Speaker 1: And he switched to high hat deep head, stay nigh.
Speaker 2: Deep, just shutter.
Speaker 1: Feel and it's come.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 1: His first big league swing is gonna be a gland slam,
Speaker 1: a home run swing. Good time t Walk two do Show.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to The Call Up, your go to podcast
Speaker 2: and the future stars of Major with Baseball. You got
Speaker 2: arm lighton Elijah Evans. I am back in the United States,
Speaker 2: which means we are giving you four episodes this week,
Speaker 2: all Top one hundred related. We got newcomers today, but
Speaker 2: we're actually gonna talk about a newcomer to the big
Speaker 2: leagues and Brandon Montgomery off the top with the White Sox.
Speaker 2: But we're gonna hit on part one of two of
Speaker 2: the newcomers on this top one of joist because there's
Speaker 2: like twenty five of them, so we're gonna hit on
Speaker 2: twelve today. A top one hundred content all week long. Elijah,
Speaker 2: I'm really excited about it. We might it'll probably bleed
Speaker 2: into next week as well, Like why not. This is
Speaker 2: a mammoth of an update. We got as many newcomers
Speaker 2: as many graduations, big time movers, really fun list, a
Speaker 2: lot of twenty twenty five draftees, a lot of guys
Speaker 2: that have just kind of emerged, and it becomes a
Speaker 2: really fun conversation with many of these players.
Speaker 3: Yeah, and you, to your credit, I'll expose you on
Speaker 3: this a little bit. Like you said, this was like
Speaker 3: a tough Top one hundred for you because it is
Speaker 3: a really weird in between time.
Speaker 4: There was a lot of grind.
Speaker 3: I mean, there was twenty twenty graduations, twenty five newcomers.
Speaker 3: We're gonna get into the first half of those today,
Speaker 3: a lot of shuffling order for you. There was a
Speaker 3: ton of risers. You and Jack are gonna do biggest risers.
Speaker 3: There was some crazy risers. Our biggest riser in Top
Speaker 3: one hundred history went up ninety one spots and Ethan Salas.
Speaker 3: So like, there was a ton of movement and a
Speaker 3: lot of moving parts of this Top one hundred, which
Speaker 3: makes it such a fun one to talk about it.
Speaker 3: And that's why we're gonna have five episodes basically dedicated
Speaker 3: to your Top one hundred list, because this was just
Speaker 3: such an interesting list and a tough one to put
Speaker 3: together across the board for you, I think, right, I mean,
Speaker 3: it was an interesting one.
Speaker 2: It was funny because I think we had more like
Speaker 2: fifty future value guys than like ever like fifty plus
Speaker 2: is too many. We had like less fifty fives and
Speaker 2: less sixties, which meant like the top end was smaller,
Speaker 2: And then you had a really broad like seventy players
Speaker 2: that could be intertwined in any which way because they're
Speaker 2: further off, have just emerged, or trying to validate one
Speaker 2: guy's breakout more than the other, or a guy struggling
Speaker 2: but was really good the year before versus a guy
Speaker 2: that's breaking out. So many fun conversations that we're gonna
Speaker 2: have throughout the week, but we're gonna start with a
Speaker 2: guy that was already on the list and now is
Speaker 2: hopefully set to graduate if he sticks up there in
Speaker 2: the big League's number seventy for US Braydon Montgomery, switch
Speaker 2: hitting outfielder for the White Sox a little bit of
Speaker 2: a surprise to me. Not like that it was super
Speaker 2: far away. I just think that it was like, right now,
Speaker 2: you would know better than I where do you stand
Speaker 2: on this? Obviously performing really well, there's some underlying stuff
Speaker 2: we'll talk about, and it's just a larger conversation of it.
Speaker 2: All tools are amazing, super high upside makeup. We just
Speaker 2: talked about like people, people are so so high on
Speaker 2: the way he goes about his business, and I think
Speaker 2: that's a big reason why we see him up there.
Speaker 2: And also the White Sox are on a spot where, hey,
Speaker 2: we want to compete right now and we can ride
Speaker 2: a hot hand here of a power hitting switch hitter, uh,
Speaker 2: that could play a solid corner. Were you a little
Speaker 2: bit surprised by the timing of this? Were you expecting
Speaker 2: it maybe closer to the break? After the break?
Speaker 3: What you know?
Speaker 2: What was your estimation of Braid Montgomery's call up.
Speaker 3: I think my estimation before the moona Taka Morricami injury,
Speaker 3: and before Bradon Montgomery's last week was probably like July,
Speaker 3: that was my initial estimation. I think earlier this season
Speaker 3: I definitely would have told you, like somewhere All Star
Speaker 3: break ish would have been my guest, because the intention
Speaker 3: was always to have him up this year.
Speaker 4: They always knew.
Speaker 3: The White Sox pretty much indicated this spring that like
Speaker 3: he was going to be part of the big league
Speaker 3: team this season. I did think it'd be a little later.
Speaker 3: With that said, you lose your power bat in MORECAMMI
Speaker 3: your top you know, power juice and Braida Montgomery. To
Speaker 3: his credit, he's on a ten game hit streak right now,
Speaker 3: hitting four seventy four in his past ten games, played
Speaker 3: with more walks than strikeouts, which is a big emphasis
Speaker 3: for him. So you've seen him in the past two
Speaker 3: weeks in Charlotte. Cut the walker, cut the strikeout right down.
Speaker 3: He's getting on base at an incredibly high clip. The
Speaker 3: White Sox lineup is actually still holding on without more
Speaker 3: COMI but I think the organization looks at it as
Speaker 3: like a we're still holding on, but we don't have
Speaker 3: more comedy for another month. Kyle Teal's rehab is getting delayed.
Speaker 3: If we can get a guy who's really hot right
Speaker 3: now to kind of keep this lineup progressing and staying
Speaker 3: steady for the rest of June, then you get more
Speaker 3: comedy and Kyle tealback.
Speaker 4: Man.
Speaker 3: Like, I mean, I know it's a little homer Ish
Speaker 3: of me, but like this lineup is up there with
Speaker 3: a lot of lineups in the American League, especially when
Speaker 3: you get more comedy and tealback like he had Brandontcumber
Speaker 3: to the fold. I think the other factor is, like
Speaker 3: they've been rotating right fielders all season. Sam Antonaci settled
Speaker 3: into left field. Borderline All Star Tristan Peters is in centerfield,
Speaker 3: which is the craziest thing of crazy, but right field
Speaker 3: has been this kind of hole where it's you've had
Speaker 3: Austin Hayes who's injured, You've had Everson Pereira who's rehabbing
Speaker 3: right now. Rikudashida comes up and is a fun story,
Speaker 3: but ultimately, like Radon Montgomery is the right fielder or
Speaker 3: the future in Chicago. So right now, if that's your
Speaker 3: hole in your lineup and you're trying to get some
Speaker 3: power to replace more commedi's absence, I see why with
Speaker 3: a crazy hot past two weeks, they just decided to
Speaker 3: pull trigger on this move.
Speaker 2: What's fascinating in the way you lay it out to
Speaker 2: is like, this is a move that I think really
Speaker 2: implies the urgency of the White Sox here, which, OK,
Speaker 2: are they gonna go all and we talked about in
Speaker 2: the Just Baseball Show, like are they gonna go all
Speaker 2: in and be buyers to the deadline? Know they may
Speaker 2: buy and sell, be strategic, but there's urgency for this
Speaker 2: team to compete and stay afloat. Hey, you don't always
Speaker 2: have to, you know, mortgage prospects in the future to say, hey,
Speaker 2: we want to win right now. I think it can
Speaker 2: also be evident in the way that you are going
Speaker 2: about your business with your young players here. But I
Speaker 2: think there's a real scenario if you had truth serum
Speaker 2: to the White Sox front office that Montgomery could end
Speaker 2: up back in Triple A. Like. I don't think that
Speaker 2: they are, you know, fully banking on him getting up
Speaker 2: there and playing the rest of the year. That's at
Speaker 2: least my guest, because there is some swing and miss there.
Speaker 2: I think they are doing this with the understanding that
Speaker 2: it could go really well, he could get blown up
Speaker 2: a little bit, and either way it doesn't change how
Speaker 2: we look at him long term, which is a guy
Speaker 2: that I, as I've talked about him here, I think
Speaker 2: is a slower burn. It's gonna take some time. You
Speaker 2: look at like the contact rates this year, sixty six
Speaker 2: percent contact rate basically right at the like, right at
Speaker 2: the borderline of where you could be at the major
Speaker 2: league level to be a qualified like big league hitter.
Speaker 2: I think there's not many qualified hitters are gonna below
Speaker 2: sixty five percent. That said, in the span that he's
Speaker 2: been performing in you mentioned like in the last couple
Speaker 2: weeks his chase rate is down to like seventeen percent.
Speaker 2: So if he can lean into the three true outcome
Speaker 2: sid which we've talked about with him, like that is
Speaker 2: that next step. And he's demolishing fastballs. So if he's
Speaker 2: dialed in right now crushing heaters as he sees him
Speaker 2: not chasing breaking balls, they can ride a hot hand
Speaker 2: here for a few weeks. If he struggles, you assess
Speaker 2: and you figure it out. But again, I don't think
Speaker 2: it changes the long term outcome. I think a lot
Speaker 2: of times you tread a little bit lightly because you
Speaker 2: bring a guy up when you want him to stick
Speaker 2: and stand, and I know they want him to. But
Speaker 2: as all these other guys that you mentioned come back,
Speaker 2: and if Montgomery struggle one, don't you think there's a
Speaker 2: chance he just gets optioned back to Triple A. And
Speaker 2: I don't think it's like anything change. He gets an
Speaker 2: idea of what he needs to work on and tries
Speaker 2: to play his way back in the end of the year.
Speaker 4: I think it's possible.
Speaker 3: I also think the White Sox when they when they
Speaker 3: call up names and did guys with name value, they
Speaker 3: like to just let it ride I think that's kind
Speaker 3: of how it was gonna go with no Schultz. Obviously
Speaker 3: he's injured now, but like they were gonna let Schultz
Speaker 3: keep going this season regardless of if he struggles. I
Speaker 3: kind of think it's gonna be similar with Montgomery. The
Speaker 3: interesting wrinkle from a positional standpoint is he's playing a
Speaker 3: lot of center field so in Triple A in the
Speaker 3: past couple weeks especially, So I do think a slight
Speaker 3: part of the calculation here for the positional aspect is
Speaker 3: against left handed pitching. Does Montgomery play center in replace
Speaker 3: of Tristan Peters, Because Christan Pieters has been awesome, but
Speaker 3: he still does have pretty heavy splits, So I wouldn't
Speaker 3: be surprised to see Montgomery become your center fielder against
Speaker 3: let tended starters. Actually, even as good as Peters has been,
Speaker 3: I think you could consider the possibility of Peter's being
Speaker 3: the strong side platoon center fielder, having Braden be your
Speaker 3: your you know, your your weak side platoon center fielder,
Speaker 3: your strong side right fielder, and then right field you
Speaker 3: have guys like ever Sin prayro On a bunch of
Speaker 3: other guys who can hit lefties.
Speaker 4: As a right fielder.
Speaker 3: So that's an interesting drinkle where I think Brayden getting
Speaker 3: a couple of days a week potentially at center field
Speaker 3: makes the equation even more palatable to keep him on
Speaker 3: the roster even if he goes through some ebs and flows.
Speaker 3: I still think he's a right fielder long term. I
Speaker 3: do from watching him, you know, a lot, in the
Speaker 3: past two years. But they still have played him a
Speaker 3: lot in center all season and seem like they feel
Speaker 3: like he can be at least a part time center
Speaker 3: fielder at the highest level.
Speaker 2: What's really exciting here and to highlight some positives and
Speaker 2: how he can maybe stick and fill that role, is
Speaker 2: three eighty against fastballs this year with a twelve oh
Speaker 2: seven OPS. The challenge though, is chase rate balloons against spin.
Speaker 2: He has crushed mistakes, so it's eight thirty eight ohps.
Speaker 2: It's good enough. Even though the contact rate crator is
Speaker 2: a little bit against spin. It's good enough. He can
Speaker 2: be competitive. We're gonna like the Brandon Marsh thing this year.
Speaker 2: Marsh has been one of the best fastball hitters in
Speaker 2: Major League Baseball and he is just not sucked against spin.
Speaker 2: And Brandon Marsh has been really, really good this year.
Speaker 2: So if he can be really, really good and Hold
Speaker 2: is just just dominant against fastballs and instead of getting
Speaker 2: picked apart by secondaries, hold his own, it's gonna be
Speaker 2: a good spot average a vlosity of ninety four point
Speaker 2: five miles per hour. That'll put him if he can
Speaker 2: maintain that, among the tops in Major League Baseball. A
Speaker 2: lot to be excited about here, and a guy that
Speaker 2: could absolutely be a jolt for the White Sox. I
Speaker 2: am a little bit concerned about the whiff and chase
Speaker 2: on secondaries, but this is really exciting, and I think
Speaker 2: a guy that could absolutely ride the hot hand and
Speaker 2: just continue to be, you know, a productive piece at
Speaker 2: the highest level.
Speaker 3: It's one of the more lopsided lineups in terms of
Speaker 3: your your true power three outcome. Guys like Coulson Montgomery's
Speaker 3: becoming like to talk about Acami, but then you've got
Speaker 3: the total flip side in your Sam Antonaci and your
Speaker 3: Miguel Varguez who just work the.
Speaker 4: Crap out of the bats.
Speaker 3: It's a pretty interesting way to watch baseball because you
Speaker 3: watch the White Sox, you just got like this total
Speaker 3: you know, opposite spectrum hitters. But at least it's some
Speaker 3: of both, right, Like you can't have one of you
Speaker 3: can't have everything being the same. So it is a
Speaker 3: funny lineup, but it's kind of how it is, like
Speaker 3: you got total opposite hitters in terms of style.
Speaker 2: I like the balance. I mean something that we're seeing
Speaker 2: the Rays even do a little bit of as well.
Speaker 2: They still have their EV guys, but they also have
Speaker 2: their contact and speed guys, and I think it's a
Speaker 2: good way to approach things. And at the end of
Speaker 2: the day, though, like for the White Sox to continue
Speaker 2: on this trajectory. And I don't think he's a make
Speaker 2: or break guy for them obviously, but he's a big
Speaker 2: piece of it. Brandon Montgomery having success at the big
Speaker 2: league level really catapults this team into I think, just
Speaker 2: being able to get very, very excited about what it
Speaker 2: can look liket next year too.
Speaker 4: Yeah, one hundred percent.
Speaker 3: Let's get into our newcomers. We got twelve guys. We're
Speaker 3: starting at the back of the top one hundred. We're
Speaker 3: working our way down. We'll have a whole second part
Speaker 3: of this too, because there's so many names, like you
Speaker 3: mentioned earlier, twenty five newcomers. We started at number ninety
Speaker 3: seven with sever King of the Washington Nationals organization. Sever King,
Speaker 3: we've talked about on the heat sheet. I think two
Speaker 3: or three times are us. Because last year was rough.
Speaker 3: This year has been awesome. He got to triple A
Speaker 3: recently slowed down a little bit in Triple A marginally,
Speaker 3: but he destroyed double A to start the season. Now
Speaker 3: he's in trips knocking on the door of the big
Speaker 3: leagues if he gets, you know, going a little bit
Speaker 3: more at the triple A.
Speaker 2: Love. He's just in a different hitter this year. I think,
Speaker 2: just a little bit more free in the box. I
Speaker 2: mean from some of the things that I was hearing
Speaker 2: about him and reading too, I think Sever was really
Speaker 2: selling out to try to pull the ball in the
Speaker 2: air more last year, and with that came more with
Speaker 2: and now I do think sever needs to find a
Speaker 2: happy medium here and get the ball back in the
Speaker 2: year post side a little bit more. But he's gone
Speaker 2: back to just let me go be an athlete in
Speaker 2: the box and hit the ball hard and compete and
Speaker 2: the rest will work itself out. And that's exactly what's happening.
Speaker 2: Because of the bat speed that he has, which is
Speaker 2: just comfortably plus and up from last year. Last year's
Speaker 2: bat speed was already above average, like seventy three miles
Speaker 2: per hour. He's at seventy four miles per hour this year.
Speaker 2: With that kind of bat speed, you can inside out
Speaker 2: balls and split the opposite field, gapp or leave the
Speaker 2: yard the other way, and that's what he's done. But
Speaker 2: you imagine how much power could be in there if
Speaker 2: you can just airpole a little bit more, just getting
Speaker 2: be able to get the barrel out there a little
Speaker 2: bit further, contact one a little bit further out more consistently.
Speaker 2: That's a nitpick for a guy that is just better
Speaker 2: across the board this year. Contact rates are better, hard
Speaker 2: hit rate is up ten percent, the chase rate, which
Speaker 2: is a big thing for me, is down seven percent.
Speaker 2: He was just hyper aggressive last year, so to improve
Speaker 2: that is great. He is still hitting the ball in
Speaker 2: the air a little bit more consistently. And then yeah,
Speaker 2: you look at the production against breaking balls, that is
Speaker 2: the biggest thing for me. Last year he had a
Speaker 2: five seventy six ops against breaking balls. This year it's
Speaker 2: nine to seventy three. Just to see the improvements across
Speaker 2: the board for Zever King are so so exciting, and
Speaker 2: I think you're still trying to figure out the bat,
Speaker 2: Eric seving the glove. He has all of the tools
Speaker 2: and the ingredients to stick it short, but when he
Speaker 2: transferred awake force, it was a little bit of center. Second,
Speaker 2: like he's played all over the map. With more reps
Speaker 2: at shortstop, can he develop into a solid defender there?
Speaker 2: I absolutely think he has the tools too, but still
Speaker 2: kind of a little bit shaky with the team moving
Speaker 2: to third. Could be really solid there. Second, he'd obviously
Speaker 2: be great as well. He's just an explosive athlete, So
Speaker 2: I think it's gonna work out one way or another
Speaker 2: at one of these spots. But it just seems like
Speaker 2: he's better across the board. Everything that you wanted to see.
Speaker 2: And remember this was one of the more athletic players
Speaker 2: in the twenty twenty four class. That's why he went,
Speaker 2: you know, as high as he did. And now we're
Speaker 2: starting to see that athleticism shine through.
Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent, he's been awesome. I think it's
Speaker 3: it's gonna be cool. I mean, Washington's one of the
Speaker 3: best offices in baseball, Like you guys have talked about
Speaker 3: on the TV show a lot like and this is
Speaker 3: another guy who could add a wrinkle like even if
Speaker 3: he's not playing shortstop right like he he could be
Speaker 3: another bat at the bottom half of that lineup that
Speaker 3: just continues to make that team even better on offense,
Speaker 3: which is so crazy that we're talking about the White
Speaker 3: Sux in the Nationals offense is so highly right now,
Speaker 3: but it's how it's where we are right now. The
Speaker 3: Nationals have done a great job getting to this point.
Speaker 2: And both have that young talent working their way up
Speaker 2: and as you mentioned, the Asciver King could get up
Speaker 2: there sooner rather than later. Big thing is to see
Speaker 2: those those swing decisions continue to hold in the way
Speaker 2: that they have and how much better they are. And again,
Speaker 2: ninety two miles per hour average ecxs of all for
Speaker 2: this guy too. I mean it's it's up four miles
Speaker 2: per hour, almost four and a half from last year.
Speaker 2: Clearly sever kings finding the barrel and swinging the bat
Speaker 2: a little bit harder.
Speaker 4: It's a huge jump.
Speaker 3: Next guy right up, next list on the top one
Speaker 3: hundred ninety sixth is Brayland Dodie of the Cleveland Guardians organization.
Speaker 3: This was a twenty twenty four what was it, just
Speaker 3: outside the CBA pick so just outside the first round
Speaker 3: in twenty twenty four. Last year was a really solid
Speaker 3: first pro season and has pretty much just carried it
Speaker 3: over and then some.
Speaker 2: This year.
Speaker 3: He goes from Single A last year at nineteen years old,
Speaker 3: now he's in high A as a twenty year old.
Speaker 3: The strikeout rates even higher, the walk rates even lower.
Speaker 3: Era is about the same as last year. You're talking about,
Speaker 3: you know, a twenty year old righty who's got a
Speaker 3: thirty percent k rate, five percent walk rate this season.
Speaker 3: It's just he's been really, really solid, and he's another
Speaker 3: Guardians pitcher who just continues to work their way into
Speaker 3: a top prospect list.
Speaker 2: Now, yeah, he's He's a fascinating arm because you just
Speaker 2: feel like there's still so much more in there. I mean,
Speaker 2: such a good athlete, a phenomenal athlete in the mound,
Speaker 2: and there was a multi sport athlete in high school.
Speaker 2: And you can really see that he hole vary his
Speaker 2: leg kicks kind of hesitate with it, mess with your timing,
Speaker 2: and his balance is just so evident and clear on
Speaker 2: the mound. What's also fascinating is I think there's even
Speaker 2: more in there for the fastball. We see him touch
Speaker 2: ninety seven, but he averages closer to ninety three ninety four,
Speaker 2: and he's ninety three point seven to be exact in
Speaker 2: the four seamer. The other thing is he averages over
Speaker 2: twenty five hundred RPMs on the four seamer. It gets
Speaker 2: fair like slightly above average carry, but with a little
Speaker 2: bit more beneficent tea and consistency like that could have
Speaker 2: plus ride to it. The command of the heater is fantastic,
Speaker 2: seventy six percent strike rate on the four seamer. He
Speaker 2: also mixes in a two seamer with a sixty seven
Speaker 2: percent strike rate. I think that's the really fun thing
Speaker 2: with Dodi. He's like, you spin it the way that
Speaker 2: he does. His curve ball is over three thousand RPMs.
Speaker 2: He has a cutter as well that he mixes in
Speaker 2: there like twenty seven hundred. The slider looks like a
Speaker 2: good pitch. He can spin the living crap out of
Speaker 2: the baseball. So you have a plus curveball plus slider
Speaker 2: leading the way. But the fastball is the really interesting
Speaker 2: X factor. If it's hovers and stays around average, I
Speaker 2: think it plays up even with the just the high spin,
Speaker 2: it just seems to kind of stay up a little
Speaker 2: bit more than you expect. But if he can find
Speaker 2: a little bit more spinefficiency and hold the villo a
Speaker 2: little bit more, that's gonna play closer to and above
Speaker 2: average plus pitch. You got three plus pitches there, and
Speaker 2: Dode's change up has come along to where it's at
Speaker 2: least an average fourth offering and it looks like he's
Speaker 2: gonna have plus command. So this guy screams at worst
Speaker 2: back end of the rotation starter. But you see this
Speaker 2: upside now with you know, a four pitch mix that
Speaker 2: looks really solid and you know three potentially plus pitches
Speaker 2: at least two where Dodi's gonna be I think, a
Speaker 2: really solid on for a long time and still has
Speaker 2: that middle rotation upside. He also just looks like at
Speaker 2: the type of guy that's going to get the most
Speaker 2: out of his stuff.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it seems like he can maximize. I feel like
Speaker 3: he got some room to climb right now, and it
Speaker 3: sounds like there's a lot more in the tank. And
Speaker 3: even you know, checking in here at ninety six on
Speaker 3: the top one hundred, like sounds to me like there's
Speaker 3: room for him to really kind of make his way
Speaker 3: even further up the lift if he taps into more
Speaker 3: of this. And remember he's only twenty years old, so
Speaker 3: he's got plenty of time. He's gonna be twenty this
Speaker 3: entire season. He's not twenty one until the offseason, so like,
Speaker 3: there's some room here I think for him to add.
Speaker 2: More sixty seven percent overall strike right, I mean, he
Speaker 2: commands everything really well. I love the way that this
Speaker 2: stuff kind of tunnels. The shapes are all pretty distinct.
Speaker 2: It's just a really solid pitching prospect that again the
Speaker 2: underlying points towards there being even more to unlock.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's exciting stuff.
Speaker 3: Our next player up on the Newcomers comes in at
Speaker 3: ninety three, and that is Elmer Rodriguez of the Yankees organization,
Speaker 3: who debuted earlier this season a little bit shaky in
Speaker 3: his first three MLB starts. He was making some spot
Speaker 3: starts for the Yankees, but not putting a ton of
Speaker 3: stock in that because this guy was one of the
Speaker 3: best pitchers in Minor league baseball last year through one
Speaker 3: hundred and fifty minor league ginnings at a two to
Speaker 3: five ERA last season. This year in Triple A thirty
Speaker 3: nine and two thirds at a two nine to five
Speaker 3: VRA he's really been extremely good throughout the minor leagues
Speaker 3: for three years in a row now with Boston and
Speaker 3: then coming over to New York. A little bit of
Speaker 3: a tough start to his big league career, but he's
Speaker 3: a twenty two year old who's dominated minor league baseball
Speaker 3: for three years.
Speaker 2: For row now, Yeah, I think we've skewed lower on
Speaker 2: him and then metally. I just I don't love the shapes,
Speaker 2: but at the same time, it's just too hard to
Speaker 2: deny at this point. And the tipping point for me
Speaker 2: was more like hitter reactions, where it just seems like
Speaker 2: there's some built in deception here that's going to allow
Speaker 2: the arsenal to play up. He cross fires, he stays closed,
Speaker 2: and then crossfires where you just don't see the ball
Speaker 2: until late. And that crossfire delivery, when you are a
Speaker 2: guy that works very horizontally with your arsenal, is definitely
Speaker 2: going to allow it to play up. So I think
Speaker 2: that was the thing for me just became increasingly difficult
Speaker 2: to deny. The results for Rodriguez and back to back
Speaker 2: to back years effectively, and with what he's done in
Speaker 2: the upper levels, you'll get the horizontal separation with the
Speaker 2: slider and then kind of like the sweeping curveball that
Speaker 2: he will throw, and then the sinker on the other
Speaker 2: end of the thing of the plot. It's pretty fascinating
Speaker 2: there he can buzz the forcing up just enough to
Speaker 2: be able to change eye levels, and I'm like, I
Speaker 2: don't even know if there's a clear plus pitch, but
Speaker 2: when you've got three above average offerings, maybe five average
Speaker 2: or better offerings, and you have this built in deception
Speaker 2: that allows it to play up, that's where I'm like,
Speaker 2: this guy looks at least like a back end of
Speaker 2: the rotation starter. The big thing for Rodriguez as to
Speaker 2: whether he's like a five or can push maybe closer
Speaker 2: to a fringe three, is going to be that command.
Speaker 2: I think his stuff moves so so much horizontally that
Speaker 2: it's hard for him to consistently throw strikes, and that's
Speaker 2: part of the reason why I think we saw the
Speaker 2: big league struggles. But again, it's just it was too
Speaker 2: hard for me to deny what we've seen, and I'm like,
Speaker 2: he just looks like such a high probability four starter.
Speaker 2: Whether that happens this year or a couple of years
Speaker 2: from now. Reminder, he's still just twenty two and more
Speaker 2: room to strengthen up, and like could end up throwing harder.
Speaker 2: It just became too hard for me to deny him
Speaker 2: at this point.
Speaker 3: That's why I love doing the newcomer episodes with you,
Speaker 3: because you have every different reason, right, Like this is
Speaker 3: a guy who's coming on because the production has just
Speaker 3: been too good.
Speaker 4: You might not love the profile right and not be
Speaker 4: the most projectable, but he's just been great.
Speaker 3: Then you've got guys that break out like Steever King
Speaker 3: take a huge step forward. Then we have guys later
Speaker 3: on who we are like these high school guys which
Speaker 3: just popped from last year's draft, Like you have such
Speaker 3: a range, but these guys all have, for whatever reason
Speaker 3: in their own right, have earned a spot in the
Speaker 3: top one hundred, and many of them are going to
Speaker 3: keep rising up.
Speaker 2: That's a great point. There's a lot of different ways
Speaker 2: to get in the top one hundred, especially when you
Speaker 2: have like twenty something graduates. But yeah, there's a couple guys,
Speaker 2: and it's like the subjective versus objective thing, and with
Speaker 2: there's subjective aspects of like mechanics, swings, how you think
Speaker 2: the stuff is going to play. Then the objective side
Speaker 2: is the numbers that you can't really deny, and with Almer,
Speaker 2: the objective just became way too, way too prominent for
Speaker 2: the subjective to out weigh, no doubt. I like that.
Speaker 4: That's a good explanation. We got a bunch of more names.
Speaker 3: Let's take a quick break before we dive right back
Speaker 3: in getting back into our top one hundred newcomers here.
Speaker 3: Next name up on the list is the next number
Speaker 3: up ninety second, and it's Joseph Zerwa of the Baltimore
Speaker 3: Orioles organization. This is a fun one who we've talked
Speaker 3: about a couple times this year because he was second
Speaker 3: rounder last year by the Orioles. Really has just shown
Speaker 3: that he's probably even better than his draft stock indicated
Speaker 3: last year. Worked his way through High A absolutely dominating
Speaker 3: to two ERA through his first eight starts there. Got
Speaker 3: promoted a couple of weeks ago to Double A. His
Speaker 3: initial three starts in Double A, I mean, some of
Speaker 3: the numbers are crazy. For while his first three starts
Speaker 3: in Double A, what is it twenty three strikeouts, three
Speaker 3: walks so far in sixteen and two thirds innings at
Speaker 3: the Double A level, six' eight left hander from last
Speaker 3: year's draft and looks like he's just a really, quick
Speaker 3: rising college arm from the draft.
Speaker 2: CLASS i, mean it's amazing we picked him as a
Speaker 2: breakout because you just immediately saw deceptive left throwing. Harder
Speaker 2: deceptive lefty strike thrower who's throwing harder is gonna be
Speaker 2: a really easy breakout to. Call, Like i'm not even
Speaker 2: gonna say. That this isn't why you should listen to the.
Speaker 2: Show this was a low hanging fruit, pick but it's
Speaker 2: very cool to see him make that happen, Right like
Speaker 2: you're seeing the velocity hold enough to where for him
Speaker 2: it doesn't need to be ninety, five it just needed
Speaker 2: to be ninety, three and that's where he's. Been you
Speaker 2: pair that with the fact that he's just revamped the
Speaker 2: whole arsenal to WHERE i, mean the change up was
Speaker 2: his was his best pitch and it still ultimately is
Speaker 2: his best. Pitch But zerbo has been dominant this year
Speaker 2: without the change up really being there for him, completely
Speaker 2: which is the most amazing. Part that was like all
Speaker 2: he had really At Michigan. State so this is a
Speaker 2: really fun. Development where it was more ninety to ninety,
Speaker 2: two now it's more ninety two to ninety. Five and
Speaker 2: it's not just making the fastball better from what was
Speaker 2: fringy to now and above average pitch with the belts in.
Speaker 2: Deception it's also making his other pitch is better because
Speaker 2: he's added this. Cutter that cutter looks above. Average it
Speaker 2: may not have played as, well you, know in the
Speaker 2: past because he didn't throw his hard but now that
Speaker 2: cutter being able to play you, know closer to, that you,
Speaker 2: know upper up mid. EIGHTIES i would say range is
Speaker 2: enough from his release, point that kind of horizontal release
Speaker 2: to be difficult for hit or is kind of tie
Speaker 2: up righties or work away from. Lefties then you have
Speaker 2: more of this sweeper off of that that looks like
Speaker 2: it can be like a sweeping curveball that looks like
Speaker 2: he can be a solid offering as. Well but the
Speaker 2: biggest thing with me with With zerr was you have plus.
Speaker 2: Command he's already getting into AND i, thought with his
Speaker 2: command and, deception even if it was four average, pitches
Speaker 2: he had a good shot to be able to like
Speaker 2: hold down a number five spot in a rotation if
Speaker 2: he executes. Enough now you push to above average, fastball
Speaker 2: above average, cutter and a plus change up with that plus,
Speaker 2: command and you, say, well this guy could be a strong,
Speaker 2: four maybe even a. Three AND i don't think you
Speaker 2: can rule Out zu being able to maybe gain another.
Speaker 2: Tick he's foot, eight two hundred. Pounds he moves pretty
Speaker 2: athletically on the. Mound there could be another tick or
Speaker 2: two in. There and if that's in, there then we're
Speaker 2: talking about a potential middle rotation On.
Speaker 3: Wow, yeah it seems like there's some some juice. THERE i,
Speaker 3: mean it's, exciting it's a it's always. FUN i love
Speaker 3: the big left. Handers they're always just enjoyable to, watch
Speaker 3: especially with the deception you mentioned. There but it sounds
Speaker 3: like there's still a little bit of you, know continual arsenal.
Speaker 3: Tweaking and again he's throwing. Away he's throwing, fifty you,
Speaker 3: know fifty seven career minor, Leaguinnings like he didn't throw
Speaker 3: it all last year after. College he was a three
Speaker 3: year guy At Michigan. State he threw a lot of
Speaker 3: innings through out. College but, like if there's even more
Speaker 3: in the, tank he really has continued to trend, up
Speaker 3: like his strikeout. Rate it's actually pretty. Crazy it's rare
Speaker 3: to see a guy whose strikeout rate goes up every
Speaker 3: single year of his like progression.
Speaker 4: Even through college and then in now in to the minor.
Speaker 3: Leagues like he was a guy his first, year you,
Speaker 3: know his second year at, college he was only rocking
Speaker 3: a Twenty i'm looking at a twenty five percent strikeout
Speaker 3: right now he's rocking at thirty four percent rate in DOUBLE.
Speaker 3: A so it's like you see a guy that just
Speaker 3: seems like he continues to get better from his college
Speaker 3: time and then even now into you, know as he's
Speaker 3: rising the ranked hea is getting better along the way
Speaker 3: one hundred.
Speaker 2: Percent and whether it be from the arsenal like well
Speaker 2: roundedness or just the quality of the. Stuff the other
Speaker 2: thing is, fastballs it's thirty two percent wifth. RATE i
Speaker 2: think it's just going to always outperform maybe what people
Speaker 2: think on the. Surface it's run and, ride gets eighteen
Speaker 2: inches of horizontal but like fourteen to fifteen inches on average,
Speaker 2: avert but hold throw some fastballs that are getting like
Speaker 2: seventeen and. Seventeen it's, like that's crazy from his release.
Speaker 2: Point AND i think that's a big reason why we're
Speaker 2: Seeing SIR i have the success that he's. Having he's
Speaker 2: really dominating with the heater.
Speaker 3: A hundred, percent one of the more well, rounded higher
Speaker 3: floor guys that was a late addition to the top
Speaker 3: one hundred coming into eighty. Third it's case In cunningham
Speaker 3: of The diamondbacks, organization their first round pick out of
Speaker 3: high school last, year one of like the safer high school,
Speaker 3: picks which is a weird thing to say because high
Speaker 3: school picks are rarely. Safe But cunningham is a very
Speaker 3: advanced hit tool guy who has shown that immediately so
Speaker 3: far this, season and it's just done about what we.
Speaker 4: Expected and then then you, know is our inn the
Speaker 4: spot on?
Speaker 3: It because of that he's hitting three eighty, one THOUGH
Speaker 3: i mean that's probably even more than, expected.
Speaker 4: RIGHT i say, expected because we expected him.
Speaker 3: To be a high hit tool, guy BUT i. DON'T
Speaker 3: i mean four to seventy one on base. Percentage it's
Speaker 3: a one fifty SIX wrc plus there's not a ton of,
Speaker 3: impact AND i think that's the thing to follow with
Speaker 3: in terms of What cunningham's upside can. Be but he's a,
Speaker 3: speedy elite hit tool type of prep bat of from
Speaker 3: last year's class who's showing exactly why so far this
Speaker 3: season and.
Speaker 2: He's been hitting the ball a lot harder of. Late
Speaker 2: that was a little bit of my, concern and why
Speaker 2: he was a late addition IS i mean it was
Speaker 2: like eighty three eighty four mile per hour average ex
Speaker 2: velocity through the first couple of months or first like
Speaker 2: four weeks or. So overs ust thirty, games it's an
Speaker 2: eighty nine mile per hour average exivelocity For, cunningham which
Speaker 2: has raised the season average to eighty, Six and For,
Speaker 2: cunningham with his bat to ball, skills doesn't need to
Speaker 2: be too much higher than. THAT i always talk about
Speaker 2: LIKE i just can't escape the Exavier edwards, Comparison and
Speaker 2: now we're Seeing edwards what it looks like when you
Speaker 2: can even just push north of, thirty like thirty great
Speaker 2: power or how incredible that can, be not even just
Speaker 2: from a mixing a handful of, homers but just splitting
Speaker 2: the gaps. Consistently BUT i think there's a similar progression
Speaker 2: that you can maybe dream on With cunningham as. Well
Speaker 2: but WHY i see the similarities is just the field to,
Speaker 2: hit the operation in the, box just how advanced it
Speaker 2: is overall, there and also with gunning, him it's a
Speaker 2: pretty good approach. Too the aspect that really pushed him
Speaker 2: onto the top one hundred and not just on it
Speaker 2: then into the top eighty five at eighty three is the.
Speaker 2: DEFENSE i really thought he was going to be a
Speaker 2: guy as an amateur that would end up sliding over
Speaker 2: to second. Base and maybe that still ultimately. Happens there's
Speaker 2: obviously a lot of time for different things to happen
Speaker 2: here as he's nineteen years old, still BUT i was
Speaker 2: really impressed with the defense relative to WHAT i was.
Speaker 2: Expecting AND i think this is a guy that could
Speaker 2: not only stick it, short but potentially being above average defender.
Speaker 2: There he moves his feet way better THAN i. Thought
Speaker 2: he stays and works really low to the. Ground his
Speaker 2: arm is stronger THAN i. THOUGHT i didn't really think
Speaker 2: he would have the carry and the zip on his
Speaker 2: throes and throwing from different. ANGLES i really think this
Speaker 2: is going to be a guy that sticks it short
Speaker 2: and that totally changes the. Profile. Right that was similar
Speaker 2: to the limitation Of Xavier. Edwards before you know he's
Speaker 2: just turned into the hitter that he. Is is that it's,
Speaker 2: like oh, well it's not a, good very good shortstop
Speaker 2: because the. Arm the arm was the limitation not the,
Speaker 2: hands So cunningham he's got the ARM i think to
Speaker 2: be able to stick there and that's gonna help. HIM
Speaker 2: i don't think he quite has the bats ball That
Speaker 2: edwards has or, had but he's hit the ball a
Speaker 2: little bit harder than he WAS i think at this.
Speaker 2: Stage and, again if he sticks it short in, aggregate
Speaker 2: he's going to be probably similar in value and be
Speaker 2: a really good.
Speaker 4: Player it's an exciting. PIECE i, mean you don't need
Speaker 4: TO i think it's it's.
Speaker 3: Funny we talked about this earlier with lineup, construction and
Speaker 3: like you don't need every player to be impacting the
Speaker 3: ball like crazy like. You you're seeing guys that are
Speaker 3: succeeding Like Xavior, Edwards AND i don't think cunning, Him
Speaker 3: you're never Expect you're. Not we're not expecting Cunning him
Speaker 3: to ever get to fifty plus, power LIKE i.
Speaker 4: Don't it's just not.
Speaker 3: Realistic but if he continues to round out the game
Speaker 3: along with such an ADVANCED d tool and is a
Speaker 3: true shortstop and and can add a little more impact
Speaker 3: as time goes, on he's starting to. Steal if he
Speaker 3: steals more bags as time goes, on there's all these
Speaker 3: different layers to his game that will make him not
Speaker 3: just a hit tool.
Speaker 4: Guy he'll still be valuable in.
Speaker 2: Many different, ways, right which makes a huge. Difference so
Speaker 2: we talked about Like Chase mydrath with The White, sox
Speaker 2: he has to hit so freaking much to get to
Speaker 2: that three war. Plateau if it's an above average, shortstop
Speaker 2: that that's absolutely going to help big. Time and then,
Speaker 2: yeah gap to gap power is all you really need to,
Speaker 2: compliment no.
Speaker 3: Doubt seventy eighth on the top one, HUNDRED a fun
Speaker 3: name move we've talked about before on the heat. Sheet
Speaker 3: way In linn of the athletics, ORGANIZATION i kind of
Speaker 3: want to just start going With Vegas. ATHLETICS i know it's,
Speaker 3: bad but like we saw him In vegas. Already Now
Speaker 3: i'm just, like are we gonna just start Saying? VEGAS
Speaker 3: i don't, know But lynn has been awesome this. Season
Speaker 3: he was someone who last YEAR i had some really good,
Speaker 3: moments but this year just taking up a whole other.
Speaker 3: Level absolutely dominated The DOUBLE a level, one, nine THREE
Speaker 3: ra and ten starts In DOUBLE, a just got promoted to.
Speaker 4: Trips had a really rough first, outing but first.
Speaker 3: Outing we'll leave it at that nothing too, crazy but
Speaker 3: absolutely destroyed DOUBLE, a leading to him debuting on this
Speaker 3: list at seventy.
Speaker 2: Eighth, YEAH i mean that's gonna be the interesting. Thing
Speaker 2: tripley is gonna be a tough test because pitchability guy
Speaker 2: with deception built in and then you got to pitch
Speaker 2: in THE pcl gotta be. Tough len was difficult to
Speaker 2: completely assess because so much of it is the deception
Speaker 2: and the pitch ability that makes him so. Good doesn't
Speaker 2: really have a clear plus, pitch had a fifty on the,
Speaker 2: heater fifty on the. CUTTER i think the curveball flashed above,
Speaker 2: average fifty on the, slider splitter flashed above. Average so
Speaker 2: if you're not gonna have a clear plus, pitch have
Speaker 2: five average or better pitches and then have plus command
Speaker 2: and tie that all in the. Bow is the deception
Speaker 2: where he just kind of hides the ball just seems
Speaker 2: to be another one of these lefties where you don't
Speaker 2: pick it up that. Great everything tunnels really. Well AND
Speaker 2: i think the other aspect that ny you See lenz so,
Speaker 2: high len so highly, regarded is that he's just twenty years.
Speaker 2: Old for the entirety of the season he's had the
Speaker 2: success that he has had and he's, six really he's
Speaker 2: still kind of. SLENDER i think there is room for
Speaker 2: more V low and with his just kind of deceptive
Speaker 2: nature where he's going to generate a little bit more
Speaker 2: with than you, expect especially in the four, SEAMER whi
Speaker 2: just seems to get on hitters a little bit more
Speaker 2: quickly than they. Expect another tick or two can go
Speaker 2: a long way for somebody like. Him you, know it's
Speaker 2: ninety one on average with the four seamer and not
Speaker 2: which is. Interesting he actually throws the two seamer, harder
Speaker 2: which is not something you generally. See BUT i think
Speaker 2: if he can just gain another tick or, two it
Speaker 2: does make a big. Difference, yeah it's ninety two and
Speaker 2: a half on average with the four seamer or with
Speaker 2: the two. Seamer excuse, me but it's just a different
Speaker 2: set of looks he can give. YOU i think it's
Speaker 2: overall just a really interesting pitch. Mix and also you
Speaker 2: look at the. CUTTER i think that's the big pitch
Speaker 2: that can kind of give him a different look as,
Speaker 2: well where it just in a vacuum grades is. Average
Speaker 2: But i'm also looking at the V low like issues
Speaker 2: here he actually sits more closer to two ninety. Three
Speaker 2: what happens is his cutter can get so much ride
Speaker 2: to it that it actually gets labeled as a four
Speaker 2: seamer sometimes, too and it's brought down the four seamer.
Speaker 2: Average so point, being it's a really difficult at bat to.
Speaker 2: Navigate you got to worry about a four, seamer then
Speaker 2: a cutter a little bit off of that, horizontally and
Speaker 2: then a sinker working in the opposite. Direction then you
Speaker 2: also have the curveball and the change, up and again
Speaker 2: he's commanding all of these pitches really. Well lenn looks
Speaker 2: like he could be a very very solid arm for
Speaker 2: a long, time and they worked carefully with his. Innings
Speaker 2: now he's been more aggressively pursuing a larger workload and
Speaker 2: he's been handling it really well so far this.
Speaker 4: Year, yeah you hit on it perfectly.
Speaker 3: THERE i think all of those things that for a
Speaker 3: guy who's twenty is just like that's the biggest standout there,
Speaker 3: Is like he's twenty years. Old there's a reason he's
Speaker 3: now getting this type pedigree because even if HE i,
Speaker 3: mean let's say he does struggle at TRIPLE a the
Speaker 3: rest of the, season like you're still not. Panicking it's
Speaker 3: guy who's gonna go in the next season at twenty
Speaker 3: one years old and be twenty one all of next, year, Right,
Speaker 3: like there's a lot for a guy who's a left
Speaker 3: hander with the carefully calculated, Innings like there's just so
Speaker 3: much for him to still continue to get better, at
Speaker 3: continue to work. Through SO i, think, yeah he's moved
Speaker 3: really quickly through the minors so, Far but you're not
Speaker 3: in a rush with this.
Speaker 4: GUY i know that is would love to get.
Speaker 3: Him up there because they could use pitching one hundred,
Speaker 3: percent and they're trying to make the playoffs this year,
Speaker 3: actually so they definitely could use.
Speaker 4: Pitching but, like you also don't need.
Speaker 3: To rush and be urgent with a guy, who's you,
Speaker 3: know an international signing two years ago and is still
Speaker 3: twenty years, Old.
Speaker 4: So take your time a little bit there with.
Speaker 3: Him Josh hammond of The royals organization comes in here
Speaker 3: at seventy six on the top one. Hundred the EXAMPLE
Speaker 3: i gave earlier of another high school guy Like Casey
Speaker 3: cunningham we talked about Now Josh hammond last year twenty
Speaker 3: eighth overall pick we talked about in that draft, catchup
Speaker 3: But hammond's numbers have been, good BUT i wouldn't say
Speaker 3: the numbers on surface level have been stand. Out so
Speaker 3: what is it under the radar here and under the
Speaker 3: shelf that got hammered all the way up to seventy
Speaker 3: six for?
Speaker 2: You, yeah this is just a huge upside. Guy so
Speaker 2: you're just hoping that it comes together. Here but also
Speaker 2: could be a guy that slips a little bit as we,
Speaker 2: see you, know more challenging. COMPETITION i just think the
Speaker 2: proposition of what he could potentially provide is what puts
Speaker 2: him in that value point of like right in the
Speaker 2: middle of the fifty future, values maybe even skewing towards
Speaker 2: the higher. End WHEN i tell you could have a,
Speaker 2: shortstop you, know an above average defensive, shortstop and then
Speaker 2: they've moved him all. Over BUT i really think this
Speaker 2: guy can play above average shortstop And i'm very interested
Speaker 2: to see their long term plans. There if he moves
Speaker 2: over to, THIRD i think plus third with plus power
Speaker 2: and just that, alone, right you get plus power and
Speaker 2: above average defense on the left side of the infield
Speaker 2: from a young high school. Draftee i'm gonna be excited about.
Speaker 2: THAT i also think just the way that he's already
Speaker 2: held his. Own this is guy with a little bit
Speaker 2: of swing and misconcern and he's immediately been, COMFORTABLE i
Speaker 2: think relatively, speaking in full season ball and his pro.
Speaker 2: Debut so watching, HIM i mean just seeing how much
Speaker 2: impact that there could already be in. There and he
Speaker 2: has cooled off since we put the list. Out but
Speaker 2: the fact that in LOW a in fifty two games
Speaker 2: he's only striking out twenty four percent of the, time
Speaker 2: WHEN i think the biggest concern, Was, yeah the swing and,
Speaker 2: miss and you're seeing the evs that we're seeing, AGAIN
Speaker 2: i know that he hasn't tapped into that power yet
Speaker 2: in terms of converting it into. GAME i think there's
Speaker 2: just so much in. Here he's fifteen for sixteen the
Speaker 2: stolen based. Department but this was a player where when
Speaker 2: you watch you see the, explosiveness you see the power,
Speaker 2: upside you see the ability to potentially be a really
Speaker 2: solid defender on the left. Side and AGAIN i think
Speaker 2: he's a. Shortstop you see the baseball, instincts AND i
Speaker 2: just think this is a guy that is has a
Speaker 2: chance to make a huge. Leap he was a two
Speaker 2: way guy out of high school. Too he was up
Speaker 2: to ninety nine on the, Mound so letting him and
Speaker 2: focus more exclusively on just playing a position and, HITTING
Speaker 2: i think makes him a very easy candidate to, skyrocket you,
Speaker 2: know as he gets more.
Speaker 3: Reps so it's getting ahead of the curve a little
Speaker 3: bit here on a guy Like, himon because, yeah you
Speaker 3: look at the numbers in comparison to some of the
Speaker 3: other names we're talking, about and you're, like, oh he's been,
Speaker 3: good but, like he hasn't been crazy so, far BUT
Speaker 3: i think you're you hit up. There this tool raw the, Shortstop,
Speaker 3: yeah the raw, potential but like there's a and he
Speaker 3: still gets into the top eighty of this list because
Speaker 3: just how much the upside is in the tank there
Speaker 3: potentially for a guy Like, hammond who you know what
Speaker 3: is interesting you mentioned the shortop. Aspect he has split
Speaker 3: time like almost. Evenly it's thirty games at short and
Speaker 3: twenty two games at, third which is interesting BECAUSE i
Speaker 3: usually prep, guys especially if they come into the, shortstop
Speaker 3: get nothing but shortstop out of the. Game so it's
Speaker 3: interesting to see they took the route kind of similar
Speaker 3: To Kala bonamber last. Year hinds me of where it's
Speaker 3: like the immediately kind of splitting between short and.
Speaker 2: THIRD i thought that was, weird and that's why WHEN
Speaker 2: i went into the defensive, Video i'm, LIKE i was
Speaker 2: even more confused BECAUSE i was so. IMPRESSED i, MEAN
Speaker 2: i know he's kicked the ball around a little, bit
Speaker 2: AND i think they like most of the errors THAT
Speaker 2: i saw was just, transfer like the ball would get,
Speaker 2: stuck like he just like his arm timing would be
Speaker 2: a little bit off because his footwork was a little bit,
Speaker 2: weird or he just his hands the ball kind of
Speaker 2: got stuck in the glove and just kind of just
Speaker 2: needing reps and smoothing things. Over but you would see
Speaker 2: the first step and the arm strength and the ability
Speaker 2: to throw from these different angles and the, range And i'm,
Speaker 2: like this guy can be a, monster both defensively and.
Speaker 2: Offensively the swing, mechanics like there's room for those the
Speaker 2: mechanics to get cleaned, up and he's still producing the
Speaker 2: way that he has and still getting really good swings.
Speaker 2: Off so, look there's a chance he hits a bit
Speaker 2: of a wall because these things don't improve and the
Speaker 2: raw aspect continues to remain. Raw But i'm going to
Speaker 2: venture to believe that two way guy focusing more on
Speaker 2: hitting and just the raw tools that he has is
Speaker 2: he's going to be a big up. Arrow whether that
Speaker 2: happens in the back half of this year or if
Speaker 2: it's just the way he shows up to camp next, Year,
Speaker 2: yeah no.
Speaker 3: Doubt going into another high school. Guy he got a
Speaker 3: little run here on a handful of different high school.
Speaker 3: Guys the seventy fifth on the, list so right After,
Speaker 3: hammond right Above, Hammond Tayton gray of The Tampa Bay
Speaker 3: rays organization was a prep guy last, year eighty sixth, overall,
Speaker 3: though which already seems like a massive. Steal we've talked
Speaker 3: to him a number of. Times eighteen year old first,
Speaker 3: baseman who you, know it's going to be all about
Speaker 3: the bat when it comes To, gray but the bat
Speaker 3: is really. Enticing it's a one forty three W rc
Speaker 3: plus so far this. Year he's getting on base at
Speaker 3: an over four hundred. Clip he's walking a, ton he's you,
Speaker 3: know whifts a little, bit but keeping it at a reasonable,
Speaker 3: rate and just a ton of.
Speaker 4: Upside here at the. Plate for a guy you, know
Speaker 4: in the right organization to continue to hone in on that.
Speaker 2: Upside he reminds me so much Of Ralphie, velasquez you,
Speaker 2: know breaking in, here AND i had them the ride,
Speaker 2: up AND i realized we didn't screen share on YouTube
Speaker 2: for this. One we'll do it on the future. Episodes
Speaker 2: we'll screen share the ride ups and the tool grades and.
Speaker 2: Everything but when you look At tayt And Gray, MAN
Speaker 2: i mean young for the class, too which is the fun.
Speaker 2: Part AND i let me just get you some of
Speaker 2: the batted ball data for this kid who's still eighteen years.
Speaker 2: OLD evi ninety of one hundred and seven point four
Speaker 2: miles per hour for a switch, hitter and you have
Speaker 2: a max already of one thirteen drafted when he's, drafted
Speaker 2: it played a little bit all over but some. Catcher
Speaker 2: he was under the radar prospect out Of, iowa which,
Speaker 2: apparently like it's really hard to to fight these guys
Speaker 2: because The iowa season starts like way. Later and this
Speaker 2: is what The rays, do, Right they snag him the third.
Speaker 2: Round and when you think about a switch hitter who's
Speaker 2: six four two twenty with this kind of power potential
Speaker 2: that he's already starting to get into like right, away
Speaker 2: and having the success that he's having in full season,
Speaker 2: ball as again a young for his, class but on
Speaker 2: young for the. Level we know, that but how about
Speaker 2: just young for full season ball and young for the
Speaker 2: class type of, guy and he's performing as one of
Speaker 2: the you, know more impressive players out of that class right.
Speaker 2: Away i'm so excited about this, too BECAUSE i see
Speaker 2: the potential for average, hit above average, play, discipline and
Speaker 2: plus power and there's a chance that could continue to
Speaker 2: push higher power, Wise LIKE i, Mean i'm not going
Speaker 2: to put a cap on a kid that's eighteen years
Speaker 2: old for almost the entirety of the season that is
Speaker 2: already hitting the ball as hard as he, is and
Speaker 2: at his six four two TWENTY i can't wait to
Speaker 2: see what else is in. There and, kid you don't
Speaker 2: find switch hitters with this kind of power upside very,
Speaker 2: often especially without like egregious whift concern AND i think
Speaker 2: you can say, comfortable like there might be some whiff
Speaker 2: that creeps. In but the fact that at eighteen years,
Speaker 2: Old Tatan gray is a switch hitter is producing an
Speaker 2: eighty five percent in zone contact rate and a twenty
Speaker 2: two percent chase, RATE i think is extremely encouraging when
Speaker 2: you know that power is really the name of his.
Speaker 2: Game out of The gate and he's only striking out
Speaker 2: twenty two percent of the time and walking sixteen.
Speaker 3: COMPLETELY i think it's a pretty tantalizing offensive upside. HERE
Speaker 3: i think he's one of those guys that you look
Speaker 3: at and you're, LIKE i, mean look At ralphie blastcause
Speaker 3: you guys are going to talk about him in The
Speaker 3: Biggest risers, episode like he, climbed he sort up the
Speaker 3: list in his second pro season as a prep.
Speaker 4: Bat with this type of, upside this is a guy
Speaker 4: that like he's on the list.
Speaker 3: Now he debuts at seventy five and like you told,
Speaker 3: Me Tatan gray is to one top twenty five next
Speaker 3: year wouldn't really shock, me even as a first basement
Speaker 3: because it's that.
Speaker 4: Type of offensive. Upside if things continue to click for.
Speaker 2: Him right would not surprise me at. All and it
Speaker 2: looks like he can play solid first, base is a
Speaker 2: good athlete for his, size and he can't even move
Speaker 2: a little bit like he's turning in average run. Times
Speaker 2: he may slow, down but he's not a clogger by any.
Speaker 2: Means this this is the guy that's going to skyrocket
Speaker 2: similar to way the way that we've Seen Theo gillan
Speaker 2: skyrocket different skill set, obviously BUT i think we're gonna
Speaker 2: see another prep guy skyrocket. Here big reason Why i've been,
Speaker 2: buying by the, way the raise spots and and Like
Speaker 2: bowman draft breaks and stuff like, that, which by the,
Speaker 2: WAY i wanted to. Plug if you're listening to, this
Speaker 2: whether it be on let's say, Today, Tuesday, tuesday Or,
Speaker 2: wednesday we're going live on. Loop the link to our
Speaker 2: stores in the episode. Description we're doing a fun promo
Speaker 2: WITH cgc where any card that you pull over fifty
Speaker 2: dollars in, value we're going to send that to you
Speaker 2: or TO cgc for free to get graded and then
Speaker 2: they'll get sent right back to. You we're really excited about.
Speaker 2: That and, yeah we're gonna be Doing bowman draft. Breaks
Speaker 2: we have a half, case full, case and of course
Speaker 2: trying to make it as competitively priced as. Possible also
Speaker 2: personals in, there like at twenty Six Bowman, blasters you
Speaker 2: can buy your, own hobby box will ship it out to,
Speaker 2: you and anything that you pull any of those products
Speaker 2: north of fifty, dollars it's going TO cgc to get
Speaker 2: graded at for. Free that's on. Us link is in
Speaker 2: the episode description to go check out the store and the,
Speaker 2: stream so be sure to check that. Out it'll Be
Speaker 2: tuesday evening, right not too long after recording, this And
Speaker 2: wednesday around like four or five, o'clock so keep an
Speaker 2: eye out for, that. HOPING i already bought the ray
Speaker 2: spot in one of, them just giving you a head.
Speaker 2: UP i think it's available on the other one BECAUSE
Speaker 2: i Want Tayton. GRAY i, MEAN i don't blame, you
Speaker 2: it makes. Sense we got a bunch.
Speaker 3: More we got a couple more names here in this,
Speaker 3: segment and then we'll get to the next one after
Speaker 3: one more, quickly talk about a guy who kind of
Speaker 3: came out of nowhere here and to break into the
Speaker 3: top one hundred for the first. Time seventy fourth on
Speaker 3: our top one hundred list Is Noelan perry of The
Speaker 3: Blue jays organization twenty twenty two to twelfth round, pick
Speaker 3: WHO i won't. LIE i had never heard of the
Speaker 3: guy until this. Year i'm not gonna act THAT i
Speaker 3: had heard of this. Guy twenty, second you, know twelfth
Speaker 3: round pick six, hundred three hundred and sixty eighth overall
Speaker 3: pick in that draft in twenty twenty, two had tj
Speaker 3: after a good twenty four, season came back missed all
Speaker 3: of twenty twenty. Five he'd been good in his minor ly,
Speaker 3: career but just hadn't thrown much at. All comes out
Speaker 3: this year absolutely Destroyed SINGLE, a absolutely.
Speaker 2: Shoving now IN.
Speaker 3: Hia through ten games Between SINGLE a and HIG, a
Speaker 3: the twenty two year Old Nolan perry has a one
Speaker 3: three seven E, ra a forty two percent strikeout.
Speaker 4: Rate this guy just kind of just.
Speaker 3: Emerged and we've talked About toronto's pitching development taking a
Speaker 3: really big step forward the past couple of years. Before
Speaker 3: this is a really interesting name who just popped, up
Speaker 3: and it suddenly looks like one of the highest quickest
Speaker 3: rising pitching prospects in all of.
Speaker 2: BASEBALL i, mean the strikeout numbers are, outrageous and he
Speaker 2: was getting brought up a lot in The, discord AND
Speaker 2: i was excited to talk about him BECAUSE i know
Speaker 2: people in the Discord Blue jays fans are. Not i've
Speaker 2: been really excited about. Him, Look perry looks so. Good
Speaker 2: this is obviously a team that's going to be in,
Speaker 2: perpetual like win now, mode especially right. Now parry could
Speaker 2: be a guy that either flies through the minors or
Speaker 2: becomes a really big trade ship for, them BECAUSE i
Speaker 2: think a lot of teams are going to be very
Speaker 2: impressed with the stuff that he is. Generating it's a
Speaker 2: fastball with you, know at ninety, four but with plus, carry,
Speaker 2: uh then it's it's a slider that's above, average a
Speaker 2: curveball that is an absolute. BANGER i, mean it looks
Speaker 2: like it could be better than. Plus so you have
Speaker 2: a great outis plus right, now but oloks like it
Speaker 2: could be plus plus with a little bit more consistency command.
Speaker 2: WISE i think actually the promise of curveball breaks too,
Speaker 2: much so it's it's been a little bit of a
Speaker 2: challenge for him to consistently. Command but at like seventy
Speaker 2: nine to eighty one miles per, hour he's getting two
Speaker 2: plane break on that and it is decimating hitter to
Speaker 2: the exact tune of eight a sixty five percent whiff
Speaker 2: rate on his curve ball so far this, Year so
Speaker 2: just for those that may not be one hundred percent,
Speaker 2: familiar hitters are making contact with that pitch thirty five
Speaker 2: percent of the. Time that's. Disgusting his slider is garnering
Speaker 2: a chase rate almost at forty, percent and his four
Speaker 2: steamers is getting a whiffrate of twenty two, percent which
Speaker 2: a former is. Fantastic so he's dominating hitters and the
Speaker 2: thing the big question is going to be the. Command
Speaker 2: he's starting to walk a few more guys in. Hyay
Speaker 2: it's not a. Problem it hasn't been a problem, yet
Speaker 2: and he is just picking apart. Everybody so, YEAH i
Speaker 2: mean DOUBLE a will be the big, Test BUT i
Speaker 2: think the biggest test For perry is just to prove
Speaker 2: that he can handle a large workload and that you,
Speaker 2: know he'll be in the zone enough to reach his
Speaker 2: middle rotation. Upside.
Speaker 3: Yeah for those who don't, listen maybe quite as. Much
Speaker 3: Whenever arm chuckles as he reads a, number it's typically
Speaker 3: a sign that something's pretty.
Speaker 4: Ridiculous some of these numbers are.
Speaker 3: Crazy these are insane numbers For Nolan perry and someone
Speaker 3: that probably is the least known name on this entire,
Speaker 3: LIST i would say across the, board AND i think
Speaker 3: we're the first people to rank him top one, hundred
Speaker 3: And i'm pretty SURE i haven't seen him anywhere else so.
Speaker 4: Far so this is a guy to keep an eye,
Speaker 4: on for.
Speaker 3: Sure he's another name of a couple names on this
Speaker 3: list where it's, like, oh you made the list, now but,
Speaker 3: like could you rise up the list a? Ton you
Speaker 3: might be on The newcombers episode this, time maybe the
Speaker 3: next time you're on The Biggest risers. Episode that's a
Speaker 3: real pot dissibility with a guy Like, perry considering the
Speaker 3: stuff we're seeing from.
Speaker 2: Him another high spin heater like twenty five, rpm like
Speaker 2: he gets eighteen vern, now but a little bit more.
Speaker 2: Spinefficiency there could be even more in. There and then
Speaker 2: the change the splitter that he, throws like it's a
Speaker 2: little bit scatter shot at this, point but there's some
Speaker 2: splitters he's mixed in there that have been. Gross you
Speaker 2: get that pitch. GOING i, mean this is a this
Speaker 2: is absolutely a number three, starters you know kind of
Speaker 2: pitch mix or maybe even.
Speaker 3: More, wow got a couple more guys, here one more
Speaker 3: arm After, perry and then we got two bats to
Speaker 3: finish it. Out coming in at sixty ninth on The
Speaker 3: top one hundred list Is Anthony ironson of The Red
Speaker 3: Sox organization and we talked about him. Recently he's a
Speaker 3: guy that's been on a heatge and he's been amazing this.
Speaker 3: SEASON i actually want to frame this one differently BECAUSE
Speaker 3: i Thought einsen was gonna be higher for.
Speaker 4: YOU i really.
Speaker 3: DID i Thought, ironsen based on the numbers so far this,
Speaker 3: season being a command guy in college who's seen such
Speaker 3: a stuff, UPTICK i thought he was gonna be like
Speaker 3: top fifty for.
Speaker 2: You i'll be.
Speaker 3: Honest So i'm curious why he's debuting at sixty nine
Speaker 3: and compared to WHERE i thought he might have for.
Speaker 2: You, yeah so DID. I i JUST i don't know the.
Speaker 2: Way it was an interesting, Watch, LIKE i think he's
Speaker 2: really VERY i, mean you talk about the floor so
Speaker 2: high and another command guy who sees the uptick absolutely exciting.
Speaker 2: Stuff the UPTICK i don't think has quite been to
Speaker 2: the degree THAT i think it. Was you, know people
Speaker 2: thought it would be in what we saw when he's
Speaker 2: touching one, hundred you, know and spring breakout or whatever
Speaker 2: it may. Be it's been closer to the fastballs average
Speaker 2: about ninety three point five miles per hour this. Year
Speaker 2: but it's that cut ride heater THAT i think is
Speaker 2: a really effective, pitch and then working off of, that
Speaker 2: it's a really fascinating vertical tunnel right where you've got
Speaker 2: cut or slider curveball just working all the way. Downwards
Speaker 2: but you, KNOW i JUST i do wonder if there's
Speaker 2: enough consistent within there against more challenging. COMPETITION i think
Speaker 2: the cut ride action helps him stay above. Barrels AND
Speaker 2: i just also see some shape variants like sometimes it's more,
Speaker 2: cut sometimes it's more, ride AND i think that's almost
Speaker 2: made him effectively. Wild but in terms of like absolutely pinpointing,
Speaker 2: it obviously he's he's obviously not gonna give up a
Speaker 2: ton of. WALKS i just felt like there is it
Speaker 2: may not play quite as well at the highest level
Speaker 2: as it is playing right. NOW i would love to
Speaker 2: see the change up come along a little bit. MORE
Speaker 2: i just think that he may be a guy that
Speaker 2: is a little bit susceptible to platoon. Splits the fastball
Speaker 2: gets hit harder by left handed hitters because they like
Speaker 2: the GUY i told you. About the shape, variants some
Speaker 2: like run. Back it's like some cut and then some
Speaker 2: run a little bit more arm, side and lefties crush
Speaker 2: the PITCHES i was like able to bucket. Them the
Speaker 2: ones that start to run arm, side those get. Crushed
Speaker 2: and so there could be some challenges Where, okay what's
Speaker 2: his best pitch off of, that it's gonna be AND
Speaker 2: i know Gyro slader curveball is a little bit more platoon,
Speaker 2: neutral but those are gonna be pitches THAT i think
Speaker 2: are gonna play a little bit better against. Righties SO
Speaker 2: i am a little bit concerned about keeping lefties at
Speaker 2: bay at the degree that he can keep righties at,
Speaker 2: Bay but overall like he's still able to work. IT
Speaker 2: i think enough with put two neutral ish enough pitches
Speaker 2: to make it. HAPPEN i JUST i think when you're
Speaker 2: seeing him ranked as like a top thirty PROSPECT i
Speaker 2: SEEING i feel like that implies there's number two upside
Speaker 2: here or whatever it may. Be AND i just don't
Speaker 2: know how he misses enough bats to quite get. THERE
Speaker 2: i might be, Wrong and obviously like he has missed
Speaker 2: a fair amount of bats with his slider and with
Speaker 2: the cutter so far this, year and even the curve,
Speaker 2: ball SO i might just be a little bit more.
Speaker 2: SKEPTICAL i just don't know if that fastball is going
Speaker 2: to play as well at it is as it has
Speaker 2: played so, far you, know in the minor leagues this,
Speaker 2: year And i'm interested to find, Out BUT i think
Speaker 2: he's more of a floor still over ciling guy overall
Speaker 2: fifty percent hard hit rate allowed AVERAGE exi velocity against
Speaker 2: him a ninety one and a half miles per. Hour
Speaker 2: it's been pretty amazing that he's been as effective as
Speaker 2: he has.
Speaker 3: Been, yeah it's an interesting way you framed it as
Speaker 3: like the two starter or like because where he's on the,
Speaker 3: list maybe it is more three, starter which is still
Speaker 3: a big improvement from a guy who was very much
Speaker 3: a command guy in, college, Right, like that's the interesting
Speaker 3: wrinkle here is, like even if it's not quite as
Speaker 3: lethal as you, know maybe we've we've heard that it
Speaker 3: might be still a guy that has very clearly ticked
Speaker 3: up since college and at the least has put himself
Speaker 3: in the the you, know the path to be a
Speaker 3: mid rotation guy compared to maybe coming out of school
Speaker 3: it was, like, oh he could be a back end
Speaker 3: guy with with a little more, dependability but probably less.
Speaker 3: Excitement there's still definitely an upticket, excitement just maybe not
Speaker 3: quite to that kind.
Speaker 4: Of per type of, guy.
Speaker 2: RIGHT i think for me the biggest thing was, like
Speaker 2: if you ask me where is he more likely to
Speaker 2: land as a two starter or four, Starter i'm going
Speaker 2: to say a four, Starter AND i mean like left
Speaker 2: handed hitters so far this year have a ninety two
Speaker 2: percent zone contact rate against that fastball and a swinging
Speaker 2: strike rate of only five. Percent the hard hit rate
Speaker 2: of fifty. Percent you flip that. Around the fastball has
Speaker 2: been way better against Aroundst righty's triple the swinging strike.
Speaker 2: Rate so maybe he finds a change. Up maybe there's
Speaker 2: some more consistent see with the, fastball and he can neutralize.
Speaker 2: Lefties but we're seeing left tended hitters used to be a,
Speaker 2: rarity now there's like more of them than. Righties at this.
Speaker 2: Point it is just a slight concern in terms of
Speaker 2: being able to reach to that number two. Ceiling but
Speaker 2: AGAIN i THINK i might be splitting hairs with them
Speaker 2: a little too, much and this still may end up
Speaker 2: being a guy that is more dominant with wise than
Speaker 2: Maybe i'm giving him credit, for and quickly the tunneling
Speaker 2: aspect is an ability for him to maybe maximize the
Speaker 2: Stuff i've just also in the v low closer to.
Speaker 2: THAT i think it's gonna sit, closer especially deeper into the,
Speaker 2: season to that ninety three range instead of the mid
Speaker 2: to upper nineties that we thought maybe he had you, know. Achieved,
Speaker 2: yeah makes.
Speaker 3: Sense two more guys to talk about, here coming in
Speaker 3: at sixty, eighth right, after right before or at Above
Speaker 3: aronsen Is Cooper fleming of The Tampa Bay raised. Organization
Speaker 3: another ray. Here we talked about the third Round raise
Speaker 3: high school guy earlier In Tatan. Gray now we're talking
Speaker 3: about last year's second Round raise high school guy of
Speaker 3: now and.
Speaker 4: It's just that draft class from the. Race it looks
Speaker 4: ridiculous so.
Speaker 3: Far And fleming's a guy that's played a combination of
Speaker 3: third and short so far in his pro.
Speaker 4: Career seems like he's played more.
Speaker 3: Short he's actually played some second, two so he's really
Speaker 3: played all three infield spots a decent amount of his
Speaker 3: age nineteen season so. Far in SINGLE a he's getting
Speaker 3: on base at a three seventy eight clip one NINE wrc,
Speaker 3: plus really solid. Approach seems like a mature hitter for
Speaker 3: a prep pick who's in his first pro season.
Speaker 2: Here, YEAH i then this was a guy that out
Speaker 2: of the draft of some of his PARTS i think
Speaker 2: was the exciting. Part and then now you see him
Speaker 2: tapping into more already where you're seeing what could end
Speaker 2: up being average. Power what is an above average field
Speaker 2: to hit plenty more room to grow is six, three one.
Speaker 2: Ninety this is another guy that was kind of a
Speaker 2: two way prospect and now he's focusing more on on
Speaker 2: obviously just. Hitting, yeah the other aspect is he may
Speaker 2: not be a great. SHORTSTOP i think he can provide
Speaker 2: average defensive ability at, shortstop but he absolutely can play
Speaker 2: all over the, infield AND i think if he's an average,
Speaker 2: SHORTSTOP i think you'd be an above average third baseman
Speaker 2: to really solid tecond. Basement ultimately as, well the quality
Speaker 2: of contact floor is what stands. Out like the ninety
Speaker 2: percent alegs Of oositi is only one oh, one but
Speaker 2: his average eggbosity is eighty nine through his first fifty,
Speaker 2: games which to, me it shows you that this is
Speaker 2: a guy that's finding the barrel consistently and is maximizing
Speaker 2: what he's Got right. Now you're betting on more power
Speaker 2: being unlocked, here AND i think that will. Come but
Speaker 2: this guy that's walking almost as much as he's striking.
Speaker 2: Out he still has snuck out five homers through those
Speaker 2: first fifty, games WHICH i think is still. Encouraging AND
Speaker 2: i JUST i think that some of his parts is
Speaker 2: just an above average big league player THAT i still
Speaker 2: believe you can dream on above average power as he
Speaker 2: continues to fill out because the batted ball angles are
Speaker 2: solid as.
Speaker 4: Well, yeah that makes.
Speaker 3: Sense it's some of the, parts but some of the
Speaker 3: parts turns into a really good big league player sometimes
Speaker 3: if all the parts start working, well, right and.
Speaker 2: It's such a simple, swing like he doesn't even, move
Speaker 2: he barely, moves and it's above average, batspeed AND i
Speaker 2: think it's gonna convert into more power as he continues
Speaker 2: to settle.
Speaker 4: In, yeah makes perfect. Sense i'm with you.
Speaker 3: There last guy up in this episode and then we'll
Speaker 3: get into our second part later this. Week coming in
Speaker 3: at sixty seventh on the top one hundred list Is
Speaker 3: Charles davilon of The dodgers.
Speaker 4: Organization this is a.
Speaker 3: Guy WHO i think we kind of you AND i
Speaker 3: Think jack also tabbed him as like a breakout guy
Speaker 3: from being forty first overall last year out Of. Arkansas
Speaker 3: so far as, first he had played eight games last
Speaker 3: season in SINGLE, a but so far this season fifty
Speaker 3: one games at the high level For, dablon more walks than.
Speaker 3: Strikeouts he's getting on base at a four h three,
Speaker 3: clip some, power some speeds and solen. Bases you're really
Speaker 3: getting a little bit of everything so far From, dablon
Speaker 3: but really just really good at. BATS i, mean eleven
Speaker 3: percent strikeout rates so far on the year for the
Speaker 3: outfielder at The, dodgers.
Speaker 2: OR i don't think people realize how good this guy
Speaker 2: is because he's buried in an organization right now that
Speaker 2: has so many outfield. Prospects Charles dablon IS i think
Speaker 2: the most exciting, version like in terms of what he
Speaker 2: does well already of these contact oriented, guys where he's
Speaker 2: what you expect from a bats of ball, standpoint ninety
Speaker 2: percent is on contact, rate eighty three percent overall, contact,
Speaker 2: right and then the two big areas are always going
Speaker 2: to be, well is he a great bats to ball
Speaker 2: guy that swings at, everything or is he a great
Speaker 2: bats of ball guy that doesn't? Chase the ladder is
Speaker 2: always a much much, safer an exciting. Profile he's the
Speaker 2: ladder nineteen percent chase rate and already a guy that's
Speaker 2: chase rate is actually lower against. Spin the other aspect
Speaker 2: is is he the bat to ball and patient guy
Speaker 2: that swings a little bit of a wet, noodle or
Speaker 2: is he the bats to ball guy that surprises you
Speaker 2: with kind of the frame defying. Pop he's that as.
Speaker 2: Well he surprises you with how hard he can hit the.
Speaker 2: Baseball so when you combine those, parts it's almost an
Speaker 2: impenetrable offensive game where it's, like, okay of, course the
Speaker 2: biggest drawback will be that he doesn't have enough power
Speaker 2: to be a, superstar, right, sure but the bat to
Speaker 2: ball in the approach makes his floor so, high and
Speaker 2: then the ability to hit the ball harder than you
Speaker 2: expect at desirable angles pushes the ceiling higher than most
Speaker 2: hitters of his. Archetype it's an average launch angle of fourteen,
Speaker 2: degrees it's an airpol of thirty one, percent and an
Speaker 2: average exilosity of eighty eight miles per hour eighty eight
Speaker 2: and a half to be, exact which you don't really
Speaker 2: see from players like, him even ninety one oh five
Speaker 2: For Charles. Davlin that's above. Average so we're talking about
Speaker 2: rob power that's at least. Average maybe it takes a
Speaker 2: little bit of a hit when he faces DOUBLE a
Speaker 2: competition because he might just be getting his a swing
Speaker 2: off all the time against HIGH a, competition because he's
Speaker 2: probably seeing the ball like a beach. Ball numbers would imply.
Speaker 2: That but when you have a plus bat to ball
Speaker 2: guy and plus play discipline that is giving you at
Speaker 2: even average evs with good, angles you can really dream
Speaker 2: on the offensive profile, here and then you pair that
Speaker 2: with just the baseball instincts he. Has he's eleven for
Speaker 2: twelve in the stolen based, department and again he's already
Speaker 2: snug out seven homers this year in fifty one. Games
Speaker 2: because of those aforementioned, aspects he looks like a fine.
Speaker 2: Defender If dablon can prove to be like an average
Speaker 2: to slightly above average center, fielder then we're talking about
Speaker 2: a guy that's a rocket. Ship but ULTIMATELY i think
Speaker 2: he slides over to to left where he's probably you,
Speaker 2: know it could be an above average defender there if
Speaker 2: it all works. Out his fringy arm limits him a little.
Speaker 2: Bit but this is this is just a, really really
Speaker 2: fun player THAT i just feel so safe about His
Speaker 2: his game reminds me Of Brendan donovan a, lot and
Speaker 2: he may not give you quite as much value with the,
Speaker 2: glove BUT i think he'll give you a lot of
Speaker 2: value offensively and still give, you you, know enough with the. Glove,
Speaker 2: YEAH i.
Speaker 3: Think HE'S i, MEAN i, meanwhile he's the fifth best
Speaker 3: outfield prospect on his own, team which is. Ridiculous you've
Speaker 3: got five outfielders in The dodgers organ the top seventy
Speaker 3: With devil unwrapping it out. HERE i, mean that's pretty
Speaker 3: pretty nutty stuff that he's the fifth best outfield Prospect
Speaker 3: zona or given all the blowing things you just said
Speaker 3: about him and broke down, there like he's a really good,
Speaker 3: prospect and we probably would be hearing about him a
Speaker 3: lot more if not For Mike zeroda And Hswaya paula
Speaker 3: and everybody else in that, organization which makes it pretty.
Speaker 2: Crazy it's. Nuts it's, Nuts AND i think we'll start
Speaker 2: hearing about him more because he's gonna be the kind
Speaker 2: of guy THAT i think can just move through the minors.
Speaker 2: Quickly AND i don't think you can rule out average.
Speaker 2: Pop and if At dablon has average, pop he's a
Speaker 2: great player for a long. TIME i got him by
Speaker 2: like fringe. Average but, man that's gonna be fun to monitor.
Speaker 3: There you want you want to hit this breaking news
Speaker 3: real quick at the very end of the. Episode, yeah,
Speaker 3: Right we've been sitting.
Speaker 2: On it a little. BIT i thought they were gonna
Speaker 2: announce it On. Wednesday excited about this guy that we'll
Speaker 2: talk about in The Biggest rise is actually. NEWCOMER i
Speaker 2: don't know if we did to describe him as a.
Speaker 3: Newcomer he's on our newcomers technically because it's been OVER i,
Speaker 3: know but it's been over a.
Speaker 4: Year that's HOW i usually do. It BUT i don't,
Speaker 4: know it's it's a it's a tough. ONE i don't.
Speaker 2: Know we were. There we were definitely the first top
Speaker 2: one hundred Was Sta luis law on. It this was years,
Speaker 2: ago twenty twenty, three maybe even twenty two as. WELL
Speaker 2: i don't. KNOW i Love Luis LAURA i long. Have
Speaker 2: he's stalled out a little. Bit we've talked about that
Speaker 2: in terms of just maybe he's, like, okay maybe looks
Speaker 2: a little bit more like a fourth. Outfielder and then
Speaker 2: he emerges this year with just more bat, speed hitting
Speaker 2: the ball, harder and everything else just continuing to progress
Speaker 2: where he's the bats of ball guy from both sides
Speaker 2: that we've always. Seen the approaches continues to get better
Speaker 2: and he looks like a guy that's gonna win gold
Speaker 2: gloves and center, field which The brewers have said to
Speaker 2: me time and time, again so not a surprise that
Speaker 2: if they think that that sounds like one of the
Speaker 2: highest four prospects In Major League. Baseball and that's why
Speaker 2: The brewers And laura have agreed to a seven, year
Speaker 2: thirty one million dollar ext extension that includes three club
Speaker 2: options that max is out at seventy nine million. DOLLARS
Speaker 2: i promise you that. DEAL i shouldn't, promise he. SAYS
Speaker 2: i feel very confident that that deal will bode well
Speaker 2: for The. BREWERS i don't think they're going to be
Speaker 2: kicking themselves on. That shout Out milwaukee two pre debut
Speaker 2: extensions two AND i think at, one you got to
Speaker 2: have the balls to do, it but then, two you've
Speaker 2: got to have the talent to even be able to do. It,
Speaker 2: yeah And brewers that both of. Those so it's been.
Speaker 4: Cool this stuff is so interesting to me BECAUSE i
Speaker 4: love the world of.
Speaker 3: Contracts that's to how my brain, works and like the
Speaker 3: world of the pre. Arbitration the strategy behind it is
Speaker 3: fascinating to. Me you're getting a guy that, like, yeah
Speaker 3: you're gonna have to pay a little bit now the
Speaker 3: next handful of. Years As Luis laura gets into the
Speaker 3: big leagues and, maybe, yeah you could have been paying
Speaker 3: him less than million dollars in pre Arm so there
Speaker 3: is a trade off. There with that comes you bought
Speaker 3: out his first year of free agency and you have
Speaker 3: club options for the next Three so if he's above
Speaker 3: if he's an average starting center fielder at the big league,
Speaker 3: level you have three years of club options that you
Speaker 3: can choose whatever you want to do with. Him they've
Speaker 3: got a similar situation With Cooper, pratt like you give
Speaker 3: yourself so much flexibility and affordability for players that you
Speaker 3: think are high floor guys as time goes on and
Speaker 3: when they get into the prime of their, career you've
Speaker 3: got the. Direction you can go whichever direction you want to,
Speaker 3: go as The, brewers and you could have these good
Speaker 3: players at a cheap deal because you're willing to pay
Speaker 3: them a little bit at a younger age and get
Speaker 3: these guys paid because they're young.
Speaker 4: Guys they want money at the end of the. Day
Speaker 4: they want to get paid.
Speaker 3: Earlier so you get him paid her, earlier and you
Speaker 3: give yourself so much flexibility and comfort in the long term.
Speaker 3: Future if these guys pan out the way that The
Speaker 3: brewers think they're going to they probably.
Speaker 2: Will IT'S i, mean this is how teams like The
Speaker 2: brewers keep their players. Right AND i love. It you
Speaker 2: got to roll the dice a little bit With laura's,
Speaker 2: abilities and now with the improved quality of, contact he's
Speaker 2: going to BE i really feel confident in like THE
Speaker 2: i they't even had it in the right. Up i'm,
Speaker 2: like the worst worst case scenario is like guys that
Speaker 2: still reach free, agency like even like A Kyle, Isbell
Speaker 2: like that's the guy that got. RUN i think that's
Speaker 2: like if everything goes terribly like if he just does
Speaker 2: not do anything the way you thought he, WOULD i
Speaker 2: think he's still gonna be able to accumulate that one
Speaker 2: to one and a half. War BUT i think it's
Speaker 2: a really easy path to three war for a player
Speaker 2: like Last, laura given the bats a ball and now
Speaker 2: the improved, impact and we've seen it shine through in
Speaker 2: a place that's hard to hit In. Nashville so very
Speaker 2: fun times for The brewers and their. Fans and they've
Speaker 2: got some higher some of the highest Paid TRIPLE a.
Speaker 2: Players now no one's beating The Red sox and then
Speaker 2: the Wo socks in that regard right, now but for
Speaker 2: different Reason nash that they're invested in That nashville team
Speaker 2: and it's been really fun to. Watch SO i think
Speaker 2: we See lara soon, TOO i Think. PRATT i don't.
Speaker 2: KNOW i think we See laura Before. PRATT i that's
Speaker 2: an interesting. TAKE i.
Speaker 3: THINK i don't know IF i would agree with that month,
Speaker 3: ago but now the way it's trended the last month or,
Speaker 3: TWO i don't think that's crazy at.
Speaker 4: All oh, man you got me there with the loo so.
Speaker 2: Take that was good.
Speaker 4: Stuff but, no that's. Great always fun reacting news, live
Speaker 4: that's always a good. Time so there was a newcomers,
Speaker 4: episode but you got a little breaking news at the top.
Speaker 2: And the end of The, yeah both both, bookends so
Speaker 2: that was a lot of. Fun as, always thank you for.
Speaker 2: Listening we are going to continue to break this down all.
Speaker 2: Week if you're catching us On balley as, well come
Speaker 2: check us out on YouTube for the other episodes as,
Speaker 2: well since we're whipping out four this, week and we
Speaker 2: will share the screen on the future episodes so you
Speaker 2: can see the player grades prospect grades as. Well wanted
Speaker 2: to join the, discord would love to have you in
Speaker 2: there or join our breaks or. BOTH i would love
Speaker 2: to hang out with you. Guys both links are in
Speaker 2: the episode. Description we will see you. Tomorrow