1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:02,960 Speaker 1: Get up, get just get up. 2 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 2: What's up? Mets fans? 3 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,400 Speaker 3: Welcome back to another episode of The Mets Stuff Podcast, 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 3: episode number one sixty two, and we're super excited to 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 3: do a little bit of a season preview interview with 6 00:00:16,360 --> 00:00:19,240 Speaker 3: Mike Petriello, baseballwriter MLB dot Com. 7 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 2: You've seen them all over Twitter too. 8 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 3: He's one of the smartest guys right now talking about baseball, 9 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 3: and we're super excited to have Mike here talking about 10 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 3: the New York Mets for the Toy twenty three season, 11 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,040 Speaker 3: as well as just baseball in general. So first off, Mike, 12 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 3: thank you so much for being here with us. 13 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 2: Appreciate it a thanks for having me. 14 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 1: Guys excited. 15 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 3: So h, I mean, first off, this is just it's 16 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 3: it's kind of new because it's coming out today kind 17 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 3: of actively as we're speaking right now, is MLB Network 18 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 3: is doing their top ten right now, and you've dropped 19 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 3: your top ten starting pitcher list, so we want to 20 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 3: kind of just go through it and maybe you know, 21 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 3: pick your brain a little bit. 22 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 2: James is a huge pitching guy. 23 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 3: James is what we call the pitching whisper on this podcast, 24 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 3: so I'm sure I'll have some some good questions for 25 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 3: you here, but the top ten, just for those guys 26 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 3: who have not seen it yet. Number one Jacob de 27 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 3: Gram two Aaron Nola, three, San Diialcintara four Corbyn Burns five, 28 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 3: Justin Verlander six, Carlos Rodan seven, Shane McClanahan, eight, Kevin Gosman, 29 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 3: nine Framber Valdez and ten Shoho Tani. So, Mike, maybe 30 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 3: you can give the listeners and viewers at home a 31 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 3: little insight. I know it's top ten right now, but 32 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,320 Speaker 3: what really goes into your rankings or what you're looking 33 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 3: for with your pictures. 34 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. I've been doing this for ten years now, I think, 35 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: and this is always the most difficult one because some 36 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: other positions it's like, oh yeah, top seven and then 37 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: I guess I'll fill out the bottom three. In this one, 38 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: it's like there's so many good starting pitchers. I think 39 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: I had thirty one guys on my initial list that 40 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: I had to cut down. Like, I think the way 41 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: to explain how deep this position is is, let me 42 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: give you like a top ten of guys who did 43 00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: not make my top ten, all right, Dylan c Smackcherzer, 44 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: Max Fried Spencer, Strider, Shane Bieber, Garrett Cole, Alecuano, Luis Castillo, Loganweb. 45 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: It's like and like, oh what about Julio Ariz, you know, 46 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,200 Speaker 1: what about ten other guys. It's it's obscene how difficult 47 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: it is to try to put it starting pitcherless together 48 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: and stop at ten. 49 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 4: Funnily like, as these rankings were coming out today, I 50 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 4: just kind of tried to ride the wave a little 51 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 4: bit and just posted my own just you know, try 52 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 4: and farm some engagement, talk to the people a little bit. 53 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,239 Speaker 4: And I just I've always had immense respect for Garrett Cole, 54 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 4: just from the consistency year over year and pitching in 55 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 4: Yankee Stadium, the American League East scheduling has to play 56 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 4: against every year. He's somewhere you did not have in 57 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 4: your top ten. Can you explain why? 58 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: Because then I've had would have had to bump somebody else. Honestly, like, 59 00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: Garret Cole's very good, So you know, he was certainly 60 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 1: one of the guys I considered. And you know, at 61 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 1: this point you've really got to you got to try 62 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,959 Speaker 1: hard to find reasons not to include some of these guys, 63 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: you know, like Spencer Strider for example. What's the only 64 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: reason not to include him. Well, there's not a full 65 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: season track record, right for Cole, it was, you know, 66 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: the last couple of years, really the home runs have 67 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: been up, and you know, again it's like nitpicking, like 68 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: Garrett Cole's amazing. You threw two hundred innings last year. 69 00:02:52,600 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: Like I'm I'm not complaining about Garrett Cole, but you know, 70 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: to get on the top ten, it's like you have 71 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 1: to be the best of the best. And now it's like, 72 00:02:58,400 --> 00:02:59,960 Speaker 1: I don't know, three or four years in a row, 73 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: I think where the long ball has been a bit 74 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: of a problem, and that's that's kind of it. That's like, 75 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: really all it takes at this point. 76 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 2: I saw at the number five spot. 77 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 3: I feel like Mets fans are really interested to hear 78 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,400 Speaker 3: your take on Justin Verlander, new free agent coming off 79 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 3: the cy young season. I mean, everybody knows he's good, 80 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:17,079 Speaker 3: but what in your eyes makes him a top five pitcher? 81 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 2: Yeah. 82 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: I think the thing people forget about this this sometimes 83 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: is that it's just projecting forward to the next season. 84 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: I don't care if he's going to be any good 85 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: this season after that, because then that's next year's problem. 86 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: And you know, he's forty years old or forty one 87 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: or whatever he's going to be. I'm not really betting 88 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: on him for more than one year, but you know, 89 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: you look at what he did last year. I'm not 90 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,240 Speaker 1: saying he's a one to seventy five er guy. That 91 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: seems pretty unlikely to me. And I know, you know, 92 00:03:40,560 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: the strikeouts were down just a little bit, but you know, 93 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,040 Speaker 1: the way he came back from Tommy John at that 94 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: age was really I think we don't actually talk about 95 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: it enough, Like I know he won the side and everything, 96 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: but you look at the way he just has not 97 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: walked anybody, like I think his walks per nine have 98 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: been under two for like four or five straight years, 99 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,680 Speaker 1: and he's still striking guys out and he's still preventing 100 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: home run better last year than I think he has 101 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: in a bunch of years. And when I looked at 102 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: his performance, I kind of said, is there any reason 103 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: to not bet on this guy for this upcoming season? 104 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: And aside from age, not really like when when he's 105 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: when's the last time is he pitched and not been 106 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: very good like a decade ago. 107 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 2: That's a good point. 108 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,719 Speaker 4: Uh that probably one two maybe more questions I have 109 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 4: on this. I have too, Maye Marquez. One, but I 110 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 4: want to I want to throw a two right now quickly. 111 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:23,360 Speaker 1: One. 112 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:26,280 Speaker 4: I'm gonna ask you another guy about an omission, Max Scherz, 113 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 4: And I'm sure Mets fans would like to know why 114 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 4: maybe Max Scherzer is not in this top ten number two. 115 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 4: Talking about you're like projecting for the next year. If 116 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 4: you had to pick a guy who was outside of 117 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 4: say your top twenty, that you just gave us what 118 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 4: you think could conceivably be in the top ten next year, 119 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 4: who would be your pick? 120 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 1: Well, Max Suers is not here because I hate the Mets. 121 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:47,600 Speaker 1: Let's totally make that player for everybody. No, I mean, yeah, 122 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: I know he's I know he's younger than Verl Andrews. 123 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: But over the last couple of years, it just, you know, 124 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: there always seems to be some kind of ache or pain, 125 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: like nothing major, but just these little things that pop up. 126 00:04:58,000 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: And you know, we threw a well like one hundred 127 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,640 Speaker 1: and forty innings or so last year, and then the 128 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: year before, you know, with the Dodgers especially, he had 129 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: the thing in the playoffs. And I have no reason 130 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: to think he won't be very good, obviously, because he's 131 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,320 Speaker 1: insanely good, but he is someone you know. I wasn't 132 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: gonna put both of those older Mets pitchers on the 133 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: top ten, and I kind of I think I trust 134 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: Verlander a little more to pitch more innings next year, 135 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: even if that's kind of a weird risk to take 136 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 1: on a guy who's going to be forty years old. 137 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: So that's why I mean, issuers are in that next 138 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: group of you know, ten names or whatever. Yes, he is, 139 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: and then how far do I have to go outside 140 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:34,359 Speaker 1: the top twenty five? Is that what you said, because that's. 141 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 4: Uh any just any of the guys you didn't name, 142 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 4: because I know you gave the ten. Then you said 143 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 4: you rambled up last ten or eight or whatever it was. 144 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 1: I can't remember if I said Logan Web, but I 145 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 1: love Logan Web. I feel like Logan Web. He wasn't said, 146 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: did I say Zach Wheeler? If whoever I didn't say, 147 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: I'm saying very good Zach Wheeler. Zack Wheeler is a 148 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: guy I wish I had. You know, there's gonna be 149 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: some interesting rookies like I'm interested, as you all already see, 150 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: like Rayson Rogriguez, but I'm certainly not willing to put 151 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:01,839 Speaker 1: him up in that conversation at this point, Like, I 152 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: really like, you know, Nicolodolo, But am I talking about 153 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: him in a top twenty five context right now? I 154 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: don't think that I am. But yeah, if I if 155 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: I didn't say, like Wheeler, then that's a guy I 156 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: really wish i'd stuck there. 157 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, Wheeler's pretty good. 158 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 3: I feel like the National League eest in general, the 159 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,280 Speaker 3: pitching is pretty insane in that division. Like you you 160 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:22,479 Speaker 3: named the guys that didn't make the list, and that 161 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 3: would be some of the aces or some of the 162 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 3: best pitchers in a lot of divisions of baseball. 163 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,920 Speaker 1: Feels like, yeah, absolutely, Like I said, it's starting, pitching 164 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: is just so good, And I feel like people don't 165 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: think it's a golden age because the guys aren't throwing 166 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: three hundred eatings like Bob Gibson would. But if you 167 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:38,160 Speaker 1: just look at the talent like it's left and right, 168 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: it's it's a really cool time to be watching pitching. 169 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 1: It's also just so. 170 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:43,840 Speaker 4: Much more data and science and pitching now than never was, 171 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:45,920 Speaker 4: and it really helps these guys develop. And that's gonna 172 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 4: be a little segue now to talking about Stack cast 173 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 4: and all the work you've done there, because I think 174 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 4: stack cast is something that's kind of well, what's why 175 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 4: I'm looking for kind of like educated, like an entire 176 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 4: new generation of baseball fans into some more kind of 177 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 4: deeper under understanding of things, especially pitching. So I guess 178 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 4: it's another broad question to to ask you another two 179 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,120 Speaker 4: part there, what do you think is the best thing 180 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 4: that stackcast has brought to the evolution analyzation of baseball? 181 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 4: And then will you think if anything you could decline 182 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 4: is possibly the worst thing or a negative consequence of 183 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:16,920 Speaker 4: the development of stack cast. 184 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: That's a loaded question. I mean the best thing is 185 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: some of the things. I guess there's two answers to that, right, 186 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: some of the things that are being measured now. I 187 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: think we're going to look back and say, man, I 188 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:29,120 Speaker 1: can't believe we never were able to track that, just 189 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: like how hard did somebody hit the ball? How fast 190 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: did a guy run? Like the base level skills that 191 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: you know? How many people ask me, do you think 192 00:07:36,360 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: we can know Barry Bonds is exoflacity, and like, no, 193 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: we can't. But that kind of stuff just now seems 194 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: so basic that the fact that we didn't have that, 195 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: and how quickly it's kind involved in analysis and everything. 196 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,640 Speaker 1: And then the second part of that is not just writers, 197 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: it's not just people on TV talking about it. How 198 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: quickly the players themselves have used this to improve their games. 199 00:07:57,200 --> 00:07:59,160 Speaker 1: I mean, there's so many examples if you want to 200 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: go back to the the launch angle, guys like Justin 201 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: Turner and Jadie Martinez. But really now it's the pictures. 202 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 3: You know. 203 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: Corbyn Burns is like an example. I love you know, 204 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: in a year a of like eight and a half 205 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,240 Speaker 1: and now it's basically been my top five picture for 206 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: the last couple of years because they figured out how 207 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: the pitches moved and they used the data. And I 208 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: kind of get a kick out of it when people 209 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: are like, wow, guys from years ago didn't have this data, 210 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: and it's like, okay, but you think if Tony gwyn 211 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: didn't have access to this, if Ted Williams had access 212 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: to this, they wouldn't use it. It's like when people 213 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: are like, oh, well, my grandparents didn't stare at their 214 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: cell phone all day, and it's like, yeah, but if 215 00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: they had a cell phone, they would have stared at 216 00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: it all. 217 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:34,080 Speaker 3: Yes. 218 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 1: It's like that's the way it works. Probably freaked out, 219 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: they kind of self fun So I just think that 220 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: it's information, you know, it's it's it's stuff we almost 221 00:08:42,920 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: will forget that we didn't have at some point. What's 222 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: the negative aspect of it? I mean, I think sometimes 223 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: it can be used too often in places that don't 224 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: necessarily call for it. Like if a guy hits just 225 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: like a monstrous home run, I do want to know 226 00:08:57,640 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: heart it's it? Do I care that much if he 227 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: you know it single and it's seventy two or back 228 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: to VIELASKI, I probably don't. It probably gets obnoxious to 229 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:07,959 Speaker 1: some people sometimes, so there is probably too much of 230 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: a good thing for audiences that maybe don't desire or 231 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,000 Speaker 1: require it for every single hit. But I guess I'll 232 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: take that over the alternative, which is not having it 233 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: at all. 234 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 2: Well. 235 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:20,520 Speaker 3: I think that also brings an interesting point too, because 236 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 3: last year the Mets had like a very unique team 237 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 3: in the way that they played offensively, and you wrote 238 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 3: an article I think in June about how the Mets 239 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 3: really weren't hitting the ball hard, but we're still a 240 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 3: very good offensive team, and you were one of these 241 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,959 Speaker 3: guys who felt like was kind of pushing the narrative 242 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 3: that it doesn't matter that the Mets aren't hitting the 243 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 3: ball hard because they are doing other things really well. 244 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 3: So I feel like maybe for Mets fans, maybe can 245 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 3: help them a little bit understand more why you think 246 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,480 Speaker 3: the offense was still good even though they weren't necessarily 247 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 3: hitting for power or ex vlo or something like that. 248 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: It was it was deep. I mean, it wasn't reliant 249 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: on one start. It wasn't just like the Peat Show. 250 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: You know, obviously Jeff McNeil had a great cheer, and 251 00:09:57,640 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: Nimo and Kanda and Martin and all these guys had 252 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: a great cheer. I do think it's possible to. It 253 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: kind of depends on how you like to consume baseball, 254 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:07,600 Speaker 1: because I think a lot of the people who got 255 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: upset by that were like, well, it doesn't matter that 256 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: we're not hitting the ball hard. Who needs to hit 257 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 1: the ball hard? And it's like, yeah, but if you 258 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: go look at like every single year the teams that 259 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:17,400 Speaker 1: hit the ball heard score more runs and eventually the balls, 260 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 1: you know, it's not going to fall in. And you 261 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,280 Speaker 1: saw that in the playoffs a little bit, right, Like, yeah, 262 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: a little power outage I'm sorry, James, I can see 263 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,680 Speaker 1: it shake and I don't mean to bring up bad memory. 264 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 4: No, it's still very open wounds. Mark knows it too, 265 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 4: he's just better playing my camera. No. 266 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:33,320 Speaker 1: So I wrote that, and I think the other thing 267 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: I wrote that got Mets fans all upset was like 268 00:10:35,880 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: I wrote about and I tried to paint this in 269 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: a positive light. I think I titled it like they're 270 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 1: making their own luck, right, but I pointed out that 271 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: they had played just the most garbage defenses for like 272 00:10:44,320 --> 00:10:46,520 Speaker 1: the first two months. It was so much like Washington 273 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: and the Giants and the Phillies before they fix things 274 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 1: up a little bit. And I was trying not to say, 275 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: like this is the reason the Mets a score runs, 276 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: because like you got to press that, you got to 277 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: put the ball play on all that, and that's fine, 278 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: But also those teams were playing terrible defense, and I 279 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 1: think that kind of even out a little bit. Like 280 00:11:01,440 --> 00:11:04,560 Speaker 1: they started playing better teams, they stopped having like every 281 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:07,280 Speaker 1: ball go the right way, and that the offense scuffled 282 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:08,560 Speaker 1: a little bit. And so when I look at them 283 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: this upcoming season, I think they're gonna be a good offense. 284 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: I think they will be. I don't know, a top 285 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: ten run scoring team still think they're short that power 286 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: bat and maybe that's Albarez. At some point, maybe they 287 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: trade for somebody, but that is still one hole that 288 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: they haven't been able to fix. 289 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 4: I do distinctly remember from that article you put a 290 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 4: split in there at some point where it was like 291 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,480 Speaker 4: Mets against the teams you said, like Giants, Phillies, Nationals, 292 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 4: a bunch of bad teams. Then the teams against who 293 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 4: are good at defense, and one of them was actually 294 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,480 Speaker 4: the San Diego Padres, the mest did struggle with mightily 295 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 4: in the regular season, and of course it came back 296 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 4: and hit us there. But moving on now, just talking 297 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 4: about defense. You've done so much work in the development 298 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 4: of defensive metrics, especially recently with OAA making major strives 299 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,560 Speaker 4: over the last couple of years. Could you maybe explain 300 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 4: to our listeners what OAA is and then the difference 301 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,319 Speaker 4: between that and the Fangraft Stats DRS and UZR. 302 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, the OAA stands were outs above average, and it 303 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,439 Speaker 1: is the stackass defensive metric. It's actually pretty simple. It's 304 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: not entirely but it is mostly based on how far 305 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: did the guy have to go how much time did 306 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: he have to get there, and what direction did he 307 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:08,880 Speaker 1: have to go in? And then you can put a 308 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: difficulty number on that. You know, we know that not 309 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: every play is created equal the difficulty. You could get 310 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: a groundball hit to you and you're expected to make it, 311 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: but it doesn't give you that much credit. Most offensive 312 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: metrics work that way. This one's just different because it's 313 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 1: not the eye test. It's all tracking, you know, it's 314 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,680 Speaker 1: the numbers that go into it. Compared to the other ones, 315 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:29,040 Speaker 1: USR I haven't looked at in years because they don't 316 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,680 Speaker 1: know how to handle the shift. So I was actually 317 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 1: kind of wondering, like, that's a dead metric. Will it 318 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: be a zombie metric that's upcoming year and there's not 319 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: the shift anymore. I don't actually know what's going to 320 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:41,559 Speaker 1: happen there. But I also don't think that that's being 321 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: actively developed anymore because the proprietor sort of fell off 322 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: the face of the earth for a lot of reasons. 323 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: DRS is a one from Supports Info Solutions where it's 324 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,800 Speaker 1: like similar properties, except they kind of combined stackas data 325 00:12:56,840 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: and the eye test. I think they've got like human trackers. 326 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: I really like that they're there because they provide us 327 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 1: like a really good test, like a smell test. You know, 328 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: if I see a guy where it's like, man, I 329 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: kind of thought he'd read better than that. Why does 330 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:12,199 Speaker 1: that really dislike him? And then sometimes I'll go check 331 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:13,680 Speaker 1: the ras and it's like, oh, they think he's not 332 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:15,840 Speaker 1: that good this year either, Okay, gives me a little 333 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 1: bit of confidence that we're catching onto something here. And 334 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: you know, it's really just we all know that errors 335 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: are sort of meaningless. My favorite stat right now, I 336 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,600 Speaker 1: think is that Nicholas Castianos hasn't been charged with an 337 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: error in like a year and a half because you 338 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: can't get an error if you can't get to the ball. 339 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: I know he put on the postseason at all, but 340 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,080 Speaker 1: so that's what it is. It's it's not errors. It's 341 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 1: not about hits and errors. It's about was the play 342 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 1: made and how difficult was that play to make? 343 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,200 Speaker 3: And looking at the Mets, I feel like defensively, Mets 344 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 3: are one of the stronger teams, especially now with I 345 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:48,559 Speaker 3: mean they implemented the shift a lot last year, but 346 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 3: with Lindor and you have McNeil g or, may you 347 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 3: have a lot of Nemo in center field, Marte, you 348 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:55,959 Speaker 3: have a lot of really good defensive pieces. What kind 349 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,320 Speaker 3: of value do you think having a good defensive team, 350 00:13:58,360 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 3: especially now with the shift being gone, is going to 351 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 3: have an impact in the upcoming season. 352 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: It's going to be really interesting to watch. Like I'm 353 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: more excited for the season that I think I've been 354 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: for any season a long time. Between the pitch timer 355 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: and the positioning ban and all the other stuff. I 356 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: think a really interesting place in the division to look 357 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: to find that is going to be with the Marlins 358 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: because they have really downgraded their defense. Like I do 359 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: not like a middle infield of Luisa Rise and Joey Wendel. 360 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,520 Speaker 1: And while I do think Justism could probably play center, 361 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: it's his first time out there. Like, there's gonna be 362 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: some growing pains. I think that's really going to hurt 363 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: that that team's pitching staff and they don't really have 364 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,600 Speaker 1: the offensive, you know, balance to get past that. As 365 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: for the Mets, I think it's pretty clear that it's helped, 366 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,480 Speaker 1: you know, Lindor if he's not the best defensive shortstop, 367 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: he's up there. In my opinion, I do think it's 368 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:47,360 Speaker 1: overrated sometimes to say, oh, well, you know, we built 369 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: strength up the middle, but if you look at the Mets, 370 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: like who is a weakness on defense? Like Alonzo is 371 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: not great. He's adequate at first base. Catcher was a 372 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: little bit of an issue last year sometimes with McCann 373 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: but you know, need A was pretty good. And I 374 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 1: just like that there's really no glaring issues here. There's 375 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: no one who can't get to the ball. Like you 376 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: saw that with the Phillies. He saw that with the Nationals, 377 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,400 Speaker 1: especially at shortstop. It's really hard to overcome that kind 378 00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: of stuff. And I know the Phillies had a great run, 379 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: but kind of after they fix some of the holes 380 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,760 Speaker 1: in their defense. So it always matters, and I think 381 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: it might matter a little more this year. 382 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 4: You mentioned brand Nemo before, and he's a player who's 383 00:15:21,560 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 4: made incredible defensive strides over the last couple of years, 384 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 4: A huge, huge reason he got such a big payday 385 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,000 Speaker 4: this offseason. Can you all speak to the improvements he's made, 386 00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 4: especially in terms of OA, where he's gone from a 387 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 4: player who was like blow average to I believe less 388 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 4: you're around nineteth percentage. 389 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: I think it's two things. I mean, he plays deeper, 390 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: which is one thing that. I mean, he's not gaming 391 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: the metric necessarily, but he's making the conscious choice to 392 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 1: trade singles for extra base hits, which you know, for 393 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: fifty years, that's not what players will do. And I 394 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: think now people are like, look, I let the single 395 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: fall in. I don't care. I'm not going to get 396 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: doubles and triples over my head. I also think he 397 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,520 Speaker 1: was just healthy last year. You know, he's not always 398 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: been healthy in the past, and a pretty good way 399 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: to get the ball is to be healthy and have 400 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: a great season. That's what he did. I don't think 401 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 1: he's a gold Glover. I don't look at him like 402 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 1: he's Cremeyer Buckston or anything. But when he signed the contract, 403 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:10,240 Speaker 1: I said to myself, you know, how long can he 404 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,920 Speaker 1: play center? It's not gonna be the whole contract, is 405 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: it the next three or four years? What I feel 406 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: comfortable with him there? And then he goes to left 407 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 1: field or DH or whatever. Yeah, I think so that's 408 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,080 Speaker 1: pretty good for that kind of contract. 409 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 3: So with stackass and all these these new statistics and 410 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 3: everything like that, I feel like the hot buzzwords right 411 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 3: now or ex vila launch angle OAA, what's maybe like 412 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 3: the the under the radar stat that people aren't talking 413 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:35,640 Speaker 3: about enough that you think actually does have a lot 414 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 3: of weight. 415 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: That's a really good question. You know. At the it 416 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: was like the very end of the regular season last year, 417 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,360 Speaker 1: so I'm not sure people even noticed it. We put 418 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: out all the position player throwing arm leaderboards, which I 419 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: think was pretty cool. And yeah, it was like three 420 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,240 Speaker 1: days before the playoff started, so great timing and our 421 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: part there, Like, I don't know if that carries any 422 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,080 Speaker 1: predictive value or in projections or anything like that, but 423 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: that's another one of those things where it's it's just 424 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: measuring what you see. You know, it's not a complicated model, 425 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,200 Speaker 1: it's not expected anything. It's just I want to know 426 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:08,240 Speaker 1: who throws the ball the hardest. And I think the 427 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: names at the top and the bottom of the list, 428 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:11,960 Speaker 1: they you know, pass the smell test, right becauld you 429 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: have like Akuna at the top and you know, whole 430 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 1: bunch of first Basement at the bottom. So that one's cool. 431 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 1: We have, hopefully before the regular season a couple of 432 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,360 Speaker 1: cool catching metrics that we're working on that I think 433 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:26,119 Speaker 1: people will like. I think, you know, for baseball history, 434 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: everybody's known you steal bases off the picture and not 435 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 1: the catcher. But catchers have always been judged on caught 436 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 1: stealing percentage, which is kind of garbage. So we're working 437 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 1: on that to take into account the speed of the 438 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 1: runner or what kind of lead the picture let him 439 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: get off ass you was to the plate, and apply 440 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: that to the catcher. So I think that's going to 441 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:42,920 Speaker 1: be pretty cool. I'm excited about that one. 442 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 4: We talked about the pitch clock for a little bit 443 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 4: before when we were talking about the shift, but just 444 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:49,800 Speaker 4: to scale back to that, would you think effects the 445 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 4: pin new pitchclocks can have on the great. 446 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: I don't have you guys, James, you know you live 447 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: in Brooklyn. Did you go to any Cyclones games last summer? 448 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:58,360 Speaker 1: We went to a. 449 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 4: Few two years ago, and Mark and I last year 450 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:02,159 Speaker 4: also went to the Fall League, and that was the 451 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 4: first time we saw the picture was on and we 452 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,200 Speaker 4: would do the thing where like yeah, and the fifth 453 00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 4: inning you start talking to each other and then you're like, 454 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 4: oh my, it's only been two hours and fifteen minutes. 455 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,679 Speaker 1: Like the time I asked that because that was the 456 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:13,399 Speaker 1: first time I saw it in person was last summer 457 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: I went to Cyclones game. My son, I'm like, this 458 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:18,360 Speaker 1: is great, Like he just gets the ball and he 459 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 1: throws the ball. And I know people get angsty about 460 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:22,720 Speaker 1: the idea that there might be a clock in baseball, 461 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: but I think what's gonna happen is the first three 462 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,679 Speaker 1: weeks or so are going to be rough, right, and 463 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: then everybody's gonna be like, this is amazing. Like if 464 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,680 Speaker 1: you go back to the umpires checking the sticky substance 465 00:18:34,760 --> 00:18:37,280 Speaker 1: or whatever, ninety nine percent of the guys I got fine, 466 00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: no problem, no big deal. And of course there were 467 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:41,320 Speaker 1: like two guys who lost their minds, like sures It 468 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:46,119 Speaker 1: for example, exactly right. So you're gonna definitely have some 469 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 1: issues where some of the veteran guys especially, I think, 470 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,439 Speaker 1: are gonna have some trouble with it. I think we 471 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: underestimate how many of the younger guys have already seen this. 472 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,199 Speaker 1: You know. I was listening to Chris Bassett was on 473 00:18:57,200 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 1: the radio yesterday and he's an older guy, right, and 474 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: he's like, yeah, l in Arizona Fall League, Like I've 475 00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 1: I've done this before. So you know, some of like 476 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: the older guys like the Kershaws, the Waynwrights or whatever, 477 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: maybe Kenny Jansen's gonna be a great example because he's 478 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,640 Speaker 1: so slow. Those guys are gonna be affected. And I'm 479 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 1: pretty interested to see what happens to the hitters. We 480 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:17,159 Speaker 1: only talk about this from the point of view with 481 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 1: the pitchers. Mark Kenna takes forever at the play, just 482 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,879 Speaker 1: like a year between pitches. Now he's gonna be hustled 483 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: into the box. You know, what is that did his approach? 484 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: What is it going to do to the fielders? Like, 485 00:19:28,359 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: I never really thought about this till the other day. 486 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:34,879 Speaker 1: The positioning band uh also prevents guys from moving all 487 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: around the field, but like you don't have time to 488 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: do it anymore, you know, Like would you have time 489 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 1: to send Manny Machado out to right field two hundred 490 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: and twenty feet away? Maybe you wouldn't. So it's kind 491 00:19:43,520 --> 00:19:45,520 Speaker 1: of all I got to work together and really fascinated 492 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:45,919 Speaker 1: to see this. 493 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, we talked to Scherzer during the season and asked 494 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 3: him about the pitch clock, and one of the things 495 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 3: that he said, which you just brought up, was how 496 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 3: one He's like, I'm gonna weaponize it against the hitters 497 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:56,600 Speaker 3: because they're used to having all their time. I'm gonna 498 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 3: make them get ready and like you don't have a 499 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 3: lot of time to think about what's going to be next, 500 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:04,199 Speaker 3: which I mean like we love baseball for what it was, 501 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 3: and obviously, like people get scared whenever change comes in, 502 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 3: but personally, these changes feel like they're gonna be great 503 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 3: for baseball. Shift is maybe a little more up in 504 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 3: the air, but the pitchclock, like when we saw in 505 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 3: the Fall League, like you said, James, the way that 506 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:19,399 Speaker 3: the game moves is so enjoyable. It really makes like 507 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 3: I don't want baseball to be over quicker, but it 508 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,920 Speaker 3: really does make the game feel like it's fast paced. 509 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: It's not less baseball, it's just more baseball and less time. 510 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 1: There's less not baseball happening, higher baseball density. 511 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 4: I also remember there was a series where the Mets 512 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 4: played the Cardinals in twenty twenty one and Terry Collins 513 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:38,080 Speaker 4: was actually doing the games with how We Rose on 514 00:20:38,119 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 4: the radio, and Terry's just he's a baseball guy. He 515 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:41,919 Speaker 4: would get down the field and talk to the players 516 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 4: and he said he had a conversation with I believe 517 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 4: it was Paul Deyong pregame and a game where Adam 518 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,959 Speaker 4: Waynwright was pitching, and Deyong said he likes playing defense 519 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 4: so much for Waynwright because of that rhythm he gets it, 520 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:53,199 Speaker 4: because of the speed which he works. It allows the 521 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:55,199 Speaker 4: defender to be on their toes a little bit more, 522 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,600 Speaker 4: stop blank sitting back on their heels, and that makes 523 00:20:57,640 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 4: them play better defense. And if you look back years 524 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 4: of this wonderful stackcast day that we have, Adam Wayne 525 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:04,200 Speaker 4: rag routine lely has some of the best OAA behind 526 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:06,639 Speaker 4: him in the entire league, even like spades better than 527 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 4: the Cardinals other pitchers. 528 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:09,480 Speaker 1: Which is it's funny to hear. 529 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:11,880 Speaker 4: I'm sure this must be one of the most incredible 530 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:13,240 Speaker 4: things for you ever hear when like something that a 531 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 4: player says actually bears itself out in the data like 532 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 4: for us to see it. 533 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:18,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, it's cool. You can tell they're paying attention, 534 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:21,639 Speaker 1: they're obviously using it, they know about it, and I 535 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 1: think what teams have gotten better at is communicating it 536 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:25,679 Speaker 1: to them Like it's cool to see some of the 537 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: ex players like Dan Haron's a great example, you know, 538 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: guys like that who lived the life on the field. 539 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:32,879 Speaker 1: You know, Brian Banister is a good one, but can 540 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 1: also communicate it to the players in a way that 541 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,639 Speaker 1: helps them get better. So it's like, is it nerd stuff? 542 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:37,960 Speaker 4: Yeah? 543 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 1: But is it improving the quality of play on the 544 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:42,440 Speaker 1: field also? Yeah, And I think that's a pretty cool thing. 545 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 3: So two, I mean, like the new wave of you know, 546 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 3: statistics analytics coming into baseball is something that I think 547 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,679 Speaker 3: scares a lot of fans. Like me and James talk 548 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 3: about it a lot. We're younger generation of baseball fans. 549 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:01,200 Speaker 3: We've been taking in this information a lot from guys 550 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 3: like you and other people in the baseball world. 551 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:04,760 Speaker 2: What would you say, is. 552 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:07,080 Speaker 3: Maybe like the easiest way for someone to ease into 553 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 3: learning these statistics so that they can understand the game 554 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 3: a little deeper. 555 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:13,199 Speaker 1: Well, follow me on Twitter. I think that was definitely 556 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:18,639 Speaker 1: because I plug it go ahead. No, I think I 557 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:22,000 Speaker 1: think pretty much every broadcast is integrating this stuff in 558 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,040 Speaker 1: some way. And now that we're it's fifteen years in 559 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: a pitch tracking, right, you know, seven or eight years 560 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:29,680 Speaker 1: in this stack cast. I think it's gone at different 561 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: speeds and it's taken some of them a little longer 562 00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:34,400 Speaker 1: to get there. But a lot of this just goes 563 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,680 Speaker 1: into cool visuals, like you don't have to make everything 564 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: a physics class. One of the things I like, just 565 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: like the simplest thing to understand is they'll do like 566 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,280 Speaker 1: the high home shot or you can see the infield 567 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 1: and they'll just show the hitter spray chart like in 568 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: the five pie slices on the field, and like they'll 569 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: color code it and it's like you don't need to 570 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: understand anything about how what went into that. It's like, oh, 571 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,359 Speaker 1: this guy usually hits the ball over there, and before 572 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,360 Speaker 1: this year, at least, I think it helped you understand 573 00:22:56,359 --> 00:22:58,119 Speaker 1: why there might be four guys standing on the right 574 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 1: side of second base, because like, I know that was 575 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:02,280 Speaker 1: gonna happen. If you don't know who Joe Gallo is, 576 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:04,680 Speaker 1: you'd be like, what the hell is this? But when 577 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: you see that and it's like, oh, he only hits 578 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 1: the ball to that side like four percent of the time, 579 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: why would you bother wasting the fielder there? I think 580 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 1: that's the kind of stuff that can really help you 581 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:14,639 Speaker 1: get into the advanced analytics of the game and mostly 582 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:17,360 Speaker 1: understand what teams are trying to do, not even realize 583 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,239 Speaker 1: that you're learning something. You know, like yeah, you can 584 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:21,359 Speaker 1: go deep into spin axis and seem shifted awake and 585 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:22,800 Speaker 1: all that kind of stuff if you want to. But 586 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: anything that can really just be passed along in a leaderboard, 587 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: in a visual I think that's what makes a big impact. 588 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,960 Speaker 4: You mentioned the incorporation of these kind of event stats 589 00:23:31,960 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 4: and broadcasts. You yourself have been central to that with 590 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 4: the stack cast broadcast and ESPN. 591 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: How do you like that? 592 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:39,199 Speaker 4: Has that been fun? And what are the plans for 593 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 4: the stack cast broadcast. 594 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,120 Speaker 1: Is mostly dead? I think yes, it was super fun, 595 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: like an unbelievable thing. Wow, come on, we didn't do 596 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 1: it last year. We just did the home run derby, right, 597 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: So I see victim of our own success in some 598 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:59,160 Speaker 1: sense because it was a second screen and once the 599 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: main show kind of starts taking all the cool stuff, 600 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 1: including our producer Andy Jacobson and Boro Perez and hiring 601 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:08,880 Speaker 1: David Cohne, who you know talks about this stuff better 602 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:10,959 Speaker 1: than I do. And oh yeah, is a borderline Hall 603 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,880 Speaker 1: of Fame caliber pitcher. How do you second screen against that? 604 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: That's where it gets a little tough, and that's a 605 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,439 Speaker 1: good thing, right, Like we're almost a testing ground for 606 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: a lot of this stuff, where it's like, hey, can 607 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,199 Speaker 1: you even put this garbage on? TV and will it 608 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:26,199 Speaker 1: be interesting and entertaining? And I like to think that 609 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: most of it was, and now that it's on like 610 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 1: main shows, so for me to say, well, we're going 611 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: to come up with something that's like way beyond that, 612 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:35,880 Speaker 1: then you start getting into the territory of, oh, wait, 613 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 1: is this still entertaining TV? Or am I just like 614 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:39,640 Speaker 1: putting spreadsheets on the air, now, you know what I mean. 615 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: So I've been helping with the main show, like behind 616 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:44,120 Speaker 1: the scenes, give them storylines and stats and stuff like that. 617 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,880 Speaker 1: But I'm happy that in our brief time on the air, 618 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: we were able to make a difference. And I can always 619 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,000 Speaker 1: say I got to call a playoff game at Wrigley Field, 620 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:56,479 Speaker 1: like that's cool. I ever kinda forget now that's awesome. 621 00:24:56,600 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 3: I mean we loved it obviously, as like big stat 622 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 3: Nerds baseball guy. So I mean it stinks that it's 623 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:03,760 Speaker 3: not gonna be exists, but like you said, it is 624 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 3: good that it's now getting more incorporated into just the 625 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 3: main broadcast, which is always good. 626 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:09,280 Speaker 1: Yeah. 627 00:25:09,359 --> 00:25:11,240 Speaker 4: No, I mean that's pain and ELI do the second 628 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 4: broadcast against Joe Buck Like this seems like I have 629 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 4: a brother. 630 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 1: He's not a huge baseball fan. He mostly like soccer, 631 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 1: but I could get him on there. We could talk 632 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:23,200 Speaker 1: about baseball and see how that goes perfect. All right, 633 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: so I'll pitch it with ESPN. 634 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 3: I feel like we should probably move into the Mets 635 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:30,640 Speaker 3: now a little bit more, just because there feels like 636 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,360 Speaker 3: there's a lot of storylines and conversation with this team. 637 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,840 Speaker 3: Obviously won one hundred and one games last year, a 638 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 3: little bit disappointing finish, and a crazy, crazy offseason of 639 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 3: you know, could have, should have maybe all this stuff 640 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 3: all over the place. So Mets really did bring in 641 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:46,560 Speaker 3: a lot of new guys, and I think one of 642 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:49,959 Speaker 3: the most interesting guys is Code I Senga. So, as 643 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:51,880 Speaker 3: a guy who does a lot of projecting and has, 644 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 3: you know, all this data, what do you think about 645 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 3: a guy like Code I Senga coming from Japan. 646 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take the cop out answer and say, I 647 00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:03,240 Speaker 1: don't know. I don't have we don't have Japanese data, right, 648 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 1: so I can't tell you that much about how his 649 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 1: pitches move. Like I can read the scouting reports the 650 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:09,679 Speaker 1: same as everybody else. We could say, oh, you know, 651 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:13,159 Speaker 1: the way his pitches move probably remind you of this 652 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 1: guy or that guy. But until we see him, uh, 653 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:17,679 Speaker 1: we're just we're just not gonna know. You know, all 654 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: the scouting reports seem good, but I'd be lying if 655 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:22,160 Speaker 1: I said I had like a great projection on him 656 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,400 Speaker 1: or a great insight to his pitch data, because until 657 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 1: he gets in front of the cameras, we're just not 658 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: gonna have much that's fair without being able to project code. 659 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,120 Speaker 4: I saying, Who's I think probably the biggest question mark 660 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,880 Speaker 4: on this Mets team is there any player looking at 661 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 4: as someone who's underrated, someone might be able to break out, 662 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 4: someone who Mets fans might not be super aware of 663 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:41,119 Speaker 4: right now but should be excited about. Well. 664 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:42,880 Speaker 1: I mean, I'm interested to see if Tommy fam could 665 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:45,439 Speaker 1: bounce back. I thought that was a pretty fun signing. 666 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:47,440 Speaker 1: I think it's a good it's a good fit for him. 667 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:49,960 Speaker 1: I I would not really want him as my six 668 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,000 Speaker 1: hundred plate appearance every day outfielder guy, like I don't 669 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: think that's necessarily where he is anymore, but as the 670 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: backup takes some plate appearances when necessary, maybe Dah is 671 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: a little bit. I think there's still some life in 672 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: his bad you know, because if you go look at 673 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,879 Speaker 1: the you know the stack as metrics, it's not like 674 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 1: White as good as as a once was. But obviously 675 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,880 Speaker 1: he's getting a little older. And his hard hit rate 676 00:27:11,840 --> 00:27:14,400 Speaker 1: it was like ninety percent last year. That's that's still 677 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,440 Speaker 1: pretty good. You know. Is he a great fielder anymore? 678 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 2: No? 679 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 1: Is he straight out too much? Probably? But you put 680 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 1: him in the right situations. You know what I think 681 00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 1: they're gonna do. What I think every smart team is 682 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: doing now, is it's not so much platoon like lefty 683 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 1: and righty. It's more of a platoon against like pitch shapes. 684 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,919 Speaker 1: You know. So if they say, man, this guy's swing, 685 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,119 Speaker 1: like the way his swing goes, it's really geared towards 686 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,800 Speaker 1: and I don't know what it is for him. Maybe 687 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:39,919 Speaker 1: it's you know, sinker balls, maybe it's high pitches he's spinned. 688 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:42,120 Speaker 1: Whatever it is for him, that those are the matchups 689 00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: they're going to find to put him in. And I 690 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:46,080 Speaker 1: don't think every team is good at doing that, but 691 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 1: like we know, the Giants were good at it a 692 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,600 Speaker 1: couple of years ago. And if you can still hit 693 00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: the ball as hard as he could, I think you're 694 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 1: gonna be surprised how much production you'll still get out 695 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: of him. That's good because I feel like for me, 696 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: I like wasn't quite sure of the fit for Tommy 697 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:01,320 Speaker 1: Famness necessarily. And I feel like a lot of Met 698 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: fans too, they see Tommy fam as a guy who 699 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: was an All Star and now is going to be 700 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,080 Speaker 1: coming into a backup role after maybe a couple down years. 701 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: So being able to explain, like, no, this is actually 702 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:12,800 Speaker 1: the perfect role for him, probably probably helping out some 703 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:14,679 Speaker 1: of our Mets fans here. So we appreciate that that 704 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,520 Speaker 1: you're you're keeping them a little calm with that. Well, wait, know, 705 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: whatever I can do. You got a left handed DH 706 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: and Vogel bomb, you got to lefties in the outfield. 707 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:23,360 Speaker 1: I mean, it's gonna be good. It's gonna work out, 708 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: Vogel vocal back. It's funny when you say that too 709 00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:28,480 Speaker 1: about pitch shapes. 710 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 4: I remember a few years ago, I actually think I 711 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:33,479 Speaker 4: sent Mark an article from Baseball Prospectus by Robert Wiser, 712 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,760 Speaker 4: who was one of their newer, newer age, younger riders. 713 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 4: Yet he wrote about how the Giants were a team 714 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,440 Speaker 4: that did that the first time, and then just I 715 00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:41,920 Speaker 4: would just scroll around Savant and Stackcast, just hanging out 716 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 4: sometimes you always notice, like when you scroll past the 717 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 4: guy's run values hithers, it's so rare to find ones 718 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,719 Speaker 4: who are both exceptional against both fastballs and sinkers, as 719 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 4: in just two pitches that someone will see quite often 720 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 4: that have slightly different shapes. And then again, this is 721 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 4: kind of like comment I made like ten mimus ago. 722 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,320 Speaker 4: It's so cool when like you see someone say something 723 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 4: and then you can put it to like other data 724 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 4: is really easy to digest. It's fun. It's truthfully fun 725 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 4: to like see these baseball things realize them. 726 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, I know it's cool. I mean it makes you 727 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: feel like you understand the game more. And it's wild 728 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: to think after all this time, especially now that I 729 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: work in baseball full time, that you can still learn 730 00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:15,959 Speaker 1: more about this game that you've been watching for decades 731 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: and decades, but there's always something new, and I think 732 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 1: that's part of why I love it so much. 733 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:23,560 Speaker 3: Okay, so you mentioned working in baseball full time, and 734 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 3: I think we would be. 735 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:26,680 Speaker 2: We got to ask this one. 736 00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 3: We saw that you used to work for Bowlmore as 737 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 3: a digital content manager. How did you go from there 738 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:34,640 Speaker 3: to where you're at now? Because those two things don't 739 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 3: seem to overlap at all. 740 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: No, they don't. I haven't thought about that one in 741 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,000 Speaker 1: a minute. Okay. So I didn't get it my first 742 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 1: full time job in baseball until I was thirty five, right, 743 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: And it was kind of a side hustle for a while, 744 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:52,000 Speaker 1: and I had regular day jobs. For a bunch of years. 745 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 1: I worked at a digital pr film firm as a 746 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:57,080 Speaker 1: project manager in building websites and all kinds of stuff. 747 00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: And then the first time I tried to I got 748 00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:00,400 Speaker 1: sick of that. I tried to make it work sports 749 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,280 Speaker 1: and I went to do the freelance thing, writing for 750 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: fangrabs and being an editor or whatever, and that was fine. 751 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,040 Speaker 1: And then we were about to start a family, and 752 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, I think I might need a real 753 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 1: job with real health insurance and stuff. And because me 754 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:14,320 Speaker 1: and my wife was pregnant with our with our first child, 755 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:17,320 Speaker 1: and so I started looking around for jobs that were 756 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,800 Speaker 1: similar to what i'd had before, you know, doing the 757 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 1: the project management, building website stuff. And Bowlmore so I 758 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 1: used to live in Hell's Kitchen and Bowlmore had their 759 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: main office was like eight blocks for me, and they 760 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: were paying pretty much what I'd made at the agency, 761 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:36,440 Speaker 1: and it say it was an easy gig, but like 762 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: what they were doing was not necessarily challenging. They were 763 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 1: at the time, you know, they bought up AMF and 764 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: all these other bowling brands and they were trying to 765 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 1: consolidate all the brand websites and it's I'm bored even 766 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,239 Speaker 1: talking about it, but that's that's basically what it was. 767 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:53,520 Speaker 1: So I did that, and then I believe, like on 768 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: days where MLB Network was like, which you come over, 769 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 1: and I'd say sure, and I would block my coworkers 770 00:30:58,320 --> 00:30:59,800 Speaker 1: on Twitter because I didn't really want them to know 771 00:30:59,840 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: that what I was doing that day. Not that they 772 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 1: cared because they were really baseball fans, but yeah, that's 773 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 1: what happened. And I did that for a year and 774 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:09,440 Speaker 1: a half or so. It was like a perfectly fine job, 775 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 1: and I liked the people I worked with and it 776 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: was totally fine. But I was also like writing for 777 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,440 Speaker 1: MLB at the time freelance for the first year, and 778 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,479 Speaker 1: then that turned into a full time job, and then 779 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:21,080 Speaker 1: I got to quit the bowling job, and that was 780 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: a pretty good day. Are you a bowler at all? Like, 781 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:24,760 Speaker 1: this is it an activity you enjoy for the enjoy? 782 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,080 Speaker 1: And I'm not good at it, but yeah, it's fun 783 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 1: to do. 784 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:29,280 Speaker 4: You were a big part of the the rebirth of 785 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:31,959 Speaker 4: the Hardball Times about six or seven years ago. I 786 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:33,400 Speaker 4: just wanted to ask, like that was, like, I don't know, 787 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 4: I that was one of the things that kind of 788 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:36,560 Speaker 4: made me like develop a deeper love for baseball when 789 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:38,640 Speaker 4: I was like in college and like away from my parents' 790 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 4: cable package watching the Mets every single night for free, 791 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 4: so kind of help like reinvigorate my love. So what 792 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 4: was it like to just be to have a hand 793 00:31:44,920 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 4: in that, like coming back for a certain like not back, 794 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:49,720 Speaker 4: but just like being reinvigorated for a certain period of time. 795 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:50,000 Speaker 3: Yeah. 796 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: So, like I, like I said before, when I quit 797 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 1: the PR job and I was doing the freelance thing 798 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: at the time, I was writing for fan Chris, So 799 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: I was doing that a couple of times a week, 800 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 1: and I got to be pretty friendly with David Appleman, 801 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 1: who is the you know, creator of fangrass and like 802 00:32:03,720 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: one of the best people on the planet. And it 803 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 1: came up that they had i think purchased the Hardball 804 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,800 Speaker 1: Times and they were going to like redesign it because 805 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 1: it was on the Super Bowl template and I was like, 806 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: you know, David, you probably don't have time to build 807 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,280 Speaker 1: a website. I by freelancer now and I know how 808 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:20,880 Speaker 1: to build websites, Like can I help you build this website? 809 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 1: And so they said yeah, and kind of took on 810 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:26,000 Speaker 1: a little side contract and I got someone helped me 811 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: design it, and then I built it, which was super fun. 812 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: So like I would spend my days of writing fangrass 813 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: articles and then at night I would you know, be 814 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,760 Speaker 1: writing up the code for this website. And I was 815 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: pretty happy with the way it came out, and I 816 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,240 Speaker 1: was sad to see that the pandemic kind of put 817 00:32:38,240 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: an end to that. Hopefully it can come back at 818 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 1: some point, but yeah, it was pretty wild to be like, yeah, 819 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: I helped design that. I never wrote there, I don't think, 820 00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: but I helped design it. 821 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:47,280 Speaker 3: Bringing it back to the Mets as much as you know, 822 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 3: I do love hearing about bullmore and that that whole 823 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 3: you know what happened before coming into baseball. The Mets, 824 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 3: I feel like also have a really interesting bullpen with 825 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,880 Speaker 3: a bunch of different like arms and guys and ways 826 00:32:57,880 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 3: that they throw in. One name in particular, another new guy, 827 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 3: Brooks Raley, a lot of people see Brooks Raley as 828 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 3: a guy who's going to be the left handed rum 829 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 3: that the Mets have been dying for. If you ask 830 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:07,920 Speaker 3: any Mets fan, what is one thing they've needed for 831 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:10,560 Speaker 3: the last five years? A left handed reliever, and Brooks 832 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,400 Speaker 3: Railey is probably going to fill that role. When you 833 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 3: look at his traditional numbers, era and such, you see 834 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 3: some of the high numbers from years past. But me 835 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:20,800 Speaker 3: and James we see he goes to the Rais, he's 836 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,760 Speaker 3: with the Astros, to the smarter pitching organizations. Now comes 837 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 3: to the Mets, had a great season last year. Like, 838 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 3: what's your thoughts on Brooks Raley? I think you now 839 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 3: they're right there right. Anytime a guy spends time with 840 00:33:30,920 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 3: the Astros and the Rays, that's the first thing you're like, Okay, 841 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 3: well they see something there. 842 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:37,920 Speaker 1: He has a really interesting skill. Obviously, he doesn't throw hard. 843 00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: He's not like collecting a ton of strikeouts. He's getting 844 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:42,120 Speaker 1: a little bit on the older side too, But he 845 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: is maybe the best guy in baseball at preventing hard contact. 846 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:49,800 Speaker 1: Like his hard hit rates, preventing hard hit rates are 847 00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 1: just off the scale, and that's a pretty valuable thing. 848 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 1: If you can prevent the worst kind of contact. I 849 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 1: don't want to say it doesn't matter how many strike 850 00:33:56,560 --> 00:33:58,400 Speaker 1: cuts you have, because you know, of course it does. 851 00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: But he is a guy who will really go up 852 00:34:01,160 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 1: there as a left and say I'm not going to 853 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,239 Speaker 1: give up the big home run at this spot, and 854 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:06,880 Speaker 1: you know, who knows how long that's going to sustain. 855 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:09,399 Speaker 1: Sometimes that's a stat that's not that stable year to year. 856 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 1: But he's been back from Asia for three or four 857 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 1: years now, I think in pretty much every single year 858 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:17,960 Speaker 1: he's been absolutely elite at it. And you know, throw 859 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:19,759 Speaker 1: us like four or five different kinds of pitches and 860 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:21,719 Speaker 1: he can spot them where he wants. So he's gonna 861 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 1: be an interesting guy. Like if you're if you're thinking 862 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:27,800 Speaker 1: of a left handed fire breathing twenty sixteen Andrew Miller type, 863 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: this is not exactly that. But if you want a 864 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:32,560 Speaker 1: guy who's gonna come up and catch you the double play, 865 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,120 Speaker 1: gethead of a toughending without allowing like an extra base hit, 866 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: I think he's gonna fit in really well. 867 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 3: You mentioned limiting hard contact. Do you think that like 868 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:43,279 Speaker 3: soft contact and being able or is going to be 869 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,440 Speaker 3: even less effective now with the shift being banned because 870 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,640 Speaker 3: you can't kind of like sneak one through maybe aside 871 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:51,040 Speaker 3: or do you think it's not really gonna be that 872 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 3: much of a difference. 873 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:55,520 Speaker 1: That's a great question. It's it's gonna be hard to 874 00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:58,759 Speaker 1: say until we see it. I do think people are 875 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:01,440 Speaker 1: overstating what they I think the shift band really is. 876 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:03,719 Speaker 1: I think they think that it means the fore infielders 877 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: have to stand in the traditional foreign fielder spot, which 878 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: isn't true. I was talking to someone today and they 879 00:35:09,200 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 1: shared with me an Eric Cosmo quote. It was at 880 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:14,279 Speaker 1: the Cubs fan convention or whatever, and he's like, yeah, 881 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 1: you know, it's really disheartening when you hit the ball 882 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: hard up the middle and it's not a hit. And 883 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:19,799 Speaker 1: I'm like, yeah, but it's still not gonna be a hit. 884 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:22,360 Speaker 1: Short stop is still gonna be standing up the middle, 885 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,040 Speaker 1: just like one step over, you know, to the left 886 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,000 Speaker 1: side of second base. So I think the people who think, oh, yeah, 887 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:30,160 Speaker 1: you know, Anthony Rizzo's batting at were just going up 888 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,920 Speaker 1: by seventy points or whatever, they're gonna be disappointed. That said. 889 00:35:34,080 --> 00:35:37,799 Speaker 1: I do think you're gonna expose some of the fielders 890 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:40,160 Speaker 1: maybe who were only at these spots because they could 891 00:35:40,160 --> 00:35:42,520 Speaker 1: be positioned that well, like if the Dodgers are really 892 00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,160 Speaker 1: gonna play Max months He at second base, still, I'm 893 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: fascinated to see how that goes. You know, the Mets 894 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: don't have that problem because Lindor is great and McNeil's 895 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:52,839 Speaker 1: capable enough at second base. But those are the kind 896 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: of situations where it's like, I wonder if that's still 897 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:56,719 Speaker 1: gonna work the way it used to work. 898 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:58,560 Speaker 4: So we were in a weird context right now people 899 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,160 Speaker 4: interpreting the game of baseball where people are like uber 900 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,160 Speaker 4: excited over the shift ban because I think it's gonna, 901 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 4: you know, bring the game back to their youth in 902 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,000 Speaker 4: the old days. But it really might not do anything, 903 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:09,000 Speaker 4: but it might do something kind of like you said, 904 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,640 Speaker 4: like for those second basemen who maybe don't have the 905 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:13,359 Speaker 4: most range in the world. I know this is something 906 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:15,040 Speaker 4: that's bothered Mark for a very long time, so I 907 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 4: kind of want to bring it up to him up 908 00:36:16,239 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 4: because he might be uncomfortable approaching the subject. But Jonathan 909 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:23,280 Speaker 4: Scope has routinely led a stack cast in OAA, and 910 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:25,680 Speaker 4: Mark one time spend an entire evening of his life 911 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:27,400 Speaker 4: and not even kidding with you with this watching every 912 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,240 Speaker 4: single play Jonathan Scope made over like a three month period. 913 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 4: So I want to maybe clear the floor for you 914 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:34,840 Speaker 4: guys to hash this out. Why the Johnathan Scope have this? 915 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:36,680 Speaker 4: H have an OAA and is he an elite defender? 916 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:41,800 Speaker 1: I don't know, I trust me. I noticed this as well. 917 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,120 Speaker 1: We looked into it like three different times during the season. 918 00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:47,560 Speaker 1: I even looked into it again like after the season. 919 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:50,319 Speaker 1: And you know, at first, I think I looked at 920 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:52,360 Speaker 1: his home road splits because I was like, okay, is 921 00:36:52,360 --> 00:36:54,600 Speaker 1: there something weird about Detroit? It was like is the 922 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,640 Speaker 1: tracking camera off? Like okay, maybe that's it, And it 923 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:59,319 Speaker 1: was like identical OA on home and on the road. 924 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:01,400 Speaker 1: I guess that's actually the second thing I did. The 925 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:03,680 Speaker 1: first thing is I looked at all the previous years 926 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:05,560 Speaker 1: OA and d Ers and they both had him as 927 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:07,680 Speaker 1: very good, not as insanely good as he was in 928 00:37:07,760 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 1: twenty two. But we're not talking about I don't know, 929 00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:12,279 Speaker 1: Kyle Schwarber. All of a sudden, like popping, it is 930 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:14,719 Speaker 1: like the best defender. You know, do I actually think 931 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:17,239 Speaker 1: Jonathan Scope is the best infield defender in baseball? I 932 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:21,080 Speaker 1: do not, But that's what the number said. And no 933 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:22,839 Speaker 1: matter how many times I looked at it. I could 934 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:24,840 Speaker 1: not come up with a good reason. You know, It's like, 935 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:26,680 Speaker 1: is it left he's and right he's no? Is it 936 00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:30,400 Speaker 1: he's not positioned interestingly compared to everybody else, The Tigers 937 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:33,400 Speaker 1: don't have like a wild shift or shift a version. 938 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,840 Speaker 1: Is it something in the way he plays, Like I 939 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:39,000 Speaker 1: don't know. Does he make every opportunity harder because he 940 00:37:39,239 --> 00:37:41,960 Speaker 1: takes a step back when he catches? Like we tried 941 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: all of it. I could not come up with a 942 00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:46,160 Speaker 1: reason to invalidate it. So even though I'm with you, 943 00:37:46,200 --> 00:37:49,880 Speaker 1: I don't totally buy it, I couldn't give you a 944 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:51,879 Speaker 1: good reason why it's not true is the way to say. 945 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 1: And regardless, I still think he's very good. Like I 946 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 1: don't think it's like, oh, this is absurd that he's 947 00:37:56,800 --> 00:38:00,279 Speaker 1: rating super well. Think he'd be that well. Yeah. 948 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,399 Speaker 3: When I when I spent that evening, as James said, 949 00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:05,319 Speaker 3: watching Jonathan scope ground balls because that's had nothing better 950 00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:07,200 Speaker 3: to do, I was like, the thing that I learned, 951 00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 3: I was like, he just makes he does make like 952 00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 3: a lot of plays. That's what it really seems like, 953 00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:12,680 Speaker 3: is that if a balls hit towards him, he pretty 954 00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:13,840 Speaker 3: much does make the play. 955 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:15,520 Speaker 2: So it's like, I guess that counts for something. 956 00:38:16,440 --> 00:38:18,440 Speaker 1: You know what adds up. I don't have his stats 957 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 1: in front of me, but I remember when when I 958 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:21,719 Speaker 1: looked into it, I said something like, you know, for 959 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,560 Speaker 1: what like very little value errors have he had like 960 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:27,880 Speaker 1: three and like eleven hundred innings or whatever. So at 961 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: the very least he was not making these big mistakes 962 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:31,840 Speaker 1: that were going to kill him. You know, he's not 963 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:34,520 Speaker 1: a high variance guy like Hobby Bias is a good example, 964 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,319 Speaker 1: who make like the insane plays and then kind of 965 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:39,320 Speaker 1: boof an easy one. You know, Scope was just no mistakes. 966 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:41,640 Speaker 1: Is like Swanson Denz Sosen a lot in that way. 967 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 4: Last year another sad the stack haast rolled out to 968 00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:45,880 Speaker 4: the end of the year last year swing path and 969 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:49,359 Speaker 4: swing speed specifically. Has there been more development on that 970 00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:51,759 Speaker 4: and where do you think that that stat that metric 971 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:52,080 Speaker 4: is going. 972 00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:54,960 Speaker 1: Okay, it was a pilot program last year just in 973 00:38:55,040 --> 00:38:58,399 Speaker 1: Houston and Dodger Stadium, so extra cameras, very very high 974 00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,319 Speaker 1: frame rate cameras, and it was mostly just to kind 975 00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,640 Speaker 1: of see, you know, like this is this has been 976 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:06,640 Speaker 1: studied in labs and you know, hitting gyms and whatever. Forever. 977 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 1: But it was kind of a test to see, you know, 978 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:11,319 Speaker 1: does this work in a game environment, like will it 979 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: actually tell you anything? And so I wrote about it 980 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:17,319 Speaker 1: a little bit in in July with very limited data. 981 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:19,800 Speaker 1: You know, it's like two months of data from two parks, 982 00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:22,480 Speaker 1: so like, I know, I'm missing a ton of guys, right, 983 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,120 Speaker 1: But even in that time with a minimum of like 984 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:27,480 Speaker 1: four swings or whatever, I said, it was like, okay, well, 985 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 1: Julia Rodriguez number one and Patrick Maska is all the 986 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:32,040 Speaker 1: way at the bottom. I think maybe we have something here, 987 00:39:32,480 --> 00:39:35,080 Speaker 1: you know, like that that tracks and I think I 988 00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:37,919 Speaker 1: tweeted that and Patrick Masica, to his immense credit, liked it, 989 00:39:38,440 --> 00:39:41,279 Speaker 1: which I appreciated because it seems like a guy who's 990 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: like totally aware of the kind of player he is. 991 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:47,000 Speaker 1: Stephen Fahn was at the bottom, and that's fine anyway. 992 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:50,560 Speaker 1: That the UH as a proof of concept, it worked right, 993 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:52,839 Speaker 1: like you could you could tell how fast the guys 994 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: are swinging and what's going to happen. I believe is 995 00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:58,080 Speaker 1: this upcoming season it should be in all thirty stadiums, 996 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,160 Speaker 1: which is great, so we'll start getting data everywhere nice. 997 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:03,719 Speaker 1: I expect that at some point we will have a 998 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:07,120 Speaker 1: whole bunch of information about it available on baseball. It's 999 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:09,520 Speaker 1: a lot I would caution that will not be day one, 1000 00:40:10,320 --> 00:40:12,279 Speaker 1: so we need the data to come in. We need 1001 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 1: to make sure it works. We need to, you know, 1002 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,440 Speaker 1: see what metrics we might have. But it opens the door, 1003 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:19,279 Speaker 1: you know, to like all sorts of things we might 1004 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 1: envision that it might not happen this year, it might 1005 00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:24,400 Speaker 1: take two years, three years, whatever, but wouldn't it be 1006 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 1: cool to know. Let's say, what pitcher misses the most 1007 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:30,440 Speaker 1: bats above the bat, right, or like, oh, my slider 1008 00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:33,520 Speaker 1: misses that by eight inches, so you're a slider only 1009 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:35,400 Speaker 1: misses the bat by one inch, so you've got like 1010 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:38,840 Speaker 1: no margin of error, right Or swing speed's great obviously, 1011 00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:40,880 Speaker 1: but who squares up the ball the most, you know, 1012 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:42,680 Speaker 1: or who gets the most hits off the very end 1013 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:44,880 Speaker 1: of the bat, or who has the most uppercut swing 1014 00:40:44,960 --> 00:40:46,919 Speaker 1: or swings down, or you know a million other things. 1015 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: It really opens up a lot of doors because the 1016 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:52,800 Speaker 1: bat had never really been tracked before. So technology works, 1017 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:55,680 Speaker 1: which is great. It's going to be in every park, 1018 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 1: which is great, and really well that's left after that 1019 00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:01,560 Speaker 1: is connection, collection analysis, all the usual. 1020 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:04,560 Speaker 3: That sounds sick. Yeah, I mean more data is always good. 1021 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:07,200 Speaker 3: I'll never complain with getting more insight. And like I 1022 00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:10,479 Speaker 3: don't know from from baseball, it's it sounds weird because 1023 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:14,160 Speaker 3: it was never considered to be like a very like 1024 00:41:14,160 --> 00:41:17,279 Speaker 3: like you said, there's hitting labs. They're they're doing scientific 1025 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,840 Speaker 3: experiments on what's going on in baseball, which scares people, 1026 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:22,279 Speaker 3: but I don't know, to me, it makes me like 1027 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:25,960 Speaker 3: super excited to think about that. We're still like almost 1028 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,160 Speaker 3: optimizing how the game is still being played and it's 1029 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:32,120 Speaker 3: it's still at an incredibly high level right now without optimization. 1030 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:33,880 Speaker 2: Let's say, Yeah, I. 1031 00:41:33,840 --> 00:41:35,800 Speaker 1: Mean I think the hitters need a weapon, Like pretty 1032 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:38,239 Speaker 1: much everything's been for the pitchers. Yeah, and you know, 1033 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:40,279 Speaker 1: I think you've seen what's happened over the last twenty years. 1034 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:42,800 Speaker 1: Give the hitters a chance now, definitely. 1035 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:44,759 Speaker 3: So I feel like a good way to wrap up, 1036 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 3: you know this this episode of the podcast would be 1037 00:41:47,160 --> 00:41:49,400 Speaker 3: maybe just give I don't want to say give a 1038 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 3: prediction because that's that's being put on the spot quite 1039 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,239 Speaker 3: a bit there, but maybe just an outlook of what 1040 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:55,839 Speaker 3: you think the Mets could look like in the twenty 1041 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:56,680 Speaker 3: twenty three season. 1042 00:41:57,160 --> 00:41:59,759 Speaker 2: What Mets fans can expect well. 1043 00:41:59,800 --> 00:42:01,160 Speaker 1: I mean, and I think they could look like a 1044 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:05,359 Speaker 1: World Series champion. But at the same time, I think 1045 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:07,000 Speaker 1: they're in a three way tie at the top of 1046 00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:10,239 Speaker 1: their own division because the Braves are really good and 1047 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,720 Speaker 1: I think the Phillies are improved, even though obviously losing 1048 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 1: Harper for a couple of months is not going to help. 1049 00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:18,480 Speaker 1: So I guess I would say, I'm not sure that 1050 00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:20,120 Speaker 1: I'm going to pick them to win the division, but 1051 00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:22,120 Speaker 1: I still might pick them to win the World Series, 1052 00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:24,479 Speaker 1: even though that kind of sounds like it doesn't make sense. 1053 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:27,600 Speaker 1: But that's sort of where I'm leaning because if they 1054 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,800 Speaker 1: get to the playoffs, which with three A wild cards 1055 00:42:29,800 --> 00:42:32,960 Speaker 1: and very weak and el Central, I assume they'll get 1056 00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:35,200 Speaker 1: to the playoffs. I think we saw last year literally 1057 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,920 Speaker 1: anything can happen. And if and I know this is 1058 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,400 Speaker 1: just like the world's Biggest If if you get to 1059 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 1: the playoffs and if you have Verlander and sure As 1060 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:46,680 Speaker 1: are healthy, that that's pretty good. I will take those guys, 1061 00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:49,040 Speaker 1: you know. So it's gonna be a good season. It's 1062 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 1: gonna be a fun season. The one, the one like 1063 00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:54,640 Speaker 1: undercurrent I've seen that I would disagree with and you guys, 1064 00:42:54,920 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 1: that's twitter more than I do, so please tell me 1065 00:42:56,600 --> 00:42:59,120 Speaker 1: if I'm wrong. But people seem to think that, you know, 1066 00:42:59,160 --> 00:43:02,960 Speaker 1: the team spent all the money to essentially retain guys 1067 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:05,120 Speaker 1: or replace guys, like you know, swap out to ground 1068 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:07,600 Speaker 1: for Erlander, and that means they didn't get better. I 1069 00:43:07,719 --> 00:43:09,640 Speaker 1: sort of reject that because on one hand, they won 1070 00:43:09,680 --> 00:43:11,479 Speaker 1: one hundred and one games. How much better are they're 1071 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:13,680 Speaker 1: really going to get? And on the other hand, yeah, 1072 00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,240 Speaker 1: like you spend a lot of money and you're retaining 1073 00:43:16,239 --> 00:43:18,680 Speaker 1: the same centerfielder, but if you didn't, you don't have 1074 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:21,160 Speaker 1: that center fielder, and now your center fielder is I 1075 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:25,080 Speaker 1: don't know, Cody Bellinger or whomever. So it's like you 1076 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:27,160 Speaker 1: need those guys are free agents. It just so happens 1077 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:29,240 Speaker 1: like that. The half the pitching staff hit free agency 1078 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:32,399 Speaker 1: last year. You gotta fix that somehow. It's not better 1079 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:34,799 Speaker 1: if it's different. You got to bring back the guys 1080 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:36,839 Speaker 1: who are already good. So I reject that a little bit. 1081 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:38,239 Speaker 1: Like I think it was a great team last year. 1082 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:40,040 Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be a great team again this year, 1083 00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:41,920 Speaker 1: and it's gonna be a fun season to watch. 1084 00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:43,879 Speaker 3: I think I can speak for James here and saying 1085 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:47,120 Speaker 3: we both agree with that. We're very much on the 1086 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:50,520 Speaker 3: realistic optimistic. We know what's going on with the Mets 1087 00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,759 Speaker 3: and how good they can be and should be, So 1088 00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:55,520 Speaker 3: the idea of them not getting better makes them worse. 1089 00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,080 Speaker 3: Like you said, they won one hundred and one games, 1090 00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:00,919 Speaker 3: how many games can they actually physically win? Like it's 1091 00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:03,560 Speaker 3: baseball is really hard. The best teams in baseball lose 1092 00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:07,680 Speaker 3: sixty games a year. Like, it's not an easy sport. 1093 00:44:09,520 --> 00:44:12,360 Speaker 4: It's also funny just hearing the perspective from the outside 1094 00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:14,719 Speaker 4: of Mets Twitter, because there's a bit of a battleground 1095 00:44:14,719 --> 00:44:14,920 Speaker 4: out there. 1096 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:15,560 Speaker 1: It's a war zone. 1097 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:17,719 Speaker 4: Sometimes people do get trapped in that echo chamber and 1098 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:20,080 Speaker 4: can it can be dangerous. But that's why, you know, 1099 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:21,680 Speaker 4: we have this show and we have these podcasts, have 1100 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 4: great smart people like you on Mike who can help 1101 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:25,120 Speaker 4: drag people out of it a little bit and you know, 1102 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:26,799 Speaker 4: get people excited about what should be a good time. 1103 00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:28,120 Speaker 1: It's so can I get a little bit angry? I 1104 00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:29,920 Speaker 1: mean that's what being a fan it's about, all right, Like, 1105 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:31,480 Speaker 1: what's the fun if you can't yell at the umpire 1106 00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:32,000 Speaker 1: or something. 1107 00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:36,120 Speaker 3: Oh of course, not without a doubt. But yeah, maybe 1108 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:38,560 Speaker 3: in a few years that won't be happening. But Mike, 1109 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:41,279 Speaker 3: thank you so much for coming on the podcast. We've 1110 00:44:41,320 --> 00:44:44,319 Speaker 3: been wanting you on since day one. We're huge fans 1111 00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:46,360 Speaker 3: of yours, so it's really awesome to finally get a 1112 00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,960 Speaker 3: chance to speak with you and talk about you know, stats, analytics, 1113 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:53,240 Speaker 3: the Mets, any anything baseball. Conversation with you is awesome. 1114 00:44:53,360 --> 00:44:55,239 Speaker 3: Please tell everyone at home where they can find you, 1115 00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:58,160 Speaker 3: what you're up to, and give yourself a little plug here, all. 1116 00:44:58,160 --> 00:45:01,799 Speaker 1: Right, you find me on Twitter, Mike Underscore Petriello. We're 1117 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:04,520 Speaker 1: finishing up the MLB Network Top tens this week, and 1118 00:45:04,560 --> 00:45:06,640 Speaker 1: at MLB dot com and Baseball Savant dot com we 1119 00:45:06,719 --> 00:45:08,920 Speaker 1: are always rolling out new tools and a couple more 1120 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:13,319 Speaker 1: upcoming the next couple of weeks. Awesome, Mike, amazing, Thank 1121 00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:15,480 Speaker 1: you so much. Mike, glad got that. Thank you, appreciate it. 1122 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,600 Speaker 1: Get Up, Get Up, Get Up.