season starts next week. Why should people come out to the Light?
JD Arteaga: It’s the best ticket in town. Friday or Saturday night with the family, you’re close to the players, the atmosphere is great. I remember those nights growing up more than anything else. It’s a special place, and it’s something kids remember for a long time.
DMoney: JD, appreciate you. Fired up to do this every week. I’ll see you at the Light.
JD Arteaga: Appreciate you, DMoney.
