Max Weiner already off and running with Schlossnagle's coaching staff

Texas A&M and Jim Schlossnagle have hired Seattle Mariners pitching coordinator Max Weiner to be the next pitching coach of the Aggies. Schlossnagle and Weiner joined Friday's edition of TexAgs Radio to discuss what went into the decision and what's next for Texas A&M baseball.

Key notes from Max Weiner interview

• Hit the ground running and trying to stay afloat. A huge reason I'm here is the way it's been gone about. It doesn’t feel like I'm making a million transactional calls. Nolan Cain and Jim Schlossnagle have set this up so I have time to connect and build relationships. It's getting to know a kid, processing it, spending time and getting to know the next kid. It’s been meaningful. It’s not quick. It feels slow, which is a good thing.
   
• Kids deserve time and deserve you to be present. That’s what this program is about. That’s why Schlossnagle has done such a good job here, and that’s why Cain brings the right kids in. There is a certain care factor. It’s not all about glitz and glam.
   
• It’s not just the what about the college game. It’s how you go about it and who you are with it. It’s one thing to want to be a coach. It’s another thing to be the Aggies’ pitching coach under this leadership. That is specifically why this is so exciting. If I want to win, which I do, and I expect to win, the way to win isn’t by just saying it. It’s a clear thought on the process. It’s a ton of fun to help a guy who is 35 to make his pitch move more. What’s more fun and fulfilling is helping the young kid get his emotions and thoughts to the point where they can learn how to make that pitch move even more. It hurts when you get to know the finished product of someone and miss the foundational pieces. This is a chance for me to get to know kids at 16 and know them until they are 66 and really have that family culture. That will be reflected by how many professional pitchers will be coming here, and not just former Texas A&M pitchers either.
   
• My girlfriend Lindsey runs a food bank up in Seattle and just put in her two weeks. She is packing up while we are taking care of our guys here. It’s a family commitment for me. I am one of four brothers. Everyone in my family is locked in. It doesn’t feel that this is a chore. This is what we are doing. My life and my family’s lives are committed to helping each Aggie pitcher as a collective group. It sounds serious, and it is.
   
• I don’t want to single any one pitcher out. I think we have the ability to have a rhythm to our pitching staff. We will have a “dominate the zone” identity. We will do a great job of winning the 0-0, getting ahead of hitters, winning the 1-1 count and maximizing our strikeout-to-walk ratio. How every kid does that will be massively different. Whether it's a young pup like Luke Jackson, coming back from an injury with a wonderful changeup, or a young guy like Ryan Prager, who shows great promise, or Chris Cortez, who has a massively different skillset. We will be super sensitive to what each guy needs.
   
• Marriot had been good to me. I have stayed in a hotel for about 252 nights a year. I didn’t want to go home when players are working. There is not really an “off” time. Coming to A&M, it’s not that it's less work by any means, but at least I know where I’m sleeping most nights.
   
• You will hear us say, “Be you, align with us.” We will win these counts, but how you do it is up to you. You need to make pitchers think they are competitors before they think of themselves as pitchers. You need to have confidence as a competitor.
   
• This is a game played by humans. You can have an anchor of who you are, but that is not who you always are. It’s not about how good your stuff is. How you manage the 15 seconds between pitches will determine how close you get to that threshold. We have a great mental department.
   
• I love the Seattle Mariners. They let me lead their pitching department when I was 23. That was special. The last day being a Mariner, being in T-Mobile Park to do special things. Being at the Futures Game was so special. I’m a Mariner for life.
   
• It’s difficult not to overstate how much potential Bryce Miller has, but at present, he is also dominant in the Major Leagues. He has been pitching with an injured finger. When Bryce got called up, I flew out to Oakland. We are there early, and we played catch at a public park. A dog actually ate one of our weighted balls. It wasn’t the best scene. When we were done, I told him it was the last day that I would be making more than him, and I asked where I could take him to dinner. He said, “Well, cheesecake is pretty good.” So the night before his MLB debut, we went to Cheesecake Factory. I have the ball that we played catch with, and he signed it. Bryce is a big reason why I’m here.
   
• Schlossnagle has really connected with the former students. He understands the tradition of this place, and I am starting to get an idea of it as well.
   
• I had never even met Hunter Haas, but Schlossnagle was pumping his fists, “Yes!” when he was drafted.