WEBVTT - Braves Enter All-Star Break With Win and MLB Draft Reaction 0:00:21.440 --> 0:00:24.239 Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Hammer Territory podcast. 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:28.040 This is episode four one three. My name is Brad Rowland. 0:00:28.040 --> 0:00:31.160 I'm joined on a Sunday evening of a good friend, 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:34.480 Scott Coleman. Scott, it's not quite the first half, because 0:00:34.520 --> 0:00:36.280 it's more than a half, but it's the All Star 0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:40.199 break man. How are you hello, Brad? I'm doing all right. 0:00:40.360 --> 0:00:43.920 You know, this has been a wild ride to this 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:46.960 point for the Atlanta Braves. Of course, the first two 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:48.680 and a half months or so of the year were 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:53.120 nearly perfect and the last six weeks have made us 0:00:53.159 --> 0:00:55.240 want to pull off of our hair out and just 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:57.760 some frustrating games, but the Braves did find a way 0:00:57.800 --> 0:01:00.920 to salvage the series finale on Sunday. So the vibes 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:03.440 going into the break are nice after a win over 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.160 the Cardinals, and you know what, sure, there are some 0:01:06.280 --> 0:01:09.880 real problems with this team, some concerns going forward. But 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:12.600 to be objective, if you would have told us on 0:01:12.720 --> 0:01:15.600 opening day as the boys took the field, and you 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:18.319 would have said, hey, Brad Rowland, the Braves are going 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:20.720 to be fifty five and forty at the break and 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:23.720 they will have a two game division lead. I think 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.240 you would obviously take it, and let's just hope that 0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:28.440 they start to play better, because we know since about 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:32.319 the first week of June it's been a steady decline 0:01:32.360 --> 0:01:33.919 ever since that really great start. 0:01:34.480 --> 0:01:37.120 I strongly agree with that premise that I would have 0:01:37.160 --> 0:01:39.800 taken fifty five and forty and I want to talk 0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:42.679 more about the state of affairs right now, but first 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:45.119 let us mix it up. Engineered by our friends at 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:54.280 fasten All Scott, there's like fifty nine percent of the 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:58.279 season in the books right now, edging towards sixty, nearing 0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:02.280 one hundred games. The Braves record is strong. They are 0:02:02.280 --> 0:02:05.600 not playing well for the last five weeks, six weeks 0:02:05.600 --> 0:02:08.600 something like that, so all that kind of bumps into 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:10.080 each other. You could say, if you want it to 0:02:10.080 --> 0:02:12.880 be an optimist, which I rarely am, but I'm capable 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:15.640 of it. They did win three the last five heading 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:17.960 into the break, it was kind of a up and 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:20.200 down roller coaster, and you and I joke before we 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:22.680 started recording, but it's one hundred percent true. The vibes are, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.560 you know, clearly better than they would have been had 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:28.240 they lost today. As we'll discuss more in depth later 0:02:28.280 --> 0:02:31.560 on in the podcast. But the division lead is what 0:02:31.600 --> 0:02:35.360 it is. I want to start with something that's intentionally broad, 0:02:35.639 --> 0:02:37.480 but also we'll kind of maybe tell the story of 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:41.600 how you feel beyond the record. I looked it up 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:45.360 just now. Our friends at Fangrafts are giving the Braves 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:48.960 a fifty six point seven percent chance to win the 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:54.200 division as of right this second, on Sunday evening, July twelfth, 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:57.960 and it's ninety point five percent to make the playoffs. 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:01.480 Part of that's I'm sure the Phillies have a negative 0:03:01.560 --> 0:03:04.520 run differential, which is insane for a team that is 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:06.800 like ten or eleven games or five hundred. But putting 0:03:06.840 --> 0:03:09.600 that to the side, I'll just ask you, does that 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:11.320 seem right to you? Which you picked the Braves to 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:13.320 win the division knowing what we know so far they're 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.200 in the lead. The recent performance is much more toward 0:03:16.200 --> 0:03:18.520 the Phillies. I'm filibustering to have you think about this. 0:03:19.639 --> 0:03:21.280 What say you on July twelfth? 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:24.280 Man, you really put me on the spot. I mean, 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:27.160 if if I didn't know the Fangrafts odds, I would 0:03:27.200 --> 0:03:30.040 say it's like fifty to fifty for the division, and 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:32.680 I would say it's you know, eighty five ninety percent 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:36.200 that they make the playoffs. I will say my answer 0:03:36.200 --> 0:03:39.760 will be significantly influenced based on how the next three 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:43.160 weeks go with the trade deadline. If it's a quiet deadline, 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:47.280 then I would obviously be very concerned because I don't 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:51.840 think the roster of available players is good enough to 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:53.320 get there. I don't think you would be able to 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:56.040 win the division. Maybe they could get into like the 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.360 second or third world card spot, but man, it would 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:02.440 be very thin and if they don't make reinforcements at 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:04.560 the deadline. That being said, I do think they're going 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:06.760 to make some kind of acquisitions in the next few weeks. 0:04:07.360 --> 0:04:11.320 But you know what, it's those numbers feel right to me, 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.280 just one more time. Ninety percent on playoffs, fifty six 0:04:14.360 --> 0:04:17.080 percent of winning the division. I do think the Phillies 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:20.159 are a good team, but they have run impossibly hot 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:23.080 in like one run games. They have the best record 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:26.320 in one run games by a mile in the majors. 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:29.480 That's something I think generally will aggress with time. And 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:31.279 on the other hand, the Braves have been pretty poor 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:34.520 in one run games and in extra innings and things 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:36.600 like that. But at the same time, not to be 0:04:36.640 --> 0:04:40.599 a broken record. There are very obvious, glaring problems with 0:04:40.680 --> 0:04:43.159 this roster right now. I would like to think they're 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:45.560 going to be addressed, But until I see those transactions 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.479 come across, I think Braves fans everywhere should naturally kind 0:04:48.480 --> 0:04:48.720 of have. 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:52.120 Their guard up. Yeah, and you know, we'll be the 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:54.880 first to say, we look at the data and the 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:56.960 results matter. Like all those wins that the Braves got 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.680 that maybe they didn't necessarily you know, earns the wrong word, 0:05:00.000 --> 0:05:01.920 they weren't playing quite as well as that, they all 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:04.359 still count, and the Phillies wins still count, even though, 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:07.279 like you said, the Phillies are nineteen and six in 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:09.760 one run games and they're four and three dextra innings. 0:05:10.040 --> 0:05:13.160 The Braves, by contrast, are eleven and thirteen in one 0:05:13.240 --> 0:05:16.160 run games and two and five extra innings. That's how 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:20.000 you lead to a you could say expected or pythagoree. 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:21.480 And if you want to get super advanced. When you 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:23.760 look at the run differentials, the Braves are like ten 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.640 games ahead of the Phillies and all of these expected standings. 0:05:27.120 --> 0:05:29.360 But yet that doesn't matter right now. I mean, it 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:32.880 might be an indicator I tend to think, and that 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:34.719 I would pick the Braves to win the division in 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:36.600 part because of that, I think if you look at 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:39.640 the team quality, it's fair to say the team quality 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:43.360 at this very moment, without Ronald and without a lot 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:45.640 of the rotation stuff like, is not as good as 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.000 it would have been a few weeks ago. But I 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:49.760 think I would still probably take the Braves to win 0:05:49.800 --> 0:05:52.920 the division, given the two game lead, given the underlying data, 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:56.680 given that Ronald will be back fairly soon, and Robert, 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:01.640 as we discussed many times, Robert, Robert Suarez, like Alex, 0:06:01.640 --> 0:06:05.239 has to do it. But the Braves do have money 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:08.040 that we know is available for them to spend at 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:10.880 the deadline, Like it would be a little bit, don't. 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:13.640 I don't tend to forecast trades as much like I 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:15.680 don't bank on them. Trades are always hard to make 0:06:15.720 --> 0:06:19.680 and people tend to underestimate that. But can you imagine 0:06:19.880 --> 0:06:23.680 Alex trying to explain not making moves post deadline this 0:06:23.720 --> 0:06:25.720 time around, when everyone which by the way, he did 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:28.320 this to himself too, because he when they talked about profar, 0:06:28.839 --> 0:06:30.880 he explained that, like, hey, we can use this money 0:06:30.880 --> 0:06:32.560 at the deadline to add to add to the team, 0:06:32.760 --> 0:06:35.080 and that's one hundred percent true, he's not lying, but 0:06:35.160 --> 0:06:37.920 if they don't use it, it would be tough to sell, 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:40.840 so they have a much easier Like this is the 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:42.440 one time I think where I would actually kind of 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:44.360 bank on them, adding I don't know what they're gonna 0:06:44.400 --> 0:06:47.279 do to add, but like I will be honestly shocked 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:51.080 if they don't add some pretty something decently significant. Maybe 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:53.720 I'll be wrong, and I'm usually the skeptic on this stuff, 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:55.679 but because of the money thing more than anything else, 0:06:56.080 --> 0:06:57.880 Like I think they just have money. Bring a hole 0:06:57.880 --> 0:06:59.080 in their pocket that they're going to have to spend. 0:07:00.040 --> 0:07:02.960 If Alex Nthopolis does not make a handful of moves 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:09.239 at the deadline, he is going to get eviscerated by everybody, fans, media, 0:07:09.800 --> 0:07:12.200 I mean us this podcast. Oh man, if we get 0:07:12.200 --> 0:07:14.400 through the deadline and like there was like one half 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:18.080 asked move, we will go nuclear on him because there's 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:20.679 no excuse. They have the money, they have a farm 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.760 system that's had a phenomenal last year or so. We're 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:25.400 also going to talk about the draft hall in a 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:27.480 minute and be sure to stick around for that. But 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:30.480 Alex will get eviscerated if he does not go out 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:33.440 and make moves. That being said, that does not mean 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.360 that he has to go out and acquire kerk Scouoble 0:07:36.960 --> 0:07:41.320 and Jordan Alvarez and our oldest Chapman in the next 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:45.680 three weeks. I know that's that's unfair expectations, but you 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:49.040 can't tell me that with the money and prospects available 0:07:49.080 --> 0:07:51.800 to him, that he couldn't go out and in earnest 0:07:51.960 --> 0:07:55.280 really give this team a chance. Add a good number 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:59.080 two starter to really stabilize the rotation. Add maybe a 0:07:59.160 --> 0:08:01.960 right handed bat, left handed bat. Again, I'm not looking 0:08:01.960 --> 0:08:05.960 for your Don Alvarez or a superstar Xyz, but you know, 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:08.480 like a good left handed hitting outfielder in a good 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:11.800 right handed platoon bat would do wonders for this lineup 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:14.280 right now. Those are things that you can acquire without 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:17.120 having to give up Eric Hartman, Cam Kaminetti and Tate 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.440 South the scene. So sure, there's an excuse, there's a 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.520 reason to not make any drade that comes across your desk, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:26.360 But I really, I mean man alive. If Alex is 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:28.640 not aggressive and doesn't try to give this team a 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:31.440 chance after the down past couple of years this team 0:08:31.480 --> 0:08:34.080 has had, it's it's gonna be ugly hours, and I 0:08:34.120 --> 0:08:35.679 really hope we don't get to that point. 0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.840 I agree, and I mean, I'm not even gonna argue 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:41.640 with you. I think that there have been times in 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:44.280 the last couple of years where I'll say I am 0:08:44.360 --> 0:08:46.480 not we I have been accused of being a little 0:08:46.520 --> 0:08:49.080 softer on Alex than some and I think Alex is 0:08:49.080 --> 0:08:51.160 a good executive and that seems to be like controversial 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:53.480 in some circles. But even I would say, like, you 0:08:53.800 --> 0:08:56.000 can't not add, you just can't. This is not a 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.160 situation where you can't. I mean, if they were out 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:00.240 of it like they were last year, sure can get 0:09:00.280 --> 0:09:02.200 away with it then, but that's not gonna be the case. 0:09:02.240 --> 0:09:04.040 Even if the Braves lose every game for the next 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:05.480 two and a half weeks, they won't be out of 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:06.640 it at that point in time. 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:10.360 So even twenty twenty four, you know, the only move 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:13.480 was Jorge Solayer and Luke Jackson, and they didn't really 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:15.920 give anything up to acquire those guys. But that team 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.200 had just a laundry list of injuries that were kind 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:21.240 of limping. There was tough like I understood in twenty 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:23.920 four that was not a great roster, Like there were 0:09:23.920 --> 0:09:26.360 some real issues with the construction. That's not the case 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:29.400 for this year's team, and like there's even though this 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.800 team has issues, there are still some really strong components 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:35.360 of a October team that can go deep in the 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:37.840 playoffs if a few things click and if and the 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:40.439 ball bounces their way. But you have to go out 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:42.120 and make a couple of moves to give a team 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:42.600 a chance. 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:45.800 For sure, I totally agree, and we wanted to go 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:48.280 a little bit bigger picture that we normally would at 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:49.880 the top of this podcast. Because it is an All 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:52.160 Star break, it's a natural reset point. We do have 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:54.079 the draft talk about, and that's been busy the last 0:09:54.120 --> 0:09:56.480 couple days, and for the life of me, I don't 0:09:56.480 --> 0:09:58.439 know why the drafts happened on Saturday in the middle 0:09:58.480 --> 0:10:01.640 of games and a kinds of things. That's that's baffling 0:10:01.640 --> 0:10:04.760 to me and others. But regardless, the Braves are in 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:06.600 a good spot. It doesn't may not feel that way. 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:08.360 We've been the first to rack on the team for 0:10:08.400 --> 0:10:11.920 the last five weeks or so. We're basically, as people 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:13.800 listen to this on Monday will be three weeks away 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:16.240 from the deadline exactly. It's Monday, August third, it's three 0:10:16.280 --> 0:10:18.720 weeks away, so it's power to the medal from this 0:10:18.800 --> 0:10:21.640 point forward, with the probable exception of the next few 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:23.719 days when everybody kind of takes a reset around the 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:27.800 All Star Game. But yeah, good time, TikTok. We're feeling decent. 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:29.880 We're not We're not feeling as be as we were 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.800 a month ago. That's that would be impossible to even 0:10:32.840 --> 0:10:35.360 salt to ourselves. But uh, I pick you the Raves 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:37.920 to win the division. Scott definitely hedged way more than 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:39.160 I did. I want that out there right now on 0:10:39.160 --> 0:10:41.080 the record, Scott Scott was hedging, and I was not 0:10:41.240 --> 0:10:42.600 just saying that out loud. I'm just kidding. 0:10:42.760 --> 0:10:45.360 I will say they make I will say they win 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:47.200 the division. It's going to be a lot of butt 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:50.080 clenching and a lot of cover your eyes and say 0:10:50.120 --> 0:10:51.920 your prayer. I'll say they win the division by a 0:10:52.000 --> 0:10:55.720 game or two. Maybe that's the blind fan optimist in me. 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:58.360 And again I think I reserve the right to change 0:10:58.360 --> 0:11:00.880 my opinion based on the trade. 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:03.840 But yeah, I mean, look there, we don't have to 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:06.959 do the blind fan thing. All you have to do 0:11:07.080 --> 0:11:09.400 if you want to just have a totem poll to 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:12.040 lean on The Braves have a They Brace have been 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:14.480 one hundred and two runs better than the Phillies this season. 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:17.080 The Braves are plus ninety two. The Phillies are minus ten. 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:18.800 Even if they were if you think we're being homers, 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:22.880 that's fine. That number tells you something. I don't know 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:24.160 what it tells you, but it tells you. There has 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.520 been better than the Phillies the season so far, whether 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:29.160 the standing say that or not. So there you go. 0:11:29.240 --> 0:11:32.160 We've reset things, Scott. We're fifty seven, what say, fifty 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:34.920 nine percent of the way through the season. There's you know, 0:11:35.080 --> 0:11:37.240 there's games. There's no more nor more games till Friday. 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:39.480 It's four days with people getting in fights. You know, 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:42.040 you and I can laugh about this now. There will 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:44.199 be a lot of social media fights over the next 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:46.280 four days, and you have the Brace have an off day. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:49.120 Something happens where people getting mad at each other. Now 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:50.680 you have four days of that. So they play again 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:52.040 on Friday, so buckle up for that. 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:55.760 Well and fans aside, let's hope on a serious note 0:11:55.760 --> 0:11:58.000 that the boys are able to enjoy the next four 0:11:58.080 --> 0:11:59.760 days off. You know, you do have a couple of 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:02.800 guys is going to Philadelphia for the All Star Game. 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.800 But yeah, enjoy yourself, get away from the game, you know, 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:09.200 mental reset, physical reset. Do whatever makes you happy. Spend 0:12:09.280 --> 0:12:11.640 time with your family, your kids, go to the lake, 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:14.160 go to the beach, go on a mini vacation, anywhere 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:16.160 in the world, as long as you're back at seven 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:19.600 to fifteen pm on Friday afternoon or Friday night. Yeah, 0:12:19.600 --> 0:12:21.640 but let's just kind of reset. You have four days 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:23.320 away from the game, and then let's get back to 0:12:23.320 --> 0:12:25.920 winning baseball games the way we saw this team win 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:27.800 so many of them the first couple of months of 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:28.200 the year. 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.839 That's well said. And in moments we'll talk about the 0:12:31.960 --> 0:12:34.800 MLB Draft because there's a lot of discuss there. First, 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.760 we want to thick our friends at fasten All. Fasten 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:41.120 All Industrial Supplies Innovated Solutions. 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It could 0:13:12.200 --> 0:13:17.560 be weight loss, overall nutrition gains, more protein, fresh never frozen, 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:23.240 over one hundred rotating weekly meals, including globally inspired flavors 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:26.160 like Mediterranean and Asian. I get all kinds of different 0:13:26.160 --> 0:13:29.959 salads from Factor that I love, quick easy. They can 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:33.360 be ready in two minutes. Head to Factor meals dot com. 0:13:33.400 --> 0:13:37.960 Slash Foul fifty off and use code Foul fifty off 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:40.640 to get fifty percent off and free daily greens per 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.920 box with new subscription only while supplies last until nine 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:45.400 twenty seven, twenty twenty six. 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.880 All right, Scott let us discuss the twenty twenty six 0:13:51.080 --> 0:13:55.760 MLB draft, which again happened this weekend in the middle 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:59.160 of games and things. We always give this disclaimer. I 0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:01.720 feel like we have to do it right now, neither 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:03.280 you nor I. I don't want to speak for you, 0:14:03.360 --> 0:14:05.560 but I think I can in this one. Are MLB 0:14:05.720 --> 0:14:09.160 draft experts. We're not grinding tape on high school film 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:11.400 or college film. Maybe maybe you have been in the 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.080 last few days. Scott maybe I'm wrong about this. Have 0:14:13.120 --> 0:14:14.960 you been watching every single prospect? 0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:17.880 I have been watching every single prospect who had his 0:14:18.000 --> 0:14:20.280 name called by the Atlanta Braves in the last forty 0:14:20.280 --> 0:14:23.240 eight outs. But other than that, no, I lean on 0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:26.080 people smarter than me, And look, we are fortunate there 0:14:26.080 --> 0:14:30.360 are some phenomenal people in Braves Country who follow the draft, 0:14:30.400 --> 0:14:32.720 follow the minor leagues. We also have friends at Baseball 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.560 America who do this for their you know, the their 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:38.400 bread and butter is the MLB Draft. So always like 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:40.440 to hear from those folks and get their opinions on 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:41.880 how the Braves did in the draft. 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:46.440 Yes, and it is. We're cramming like everybody else is. Now. 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:51.320 We intentionally talk to Carl's Claso Baseball America, former co 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:54.480 host of ours last week on the show to got 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:56.120 to get a little bit of a preview of things, 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:57.920 and he actually kind of called a shot on a 0:14:57.920 --> 0:14:59.400 guy that we'll talk about in a second when he 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:02.800 brought up a player that we asked them about. But yeah, 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:04.960 Rave reviews, I mean, that's I don't want to It's 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:06.560 not I'm not trying to shift to focus to anybody 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:08.840 else other than us, But like people that I trust 0:15:08.840 --> 0:15:11.000 more than I trust myself on this. Really liked what 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:12.800 the Braves have done over the last couple of days, 0:15:13.200 --> 0:15:15.880 and I do take stock in that. I do take 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:18.240 some solace in that it makes sense to me. They 0:15:18.240 --> 0:15:20.960 made five picks in the first four rounds. They went 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:23.720 two outfielders and then three high school pitchers back to 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:28.120 back to back. Every time the Braves go probably under 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:31.800 slot anywhere. Some fans get really angry about that as 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.160 and call them cheap or something, even though they're spending 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.480 the exact amount of money that everybody else is spending. 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:39.240 It's not a cost savings thing, it's it's a strategy thing. 0:15:39.640 --> 0:15:41.480 But I guess we should just start at the number 0:15:41.520 --> 0:15:45.680 nine overall pick, which is outfielder from Virginia, AJ Grossia. 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.160 Is that what we're going with on that pronunciation? Is that? 0:15:48.320 --> 0:15:49.200 Is that accurate? Scott? 0:15:49.240 --> 0:15:53.080 I believe I watched some clips of AJ Grossia. Yeah, really, 0:15:53.160 --> 0:15:56.840 I mean an advanced hitter, and I think that's absolutely 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:59.560 why Grossia found himself in the top ten advanced hit 0:15:59.640 --> 0:16:02.520 tool has a good looking swing from the left side. 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:06.240 It's pretty pure, and all three years he was at 0:16:06.280 --> 0:16:08.800 Virginia and then he was a duke all three years 0:16:08.840 --> 0:16:12.600 he earned All ACC honors, was a big time performer, 0:16:12.680 --> 0:16:16.600 had more walks than strikeouts this past year, hits for power, 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:19.720 hits for average, So if you're looking for that carrying tool. 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:23.360 While he's still a pretty well rounded prospect overall, Grossia 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:26.160 can really hit the ball. And I know Matt Powers 0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:29.240 who covers the draft for Battery Power, and Matt's been 0:16:29.240 --> 0:16:32.040 on our podcast before. Matt was like over the moon 0:16:32.480 --> 0:16:35.120 for the pick of AJ Grossia. There's also a chance 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.520 that he will sign for a little bit less than 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:40.560 the slot bonus amount for the pick at number nine, 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:42.760 which only helps because then you could add more high 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:44.720 school talent that tends to cost a little bit more 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:47.480 in the later rounds. But again, I don't want to 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:49.760 pretend like I was watching all of five hundred of 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:53.080 AJ Grossia's college played appearances. But people who are smarter 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:55.560 than us and who follow this really like him. And he 0:16:55.560 --> 0:16:58.440 came in at number fourteen on Baseball America's big Board 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:01.040 coming into the draft. Yeah yeah, and that saving us 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:02.960 could be the way that they are able to sign 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.159 for instance, Jensen hirsch Corn and we'll talk about in 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:07.600 a second, a guy who's committed to a big program 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:09.760 at LSU, like who probably is gonna cost more than 0:17:09.800 --> 0:17:11.040 that pick slot will cost. 0:17:11.520 --> 0:17:14.240 That's it's all strategic. It's not cost savings. They're gonna 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:15.639 spend all the money that they can. I promise you 0:17:15.640 --> 0:17:17.760 they'll spend every time that they're allowed to spend in 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:19.840 the draft. It's just the way they have to allot it. 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:22.520 So yeah, I mean everything, I like everything I've seen. 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:24.600 I like, I should say from from Gracia. You know, 0:17:24.800 --> 0:17:27.280 I'm a big I would lean to hit tool being 0:17:27.320 --> 0:17:30.560 something that is valuable. You can never have too much 0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:34.520 to vet on your roster. So certainly that's a popular pick, 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:38.399 I think with good reason. The other first rounder is 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.280 out for our Carter Beck from Indiana State, who was 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.160 less heralded in some circles. But I think Carlos talks 0:17:44.160 --> 0:17:46.919 about this either on TV or online somewhere that I 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:50.800 saw about like how he was really rising fast with 0:17:50.920 --> 0:17:54.639 teams in this process. He was rated a little bit 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.359 lower on some of the big boards, so people kind 0:17:57.359 --> 0:17:59.080 of clung to that I saw, and we're getting mad 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:01.880 about it. But I don't view that. I mean, it's 0:18:01.880 --> 0:18:04.879 obviously he's an interesting pick in that Indiana State is 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:06.800 not on the radar, that's not a huge program, Like 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:09.280 the competition level is interesting. What did you make of 0:18:09.760 --> 0:18:12.760 carter Back as an investment. Yeah, kind of a. 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:14.800 Cool story with carter Back. I mean, you know, again, 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.159 no shade to Indiana State, which I'm sure is a 0:18:17.160 --> 0:18:20.400 fine baseball program, but you know, especially in the NIL era, 0:18:20.560 --> 0:18:23.159 it's amazing that one of the powerhouses didn't scoop this 0:18:23.200 --> 0:18:26.280 guy up because he's extremely coolsy a bit of a 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:28.760 late riser in the process. As you mentioned, I know 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:33.120 MLB Pipeline had to note that Quarterback is a favorite 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:36.640 of analytically minded teams who love his contact rates and 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:41.159 exit velocities. Also has a good reputation as being a gamer, 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:43.520 somebody who will run through a wall and catch any 0:18:43.520 --> 0:18:45.880 ball that he can get even close to. So yeah, 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:48.159 it was kind of a surprise pick, I think just 0:18:48.200 --> 0:18:51.160 because he was you know, in the sixties to nineties 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:53.520 on a lot of big boards. But you know what, again, 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:55.760 it's all part of the calculation with what his draft 0:18:55.760 --> 0:18:58.919