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Speaker 1: The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.

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Speaker 2: Hey Eric, welcome back.

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Speaker 3: It's the latest episode of Joe with Tom Berducci and Joe.

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Speaker 2: Madden and Joe. Happy twenty twenty five to you, Happy

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Speaker 2: new year, Thank you brother, you too.

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Speaker 4: That a different kind of twenty twenty four. A lot

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Speaker 4: of things happened both on and off the field, but

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Speaker 4: very excited about on a personal level. I got through

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Speaker 4: back surgery, so I got to consider it a success.

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Speaker 3: That's awesome. Well, let's look ahead, Okay, this is a

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Speaker 3: big year coming up. It's the year twenty twenty five,

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Speaker 3: and what I want to do, Joe, is run through

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Speaker 3: twenty five reasons to look forward to the baseball season

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Speaker 3: in twenty twenty five.

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Speaker 2: Is that okay with you?

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Speaker 5: Absolutely?

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Speaker 3: I want to get your take on this. Yeah, let's

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Speaker 3: be positive here, right listen. Okay, we're going to be surprised, right.

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Speaker 3: We all love surprises. We see things happening that we

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Speaker 3: never thought would come, like the Kansas City Royals making

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Speaker 3: the playoffs last year after losing one hundred and six

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Speaker 3: games the year before. But let's stick with things we

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Speaker 3: know are on the agenda. If you will, in twenty

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Speaker 3: twenty five. We're going to go in reverse order, Joe,

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Speaker 3: so we'll get through these pretty quickly. I'll start with

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Speaker 3: number twenty five. What a fantastic finish for once. I'm

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Speaker 3: waiting for one of those. You know, night you went

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Speaker 3: through this the night of one sixty two with all

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Speaker 3: this races came down of the last day of the season.

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Speaker 3: That's why they moved a starting time to the last

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Speaker 3: day to the same day noontime Eastern time. The Greater

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Speaker 3: season this year ends on September the twenty eighth, and thankfully,

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Speaker 3: eight of the fifteen matchups that day involved division rivals.

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Speaker 3: That's the way you want to see it end, right,

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Speaker 3: how about the Yankees finishing with the Orioles, the Diamondbacks

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Speaker 3: with Corbyn Birds now against the Padres. Nothing better than

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Speaker 3: Cardinals Cubs on the last day of the season, how

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Speaker 3: about that?

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Speaker 4: Yeah, that's about right the planet in that mel I mean,

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Speaker 4: I just think that takes obviously a little bit foresight,

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Speaker 4: nothing spectacular in that regard. So when you get to

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Speaker 4: that part of the season, I think you should want

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Speaker 4: to be able to control your own destiny to have

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Speaker 4: to sit around and watch somebody else, probably possibly a

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Speaker 4: lesser team, like you're saying, another division, not as much

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Speaker 4: on the line. It's always difficult regardless, it's when you're

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Speaker 4: playing for something at that time of the year. The

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Speaker 4: vibe going to the ballpark is completely different, your motivational levels, everything.

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Speaker 4: I know, we're professionals. I know it's always supposed to

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Speaker 4: be the same, but it's not. You just look at football,

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Speaker 4: what's going on with some of the teams that are

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Speaker 4: not involved right now.

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Speaker 5: If they play a better team, it's just just the

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Speaker 5: way of the world. So it's better. It's better for everything.

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Speaker 4: It's better for the game, it's better for spectators, it's

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Speaker 4: better for you as as a baseball person to really

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Speaker 4: have to earn this thing. So I like the idea

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Speaker 4: of going up against those that it means something within

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Speaker 4: your own division.

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Speaker 2: Number twenty four.

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Speaker 3: On July nineteenth, we'll retire, David writes number five.

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Speaker 2: How about that?

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Speaker 3: Remember last year they retire the numbers of Dway Goodin

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Speaker 3: and Darryl Strawberry. You don't have to be a Hall

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Speaker 3: of Famer to have your number retired. David Wright not

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Speaker 3: a Hall of Famer. He's close, but boy, he's the

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Speaker 3: definition of franchise player, isn't he Joe Number five being

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Speaker 3: retired by the Mets.

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Speaker 5: I love when organizations retire numbers. I do you know.

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Speaker 4: I was with the Angels. There was a couple of

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Speaker 4: numbers up on the board up there. Of course, the

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Speaker 4: Cubs have a bunch of them, and not so much

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Speaker 4: with the race obviously trying to build the tradition, and

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Speaker 4: I'm just so into that.

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Speaker 5: You know, call me Stogie if you want. But like

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Speaker 5: I love tradition, I don't like tradition. I love it.

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Speaker 4: I love that group that has come before and to

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Speaker 4: try to learn from them, and they're the ones you

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Speaker 4: really hold in the highest esteem. So I think it's great.

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Speaker 4: I think what Cohen's doing there is wonderful. And yes,

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Speaker 4: I'm very happy for David. Yeah, you're right. Had he

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Speaker 4: just stayed well, this guy probably would have been almost

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Speaker 4: like a rockaball DELI would have probably ended up in

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Speaker 4: the Hall of Fame.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, he's the Mets version of Don Mattingly as well,

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Speaker 3: close Hall of Famer.

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Speaker 2: Probably injuries kept them just short. By the way, it's the.

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Speaker 3: Eighth number five to be retired, the first one since

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Speaker 3: the extro has retired.

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Speaker 2: Jeff Fadwells number five in two thousand and seven, and

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Speaker 2: also will be the first single digit retired by the

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Speaker 2: New York Mets.

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Speaker 4: Interesting, mister DiMaggio, I mean I just mentioned Rockobaldeli. There's

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Speaker 4: all kinds of great fives out there. Johnny Bench, Johnny,

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Speaker 4: that's right, that's right.

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Speaker 3: Moving on to number twenty three. Things to look forward

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Speaker 3: to in twenty twenty five. Number twenty three, Joe, this

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Speaker 3: is the fiftieth baseball season coming up in the city

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Speaker 3: of Seattle. That includes one year with the Seattle Pilots.

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Speaker 3: The city has never hosted a World Series, the longest

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Speaker 3: such drought by any metropolitan area. Yeah, year number fifty,

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Speaker 3: Is this the year Seattle finally gets to see a

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Speaker 3: World Series?

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Speaker 4: I don't think so. But I do love the fan

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Speaker 4: base up there. Rocks when they're doing well. That place

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Speaker 4: really does rock. Even when they're not doing well. They

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Speaker 4: have this kind of a consistent fan base. It's not

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Speaker 4: unlike San Diego. It's almost like this cult following up there.

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Speaker 4: The Pacific Northwest has that way about them. They're very

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Speaker 4: loyal to their group. It's it's very internal. I mean,

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Speaker 4: this is the Pacific where this is Seattle, this is

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Speaker 4: the Grungeerry, this is you know, the big beautiful trees

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Speaker 4: in the clean air. It's all about that very fresh place.

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Speaker 4: So I've always liked going up to I've always liked

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Speaker 4: beating them up there, but it's always been a tough

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Speaker 4: place to play. And if they you know, the year

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Speaker 4: that they one hundred and fifteen whatever that was with

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Speaker 4: lou Panelo up there as the manager and intro et cetera,

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Speaker 4: that's that was the time.

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Speaker 5: I don't know. I I like a lot of what

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Speaker 5: of their players.

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Speaker 4: I like their pitching, of course, but there's always seems

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Speaker 4: to be something a little bit missing.

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Speaker 5: And that's the best way I could describe it. I

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Speaker 5: don't know if it's the travel.

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Speaker 4: It's a tough place to endure, just based on having

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Speaker 4: to go somewhere constantly happier season. So anyway, I always

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Speaker 4: always liked the I I would never always thought it

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Speaker 4: would be a great place to work, but I don't

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Speaker 4: think it's going to happen in the near future.

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Speaker 2: I'm with you on all those counts, you know.

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Speaker 3: I mean, it's it's a beautiful place, as saying, you know,

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Speaker 3: the bluest skies you'll ever see, or summers in Seattle,

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Speaker 3: and that is definitely true. But yeah, I mean, listen,

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Speaker 3: they're short of offense. Still, pitching is outstanding top to bottom.

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Speaker 3: But there's something about that ballpark, Joe. I mean, it's

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Speaker 3: an extreme pitchers ballpark, and really good hitters have gone

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Speaker 3: there and just totally tanked in that ballpark. And you

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Speaker 3: look at the ballpark factors year after year is always

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Speaker 3: at the bottom.

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Speaker 2: It's funny.

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Speaker 3: You've got the two outliers, course Field and Denver obviously

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Speaker 3: pure hitters park, and you've got Seattle It's Safego, which

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Speaker 3: is a pure pitchers park, and I think it's hard

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Speaker 3: for teams to win when their ballparks are such outliers.

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Speaker 4: It is, I mean, that's where you play half your games.

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Speaker 4: You go to the ballpark every day as a hitter,

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Speaker 4: you're faced with this and it kind of wears you

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Speaker 4: down a little bit and ins factor as big as

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Speaker 4: your confidence takes a hit, no pun intended, I guess,

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Speaker 4: but as it does, it's difficult.

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Speaker 5: It just wears you down mentally.

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Speaker 4: And on the other side of it, pitchers, No, listen,

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Speaker 4: if I just get this guy hit a fly ball

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Speaker 4: to center field, he's going to be out. So there's

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Speaker 4: all these different mind games, metal games going on that

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Speaker 4: really is conducive again to that wonderful pitching.

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Speaker 5: Again, we've talked about.

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Speaker 4: This before, the paradigm shift, doing something different with your

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Speaker 4: group and trying.

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Speaker 5: To play different kind of a game.

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Speaker 4: I don't know if that they would ever consider doing

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Speaker 4: something like that. I mean, just like extreme defense, extreme speed.

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Speaker 4: You know, a couple bangers would be gone and just

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Speaker 4: see if that would make a difference. But it's hard

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Speaker 4: to imagine that group that is so analytically based that

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Speaker 4: they would ever shift from the long ball norm.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, what's odd is they do have a pitching staff

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Speaker 3: to me that is World Series capable. Just in terms

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Speaker 3: of pitching, they prevent runs so well, just kind of

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Speaker 3: find more offense. By the way, behind Seattle, we talked

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Speaker 3: about metropolitan areas waiting for a World Series right behind

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Speaker 3: them Pittsburgh at forty five years, Milwaukee at forty two years,

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Speaker 3: Baltimore Baltimore at forty one, and Cincinnati at thirty four.

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Speaker 3: Those are two traditionally great baseball towns. Baltimore at Cincinnati.

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Speaker 3: I've seen they're more than they're fair short of World Series,

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Speaker 3: but they are on the list of waiting thirty four

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Speaker 3: years or more to see another Fall classic.

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Speaker 4: You know that really also dates you and I I

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Speaker 4: mean just to think that I was forty years ago

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Speaker 4: in Baltimore, it's like ridiculous even to think about that. Yeah,

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Speaker 4: it's not easy to accomplish all those things people annual basis.

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Speaker 4: You know, everybody's talking about the World Series hopefuls and

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Speaker 4: who's going to get there. It's just everything's got to

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Speaker 4: break right. You gotta have the right team. God, the

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Speaker 4: chemistry's got to be right, the group within the clubhouse.

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Speaker 4: I'm so big into that.

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Speaker 5: I am.

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Speaker 4: I almost after almost every World Series victory, you're going

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Speaker 4: to hear the group talking about we are family, really

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Speaker 4: tightly knit, you know, all this kind of good stuff.

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Speaker 5: And then to get to that point is difficult.

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Speaker 4: How you nurture that, what the daily the day looks like,

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Speaker 4: and the conversation sound like, all that stuff matters.

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Speaker 5: It's not just about a number.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, it's it's incredible that it's been that long

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Speaker 4: for all those folks. And like Pittsburgh, I was a

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Speaker 4: that was my second favorite team growing up, and I

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Speaker 4: don't know their ballpark right now. Among the top three

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Speaker 4: four five all in baseball. I mean, it is it

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Speaker 4: is so wonderful a they do have a legitimate traditional

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Speaker 4: fan base. I've always loved everything about Pittsburgh and the Pirates,

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Speaker 4: so love to see it happen again, I don't think so.

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Speaker 3: Let's move on the number twenty two of our reasons,

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Speaker 3: twenty five reasons to look forward to the twenty twenty

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Speaker 3: five baseball season. How about National League dominance? Joe, to me,

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Speaker 3: it's not even close which the better league is. I mean,

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Speaker 3: Joe Kelly took some grief, but I think he was

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Speaker 3: a little close to heart to the truth when said

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Speaker 3: the Yankees had such an easy path to get to

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Speaker 3: the postseason, whereas in the National League, you know, you

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Speaker 3: had teams like the Braves Andres and Phillies getting knocked down.

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Speaker 3: Last year, the National League had seven teams that won

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Speaker 3: eighty nine games. The American League had three. I don't

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Speaker 3: see it changing much, Joe. What do you see about

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Speaker 3: National league dominance this year?

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Speaker 4: You know, is it parody or is it just a dominance?

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Speaker 4: On the one side, I mean the nationally I think

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Speaker 4: the fact that there's a couple of super kind of

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Speaker 4: super teams there. The other teams. Really, you really have

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Speaker 4: to get effort to even be considered part of getting

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Speaker 4: to the dance rows. On the other side, there is

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Speaker 4: not that, like you say in the Yankees, the easier

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Speaker 4: path to get to I don't even know, as you're

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Speaker 4: putting your team together is the what is the goal?

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Speaker 5: Who do I have to beat to get there? And

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Speaker 5: what is it going to take to to get there.

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Speaker 4: Maybe it's just a more passive method of putting your

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Speaker 4: group together, just knowing what I have to fight through

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Speaker 4: to get to the brass ring. So I don't know.

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Speaker 4: I mean, that's a thin slicing it, but it's true.

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Speaker 4: The National League is just full of and Atland has

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Speaker 4: been so successful and they've had a great methodology. Same

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Speaker 4: thing with Dave Dombroski and Philadelphia could talk about Andrew

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Speaker 4: and the Dodgers all we want, and we know what

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Speaker 4: that what that's like, and how true that is. But

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Speaker 4: there's these groups that just they're annually intimidating, whereas others

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Speaker 4: it's just like they they surface a little bit, then

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Speaker 4: they go away that they put their head back into

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Speaker 4: their shell. So I wonder if it's just it's just

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Speaker 4: the way things are put together in advance based on

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Speaker 4: who do we have to beat and what is it

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Speaker 4: going to take. Listen, if you're gonna you're gonna try

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Speaker 4: to beat the Dodgers, man, you got to get after it,

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Speaker 4: and you got to really and the aggressiveness of the

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Speaker 4: Padres is an example. I mean, you got to get

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Speaker 4: after it to beat those guys. And because you're if

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Speaker 4: you're just trying to like and if you can't spend

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Speaker 4: dollar per dollar that they do, you would almost think

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Speaker 4: it's impossible. So you've got to really get a sort

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Speaker 4: of aggressive and other areas somehow to make this thing work.

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Speaker 5: And I think it can be done.

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Speaker 4: But again, I just think that there's more of that

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Speaker 4: on the National League side. The American League side, maybe

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Speaker 4: not as motivated because they see there they could see

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Speaker 4: themselves getting to the playoffs regardless.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a great point.

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Speaker 3: I mean it reminds me back in the day when

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Speaker 3: the Red Sox ownership was changed. John Henry's group came

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Speaker 3: in and they realized they needed to compete with the

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Speaker 3: New York Yankees. That was where the bar was set,

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Speaker 3: and they started building teams to win ninety five games,

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Speaker 3: not just eighty eight or eighty nine, and I think

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Speaker 3: you're seeing that in the National League.

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Speaker 2: And here's the one who said the tone.

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Speaker 3: There's no question every year they were running up more

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Speaker 3: than one hundred wins. Didn't get there last year. The

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Speaker 3: bar is set so high, and you've seen other teams

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Speaker 3: like the mess the Phillies, the Braves try to get

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Speaker 3: to that bar, whereas the Yankees. Yeah, the World Series

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Speaker 3: team last year, but the year before that they weren't

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Speaker 3: even a playoff team.

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Speaker 2: So you know, you can build, if we've seen.

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Speaker 3: It, eighty six to eighty seven win team and be

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Speaker 3: comfortable win a division in the American League.

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Speaker 2: What if I told you, Joe, for argument's sake, that.

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Speaker 3: I could say the top five teams in baseball in

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Speaker 3: the National League Dodgers, Mets, Braves, Phillies.

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Speaker 2: Hadres buy that case. That's true.

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Speaker 4: I'm listening. Yeah, I again, I'm just hearing that for

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Speaker 4: the first time. I yeah, that's definitely a reasonable thought.

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Speaker 5: On the other side of the Ledger, the New.

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Speaker 4: York's of the World, et cetera, Houston, the other groups

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Speaker 4: that have been successful in American League. It just seems

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Speaker 4: like the teams that you mentioned in the National League

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Speaker 4: are annually well, you have to consider the Mets now

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Speaker 4: annually are going to be included within that that group

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Speaker 4: that definitely is.

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Speaker 5: Going to be vying for it.

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Speaker 4: They got there, they got the recipes in order. You know,

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Speaker 4: everything's there. It's not just you know, the players, just

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Speaker 4: the infrastructure and their leadership and the stability in regards

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Speaker 4: to what they're building and how they're building it that

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Speaker 4: really matters too. I think it's the stability of the

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Speaker 4: group in regards to what do we think here and

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Speaker 4: what are we trying to do here? And I don't

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Speaker 4: care what these other teams are doing. This is what

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Speaker 4: we're going to do here. Annually, we've shown the two work.

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Speaker 4: We believe it's going to work again, and you just

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Speaker 4: keep building on those concepts or thoughts. These other teams

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Speaker 4: I don't think really know who they are or how

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Speaker 4: they want to go about their business. I mean, actually

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Speaker 4: one hundred percent believe that it's not as easy as

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Speaker 4: you think to develop that culture within the group, that

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Speaker 4: methodology that on an annual basis you feel strongly about that.

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Speaker 4: You even if you take a little bit of a

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Speaker 4: hitch or still stay with it and you know it's

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Speaker 4: going to be okay. And I think that's what these

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Speaker 4: groups do. They're resilient during the season. They get people hurt,

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Speaker 4: they're still abel to cover, whereas some once they get hurt,

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Speaker 4: they can't cover. Do you have to consider that who's

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Speaker 4: in charge, leadership, consistency of leadership, the fact that there's

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Speaker 4: not a lot of turnover constantly.

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Speaker 5: That matters. When you report the.

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Speaker 4: Camp as a coach, manager, as a player, and you

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Speaker 4: always see like the same dudes around and you know,

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Speaker 4: we've been pretty successful, We're going to do it again.

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Speaker 5: That matters.

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Speaker 2: Can I give you one more factor?

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Speaker 5: Sure? Money? Yeah, yeah, right, here's the staff for you, Joe.

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Speaker 3: In the last two free agent classes, there have been

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Speaker 3: fifteen players who signed contracts worth seventy five million dollars

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Speaker 3: or more. Twelve of those fifteen players signed with National

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Speaker 3: League teams, So there you go.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, and now listen, I'm not going to dispute that

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Speaker 4: at all.

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Speaker 5: That's true.

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Speaker 4: But the big butt in the room is that when

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Speaker 4: I was with the Rays, we had to beat the

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Speaker 4: Yankees and we had to beat the Red Sox and

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Speaker 4: we did not have that. We didn't have that kind

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Speaker 4: of dough, we didn't have that kind of support financially,

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Speaker 4: but we did it. You know, we didn't win the

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Speaker 4: World Series. We took a pretty big step there. I've

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Speaker 4: always I've always believed that. And again it's back to

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Speaker 4: what I just had been talking about. You got to

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Speaker 4: build this structure and you've got to be consistent with it,

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Speaker 4: and you got to you got to make it work somehow.

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Speaker 4: And it just can't be exactly like them because you can't.

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Speaker 4: Like you said, you can't keep up with them step

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Speaker 4: for step. But closurally, I'm a big that you can

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Speaker 4: make a lot of noise. And I always used to say,

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Speaker 4: what difference is the money make? And I think we

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Speaker 4: went to the World Series with forty four million dollars

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Speaker 4: payroll in two thousand and eight. It wasn't as an

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Speaker 4: exaggerated amount of money being spent then as there is now,

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Speaker 4: but that was still percentage wise, was pretty heavy. So

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Speaker 4: I don't know, I listen, I'm not gonna argue that point.

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Speaker 5: It's obvious. It's true.

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Speaker 4: However, given the opportunity, that's why you got to get

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Speaker 4: after it. And it's wait, you can't if you're the Rais,

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Speaker 4: you can't try to be like the Dodgers, or if

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Speaker 4: you're the Pirates.

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Speaker 5: You can't try to be like the Dodge.

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Speaker 4: You got to build this within in a different way culturally,

356
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Speaker 4: leadership wise.

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Speaker 5: How we're going to get this done. And you got

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Speaker 5: to be right.

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Speaker 4: I mean with the Rays, we can never make mistakes. Financially,

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Speaker 4: you couldn't do it because it was just devastate you.

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Speaker 4: So I don't know. I still think it could be done.

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Speaker 4: I know it's not easy, but I think it could

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Speaker 4: be done. And it's got to come from consistent leadership

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Speaker 4: and not worrying about what everybody else is doing.

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Speaker 3: Let's move on to number twenty one Power Pitchers. We

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Speaker 3: saw Paul Skeins breakthrough last year. You can pretty much

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Speaker 3: book it. We know that technology now is driving run prevention,

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Speaker 3: especially pitching much faster than run production.

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Speaker 2: That trend is not going to stop.

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Speaker 3: If you asked me to pick one guy the group

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Speaker 3: coming out in twenty twenty five, you saw him a

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Speaker 3: little bit last year at clearing the postseason, I'd say

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Speaker 3: Jackson Job Detroit Tigers, but also throwing Bubba Chandler the Pirates,

374
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Speaker 3: Andrew Painter the Phillies, Kyden Dana of the Angels, and

375
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Speaker 3: Kumar Rocker of the Rangers, young pitching Joe.

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Speaker 2: It just you chalk it up.

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Speaker 3: I know they're not designed or not built up to

378
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Speaker 3: go two hundred innings and make thirty two starts, but

379
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Speaker 3: if you want swing them as stuff, it just keeps coming.

380
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Speaker 4: Yeah, and it gets there quickly. That's the part that's

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Speaker 4: so in congruentum. Guess maybe like the outliers even years ago,

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Speaker 4: would get there more quickly than others. So you got

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Speaker 4: a lot of young guys here that are just jumping

384
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Speaker 4: very quickly and getting to the big leagues. And like

385
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Speaker 4: you're saying, without the I don't think the appropriate number

386
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Speaker 4: of innings pitched prior to that that permits them then

387
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Speaker 4: to be more inning eaters when they get here. It's

388
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Speaker 4: almost like, listen, they're gonna get hurt at some point here,

389
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Speaker 4: They're gonna blow out at some point. It's one of

390
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Speaker 4: those something's gonna break in their arms. We got to

391
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Speaker 4: get the most out of them while we can before

392
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Speaker 4: that does occur.

393
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Speaker 5: Kind of a philosophy. But they are their wonderful schemes.

394
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Speaker 4: Like I'm watching him pitch, and man the way his

395
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Speaker 4: arm unfolded behind him, I thought, Wow, this is gonna

396
00:18:30,758 --> 00:18:33,358
Speaker 4: be tough. To stay healthy with. But obviously he has

397
00:18:33,398 --> 00:18:35,998
Speaker 4: to this point, and maybe they again, it's just like

398
00:18:36,158 --> 00:18:38,238
Speaker 4: a Nolan Ryan, guy that grew up throwing that hard

399
00:18:38,278 --> 00:18:40,598
Speaker 4: that young, just was able to do it because he

400
00:18:40,678 --> 00:18:44,758
Speaker 4: was so strong in his legs. Anyhow, Yes, it's happening,

401
00:18:44,918 --> 00:18:48,278
Speaker 4: They're there. It's incredible to see it continue. But I

402
00:18:48,318 --> 00:18:51,478
Speaker 4: still like the idea of nurturing a minor league pictures

403
00:18:51,518 --> 00:18:55,758
Speaker 4: throwing mornings there and getting more more bang for your

404
00:18:55,758 --> 00:18:57,958
Speaker 4: buck out of your starters, just when it comes to

405
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Speaker 4: eating up innings during the course of a season.

406
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Speaker 3: Okay, let's go to number twenty. Let's start talking about

407
00:19:02,598 --> 00:19:03,918
Speaker 3: milestones that are upcoming.

408
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Speaker 2: In twenty twenty five.

409
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Speaker 3: John Carlos Stanton needs twenty one home runs from four hundred.

410
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Speaker 2: And fifty career.

411
00:19:13,238 --> 00:19:15,798
Speaker 3: He gets another three, so that's twenty four home runs.

412
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Speaker 3: He will pass Carl Yastremski. It's a fortieth place on

413
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Speaker 3: the all time home run list. Don't look now, but

414
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Speaker 3: John Carlos Stanton is starting to put up Cooperstown worthy numbers.

415
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Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, Well I saw him young, you know, and

416
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Speaker 4: I remember once with the Rays Andrew came back. He

417
00:19:34,518 --> 00:19:36,598
Speaker 4: went down to watch Birmingham play and I guess he

418
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Speaker 4: was playing against Birmingham and he came back and talked

419
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Speaker 4: about this guy Stanton that there was Mike stant I

420
00:19:41,198 --> 00:19:44,358
Speaker 4: think at that time, and just how hard he could

421
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Speaker 4: hit a baseball. And then I saw him, of course

422
00:19:46,678 --> 00:19:48,198
Speaker 4: with the Marlins, and he's had that couple of big

423
00:19:48,238 --> 00:19:50,838
Speaker 4: years there. The thing is, you see him at times

424
00:19:51,038 --> 00:19:53,478
Speaker 4: and up I mean quite without a better way of

425
00:19:53,518 --> 00:19:56,558
Speaker 4: putting it, I mean the chasing and really a stiff swing,

426
00:19:56,558 --> 00:19:58,518
Speaker 4: et cetera. But then when it matters, the guy just

427
00:19:58,558 --> 00:20:01,198
Speaker 4: really narrows his focus up and he's really able to

428
00:20:01,318 --> 00:20:04,678
Speaker 4: produce in very difficult moments. The fact that he can't

429
00:20:04,718 --> 00:20:08,518
Speaker 4: play the outfielder, play defense really and his inability to

430
00:20:08,558 --> 00:20:11,638
Speaker 4: really move and run kind of detracts when you watch him,

431
00:20:11,878 --> 00:20:15,558
Speaker 4: and it's just purely an offensive performer, which can't even

432
00:20:15,598 --> 00:20:17,558
Speaker 4: make the argument like Frank Thomas, right, you know, Frank

433
00:20:17,598 --> 00:20:21,278
Speaker 4: Thomas wasn't the best of first baseman, but god can

434
00:20:21,318 --> 00:20:21,638
Speaker 4: he hit.

435
00:20:21,958 --> 00:20:23,478
Speaker 5: He could absolutely rake.

436
00:20:23,598 --> 00:20:27,038
Speaker 4: So there's going to be a strong you know, you're

437
00:20:27,118 --> 00:20:29,438
Speaker 4: right if he continues his path and he gets those

438
00:20:29,478 --> 00:20:31,678
Speaker 4: homers and he keeps moving it forward and stays healthy.

439
00:20:32,118 --> 00:20:35,078
Speaker 5: He stays healthy. Of course, he could eventually reach five hundred.

440
00:20:35,118 --> 00:20:36,118
Speaker 5: It just don't know that.

441
00:20:36,558 --> 00:20:42,518
Speaker 4: The body breaks down, and he's so inconsistent regarding contact. However,

442
00:20:42,838 --> 00:20:45,398
Speaker 4: you cannot overlook what he's done to this point and

443
00:20:45,438 --> 00:20:46,598
Speaker 4: how will he plays in big.

444
00:20:46,478 --> 00:20:50,278
Speaker 3: Moments, which brings us to number nineteen, which is also

445
00:20:50,318 --> 00:20:55,318
Speaker 3: a milestone for John Carlos stan this one not so positive.

446
00:20:55,358 --> 00:20:58,478
Speaker 3: With twenty seven or thirty seven more strikeouts, he will

447
00:20:58,478 --> 00:21:02,518
Speaker 3: have two thousand strikeouts in his career, and that will

448
00:21:02,558 --> 00:21:07,518
Speaker 3: place him eighth my list, the eighth player ever with

449
00:21:07,678 --> 00:21:11,278
Speaker 3: two thousand strikeouts and by the way, not far behind him,

450
00:21:11,398 --> 00:21:13,838
Speaker 3: needing one hundred and twenty one punchouts for two thousand.

451
00:21:14,478 --> 00:21:16,558
Speaker 2: Paul Goldschmidt is new teammate.

452
00:21:17,238 --> 00:21:19,318
Speaker 5: Really, I didn't know that about Goldie.

453
00:21:19,518 --> 00:21:21,838
Speaker 4: You know, there was a time that you know, you

454
00:21:21,958 --> 00:21:23,958
Speaker 4: really have to be obviously a power hitter in order

455
00:21:23,998 --> 00:21:26,638
Speaker 4: to be able to be permitted to strike out that

456
00:21:26,678 --> 00:21:28,558
Speaker 4: many times. You have to be good to get the

457
00:21:28,598 --> 00:21:31,038
Speaker 4: permission to strike out that many times. And the way

458
00:21:31,038 --> 00:21:33,158
Speaker 4: the game is played over the last several years, strikeouts

459
00:21:33,158 --> 00:21:36,118
Speaker 4: really are not even considered a bad thing anymore. I

460
00:21:36,198 --> 00:21:38,598
Speaker 4: just think you have to be really, really good, like

461
00:21:38,638 --> 00:21:40,518
Speaker 4: I said, to be given permission to strike out that

462
00:21:40,558 --> 00:21:41,318
Speaker 4: many times.

463
00:21:41,678 --> 00:21:43,518
Speaker 2: Well, Reggie's is still number one in the list.

464
00:21:43,598 --> 00:21:43,998
Speaker 5: There you go.

465
00:21:44,278 --> 00:21:46,078
Speaker 2: That proves your point. Yeah, And we're going to take

466
00:21:46,118 --> 00:21:46,758
Speaker 2: a quick break.

467
00:21:46,758 --> 00:21:48,958
Speaker 3: When we come back, Joe, We're going to talk about

468
00:21:49,078 --> 00:21:52,718
Speaker 3: number eighteen in our list, which is a major milestone,

469
00:21:53,038 --> 00:21:56,438
Speaker 3: historic anniversary coming up, and we will talk about that

470
00:21:56,638 --> 00:22:11,558
Speaker 3: right after this. Cool Welcome back to the book Joe podcast.

471
00:22:11,598 --> 00:22:14,238
Speaker 3: We're going through the twenty five things to look forward

472
00:22:14,278 --> 00:22:16,918
Speaker 3: to in twenty twenty five in Major League Baseball, and

473
00:22:17,358 --> 00:22:20,878
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five will be the fiftieth anniversary of a

474
00:22:20,998 --> 00:22:24,638
Speaker 3: major decision. On December twenty third, nineteen seventy five, the

475
00:22:24,758 --> 00:22:29,718
Speaker 3: arbitrator Peter Sits ruled that pictures Andy Messersmith and Dave

476
00:22:29,798 --> 00:22:35,758
Speaker 3: McNally were free agents. Now, the major league owners disputed

477
00:22:35,798 --> 00:22:38,718
Speaker 3: that decision. They went to court, they appealed, they lost,

478
00:22:38,998 --> 00:22:41,598
Speaker 3: and then they figured out, well, we've got a bargain

479
00:22:41,638 --> 00:22:44,078
Speaker 3: now in our collective bargaining agreement, this new system of

480
00:22:44,118 --> 00:22:48,558
Speaker 3: free agency. When should players be free agents? Well, it

481
00:22:48,638 --> 00:22:51,518
Speaker 3: was the owner of the A's, Charlie Finley, the Maverick owner,

482
00:22:51,518 --> 00:22:54,558
Speaker 3: who said, hey, let's make everybody a free agent every

483
00:22:54,638 --> 00:22:58,838
Speaker 3: year he understood supply and demand right flood the market. Well,

484
00:22:58,838 --> 00:23:01,798
Speaker 3: a couple of things worked against good old Charlie. Number one,

485
00:23:01,838 --> 00:23:03,878
Speaker 3: he was such a maverick. The other owners really didn't

486
00:23:04,078 --> 00:23:06,238
Speaker 3: like him, so whatever idea he came up with, they

487
00:23:06,238 --> 00:23:08,318
Speaker 3: were not going to go along with. And the other

488
00:23:08,398 --> 00:23:09,878
Speaker 3: part was on the other side of the table was

489
00:23:09,918 --> 00:23:12,958
Speaker 3: a very smart man named Marvin Miller running the Players Association,

490
00:23:13,158 --> 00:23:16,278
Speaker 3: and he understood, you know, total free agency was too

491
00:23:16,358 --> 00:23:18,398
Speaker 3: much of a good thing, and that was not going

492
00:23:18,438 --> 00:23:21,358
Speaker 3: to work. Somehow, some way, Joe, they came up with

493
00:23:21,398 --> 00:23:25,598
Speaker 3: a system that is still in place today. Fifty years later.

494
00:23:25,638 --> 00:23:28,558
Speaker 3: You still need six years of service time to become

495
00:23:28,598 --> 00:23:32,598
Speaker 3: a major league free agent. Boy, it's changed baseball free agency.

496
00:23:32,798 --> 00:23:34,758
Speaker 3: They got it right the first time as far as

497
00:23:34,798 --> 00:23:37,158
Speaker 3: who should be able to be a free agent, and

498
00:23:37,198 --> 00:23:39,518
Speaker 3: we've seen it this past year, Joe. The money just

499
00:23:39,558 --> 00:23:41,678
Speaker 3: flows to these guys who are good enough to make

500
00:23:41,758 --> 00:23:42,518
Speaker 3: it to that point.

501
00:23:42,758 --> 00:23:45,398
Speaker 5: I remember all that, We both remember all that Messuresmidt.

502
00:23:45,558 --> 00:23:47,518
Speaker 4: It's kind of unique to get it right the first

503
00:23:47,518 --> 00:23:50,038
Speaker 4: time and nail it as well as they did. Yeah,

504
00:23:50,078 --> 00:23:52,718
Speaker 4: the thought of idea of being a free agent annually

505
00:23:52,838 --> 00:23:56,678
Speaker 4: really totally blows up the concept of a team and

506
00:23:57,518 --> 00:23:59,798
Speaker 4: that would not make any sense to me whatsoever. So

507
00:24:00,318 --> 00:24:02,678
Speaker 4: whoever was the cooler head, I guess Marvin Miller may

508
00:24:02,678 --> 00:24:03,878
Speaker 4: have been the guy that came up with the play,

509
00:24:03,958 --> 00:24:06,238
Speaker 4: and I'm not sure exactly how that was ironed out,

510
00:24:06,238 --> 00:24:09,558
Speaker 4: but yes, I cannot agree with you more. It works perfectly.

511
00:24:09,598 --> 00:24:12,358
Speaker 4: I think gives everybody an opportunity to get this right.

512
00:24:13,038 --> 00:24:13,958
Speaker 4: It was well done.

513
00:24:14,158 --> 00:24:16,998
Speaker 3: And if you all look forward to next winter, because

514
00:24:17,038 --> 00:24:19,118
Speaker 3: we saw it was a robust and has been a

515
00:24:19,238 --> 00:24:21,878
Speaker 3: robust free agent market, just as Juan Soto and Corbyn

516
00:24:21,878 --> 00:24:25,318
Speaker 3: Burns and Max Freed and the like on the market,

517
00:24:24,998 --> 00:24:28,598
Speaker 3: I expect it to be La Guerrero Junior, Kyle Tucker

518
00:24:28,878 --> 00:24:31,638
Speaker 3: from er Valdez, Zach Gallon, Oba.

519
00:24:31,438 --> 00:24:32,918
Speaker 2: Shit, and Devin Williams.

520
00:24:33,118 --> 00:24:35,678
Speaker 3: That's probably the top of the class for the twenty

521
00:24:35,758 --> 00:24:37,158
Speaker 3: twenty five twenty six winter.

522
00:24:37,998 --> 00:24:40,558
Speaker 4: Kyle Tucker for me, maybe that's why the Yankees did

523
00:24:40,558 --> 00:24:43,278
Speaker 4: not go after it as heavily, you know, getting Bellinger

524
00:24:43,318 --> 00:24:43,678
Speaker 4: in there.

525
00:24:43,878 --> 00:24:45,518
Speaker 5: I mean, because Kyle Tucker to me is big.

526
00:24:45,598 --> 00:24:48,718
Speaker 4: He's the guy that is like another version of Jan Soto,

527
00:24:48,998 --> 00:24:51,518
Speaker 4: truly is I don't people don't talk about him enough,

528
00:24:51,558 --> 00:24:54,198
Speaker 4: but if you get to work against this fella. He's

529
00:24:54,238 --> 00:24:56,838
Speaker 4: as devastating as Soto is is at bats. And the

530
00:24:56,918 --> 00:24:59,678
Speaker 4: thing about this guy, he hits lefties like their rightings.

531
00:24:59,838 --> 00:25:01,718
Speaker 4: I'm a big, big fan, so I think he's going

532
00:25:01,758 --> 00:25:03,678
Speaker 4: to be the number one sought after player this year.

533
00:25:03,958 --> 00:25:05,918
Speaker 2: You talk about and plays defense too.

534
00:25:06,798 --> 00:25:08,038
Speaker 5: He's outstanding at all.

535
00:25:08,318 --> 00:25:10,478
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's why I didn't realize they was coming up

536
00:25:10,478 --> 00:25:12,638
Speaker 4: this year, So that makes more sense. I don't know

537
00:25:12,638 --> 00:25:14,998
Speaker 4: that the Yankees wanted to go through another Soto situation,

538
00:25:15,478 --> 00:25:17,518
Speaker 4: you know, getting a guy giving up a lot for

539
00:25:17,558 --> 00:25:20,838
Speaker 4: one player and then having him leave possibly the next season.

540
00:25:20,838 --> 00:25:22,238
Speaker 4: So it makes sense that they can go out and

541
00:25:22,238 --> 00:25:24,918
Speaker 4: bid on him next year because Kyle Tucker and the

542
00:25:24,958 --> 00:25:26,598
Speaker 4: Yankee uniform makes a lot of sense to me.

543
00:25:27,158 --> 00:25:31,198
Speaker 3: Moving out to number seventeen. This is interesting. Jacob de

544
00:25:31,238 --> 00:25:35,798
Speaker 3: Gram and Clayton Kershaw. He's six years old. They're both

545
00:25:35,998 --> 00:25:38,398
Speaker 3: making comebacks in twenty twenty five. You're probably not going

546
00:25:38,478 --> 00:25:41,638
Speaker 3: to see Kershaw until mid season. He did have tow

547
00:25:41,758 --> 00:25:44,078
Speaker 3: and knee surgeries. He got a two for one special

548
00:25:44,078 --> 00:25:46,878
Speaker 3: in the offseason. Jacob m Gram should be on the

549
00:25:46,878 --> 00:25:50,198
Speaker 3: opening days roster for the Texas Rangers after he made

550
00:25:50,198 --> 00:25:52,798
Speaker 3: three starts coming back from a second Timmy John surgery.

551
00:25:53,438 --> 00:25:57,158
Speaker 3: So between them Kershaw de Gram they've got five Star

552
00:25:57,278 --> 00:26:00,838
Speaker 3: Young Awards, but last year only ten starts. De Gram

553
00:26:00,838 --> 00:26:04,638
Speaker 3: hasn't thrown one hundred innings since twenty nineteen years ago.

554
00:26:05,278 --> 00:26:08,598
Speaker 3: What do you expect from de Grom and Kersha thirty

555
00:26:08,638 --> 00:26:11,318
Speaker 3: six year old Young Award winners in twenty twenty five.

556
00:26:11,678 --> 00:26:16,198
Speaker 4: Again with Kershaw was the surgery was on his toe

557
00:26:16,318 --> 00:26:18,598
Speaker 4: and yeah, so, I mean.

558
00:26:18,878 --> 00:26:19,918
Speaker 2: It was a real problem.

559
00:26:19,958 --> 00:26:22,518
Speaker 3: I mean he did get back from the shoulder surgery

560
00:26:22,598 --> 00:26:25,358
Speaker 3: the year before, but he never got right with that too.

561
00:26:25,638 --> 00:26:28,518
Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's that's just watching the Grom. I mean,

562
00:26:28,638 --> 00:26:30,638
Speaker 4: you would think this guy should never get hurt. If

563
00:26:30,678 --> 00:26:33,678
Speaker 4: anybody does it easily, it's him. I really not studied

564
00:26:33,678 --> 00:26:35,438
Speaker 4: the you know, the arm behind him as much. It

565
00:26:35,518 --> 00:26:37,998
Speaker 4: just looks perfect. I Mean I've always when he was

566
00:26:37,998 --> 00:26:40,478
Speaker 4: with the Mets, along with Zach Wheeler, I thought Zach

567
00:26:40,518 --> 00:26:44,878
Speaker 4: Wheeler was like the slightly less end version of the

568
00:26:44,958 --> 00:26:47,798
Speaker 4: Grom because I thought, I've always been a Zach Wheeler fan,

569
00:26:47,918 --> 00:26:49,878
Speaker 4: and at that time Wheeler used to get hurt too,

570
00:26:49,958 --> 00:26:51,718
Speaker 4: and then all of a sudden, Wheeler screens it out

571
00:26:51,998 --> 00:26:53,798
Speaker 4: and de Grom just can't seem to get it done.

572
00:26:53,798 --> 00:26:56,238
Speaker 4: But I don't know there's any easier gas out there

573
00:26:56,278 --> 00:27:01,398
Speaker 4: than the Grom. However, to Tommy John's, you could almost

574
00:27:01,438 --> 00:27:03,718
Speaker 4: bet on something happening to him again, I think whereas

575
00:27:03,718 --> 00:27:07,078
Speaker 4: the the guy toe, he's the shoulder has been fixed,

576
00:27:07,478 --> 00:27:09,838
Speaker 4: and the knee. I'd almost have to bet because just

577
00:27:10,038 --> 00:27:12,238
Speaker 4: the fact that I think Kershaws can be more into pitching,

578
00:27:12,518 --> 00:27:14,438
Speaker 4: doesn't have to rely on velocity as much, and you

579
00:27:14,558 --> 00:27:17,238
Speaker 4: might even see like a Franklin Ana version of Kershaw

580
00:27:17,398 --> 00:27:19,358
Speaker 4: in a latter part of his career where things dial

581
00:27:19,438 --> 00:27:21,798
Speaker 4: back a little bit, but still a really good and

582
00:27:21,798 --> 00:27:24,198
Speaker 4: effective pitcher. And I would bet that he's not even

583
00:27:24,198 --> 00:27:26,998
Speaker 4: thinking velocity right now, and he's gonna it'll reach for

584
00:27:27,078 --> 00:27:28,678
Speaker 4: it when he needs to, but you're going to see

585
00:27:28,678 --> 00:27:31,078
Speaker 4: a very good pitching version of Kershaw. This should be

586
00:27:31,158 --> 00:27:34,198
Speaker 4: my bet, so that I would go with Kershaw over

587
00:27:34,278 --> 00:27:34,638
Speaker 4: de Grom.

588
00:27:35,078 --> 00:27:37,958
Speaker 3: Yeah, to me, de Grom is when he's at his best,

589
00:27:38,038 --> 00:27:41,238
Speaker 3: which is just basically when he's healthy, he is pitching

590
00:27:42,118 --> 00:27:45,278
Speaker 3: elevated to its highest form. I really have not seen

591
00:27:45,318 --> 00:27:52,198
Speaker 3: anybody combine mechanics, command and pure stuff, especially velocity, like

592
00:27:52,318 --> 00:27:56,238
Speaker 3: Jacot de Grom. Nobody and I've seen grates, but there's

593
00:27:56,278 --> 00:27:59,638
Speaker 3: something about it. Joe with his body, I like his mechanics.

594
00:27:59,678 --> 00:28:02,198
Speaker 3: I just and this sounds weird. I think he's one

595
00:28:02,198 --> 00:28:04,798
Speaker 3: of these guys he throws too hard for his own good.

596
00:28:05,318 --> 00:28:08,598
Speaker 3: He just continues to break down at just incredible. I mean,

597
00:28:08,598 --> 00:28:12,358
Speaker 3: this guy's throwing sliders in the mid nineties and a

598
00:28:12,438 --> 00:28:16,438
Speaker 3: starter throwing averaging ninety nine hundred miles an hour. I'd

599
00:28:16,478 --> 00:28:18,678
Speaker 3: like to see him dial it back a little bit

600
00:28:18,718 --> 00:28:21,638
Speaker 3: because he can command the baseball, he can pitch. He's

601
00:28:21,758 --> 00:28:24,918
Speaker 3: not a pure thrower. So yeah, I'm with you. I

602
00:28:24,918 --> 00:28:27,598
Speaker 3: think it's hard to count on twenty five to thirty

603
00:28:27,598 --> 00:28:28,758
Speaker 3: starts from Jacob deGrom.

604
00:28:28,838 --> 00:28:30,278
Speaker 2: Listen, the Rangers would love that.

605
00:28:30,478 --> 00:28:32,078
Speaker 3: But if they can just get him through a season

606
00:28:32,118 --> 00:28:34,278
Speaker 3: healthy to get to the postseason, he's on the mound

607
00:28:34,318 --> 00:28:35,078
Speaker 3: of the postseason.

608
00:28:35,278 --> 00:28:38,158
Speaker 2: That guy's a difference maker. Agreed, All right, let's move

609
00:28:38,158 --> 00:28:39,118
Speaker 2: on to number sixteen.

610
00:28:39,158 --> 00:28:41,438
Speaker 3: I got a couple of more older pitchers, even older

611
00:28:41,438 --> 00:28:46,158
Speaker 3: for you, Joe, the twilight of Justin Burlander and Max Schurzer.

612
00:28:46,238 --> 00:28:49,278
Speaker 3: They're both still free agents. Both have been not signed yet.

613
00:28:49,558 --> 00:28:55,238
Speaker 3: Verlander he turns forty two in February, Suzer is forty. Now,

614
00:28:55,358 --> 00:28:57,318
Speaker 3: I don't think either one you're gonna say that's a

615
00:28:57,358 --> 00:28:58,478
Speaker 3: front of a rotation guy.

616
00:28:58,598 --> 00:29:00,398
Speaker 2: He's gonna start Game one of the postseason.

617
00:29:00,998 --> 00:29:05,478
Speaker 3: But listen, they're both fierce competitors. I would take a

618
00:29:05,478 --> 00:29:07,198
Speaker 3: flyer on either one of them. Joe, what do you

619
00:29:07,238 --> 00:29:10,198
Speaker 3: think about what Erlander and Shures are having the tang.

620
00:29:10,398 --> 00:29:14,718
Speaker 4: Yeah, contenders, contending teams absolutely, whomever that you know, And

621
00:29:14,758 --> 00:29:16,638
Speaker 4: it sounds again like we were talking about almost like a

622
00:29:16,718 --> 00:29:19,358
Speaker 4: National League situation, but a contending team that would like

623
00:29:19,398 --> 00:29:22,638
Speaker 4: to show up and consider these guys your fifth starter, absolutely,

624
00:29:22,638 --> 00:29:25,438
Speaker 4: fourth or fifth starter. Build it in at actually fifth started,

625
00:29:25,518 --> 00:29:27,398
Speaker 4: build it in where that you're going to give them

626
00:29:27,918 --> 00:29:30,478
Speaker 4: a little bit extra rest on occasion two. And this

627
00:29:30,558 --> 00:29:32,478
Speaker 4: would have to be part of the conversation. They both

628
00:29:32,518 --> 00:29:34,998
Speaker 4: would probably not want to hear that. They're both probably

629
00:29:35,038 --> 00:29:36,918
Speaker 4: going to say they're going to make their thirty plus starts,

630
00:29:37,238 --> 00:29:38,998
Speaker 4: and that's fine because that's who they are, but you

631
00:29:39,118 --> 00:29:41,518
Speaker 4: just can't count on that. So I would say a

632
00:29:41,558 --> 00:29:44,558
Speaker 4: real contending team that doesn't like the backside of their

633
00:29:44,678 --> 00:29:48,278
Speaker 4: rotation definitely give them that kind of an opportunity even

634
00:29:48,318 --> 00:29:50,038
Speaker 4: like a Yankees, like, maybe they might be able to

635
00:29:50,038 --> 00:29:52,238
Speaker 4: throw one of those dudes in there after they set

636
00:29:52,238 --> 00:29:53,878
Speaker 4: this whole think up and see what they got. But

637
00:29:53,998 --> 00:29:56,958
Speaker 4: somebody that, yeah, right at the very end, we just

638
00:29:56,998 --> 00:29:58,958
Speaker 4: need a little bit more to get us through this.

639
00:29:59,078 --> 00:30:01,798
Speaker 4: And one of those two fellows, whoever they perceive to

640
00:30:01,838 --> 00:30:04,518
Speaker 4: be the better gamble right now, you're gonna end up

641
00:30:04,518 --> 00:30:04,878
Speaker 4: seeing that.

642
00:30:05,158 --> 00:30:06,398
Speaker 5: Are they're going to pitch for a team that has

643
00:30:06,438 --> 00:30:07,078
Speaker 5: a chance to win?

644
00:30:07,478 --> 00:30:10,198
Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe they borrow a page from Pedro Martinez. Remember

645
00:30:10,238 --> 00:30:12,238
Speaker 3: when it looked like he was retired, he stayed out

646
00:30:12,318 --> 00:30:15,198
Speaker 3: until middle of the season. Knowing that you can't make

647
00:30:15,278 --> 00:30:19,158
Speaker 3: thirty starts, you know, make yourself available once you see

648
00:30:19,198 --> 00:30:21,558
Speaker 3: where the pennant races are, who's a contender, who's not.

649
00:30:21,798 --> 00:30:23,598
Speaker 3: You take your choice of where you want to pitch

650
00:30:23,638 --> 00:30:25,878
Speaker 3: at that point. Who knows, But I think we'll see

651
00:30:25,918 --> 00:30:28,878
Speaker 3: both of those guys at some point, if not opening

652
00:30:28,958 --> 00:30:31,998
Speaker 3: Day in twenty twenty five. Speaking of opening Day, Joe

653
00:30:32,198 --> 00:30:33,358
Speaker 3: number fifteen on our.

654
00:30:33,198 --> 00:30:35,718
Speaker 2: List, do you know where baseball opens this year?

655
00:30:36,038 --> 00:30:40,478
Speaker 3: We're going back to Japan, Cubs against the Dodgers at

656
00:30:40,478 --> 00:30:48,398
Speaker 3: the Tokyo Dome Otani Yamamoto Suzuki Inmanaga. Can you imagine

657
00:30:48,438 --> 00:30:50,718
Speaker 3: how big that's going to be. Now, show Hey is

658
00:30:50,798 --> 00:30:52,598
Speaker 3: not going to be ready to pitch. He will not

659
00:30:52,678 --> 00:30:55,758
Speaker 3: pitch in that series. I imagine Yamamoto will make a start.

660
00:30:56,318 --> 00:30:59,358
Speaker 3: Showed that Imanaga also will make a start. But Shoey

661
00:30:59,398 --> 00:31:01,438
Speaker 3: obviously will be a dh for the Dodgers. He's a

662
00:31:01,478 --> 00:31:04,878
Speaker 3: little bit behind schedule after the off surgery offseason non

663
00:31:04,918 --> 00:31:07,798
Speaker 3: throwing surgery on the shoulder. I think it's great to

664
00:31:07,798 --> 00:31:10,758
Speaker 3: see the Dodgers going back to Japan to play in

665
00:31:10,798 --> 00:31:12,398
Speaker 3: Tokyo against the Cups.

666
00:31:12,958 --> 00:31:16,558
Speaker 4: What better way to get it rolling right to the

667
00:31:16,558 --> 00:31:21,278
Speaker 4: fan bases are incredible in the Japanese culture regarding baseball

668
00:31:21,398 --> 00:31:22,878
Speaker 4: is fantastic.

669
00:31:22,998 --> 00:31:24,518
Speaker 5: So yes, I agree with you.

670
00:31:24,598 --> 00:31:28,958
Speaker 4: That is that's again scripted in advanced could not have

671
00:31:29,238 --> 00:31:32,598
Speaker 4: chosen two better teams to open this thing up, So

672
00:31:32,638 --> 00:31:34,518
Speaker 4: it's going to be very exciting to watch and I'm

673
00:31:34,518 --> 00:31:34,878
Speaker 4: into that.

674
00:31:34,918 --> 00:31:36,398
Speaker 5: I think that's great, a great idea.

675
00:31:36,758 --> 00:31:38,398
Speaker 2: You mentioned the fan base there.

676
00:31:38,398 --> 00:31:40,398
Speaker 3: How about this Game two of the World Series, which

677
00:31:40,478 --> 00:31:45,918
Speaker 3: yamamotos started last year, had a higher rating o'clock in

678
00:31:45,918 --> 00:31:50,118
Speaker 3: the morning in Japan prime time in the United States

679
00:31:50,158 --> 00:31:54,158
Speaker 3: of America overall, the five game World Series in Japan,

680
00:31:54,678 --> 00:31:56,358
Speaker 3: and again we're talking about these games are played in

681
00:31:56,358 --> 00:32:00,838
Speaker 3: the morning outrated the twenty twenty four NBA Finals in

682
00:32:00,918 --> 00:32:01,478
Speaker 3: the US.

683
00:32:03,158 --> 00:32:04,998
Speaker 5: No surprise, that's no surprise.

684
00:32:05,078 --> 00:32:07,798
Speaker 4: I think that if you really thought about it, that's

685
00:32:07,838 --> 00:32:10,398
Speaker 4: an easy get right. I mean, the fact these folks

686
00:32:10,438 --> 00:32:13,598
Speaker 4: are really that much into it, and I love that.

687
00:32:13,678 --> 00:32:15,718
Speaker 4: I absolutely love the fact that there's just so involved

688
00:32:15,718 --> 00:32:16,278
Speaker 4: in baseball.

689
00:32:16,678 --> 00:32:19,518
Speaker 3: Number fourteen on our list of twenty five things to

690
00:32:19,558 --> 00:32:23,078
Speaker 3: look forward to in twenty twenty five, four thousand total

691
00:32:23,118 --> 00:32:27,038
Speaker 3: bases for Freddy Freeman. He needs only one hundred and

692
00:32:27,078 --> 00:32:31,278
Speaker 3: thirty four for four thousand total bases. Some days, sit

693
00:32:31,358 --> 00:32:34,918
Speaker 3: down and look at the back of Freddy Freeman's baseball card, Joe,

694
00:32:34,958 --> 00:32:40,558
Speaker 3: it is amazing. So how big is four thousand total bases? Well,

695
00:32:40,718 --> 00:32:44,318
Speaker 3: keep this in mind. He will become only the tenth

696
00:32:44,478 --> 00:32:47,518
Speaker 3: first basement of all time with four thousand total bases

697
00:32:47,558 --> 00:32:51,038
Speaker 3: and one thousand walks, And obviously he's still got a

698
00:32:51,078 --> 00:32:54,278
Speaker 3: lot of baseball left in him. Of the previous nine

699
00:32:54,438 --> 00:32:57,078
Speaker 3: first baseman to reach those thresholds, all are in the

700
00:32:57,118 --> 00:33:00,198
Speaker 3: Hall of Fame except Albert Pooholz, who's not yet eligible,

701
00:33:00,478 --> 00:33:04,918
Speaker 3: and Rafael Palmero, who's got the ped teams. So Freddy

702
00:33:04,958 --> 00:33:07,598
Speaker 3: Freeman's got a lot of baseball left, but he's already

703
00:33:07,598 --> 00:33:10,078
Speaker 3: putting up some huge, huge numbers.

704
00:33:10,318 --> 00:33:11,838
Speaker 4: You know, you watch him, He's got kind of a

705
00:33:11,918 --> 00:33:14,678
Speaker 4: choppy swing. You think, how does that work? But it works?

706
00:33:15,358 --> 00:33:18,278
Speaker 4: And then the guy's a really good athlete. He runs

707
00:33:18,358 --> 00:33:21,198
Speaker 4: the base as well, he feels well, he throws really well.

708
00:33:21,558 --> 00:33:24,278
Speaker 4: He's a complete baseball player, and he's a winner.

709
00:33:24,318 --> 00:33:24,478
Speaker 5: Man.

710
00:33:24,638 --> 00:33:26,518
Speaker 4: I have not been around him, only heard the stories

711
00:33:26,518 --> 00:33:29,118
Speaker 4: about it. How he really come into his meetings in

712
00:33:29,118 --> 00:33:33,438
Speaker 4: regards to hitting meetings, et cetera. I think he sets

713
00:33:33,598 --> 00:33:35,758
Speaker 4: a high bar when it comes to accountability within the

714
00:33:35,758 --> 00:33:39,438
Speaker 4: groups that he plays for. Okay, so Brays are pretty good, right,

715
00:33:39,558 --> 00:33:41,318
Speaker 4: big part of that, we're talking about the culture and

716
00:33:42,358 --> 00:33:44,718
Speaker 4: how they're running, the consistency within the group. Snip being

717
00:33:44,758 --> 00:33:46,558
Speaker 4: there for a long time big part of the reason.

718
00:33:46,758 --> 00:33:48,398
Speaker 4: And then you go to La and of course he's

719
00:33:48,398 --> 00:33:51,438
Speaker 4: surrounded He's surrounded by some pretty good talent obviously, but

720
00:33:51,878 --> 00:33:54,158
Speaker 4: I think he's had a big influence.

721
00:33:53,718 --> 00:33:55,598
Speaker 5: On how the game is being played out there.

722
00:33:55,958 --> 00:33:58,078
Speaker 4: Last year he gets hurt and he's still playing through

723
00:33:58,518 --> 00:34:00,758
Speaker 4: and that had hurt him a lot actually running the

724
00:34:00,798 --> 00:34:05,238
Speaker 4: way he did so different animal, different motor, absolutely deserves it.

725
00:34:05,558 --> 00:34:08,118
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's one of your level five players. All he

726
00:34:08,158 --> 00:34:09,078
Speaker 2: wants to do is win.

727
00:34:09,158 --> 00:34:11,078
Speaker 3: I mean, when he first got to the Dodgers, he

728
00:34:11,198 --> 00:34:14,118
Speaker 3: noticed everybody had their own individual iPad. So when he

729
00:34:14,158 --> 00:34:16,158
Speaker 3: get back to the dugout, he knows all these guys

730
00:34:16,198 --> 00:34:18,558
Speaker 3: with their head down, buried in their own iPads, nobody's

731
00:34:18,598 --> 00:34:20,638
Speaker 3: talking to each other about what they see the pitchers

732
00:34:20,638 --> 00:34:23,758
Speaker 3: trying to do. So I think he reduced it to

733
00:34:23,878 --> 00:34:26,638
Speaker 3: just three iPads and the dugout, so that guy's had more.

734
00:34:26,478 --> 00:34:27,918
Speaker 2: Conversation among themselves.

735
00:34:28,198 --> 00:34:31,998
Speaker 3: And the irony of that is his huge Kirk Gibson

736
00:34:32,118 --> 00:34:34,518
Speaker 3: like home run off Nestor Cortez Game one of the

737
00:34:34,558 --> 00:34:37,278
Speaker 3: World Series, he actually looked at an iPad and he

738
00:34:37,438 --> 00:34:40,918
Speaker 3: usually never does. And as Cortes comes into the game,

739
00:34:41,278 --> 00:34:44,478
Speaker 3: he picked up Otani's iPad and he figured, let me

740
00:34:44,558 --> 00:34:47,158
Speaker 3: see because Otani was watching how Cortes had pitched him

741
00:34:47,158 --> 00:34:48,918
Speaker 3: in the past, and Freddy said, let me see how

742
00:34:48,958 --> 00:34:52,678
Speaker 3: he pitches Otani because there's some similarities left handed hitters

743
00:34:52,678 --> 00:34:55,078
Speaker 3: with power Otani and Freddy.

744
00:34:55,078 --> 00:34:58,198
Speaker 2: And so he sat on fastball in It's.

745
00:34:57,958 --> 00:35:00,758
Speaker 3: Exactly what he got from Nestor Cortes, and the rest,

746
00:35:00,798 --> 00:35:02,358
Speaker 3: as they say, is history.

747
00:35:02,678 --> 00:35:05,198
Speaker 5: Does that make sense? That's that's the exact right way.

748
00:35:05,398 --> 00:35:06,958
Speaker 4: I mean, as when you get a new picture in

749
00:35:06,998 --> 00:35:09,078
Speaker 4: the game most of the time, and this guy's not

750
00:35:09,158 --> 00:35:12,758
Speaker 4: a relief pitcher, you'd almost have to bet under the

751
00:35:12,758 --> 00:35:14,878
Speaker 4: circumstance he's going to throw a fastball. Now, if you

752
00:35:14,878 --> 00:35:17,238
Speaker 4: want to guess center out, that's great. So, yeah, that

753
00:35:17,358 --> 00:35:19,358
Speaker 4: makes a lot of sense to me. And here's the

754
00:35:19,438 --> 00:35:20,158
Speaker 4: other part about it.

755
00:35:20,198 --> 00:35:21,398
Speaker 5: He didn't miss it. You know.

756
00:35:21,598 --> 00:35:24,518
Speaker 4: Yeah, you can know it's coming. You could make that guess.

757
00:35:24,558 --> 00:35:27,118
Speaker 4: You could sit on that sucker, but you can't miss it.

758
00:35:27,198 --> 00:35:29,438
Speaker 4: You can't foul it off, and you can't go gosh,

759
00:35:29,518 --> 00:35:31,478
Speaker 4: I should have killed that pitch.

760
00:35:31,638 --> 00:35:32,078
Speaker 5: He did.

761
00:35:32,638 --> 00:35:35,478
Speaker 3: Number thirteen, We got a new place to play Major

762
00:35:35,558 --> 00:35:40,198
Speaker 3: League Baseball, Joe, the MLB Speedway Classic. We played a

763
00:35:40,318 --> 00:35:44,758
Speaker 3: Bristol Motor Speedway August two. The Braves against the Reds.

764
00:35:44,998 --> 00:35:47,718
Speaker 3: Left handed pole hitters. They can he home run into

765
00:35:47,758 --> 00:35:51,198
Speaker 3: turn one the speedway right and pole hitters, they'll try

766
00:35:51,238 --> 00:35:53,878
Speaker 3: to go deep into turn number two. And there's something

767
00:35:54,038 --> 00:35:58,038
Speaker 3: very cool about the idea of watching cruise steel bases

768
00:35:58,238 --> 00:35:59,038
Speaker 3: at a speedway.

769
00:36:00,838 --> 00:36:01,438
Speaker 5: Well done.

770
00:36:01,718 --> 00:36:04,638
Speaker 4: Yeah, interesting. I've never been in that ball there, I've

771
00:36:04,718 --> 00:36:08,078
Speaker 4: driven by that speedway. It's great. I'm good with that too.

772
00:36:08,118 --> 00:36:10,758
Speaker 4: I think that's very interesting, it's very creative. And again,

773
00:36:10,918 --> 00:36:13,318
Speaker 4: these to me are the kind of things that hopefully

774
00:36:13,518 --> 00:36:17,318
Speaker 4: could generate some new fans. However, I think this is

775
00:36:17,318 --> 00:36:20,718
Speaker 4: a perfect scenario for the established fans. You're talking about

776
00:36:20,798 --> 00:36:25,158
Speaker 4: NASCAR world Definitely down to Atlanta, Cincinnati, Absolutely, there's that's

777
00:36:25,278 --> 00:36:27,318
Speaker 4: there's got to be a ton of NASCAR folks that

778
00:36:27,678 --> 00:36:28,478
Speaker 4: are into all of that.

779
00:36:28,638 --> 00:36:30,758
Speaker 5: So you're going to get that group there.

780
00:36:30,998 --> 00:36:33,398
Speaker 4: Are you going to Are you going to get new

781
00:36:33,518 --> 00:36:35,918
Speaker 4: NASCAR fans or new baseball fans? I don't know, but

782
00:36:35,918 --> 00:36:37,198
Speaker 4: I think it's a pretty cool idea.

783
00:36:37,598 --> 00:36:37,798
Speaker 2: Yeah.

784
00:36:37,798 --> 00:36:42,718
Speaker 3: Absolutely, Let's go to number twelve. Mike Trout. Mike Trout,

785
00:36:42,758 --> 00:36:47,118
Speaker 3: he needs forty six RBIs for one thousand in his career,

786
00:36:47,798 --> 00:36:51,278
Speaker 3: and think about it, his numbers, what they might have been,

787
00:36:51,558 --> 00:36:55,958
Speaker 3: are still outstanding. Mike Trout closing in on one thousand RBIs.

788
00:36:56,278 --> 00:36:57,638
Speaker 5: Yeah, I just got to stay well.

789
00:36:57,838 --> 00:37:00,518
Speaker 4: I mean, the injuries have been so awkward, even to

790
00:37:00,558 --> 00:37:01,558
Speaker 4: the point we were playing.

791
00:37:02,118 --> 00:37:03,078
Speaker 5: I can't remember.

792
00:37:02,758 --> 00:37:05,998
Speaker 4: Exactly the month whatever hitting over and he's walking over

793
00:37:06,038 --> 00:37:08,438
Speaker 4: to Brian Butterfield to give him his helmet. I swear,

794
00:37:08,478 --> 00:37:10,478
Speaker 4: I'm watching this whole thing, and all of a sudden

795
00:37:10,478 --> 00:37:12,398
Speaker 4: he grabs his calf and he's out pretty much the

796
00:37:12,438 --> 00:37:13,638
Speaker 4: rest of the year. I think it was the rest

797
00:37:13,678 --> 00:37:16,558
Speaker 4: of the year, just walking over to give butter his helmet.

798
00:37:16,758 --> 00:37:18,438
Speaker 4: I may have been bothering him before that. He never

799
00:37:18,478 --> 00:37:21,918
Speaker 4: said anything, but yeah, it's stuff like that. I mean,

800
00:37:22,038 --> 00:37:23,598
Speaker 4: when you're in a you know, on the field with

801
00:37:23,638 --> 00:37:27,158
Speaker 4: them and batting practice with him. Everything about him, he's wonderful.

802
00:37:27,398 --> 00:37:31,598
Speaker 4: He's so strong, so athletic. At top golf, I saw

803
00:37:31,678 --> 00:37:34,958
Speaker 4: him hit a golf ball over the back net using

804
00:37:35,078 --> 00:37:38,318
Speaker 4: one of their creepy little drivers and whatever their limited

805
00:37:38,358 --> 00:37:40,798
Speaker 4: flight golf balls are all about. He had hit over everything.

806
00:37:41,158 --> 00:37:45,238
Speaker 4: Just a different world, different level. So I'd love to

807
00:37:45,238 --> 00:37:47,518
Speaker 4: see him stay healthy for an entire season. It would

808
00:37:47,518 --> 00:37:50,438
Speaker 4: be wonderful. And that's one of the only ways I

809
00:37:50,438 --> 00:37:53,998
Speaker 4: think they could even be considered having an opportunity to

810
00:37:53,998 --> 00:37:56,518
Speaker 4: make the playoffs is that Trotey stay solvent.

811
00:37:56,398 --> 00:38:00,278
Speaker 3: Which brings us to number eleven, which is another guy

812
00:38:00,358 --> 00:38:02,998
Speaker 3: who's very close to one thousand RVI is actually even

813
00:38:02,998 --> 00:38:06,438
Speaker 3: closer twenty four and that's Bryce Harper. I mean, how

814
00:38:06,478 --> 00:38:08,878
Speaker 3: perfect is that that two rookies of the Year from

815
00:38:08,878 --> 00:38:13,038
Speaker 3: twenty twelve, Harper and Trout both should get to one

816
00:38:13,078 --> 00:38:18,238
Speaker 3: thousand career RBIs in twenty twenty five. And if and

817
00:38:18,358 --> 00:38:23,078
Speaker 3: Wayne Harper gets there, he'll be Tom thirty two only

818
00:38:23,118 --> 00:38:27,318
Speaker 3: the fourth player with a thousand RBIs one thousand walks

819
00:38:28,198 --> 00:38:34,038
Speaker 3: stolen bases. The others are Mickey Mantle, Carlastremsky and Barry Bonds.

820
00:38:34,358 --> 00:38:36,918
Speaker 4: A nice company, right, I mean, and this guy was

821
00:38:37,238 --> 00:38:39,198
Speaker 4: ordained from the time he was a kid, oh the

822
00:38:39,238 --> 00:38:42,958
Speaker 4: hoopla bottom coming out of Las Vegas. I've been around him.

823
00:38:43,078 --> 00:38:45,038
Speaker 4: I've been with him on an All Star team. At

824
00:38:45,078 --> 00:38:47,518
Speaker 4: conversation with him, I like him a lot. He is

825
00:38:47,638 --> 00:38:51,638
Speaker 4: all of that. He's very well. He's single mind in

826
00:38:51,678 --> 00:38:54,518
Speaker 4: regards to being great, and he goes about it in

827
00:38:54,558 --> 00:38:57,238
Speaker 4: the right way, you know, within the group. I think

828
00:38:57,238 --> 00:38:59,998
Speaker 4: he has a tremendous amount of cachet just based on

829
00:39:00,878 --> 00:39:03,078
Speaker 4: is it again, the way he goes about his business.

830
00:39:03,078 --> 00:39:05,238
Speaker 4: He's been injured, he tries to get back as quickly

831
00:39:05,238 --> 00:39:08,158
Speaker 4: as he possibly can. And he's another guy that loves

832
00:39:08,158 --> 00:39:10,398
Speaker 4: the big moment. I've seen that in person on the

833
00:39:10,438 --> 00:39:13,118
Speaker 4: negative side, So just wish him nothing but the best

834
00:39:13,118 --> 00:39:15,558
Speaker 4: as he moves forward to even more records than he

835
00:39:15,638 --> 00:39:16,598
Speaker 4: ventually the Hall of Fame.

836
00:39:16,918 --> 00:39:20,998
Speaker 3: Moving on to number ten, let's stay on the milestones theme.

837
00:39:21,358 --> 00:39:24,878
Speaker 3: How about two thousand hits for Manny Machado. He needs

838
00:39:24,918 --> 00:39:27,758
Speaker 3: one hundred hits to reach two thousand. He would become

839
00:39:27,878 --> 00:39:30,718
Speaker 3: only the fifty fifth player to reach two thousand hits

840
00:39:30,758 --> 00:39:35,198
Speaker 3: by age thirty two. And if you're thinking about three thousand, Joe,

841
00:39:36,478 --> 00:39:39,598
Speaker 3: there have been ten other players this century so since

842
00:39:39,598 --> 00:39:42,598
Speaker 3: two thousand to reach two thousand hits by age thirty two,

843
00:39:43,398 --> 00:39:46,478
Speaker 3: half got to three thousand, and half did not. The

844
00:39:46,478 --> 00:39:50,718
Speaker 3: ones who got there Miguel Cabrera, Albert Boohls, Adrian Beltray,

845
00:39:50,758 --> 00:39:52,478
Speaker 3: Alex Rodriguez, and Derek Cheeter.

846
00:39:52,838 --> 00:39:55,318
Speaker 2: Manny Machiado two thousand, You like him?

847
00:39:55,758 --> 00:39:55,958
Speaker 5: Yeah?

848
00:39:56,158 --> 00:39:56,518
Speaker 2: Thousand?

849
00:39:56,918 --> 00:39:58,958
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think he's I think he's able to. He's

850
00:39:58,958 --> 00:40:02,038
Speaker 4: pretty much stayed healthy his career, right, There's not been

851
00:40:02,078 --> 00:40:02,518
Speaker 4: a whole lot.

852
00:40:02,478 --> 00:40:04,558
Speaker 3: Of he's played with the same by he's the same

853
00:40:04,678 --> 00:40:07,398
Speaker 3: kind of hitter, just a very consistent performer.

854
00:40:07,478 --> 00:40:09,758
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, you know he'll get accused of playing

855
00:40:09,758 --> 00:40:11,518
Speaker 4: with the governor. You know the fact that you know,

856
00:40:11,558 --> 00:40:14,998
Speaker 4: running the first space, et cetera. Listen, I'm all about

857
00:40:15,078 --> 00:40:17,878
Speaker 4: running hard the first base. I am, you know, one

858
00:40:17,918 --> 00:40:20,118
Speaker 4: of my tenants as a manager, and I'm not accusing

859
00:40:20,198 --> 00:40:22,558
Speaker 4: him of not running hard. But different players play with

860
00:40:22,598 --> 00:40:24,758
Speaker 4: a different gate. I mean, there's certain guys that look

861
00:40:24,838 --> 00:40:26,318
Speaker 4: like their hair is on fire all the time, and

862
00:40:26,358 --> 00:40:29,158
Speaker 4: you think, God, this guy's a hustler. And there's other

863
00:40:29,238 --> 00:40:32,838
Speaker 4: guys that just play at a gate that's really actually

864
00:40:32,958 --> 00:40:36,478
Speaker 4: pretty phenomenal, but we accuse him of not caring as much.

865
00:40:37,078 --> 00:40:39,758
Speaker 4: Garrett Anderson Ga had that same kind of an issue,

866
00:40:40,078 --> 00:40:44,078
Speaker 4: where Ga would be you just don't it came more naturally.

867
00:40:44,118 --> 00:40:46,158
Speaker 5: They're they're more they're more fluid in what they did.

868
00:40:46,278 --> 00:40:49,358
Speaker 4: Jimmy Edmonds, so he's one of those guys. It's a

869
00:40:49,398 --> 00:40:51,678
Speaker 4: fluidity thing. I think by the way he plays and

870
00:40:51,678 --> 00:40:53,798
Speaker 4: how he plays and how his body works, he has

871
00:40:53,838 --> 00:40:55,718
Speaker 4: a chance to stay healthy for a period of time,

872
00:40:55,758 --> 00:40:58,118
Speaker 4: which is the reason why he'll be able to get

873
00:40:58,118 --> 00:40:59,918
Speaker 4: three thousand hits a number nine.

874
00:40:59,958 --> 00:41:02,078
Speaker 3: We've touched on this a little bit, but I have

875
00:41:02,398 --> 00:41:05,558
Speaker 3: a separate from a milestone, just the return of Mike

876
00:41:05,638 --> 00:41:08,038
Speaker 3: Trout on the baseball field. He's thirty three years old.

877
00:41:08,278 --> 00:41:10,438
Speaker 3: He hasn't played more than one hundred and forty games

878
00:41:10,438 --> 00:41:14,398
Speaker 3: in nine years. Over the past four years, he has

879
00:41:14,438 --> 00:41:17,918
Speaker 3: missed fifty nine percent of the Angels games, but when

880
00:41:17,958 --> 00:41:20,758
Speaker 3: he has played, he slug five to seventy five with

881
00:41:20,798 --> 00:41:23,878
Speaker 3: a nine to fifty one OPS. There's plenty left in

882
00:41:23,878 --> 00:41:26,238
Speaker 3: the tank. Mike Prows a different kind of player than

883
00:41:26,318 --> 00:41:28,758
Speaker 3: the classic version we remember in his twenties. He has

884
00:41:28,798 --> 00:41:32,678
Speaker 3: become a dead pull side home run power hitter. Wouldn't

885
00:41:32,718 --> 00:41:35,158
Speaker 3: surprise me if Mike played a full season and he

886
00:41:35,238 --> 00:41:37,078
Speaker 3: pushes fifty home runs.

887
00:41:36,838 --> 00:41:39,118
Speaker 5: Well, it's in there. He's that strong, there's no question.

888
00:41:39,158 --> 00:41:42,438
Speaker 4: The big thing about that is his ability to deal

889
00:41:42,478 --> 00:41:44,838
Speaker 4: with elevated velossy a little bit better, which normally is

890
00:41:44,878 --> 00:41:47,558
Speaker 4: hard pitched to pull. I mean, if the ball's down

891
00:41:47,678 --> 00:41:50,598
Speaker 4: down middle down middle in, he's going to absolutely kill it.

892
00:41:50,598 --> 00:41:53,038
Speaker 4: I don't care how hard it's been thrown. So I

893
00:41:53,078 --> 00:41:55,038
Speaker 4: just still think he needs to make a couple adjustments

894
00:41:55,078 --> 00:41:58,998
Speaker 4: overall in his approach regarding how he's getting pitched and

895
00:41:58,998 --> 00:42:01,318
Speaker 4: where he wants hit those particular pitches. I think that's

896
00:42:01,358 --> 00:42:04,078
Speaker 4: going to matter a bit, because obviously he has the

897
00:42:04,118 --> 00:42:08,358
Speaker 4: pop at Anaheim Stadium, that right field, with the way

898
00:42:08,358 --> 00:42:10,318
Speaker 4: it's been constructed where you don't have to hit it

899
00:42:10,358 --> 00:42:13,638
Speaker 4: over the high wall anymore, that's really a very fertile

900
00:42:13,678 --> 00:42:16,598
Speaker 4: ground for guys right at home runs the right center Listen,

901
00:42:16,638 --> 00:42:18,798
Speaker 4: if I'm there, If I'm there, I would really encourage

902
00:42:18,838 --> 00:42:22,678
Speaker 4: him to understand that the elevated fastball easier to go

903
00:42:22,758 --> 00:42:25,238
Speaker 4: that way with and take advantage of that side of

904
00:42:25,278 --> 00:42:27,358
Speaker 4: the field, that it can make him an even better hitter,

905
00:42:27,838 --> 00:42:29,878
Speaker 4: because there's no ballpark that can hold him if he

906
00:42:29,998 --> 00:42:30,558
Speaker 4: grabs one.

907
00:42:31,078 --> 00:42:32,998
Speaker 5: It's just that strong. It's going to go that far.

908
00:42:33,238 --> 00:42:35,078
Speaker 4: But if there's going to be a hole there with

909
00:42:35,158 --> 00:42:38,038
Speaker 4: the fastball and elevated velocity, to me, the better way

910
00:42:38,078 --> 00:42:40,198
Speaker 4: to do that would be to really focus on that

911
00:42:40,278 --> 00:42:43,478
Speaker 4: right center field spot in Anaheim because it's very fertile.

912
00:42:43,758 --> 00:42:46,198
Speaker 3: Well, Joe, we talked about baseball in twenty twenty five

913
00:42:46,238 --> 00:42:50,078
Speaker 3: will be played in Bristol, Tennessee, and in Tokyo, Japan,

914
00:42:50,318 --> 00:42:53,278
Speaker 3: and we get back we'll talk about the top eight

915
00:42:53,398 --> 00:42:55,678
Speaker 3: things to look forward to in twenty twenty five, and

916
00:42:55,718 --> 00:42:59,958
Speaker 3: at number eight, a couple of different venues added to

917
00:43:00,038 --> 00:43:02,358
Speaker 3: the major league schedule in twenty twenty five.

918
00:43:02,598 --> 00:43:04,398
Speaker 2: We'll talk about that. Up to this.

919
00:43:15,838 --> 00:43:18,998
Speaker 3: We are reviewing the twenty five things to look forward

920
00:43:19,038 --> 00:43:21,318
Speaker 3: to in twenty twenty five. We are at number eight

921
00:43:21,998 --> 00:43:24,038
Speaker 3: and I don't know how many visiting players are looking

922
00:43:24,078 --> 00:43:27,398
Speaker 3: forward to this, Joe, But the A's and there's no

923
00:43:27,438 --> 00:43:30,278
Speaker 3: more Oakland, and there's no more Sacramento. There's no city

924
00:43:30,278 --> 00:43:33,358
Speaker 3: attached to It's just the A's are playing in a

925
00:43:33,358 --> 00:43:36,238
Speaker 3: minor league ballpark in West Sacramento and the Tampa Bay

926
00:43:36,318 --> 00:43:38,958
Speaker 3: Rays are playing in a minor league ballpark in Tampa.

927
00:43:39,318 --> 00:43:44,078
Speaker 3: Two minor league ballparks hosting regular season, full season major

928
00:43:44,158 --> 00:43:48,838
Speaker 3: league seasons for the A's and the Rays. It's, let's

929
00:43:48,838 --> 00:43:51,518
Speaker 3: face it, it's not a good look, Joe. It's they're

930
00:43:51,518 --> 00:43:54,318
Speaker 3: minor league ballparks. I know they will be retrofitted to

931
00:43:54,398 --> 00:43:57,318
Speaker 3: bring up to major league standards in terms of lighting, clubhouses,

932
00:43:57,398 --> 00:43:58,958
Speaker 3: training facilities, that sort of thing.

933
00:43:59,998 --> 00:44:01,958
Speaker 2: But you're gonna have weather issues in both places.

934
00:44:01,958 --> 00:44:06,358
Speaker 3: West Sacramento brutally hot, Tampa, all the rain delays and

935
00:44:06,438 --> 00:44:08,918
Speaker 3: rain outs, and it's going to affect the raysed team,

936
00:44:08,958 --> 00:44:11,278
Speaker 3: There's no question about it. I always thought being inside

937
00:44:11,318 --> 00:44:13,598
Speaker 3: there was an advantage to them. It's such a funky

938
00:44:13,638 --> 00:44:16,678
Speaker 3: place and you never lose a game. We'll get used

939
00:44:16,678 --> 00:44:18,318
Speaker 3: to it. You're going to need a deeper roster to

940
00:44:18,318 --> 00:44:21,558
Speaker 3: cover the schedule, So it's not ideal that we've got

941
00:44:21,638 --> 00:44:25,678
Speaker 3: the A's West Sacramento and the Tampa Bay Rays playing

942
00:44:25,678 --> 00:44:28,638
Speaker 3: at George Steinbern and Field, the Yankee spring training site.

943
00:44:28,878 --> 00:44:31,438
Speaker 4: Classic example of it is it is what it is.

944
00:44:31,478 --> 00:44:34,118
Speaker 4: I mean, there's nothing you can't complain or worry about it.

945
00:44:34,198 --> 00:44:36,078
Speaker 4: You just have to try to adjust to it in

946
00:44:36,158 --> 00:44:38,358
Speaker 4: advance as well as you possibly can and take into

947
00:44:38,358 --> 00:44:42,438
Speaker 4: consideration what you know is going to be weather related difficulties.

948
00:44:42,438 --> 00:44:43,158
Speaker 5: And it's just true.

949
00:44:43,158 --> 00:44:45,278
Speaker 4: I mean, I've been around that part of California in

950
00:44:45,318 --> 00:44:47,398
Speaker 4: the summertime. You're right, man, it's going to get super

951
00:44:47,398 --> 00:44:49,598
Speaker 4: hot there. But I also believe that's going to be

952
00:44:49,598 --> 00:44:52,078
Speaker 4: an easier climate to deal with as opposed to with

953
00:44:52,198 --> 00:44:54,638
Speaker 4: the Rays have to deal with in Tampa during the summer.

954
00:44:54,998 --> 00:44:57,878
Speaker 4: Not only the rain, man, it's you talk about a

955
00:44:57,998 --> 00:45:01,478
Speaker 4: real strong humidity too. That really makes it problematic. Just

956
00:45:01,518 --> 00:45:03,838
Speaker 4: your early work, you're batting practices, et cetera. Just planning

957
00:45:03,998 --> 00:45:06,798
Speaker 4: in general. However, Marlin's have won a World Series or

958
00:45:06,838 --> 00:45:10,038
Speaker 4: two down in Miami without a roof, So it's been

959
00:45:10,118 --> 00:45:13,998
Speaker 4: done before. And that's what I keep referencing back to Steinbrenner.

960
00:45:14,078 --> 00:45:16,078
Speaker 4: I've not seen the one in Sacramento. Steinbrenner is a

961
00:45:16,118 --> 00:45:18,598
Speaker 4: really good ballpark right across the street from Raymond James,

962
00:45:18,638 --> 00:45:20,918
Speaker 4: and it'll be up to speed, and regarding the number

963
00:45:20,958 --> 00:45:23,278
Speaker 4: of seats, that's not going to matter. Actually, they're going

964
00:45:23,358 --> 00:45:25,238
Speaker 4: to be playing in front of full houses more than

965
00:45:25,318 --> 00:45:28,478
Speaker 4: likely early on, at least in the season. So it's

966
00:45:28,718 --> 00:45:31,798
Speaker 4: I don't know. Outside of the weather conditions, I think

967
00:45:31,798 --> 00:45:34,358
Speaker 4: it's gonna be kind of interesting for the Rays and

968
00:45:34,398 --> 00:45:36,518
Speaker 4: for Oakland kind of the same thing. That's just going

969
00:45:36,598 --> 00:45:38,878
Speaker 4: to be hotter. But it is a bad look. It's

970
00:45:38,958 --> 00:45:41,278
Speaker 4: not what it's supposed to be. And they have to

971
00:45:41,318 --> 00:45:44,558
Speaker 4: come up with these conclusions and fix things rather quickly

972
00:45:45,278 --> 00:45:46,918
Speaker 4: because with the Rays they're gonna have to figure it

973
00:45:46,918 --> 00:45:49,238
Speaker 4: out again next year. How long before the Oakland's gonna

974
00:45:49,238 --> 00:45:50,558
Speaker 4: be able to move along from there too.

975
00:45:50,678 --> 00:45:53,358
Speaker 3: They're going to be there at least three years, possibly

976
00:45:53,358 --> 00:45:55,118
Speaker 3: at fourth if they don't get the shovels in the

977
00:45:55,118 --> 00:45:55,638
Speaker 3: ground soon.

978
00:45:55,678 --> 00:45:58,518
Speaker 5: In Vegas, well, there you go, brother, that's for that

979
00:45:58,558 --> 00:45:59,318
Speaker 5: period of time.

980
00:45:59,838 --> 00:46:01,998
Speaker 4: Who knows, they end up going somewhere else too, I

981
00:46:01,998 --> 00:46:04,478
Speaker 4: don't know, but it is a bad look, no question.

982
00:46:04,998 --> 00:46:07,318
Speaker 2: Let's go to number seven and we'll still talk about.

983
00:46:07,078 --> 00:46:09,798
Speaker 3: The schedule here, Joe, because there's a bit of change

984
00:46:09,798 --> 00:46:13,478
Speaker 3: to the Major League Baseball schedule. The key interleague rivalry

985
00:46:13,598 --> 00:46:19,398
Speaker 3: games have been increased from four to six, and on May,

986
00:46:19,638 --> 00:46:22,238
Speaker 3: the weekend of May sixteenth to eighteenth, eleven of the

987
00:46:22,238 --> 00:46:27,158
Speaker 3: fifteen series will be key matchups between interleague rivals.

988
00:46:27,358 --> 00:46:31,678
Speaker 2: So that's what they're dubbing Rivalry Weekend in the middle

989
00:46:31,718 --> 00:46:32,158
Speaker 2: of May.

990
00:46:32,438 --> 00:46:34,638
Speaker 3: So instead of the Yankees and the Mets playing each

991
00:46:34,638 --> 00:46:36,958
Speaker 3: other four times as they had once we went to

992
00:46:36,998 --> 00:46:39,398
Speaker 3: this balance schedule, it'll be bumped up to six.

993
00:46:39,958 --> 00:46:42,158
Speaker 5: You like it, Yeah, I'm okay with that.

994
00:46:42,318 --> 00:46:43,238
Speaker 2: Well, the fans like it.

995
00:46:43,278 --> 00:46:45,078
Speaker 3: This is why they're doing it, because they you know,

996
00:46:45,118 --> 00:46:46,798
Speaker 3: they fill the ballparks for these games.

997
00:46:46,838 --> 00:46:48,238
Speaker 2: Why not give the fans what they want?

998
00:46:48,478 --> 00:46:51,078
Speaker 4: No, it's it. I have no issue with that whatsoever.

999
00:46:51,478 --> 00:46:54,278
Speaker 4: With you know, I never really liked in balance schedule.

1000
00:46:54,438 --> 00:46:57,318
Speaker 4: I mean, I thought, you know, playing the same guys

1001
00:46:57,358 --> 00:46:58,198
Speaker 4: over and over again.

1002
00:46:58,278 --> 00:47:00,318
Speaker 5: But this is just bumping up by a couple.

1003
00:47:00,358 --> 00:47:02,278
Speaker 4: I think it's good, you know, if the fans do

1004
00:47:02,358 --> 00:47:04,998
Speaker 4: want that, and it's they wanted prime in the larger cities,

1005
00:47:04,998 --> 00:47:07,078
Speaker 4: they always try to do the thing with the Marlins

1006
00:47:07,118 --> 00:47:10,518
Speaker 4: and the Rays. It never really grew into anything substantial.

1007
00:47:11,078 --> 00:47:13,478
Speaker 4: There are some legitimate rivalries out there, I think, you know,

1008
00:47:13,518 --> 00:47:15,278
Speaker 4: to a certain extent, the Cubs and the White Sox

1009
00:47:15,318 --> 00:47:17,398
Speaker 4: is kind of fun, but more than anything, and even

1010
00:47:17,438 --> 00:47:19,598
Speaker 4: the Dodgers and the Angels used to be, but it's

1011
00:47:19,598 --> 00:47:21,518
Speaker 4: not quite the same as it had been. I think

1012
00:47:21,838 --> 00:47:23,598
Speaker 4: we want to talk about the Yankees and the Mets

1013
00:47:23,638 --> 00:47:26,558
Speaker 4: now you're talking. I mean, that's that's kind of interesting

1014
00:47:26,638 --> 00:47:30,158
Speaker 4: right there. Oakland and San Francisco not what it had

1015
00:47:30,238 --> 00:47:34,558
Speaker 4: been obviously, So there's there's some legitimacy to that. Others

1016
00:47:34,838 --> 00:47:37,678
Speaker 4: are the contrived attempt to make it more of a rivalry.

1017
00:47:38,398 --> 00:47:41,798
Speaker 4: Fans know Chicago and of course Saint Louis absolutely so

1018
00:47:42,318 --> 00:47:44,318
Speaker 4: it's it's a good thing. I have no issue with

1019
00:47:44,398 --> 00:47:47,038
Speaker 4: that whatsoever, But sometimes I think there's an attempt to

1020
00:47:47,078 --> 00:47:50,918
Speaker 4: make them more of a rivalry than they actually are.

1021
00:47:51,278 --> 00:47:54,198
Speaker 3: Well, I've already got May sixteen to eighteenth circled on

1022
00:47:54,358 --> 00:47:56,918
Speaker 3: my calendar, and that is number six on our list

1023
00:47:56,958 --> 00:47:59,878
Speaker 3: of things to look forward to, because that is the weekend.

1024
00:48:00,238 --> 00:48:05,358
Speaker 3: Want Soto goes back to the Bronx Mets at Yankees. Oh,

1025
00:48:05,518 --> 00:48:08,398
Speaker 3: the Yankee fans got They've got it circled for sure

1026
00:48:08,478 --> 00:48:11,038
Speaker 3: to welcome him back to the Yankee Stadium.

1027
00:48:11,038 --> 00:48:11,718
Speaker 2: It's interesting.

1028
00:48:11,798 --> 00:48:13,558
Speaker 3: You know a lot of people will make the argument

1029
00:48:13,638 --> 00:48:16,078
Speaker 3: and we'll see if the Yankees are not done yet

1030
00:48:16,158 --> 00:48:18,678
Speaker 3: what they add more. But Plan B for the Yankees

1031
00:48:18,798 --> 00:48:21,278
Speaker 3: was it better than Plan A. Plan A obviously was

1032
00:48:21,278 --> 00:48:24,958
Speaker 3: bringing One Soto back. You know, he's I call him

1033
00:48:24,958 --> 00:48:28,678
Speaker 3: the surest thing in baseball. His floor is higher than

1034
00:48:28,758 --> 00:48:31,358
Speaker 3: any player in baseball. He never has a bad season.

1035
00:48:31,718 --> 00:48:33,758
Speaker 3: And you saw what he did for Aaron Judge. Aaron

1036
00:48:33,838 --> 00:48:36,278
Speaker 3: Judge saw more pitches in the strike zone last year

1037
00:48:36,278 --> 00:48:38,718
Speaker 3: than ever before in his career. And that's because of

1038
00:48:38,758 --> 00:48:40,278
Speaker 3: One Soto being on base.

1039
00:48:40,118 --> 00:48:40,718
Speaker 2: All the time.

1040
00:48:40,958 --> 00:48:42,718
Speaker 3: But you know, the Yankees go out there and they

1041
00:48:42,758 --> 00:48:46,358
Speaker 3: do well. Devin Williams, Max Freed, Paul Goldschmidt. You know,

1042
00:48:46,678 --> 00:48:49,318
Speaker 3: they made some really nice moves. But for Planning B

1043
00:48:49,478 --> 00:48:52,158
Speaker 3: to work, Joe, the Yankees need Freed to be healthy.

1044
00:48:52,398 --> 00:48:54,358
Speaker 3: He's had some four arm issues the last couple of years.

1045
00:48:54,358 --> 00:48:56,678
Speaker 3: They need Devin Williams to be healthy, and they need

1046
00:48:56,678 --> 00:48:59,958
Speaker 3: Paul Goldschmidt to make a comeback from what was his

1047
00:49:00,038 --> 00:49:02,838
Speaker 3: worst major league season, and he's thirty seven years old.

1048
00:49:02,958 --> 00:49:06,238
Speaker 3: So when you spread out your options, you're at the

1049
00:49:06,318 --> 00:49:08,998
Speaker 3: risk of some of those not working out. Where there

1050
00:49:09,078 --> 00:49:11,678
Speaker 3: was just certainty with Juan Soto. I do love the

1051
00:49:11,678 --> 00:49:13,958
Speaker 3: way they've pivoted, and I don't think they're done yet,

1052
00:49:14,918 --> 00:49:16,638
Speaker 3: but the jury will be out until we see this

1053
00:49:16,718 --> 00:49:17,518
Speaker 3: team on the field.

1054
00:49:17,718 --> 00:49:20,918
Speaker 4: I agree, you know, the Soto's Soto, but we've talked

1055
00:49:20,918 --> 00:49:23,198
Speaker 4: about this before. I kind of I'm okay with putting

1056
00:49:23,238 --> 00:49:26,078
Speaker 4: my eggs in different baskets and not just one.

1057
00:49:26,278 --> 00:49:27,718
Speaker 5: And again we mentioned this earlier.

1058
00:49:27,718 --> 00:49:29,798
Speaker 4: I didn't realize, and I think this may be part

1059
00:49:29,838 --> 00:49:32,198
Speaker 4: of their overarching plan is I didn't realize Kyle Tucker

1060
00:49:32,278 --> 00:49:34,438
Speaker 4: was just a one year guy. If you get all

1061
00:49:34,438 --> 00:49:38,278
Speaker 4: these other players Williams, etc. And gold Schmidt and eventually

1062
00:49:38,358 --> 00:49:41,198
Speaker 4: mixt year because you're really building towards the Kyle Tucker

1063
00:49:41,198 --> 00:49:44,798
Speaker 4: and land him next year, then plann b absolutely was better.

1064
00:49:44,918 --> 00:49:46,838
Speaker 4: I think, and I still believe they're going to do

1065
00:49:46,878 --> 00:49:49,158
Speaker 4: something at third base, which may be rather interesting.

1066
00:49:49,598 --> 00:49:50,918
Speaker 5: And if that happens for sure.

1067
00:49:50,958 --> 00:49:54,038
Speaker 4: But if I'm them sitting on this thing right now,

1068
00:49:54,438 --> 00:49:56,278
Speaker 4: and I was willing to spend that much money on

1069
00:49:56,358 --> 00:49:58,638
Speaker 4: Soto this year, I could sit in the weeds a

1070
00:49:58,678 --> 00:50:00,678
Speaker 4: little bit and wait on a Kyle Tucker and make

1071
00:50:00,678 --> 00:50:02,478
Speaker 4: sure that I don't miss on this one, because I

1072
00:50:02,478 --> 00:50:05,038
Speaker 4: think that would be the big thing. So Plan B

1073
00:50:05,238 --> 00:50:09,238
Speaker 4: would be what they've accumulated this year plus Kyle Tucker

1074
00:50:09,238 --> 00:50:11,718
Speaker 4: next ye would be an absolute, an ultimate Plan.

1075
00:50:11,598 --> 00:50:11,998
Speaker 5: B for me.

1076
00:50:12,518 --> 00:50:17,158
Speaker 3: Number five the Baseball Hall of Fame vote. The announcement

1077
00:50:17,198 --> 00:50:19,598
Speaker 3: will be January the twenty first, and we will get

1078
00:50:19,638 --> 00:50:21,878
Speaker 3: the answers to these questions.

1079
00:50:22,038 --> 00:50:25,238
Speaker 2: Will each he ro be a unanimous selection?

1080
00:50:25,558 --> 00:50:29,598
Speaker 3: Will fellow first ballot candidate CC Sabbathia get in easily?

1081
00:50:30,118 --> 00:50:30,318
Speaker 2: Well?

1082
00:50:30,358 --> 00:50:34,198
Speaker 3: Billy Wagner get in he was five vote shorts. This

1083
00:50:34,278 --> 00:50:37,838
Speaker 3: is his last year on the ballot. Well, Carlos Beltran,

1084
00:50:37,878 --> 00:50:41,158
Speaker 3: who jumped up about ten percentage points last year, continued

1085
00:50:41,158 --> 00:50:43,598
Speaker 3: to gain momentum and get further away from the twenty

1086
00:50:43,638 --> 00:50:47,718
Speaker 3: seventeen Astro sign stealing scandal. And how much support is

1087
00:50:47,758 --> 00:50:51,438
Speaker 3: out there for guys first year candidates like Dustin Pedroia

1088
00:50:51,598 --> 00:50:54,638
Speaker 3: and Felix Hernandez we're going to get those answers on

1089
00:50:54,838 --> 00:50:56,358
Speaker 3: January twenty first.

1090
00:50:56,878 --> 00:51:01,998
Speaker 4: Well, yes, I think INTRO has a solid chance of

1091
00:51:02,078 --> 00:51:05,038
Speaker 4: going unanimous. I think CC would very close to that.

1092
00:51:05,558 --> 00:51:07,918
Speaker 4: I'd love to see Billy Wagner eventually get to that point.

1093
00:51:07,958 --> 00:51:11,038
Speaker 4: I mean, this guy, dang, that was good. That was

1094
00:51:11,118 --> 00:51:13,438
Speaker 4: really good, So I'd love to see him get that opportunity.

1095
00:51:13,438 --> 00:51:16,478
Speaker 4: I also agree, like I think Beltran might be building

1096
00:51:16,478 --> 00:51:18,198
Speaker 4: a coalition, but it ain't can happen yet.

1097
00:51:18,638 --> 00:51:20,758
Speaker 5: I'm curious about Pedroy and Hernandez.

1098
00:51:20,838 --> 00:51:24,438
Speaker 4: You know, p d really a really good ballplayer, very

1099
00:51:24,438 --> 00:51:27,798
Speaker 4: good hitter, built for that ballpark specifically, Hernandez was outstanding.

1100
00:51:27,838 --> 00:51:30,438
Speaker 4: I think I think their first rounders, I don't think

1101
00:51:30,478 --> 00:51:31,838
Speaker 4: if in fact they ever get in there.

1102
00:51:32,598 --> 00:51:33,598
Speaker 5: So I'm gonna say.

1103
00:51:33,478 --> 00:51:35,678
Speaker 4: I'm going to go with the top three of that's

1104
00:51:35,838 --> 00:51:37,438
Speaker 4: that's a no brand with the top two. And I'm

1105
00:51:37,478 --> 00:51:40,158
Speaker 4: saying Wagner is eventually going to sneak on him this

1106
00:51:40,238 --> 00:51:41,198
Speaker 4: year deservedly, So.

1107
00:51:41,558 --> 00:51:42,278
Speaker 2: I'm with you on that.

1108
00:51:42,438 --> 00:51:44,438
Speaker 3: I think we get a class of three going in

1109
00:51:44,638 --> 00:51:48,118
Speaker 3: from this group brings us to number four, the first

1110
00:51:48,238 --> 00:51:51,718
Speaker 3: full season of Paul Skeins. Can't wait for this, Joe

1111
00:51:52,158 --> 00:51:55,078
Speaker 3: Listen they took some grief by keeping him in the

1112
00:51:55,118 --> 00:51:56,998
Speaker 3: minor leagues. And I say keeping, I mean came up

1113
00:51:56,998 --> 00:51:58,598
Speaker 3: in May. It wasn't like they had him there for.

1114
00:51:58,518 --> 00:51:59,158
Speaker 2: A long time.

1115
00:51:59,878 --> 00:52:02,518
Speaker 3: They had him making basically three or four inning starts

1116
00:52:02,558 --> 00:52:04,638
Speaker 3: to you know, make sure he and throw a ton

1117
00:52:04,718 --> 00:52:06,798
Speaker 3: of innings, and over the course of the season. You

1118
00:52:06,838 --> 00:52:10,278
Speaker 3: can't argue with the results. This guy had an unbelievable

1119
00:52:10,318 --> 00:52:14,118
Speaker 3: September and actually his last seven starts he allowed only

1120
00:52:14,198 --> 00:52:17,318
Speaker 3: four earned runs and had only eight walks. He was

1121
00:52:17,398 --> 00:52:19,918
Speaker 3: pitching his best baseball at the end of his longest

1122
00:52:19,918 --> 00:52:22,518
Speaker 3: season ever. So give credit to the Pirates and Paul

1123
00:52:22,638 --> 00:52:24,918
Speaker 3: Schemes with the way they managed the season. They did

1124
00:52:24,958 --> 00:52:28,478
Speaker 3: not pitch him with less than five days of rest

1125
00:52:28,558 --> 00:52:32,038
Speaker 3: the entire year. Now, I think Paul's schemes should be

1126
00:52:32,478 --> 00:52:34,558
Speaker 3: he good to go to throw one hundred and eighty

1127
00:52:34,558 --> 00:52:37,318
Speaker 3: one hundred and ninety innings this year. Will they keep

1128
00:52:37,398 --> 00:52:40,798
Speaker 3: him on this five plus days of rest schedule or

1129
00:52:40,918 --> 00:52:43,198
Speaker 3: they sometimes pitch him on the fifth day with four

1130
00:52:43,278 --> 00:52:45,238
Speaker 3: days of rest. I'm curious to see what they do,

1131
00:52:45,438 --> 00:52:48,558
Speaker 3: curious to see what he does Opening days March twenty seventh,

1132
00:52:48,598 --> 00:52:51,038
Speaker 3: where I expect him to get the ball at Miami

1133
00:52:51,478 --> 00:52:52,678
Speaker 3: against the Marlins.

1134
00:52:53,038 --> 00:52:56,278
Speaker 2: Year two of Paul's schemes. Do you just let him go, Joe.

1135
00:52:56,358 --> 00:52:57,638
Speaker 5: No, I would definitely.

1136
00:52:58,158 --> 00:52:59,838
Speaker 4: I think I would want to stay with the same

1137
00:52:59,878 --> 00:53:02,158
Speaker 4: game plan that we had last year in regards to

1138
00:53:02,558 --> 00:53:05,078
Speaker 4: days of rest. I would with that and see where

1139
00:53:05,118 --> 00:53:06,478
Speaker 4: that takes you by the say, the middle of the

1140
00:53:06,478 --> 00:53:09,038
Speaker 4: season into August in and of course where are.

1141
00:53:08,878 --> 00:53:11,118
Speaker 5: We in the standings that we have a legitimate chance

1142
00:53:11,198 --> 00:53:11,398
Speaker 5: or not.

1143
00:53:11,878 --> 00:53:13,238
Speaker 4: I think I would play it all lot for that,

1144
00:53:13,278 --> 00:53:16,038
Speaker 4: but I would not vary from the tried and true

1145
00:53:16,078 --> 00:53:18,238
Speaker 4: plan that works so well. The thing about this fella,

1146
00:53:18,318 --> 00:53:20,798
Speaker 4: and what's going to really be indicative of that, is

1147
00:53:20,838 --> 00:53:23,958
Speaker 4: this guy's control and command are ridiculously good, and if

1148
00:53:23,958 --> 00:53:26,078
Speaker 4: all that stuff is still in place, he's probably he

1149
00:53:26,118 --> 00:53:27,678
Speaker 4: might get banged around little bit more this year than

1150
00:53:27,678 --> 00:53:30,558
Speaker 4: he did last year, possibly just because they've had a

1151
00:53:30,638 --> 00:53:32,878
Speaker 4: chance to see him some kind of the newness, and

1152
00:53:32,878 --> 00:53:35,678
Speaker 4: you're going to find out his ability to adapt and adjust,

1153
00:53:35,718 --> 00:53:38,438
Speaker 4: you know, the sophomore jinks. Sophomore Jinks is basically the

1154
00:53:38,518 --> 00:53:40,478
Speaker 4: league adjusting back to you. Then you have to adjust

1155
00:53:40,478 --> 00:53:42,878
Speaker 4: to them. So we'll see how that plays. But the

1156
00:53:42,878 --> 00:53:45,518
Speaker 4: command and control are that good, So I would stay

1157
00:53:45,518 --> 00:53:48,558
Speaker 4: with the same game plan and as the year goes on,

1158
00:53:49,198 --> 00:53:52,078
Speaker 4: just read the tea leaves and see if we feel

1159
00:53:52,118 --> 00:53:53,438
Speaker 4: like we could open it up a bit or just

1160
00:53:53,478 --> 00:53:54,118
Speaker 4: keep it the same.

1161
00:53:54,358 --> 00:53:54,958
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm with you.

1162
00:53:54,958 --> 00:53:57,158
Speaker 3: I'm glad you brought that up about command and control,

1163
00:53:57,238 --> 00:53:59,678
Speaker 3: because Paul Skins he'll get your attention with a velo.

1164
00:53:59,798 --> 00:54:01,438
Speaker 2: He's one of the hardest throwers in all the Major

1165
00:54:01,518 --> 00:54:02,878
Speaker 2: League Baseball but his.

1166
00:54:02,958 --> 00:54:07,398
Speaker 3: Ability to data his pitches, especially that to seem slash

1167
00:54:07,598 --> 00:54:11,518
Speaker 3: splinker that he has, is just a devastating pitch and

1168
00:54:11,558 --> 00:54:14,158
Speaker 3: I am curious to see how hitters adjusted that pitch.

1169
00:54:14,198 --> 00:54:17,038
Speaker 3: He basically throws at armside all the time, but his

1170
00:54:17,198 --> 00:54:20,278
Speaker 3: command of that is so good, and you know, hitters

1171
00:54:20,358 --> 00:54:22,438
Speaker 3: just don't see that that pitch is going to dive

1172
00:54:22,518 --> 00:54:24,718
Speaker 3: bomb out of his own so we'll see.

1173
00:54:24,798 --> 00:54:25,518
Speaker 2: I mean, I love.

1174
00:54:25,358 --> 00:54:27,998
Speaker 3: Everything about his stuff, competitiveness and knows how to pitch.

1175
00:54:28,198 --> 00:54:30,718
Speaker 3: I think he's going to dominate. I really do so.

1176
00:54:30,838 --> 00:54:33,078
Speaker 3: Year two of Paul Skein' is worth looking forward to

1177
00:54:33,638 --> 00:54:38,078
Speaker 3: number three, looking forward to year one. Roki Sosaki, he

1178
00:54:38,238 --> 00:54:42,238
Speaker 3: is going to adance between January fifteenth and January twenty

1179
00:54:42,278 --> 00:54:45,918
Speaker 3: third the team that he chooses to play for. It's

1180
00:54:46,038 --> 00:54:48,838
Speaker 3: very similar to when shoey Otani came over to the

1181
00:54:48,838 --> 00:54:51,758
Speaker 3: States from Japan in that he is limited in terms

1182
00:54:51,798 --> 00:54:53,758
Speaker 3: of his earning power because he's under the age of

1183
00:54:53,798 --> 00:54:57,198
Speaker 3: twenty five. He's considered an international amateur, so to speak,

1184
00:54:57,238 --> 00:54:59,438
Speaker 3: even though he's been lights out pitching over in Japan.

1185
00:54:59,918 --> 00:55:03,238
Speaker 3: So he's going to sign a contract with a bonus

1186
00:55:03,998 --> 00:55:06,278
Speaker 3: only you know, putting that in quotes between about five

1187
00:55:06,318 --> 00:55:08,918
Speaker 3: and seven million dollars and then can pitch for you

1188
00:55:09,318 --> 00:55:12,158
Speaker 3: at the major league minimum. And this guy, Joe is

1189
00:55:12,198 --> 00:55:14,918
Speaker 3: going to be one of the best pitchers on the planet.

1190
00:55:15,038 --> 00:55:17,118
Speaker 2: Now, is he going to be that guy right away?

1191
00:55:17,398 --> 00:55:18,158
Speaker 2: Probably not.

1192
00:55:18,558 --> 00:55:22,158
Speaker 3: He doesn't have a lot of durability underneath his belt

1193
00:55:22,518 --> 00:55:24,718
Speaker 3: in terms of starts and innings pitch. And of course

1194
00:55:24,718 --> 00:55:26,758
Speaker 3: there's all kinds of adjustments coming over here to the

1195
00:55:26,758 --> 00:55:30,158
Speaker 3: state's longer schedule, more travel, different ball, et cetera, et cetera.

1196
00:55:30,438 --> 00:55:32,758
Speaker 2: But you treated with kid gloves, you're going to get

1197
00:55:32,758 --> 00:55:35,078
Speaker 2: rewarded with this guy. He is a difference maker.

1198
00:55:35,118 --> 00:55:38,558
Speaker 3: He's got crazy movement on his fastball, even though the

1199
00:55:38,598 --> 00:55:41,198
Speaker 3: one concern is his velocity was down the last couple

1200
00:55:41,278 --> 00:55:45,838
Speaker 3: of years. His slider needs work. The split is absolutely devastating.

1201
00:55:46,118 --> 00:55:50,638
Speaker 3: So it's interesting Joe that originally twenty teams contacted his

1202
00:55:50,718 --> 00:55:54,678
Speaker 3: agent Joel Wolf. Why everybody is not at least putting

1203
00:55:54,718 --> 00:55:57,038
Speaker 3: in a bid or knock on the door?

1204
00:55:57,158 --> 00:55:57,958
Speaker 2: Who the heck knows?

1205
00:55:58,198 --> 00:55:59,958
Speaker 3: Why would you not put it in a bid for

1206
00:56:00,038 --> 00:56:01,638
Speaker 3: one of the best pictures on the planet. Who was

1207
00:56:01,678 --> 00:56:03,398
Speaker 3: going to pitch in the Major League minimum? I don't

1208
00:56:03,398 --> 00:56:06,238
Speaker 3: get that. So now he met in person with about

1209
00:56:06,318 --> 00:56:09,118
Speaker 3: nine or ten teams, and the coming weeks he's going

1210
00:56:09,158 --> 00:56:11,838
Speaker 3: to narrow that list down and maybe go out on

1211
00:56:11,878 --> 00:56:14,638
Speaker 3: some visits to see the teams and cities and facilities.

1212
00:56:14,878 --> 00:56:17,398
Speaker 3: But we will get an answer between January fifteenth and

1213
00:56:17,398 --> 00:56:19,998
Speaker 3: the twenty third and where Roki Sasaki wants to play.

1214
00:56:20,158 --> 00:56:22,398
Speaker 3: And I'm telling you he's going to be plug and play.

1215
00:56:22,998 --> 00:56:26,118
Speaker 3: Maybe not as dominant schemes right away, but a guy

1216
00:56:26,118 --> 00:56:28,118
Speaker 3: who can pitch with front of the rotation stuff.

1217
00:56:28,358 --> 00:56:30,998
Speaker 4: I just got Dodgers on this one, and I know

1218
00:56:31,038 --> 00:56:32,758
Speaker 4: that I know the Mets and everybody else is going

1219
00:56:32,838 --> 00:56:35,438
Speaker 4: to be involved, but I the culture on that side

1220
00:56:35,478 --> 00:56:37,678
Speaker 4: of the world there, and he's closer to his home,

1221
00:56:37,718 --> 00:56:40,158
Speaker 4: and you know, show Hey being there and all the

1222
00:56:40,198 --> 00:56:43,798
Speaker 4: other Japanese influence within that group, and then you just describe.

1223
00:56:43,398 --> 00:56:45,678
Speaker 5: Where somebody's got to be patient with him a little bit.

1224
00:56:45,918 --> 00:56:49,998
Speaker 4: And I think the Dodgers have the best opportunity to

1225
00:56:50,038 --> 00:56:50,518
Speaker 4: be patient.

1226
00:56:50,558 --> 00:56:51,678
Speaker 5: They're not. They just want it.

1227
00:56:51,798 --> 00:56:53,158
Speaker 4: I mean, of course they want to win it again,

1228
00:56:53,198 --> 00:56:55,478
Speaker 4: but they're not pedal to the medal, maybe not as

1229
00:56:55,558 --> 00:56:58,278
Speaker 4: much as other groups that are really trying to get

1230
00:56:58,318 --> 00:57:03,198
Speaker 4: to the to usurp. The Dodgers dominant so for so

1231
00:57:03,198 --> 00:57:07,038
Speaker 4: many different reasons, and I just I would have to

1232
00:57:07,038 --> 00:57:08,598
Speaker 4: bet on the Dodgers landing him.

1233
00:57:09,078 --> 00:57:11,038
Speaker 3: Yeah, let me add to that, Joe, because I think

1234
00:57:11,078 --> 00:57:13,438
Speaker 3: you're right in terms of the Dodgers being in favorite.

1235
00:57:13,478 --> 00:57:15,718
Speaker 3: And I will add that the agent Joel Wolfe has

1236
00:57:15,758 --> 00:57:21,038
Speaker 3: emphasized that Sosaki not really looking at geography or size

1237
00:57:21,038 --> 00:57:23,518
Speaker 3: of the market so much as he is the opportunity

1238
00:57:23,638 --> 00:57:28,878
Speaker 3: to get better. He wants a good learning, nurturing environment.

1239
00:57:29,158 --> 00:57:31,598
Speaker 3: And all those things you said about the Dodgers are true,

1240
00:57:31,798 --> 00:57:34,598
Speaker 3: and so is the fact that probably no team invests

1241
00:57:34,718 --> 00:57:39,118
Speaker 3: more in infrastructure in terms of high performance, in terms

1242
00:57:39,118 --> 00:57:42,038
Speaker 3: of staffing and technology in the Los Angeles Dodgers. I

1243
00:57:42,038 --> 00:57:44,958
Speaker 3: can easily put to see them putting together a package

1244
00:57:44,998 --> 00:57:47,358
Speaker 3: to show Sosaki of what they have in store to

1245
00:57:47,358 --> 00:57:48,318
Speaker 3: make him a better picture.

1246
00:57:48,598 --> 00:57:49,958
Speaker 4: Right, No other teams are going to try to do

1247
00:57:50,038 --> 00:57:52,278
Speaker 4: the same thing, but they've they've actually done it and

1248
00:57:52,318 --> 00:57:54,598
Speaker 4: it's tried and true. And then again the influence within

1249
00:57:54,638 --> 00:57:58,158
Speaker 4: the organization starting the season in Japan next year, I mean,

1250
00:57:58,198 --> 00:58:00,278
Speaker 4: there's there's so much going on, there'd be hard to

1251
00:58:00,318 --> 00:58:03,878
Speaker 4: imagine him arriving somewhere else. I mean, I know, Joe,

1252
00:58:04,038 --> 00:58:06,398
Speaker 4: I believe him that geography may not matter, but I

1253
00:58:06,398 --> 00:58:08,958
Speaker 4: think again it's going to have somewhat maybe not geography

1254
00:58:08,998 --> 00:58:12,278
Speaker 4: as much as familiarity with different people. And like you're saying,

1255
00:58:12,318 --> 00:58:15,078
Speaker 4: training techniques and the tech itself. So I bet on

1256
00:58:15,118 --> 00:58:15,678
Speaker 4: the Dodgers.

1257
00:58:15,998 --> 00:58:19,198
Speaker 3: Yeah, I had the Dodgers slightly ahead of the Padres.

1258
00:58:19,238 --> 00:58:22,598
Speaker 3: You know, you Darvish was his mentor, good friend, and

1259
00:58:23,158 --> 00:58:25,198
Speaker 3: you know he offers the Dodgers. The Padres can offer

1260
00:58:25,238 --> 00:58:27,958
Speaker 3: a lot of the things the Dodgers can. So if

1261
00:58:27,998 --> 00:58:30,278
Speaker 3: you want to create, you know, sort of your own

1262
00:58:30,358 --> 00:58:33,358
Speaker 3: ecosystem of being a star rather than falling in line

1263
00:58:33,398 --> 00:58:36,718
Speaker 3: between Otani and Yamamoto, you know, Darbis has what a

1264
00:58:36,758 --> 00:58:38,158
Speaker 3: year or two left on the contract.

1265
00:58:38,558 --> 00:58:40,398
Speaker 2: I could see San Diego being a player, and this

1266
00:58:40,438 --> 00:58:41,958
Speaker 2: as well. We'll see.

1267
00:58:42,078 --> 00:58:44,838
Speaker 3: We'll get an answer to that between the fifteenth, when

1268
00:58:44,958 --> 00:58:47,878
Speaker 3: the signing period opens and the twenty third when it ends,

1269
00:58:48,078 --> 00:58:50,238
Speaker 3: so we'll see, and we'll also get a clue as

1270
00:58:50,318 --> 00:58:53,118
Speaker 3: to what cities he visits, perhaps between now and then.

1271
00:58:53,318 --> 00:58:54,318
Speaker 2: We're up to number two.

1272
00:58:54,398 --> 00:58:56,998
Speaker 3: Joe. The second biggest reason to look forward to the

1273
00:58:56,998 --> 00:59:00,198
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five season, and this is a major change

1274
00:59:00,238 --> 00:59:01,638
Speaker 3: to the game that you will not see in the

1275
00:59:01,678 --> 00:59:03,798
Speaker 3: regular season, but you will in spring train.

1276
00:59:04,398 --> 00:59:07,478
Speaker 2: And that is the challenge system on balls and strikes.

1277
00:59:07,678 --> 00:59:11,518
Speaker 3: I'm telling you people, it's a trial system to get

1278
00:59:11,518 --> 00:59:14,678
Speaker 3: things ironed out and get everybody used to it because

1279
00:59:14,678 --> 00:59:16,278
Speaker 3: it's happened in the minor leagues, but you all know

1280
00:59:16,398 --> 00:59:18,318
Speaker 3: the major leagues a little bit different than the miners.

1281
00:59:18,318 --> 00:59:19,718
Speaker 3: On every sort of level.

1282
00:59:19,558 --> 00:59:20,478
Speaker 2: It's being tried out.

1283
00:59:20,558 --> 00:59:23,158
Speaker 3: Every team will go through it, whether Homer Road to

1284
00:59:23,278 --> 00:59:26,198
Speaker 3: use the challenge system in spring training, and I'm telling you,

1285
00:59:26,278 --> 00:59:29,558
Speaker 3: as a fan, once you see this, you will want

1286
00:59:29,598 --> 00:59:31,958
Speaker 3: it on opening Day in twenty twenty five. Sort of

1287
00:59:31,958 --> 00:59:34,518
Speaker 3: like when PitchCom came along in spring training, everybody fell

1288
00:59:34,558 --> 00:59:36,278
Speaker 3: in love with it, and they're like, well, let's just

1289
00:59:36,278 --> 00:59:39,198
Speaker 3: do it this year. Then it's not gonna happen. You're

1290
00:59:39,198 --> 00:59:40,878
Speaker 3: not gonna love it so much, and they're gonna say,

1291
00:59:40,918 --> 00:59:43,278
Speaker 3: let's plug and play for twenty twenty five. No, you'll

1292
00:59:43,318 --> 00:59:46,278
Speaker 3: probably see it in twenty six. Infrastructure not quite ready

1293
00:59:46,278 --> 00:59:48,678
Speaker 3: for twenty five, but I'm telling you, as a fan,

1294
00:59:49,238 --> 00:59:51,478
Speaker 3: you will want to see this. It does not slow

1295
00:59:51,518 --> 00:59:53,958
Speaker 3: the game down. The challenges can be over and done

1296
00:59:53,958 --> 00:59:56,398
Speaker 3: with in less than ten seconds. If you watch any

1297
00:59:56,478 --> 00:59:59,278
Speaker 3: kind of tennis, you've seen the Hawkeye system work where

1298
00:59:59,318 --> 01:00:01,878
Speaker 3: that video pops up immediately and it'll show you whether

1299
01:00:01,878 --> 01:00:03,238
Speaker 3: that ball's in the zone or out.

1300
01:00:03,638 --> 01:00:05,718
Speaker 2: You can play along as a fan and the stands

1301
01:00:05,718 --> 01:00:07,758
Speaker 2: and watch that. It's a very cool thing. There's a

1302
01:00:07,798 --> 01:00:09,718
Speaker 2: limit on how many can be done, either two.

1303
01:00:09,718 --> 01:00:11,518
Speaker 3: Or three per game, so it's not like the game's

1304
01:00:11,558 --> 01:00:15,038
Speaker 3: being stopped all the time. There's a strategic element to it.

1305
01:00:15,118 --> 01:00:17,838
Speaker 3: You have to be judicious and about when you try

1306
01:00:17,838 --> 01:00:19,478
Speaker 3: to decide to use one of those.

1307
01:00:19,838 --> 01:00:21,398
Speaker 2: And you can literally change a game.

1308
01:00:21,518 --> 01:00:23,518
Speaker 3: I mean, you know, you know Joe how important count

1309
01:00:23,638 --> 01:00:26,158
Speaker 3: leverage is and big spots, the way one call can

1310
01:00:26,198 --> 01:00:28,558
Speaker 3: turn a rally into the end of an inning, and

1311
01:00:28,598 --> 01:00:31,358
Speaker 3: we've got now the opportunity, as we do in the

1312
01:00:31,398 --> 01:00:34,838
Speaker 3: basis to make sure that bad calls do not decide

1313
01:00:34,878 --> 01:00:35,278
Speaker 3: a game.

1314
01:00:35,358 --> 01:00:36,518
Speaker 2: I think fans are going to love it.

1315
01:00:36,638 --> 01:00:36,838
Speaker 5: Yeah.

1316
01:00:36,838 --> 01:00:39,078
Speaker 4: The big thing is gonna be the implementation, Like, how

1317
01:00:39,118 --> 01:00:40,678
Speaker 4: do you know from the dug out one to change

1318
01:00:40,878 --> 01:00:44,118
Speaker 4: to challenge? Is that dougout challenge? The hitter can't challenge.

1319
01:00:44,118 --> 01:00:45,238
Speaker 4: It's probably got to come from the day.

1320
01:00:45,398 --> 01:00:48,198
Speaker 3: No, it's going to be a hitter, pitcher, catcher. It

1321
01:00:48,238 --> 01:00:51,718
Speaker 3: all happens on the field. So a manager, you better

1322
01:00:51,758 --> 01:00:54,518
Speaker 3: instruct your guys, right, Hey, you know, I know you

1323
01:00:54,558 --> 01:00:57,998
Speaker 3: want to hit three hundred this year, But the strategy

1324
01:00:58,078 --> 01:00:59,318
Speaker 3: the game is most important.

1325
01:00:59,598 --> 01:01:01,718
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's there's going to be some discipline involved with

1326
01:01:01,758 --> 01:01:04,518
Speaker 4: this because you, like you watch basketball, now you're watching

1327
01:01:04,678 --> 01:01:07,478
Speaker 4: football and everybody's always throwing their hands up in the

1328
01:01:07,478 --> 01:01:10,038
Speaker 4: air like they need a flag or they always want

1329
01:01:10,318 --> 01:01:12,918
Speaker 4: the basketball coach to to check the fouls.

1330
01:01:13,278 --> 01:01:14,438
Speaker 5: I mean, you're going to see a lot of that.

1331
01:01:14,518 --> 01:01:16,878
Speaker 4: So I think the you know, it sounds simple on

1332
01:01:16,918 --> 01:01:18,798
Speaker 4: the surface, and maybe it's going to be, but there's

1333
01:01:18,798 --> 01:01:20,678
Speaker 4: gonna be two or three max during the course of

1334
01:01:20,718 --> 01:01:22,478
Speaker 4: a game it's almost like we have to you have

1335
01:01:22,558 --> 01:01:26,518
Speaker 4: to talk about specifically when to utilize this. I mean

1336
01:01:26,518 --> 01:01:29,278
Speaker 4: like bases loaded, latter part of the game. You know,

1337
01:01:29,358 --> 01:01:32,078
Speaker 4: a situation that really this this one pitch can it

1338
01:01:32,118 --> 01:01:33,838
Speaker 4: can turn it around. And that's going to be something

1339
01:01:33,838 --> 01:01:36,278
Speaker 4: You're almost going to see a presentation in camp from

1340
01:01:36,278 --> 01:01:39,038
Speaker 4: the analytical group to tell them the moments when this

1341
01:01:39,078 --> 01:01:41,838
Speaker 4: should be most you might need to be most aware

1342
01:01:41,838 --> 01:01:45,838
Speaker 4: of this and and the greatest chance for opportunity to

1343
01:01:46,038 --> 01:01:47,758
Speaker 4: go ahead and utilize the challenges.

1344
01:01:47,758 --> 01:01:48,918
Speaker 5: So that's going to be part of it too, I

1345
01:01:48,918 --> 01:01:49,478
Speaker 5: would believe.

1346
01:01:49,598 --> 01:01:49,678
Speaker 2: So.

1347
01:01:49,798 --> 01:01:52,038
Speaker 4: Yeah, if it's going to happen that quickly, because I

1348
01:01:52,078 --> 01:01:56,158
Speaker 4: watch basketball, I can't. I mean, gosh, everybody's everybody's complaining

1349
01:01:56,198 --> 01:02:00,398
Speaker 4: about referees calls in basketball now constantly. And we'll see

1350
01:02:00,398 --> 01:02:03,838
Speaker 4: how that turns out in baseball. But if it's limited, yeah,

1351
01:02:03,998 --> 01:02:05,758
Speaker 4: and if it's going to take that quick yeah, But

1352
01:02:05,838 --> 01:02:08,078
Speaker 4: I still believe there's gonna be a learning curve among

1353
01:02:08,118 --> 01:02:11,078
Speaker 4: the group regarding when to do this and how aggressive

1354
01:02:11,118 --> 01:02:11,558
Speaker 4: we need to be.

1355
01:02:11,998 --> 01:02:13,318
Speaker 2: Joe. Let's take a quick break.

1356
01:02:13,358 --> 01:02:16,158
Speaker 3: This is a special edition of the Book of Joe podcast,

1357
01:02:16,318 --> 01:02:18,838
Speaker 3: and when we get back, we will reveal the number

1358
01:02:18,838 --> 01:02:21,158
Speaker 3: one thing to look forward to in the twenty twenty

1359
01:02:21,158 --> 01:02:24,358
Speaker 3: five Major League Baseball season, and of course we've got

1360
01:02:24,398 --> 01:02:28,278
Speaker 3: Joe Madden closing things with his saying of the day.

1361
01:02:28,718 --> 01:02:42,238
Speaker 3: We'll be right back, Welcome back to the Book of

1362
01:02:42,278 --> 01:02:45,638
Speaker 3: Joe podcast. We're counting down the twenty five top reasons

1363
01:02:45,638 --> 01:02:47,918
Speaker 3: to look forward to the Major League Baseball season in

1364
01:02:48,038 --> 01:02:52,638
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five and to recap at least the top five.

1365
01:02:52,758 --> 01:02:54,518
Speaker 3: Here at number five, we have the Baseball Hall of

1366
01:02:54,598 --> 01:02:57,198
Speaker 3: Fame vote. We'll see if e t Ro Suzuki is

1367
01:02:57,278 --> 01:02:59,598
Speaker 3: a unanimous Hall of Famer. We know he's getting in,

1368
01:02:59,798 --> 01:03:03,118
Speaker 3: will it be unanimous? Number four is a sophomore season

1369
01:03:03,158 --> 01:03:06,118
Speaker 3: of Paul Skiing, looking forward to how he continues to

1370
01:03:06,158 --> 01:03:09,678
Speaker 3: dominate the major league level, starting with his first opening

1371
01:03:09,758 --> 01:03:10,278
Speaker 3: day start.

1372
01:03:10,318 --> 01:03:10,918
Speaker 2: Most likely.

1373
01:03:11,358 --> 01:03:16,158
Speaker 3: Number three the decision from Roki Sasaki between January fifteenth

1374
01:03:16,198 --> 01:03:19,278
Speaker 3: and twenty third international free agent will decide where he

1375
01:03:19,318 --> 01:03:22,638
Speaker 3: wants to play baseball. Number two the challenge system for

1376
01:03:22,718 --> 01:03:26,438
Speaker 3: balls and strikes being trial used in spring training and

1377
01:03:26,558 --> 01:03:28,958
Speaker 3: probably in use in the major leagues in twenty twenty

1378
01:03:28,958 --> 01:03:32,678
Speaker 3: five twenty twenty six regular season. And Number one Joe,

1379
01:03:32,758 --> 01:03:36,718
Speaker 3: I'm just continue to be absolutely blown away and fascinated.

1380
01:03:36,158 --> 01:03:36,838
Speaker 2: By this guy.

1381
01:03:37,198 --> 01:03:40,518
Speaker 3: The return of Shohei Otani to the mound, you know,

1382
01:03:40,558 --> 01:03:43,358
Speaker 3: as much fun as watching him go fifty to fifty

1383
01:03:43,518 --> 01:03:46,838
Speaker 3: in an all offensive season, all d eight season. Let's

1384
01:03:46,878 --> 01:03:49,078
Speaker 3: not forget that this guy is one of the best

1385
01:03:49,118 --> 01:03:50,158
Speaker 3: pitchers in baseball.

1386
01:03:50,198 --> 01:03:52,998
Speaker 2: From twenty twenty one to twenty twenty three, he.

1387
01:03:53,038 --> 01:03:55,958
Speaker 3: Was twenty four and sixteen with a two eight ERA

1388
01:03:56,238 --> 01:04:00,718
Speaker 3: and average eleven point four punch outs per nine innings.

1389
01:04:00,798 --> 01:04:03,438
Speaker 3: In those three years, he was second in ERA plus

1390
01:04:03,518 --> 01:04:06,918
Speaker 3: thirty third and strikeout right fifth and winning percentage for

1391
01:04:06,958 --> 01:04:08,878
Speaker 3: an angel scene that didn't even have a winning record

1392
01:04:08,958 --> 01:04:11,358
Speaker 3: any year. The Dodgers are going to slow play his

1393
01:04:11,438 --> 01:04:13,878
Speaker 3: return to the mount. My guess is you might not

1394
01:04:13,998 --> 01:04:16,758
Speaker 3: see him on the mound in April, or it might

1395
01:04:16,798 --> 01:04:19,398
Speaker 3: be late April before he's back out there. He's going

1396
01:04:19,438 --> 01:04:22,758
Speaker 3: to pitch him a six man rotation, so I'll have him.

1397
01:04:22,798 --> 01:04:24,878
Speaker 3: If all things go well, he's probably gonna make about

1398
01:04:24,918 --> 01:04:28,958
Speaker 3: twenty starts, and my expectation Joe is that he's going

1399
01:04:28,998 --> 01:04:32,878
Speaker 3: to dominate. He's just a guy who doesn't fail. He

1400
01:04:32,958 --> 01:04:35,438
Speaker 3: works in his craft. He's supremely talented.

1401
01:04:35,838 --> 01:04:37,118
Speaker 2: I think Joe.

1402
01:04:37,358 --> 01:04:40,078
Speaker 3: We can never get used to the fact that this

1403
01:04:40,118 --> 01:04:43,398
Speaker 3: guy can go into the season with a decent chance

1404
01:04:43,918 --> 01:04:46,598
Speaker 3: of being the home run king in the league and

1405
01:04:46,678 --> 01:04:48,718
Speaker 3: also being the cy Young Award winner.

1406
01:04:48,798 --> 01:04:49,518
Speaker 2: Think about that.

1407
01:04:49,598 --> 01:04:52,158
Speaker 3: It's one person who could be a cy Young Winner

1408
01:04:52,198 --> 01:04:53,598
Speaker 3: and the home run King.

1409
01:04:54,078 --> 01:04:57,678
Speaker 4: Yeah, they have to start renaming awards twenty thirty years

1410
01:04:57,678 --> 01:05:00,438
Speaker 4: from now. Right, He's all of that. I won't disagree

1411
01:05:00,438 --> 01:05:02,438
Speaker 4: with anything you just said. I totally agree with all

1412
01:05:02,478 --> 01:05:05,118
Speaker 4: of that. He's being challenged, She's going to meet the challenge.

1413
01:05:05,158 --> 01:05:07,158
Speaker 4: She's going to come back better than ever. I think

1414
01:05:07,158 --> 01:05:09,398
Speaker 4: the Dodgers are going to slow play it rightfully so

1415
01:05:09,678 --> 01:05:11,278
Speaker 4: because they're going to keep the big picture of mind

1416
01:05:11,318 --> 01:05:12,838
Speaker 4: wanting him to be able to pitch in the playoffs

1417
01:05:12,838 --> 01:05:14,918
Speaker 4: in the World Series next year. So he's all of that.

1418
01:05:15,158 --> 01:05:17,678
Speaker 4: It is going to be fascinating to watch again. When

1419
01:05:17,798 --> 01:05:20,598
Speaker 4: watching him offensively last year, people kind of put the

1420
01:05:20,638 --> 01:05:22,798
Speaker 4: pitching side in the back of their mind, and people

1421
01:05:22,798 --> 01:05:24,398
Speaker 4: have made the argument, why would he ever want to

1422
01:05:24,398 --> 01:05:27,318
Speaker 4: pitch again with these with what he can do offensively

1423
01:05:27,358 --> 01:05:28,998
Speaker 4: on a baseball field. Put him in right field, put

1424
01:05:29,038 --> 01:05:30,678
Speaker 4: him in left field. But no, he signed up to

1425
01:05:30,678 --> 01:05:32,038
Speaker 4: do one thing and that's what he wants to do,

1426
01:05:32,078 --> 01:05:34,238
Speaker 4: and that's to do both things. So are you going

1427
01:05:34,318 --> 01:05:36,478
Speaker 4: to see all that He's going to be very successful again.

1428
01:05:36,758 --> 01:05:39,478
Speaker 4: I would not bet against this guy ever, and looking

1429
01:05:39,478 --> 01:05:41,278
Speaker 4: forward to watching it just as much as you are.

1430
01:05:41,598 --> 01:05:41,878
Speaker 2: Listen.

1431
01:05:41,878 --> 01:05:44,158
Speaker 3: He's not going to steal fifty bases, right, and the

1432
01:05:44,198 --> 01:05:46,078
Speaker 3: wear and tear factor and we know, we know that,

1433
01:05:46,278 --> 01:05:49,998
Speaker 3: but he's become such a pure power hitter and a

1434
01:05:50,038 --> 01:05:52,158
Speaker 3: great hitter, not just a power hitter, but especially the

1435
01:05:52,158 --> 01:05:54,598
Speaker 3: home run numbers are just ridiculous, and I don't think

1436
01:05:54,678 --> 01:05:56,838
Speaker 3: that's going to change his ability to leave the yard

1437
01:05:56,958 --> 01:05:59,998
Speaker 3: pick spots. He covers the high fastball so well. And

1438
01:06:00,118 --> 01:06:03,358
Speaker 3: imagine this, listen. I didn't mention it's been twenty five years.

1439
01:06:03,398 --> 01:06:05,758
Speaker 3: In twenty twenty will be since we had to repeat

1440
01:06:05,758 --> 01:06:08,438
Speaker 3: World Series champion, going back to the Yankees of ninety eight,

1441
01:06:08,518 --> 01:06:11,238
Speaker 3: ninety nine, two thousand. I mean, the Dodgers on paper,

1442
01:06:11,678 --> 01:06:13,478
Speaker 3: they have as good of a shot as anybody in

1443
01:06:13,518 --> 01:06:15,718
Speaker 3: this quarter of a century where it has not happened

1444
01:06:15,758 --> 01:06:18,878
Speaker 3: the longest stretch in World Series history. If the Dodgers

1445
01:06:18,998 --> 01:06:23,278
Speaker 3: get to the postseason with their pitching staff healthy, and

1446
01:06:23,318 --> 01:06:24,558
Speaker 3: we know that's a big if.

1447
01:06:24,398 --> 01:06:25,598
Speaker 2: In this game today.

1448
01:06:25,718 --> 01:06:30,638
Speaker 3: But can you imagine the Dodgers' rotation the postseason show Aotani,

1449
01:06:30,998 --> 01:06:36,558
Speaker 3: Blake Snell, Yashinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glassnell. I mean, come on,

1450
01:06:36,718 --> 01:06:40,838
Speaker 3: you talk about pure stuff. I'm sorry, nobody's beating that

1451
01:06:40,878 --> 01:06:43,518
Speaker 3: team now. Again, it's a long way off, I get it,

1452
01:06:43,598 --> 01:06:46,478
Speaker 3: but I can't remember a team that has much pure

1453
01:06:46,638 --> 01:06:49,638
Speaker 3: stuff on the mound in the rotation than the LA Dodgers.

1454
01:06:49,878 --> 01:06:52,878
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, no arguments here, man. And they also have

1455
01:06:52,958 --> 01:06:56,758
Speaker 4: Michael Jordan. They got Larry Bird I'm always referencing. I mean,

1456
01:06:56,798 --> 01:06:59,878
Speaker 4: I've always appreciated They've got Tom Brady. They've got these

1457
01:06:59,918 --> 01:07:05,158
Speaker 4: guys with like a different internal method clock way of

1458
01:07:05,198 --> 01:07:08,198
Speaker 4: going about their business, never being satiated and never being satisfied.

1459
01:07:08,198 --> 01:07:10,758
Speaker 4: Whether it's Freeman Betts. Now you got Showhy on top

1460
01:07:10,798 --> 01:07:13,598
Speaker 4: of that too, and others within that group. So they

1461
01:07:13,638 --> 01:07:15,158
Speaker 4: have that, I mean, that's that to me is the

1462
01:07:15,198 --> 01:07:18,638
Speaker 4: most important part. It's like Jeter and Posada, Pettitt and

1463
01:07:18,878 --> 01:07:20,958
Speaker 4: Bernie WiM's all those guys back in the day with

1464
01:07:20,958 --> 01:07:21,398
Speaker 4: the Yankees.

1465
01:07:21,398 --> 01:07:22,518
Speaker 5: You got to have that'd be good.

1466
01:07:22,518 --> 01:07:24,558
Speaker 4: But you have to have guys with this different kind

1467
01:07:24,558 --> 01:07:26,678
Speaker 4: of motor where they're not going to be satisfied. They're

1468
01:07:26,718 --> 01:07:28,838
Speaker 4: not satisfied with what they just did. They could see

1469
01:07:28,838 --> 01:07:30,758
Speaker 4: what first time eyes, they could feel that first time

1470
01:07:30,798 --> 01:07:33,518
Speaker 4: passion all over again, because that's how they live. So

1471
01:07:33,998 --> 01:07:36,358
Speaker 4: beyond all, I mean, the pitching is great, but I

1472
01:07:36,438 --> 01:07:40,038
Speaker 4: just think that the motor of that organization is being

1473
01:07:40,638 --> 01:07:43,678
Speaker 4: powered by the right people and that's that's the difference

1474
01:07:43,718 --> 01:07:45,238
Speaker 4: maker for them, and that's why I think they're going

1475
01:07:45,318 --> 01:07:47,798
Speaker 4: to be great again this year and in the future,

1476
01:07:48,078 --> 01:07:50,198
Speaker 4: of course, with good health. But these guys are gamers,

1477
01:07:50,198 --> 01:07:50,718
Speaker 4: they're different.

1478
01:07:50,958 --> 01:07:51,878
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a great point.

1479
01:07:52,038 --> 01:07:54,758
Speaker 3: I mean, I would not rule it out because it

1480
01:07:54,918 --> 01:07:57,758
Speaker 3: is difficult to repeat. We've seen a lot of good

1481
01:07:57,798 --> 01:08:00,758
Speaker 3: teams get off the slow starts, especially in that year

1482
01:08:00,798 --> 01:08:04,838
Speaker 3: after effect. But this this this Dodgar team, I'm really

1483
01:08:04,878 --> 01:08:07,718
Speaker 3: really impressed with the way they get after it and

1484
01:08:07,718 --> 01:08:10,798
Speaker 3: the way they are not not satisfied at all. And

1485
01:08:10,838 --> 01:08:13,838
Speaker 3: that's all about leadership with Dave Roberts in the front office,

1486
01:08:14,158 --> 01:08:16,558
Speaker 3: and it's about those players that you mentioned, especially Freeman,

1487
01:08:16,838 --> 01:08:20,158
Speaker 3: BET's Otani. It's a great culture that they have there.

1488
01:08:20,158 --> 01:08:23,798
Speaker 3: Besides talent and resources. Well, those are the top twenty

1489
01:08:23,798 --> 01:08:26,318
Speaker 3: five things to look forward to in twenty twenty five.

1490
01:08:26,398 --> 01:08:29,118
Speaker 3: It's been a real good fun trip go through those

1491
01:08:29,158 --> 01:08:31,838
Speaker 3: with you, Joe, But I also look forward to you

1492
01:08:31,918 --> 01:08:34,678
Speaker 3: bringing something to close it out, words of wisdom. What

1493
01:08:34,718 --> 01:08:36,838
Speaker 3: do you got for us today as we turn the

1494
01:08:36,878 --> 01:08:38,238
Speaker 3: calendar to twenty twenty five?

1495
01:08:38,598 --> 01:08:40,718
Speaker 4: I guess at dovetails. Until we just talked about what

1496
01:08:40,758 --> 01:08:44,118
Speaker 4: the Dodgers. My thought today was chopwood, carry water quotes

1497
01:08:44,198 --> 01:08:46,638
Speaker 4: that you know, just talking about the new year, everybody

1498
01:08:46,678 --> 01:08:49,398
Speaker 4: makes resolutions. We're all going to do this different or better.

1499
01:08:49,398 --> 01:08:51,878
Speaker 4: We're going to try new things. But I just happened

1500
01:08:51,958 --> 01:08:55,878
Speaker 4: upon the Joshua Medcalf med cap at CLF and it's

1501
01:08:55,958 --> 01:08:58,558
Speaker 4: really good, and I got twos. They're very short, but

1502
01:08:58,638 --> 01:09:02,238
Speaker 4: they they again they dovetail one another and first one everybody.

1503
01:09:02,558 --> 01:09:04,998
Speaker 4: Everyone wants to be great until it's time to do

1504
01:09:05,078 --> 01:09:08,838
Speaker 4: what greatness requires, which the Dodgers do all those pleaple

1505
01:09:08,838 --> 01:09:11,718
Speaker 4: we talk about, and then dream big, start small, be

1506
01:09:11,838 --> 01:09:16,038
Speaker 4: ridiculously faithful again all these things that I think and

1507
01:09:16,118 --> 01:09:18,758
Speaker 4: bodies encompasses that when you talk about these guys, So

1508
01:09:19,398 --> 01:09:22,118
Speaker 4: that's it. When you chop with and carry water, that's

1509
01:09:22,158 --> 01:09:24,318
Speaker 4: your mantra. You're not going to the days aren't going

1510
01:09:24,318 --> 01:09:26,358
Speaker 4: to be perfect every day. You're going to have your pitfalls.

1511
01:09:26,398 --> 01:09:28,198
Speaker 4: Things are going to go poorly, and you've got to

1512
01:09:28,238 --> 01:09:30,518
Speaker 4: just be able to put it down and realize the

1513
01:09:30,518 --> 01:09:33,078
Speaker 4: power of twenty four hours, how things could change dramatically

1514
01:09:33,158 --> 01:09:35,878
Speaker 4: within that twenty four hour period. So that's why I

1515
01:09:35,918 --> 01:09:38,398
Speaker 4: think the Dodgers are great regardless. We could talk about

1516
01:09:38,398 --> 01:09:40,638
Speaker 4: all they have going on, but it's the personalities. It's

1517
01:09:40,638 --> 01:09:43,558
Speaker 4: the people and their mindset that I think set them apart.

1518
01:09:44,158 --> 01:09:44,958
Speaker 2: Well said Joe.

1519
01:09:44,958 --> 01:09:47,278
Speaker 3: It's a lot to look forward to in twenty twenty five,

1520
01:09:47,838 --> 01:09:50,638
Speaker 3: and we'll keep an eye on the La Dodgers and

1521
01:09:50,718 --> 01:09:51,438
Speaker 3: everybody else.

1522
01:09:51,758 --> 01:09:53,078
Speaker 2: And so all of.

1523
01:09:53,038 --> 01:09:56,118
Speaker 3: Our fans out there, baseball fans, Book of Joe fans,

1524
01:09:56,878 --> 01:09:59,638
Speaker 3: have a great and happy, healthy twenty twenty five.

1525
01:09:59,678 --> 01:10:01,478
Speaker 2: And the same to you, mister Joe Madden.

1526
01:10:01,478 --> 01:10:04,038
Speaker 4: Thank you, Tommy, absolutely back at you and all our

1527
01:10:04,038 --> 01:10:04,558
Speaker 4: fan base.

1528
01:10:04,638 --> 01:10:05,838
Speaker 5: While listening to our.

1529
01:10:05,718 --> 01:10:07,638
Speaker 4: Podcast has been a great year, It's going to be

1530
01:10:07,678 --> 01:10:09,318
Speaker 4: even better than twenty twenty five.

1531
01:10:16,838 --> 01:10:20,038
Speaker 1: The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.

1532
01:10:20,278 --> 01:10:25,158
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

1533
01:10:25,398 --> 01:10:27,158
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts,