Hello, and welcome to Backlift Nerds, the Baseball podcast with a British twist.
Welcome back to our B team predictions. You probably already listened to the
eighteen predictions. If you haven't ignored that, cancel it off your list.
There's no point listening to it because the real answers are going to be here
today. I will of course be showing my arts as usual in this process,
but I have two people with me who have seen a lot of first
hand baseball recently. First up, we've got our silent background editor, the
man who comes out. We dust him off once a year. It is
the fantastic gab Gab. How are you? I certainly don't think fantastic is
correct. I seem to have been on more podcasts in most people part from
Russell this year. That is true. You You've you've had an additional dusting
and a different dusting down. You've buried the lead a little bit there with
who else is on this call with us as well to talk about stuff today?
Actually, but before introducing him, I've got a couple of questions.
Gav I am. I was having a look at a list of names of
major league players the other day and I was thinking, you know what I've
not I've not ever come across anybody with that name. I looked looked at
Glaber. Have you ever met a Glaber? No? In real life?
In real life, no, I don't think I have. No. I've
never met a Rhyan as in r Y and He've never met a Ryan.
Have you ever met a Ryan? I've never met a Ryan either. Didn't
think you would have either. No. I've also never met a show.
Hey. Have you met a show? Hey? Um no, I'm pretty
sure I've never met a show. Hey. I don't know anyone who's met
a show? Hey? Do you no, Russ do you know anybody who's
met a show? Hey? Maybe lost? Mister Russell Leason joining us after
his fantastic two weeks away Stateside covering all things World Baseball Classic for US,
where, most famously, of course, he leapt over a barrier and essentially
Rugby tackled show here Turny's hand for a shake. So how was that?
Yeah, it's kind of ludicrous. I think John kind of mentioned it on
the previous pods slightly, but yeah, everybody was waiting for show Hay to
come out and do like his his BP and as he came out, there
was like an audible kind of like he's come out, and he just walked
out to kind of go, and Dopp turned around, looked immediately in my
direction, started walking over and I was like, what's going on? The
dude who's to the left of me obviously no show hey, well because show
here. Tony came out, gave the guy a massive hut. I didn't
even see who it was. He then kind of like shook the hand of
the person who was kind of to the to the left of that guy,
and then I kind of just put my hand out there semi instinctively, and
he shook my hand and then went back out onto the field, and I
was just like, shoy Atari just shook my hand. And there was like
Sean Spradling was kind of near me at this time as well, and he
was just like did that just happen? It's just so weird, Like that
whole entire event was me seeing players in flesh that I have seen from a
distance for so long. Like the tournament led up, I saw like Mookie
Bets and Mike Trout and like normal Arnardo just chatting to each other in an
underground corridor of the Diamondback Stadium, and I was literally like, oh my
god, those are these players. But Shoe is just it's just another level.
It's just a different think. Like I don't know if I've listened to
effectively wild so much that I've been affected like the same way that Ben Limburgh
is, and it's just a Tanny is on a pedalestal that is just unbelievable.
It was maybe just a fafter that, he went and did his VP
and was hitting things onto the second deck of Marlin Stadium and into the thing,
hitting things like five hundred feet, basically showing Mexico go, if you
miss a pitch, that's where it's going. But it was amazing. The
whole strip was amazing. I have so back in the wet UK now,
which is I think that's probably been more of a I had twenty two days
or well about just shy of three weeks of pretty much solid twenty two degrees,
but from one rainy day in Arizona, so I think it was.
It was a good trip. But we're here to talk about other boys of
baseball today. We are very glad to have you back. But before before
we move on, can we just ask for an exclusive backflips and his hand
was it? Was it big? Was it small? Was it rough?
Was it smooth? What was the experience like the physical experience? UM,
I do have to say I kind of blanked, so I could not tell
you anythink of that moment apart from the fact that I know it happened,
But I basically don't really remember anything of it happening. And I know it
happened because somebody else saw it happened and they said, oh my god,
that happened, not the fact that I remember anything of it. Okay,
Sorry. I like the idea of showy Otani being on a podcast in LA
at the moment talking about this random BRIT's hand and the roughness of it.
Yeah, it was clammy, he was He looked like he was passing out.
Yea. So moving on to what we're doing today then, So this
is our B Team B Team Prognostication podcast. Um, what done in previous
years, We've gone through sort of willy nilly and darted around the leagues.
What we're going to do today is try and have a little bit more structure.
We are going to go division by division. We are going to pitch
our our forecasting against the eight teams. I actually haven't listened to the A
teams yet. It is que up. I'm gonna listen to it whiles I'm
driving into work tomorrow, so I do not know what they have gone with.
I'd imagine Tom Pringle has said smart to rubbish and then Darius has put
everybody straight. So do we have an opinion of where we'd like to start?
I would like to start with a central division, but I don't know
which one, because no one ever starts with the central divisions. So where
should we go? Let's go to the National League, then National League Central.
Loading those teams up on graphs. I can save you listening to their
pod. All you have to do is look at the finishing positions of the
teams last year, and that's what the A team predicted for this year.
I'm not saying I've got this horrible moment of having to look at my predictions.
Crap. Okay, I think this is the third year that we've done
the B team, isn't it? Yes, we have previous years. I
know we were the first time. I don't know if Darius it was easy
win last year. Check it out. So we're on going on for the
three pet All right, let's start with the Cardinals. Then Cardinals slowly loading.
If you're slowly loading, author and author a number out there. Eighty
nine wins the Slewis Cardinals. I think they're a good team. I think
they may or may not be the best team in that division. I think
it's going to be a pretty close race. But I also don't think they're
amazing. I think there we're still on the Cardinals devil magic of just a
few players looking kind of good and then maybe seeping back off into the background
afterwards, a bit of regression from Goldschmidt, who was the MVP. It's
always going to come like it's not likely that you're going to do that back
to back to back. But yeah, I think eighty nine wins a bit
wobbly in the pitching starting pitching, do you think. I think it's fair
like they do. They have groundball pictures and they have the defense to kind
of follow it up. So it's it's just a question of does it work.
If it works, then they'll do well. If it doesn't work,
then they can see it a bit more than they did last year, which
will put them under a bit of pressure. I mean you look at their
depth charts. Now I'm looking at their team, and like most teams,
you're going to find there's a couple of players on there who you have absolutely
never heard of. And you can look fairly well down pretty much every part
of this team, including the bullpen, and yeah, you've you've you've heard
of most of these guys. These are these are fairly well known guys.
They've all got you know, you know, they could drop onto any team
and they're all fair you know, you're not You're not looking at a team
that has major holes here, are you? No? But but you've still
got like they're going to be playing what given play Jordan Walker a fair amount
of time. I don't think he's kind of maybe that amazing. Brendan Donovan
is the same. The young players that come through, we don't quite know
what to expect from them, as you said, kind of like on the
pitching point of view, we know Wayne Right's missing the start of the season,
but Nicholas Montgomery, Flaherty, Wayne Wright, Matts and then probably some
of Liberatore and a few others. None of that jumps out as being amazing.
But they're all pretty solid. So and hell's the gay goals at the
top of that bullpen are good. It's just it's not amazing, which is
why to be the tighty nine wins eighty nine teams a bit a bit high
for a non amazing team. I think Rob is right with the pitching.
You know, they've got Jake Woodford in the rotation at the moment, So
I don't know. I think they do lack a star picture. I don't
know if Jack Flaherty is going to be anything this season. It's going to
be hard to rely on Adam wain Right to yet again produce stuff. So,
um, I think I think eighty nine sounds fair, But I'm I
think they might struggle to win the division. Yeah, well I had them
down for ninety one. We're all clearly playing in a similar sort of area
here. Um, but you guys both had what was eighty nine? Both
of you? Yeah? No, no, I had less. I only
had eighty six. But oh, should we stick at eighty nine then?
Boys? I think eighty nine fair because that's sort of between where we were,
So lock that one in eighty nine. Eighty nine for the Cards.
Good luck to them. Yeah, where do you want to go next?
Oh? Definitely Cincinnati Reds. Oh, that's not the one I had loaded
up. Come on, you talk first, okay, Cincinnati Reds. I
think how many games in the season, one hundred and sixty two, So
what's five hundred eighty one eighty one? That's what I reckon? Eighty one
wins for Cincinnati Reds. I think that they are much better than people give
them credit for, especially fans fair Weather fans like me. They have some
really really good pitching there, and they've got a lot of useful bats.
Wilmire's coming over, Freeley and Freedom in the outfield, the sensational Nick Senzel,
which is an in joke which we'll come back to. Um No,
Jonathan India. He's probably due a bounce back steer at third base, the
youngsters at short stop, if Barrero can can hit, and then if not,
Ellie deler Crue is coming through. I reckon, reckon. It's a
pretty decent team this year, and I would not be surprised if they don't
get five hundred. So I wouldn't be surprised. I think when you talk
about from the pitching point of view, Ladolo, Green and Ashcraft all look
really good. Whoever's going to pitch the rest of the innings. I'm very
worried about, Like, I think you could be concerned with anything that you
get from like Luke Weaver or Louis Sessa, or work your way down list
of guys you've equally heard of or never heard of before. I think that's
what's gonna that's what's gonna hurt them in that push to five hundred. If
those semi randos do well, then yeah, I think that that eight hundred
pushes or eighty one five hundred push is a possibility. I just don't see
it, which is why I have them much closer to kind of a lower
seventies figure than eighty one. I mean, I'm sorry if I offend here,
but I've got the wheels falling off. I've got this team getting absolutely
rinsed. I mean, I've got the Pirates doing their kind of swaggy walk
at the end of games because they just hammered the red for another team.
I mean this they're being taken apart, aren't they. I Mean, we've
we've got like old man Votto still patrol in a you know, first base
if his legs are still attached, you know. I mean, Luke Mailee
kut Casally of catching backups. You know, I mean, is Nick Sanerzello.
If you look at their depth chart, he is everywhere, he is
playing all the positions, and he's he's broken, you know, I mean,
what what is going? I mean, they've got some pieces, absolutely
got some guys here. You think, all right, maybe not bad.
Yeah, so Jonathan India is probably during up year. Will Myers has floundered
in San Diego for years, but you know, okay, he's got some
history whereby he's not bad. But I mean, I'm not there. There's
nobody I'm excited to watch on this team. I mean, I mean maybe
Hunter Green, he is he is a bit of a bit of a bit
of a live wire. But you know, and maybe we've got a couple
of or a pitching hero in the in the bullpen. But I've been I
mean, you said, you said five hundred, and I was shocked.
Honestly, I'm I'm much much more towards the end that Russell is predicting and
lower I would say, so, I mean, wow, eighty y is
I mean, I'm maybe dunking a little bit too much only here, Gab
and I feel really bad about it. But but yeah, I mean,
I would be amazed if they get if they break five hundred this year.
It sounds like I'm being outvoted, I think. So, I mean,
what do you say for Cincinnati. I would say seventy two. Rob,
I had sixty two, But we'll have to bring it up a bit.
They're aren't that bad, Miley. I just think they're not that bad,
just because the rest of that division isn't that good. I know you play
a little bit more against the other teams, but I just don't see somebody
m Then thirty two is kind of the middle point. Let's go seventy two.
But you know I'm doing it under protest. Remember, both Rob band
Gab and our listeners we have agreed that we will still have our jokers where
all three of us can at one point just say my score is, what
my wind total is, what is going down as the wind total. So
you're both obviously within your right to use it now, but we do have
another twenty eight teams to go. Old Predictions is not going to go for
a five hundred win winning record for the for the Reds. No, he
was seventy two then yep, and waiting for Dam's flow five hundred record for
the Yankees and calling it and banking on that one. How did they do
in the end? Pirates the other the other bottom team. I've got a
feeling that the the Pirates are the team that they're a bit hipster. You
know, everyone's been piling on the Pirates for years about how bloody awful they
are, and you know, with good reason, absolutely, But all of
a sudden, everyone's saying, yeah, you know, I think the Pirates
are turning a corner. I think they're you know, they're going to do
all right this year. I mean they've made some minor steps forward, but
you know, one hundred and five year old Rich Hill is still going to
be in that rotation. Um, yeah, gimn Troy will have a fantastic
week and then disappear completely and you know, cutches there for the fields.
I really don't see that this Pirates team is taking the huge leap forward that
seems to be a popular take at the moment. I think they are marginally
better than last year. I wouldn't be I would not be seeing a huge
this is a turning point. I don't think we're at the turning point yet.
I think they're still a couple of years away if we ever really find
that at all. So for the Pirates, I am still very very low
on the Pirates, and I had them at a sixty eight eight win team
at the moment. Okay, the difference between the Pirates and the Reds,
I think they're both poor teams, but I think the Pirates have invested in
veterans who will make watching them a bit more interesting yep, whereas the Reds
are sort of hoping that these marginal players can turn and into two good players.
But yeah, I think Pirates are going to be worse than the Reds.
So sixty eight works for me. If we've got seven to two for
the Reds, I'd personally have them either very similar or if not identical.
I think I'm happy maybe the Plates to be slightly worse. I do think
that probably Reynolds, Cruise, and Hayes will be better than any of the
hitters on the Red side. But I do also think that like Keller,
Contreris and Rereebreaker and Hill will be worse than the top three pitchers on the
Red side. I think, once again, you kind of sat with the
Pirates, have a very good relief pitcher in David Bedner didn't know if he'll
be on that team for much longer because he is how good he actually is.
But I think gab is right to point out that having Andrew mccutchin,
g Manchoy, even the likes of like Carlos Santana on this team makes it
fun to watch, which when you're watching probably a well below five hundred team
will make a difference. And who knows, maybe they make the smart decision
and they bring up Schaffa is young, and it will be a fantastic season
for for us all to watch because that man knew how to make the game
entertaining. So but yeah, if if we're going to go six, yeah,
can we can we maybe bump it up to seventy? We're happy with
that. I mean, there's got to be some terrible teams in this division
somewhere, right yet at least gonna beat up on someone yeah the end,
at least they're going to beat up on somebody in that division. Yeah,
there is that. I mean, can I agree with Russell's point absolutely?
I mean, can we think of a more fun first base than the Pirates?
This? You've got choice Santana, Joe and maybe Andrew Hart playing there
like that. That that's that's four guys. You're not going to surpass for
a first base for fun scales, right, So hey, maybe maybe the
Pirates will win something. They'll win our hearts, our hearts at first base.
Yeah, they'll win our hearts at first base. Fantastic. Gad what
did you have for the Pirates? I had seventy two, but I'm happy
to seventeen seventy two between us, so seventy Again, Russell seems to be
the median and all of these so far, but yeah, seventy I've got
some I generally think if you agree with Russell, you're not going too far
wrong. There's there's a fair shout there. I've got a couple of out
layers, Russ. Let's let's go for the team. The other team they'll
be seeing Cubs. Cubs have tried to do something, and I'm still not
entirely certain what it is. They have bought in some phenomenal players in in
Dansby Swanson. As much as me and Darius will maybe be slightly joking when
we're talking about Nico Corner, he is a very good player. I think
Cubs fans like him for a reason. There are still very big questions that
were about some of the some of the spots in that team. If you
want to talk about first base, when you go Eric Kosma and Trey Mancini
probably taking most of your first base options, it's a little bit like,
I think is the shuttered response. But yeah, Apple will be good.
I think Patrick Wisdom will be fine. Stays Suzuki has had a great season
last year, and I think he will continue to improve. The big question,
obviously from the actual hitting side, comes for does Toby bell Ringer do
Does he does he flop off the market and gets let go by the Cubs
halfway through the season because they realize he's god awful and laugh or does he
get anyway close to being that MVP player? Because this team's performance I think
is really based off that, because there's no better like pick me up sort
of story that can just improve the whole club house as a whole. Is
like it's bell Ringer kind of returning to the Bellinger returning to some sort of
form. If it doesn't happen, yeah, it could suck the life out
of that kind of clubhouse a little bit. So I think the Cubs are
going to be just shy of eighty wins. I think probably like seventy nine,
maybe seventy eight, but they could very well have a good push if
everything goes in the right direction. I think that's before ty Own and Straman
are a good kind of set off with everybody's looking to see what Aiden when
Eski will do, so that could be very interesting to watch. But yeah,
this still the back end of that rotation is a little bit ugly.
The bullpen is kind of very ugly as far as I'm concerned. They've They've
had a good couple of years with making bullpens be okay, haven't they.
Yeah, like I like Brandon Hughes if if I'm perfectly honest and obviously having
a sad get up there from based on it, it's kind of like the
performances is great to see, but yeah, I don't really think when you're
relying on like Fulmer and Brocksburger year, yeah, it's not going to be
amazing. So yeah, I would say seventy nine wins for the Cubs,
but I could easily be proven wrong on the upside on that one. I
think, Yeah, yeah, I find them quite a difficult team to to
work out how they're going to progress this year. I could see them winning
the division. I can see it being a tie between them, the Brewers
and the Cardinals. If everything goes right for them and the Vets do perform
well, then I think they've got a strong pitching lineup and they've got they've
got a decent rotation as well. So yeah, I'm really excited about seeing
them in London. I think they could bring over a cracking team if they're
playing well for the first half of the season, well the first couple of
months. So yeah, I think I would tend to think maybe they're going
to be a few games above what Russell said. But yeah, it's also
possible that all of these Vets just so are past it, and Omer and
Bellinger and Mancini really haven't got anything left. Very true, but the point
you make is absolutely valid. Every single not every single, but the vast
majority of the players on this this lineup have been not just good, but
but very good at some point in the last five years. You know that
we're looking at some some guys who've fallen off an awful lot but have given
elite performances mostly for other teams at some point, but they have been there,
so you're absolutely right if if if the fire starts and fire catches,
this team knows, each of these players knows how to win. How old
is the young Gomes by the way, I mean, I he seems to
have been around four ever now, and he's he's gonna he's gonna get a
decent chunk of the catching time for the Cubs is knee with knees of what
must be now just just powder and even gravel. I think it's so only
thirty five or thirty six. Yeah, yeah, he's at least sixty.
Come on, he's at least sixty. He was, he was, He
was thirty five in nineteen eighty seven. Come on out, there's no way,
there's no way. Yeah, he was quite younger when he came up.
I think for Toronto, I think when he was I'm trying to think
when he was first played with Cleveland back in Night twenty thirteen or twenty fourteen.
I thought he was going to remember him. I thought he was in
his mid twenties then, so he may have just been an older fella for
for for a long time. But yeah, Gomes caught the first ever game
I saw in person, which was which was the gut the well the Indians
at the time against the Rays in in Tampa. And he didn't look young
then. So he is thirty five years old, eight months and ten days.
So rubbish, that's a lie. It's a lie. Don't listen,
do not pit and just Russell. It is lies. Everybody, it is
lies. Here is at least sixty. Um. Okay, so uh gave
you a couple couple higher than than Russell's seventy nine. So you're saying eighty
eighty one ish, eighty one eighty one is exactly what I had. I'm
going with Gav on this one. I'm happy to say eighty one five hundred,
meaning essentially we don't really know about the Cubs. Yeah, we're sitting
on the fence. Yeah pass, yeah, all right, fair enough.
That leaves the Brewers then, um, gab, do you want to talk
about the Bruis start with? I think this is another one which I'm really
not sure how they're going to to do because they should. They should win
the division, I think, but there's something about the Brewers every single year,
but I think I don't have to they're going to do it. This
year. But um, but no, having just predicted Roaldi Tilez as the
home run leader, and obviously I've got my fingers crossed for a Jesse Winker
comeback, so um yeah, I think, yeah, the Brewers have got
a good team. I think the Brewers are going to win the division.
If they're pitching is eighty percent of what it potentially can be, then yeah,
I think they'll They'll win the division over the over the Cardinals, so
that I think they're the only ninety win team in the division. I'm a
bit I'm a bit more down on on the Brewers. I think I think
this is a potentially Will coming Will's coming off year. There's there's too much
sort of relying on a couple of guys to to to carry it through by
a run or two. You know this, it's it's it's a decent team,
but decent teams can can sort of er towards the bottom side when there's
not enough to sort of get them over the line. It's it's that get
them over a linism that I'm being very technical and very analytical here, get
them over the linism. But I think that the Brewers lack a little bit.
It's the guys who are going to come up in the big moments.
William Damas is absolute trade bait right now, as as is Devin Williams.
I mean, beyond those two, who are you really looking at mister boring
Brian Anderson hanging around? Are you looking at Jesse Wincom maybe coming back m
A rotating set of a set of people at second base. You know,
the obvious sort of yellish issues the rotation park that, of course, that's
awesome. You know that they are a fan, They're they're a phenomenal pitching
team. They're gonna be high up the need, but they're you know,
we We've said for a couple of year is all, they're not going to
score the runs. And they've done just enough. And have they done anything
to approve that is they're luck going to run out. I would say there
is a good chance they luck will run out this year. So I'm not
as high on on the Brewers at all. I'm going to go for an
eighty three eighty three win season for a poor Brewers team. So I think
the thing that the Brewers have actually done well this year is I think they've
increased the squad. I think they've maybasy improved the people that are on the
fringe of that team, like you're talking about saying like Brian Anderson or like
or Bright Sturring. But the people like they've got like Luke Fall, They've
got Mike Brousso, They've got Abraham Torrow, They've got Owen Miller. These
are all boring players, but they are also above average players. They're just
not good enough to have a starter spot. So I think they are actually
a team that can ride out an injury to somebody middling and still continue to
perform well. If one of these guys like has A has an amazing season,
then yeah, you can end up I think with a pretty outstanding performance
from from these from this team. So I kind of I think, yes,
there are potentials that this could all the rug could fall out of them,
and if they do, I would think the Brewers might be a team
that would trade some of their top players to put themselves in a good position
for next season, just working out how they how they could do it.
But I like Adams, I think Luis Urius is a great piece. I'm
I'm like gab of basically anybody that I've seen done well in life. In
the WBC. I think is going to have an amazing season. So tell
Us is for rowdy tears or whatever, how it was actually pronounced. I
realized from watching Mexico games that I have no idea how any of those names
should actually really be pronounced. But yeah, I Abraham Toro doing the WBCO.
I didn't see him, but I'm like to for quite a while.
I think he's just a solid hitter. They just can't really play defense anywhere.
So um, yeah, I would have. I would be inclined to
put them on the same total as the Cardinals and basically say that it is
an eighty nine wins a piece. Then got he knows what the mechanism to
determine the two teams actually is because we don't have playing games in entropy anymore.
There's actual just rules to determine who finishes above or below each other.
So but yeah, I still have the Brewers and the Cards are basically the
same team. We know what, then I'm going to do it. That
is my wild card. I am putting the Brewers at eighty three wins for
the season, and that is locked in and no one can take it.
Eighty three wins from a lack luster Brewers. Okay, that is not a
hill that you are going to die on, going to die on it?
Yes, absolutely, Brewers just a bit mayor. All right, So shall
we move from one central that's a bit mayor to another central that's a bit
there? Or do we want to live it very mayor? Oh? I
was trying to be positive, but then Russ kick us off with you with
with your your team. Okay, the Guardians. Yeah, they made some
slight improvements over the off season, which is a bit of foreign to me
as watching as watching the Cleveland over the last few years. They actually spent
money on a free agent, not that much money, like steady odd million
for Bell for a couple of seasons, which is a little bit like and
then also you're like, well, he's a player who was also very good
and then very bad last season, so you don't really know what that's going
to do. We've added in Mike Zdino, so we went from having lost
in Hedges, who is a renowned poor hitter but a very good framer,
and we've got Zeno, who is a renowned below Mendoza line hitter but a
power hitter and an okay sort of Framer, so it doesn't and that's pretty
much it. Like there's obviously in the more recent side, Tristan McKenzie's got
injured, which is probably going to miss a couple of months, which I
think is to me, would drop Cleveland down a probably like a win or
two. With who's going to replace them. I like Pilkington, I like
some of the other guys that like on Scrubs and Samiel Curry and that sort
of thing that could come up, But I don't think they're They're amazing,
So I think this team is going to Maybe we were a little bit worse
than last year. I struggle watching Cleveland last year. They were so streaky
as in because it's just they weren't hitting home runs. They were hitting singles.
And they would have games where they would hit fifteen singles and score two
runs. And they'd have a game where they scored eight singles and it was
all in the same innings and they scored seven runs, and so it's it's
it's so infuriating to kind of watch because it's like it's so exciting, but
also you get so disappointed because they put that on base, but they did
score. So I still think they are about five hundred team, but I
don't think they're two. They're only that out of the range of the Twins
or the White Sox if they play well. So this all it's a roundabout
way of me seeing eighty seven wins for the Guardians there, Gav. Yeah,
I think eighty seven's fair. I've got it. But yeah, I
think I think they've got a fantastic too. I think the length of that
lineup, when you've got Zannino right at the bottom or you know, eighth
or something, because Straw is going to hit below the mendis a line as
well, and that night, so yeah, I'm not really a mild Straw
guy. But the other the other seven ahead of Zannino, that's that's a
cracking lineup. And I really like Josh Bell going there. I think Josh
Bell is going to have a fantastic season with Jose Ramier is hitting it ahead
of him, and Jiminas has just signed a new contract, hasn't he?
And Amed Rosario is always a guy I like, and Stephen Kuan is just
sensational getting on base, So yeah, I think it's um. I don't
know how the the division's going to pan out with how will Minnesota are going
to play? But yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Cleveland win this again.
Rob, I'm with Gav. I'm with Gave. I'm a little bit
more positive on Cleveland, and I'm looking at a team that was very,
very solidly based, you know, like everything was there. There was a
very clear hole and that was hitting home runs. And they've got a home
run hitting capture, a home run hitting first baseman in there, and hopefully
a couple of guys will trend up from what we were low years. So
the only hole that team really had after you know, brilliant defense, fantastic
pitching, um great on base is just convert a couple of those guys with
a few long balls, and I think they've done what they need to do
to push them up a couple of notes from where they were. So I'm
up on the team. Yeah, yes, there'll be a little bit of
regression from the pitching. It can't be quite as good as it was,
and no, everyone's not going to get onto base quite as they were.
But I think what they have, what they have lost, from what they'll
lose from those they've they've they've made up for with power. So I'm I'm
basically repeat season from from Cleveland slightly under because you know, a bit of
regret in general. But I had them as nineteen. But I mean,
we're all we're all talking in a similar sort of area here, so so
I'm happy to put them a little bit higher than than you guys are.
But we'll go with the consensus. They've gab said and you said nineteen.
Let's brig it up to eighty eight. Then from where the two, I've
got them winning the division. I still think they will pro probably win the
division. I just think it's going to be a really tight squeeze with the
twins. Well, then let's let's talk about the twins next. Then the
Twins are the perennial team that should be doing slightly better than it is.
Um I think you know, Roco Baldelli is potentially sitting on a slightly iffy
seat if they continue the way they have done for a little while there,
because they've they've got everything, They've got all the pieces they need, they've
got all the all the bits. What seems to not be happening at this
point is putting it all together to make the results. So UM, I
think a slow start from from the Twins this year, we'll see bow Daily
shipped off fairly soon. And that's that was what I had down as one
of my sort of predictions for the year is is Bob bow Daily not making
it to the end of the year. But yeah, Twins is a little
bit of a conundramember the last couple of years. They are a team.
We all we've all looked out and gone, yeah, these guys should walk
or come close or be fighting with the White Sox for this division. And
it's it's just not happened. Have they done that much to fix White hasn't
happened. I mean, there's been a lot of fanfare about the fact,
yes they got Carlo's career, he's back, but the fact is he is
back. They didn't do it last year with him. I'm not seeing too
much of why this team is going to be a whole her a lot better
than it was last year. Maybe it's going to inch up. Absolutely.
I think Gallows in the right place now to start putting himself back together.
We could all roll the dice on Byron Buxton. I mean, what,
yeah, great as long as he's fit. But there's no point You've been
talking about him being fit. You know, he really is a game changer
on that team. So I've got the Twins up up on last year,
the last year they had seventy eight. I've got them slightly lower than Cleveland.
I've got them on eighty four at the moment, so I'm a bit
more positive on them. I think they're depth is it's fantastic when you've got
Kirilov and Polenko and Lewis all starting on the I L. And you've got
the two former Reds infielders in Solano and Farmer who are just really useful major
league as to as bench backs. But they've got star power, star quality
in Career and Buxton, and then they did add Pablo Lopez, who was
another big star to bring over. And if kent to my Aida can produce
to wait, if he can produce like he he was pitching before he got
injured, then yeah, their rotation is really good. I can see them
neck and neck with Cleveland both on like at eight to nine ninety wins.
I could go with Russ. Yeah, I'm inclined to agree. I think
they are They're one of those kind of quite high variance teams. Again,
I think the the amount of playing time that you're not only get out of
the guys who are currently injured like Blanco and lays Lewis and Kiroloth, but
also how much plain time do you get out of Byron Buxton. Like,
if they get five hundred plate appearances out of Byron Buxton, don't imagine they're
going to be pushing they get six hundred. I imagine they're the best team
in the division. Like it is. It is almost as simple as that.
I think the Pablo Lopez signed as as gap highlighted. I think actually
that's almost more important than bringing back Carlo's career. Obviously career is it's a
great player, but they did have him all season and they kind of failed
to get it work. Having I think four and you've probably even five or
six if you include like Media and Ober, like, they've got just five
number three starters. Ye when you're just thinking about there's nothing, there's nothing
exciting about any of them. But they're also all solid, so I think
they just should be kind of solid throughout throughout most of that season. I'm
looking at like the weak spots is probably first base is probably who's going to
play, like if is Joey Gallo going to have a good season again or
not. If he doesn't, then they've got quite a few people to switch
through. But I think bringing in like Michael A. Taylor, I think
they want to limit the amount of time probably the Bookston plays in the outfield.
So they've brought in another very good defensive center fielder and they probably want
to give Bookston as much time the aching as possible so to try and get
more out of his bat. So, yeah, and then you said it
right there, You said it right there that, yes, this this team's
got, it's got all the bits. It's absolute well there. But so
why hasn't it happened the last few years? Why is it not coming together?
Yeah? I think obviously I think the Twins part way through the season
it wasn't coming together, so they kind of flipped through people and went not
this year, it's worked for the next year, and kind of continue to
go with that. I think they're fairly sensible in working it out, whether
they have it or they don't have it, whether where it all comes together
or not. Yeah, you could say it's a managerial thing. Does does
bud Elli actually have the stuff to kind of to get them to become a
great team. He's got them to the playoffs a couple of times before,
but then obviously they've bowed out pretty poorly in the playoffs whenever they've done that.
I always think about it from the perspective of Cleveland, where if,
especially in twenty twenty season, when Terry Francona wasn't there, that team was
awful. It was it was kind of like they just didn't Whatever Terry Francona
does with that team, he clearly makes a difference with how they either play.
When it comes to it, whatever he does actually matters. As there
are a few managers when you just kind of go, I don't know what
you actually do. You seem to be good because you've managed to get this
Twins team there a couple of times, but you haven't got them off over
that threshold. Yeah, I think they'll be better than last year. I
think they'll be over five hundred. So I'm happy to say like eighty seven
wins and put them just behind the Guardians. Yeah, I mean, I
think, okay, you guys are both fairly fairly agreed eighty six eighty seven,
So I can take eighty seven on them. But yeah, just Pine
the Guardians seems about right to me. Okay, then if we're talking about
managers, we got the White Sox and potentially another another team that is manager
manager heavy in the change. There big, big expectations of the last few
years gav but maybe not not executed well. Again, is the replacement of
Russell's favorite manager going to make the difference? I think when we did this
two years and you know, everyone was raving about how star studied the White
Sox lineup was. I think my criticism then was it's so weak, it's
so thin. They just didn't have the depth. And it still seems to
be the problem. Some of their players are just sensational. They've got some
of the best players in the game. Yet when Robert or Jiminaires or Moncada
or Anderson are not around, they've just got such poor replacements. And I
don't understand why they don't. Because Minnesota they've gone and got Farmer and Solano,
you know, just a couple of guys who you can just plug in
there and they'll give you decent at bats all the time, and the White
Sox just don't seem to have that. So when injuries happen, which they
will. I think they'll struggle, and I think they'll end up coming third
again. I say again, I don't know where they came last year,
but they finished second. I think they'll come third this year. But yeah,
you know, I think it's all down to to the fitness, the
health. If Anderson can play one hundred and fifty games, then maybe yeah,
maybe they're five hundred tap, but I think there's a good chance that
they're below five hundred. I think it's Gab says it's it's it's almost bang
on. You look at that team and you say, what the lineup that
they're actually gonna probably start off with, like Anderson River, Ben Attendee him
andez Moncada grand Owl. It looks like it might be like Oscar Colas and
then Elvis Andrews. Like maybe it's Graph and Colas on that, but eight
out of that nine is solid, Like you would take wa to take most
of those players into most of the other teams, Like that's actually good players.
You look at who was available off the bench when you're then like,
yeah, Vin Sheets, Jacob Burger, and you're like, Billy Hamilton is
far too close to this team. For Yeah, it's it's it's the opposite
of what we've talked about when we've talked about the Brewers, when we've talked
about the Twins. That just that that it's not even like stars and scrubs.
It's above average and scrubs. And so as soon as one of those
above average players goes, it looks awful, and it does look awful.
On the pitching side, yeah, CeCe Lynn great or gearl too, if
he gets anything back to what he was, should be good Savenger, but
that's different reasons. Like Copec, I think we'll be fine. And on
the relieving side, Barma, Graveman, Lopez all fantastic. They've got Joe
Kelly as well, and they'll probably will get some time with from William Hendricks
this season because it looks like his progression is coming along very well. So
pitching wise, I don't have an issue. It is that lineup, and
in baseball is baseball, one of those eight players will get injured and won't
play a significant amount of time of this season, and someone crap will play
in their place, and that'll bring them down. So yeah, I think
they probably will sneak above five hundred again. Or maybe just around that,
like eighty one eighty two wins. That's that's where I see them. They
could challenge if things go well, and things maybe don't go well for the
other two teams, which is maybe why they've chosen not to spend more money,
because they know that the title division isn't actually that far out of their
hands. But yeah, they're not great. I've got them a bit further
ahead, and I think that that's because the change of management. I think
these people deployed properly are going to do better than they have done, because,
let's face, even when they were healthy, they weren't really doing what
they were supposed to be doing the last couple of years. And even if
they managed to drain sort of three four five extra wins out of this team
that they should have had last year, we could see them around the eighty
four et five eighty six and pushing those other two teams. So I had
them, I had them a little bit higher. I had them up at
the mid to high eighties, sort of eighty six eighty seven, UM,
So I would happily accept something a little bit lower, But I think five
hundred is a bit underselling. The White socks. They're gonna they're gonna be
healthy for some of the year, right, eighty three Come at me with
eighty three? Yeah, for your thoughts, all right, eighty three five.
I'm not going to argue over three. Yeah, sure, three.
Now we are progressing very slowly through these and I don't want to give short
shrift to two teams which maybe won't feature two particularly heavy here. But maybe
we should rush through a couple of the extras. And in this division,
has anybody got anything interesting to say about the Tigers other than the no deer?
Okay, so maybe yeah, maybe with the low the lower ones.
Just one of us says to go, any others can just agree, Okay,
So I'll talk about the top Tigers. Yeah, and you can agree
with me. So I reckon Riley, Green and Spencier talk of will we'll
have really good seasons. I think we will see that they are the decent
players that we thought they were. I think everyone else is absolutely dreadful.
I reckon they could have six hitters not getting a three hundred on base.
I think the Detroit Tigers are going to be an appalling team this year.
If they they're a hundred lost team, Americans. I don't. The only
reason why I don't think that is that because they have to play the Tigers.
I mean, the Tigers have to play the Royals, they have to
play the Orioles, they have to play the Athletics. Sorry not the Oris
have to play Athathletics and have to play in the rest of the teams in
that division. And I don't think that there's anybody who's going to go out
and win a hundred wins in those games. In those games, so I
don't think they'll get to that glorious sixty that hundred loss region. I think
you're right to. I still think have you buy is this a good player?
That's a hill that that's a baseball hill that I'm gonna probably die on.
I think he's gonna Yeah. I think he'll probably have a below three
hundred OVP, but probably have a bang average WOBER and be an amazing defensive
short stop. I really hope that Edward Rodriguez has a good season this year.
Like we don't know really some of the circumstances behind being off a personal
leave last year, but you always want this place to come back and do
well. And I think he is a solid player that can do there.
And I kind of like the look of like Alex Langan, Chase and Folly
on the from the relief side, and it would be interesting to see what
those guys do. So I'm I have them at seventy like, and it
could be inclined to pull it down one or two, but I don't think
they're I don't think they're creeping close to that sixty two hundred hundred lost territory
just because I don't think there's an as dominant team out there that will punish
them. I'm with Russ, I'm with rus So we've got two seventies,
Gab you are saying sixty two wins record. Still, I'm happy to go
seventeen. I'll just note it down when we review it, Okay, noted
very good. Russell will give us the equally pathetic Royals. Um, where
do you want to start? Like? What what good thing? Really?
Just what what good things do you think that the Royals have done? They've
got a nice blue jersey, They've kept on Zach Rinky for another year to
make Joey happy. Um, like Bobby Bobby with Julia, Finni Pascatino will
be great players. M J. Melendez will probably be another good player.
Savona Perez will probably hit very well. Okay, I don't think much a
Brady Singer. That's that's kind of a meeting. I think you'll probably still
have a perfectly fine season, but I don't think kind of like much of
him. And you look at the rest of their pictures and you are like
like Jordan Miles, Brad Keller, like Ryan Yarborough. It's not great,
especially thinking of what we thought two or three years ago was going to come
out of the cancer system with like, oh my god, they've got like
three aces going to come out of that system, and like bo Bitch and
Lynch and singerm I just don't I just don't think it's there. Um,
Scott Barlow's probably a good reliever. It's not great. When they added in
her Olds Chapman, you just seem to actually just be off it completely nearly
last year. So yeah, I just think they're not great, and I
don't think they could really gonna have any chance really of competing. But I
think they'll just be a little bit worse than the Tigers. Say sixty seven
sixty eight wins, I can go with that. They're playing Jackie Brady,
Julia. Come on, we all know that guy was great, but he's
done. Yeah, well, yeah, it sounds such time that that sort
of player gets Yeah, I'll take sixty seven, Gav. I reckon another
one hundred lust team, but I'll go for sixty seven. Then all right,
no to the gain. Gave can tell us he told us so when
teams in the same division. Yeah, you heard it here first, there's
a big, big prediction. There we go. Mark that one down.
There was sixty, sixty six and sixty five. If you're being the eighteen
podcasts were producing the same thing as last year, Gave. You're not far
off yourself. You think they're worse, we do slightly better. Um,
where are we going? Rob? Should we let which? Which division can
we rattle through? Get a nice quick one? What's a least? And
we all know these two the big bunch of good teams, we can rattle
through them fairly quick. So, uh, Gavi, do you want to
pick an at least team? And you're going to crucify the Yankees again this
year? Almost definitely no going someone else go through. We'll talk about the
Raids, I will talk about the raise, the Tampa Bay Rays are a
team who were pitching slightly above where they should be last year, and they
were batting well below where they were where they were last year. They've got
a couple of absolute studs in Wonder Franco and Brandon Low coming back with a
bat. They had a lot of guys batting just they're having having bad years
with the bat. They have specifically taken the approach this year of getting the
swing and miss out of the game. They are taking some walks, and
this is a team that could do with some walks. If you get the
likes of Randy Rosarina, the likes of Jose Sirion base, They're going to
steal bases. They're gonna make some runs. So I think the Rays have
made an improvement in their approach. They won't pitch quite as well, but
they will hit better than they are losing from their pitching. So I think
they're gonna slightly better than last year and they are gonna they're gonna hit ninety
one wins. So the Rays are always to me. The rais always just
hard to predict, like they play baseball generally in a different way, so
most of the other teams, there's quite a lot of the teams are trying
to predict what they're going to do. Um. Yeah, if if somebody
can be randier as a rainer that every single game that he plays is a
postseason game or a WBC game, then the guy will hit fifty home runs
in steal sixty basins. But as don't know if he just has the mentality
to play the hundred and sixty two game season like that. We've seen it
kind of not happen a few seasons now where he can get himself up for
the big games, but maybe not for every game. Yeah, this team,
I think that's what's not to like when you when you look at like
the pitching. I think having kind of like McLanahan had a great season last
year. I think he'll continue. I really like springs in Rasmussen. I
think both of them are going to be solid. Bringing in Zac Efflyn somebody
to eat at the innings, I think is a really good one. He's
a solid pitcher. Obviously, her losing class now for a few weeks,
but that was kind of to be expected. You were never going to get
two hundred innings out of glass now, so maybe just we just lost two
or three weeks from the start that we thought it might happen somewhere else in
the season. I think the great um, yeah, there's gonna be if
people who have done any draft with me in the last few days will know
that. I think that Garrett Clevinger is probably going to be the next raised
reliever that people don't really know about who was suddenly gonna be like, how
has this guy got zero e or A through the first two months. So
yeah, I think I had them as eighty eight. Like, I think
that top of that division is going to be a tough one to get some
some wins off. But yeah, I think they'll probably Yeah. Actually,
given the fact that we've got twins in the Guardian, I think they are
better. So I'd be inclined to go push a little bit higher and then
maybe say like ninety or eighty nine for the raise. Yeah, yeah,
I don't know if they're gonna get to ninety, but yeah, I'm happy
to going one. D you said eighty ninety one, We'll put ninety showy.
Yep, happy with that. And the correct answer is Calvin Fauchet.
You're gonna hear a lot about him this year, Russell pickcause it team.
Who do you want? Oh, let's talk about the Boston Red Sox.
I think when we were talking about the Cubs being a high variants team,
I think the Red Sox could be an even higher variance team. I think
the realms of possibility for this team is undeniably large because one, they're pitching
innings are supposedly coming from Corey Kluber, Nick Pavetta, Chrisdale, and James
Paxton. If one, if all four of those pitch more than like one
hundred and thirty innings, I would be amazed. If more four of them
pitch more than one hundred innings, I'd be amazed. But if you've cut
one hundred and sixty innings out of all of those four, they're going to
be a good team. Like they have good hitters to back up this pitching
lineup, which who knows what we're going to get. Devas is good,
Massa Saki Yujida is really good, and I know that he's defensively not the
greatest, which is why I think a few teams didn't get in that bidding.
But I think that I think he's going to easily win Rookie of the
Year this year, which is a little bit of a cop out when you
bring somebody in who's already played professionally for seven or eight years and then they
can do that, can do go. I think they're all solid players.
I think what we talked about with the White Sox is not here, like
they have depth for when things aren't going to go well. So I'm gonna
do exactly the same thing as I did with the Chicago Cubs and put myself
firmly on the fence and say eighty one wins. I had eighty three,
So I'm certainly in the similar sort of realm as you. I like the
speed they've added. I like um Mondessi and Tapia. I mean, that's
that's two guys out of nowhere that they've added there that are if they get
on base, they're gonna fly, absolutely fly. Those two. They both
they both look like they've been stretched. They both look like they have shins
that are gonna snap because they're so skinny, but they they fly around those
bases. So I think that's something that they've lacked a little bit in the
last couple of years, is once they're basically looked a little bit chuggy.
So yeah, not bad eighty three tough division. Put them in any other
division, and and they're they're contending, I think, but not in the
air least your thoughts, keV. What about the Red Sox. Yeah,
yeah, no, I'm quite happy to just go along with thee It is
lovely stuff. Yeah, it's your pick. Eighty three is the number of
wins that the Orioles got last year. Yep. And I think they're they're
far far better team than they were last year. So I think the unctions
coming through we will see an impact from them. I think the pitching with
Rodriguez, Okay, he's not going to start in the rotation, but he
could be a difference maker. John Means will be back by you'll start break
probably. M Yeah. I think with Gunna Henderson with a bit more experience
and Edley Rushman, I think that the Oils are going to be a decent
team. I certainly don't think they're going to come bottom of the division.
So you know, they won eighty three last year. I'm looking at eighty
three again. I kind of agree with you and that I don't think the
regression that everyone is talking about is going to be quite as steep and as
stark as many people have predicted. I've heard people say, you know,
they're going to head back down to the low seventies, and I don't think
that's fair. I think they're high seventies. I've gotten down as an as
a generous eighty. I just I just really struggle with that. With the
pit, with the pitching, I really struggle to see pass a rotation.
Yeah. Absolutely, these guys are going to get okay. A number of
they're going to do okay, but they're going to start the bottom of the
first six runs down, you know, five days a week. So I'm
I'm struggling. I'm struggling with that. But I could give him an eighty.
I could give him an eighty. Yeah, I really agree with with
Rob here. I I'm going to say that I think Felix Batista will lead
the team in pitching war, which if you understand how it works for relievers
compared to starters, that really shouldn't be possible, like Grace and Rodriguez is
not going to get enough game time to get out ahead of him. And
if you tell me that, you're really expecting anything from Carl Gibson Cole of
in Curl Brandish Tyler wells. I'm like the John means even when he comes
back, the Hunsters know like this team will hit well. But I think
they're similar to the White Sox that as soon as you lose a player,
the next man up is not good, like and the next man up will
be some random quad A player or maybe even a triple A player, because
they haven't paid to get the one or two or even the five or six
veterans into this lineup, which I think would actually make them not only a
better team, but a genuine playoff contender, Like can you imagine if this
team added Carlos's career or Dansby Swanson like as much as Gave loves Joe Mateos
like having one of those guys as that short stop, I just think,
just but also having the presence of one of those people in the clubhouse would
make a massive difference. The thing I'm starting to get onto the dislike the
Orioles trail, mainly because their owners have come out and start to say things
like, oh, we don't want to be like Houston anymore. We want
to be like Tampa, which is that you want to go bad and then
not spend money, not that you want to go bad, pickle the prospects,
and then spend the money to reach the top. They're trying to recreate
what Tampa was doing, which to me is not a good thingful baseball to
have multiple teams that are trying to not spend and win. So, yeah,
I think they'll just miss out on eighty wins. I have seventy nine
wins. I think from a neutral point of viewer, it was just really
disappointing that they didn't invest in just a couple of veteran pitchers. You know,
if they've done what the Giants have done, taken Stripling and Maniah,
then that rotation would look so much different, and then you could you could
you could dream on those youngsters, but yeah, the pitching is differently.
You need dl Call to come through and prove that he can he can perform
at the big league level, but yeah, he's always injured. Come at
the end of the season, you could have Whole and Grayson Rodriguez both pitching
like two of the best pitchers in the league. But it's not going to
be until the end of the season, and by then they'll be out of
this playoff run and they'll be like, well, yes, this is what
we told you that next season was our season, as we will hear for
the next three seasons. What are we saying eightwo then I had Ross had
seventy nine. You had eighty three, didn't you? So yeah, I
think probably makes it very hard for me to put the Yankees in fifth place,
now, doesn't it? Do you want to start on that one?
Ga, go for it? Wee gave. Okay, So New York Yankees.
Do they have a rotation? That is a question. They got Garrett
cole, is Tason you would you want to continue along that list? Yeah?
I got Aaron Judge. They've got a couple of decent players. I
think I just think they are always overrated. Yeah, nineteen nine wins last
season. It was good year. But I can't see that they're the best
team in the divid come through the second best accancy, that they're the third
best. I would have liked. I would have liked the winds to work
out that Baltimore and Boston both finished above them. Um, I think Boston,
Boston? Will I think Boston? Can? I think I don't know?
You know, I don't like the Yankees. Okay, so let's let's
let let's take the we know galv doesn't like the Yankees. That's just split
for a second to say that, yes, also pitching for the Yankees is
Nesta Cortez, who ahead of phenomenal season and they do that good. They've
got Carliss Rodan and Lewis Severino, who, yes, will both miss part
of the season, but will be phenomenal when they do pitch. And then
they're picking up the other innings from Domingo Homan, Clark Schmidt, Frankie Montaz
who they are going to be one perfectly fine when it comes to pitching.
They're not to the Baltimore Orioles. And two, I think you might be
right Cav that they don't have the stuffs that we used to think about all
the Yankees, beyond Judge and maybe beyond Tol. I think Rodon was obviously
I think would be brought in. If you were to Hilney, who would
be the top three players for the Yankees in twenty twenty three, I probably
would have gone Rodon, Cole and Judge they are the star players. When
it has got to the point where and that this isn't I don't This is
a slight on Vulpe, but the fact that he's actually got up to the
point where he's maybe earned that position starting position for this season says a lot
about the Yankees. It wouldn't have been historically in the position where a youngster
who maybe would do a two maybe three war season in their rookie year would
actually get up because there would be a five six seven war player in that
position that he would be contending for and he isn't. Because who's the next
best hitter or next best player on that team? I think you could have
genuine arguments that you are talking about like maybe Bader if he has well with
a bad and is defensively solid, or claibor Torres or Dja Mayhew or even
like Rizzo, there's there's there's an argument for who is the second best hitter
on that team. And that shouldn't really be the case for the New York
Yankees. They should never be like the top It should be an argument between
the top three, which one of the top three is the top three,
not there's a clear one, and then there's nobody's. They're not nobody's,
but they're all good players for that second spot. So no, I don't
think they win ninety nine wins. I still think they'll be a very good
team. I still think that they will compete with the Rays in the Blue
Jays to win that title. I have them at eighty nine, so I'm
not thinking they're going to be amazing. I was high on them. I
was high. I'm looking at depth. I'm looking at a bunch of teams
like where they're all gonna deal with injuries, and i just think if you
take any third, any positions, third player for the Yankees, they are
going to come heat with most of the first choices from any other team.
It's just so much depth, it's so strong, and you know you've got
that they can just keep churning these players out out of their system that isn't
ranked that high yet there's always the next guy who's going to do the job.
So I'm still very high on the Yankees. And and you know what,
we've said it for a few years now that oh maybe they're not that
brilliant, maybe they're not that great, but they keep being that brilliant,
that great. So I'm not looking lower than in ninety five. You know,
I've still fear the Yankees. Yeah, and I don't think that's going
away. Anytime soon. So I've got ninety five, Russ, you're eighty
nine, Gab, I'm sensing you considerably lower. I just think that with
the old guys, with the old hitters, they've got Josh, Jonaldston Now
and Hicks, they're not going to get in in anyone else's team. And
they're starting with three. Yeah, sensational pictures, but they're all in jured
in severing the Montess and rod On, and that doesn't necessarily mean in two
weeks or in four weeks that there will be there will be fully fit.
So I don't know. I'm happy to go with the eighty nine, which
I heard anything beginning eighty sounds good to me. If I had my wild
card, i'd probably throw it out there. But that is gone. Yeah,
you're wasted eighty nine. I'm dying on the Brewers. So given it,
you said that, you said, Joe, we'll push it up to
ninety and make it interesting. Given Europe at ninety five, are you accepting
ninety or is that that running against everything in your blood? Oh? Accept
whatever you agree? Oh okay, I gotta have a winner that leaves the
Blue Jays blue Jays. I find the hardest to put in a position in
this this division. Um, I think they're a bit disappointing last year.
And I don't mean that they were disappointing in that they were bad. I
think they were disappointing in that we didn't see the quantum leap forward again that
we perhaps expected from them. They're young guys are here now, and we've
been at a safe for a few years. The young guys are coming,
they're almost here, they're getting ready to be here. They're here, and
I haven't seen the difference between they're coming and they're here, you know.
I mean it's it's you're talking about Vanda mcgrera Jr. Who is an astonishing
baseball player. Absolutely, you can't can't fault him. But yeah, Bobichette's
great, absolutely, but but there was a time when we thought he could
be world changingly good. And he's he's he's great, but he's not quite
there. I've been on record a few times talking about how Dalton va Show
is only valuable when he's using him for his multi positional point and as an
outpleader. He's great, but he's nothing special anymore. Yes, they've added
Merryfield, so I'm back and forth and back and forth, and then Brandon
Belt whatever hell that's all about. So I'm back and forth. I really
struggle to pick a place to put the Blue Jays. So I've got them
at eighty eight, but I could be very easily Swedie away on them.
Gav. Yeah, I think they are head and shoulders best team in division.
I think this is the year when it does all come together. They
have assembled a fantastic lineup of hitters, and they've added var show to it.
They've added Belt to it to give them a bit of variation for the
DHU, and the rotation looks looks very, very very good. It looked
possibly the strongest rotation in baseball. So yeah, I could seem winning ninety
nine. I don't think you get a hundred win team in the division.
But I'm a lot more positive than you, Rob Extinguish. I'm more questioning
the best rotation in baseball, like I don't. I don't think it would
even be top five, but maybe even top ten rotation in baseball. I
think you've got good players there. I think Dausman is good. I think
bass It is good. I think alec Manoah is good. Josie vary depends
what we see us Hucci, depends what we see like those that there's some
real question marks that you're kind of fourth and fifth starting pitcher there. Um
yeah, Romana one sponsor, Earth and Bass. I think from from a
closing side, will be will be stronger in relief. I think this is
going to seem is going to be better hitting. I think what we've actually
realizing is maybe that all of these young Blue Day players are well, they're
like three and a half to four and a half more players. They're not
five six more players that are constantly perennially like MVP contenders. They're not.
They're not turning into bets. They're not turning into like the people who are
Arronado's in that regard, who are kind of constantly competing. They are all
very good? Are you? I have to question sometimes when you're a team
that's gonna probably give Kevin Kim four hundred plate appearances in a season, how
good you actually are because you'll break it before then. Yeah, Like he's
he's obviously phenomenal defensively, but he's also obviously awful with the bat, Like
and so what are you? What are you really trying to get out of
him. I think, yeah, I think it's adding in the belt and
bar show to give yourself a bit of different handedness to what you was maybe
potentially caused the Blue Jays in issue last year, makes a difference. I
do also agree that I think this team will win the division. I have
them at like ninety three, So I don't obviously like I'm never gonna probably
push anybody to a hundred or wave of predictions just because that's not the way
the mask plays out. But unless it was like the Dodgers team probably from
a couple of years ago. But yeah, I think that I think that
they should be favorites for this deficient And so yeah, I have ninety three
wins. I can I can easily go with that, as I was here
to be squayed, um gave you. I mean, so I'm happy to
go up to ninety three. I'm happy. I'm happy to push it one
or two high. I mean, I mean, how's ninety four? Ninety
four's perfectly okay's ninety four, it's a bit more gav ninety four wins,
ninety four win Toronto Blue Jays. Good grief, right, um from an
al east. Then let's go to the other side of the country. Um,
and let's crop up some miles and go n L West. Why not,
let's just go all the way over there. Um. NL West is
a team of a division of stars and scrubs over the last couple of years.
Um, a little bit of reversion to the mean. Maybe Russell,
would you want to do you want to kick us off with a team from
the NL West. Yeah, let's talk about the Rockies. They're bad.
They may be very correct, U. Yeah, I think you'll get some
solid performances from Toe, Varmot, Man Brian, Drugs and Profile could probably
have fun out in Coursfield. Um. The issue was always pitching, Like
Herman Marquez, didn't Cal Freeland come out as respectable pitchers there in even maybe
sense and Teller does on occasion. But I don't really think much of Jossierrian
of pitching in course fields that like, even who else is going to pick
up the rest of those innings? I think they kind of get buttered and
batchered. Um, quite quite bad. The Rockies are always the same in
the kind of the bench, but look good either, So like you've got
ailing agings. Mike Mustachis and Charlie Blackman, who I don't really think much
of ct Cron could have another nice season, But now I really don't think
much of this Rockies team. I think the Dodgers and will get to them
and the Padres are both good teams, and I think the Chants and the
Diamondbacks are both reasonable teams. So I kind of see in a world.
In this world and in even looking at the Central and the East, the
Rockies are the potentially the team they're going to get bullied second most. So
yeah, I have them at sixty five worst team. That's me, that's
maybe pessimistic. And I have them at sixty five. You go, you
can push them to a below one hundred or above one hundred doth team if
you both think so, I wouldn't be I'm not against that. Not where
my predictions really if anybody were one hundred wins or one hundred loss hard to
see. Yeah, I find it hard to see how they're going to win
sixty five games. They do look ridful. What's your number? Gave sixty
one. I had fifty eight, So I think I think we can meet
in the middle on gabs gave sixty one. Yeah, I can take it.
We've got to give. We've gotta have somebody losing. Losing one hundred
sixty one for the Rockies. Sorry we didn't talk more about them, Rocky
Fan, but you know, Benny, have your day. Um moving on,
then he had his day. He had his day. Let's let's let's
head up to something a little bit more positive, but only a little bit
more positive. Um, the d Backs. The d Backs feel like a
team that are growing. They're not They're not awful. They're gonna be fine.
Um. I Marte is a player who's been sat around in the back
of my head as he's great for years. I'm just starting to have to
review that down to he's fine. There's a lot of fine. There's a
lot of fine. Merrill Kelly is fine, you know, Zach Gallen's very
very good. Joshua has is fine. You know. They are going to
be just fine. And I think they're going to benefit from not having to
play quite as many games against the top end of that division. Again,
I think they're going to be a solidly middle of the run. Eighty three
wins. Oh, I thought I was going to be positive and say like
eight to put them out a five hundred win team, but Robb, you're
also kind of I quite like him. I think Corbyn, Carroll is looking
good, Alec Thomas. We could get to see the delightfully named Brandon Fart
to play for them this year. So wait, wait, wait what?
Sorry start, I know I've missed this altogether and I'm tangent. Sorry,
Brandon Fut It's pelt p faa dt, but I do believe it is pronounced
fart. So favorite player, Brandt. Do you think they'll be in above
five? You think they're gonna be a positive team? No, I don't
think so. I think I think they're a good scene. I thought I
was going to be quite positive on them. I think they've made improvements to
last year because Carroll, we're going to get a whole season of Carroll,
and then they've got Moreno and Thomas hopefully he can't be as bad as he
was before. So I worry about their pitching. Gallen and Kelly are both
good, but I worry about after that. Um, I think they're gonna
struggle to get to five hundred. I would have thought, you know,
seventy eight, seventy nine, But that's fine. That's in the range that
I think it is acceptable. If if Rob is saying, you're saying seventy
nine, Rob saying eighty three, and I'm saying eighty one, do we
give them the benefit of doubt and say into eighty one, boys, sure
better than a five hundred. There's there's worse out there, better than five
hundred, surely, Then I reckon they're gonna they're gonna stumble for There are
teams here who are gonna are gonna fight for every win. I mean,
the d Backs should stumble through through five hundred, surely. Plus Brandon Fart
has like like friendliest face, Like he's a lovely looking chap. He looks
really cheery, and he's going to turn up one day in that bullpen.
He's gonna pick everyone up and they're gonna go, Yeah, let's all,
let's all go go for for Fart and and you know, let's push this
one out and let's let's get that extra win. And yeah, I'm I
really really don't like five hundred of the d Backs. I think there's a
couple more wins in him. Surely, Come on, anyone wins, Rob,
We're moving on. You've used your jokers, Okay, So if we
go to the Giants, because they're the other team who are going to be
round about five hundred in the division, and you just can never tell what's
gonna happened with the Giants. They just seem to be able to produce magic
from different platoons, to produce magic from players who other teams have discarded.
Where did they what did they do last year? Exactly five hundred. I
think they've really done well with improving the rotation, will improving strengthening the rotation,
despite losing Carlos Rodon, which they were never going to be able to
replace, And yeah, I think this five or six veteran pictures. I
think they're going to be a pretty decent team. I don't think we're going
to go back to the days of them competing with the Dodgers and the Padres
for division. But I think they're going to be round about five hundred,
just over five hundred eighty two wins. Your thoughts, I can go with
that. I mean that they didn't have the best year. I think they
underperformed a little bit on what they were last year. The pitching isn't spectacular,
but yeah, it's a it's a it's it's an approved outfield from what
we've they've historically struggled with the outfield, and I like it a lot better
than I have done in previous years. Um, they're catching situation is is
a problem, and Wilma Flores is on the depth chart far too many times
for the infield for my liking. But they're they're they're all right. Yeah,
I get I'm I'm I'm seeing them having a decent battle with the d
Backs and there is a world whereby both of those end up competing for the
last world card spot. And I think there's a decent race that we had
there. Um, I don't quite see that happening, but it's not with
it beyond the realm. So I'll give me an eighty one to eighty three.
I'm happy with that. Okay, So I'm going to go out there
and say I'm using my joker now. I think this team is crap.
I think this team is awful. I think there is nobody who's good on
this team. I think there is fifteen average players on this team who one
of them or five of them could be good. But I think also all
of them could be crap. Like when when you're going out there and saying
that, like fear were Strada or Mike Yastremski is your best hitter, Like
that's that's not a position that you should put any team in if you have
any genuine thoughts about winning. And they were obviously they tried to sign career
and all of the fact that happened there, like and if you end up
with like Michael could forth, it was your main signing. Afterwards, Like,
I don't think it's good. And I do agree that with gav saying
that their pitching is better than it could have been. But obviously they could
have resigned Radon, Like if you're talking about the money that they potentially offer
to Korea, they could have kept Radon and in that regards, And so
I just think that wheels are coming off here. They just doesn't. I
don't have the faith in the Giants that I have in the Rays that they
can make these things sort of things work. We saw one amazing season out
of them, and then everybody was suddenly like, oh my god, the
Giants must be amazing, called the people in the cobhouse, they must be
amazing. And then we kind of saw them fall off, and then everybody
was just like oh no, no, no, no, I think that
was just the down here, like it's somewhere in between. No, I
think they're bad. So I'm saying seventy five wins and that's by Joker sent
five Russell not welcome in the Bay Area. I think they talked to you
about the days later. Okay, right, moving on to the more positive
side, then let's talk about the Padres. Tom Pringle's Padres lodo crap,
over priced, rubbish, They're not going to go anywhere. No, obviously
the Padres have spent big. They look big. They are an impressive looking
team. Again, I'm a little bit short on some of the depth,
but the headliners are there. I'm just I just still can't look past the
Dodgers with them though, I just I think they're going to be good.
I just don't think they're going to be brilliant. I think there's too many
questions over Tatis at the moment. What's he going to come back with?
You know that they had they had some good performances from the likes of Kim
last year. Is he going to do that kind of stuff again? And
you know, but chaos due a down year. Eventually, you know it's
going to happen and there's a little bit on the outfield depth and not percent
sure on But we're not talking about are they going to be a crappy team.
They're going to be a very good team. I'm just talking are they
going to be quite as elite as as we would like them to be.
On the flip side, I think the pitching will come up a little bit.
I don't really know what Michael Whacker's doing there. Other than that,
I'm fairly happy that they're going to regress the other way. They're going to
be better than they were, and I have picked the Padres for ninety four
wins, very very good, not world changing. I think there was twenty
two between them and the Dodgers last year. It's huge difference. Yet the
Potteries beat them in the postseason, so I think in the postseason they're They're
very, very good. They are potentially the best team in baseball. But
can they close at twenty two game gap by the improvements they've made and the
regression which we'll get from the Dodgers, Yeah, I think it's going to
be very close. If I've got ninety four as well, and I've got
the Dodgers with ninety five to just take the division. So yeah, I
think tell us why we're wrong with us. I don't think much of you
said is wrong. I think the question, as you as He's talked about,
is that what happens if somebody who gets injured. I think they've got
some bits and pieces that will fill in around that will be useful, like
Cruise Carpenter. But if you're giving much time to rugenet Odor or Adam Engel
David Dale, then you know that something's gone wrong with that season that they're
not just billing in during double headers or when they're kind of already fifteen runs
up. So um, yeah, I think the pitching side is as we've
discussed. I think it could be down to what the likes of Nick Martinez
and Seth Lugo do. Like if those guys are phenomenal or suddenly turned out
as actually being good starters, then I think the Padres has got it lined
up, like Bob's your uncle, Fannys, your aunt, whatever, then
they should sew up this division. I still I'm still undetermined which way around.
I've personally got both teams at ninety four wins. So because I decided
to sit on the fence, again, there are some teams that I have
not said on the fence, but on this one again, I've decided that,
yeah, you know what, I think both of them will make the
postseason and then they might have to play each other again and it will be
thoroughly entertaining for us all. So, yeah, padres ninety four wins,
then, I think, so finally we agreed on ninety four wins for something.
I'm higher on the Dodgers. I think I think it's I think we've
we've been so so heavily looking for a chink in their armor. And yeah,
they're not one hundred team. They win team they were last year,
absolutely, but that is a long way to fall back from. And we've
been so badly picking a hole looking for holes. We don't realized this team
is still generationally good. You know, they're they're with depth as well.
You know they they've got guys who can play all over the place. Um
shortstop is their whole. It's weird. I don't know why they've not done
more to sort that one out. I'm not convinced by Rojas personally as being
on this team, but then then they're going to pick him up. I
can absolutely see Noah synder Guard going back to what he was supposed to be.
I can absolutely see that happen, and I have no confidence in anybody
other than the Dodgers, more than the Dodgers to get that there. So
I'm I'm still all in on the Dodgers here. I think they're going to
win the division. No, I'm not going to predict the silly wins they
had last year. So I'm going for ninety seven on the Dodgers, and
I don't think that is high a prediction. I think it's very, very
doable. I'm hearing both of you slightly less, so I'm happy to come
down to Gather's middling ninety five. So the thing for me is that as
much as I thought Trace Thompson was an amazing player for team as ub when
he's probably their starting center fielder, and David Perrault is probably their starting left
fielder, and Meo Robots is they're starting short stop. This isn't the This
isn't the Dodgers team that was playing like Trait Earner and even going back a
few years having like Cody Bellingers as their CENTI fielder. Jason Heyward's going to
make this squad and who was brought in as a non roster in flight,
they are weaker. I think they are significantly weaker than they were one especially
like two seasons ago. It still doesn't mean that they're bad. It just
means they're not one hundred win team anymore, or they're not one hundred and
eleven win team like they were last year, or and potentially on records.
I think the straight up spot for j D. Martinez and just in turn
to DH's is a wash. I don't think there's any issue there. Losing
Gavin looks, I think will hurt. I think it will cost them a
couple. I think that's why I got them back to being level instead of
being slightly ahead. But yeah, you look at that, you look at
the bullpend, and I mean you look at the starters, and maybe it
isn't as strong as a few years back, but would you still think you've
got a Rys Kirsh or Synder Guard and then you're going to get time out
of counselin May, who I both think a very good pictures but obviously struggled
to states to stay healthy. And I could talk in favorable terms about this
Dodger's bullpen for probably an entire podcast, like Evan Phillips, Alex Fcer,
Bruce Dog, Garrett grad Role, unlike Caleb Ferguson, Daniel Hudson. I
think they're all phenomenal, and I don't see many of the teams that have
the same depth in the bullpen, which I think will just carries the Dodgers
over those few games that are that are tight that some of the teams may
lose out on. So yeah, I have them at ninety four. I
put them the same because I think there are things that they're stronger at than
the Padres are, which would be which would be the bullpen. I think
some of the starters for the Padres are better, and some of the starting
hitters are better, But I think the Dodgers have a better system that if
they lose one or two players, it's though it's good. Look. See
they've lost looks already for any high season, and I still think they're ninety
four win team. Yep, ga, have you had ninety five? Right?
Um? Yes? I did you? Okay, Well, I mean
I had ninety seven rust of ninety four, so I'm happing good ninety five
go with the gave number, lovely well, that is that is the just
to me, just going back to the Dodgers just for one second, hundred
what did we say, one hundred and eleven wins? Yeah, that was
last year. Yeah yeah, and then they had Max Munsey hitting below the
windows a line and Cody Bellinger in it for the whole year. So it
really was an incredible season. Yeah yeah, no, no, no arguments
there. I totally see it. So where are we now? Well,
what do you fancy? You fancy Al West or n L East? Gave
any East? N L East? And which team I will go for?
The Philadelphia Phillies. Oh, the interesting one in the middle. Yeah.
Are they going to be the interesting one in the middle though, that's the
question. I don't think so. I reckon they're going to come second in
the division. I think that the addition of trade. They're obviously really good
last year. We know that because they got to the World Series. But
the addition of trade Turner just makes such a big difference. He is and
this is before the World Baseball Classic exploits. I did think before he is
just the most incredible player to have brought into your franchise. And yeah,
I know it costs him a lot three hundred million or something, but yeah,
him hitting at the top of this lineup just completely transforms it. Obviously,
the loss of Ess Hoskins is it's a big blow, and we knew
that Harper was going to be out for a while, but with Nola and
Wheeler spitheading that for rotation, I think, Yeah, I think it's another
good season for the Phillies. I think they'll do better than last year.
Maybe not to get to the World Series, but I think they'll do better
in the division and get the second place. What say you guys, have
you got a winter for ninety two? Sorry? Wow, Yeah, that's
that's a bit higher than I have. Um I would have probably. I
think if I ran this models before Hoskins, I think I had it at
ninety one. I think I have them down to eighty seven eighty eight now
with a loss of Hoskins. I think the loss of Hoskins and having to
now give time to like Derek Call with a few others who are going to
play their time at first, really exposes the underbelly of this team. I
think. I think the Phillies are up there in the Stars and Scrubs level
of a team that they yes the injuries have kind of already happened to this
team. We're kind of saying that they've lost Hoskins and they've got missing Harper
for probably half the season, but that still means they probably could have the
same amount of injuries as anybody else during the season, and I really worry
what will happen there. I think you'll spot on around the other and Wheeler.
I think that the other parts of the starting pitchers should be fine.
I think once Ranger Suarez's fit, I think he's good, and Walker just
adds good depth, good person to eat up some innings and do fine.
But I do worry about that kind of that underbelly that could be required to
play for Philadelphia, which is why I have them. Yeah, like eighty
seven eighty eight wins. I wasn't even that high on them. If I'm
honest, I look at this team and I see a blunt object. I
see a team that wasn't designed with much nuance or much thought behind it.
You know, even looking at the bullpen, it's like, oh, we
need some more pictures in our bullpen. I guess gets some closers. That
guy was quite good for that team. That guy was quite it just doesn't
scream that there's you know, much thought gone into this, and it really
is a case of let's just roll through a couple of teams with some money
and and end up with whatever this is. I think they're playing well over
their heads last year. I think they're hitting carried them. I think their
defense was was was better, much better then then it should have been.
Russell was looking to chip in and tell me how stupid and wrong I am.
No, I just have some latest news that since we've started recording this
podcast, the Phillies have traded for Christian Pachet. So, oh dear,
I think that tells you where. But obviously he's a great defensive player,
he's just something exactly So maybe like they've decided to kind of put things up
slightly during during some of this time, pray. I don't know if he
gets any game time or not, but that kind of to me tells you
where the Phillies are that they need to if they feel that they need to
be making a deal for Christian Paget. But blunt object, unt object again,
No, we needs some deefense back. I can catch a ball.
They'll worry about the fact he can't can't hit the ball. It's it's crazy,
it's crazy approach. He let it work last year, so le you
know, you know what, maybe it will work again. I have my
suspicions that they were the giants of the year before and they played well over
their heads. I've got them down as eighty three. Um, but the
two of you have got them higher. So so I guess that is that
is where we go. But I think the Phillies are going to be going
to be pretty bad, much better than eighty three wins. I think I
think they showed last year and what they continued to show this year is that
a bad defensive player it's not actually like bad bad compared to it, I
think a bad hitter is. So yeah. Um, well, given the
rages that we have, I don't want to say I'm in the middle once
again. So let's pick my number. But no, no, no,
I mean, let's I'll take it between that you had ninety one and eighty
seven, so I'm happier to take eighty nine. But I'm doing so under
protest, so you can be aware that this this is my I told you
so. At the end of the year, when the Phillies fall flat,
on their face, but I'll give you as eighty nine on that one and
Russell, who do you want um? Or let's let's peel off the band
aid. Let's talk about the New York Mets, who have had a very
interesting off season. But I'm not certain if they're actually better. I don't
think that there are have Like their third base looks a bit mayor, which
I'm quite surprised that they didn't really kind of do anything to sort out.
They still have holes, I think in the outfield, Like I don't think
you should be giving time to Mark Canner and Tommy fam if you think that
you're a team that's going to be contending. But when I look at their
pitching, I think it's this is where I'm like, I think this is
a team that's got absolutely phenomenal pitching. When you've basically got Choza Villand as
a starting two, when you can throw Codeisinger behind who I've looked at some
of his MPB stuff and I think he's brilliant. I think he'll still have
the stuff. But then this season, see, then you're picking up the
rest of your runnings from Carrasco, David Peterson, Taylor McGill and Josie Kntana
when they're back or when he's back. Yeah, I think I think they're
great. I do think we have to maybe worry about that relief now that
they are missing Edwin Diaz, who was, or if not the greatest kind
of like reliever current currently available, maybe class would be the only one you
can have the document with, so it will make a difference. And so
I don't think they're I would have had them at a steven maybe ninety eight
win team with Diaz and with maybe like a better Oh yeah, I think
I had them at that when they had Carlos Carrea as well, like when
they had A fifty years and when Carlos Carreia was they never had him potentially
a met and potential he was going to play third base instead of Eduard Escobar.
I had them work close to one hundred with team. Without those two
players, there are ninety win team, ninety one win team. And so
I know Gaff was saying that like he thinks the Phillies will will finish second,
I don't quite think that. I think the Mets will finish ahead of
the Phillies, but I do think they are both a little bit behind the
Braves. Again, I absolutely go with that. I mean, I've got
the Braves winning the division at a fair trot for me. Um, they've
got that starting pitching defense depth, which is important. I think they're going
to need it. Um, you can't build a team on guys who are
that end of the career and and hope. I mean it's it's a hitting
hope, you know, there's there's so so they've done the right thing and
that they've they put a little bit of depth behind them there. And I'm
so, you're right, I'm happy with that starting starting pitchers. A lot
of it's a lot of talker about it, a lot of worry about it,
but they've got that depth. So yeah, I'm not too upset by
that. Um. But then you're right, Yeah, the outfield is looking
a little slimmer than it should be. For the money they spent, you
would expect a little bit more. That said, we're in a similar sort
of situation as we were talking about with the Dodgers and the Padres. We're
talking about a very good team here, just perhaps not quite as elite as
we thought they were. So I'm around the same ballpark as Russell I'm on.
I was on ninety four, but I'll take take a slight dip quite
happily, I had ninety one. I think there's a world of difference between
the Mets and the Dodgers and the Padres. I think the West Coast teams
are so much better m But yeah, so I said ninety one, said
ninety four, go the mode ninety one? Why not? I would like
to then shift yatly quickly onto the team I think are going to be the
big team, and I think with probably an agreement that the Braves are the
the pace in this division, I have them personally down as the pace for
the whole lot. I'm really really in on the Braves um. A lot
of people were surprised when they picked up the World Series a couple of years
ago, but I think it was telegraphed it was coming, and I don't
think the team is dramatically worse than it was then. In any way,
I think you can mostly stay it's a little bit better. There's some slight
worries over the oft forgotten by this podcast starting pitchure rotation, but generally I
really like this team. I really like it's balanced. I really like the
way it's put together. I like like I like the mix of types of
hitters they've got. Um. I like that there's a lot of pieces that
will move around and will cover each other very well. So I'm really really
in on the Braves and they're my only hundred win team. I absolutely love
the Braves. I think they're gonna gonna absolutely block I've gotten down for the
whole shabarn. Yeah, I think it's hard to argue with that. They
are almost like a perfect team. I like the way that they've decided to
punt on shortstop because they're so good everywhere else. Yeah. Yeah, hunting
or service time manipulation, I don't know, because I don't even know.
I've faughned Grisson how good he is really, but I haven't seen enough of
him. So but yeah, I think the the strength in depth is fantastic,
and the fact that they improved their catching position by getting Murphy and they
could afford to trade away a couple of major league ready starters because they had
so much pitching depth. So um, yeah, they are definitely the team
to beat in the division. And you could be right that they could be
the only one hundred win team. I haven't gotten down for a hundred wins,
but yeah, you could be right. You could be right. So
I don't like the depth on this team. Like I one hundred percent agree
that you've got six of the hitters like a CUNYEA Riley, Harris, Ulson
Murphy at Alb's that I think a phenomenal. I really don't like what they're
throwing out in like left field, the fact that it's some mix of Eddie
Rosario, Marcelo Zeno and yeah, like just yah, that's that's not quite
vomit inducing. But if I was to look at that on a on a
top team, I'd be like, why did we not improve that? I
think it's service time manipulation. On Grisham was pretty good in the small amount
of service time that he got last year in the top division, and deciding
that you're going to put Orlando Arca out ahead of him, it's like it
just doesn't doesn't make sense to me. So I feel like that that's kind
of like a gap that's they're kind of forcing on themselves that maybe it won't
make a difference. Maybe they know that they're gonna maybe win a divisional or
get to the wild card without it. But I think winning your division and
makes it having one of the top records makes a difference about not having to
play that three game series, So that could be something that costs them.
So I don't quite see them as a as a ninety ninety eight team.
I've got ninety four wins. I think that's fairly fairly valid. I think
obviously with Freed, Freed right, Morton and Stryder picking up most of their
pitching an in sticking, they do very good. Yeah, but yeah,
I think one injury to one of those key players and you start to expose
the nap underbelly that is behind this team. Like I don't think the bench
options that they have match like some of the other seas that we've talked about
having good secondary options, but the top players are so good that it doesn't
matter unless but they're making the playoffs. Even if one of those players get
injured, like we saw like they didn't need a Kunye to to do well.
So yeah, I can imagine that they'll easily make the playoffs. But
even if one of these players miss is a significant amount of time, it's
just I think that's just not not do you want to a conspiracy theory.
Yeah, we'll go for it. We love a conspiracy theory. Okay,
So they love they really do love signing players to long term deals. They
like signing youngsters to below market rate long term deals. So they put it
to Vaughan Grisham, We'll sign you for the next ten years for eighty five
million, and he said no chance. So I said, okay, well
you're starting off in triple ay and we'll start with Orlando. We'll see you.
It could be. It's it's it's one of the ones out there.
It's not even that far edged. They're doing something in Atlanta and and it's
it's not fair deals and good rates. And yeah, there's there's something going
on. There's smarts certainly some rms being twisted. But yeah, yeah,
I think we got them. I got ninety four, I got ninety four.
What did you have, Rock? Can we get a ninety five ninety
six? I think we should. We've We've been unfair to rub quite a
lot. Let's get the ninety six for him. Okay, thank you very
much. Sea. Would you like to talk about next? H Washington?
Agree? Washington Nationals, Yes, Washington Nationals. This is hot take.
They're not very good ah Slander's words. I quite like lots of their players,
so I think they will be better than we expect them to. And
Joy Menesis will be a superstar. And the youngsters like Cabo Ruis and CJ
Abrams, and I like Louis Garcia. I think they will all produce above
average performances and the next couple of years we could start seeing the Nationals turn
the corner. But this year I think it's going to be woeful. I
think it was a rather tongue in cheek prediction that I had them finishing above
the Marlins, But now I think they could could possibly be the worst team
in baseball. Oh grief, So I have them for sixty one wins.
Yeah, so I ran. I had to double check when I ran my
model because I didn't think my team, my model had ever given me a
below sixty win team as a model. Yeah, of course I have a
model. Rob got a bit of paper. Yeah, but yeah, no,
I my system really does not like this team. I think it really
does. It really does not like the pitching. It does not like a
team that needs to get one hundred and seventy innings out of Patrick Corbyn.
It does not think much of just I agree, it does not think much
of Trevor Williams and Chad Cruel and anybody else who's potentially picking up innings for
them whose names aren't Steven Strasburg, because even though he's not really pitched,
probably when he pitches again, if he ever pitches again, he'll probably be
reasonable. But no, it's spat out fifty nine wins, which I was
very, very shocked at. But I yes, I think you'll probably right
after a couple of the young players could come out and look quite nice.
I do believe that Joey Minesis is not this year's Frank Swindell who just falls
off the map after doing things. Well. I think he's whatever he's doing.
The background stats seem to suggest that he's actually earning the outcomes and not
getting a bit lucky. So I think he could be very good. Just
that team is just not as a whole. So yeah, I said fifty
nine, You'm I was a little bit higher. I just I just got
excited by Erasmo Ramires, and I don't know really why. I just I
just kind of went down a Wikipedia rabbit hole learning about Erasmo Ramires. There's
nothing particularly exciting to learn that he's got a very friendly face, and I
think maybe you push me up a little bit. I had him, I
had them at six sixty seven. But I think you're probably right, and
Erasmo Ramiros doesn't isn't really going to make all that much of a difference.
Kind of hard for a reliever to make a difference when the starters and hitters
of that. But it's probably not a five win player. Probably probably not.
Now I'm gonna I mean, I could have been talked into him being
a five win player, but I'm going to freely admit now I may have
been a bit high on Erasmo Um. But Erasmo is a great name as
well, like you know, as the name of someone I've never met in
Arasmo. But I would really like to meet in a Rasmo Um. Sorry
I've got off topic. But what guys, what do you guys say?
He said? I said, fifty nine, Oh griefs very unfriendly. Yeah,
well, I like gab. Let's go with his sixty one sixty one.
So then we're left with the Marlins. Oh, the marlins. What
we got for the Marlins? I got seventy five. I don't think I've
got a less than that I had seventy and I feel bad for saying that
just because it's I think they're better than that. I just don't understand the
lineup construction. And when you've struggled that, you then struggled with kind of
what the what they were doing. It's like you bring in like j Selar
and Ava girls here and it's like, Okay, we're going to try and
power hit. That's the way we're going to kind of go out of it.
And then you spend this whole entire time bringing in everybody who's a slap
hitter. So it's maybe you're trying to combine them whole things together. Hey,
I watched Lewis Riots hit two home runs in a single game in Marlin's
Parks or in Depot Parks. So maybe it's the possibility that the Riots can
actually hit well. But I just don't know, Like that whole entire offensive
side, it's a massive question mark. Like, yes, we know Jazz
can hit one on earth, is you're going to do in set a field
like it could be amazing, could be awful, Like Sandacntra is going to
probably pitch two hundred twenty two hundred and forty innings or whatever because they'll allow
him to do that. What are you really excited by anybody else? Like,
I just feel like we were talking about the Marlins having like this great
set of pictures maybe eighteen months ago, maybe even six months ago, but
getting rid of Lopez, Like Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, they all kind
of look good, but I just don't know what time you're going to get
out of them. Quatos are good innings, ea too, but he's nothing
to write home about. Lizardo solid. Yeah, I don't know if I'm
being harsh, but I just don't. I just don't understand how this team
is opposed to work. So, yeah, seventy five wins, I'd be
happy for Lord listener, what number have you got? I've got seventy?
But maybe I'm being as I got as well I would, I would say
they've got a lot of I do like the fact that they have so many
Jay names on their team. Um, you just look at the look at
the depth charts, and it's you've got a Jorgey, Joey, Jazz two,
Jesus Is, John Joe, Jimmy, Jeff, JT, and Johnny
I mean, that's that's a lot of Jay's. Have we have we have
we figured out and the gene um? Have we figured out what what the
Marlins plan is here? Maybe it's maybe it's it's it's to do with the
Jay's. No, all right, lovely well, moving on, seventeen seventies
and seventy five, seventy one and a half, seventy two of them,
Okay, I mean that's one of my predictions is I don't think I don't
think all the games are gonna get played, but we'll we'll go there later.
So seventy seventy two then yeah, yep, yep, seventy two.
One more division to go, one more division that is the al West.
Um, should we start bottomore, start top? And I think there is
a fairly clear bottom and top to this division bottom stop bottom, all right,
and that Oakland Well, have you got an alternative prediction here? No?
Um, Yeah, this is quite a high variance. They could either
be really bad or really really bad. It's possible that Esti Ruise is a
fantastic player. It's possible it's possible that Ryan Noda, the Rule five guy,
is a twenty twenty hitter in the big leagues. We know that Seth
Brown is decent, Aguila could be half decent um and Ramondo Lareano he was
a very good outfielder before he had his drugs bust. And it's also possible
that the rotation of which I know next to nothing about any of them,
could be really good. Oakland pictures are generally very good. That's what they
do. They develop good pictures with the massive, great foul territory, and
then they trade them away for something else. But it's also possible they are
absolutely dreadful and it could be a historically bad season. So I have I'll
tell you what got. I have sixty winds, which seems maybe a bit
generous. Now, what do you reckon? I think we're going to see
the true experiment of what does the triple eighteen when they're in the Major League.
Like, maybe these guys are all cord and I'm being harsh, but
yeah, when Dad, when you said you don't know much about the pictures,
I was thinking in my head, Wait, I know more about the
incoming Japanese picture than I really do know about the other guys on this who
are going to pitch on this team. Because you're like hmm. They're all
kind of names you maybe considered on your fantasy rosters if you have a deep
league or a very deep league, but they're not anything to kind of like
to write home about. Like I would be amazed if anybody entered with an
ERA below four who's pitched like more than a one hundred inigs on this team,
Like it just doesn't it doesn't look good. And Loriano, Kemp and
Brown and maybe Estores can't all the rest of the team up from being bad.
But we could end up seeing like thirty five different players play in a
hitting position for Oakland this year as they just churned through tons of people,
like you could see j. J. Bila Day getting sometimes, you could
see Brent Rocker, you could see some of the other games that like Tyler
SODERSTROMA was about to say Christian Pache but that's not the case anymore. Like
you could see loads of these guys just kind of like ticking through. But
yeah, I don't think they're good. Like these came out as he came
out as fifty nine wins on my my system, so like it really didn't
like the pitching. So yeah, I think so basically everybody who's not named
Trevor may In that bullpen is not good. So it was a lot of
bullpen messes. Up sixty then yep, yep, go sixty. I had
them higher. I feel like they're just you know, replacement level will get
you a certain number. So but I'll go with sixty. I'll go with
sixty. Gav pick a team we need to rattle through these way are going
long. Texas Rangers. Yeh, Texas Rangers. If I, if I
may, I think the Texas Rangers are going to start at an incredible pace
and then they are going to hit a wall about a month in. I
genuinely think they might be leading the majors come the end of April, and
then it's all going to go horribly wrong from there. They've got a selection
of arms that will follow the ball to to home plate at some point.
Brilliant, brilliant stuff. But things are going to come flying off. They're
getting better. They are getting better. They've been a bad team for years.
They are getting better. So I've got them. I've got them eighty
one. And I was like, because these are the I think third Russell
sitting on the fence team that solidly came out as eighty one wins. I
think the variance is stronger. I'd agree, Like, if you get a
load of innings out of de grom I, L. D. Heeney and
John Gray, this team could easily push for a playoff position, but they
won't. We know that. We also know that they have a great infield.
By that outfield is vomit inducing across the entire outfield, with maybe the
exception of a dull As Carcia, Like, I really don't like any of
the any of the options in the outfield, but yeah, when you have
when you're playing Jonah Him, Nathan Lowe or Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Simeon,
Corey Seeger and even Josh Young at third, that's a great infield. So
yeah, I think they'll win games and until those arms break, they'll be
good. So I'm almost just repeating what you said. Rob on't to get
off. Yeah, absolutely more optimistic. I don't think just because he's had
problems before, you can just write off Jacob d Chrome. I think he
has as much jumps of winning the So Young as he does only pitching seventy
five innings. And in Cory Sege, you have a guy who I think
is arguably the best hitter in the game. Um. Yeah, so I
think that they're all quite a few games above five hundred. But I still
think they'll probably be the fourth best team in the division. H what's your
number? My number was eighty six, but yours was eighty one? Was
it? We're two eighty ones and eighty six, eighty two, eighty three,
eighty two, eighty two, Lovely Russell. Who have you got then?
As your third place team in the AL West? The Texas Rangers.
Okay, your fourth place team in the AL Worst? I have the Mariners.
I don't buy. I don't buy a lot of the hype. If
I'm perfectly honest. Think they played well. I think there are some gaps
in this team. I think yeah. I think pitching wise, I think
they've got three or four good guys. I'm not certain that you're going to
get the same performances out of Gilbert and Kirby as you saw towards the end
of last season. I still think Castillo is good. Robbie Ray, to
me, is a very high variance picture. I don't would never put a
bet on anything about what Robbie would Ray would do, like he could be
a er a picture. You could be a five ar a picture and you'll
tell me that and I'd be like, Okay, it wouldn't have been fun
watching, but what it would have happened. I think they've got a great
bullpen, but I just I don't know. I just don't like the middle
to the lower part of the order for the Mariners. And I think you're
very much sat on a team that's you've got Julio was the big guy,
and you maybe you've got big Dumper and Kyle Riley and JP Crawford and Ty
France being like your next best players, but I don't think any of them
are that amazing. So I think this is this is it will be the
Julio show and whether he brings everything else together around him to make them a
good team again. But I had them at eighty wins, so you guys
probably have them a little bit higher. But I don't think they're going to
be as good as they were last year. I think they'll be quite a
lot better. They are another high variants one. But I think everything's coming
together in Seattle now and I think we've gone from this team who were on
the verge there or thereabouts, so I think we have got a true contender.
Oh, have you got a number for us? Eighty eight was my
number? Okay, I went low, I went seventy five. I saw,
I saw a bit of a drop off. One team is going to
have to underperform least considerably against what they're predicted, and I think it it
could be the Mariners. I yea, Julio is not going to do Julio
things. I think ty Franz was probably playing a bit better than than he
is. Um middle infield isn't isn't brilliant, you know, so I'm a
bit lower, but Russell's in the middle for me. So unless the world
cud gets played, I think I'm fairly happy to go with with Russell's prediction,
which was what sorry eighty dav You've still got your choker, so unless
you're going to use it on the Astros or the Angels, yeah, I
just have to save it up and use two next year. Let me just
check our rules eighty one. Then let's give it eighty one. We'll give
him five hundred, and that's that's the third time gave. We'll be able
to say I told you so at the end of the year. Two left.
Then, um, well, let's talk about the Angels. Seeing as
Russell's now close personal friends with mister Otanium, what's to say. I mean,
I've kind of given up trying to predict what's going to happen with the
Angels because every year we think this is the year, and then it's not.
One year we're going to say this is the year, and it will
be. Will it be this year? I don't know, not a bloody
flue. So I put them exactly the same in my mind as I had
the Mariners, which was seventy five. They've they've tried to fix the middle.
I think that is an appropriate approach. I just don't know how well
they've done it, you know, because they're they're facing some regression from from
Trout, which is a horrible thing to say. I don't think we want
to see it. He's still incredible, He's not the Trout he was a
couple of years ago. I think we finally need to start start agreeing that
there is a little bit of regression happening there. Maybe Rendnall come back and
be brilliant. Probably won't because it's the Angels. So I'm going I'm going
to go with another seventy five on the Angels. Okay, so I'm way
higher. Like, no, I'm not up up on the Angels, but
I'm having them above five hundred. I don't think they're they're they're they're that
though I'm not I'm not maybe inhaling all of the gas that like that.
Some people may still be putting out on the Angels, but I think this
is potentially the best rot Angels, rotation the Angels have had for fifteen twenty
years. I think the likes of Sandoval, Demas and Anderson on top of
both aren't he will actually provide some other great starting pitching. I worry about
the relief pitching. I really worry about the relief pitching, and like what
what they're going to do in that regard. There are obviously weak points in
the infield, if not the entire rittenfield. Is we but but I still
think that I can't make a prediction that they're going to be below five hundred
when they have two of the probably the best five players in baseball, if
not two of those two players in baseball, it's just hard. I just
can't make that prediction because it shouldn't be possible for the Angels to continue to
be this bad when they have those two players performing at close to the best
that those two players can like, it just doesn't seem possible. But the
same people are still in charge, so who knows. But I had eighty
four wins, Like, I'm not shouting out that they're gonna they may be
pushing the playoff window, but I had them falling short, So there we
go. Phyllips is fun make He's gonna make this roster, so it's gonna
make it bad. It's gonna make the rotate. I think for the last
few years everyone's been going on that they need to strengthen the lineup, so
Katani and Trout have some support. And yet obviously they signed Anthony Rundon and
he got injured, but hopefully he's coming back. He was looking good in
spring. But then they also signed Hunter Renfro and they signed Brandon Drury.
So now the the lineup is probably as good as it's ever been. Well,
Trout has been there, and as Russell said, the rotations are best
that they've had, so they have addressed these problems which have been leveled at
them. I think you two have been incredibly unkind so it's good because I
have still got my joker, And is your joker going to be to up
the Los Angeles Angels into the playoffs? Gap? I had to winning the
division, oh wow, and I wanted it to work so I could use
my joker to push the Astros down winto third. But because you've been so
i'm kind on Seattle and takes, I can't. But yeah, I think
the Angels are a ninety win team this one. I don't even think it's
close. Oh and is that your joker? Well, unless we're all going
to agree, I'm I think ninety is a push. You could have got
me to dy six. I would have probably agreed with what up to ninety
is a push? Okay, joker time? Then okay, Wine wins all
the Angels, Darius, I don't even think that's controversial. I do think
it's too bad, but I don't know possible. It could happen. Two
injuries in and they are a disaster. Yeah, Rob's just riding the pessimism.
Been burned by the Angels too many times. Finally, then we are
an hour two and a quarter hours in on this podcast. Now we come
to our final team, which is the current world Series champions, the Houston
Astros. They're very very good. They're still very very good. They're possibly
a little bit less good, but they might actually be slightly better. I
don't have an awful lot to say on the Astros because we've run so bloody
long, but I'm just gonna thrust right out there. Then ninety eight wins
for a very very good team that is going to miss OO'SI our two Bay
for a little bit. It's going to have to make a small adjustment to
their rotation. But other than that, they're going to come back and they're
just going to do it again. Yeah, I don't think they're that strong.
I think some of the differences, like the losing the lots the Purlander
obviously, you can talk about the guys that are going to come in and
replace him, get the innings from more innings from Xavier Garcia, Raquidia or
whatever. They're good. They're not as good as Burlander. Um as.
Yeah, still got a great bullpen. The other guys are going to fill
out that started pitching are fantastic. Do I really think much of Chase McCormack,
No, not really. But when that's basically the weakness in your lineup,
and well, the same with Martin Maldonado. There's something that there's something
that he obviously does that it's not quantifiable to us from the outside perspective,
like he's either a great caller or he's because he's not even a great framer.
In those regards, he comes out pretty kind of like average overall as
a defensive as we're going. But yeah, like there are there are ninety
I have them in ninety two wins. Like I I think they're the best
team in this division. I think they're they're going to compete all like the
championship. They're going to be competing for one of the best teams out there.
I don't think they've regressed too far to be behind the Angels, but
I still think they're They're a good enough team. I do think that if
I'm going to lay layout on some teams that they have poor benches, then
I think the astro is also. This is where they maybe different from a
few years back, is that when you go to that bench and when you're
thinking that it's like Jake Myers and Mauricio Debon, it's not great. So
yeah, nine two wins. I do think Jose abre is possibly the best
pickup this offseason. Is exactly what they needed, and he's fantastic. Just
one more year out of him is exactly what they need. So, Gav,
you're going to talk us down on how the crappy astro are barely gonna
barely going to get off the bottom of the division. Take your point about
Jose Breo, but no, he's old, and you know how much benefit
is he really going to give them at first, compared to Julie Guriol,
who wasn't very good there last year. I think they've just it just kept
still while everyone else in the division has really improved, and I I can't
see them winning the division. They won one hundred and six games last year
out Yeah, and if you think that they've stood still and everybody else has
got a little bit better, are you really dropping fifteen wins off the team.
I think we did that to the Dodges, didn't we? Yes,
But the Dodgeons have got worse easily. You don't think the Asteroids have got
worse. I think the Astroids have got worse on the pitching side, but
not as much as the Dodgers. Jake Myers, Mauricio Dubon Martin Meldonardo,
they were playing, they were all does that sound like a ninety win team?
They were all playing. They were all playing last year though, so
that's no difference to the team that was playing there last year. Payne is
going to have a year of experience under his belt. Bregman is possibly going
to have a bounce back. You know, he's he had a down years.
So if we're if we're just resulting back to what we normally do,
I think he he looks looks up. Um. Obviously Maldonado has has pictures
of Jim Crane's wife or something. I don't know, but yeah, okay,
I mean I can see your point. I just I just I just
can't see it coming back that far from the asteris do you not think the
whole rotation not overperformed but they performed to the best of their abilities last year
and it's been weakened now. And who knows if Louis Garcia, well we'll
be able to pitch properly or whether he'll get balked every time is a key
dye. Any good as mid rotation is, have you a as good as
he was last year? Um? I don't know. I give me the
Angels every single time. Wow, I just think that. I just think
that even if they're starting, isn't good enough. But Presidy Montero, Brian
Abray, you Hector neris like if you compare that to the Angels, where
literally who would you think it is? Like the best Angels reliever like Carlos
Estevez and then no, no, no, my favorite is Matt Moore.
Yeah, okay, more, but I wouldn't be surprised if no Angels are,
Like really Pitcher had any r A below four, Like, I don't
think there's anybody outstanding out there, whereas I think you've got the relievers in
the on the side for for the astros that could sit below three, and
so I just think that's where the difference is. But Russell is saying more
is less. I were about to Russell's superior your knowledge as always, Russell,
what number did you have? I said, ninety two? Gab,
what are you're going to go with eighty nine? I had? I had
ninety eight, So let's get three. We'll give you ninety three ninety three?
Right, has anybody been recording these to the point whereby they can they
can tell us who we think is going to win. So we gave the
higher the best record to the Dodgers with ninety five. We gave the Padres
and the Blue Jays ninety four. Sorry, we give the Braves nights.
We sorry, we gave the Brakes ninety six. I apologize. They were
the best team. Braves ninety six, Dodgers ninety five, blue Jays the
best in the AL with ninety four. To bay about logic, we're saying
it's a Blue Jays Braves World Series because obviously the best teams were the best
record make it to the World Series final, always, always, always,
Well, what I actually did was I did I did check the proper way
of checking us, which was the the average finish in the YEA in spring
training is whoever comes third tends to make it to the World Series. So
we are looking at an Astro's Cubs World Series this year. That's my prediction.
So you think you hopefully that will win. I think you should have
a giveaway now for anyone who's got through into the third hour of the podcast.
It's not even into the second come on, carry on, it is
definitely into the second hour. Definitely, okay, right, so um looking
at these then, so yeah, we've got We've got the Braves um winning
the division. We have got to try to do this on the fly and
winning the division, and the Dodgers winning the division and the wild cards.
I believe we're going to go to the Padres and the Phillies and the Mets.
So is that exactly the same as last year? Yep, yep?
Lovely okay? And then American League we have the Blue Jays winning the division.
We have have audience in Austrian and the Astros winning a division. And
then Russell was quicker than me, but I reckon, we've got the Angels
playing World Card. Yeah, We've got the Twins in the wild card.
Nope, and probably a rules based playoff between the Raising the Yankees. No,
the Twins are on eighty seven wards. We had Raising the Yankees and
Nice, so they'll both right there we go? So well, yeah,
the only difference there as we have the Angels in the Mariners instead of the
Mariners. So we have predicted eleven out of the same twelve teams in the
postseason. So there you go, folks. Two and a half hours well
spent prognosticating basically exactly what happened last year. So you probably will had plenty
of time listening to us. Now I think I probably needs going to have
a lie down somewhere. Thank you both for competing against the A team again.
We will keep an eye out and see how we do against them and
hopefully actually be a report back next year how heavily we beat them. You
can find loads of stuff going on the website at the moment, Gave,
you have about a million people contributing at the moment, a lot coming up
in the next a few weeks. It's fantastic. But we're always looking for
new writers. So if anyone wants to share their thoughts about baseball, contact
me or hit the link on the website. There we go absolutely turned down
a post, so you could be that person. If you can barely write,
you could be that first foot. Now absolutely we're going on enthusiasm here.
We've got some great stuff coming from some people. And you know,
Gave is a brilliant editor. He will help people. I'm not a very
good writer. He has helped me in the past get some of my stuff
to be to be readable. So if you've got an idea, do tap
us up, do give us a cup, come and have a word.
You don't need to be the world's best writer. There's definitely a space for
you. Russell An The Things Special, Magical any more tours hanging out with
show Hey anytime soon? No, back to the real world. We go
find a job. Sorry, Ross, I need to find the rest of
what is going on with us is obviously at bat flips nerds dot com,
or you can find us on Twitter at at bat flips Underscore Nerds, where
you'll find our usual musings on what's going on in the world at baseball.
If you are still awake and listen to us, thank you very very much
and we will speak to you again very soon. Hello, and welcome to
bat Flips and Nerds to baseball Baseball. Should we do that again, I
think that will go that one will go on the end, Rob. Thank you.