Toby bell Ringer. Welcome to bat Flip and Nerds. Hello and welcome to
Backwards and Nerds in Facebook podcast with Chris Chris. I am your host this
evening, Russell Leesome. I am joined by two of our other contributors to
get into the deep and discussive nature of close to postseason baseball and what is
going to happen in these final few weeks to decide who's going to make the
playoffs, who are going to be the MVPs and the cy Youngs. So
of course I'm going to come straight away to Rob Neveras to give us an
opinion. How are you Rob? An opinion on how I am? Yeah,
my opinion is I quite like that I'm fair to good. So I'll
go with fair to good. And the other man, the other statsman within
the BfN crew, Darius Austin, how are you? I'm good? Am
I allowed to disagree with Rob's opinion about how he is? Or I think
you can. I think the point of a podcast is maybe that people do
do a bit of disagreeing and don't just kind of agree with everything that everybody
says. Dreadful take from Rob, I'll tell you at the end of the
podcast, t Rob is okay, So, as I let off, I
think we are very much into this final stretch of the baseball season, and
that means that the playoff races is what is on the lips of everybody.
The AL is pretty much looking down to a position where we've got what three
teams pretty much dead, sir, two teams in a close position, and
then a few other teams getting close to it. So maybe we're looking now
what six from seven? Darius? Would you agree? I agree? Yes,
the central is done. Finally, painful experience for rulers concluded. Oh,
yes, the Guardian Angel did not do their work. The Guardians waiver
claims didn't come through for them. Yeah, the Twins have limped their way
over the line there pretty much, so that's done. You know, the
raising Orioles are getting in in some order. So yeah, it's down to
the Astros, Mariners, Rangers, and Blue Jays. One of them is
not going to make it. And at this point you've probably probably been on
the Astros, but you know, there are only a couple of games ahead,
so I think all still to play for in the West there, and
obviously the Blue Jays and Mariners have the same record right now, So it's
yeah that that last pot should be pretty fun. I think wait, hang
on, hang on, you said one of them is not going to make
it. Yeah, I'm trying to do the maths here. Sure, surely
they could all make it because the raising the ARA is one of the most
getting the world card. There's three wild cards. Yeah, yeah, but
yeah, horribly misunderstanding baseball. So one of those three AO West teams is
winning the out West. I'm pretty confident about the Orangers of the Rays are
taking one of the wild card spots. So you've got two wild card spots
left, two West teams, so the Blue Jays might take it. I
agreed, the blue Jays might get in there, but there is a very
good chance that we have after the beginning of the season where it was all
at least, there is a very good chance we could end up with Astro's
Rangers and Mariners, which I think actually probably would be the funny way of
doing it, right, I've understood this correct have I would be an interesting
way if it comes out. They're pretty much what they're all. They're all
eighty wins right now, the Rangers, so yeah, yeah, the Rangers
have played one for your game. But they all have eighty wins. Yeah,
and asterroids rety too. Yeah. Yeah, so so one might not
miss out in the West. That's valid comment. When I said one of
them is going out, I was including the budgets in that calculation, right,
Okay, removed, Thank you, You may continue. But yeah,
so let's let's let's quickly a Pine on the Ale Central which does look done
and Dust did. It's very weird. I've obviously followed this closer than probably
most people have as a Guardians fan, to watch them kind of give up
then be like, oh, we only have to spend a little bit of
money here and we can actually maybe get something worthwhile, or at least spoil
other people's chances of taking these players. Maybe the fact that they were just
willing to go after the players in Minnesota wouldn't have them. But they did
well in the first series against Minnesota, then did okay in a series against
Los against the Dodgers, and then just got absolutely hammered in a couple of
games against it the Twins, and then from there on you're just like,
okay, onto the next season of a level of ineptitude. Is there something
to say about the Twins for this postseason. They're not going to face the
Yankees, which is like, I'm now oddly thinking that like our Twins and
outside bets to do it all now because they are going to make a postseason
without having to face the Yankee. I mean, probably my favorite ongoing postseason
storyline is the Twins having lost eighteen consecutive postseason games in a row, most
of which have been to the Yankees. They haven't won a playoff games since
two thousand and four, I think it is, even though they've been in
the playoffs obviously a few times since then. So it is an impressive record
and it's one of those where I'm like, I feel bad for them,
but also it would be quite funny if they made the playoffs and didn't win
a game again. Yeah, the rotation is, you know, it's good
now. The pitching is they kind of fixed it. Podcast Hero Joe Ryan's
fallen off a little bit, but Pablo Lopez has been great. Sonny Gray
has been great. You have some questions about the lineup. You know,
there's been some hot streaks in that, but do we really know if Royce
Lewis is a superstar? Max Kepler goes very hot old Carlus Gray as a
playoff stud, but he's been dreadful. It could end up being a pretty
lifeless lineup in the in the postseason. I could easily see that happening.
And then Buckston is hurt again and hasn't been that good when it's been on
the field. So you know, I wouldn't bet on them, but it
would be nice to see them win a playoff game. I think that would
be nice for Twins fans. Robbert shaking his head, don't they've not learned.
I think they've not earned that win. I think it's what Robin is
getting at. Yeah. No, they're a bunch of busses. No,
no, because they're gonna be likely all likelihood playing the Raise in the in
the get right, no weight, So they're going to be playing Oh I
have this is too complicated for me. I'm not gonna lie right So who
as I'm right now, the Twins would be playing the second best wild card?
Is that right? No? I am't what clue. So it is
three will face so they'll play the bottom. The Twins will play the worst
wild card team, right, Okay, okay, fine? All right?
Then? Yes, so they are allowed to win some games. I thought
they might be playing the Rays, but they probably won't be playing the Rays.
They're probably going to be playing an A worst team or the Blue Jays.
Go a yeah, given the competition of like, what's obviously going to
happen for whether as of right now? Yeah, okay, the race finished
first in the division in fact, no, actually, right now going on
live, the Rays are playing the Twins, and the Twins just leveled it
up. So yes, grew them. I don't want them to win a
single game. They can. They can carry on their their great, big
fun postseason. Whatever that was kaykl is winning? How was that? Who
knew Gallas Kaikol was alive before today? This is ridiculous. The only reason
why I knew Dren's Clarker was alive before today it was because he got very
close to doing a brigging no hitter or no hitter a few weeks back,
commenting on it. Literally lost it within two minutes I think of me commenting
on it. But yeah, so that's obviously a central is pretty much done
and dusted. I don't know the tiebreaker actually, I'm just looking at the
wild card. I assume it's in order, and which looks like the Mariners
have the tiebreaker over the Blue Jays, but I'm not sure if that's yes.
Sadly, we no longer have Game one sixty three, which is our
whole delightful entropy. The tracker that was done by J Jappy in the past
was ruined in twenty twenty two once they changed to the twelve round wild card
system. But yes, so as who said, at least pretty much looks
like the Raisin and the Orioles have got that wrapped up. It's just deciding
who basically takes the winning record and who goes down there's probably the world card
team and then has to kind of be away for most of the postseason and
run. Darius, are you making any predictions one way or the other there
about whether the Rays or the Orioles will finish up. I'm always going to
take the team that's already got the position. You know, the Orioles have
continued to play pretty good baseball, which has managed to keep the lead there.
And yeah, I think you know, at this point in the season,
I think you just have to bet on the Orioles that just having the
wins in the bank accounts for a lot when you've got this few games to
play, So we'll see how it goes. Obviously, the Raiser are also
approaching a point where they don't have a ton to play for as well,
so we'll see what it's like. You know, if the gap is still
the same in a week or so, are they're really going to keep pushing
it this harder or are they just gonna be like, you know what,
we're the top wild card, let's take it. And it could be interesting
because those two teams could be the only one the Twins get as well,
couldn't actually line up there players fall the pictures for the postseason where it's obviously
as we get to it, like the Astros, the Blue Jays, the
Rangers, and the Mariners are potentially going to have to play for every single
game that's left, so it could be having to put out top pictures in
Games one sixty one and games want sixty two. Yeah, but I mean,
like, what are the Rays going to do? Is Zach Lintel or
Erasmo Ramirez? I mean, there's nothing left there, There is nothing left
to line up. I mean, yeah, fine, okay, we're gonna
We're gonna point Zach Efflyn and Tyler Glass now at the beginning of it.
But yeah, is that it? I mean there's nothing, there's not much
rotation to do that. You only need to win two games in the World
cald Series. So well, good job where he got two pictures. Has
been pretty good, doesn't he. I mean I don't believe it, but
he has been pretty good, been good, but losinging every time? Yes,
absolutely, Yeah, I will also question, like you do have Savali
as well. I know he's not looked particularly good in the few games that
he's played for no tampery here, but his underlying numbers are much better for
you than they were. Quickly everything, Yes, so one of those returned
to the year, return to them a little bit dun and dusted this weekend
because the Rays and the Orioles have a four game series, which that that
is that is essentially the decided that division. I think, yeah, if
if the Orioles win that series, then yeah, that's so. Yeah,
we'll see. So that takes us obviously then too. Let's obviously the Blue
Jays have a chance, but we'll talk about them in relation with the other
wild card teams. Let's quickly talk down about but all West as just have
a two game lead. They did just lose a couple of games to the
Athletics, which is always an amusing one to to see. But Pancrass has
them at like ninety five percent chance of making the playoffs, whereas it has
like the Rangers and the Mariners both at like seventy. Do you really think
that they're that much better that like a two game lead basically almost makes them
a dead sirt to either win the division or make a playoff spot. I
would say probably yes. Actually, I think the Rangers have just pulled out
of their absolute nose dive. I still don't particularly believe in the Mariners.
If you look at that Astro's team and line it up man for man against
the opposition, you would be hard pressed to pick another team. Yet,
you know, the middle of field for the Rangers are looking very good.
But as a complete team, you know, the Mariners can't hit without Julio,
and the Rangers have a bunch of old guys, are all hurt pitching,
Like the Astros may not have star power, but they are solid on
both and you know solid teams. I think you know they're all rounder.
It tends to be a little bit better. I like their bullpen more than
I like either bullpen of the oppositions, and you know, you know late
in seasons where you're you're scratching for every win, I think a bullpen makes
a difference. So yeah, I think it's fair that you look at the
Astros team, which is full thorough, thorough breed. You know, it's
it's been there, it's done it, it's it's got that that pedigree.
And I think if you had to look at that lot and say who's gonna
Who's gonna blow this, it's least likely to be the Astros. So yeah,
I'm happy to say the Astros should be firm favorites. I will also
say that the Astros play six more against Kansas City. I just I just
already one hundred and one. I think loss Royals, yes, just a
big part of that arts calculation. Yeah, the schedules are definitely in the
favor of the As. The Mariners. My word, they do have Oakland
still, but they've got the Dodgers next, then Oakland, then Texas,
then Houston then Texas. It's gonna be it's gonna be fun last ten days.
But yeah, the same night, if you look at like the Blue
Jays. They've obviously there in the series right now with Texas, so two
more games against them, then Boston Yankees raised Yankees raised. So not the
fact that obviously Boston and the Yankees are really competing, but they're both teams
that are in around five hundred and in some regards would probably wouldn't mind stuff
in the Blue Jays to stop them making the playoffs. So and then the
Raids, which as as we've kind of alluded to, might not be playing
at one hundred percent or could be still trying to push for that that seat,
that number one seat to give them the extra break. So I'm gonna
put you on spot Rob and Darius, I'll give my thoughts as well.
Who who are the two wild who are the three slots going to? Who
you get him winning the Ale West? And who are you given the other
two wild card spots? Two? All right, first, I am having
a wild cards as raised Rangers Mariners in the order. And you think so
that means you think that the Astroids will win the AL West. Yeah,
Socas will win the AL West, and unfortunately that Blue Jay's running is just
a bit tough for them. Darius said, he just sweep the Raise rangularly.
I think I think the Range is gonna blow it like that. I
think Seattle's gonna use those seven games and overtake them. I don't know why
I got a feeling. I mean, I partly know why, because the
Rangers have started to look a lot more shaky than they were a doll DISCUSSI
has hurt, now evolves these probably hurt and still pitching. The rest of
the pitching is falling apart. Yeah, I think I think Seattle's going to
do it. Well, I'll toss out the other one then I'll I'll say
that the Blue Jays and the Rangers will make it. The Astis will win
the division, and the Mariners will will will fall short. Well on going
covered, all the bases are covered unless us blow it. Yeah, true,
I've gotta be honest. If the Astros had nine games against the Athletics
and Royals in the last twenty and they don't win it, then I don't
really know what they're doing. No, No, to be honest, losing
those first two against the Ads is pretty shocking. But yeah, it's very
on astros, isn't it. Jogging or Astroids would never have done this,
getting shut out by the A's in a key playoff for contention games down the
stretch. Yeah, all right, let's move on to the NL, where
we have the Braves, who have actually clinched their spot. They are still
the only team that's actually confirmed to the postseason, aren't they. Everybody else
can still theoretically be catched. They can win the division tonight. I think
technically if they win in the Phillies lose, I think they can they can
win it. I might be wrong, but I think that they can take
They can clinch the sixteen games up and they've only got seventeen to play.
M Yeah, so yes, the Braves. The Braves are there, the
Dodgers are there, The Brewers are pretty much certain to be there. They
could potentially be caught by the clubs, but I don't think that's likely.
So we've got like our three division winners. I don't think anybody's really going
to disagree they're wrong, Darius, No, no arguments, No arguments there,
well, no, no, no, no. It's not beyond the
realms that the Cubs could push the Brewers into a wild card. It's definitely
possible. I just don't think they will no, no, no, but
I mean you've got the same difference in games there as the Rays and the
Orioles currently have. I don't know. If they played each other again,
I would imagine they probably do the way they've they've shared your do, but
not till the final series. So so that that could be one to watch
because if they play three games, there's there's four games between them right now.
It really only needs the Cubs to pick up a game in between,
and yeah, it's possible. So I'm I'm not all I'm not sold on
the Brewers winning that division yet. Okay, but you probably sold on both
of them making the postseason. Oh yes, they will both make the postseason.
Yet, so if we put that, and I think if we're saying
that, you're probably also sold on the Phillies making the postseason. Yes,
yeah, yeah, I think I think there's Yeah, there's not enough time
left for the police to play it. So unlike then al situation NL situations,
we now have four goes into one for for that final wildcard spot.
The theo were hot and they're not, and then maybe hot and then not
again. The diet who have seemingly just plodded along with them mediocrity for most
of the season, the Marlins with the utterly unpredictable record of how on earth
they're actually here I still quite don't understand in baseball, and the Reds,
who obviously have being probably one of the most entertaining teams in baseball this year
but still have just injuries and lack of probably high end players. Is it's
probably just gonna hurt them. Darius, Do you do you want to pick
one of those four and give me an idea on what you think their chances
are. Yeah, there's a lot of just not very baseball things. I
just I think probably if I was going to pick, I like the Diamondbacks
the best. Yeah, the Marlins are just the bad baseball team. I
think, you know, not even I think the Giants are a five hundred
team. I think the Reds are probably five hundred team. I think the
Marlins are not. And now Arises not hitting four hundred, it's fall apart.
But yeah, I just there's a lot of mediocrity here, and I
guess that I could go either way. So yeah, I'm gonna put the
Diamondbacks in. I don't think the Marlins are going to do it. Yeah,
I don't think Giants are can do it, so yeah, give me
the Backs. Roll we think about the Marlins and the Giants is that they
have the exact same record, yet for some reason, the Giants feel like
they have a chance because they're a little bit more serious, but the Marlins.
Marlins feel like a punchline, which I'm terribly sorry if Marlins fans out
there. There is something odd about the Marlins that it just feels like it
shouldn't really be happening. So it's probably d Backs by default, but they're
going to get dicked by whoever they face or should do. It feels like
it feels like I like the d Backs for it. It feels fun,
it feels like it's part of this season. They feel like they've been a
real story this season, So I guess I would. I would like to
see them there. I think the Pirates are the ones that I think I'm
not saying they're going to make it. Honestly. I saw the Pirates play
The Razors year in person, at the point where the Pirates are at their
absolute peak, and to think, after that long run, they've just become
such a pile of crap. That's the thing that really sort of upsets me
about this this NL race, because it was absolutely possible for the Pirates to
be borderline okay enough to have a proper run at this yet they've still managed
to fail it. So if I had to pick a team, I still
I'm looking at the Giants, and I can't look beyond the Giants. I
think there's there's real a bit more pedigree there than the Diamondbacks. Plus I
think they're they're starting to look a little nicer over the last couple of weeks.
The hitting has got a bit better, They've got some of the their
old guys back, and yeah, Okay, as a wild choice, I
think I might take the Giants over the Diamondbacks. Nice. I like it.
Yeah, it's a really weird one because obviously when we have the twenty
twenty season, there was this whole chat about, oh what they put sixteen
teams in the playoffs and you ended up somebody without like a positive record getting
to the playoffs. I think on the NL center, I think this this
final wild card, it's going to be like eighty three eighty four wins,
which is like pretty naff to be getting into the playoffs. And this shows
you kind of the back end why I think the twelve team system is not
the greatest because you are rewarding mediocrity and you are then allowing somebody who's kind
of nap to make it into the postseason. Like, hey, we're going
to get to what I'm getting at is there's the possibility of like a Cincinnati
Minnesota World Series like we had back in or was it Darius when the Giants
went against the Royals. Were they both wildcard teams like twenty fourteen? Yeah,
yes, yeah, they are both teams, and now we can have
even worset wild card teams. Obviously Minnesota on a wild card team, but
they're probably going to have the worst record out of any of those things.
Obviously, we don't know if this is going to happen. That was the
year the Royals kept sweeping people as well. I wasn't it like the wild
card and they went to the playoffs and the Life and they swept the Orioles.
Who else was the Angels? Wasn't it that was the Trouts onny playoff?
Yeah? I think, and yeah they got they got. Yes,
that was the They played baseball the way it should be played. Put the
ball in play and make stuff happen. It's defensive outfield of all time.
So this is all you knew. Yes, Oh, just to continue our
trend, I'm going to spice it up. I think the I think I'm
gonna go with Cincinnati. I'm gonna gonna take a bed on just kind of
like this, this young, maybe kind of interesting team is going to pull
something out of their ass for the final few games. I was looking to
see, like who has like an easier or a harsher like run in and
definitely like the Marlins probably have like the hardest running, which for me then
puts them into the difficulty and the Reds potentially have like the best running.
Obviously, we don't know how these things play out, but they've got to
finish off a series against Detroit and then they've got the Reds. Looks like
a list of teams are nothing to play for, it doesn't it? Yeah,
exactly, They've got the Mets, then they've got the Twins, the
Pirates, the Guardians, and the Cardinals. So either already in or already
out. Yeah, John's got by seven Morgans, the Dodgers, which,
yeah, maybe the Dodges we have I think to play for. Yeah,
they're not going to catch the Atlanta and they're not going to be caught by
anyone in the NS. So yeah, so that seeds. So yeah,
that's where I'm going to go there. So that gives us our kind of
idea of what we think the playoff pitch is going to look at like before
we jump to having some discussions about who we think could be winning some awards.
At the end of this season, I have a game I'd like to
play with Rob and Darius here and you at home can participate with this game.
Adam Wayne Right. It's currently sat at one hundred and ninety nine wins.
He has the opportunity to play three more games this season. Their games,
I think will be against the I looked it up now and I've completely
forgotten the world and Russell. The games will be against the Brewers, probably
the Padres, and probably the Threats. So he's got to play Brewers,
Hardres, ad Reds. Let's start with Darius will Adam Wayne Right. Get
it's two hundredth win? Yes or no? I think yes, but only
because there is like no other thing left for the Cardinals to do this season
except forget. Adam Wayne Right is two hundredth wins. Yeah, it's been
a dreadful, dreadful season. I'm sure he wishes that he had just retired
with Yuddy and Albert, because yeah, it's really like just ruined what was
otherwise a fantastic career. Just absolutely miserable. Not a major league, major
league season. No. But at the same time, one of these three
games, surely he can just go five innings and the Cards offense can get
it together and get him the win. Surely it's all happened if we had
enough to time, because let's face it, we didn't prepare well enough for
this, we probably could have worked out like who he was likely to be
up against, and I think that probably would make a difference to my answer.
So I'm going to cop out and say, you mean you mean which
starting pictures He's say single. Yeah, So I has him against Freddie Peralta
for the Brewers game and Pedro Avila for the Padres game, and that's winnable
since the early game is kind of too far down to kind of really predict.
Okay, I'm gonna go with I l with carf Strain running to first
to cover a ground out there to cap off the cardinal citizen. Yep,
absolutely he gets He gets carried off the field screaming and crying happy happy,
Oh Rob, you you are. You are a pure delight to give us
such such a methodology of his kind of career, Poten actually finishing. Yeah.
Is Adam Wain right the worst of any of those pictures this season?
Yes, obviously he is probably the worst picture and magically gress what this isn't
by some measures, but baseball it's weird and you know, pedro Via is
not like you, darvish, so win that game. I think it is
fair that we do need to tell our listeners that Adam wain writes r A
four the season is seven point nine five, So yes, it isn't striking
out under five per nine. It's like it looks like it looks like a
dead ball era strikeout right or something. It's yeah. I think it's the
best bet is to to pitch him in an innings of relief when it's a
tide game is probably his best bet. Let's let's let's get him on in
the Ballpenn that that is his best chance of getting this children at the win.
I think not starting games is certainly not in his Wheelhouse right now,
I was about to say, like I was now about to look its been
cut. Has he actually pitched in real since like his first and second season,
because I know he debuted as a reliever, as he've pitched any games
in relief in between. I think he has, but maybe because of like
an injury or an open situation. But yes, no, yeah, I
think I'm going to be a party poop party pooper here. I think I
I've seen him play this year, and while this year being kind of a
rough thing, was saying, I've watched him play the team essay against teams
GB in the WBC and compared to some of the pitchers which the GB team
faced afterwards, he made some of those GB players look like major league players
and some of the what he's thrown this year, it's clear that he's not
good enough. Like there's he's only still on this Cardinals team because they actually
don't have anything to play for his Darius has said, and Robert said,
but he is, yeah, putting like a detrimental kind of like finishing finish
on his career effectively to try and get back two hundredth win. Well,
I don't think he has really anything else to actually like play for it is
an awful consideration. Sorry to interrupt, but so let's let's say Adam Wainwright
like loses, he's a terrible and he's lost every single game that he's started,
and he starts every fifth day. That would be thirty two games.
Now, let's say half of those were his fault and a half won't.
If we add fifteen games to the Cardinals Cardinal's total, I mean, they're
still crap, but you know they're they're there, you know. Like,
let's so if if Wainwright was only kept culpable for half of his terrible starts,
he's he's only pitched twenty games this season. He's not pitched the full
season. But okay, so add ten to that and they are still in
the conversation. Potentially, Yeah, I think it's not an unreasonable thing to
day. My only next, my final question for this is if he doesn't
get to two hundred at the end of the season, is he still a
Cardinal at the start of the next season. You can't do that. He's
a royal. Wayne Wright and Grenky in Kansas City. Yes, like that
they hold hands and they pay. I mean, we should say that Wayne
only needed five wins at the start of this season to get to two hundred,
so that's that's what's happened this year. Wins are a flawed stat but
in this particular extreme, I think it is indicative of how the season has
gone. What's to be fair? If he does go to Kansas City,
he can join the likes of like Jordan Lyles and Zach Gncree with like,
what if they got sixteen and fifteen losses so far after the season each,
I think they lead them they lead the league and losses. I was looking
at this earlier on more looking at how bad Emmanuel Basset has done if looking
at Kansas City. But yes, we'll move on to hopefully more uplifting topics
in which will obviously make us upset many fans from different teams. But let's
have a quick discussion on some cy Young and some MVPs. The AL MVP
show Yotani. Okay, that's done, Yeah, the NL MVP Darius is
it now? Mookie bets to lose? Like has he has? He passed
a kunar enough from like a war perspective that, like the people, the
voters would probably go with him, even though a Kuna has put up the
flashy stolen based numbers. I think I think people are still going to be
a bit seduced. We've moved a long way past the you see some of
these things circulated sometimes, like every now and again, I'll see one of
these post pop up on Twitter or Facebook asie, and it will be like,
oh, look at you know, Roger Clemens lost this cy Young Award
and he had like six more war and one hundred more strikeouts, but the
other guy went twenty three and three, and so he won the cy Young
even though Roger Clemons was like unhittable. I think I still one with Barteto
Cologne and somebody the other day. I kin't remember who it was, but
anyway, Barteto Klein on the song point being, I think we're not there
anymore. But I'm not sure that people have quite calibrated for stolen bases,
and it is very fun, and as a person who likes stolen basis,
I'm glad that a Kunia is perhaps going to steal seventy. But also it
doesn't matter that much, like it matters much more that Murky Betts is slugging
twenty points higher than Ronald Kuna than it does. That Ronald Keun stolen sixty
five bases. That is hard to think about in terms of a value perspective,
but that's what war was for, and stealing a bunch of bases is
not that valuable. So I think people are still going to care more than
they should, and therefore I don't think Bets is far enough ahead for it
to matter. Is something else that's kind of historically been discounted in this is
Bets is a better defender than a Kunia, a significantly better defender than a
Kuna. In fact, than Kunia has negative defensive output according to most systems.
We're still in the position where this isn't accounted for enough in MVP voting.
Yeah, Mike Petrella had a good thread the other day with some of
like a kun just just just horrendous like losing the ball in the sun type
players, just stuff that should be automatic outs that aren't. And he keeps
having these players. I think Mike had four or five in the thread of
like the same type of player that's just like you know, made ninety nine
times out of one hundred, and a Kunya keeps missing these easy players and
that's why his defensive stats again ding so badly, whereas Mookie Betts is like,
can you play shortstop after not playing it for ten years? And he's
like, yeah, no, Probbs, I'll do it. But that's pretty
people, that's my tiebreaker. Yeah, that's what It's the same thing to
do. And yeah, I don't think we're going to talk about that as
much as the ACU stolen base thing either, but they should because it's pretty
insane that he can just do that at the drop of a hat and be
like a respectable major league shortstop, which is about the hardest thing you can
do defensively, Rob Do you have any any thoughts? Are we are we
being too harsh on on Freddie Freeman? Does he discover more more of a
discussion here or not? Really? Freddie Freddy's Freddy's there through through grinding stats
out rather than being particularly special at anything. In particularly, he's not got
the most of like anything, you know, so the obvious counting stats like
he's not he's not got the home runs, he's not got the stolen bases,
he's not got the defense, he's not got you know, and and
so so for me, it really is down to Mookie versus Akun. Yeah,
Muki Betts is I think under underappreciated, which is weird for a player
who has played for the Red Sox and the Dodgers. But if ever man
sort of skirted underneath. He's he had a quiet start to the season,
and he's come on strong and he's he's he's he's come on a bit later.
But well we're not. We've not really had much cause to talk about
Mookie. What is MVP? And I think part of MVP is being a
talisman, And you can't doubt that Ronald Kuna Jr. Is the talisman of
that team, like he's brought the X factor to it far more than this
year Muki has. Now, Mukie Betts probably should have won, you know,
without mister Trout in the in the discussion, he probably should have won
a couple of MVP MVPs before this point, more than he has, you
know, but pure star power, like he is on the pulse. He's
doing what is popular now, which is hit and dingers and and stealing basses.
Is Ronald Akuner And I said a minute ago, my tie break here
if I'm considering them drawn is yes, absolutely, Mookie Betts playing multiple positions
was special, and I do like Mokie Bets Brett, and I think Mookie
Betts is the best player in the league. However, this year, I
think what has been spectacular. The guy who has made the most of what
is going on out there is Ronald Kunas Jr. Off the back of an
injury, and I think I think he looks fantastic. So I'll take a
Kunya. I'll take a Kuniars my MVP, and I think most most voters
will will lean that way. I would be very surprised if if Ronald doesn't
doesn't take it. Darius, I'll give you a small platform if you would
like to go on it here. Obviously, bang Grafts and Baseball Reference have
Mookie Bets up by about one win on RONALDA. Kunier. Base All Perspectors
severely disagrees. Baseball Perspectors has a Kunar about three and a half is better
than anybody else in baseball this year at like eight points three and everybody else
down in the in the in the five terroristry of high fives. Any any
insight, but why? Obviously it does come from the deserved runs aspect,
which I do understand from like a kind of a more in depth machine learning
and mathematical kind of like approach to this kind of the model does obviously seem
to prefer Akunya's actual output to to Bets. Yeah, I think it is
hard to like pass DRC because it's doing things that are immensely complicated. I
think there are seventeen different underlying models within DRC don't make up the components,
so it's really difficult to just be like, oh, this is why I
think it believes in Akunya's batting average a lot more than Bets. Is is
one component of it, certainly in terms of how many singles us to say
to hit, it's got a pretty significant advantage of there. And it thinks
he should have hit a few more home runs than Betts. Does that I'll
deserved home runs for a Ken. He's actually forty six. So if you
think in statline is impressive now, then I don't think we'd be having this
conversation if Ken you had forty six runs. So's that's doing a lot of
the work there. And yeah, as a result, he's got like a
DRC plus twenty points higher than Betts. Hence the no contest. I will
speak up for Freddie Freeman as well, who again not that high in DRC,
but he might hit sixty doubles, which is not a thing that happens
very often, only happened six times in Major League history of blue So that
is a pretty cool thing that he's doing right now. I also kind of
hope he steals twenty bases because I did tell somebody at the start of the
year that he was going to steal twenty basis. I can't remember who might
have been James Holden. Shout out to James. Fancy league, and he's
got two to go and Freddie Freeman is not fast. This is a cool
thing because, like I think a lot of people should be doing what Freddy
Freeman is doing. If you are a SMA art base runner, you can
take advantage of these rules and steal a bunch of basses. And he's always
been kind of good at this, and he's just kind of extended it with
the new rules. So I just think it would be free, pretty fun,
if not particularly quick. Thirty three year old ended up stealing twenty basis
anyway, and that I think is exactly why Matt Olson isn't in the conversation,
because he has made no effort to steal any basis whatsoever. Other than
that he is he's right with sorry, He's made one effort to steal but
a base and he did it. Other than that, he you know,
he's to to toe with these guys. He's a crap defender who's hit a
bunch of dingers and quite well. Otherwise other than that, you know,
he hasn't got this. He hasn't got the steals, which which is what's
leaving him at the competition. Yeah. I probably started this about how steelstone
matter and we've turned to Mattison's not in the conversation. But it's the only
difference. It's the difference the evening. I'll be interesting to see with matt
Alson when it comes to the end of the season. Is like he currently
like leads the RBIs by like twenty plus over I think like Alonso or Tucker
or whatever for the whole like the so if he kind of continues that,
I haven't looked in the details to see how much of like a historical difference
that actually is between like the first and second, but it's a it's a
pretty much like when you get your big slugger and they get put in the
right spot on a good hitting team, how many more rivis you can get
than than elsewhere. Okay, so I think we kind of decided it's obviously
it's there's still a couple of weeks left that can really make our minds here.
But I think I think it's fair probably to go with either of them
right now. I think you could you could come up with a valid reason
to go for Bets or a Kunia. Let's switch it up to I think
the pitching world, which is a little bit different in whether like there are
actually some outright leaders or if this really comes down to how you actually value
pitching. So Rob, do you want to start talking us through like the
the al picture of you? Have you had a look to see whether you
think that it should be Garrett Cole or Kevin Gaussman, or Sonny Gray or
even Zach Evelyn himself. I think a lot of it comes down to it's
it's pitched, isn't it is the separator? You know, there's some there's
some really good pictures here. I think Kevin Gausman does sit on top at
the moment if you're looking by a war, and I think that's that is
fair maybe not pitch quite as much as some of the others, but you
know, Sonny Gray's almost almost gone gone the same as him. But you
know, it's such a thing for the AL SI Young this year. I
don't really think there's anyone particularly standing out and running ahead. There's nobody to
look out there and think, my god, that guy was the guy you
did not want to face this year. You know, I've seen all of
these guys look pretty susceptible at points. You know that none of these guys
are shut down scary guys, and I think you'd probably say similar for the
NL. But you know, yeah, find Kevin Gaussman's you know, he's
he's winning in the war, and I think that's that's probably fair. You
know, It's the difference is there's some wins separating it in the in the
NL, but for the AL it's all very homogeneous. You know, roller
dice, a couple of good starts from any one of them, and you've
you've got a bit of a difference there. So yeah, right now,
Kevin Gayossman could be any of the other guys in in two games time.
Darius, you are you agreeing that this is a pretty kind of shotgun scatter
cut approach. We could be seeing some very different votes from the writers when
we get to see this, like as the other ones discussed as potentials for
like Pablo lopezz or even from Bavaldez, like even Logan Gilbert maybe or George
Kirby, like they are all these are all people that in and around this
discusion. Yeah, I think George Kirby might have lost the old school vote
recently. Yeah, with his com I really like George Kerry an incredible war
great great, great control. I feel like this is one of those ones
I kind of boy it CHERI it was. You remember in this RUSS a
few years back when it was like Cluber versus Felix, and it really came
down to like the last week of the season and Felix hadn't absolute stinker and
Cluber pitchggm, I think, and that was the difference basically because they were
like that. I think I think this might be one of those races like
if Cole goes out and throws a complete game shout out in the next couple
of weeks, then it's like, Okay, it's done though that kind of
thing, Or if if Gassman you know, pitches a gem in the key
playoff race game for a Toronto, then then he might have sealed the deal.
But there is no you know, I don't look at anything and go
this is the guy. I think it's it's cold for me right now.
In the al he has got the earnings advantage, he's kept the runs off
the board. The Yankees have kind of sucked it up, and you know,
he hasn't really got dragged into that. And yeah, it's not really
been like sort of vintage super impressive cold. The strike outside down a bit,
but you know, he's still he's just a guy. He's a guy
we don't get very much anymore that you can give the ball to thirty two
thirty three times and he's just going to go out and be your ace.
And I think in a season with absent alternatives, that kind of makes him
the guy that people are going to go to. But I could used to
see it being Gassman, especially if he does pitch well in these these key
few weeks for the Joys. Yeah, I think coul has the chance to
breach that two hundred innings mark, which I think is that once you do
that and you have a below three R three r A. It's very hard
for some people that think to look beyond those figures to go to somebody else,
even if they have like potentially a better better fits or better kind of
like more advanced interpretations of like the pitcher's performance. Yeah. I also feel
like in these cases where it is just so close, I don't mind if
people just want to go to the who actually kept the runs off the board,
Like I know it's not just the picture, but all right, boomer,
if you can't, if you can't separate the guys properly with the other
metrics, then just pick the guy who had the eara and the staff a
runbaar, like, yeah, the guy wanted it most with the most grit,
right, Yeah. Okay, So just just before we move on to
the AL how many cy Young votes somebody people to the NL, how many
signing votes or what do you think is the highest position someone will put Felix
Batista on a on a cy Young vote given the fact that, like how
well he has actually performed as a reliever this year, I think it would
have been higher if not for the injury. I think if we've kept pitching
the way was, I could see somebody put him like third. Yeah,
I think it might be fifth. Now, I don't think he gets a
vote. I think an Orio spet right, it gives him a vote.
Do they do that, many of them? I don't think they know what
they're looking at there, so they're so afraid. And I think it's five
five. It's three for the rookie of the years, isn't it. Yeah,
it's ten and there's five better pictures him. Yeah, I don't think
he gets a vote gets because of the injury. Let me let me very
clear, he deserves some recognition. I don't think he gets a vote.
Before we get to the NL hiss, Brett tell you what's available on the
website this week. Hi, this is the Oakland Ace contribute to Brett Walker
here and thank you very much to the guys for having me on the podcast.
We've got some great articles on the website this week. Already on Monday,
our Cubston Tributes Sir Sean Guests published a piece about how the residents of
Rigley Fields are skill in the hunks for a playoff spot as we entered these
last few weeks of a regular season. On Tuesday, our Braves contributors Charlie
Deets published the latest in his weekly series of articles called Last Week in Atlanta.
On Wednesday, Darius and I publish the latest in the weekly MLB Rivalry
series, and this week it's looking at the rivalry between the Oakland A's and
the San Francisco Giants, otherwise known as the Bay Bridge Series. And on
Saturday, it's going to be the latest in the Great British Fancy Baseball Super
League arsicals, looking at Week two of the playoffs. Finally, i'd like
to encourage anyone who's listening to get in touch with us if you have opinions
about your MLB team or baseball in general and would like to write for us,
We would love to hear from you. All you have to do is
click on the right for us link at the top of the website, or
you can just go directly to backflips and nerds dot com, fold slash contribute
hyphen here and once again, thank you very much, good guys for having
me on the podcast. Okay, so let's quickly move on to the National
League. Then Jack Wheeler, you've got Zack Wheeler. I think Kimbo Spencer
Strider, isn't it? Well, it is, but then you've got frigging
like Snell and Steel with like two and a half of r a's that are
gonna gonna pick up. Like I think, especially with Steel potentially could be
leading with wins and having a two and a half e r A. I
think they're still gonna be good, that they're going to lean towards him,
especially when Wheeler and Steel is quite good. I just don't know that.
Yes, he's he's a long yeah, absolutely sorry, Cubs fans. He's
a long reliever who's who's walked into a bit of luck. I think he
still has like a subcoving three like fip and so, like he's only got
two pitches, Like, how is he doing this? It doesn't make any
sense. Like, guys, absolutely twenty fifteen, I'm all with you.
This guy is he's challenging press Archer this year makes no sense. I do
not believe it. I do not believe it. Slider, what do you
think Spencer Strider is strong? What? Well, he's pretty much a slider
fastball guy. I mean it's like the best fastball you've ever seen in your
life's got mustache, has got a great mustache. There you go, there's
the third pitch. This is a funny one because I feel like Strider and
Wheeler are like obviously the guys it should be, but they have given up
a lot of runs. Like Strider's fastball is several different pitches, right,
it's not, it's not it's not a fastball. It's a fastball with nuance,
isn't it. It's just like a forcing with ridiculous amounts of movement.
Yeah, exactly. You know, if it goes left, that's one pitch.
If it goes right, that is as good as another pitch. In
my mind, Steel isn't doing that. Like, hey, it's a good
fastball, don't get me wrong, but it's not a Spencer Strider like almost
like a like a knuckle fastball, Like it's got insane movement the way it
goes. I just don't see that. With Steel, I don't believe it,
Whereas whereas with with Strider, I do, Like I can see it,
and I can look at that, and I can say I could I
could not even I would. I would fall on the floor even thinking about
where that ball's going, Whereas with Steel, I know I couldn't hit it,
but like I could like follow its trajectory like they see miles apart to
me, they see miles apart. Yeah, I think this is going to
be similar to the alp that like we haven't even mentioned, like Zac Gallen,
or even like Loan Web that I think of all both have like reasonable
chances of people thinking that they're they're good, like if they if they have
three two or three games might make a massive difference in skewing the mind of
the voters. I'm not having Blake's now hard pass. It's now I can
I can understand. Like I think the the other parts of the peripherals,
like the he walks, probably too much for some of the old school voters
to ever even think about him doing well, even though his strikeout rate compensates
for that to a large degree. Yeah, I do. I do have
an issue, a bit of an issue with the innings. I felt like
this the year he won it as well over Verlander, like he's you know,
made the bullpen pitch a lot more innings than some of these other guys.
You know, it's what is he twenty six, twenty seven innings behind
Gallen, And I think the year he won over Verlander, he like Verlander
pitched like fifty or sixty or anything. He's thirty innings. He was like
an entire reliever. He's there was thirty innings behind, Like, yeah,
he's a thirty Are you being inefficient and walking a bunch of guys like you
are making somebody else after come into games a lot? And I think that
should count for something. Yeah, definitely, I think I was really interesting.
I want Logan Webb to have some good starts but the Giant to be
crap so we can have the interesting discussion of can a picture with a losing
record win the cy Young because he has a ten and twelve record right now,
but has pitched one hundred and ninety three innings, which is obviously Gallen
is a kind one hundred and eighty seven and two thirds. No one else
is who's up there is in like the one eighties. So yeah, he's
on eleven and ten and one hundred and eighty one innings, so he's got
to shout, yeah, Felix, what was Felix with the year he won?
Because he didn't get any he's thirteen and twelve the year he won.
Sorry, yeah, yeah, and that was like that was like the first
big like all picture with thirteen wins on the Cion, wasn't it. I
don't think that Gray seven and seven he didn't win like there was nothing,
wasn't it. It wasn't it Like two months he was pitching really well.
He just didn't like the Twins never won any of his games. It's really
weird. He started as many games as anyone. Yeah, fair played,
Sonny Gray. Great season. Yeah, I would like is Webb has got
it in there, like he could, you know, throw a couple of
complete games over the last few weeks as the Giants suck it off on the
way out of the playoffs. It's possible he is starting in course tomorrow,
I think. So we'll see how that came. He might be the only
picture in with a shout that you know, at the top end, that
has realistically got a chance of hitting two hundred things. Oh yeah, he's
going to pitch two hundred things borrowing some horrific events. It might. Yeah,
there's a lot of the rest of them won't. Yeah, almost nobody
will. Because Zach Gallon might, Sandy's I don't think Framboro is going to
get there. Gallon might. Gallan's got a good shout, But other than
that, probably yeah, probably about it. Yeah, yeah, Is that
a new look for a full season. I'm going to find out anyway.
Continue, But yes, so I think that kind of gives us that do
we want a quick flash in the pan on our rookies? Can we do?
We really think it goes? Is a difficult decision. Here are we
Corbyn, Carroll and Gonna Henderson? Is there any anybody else out there who's
making a case in either of these Rookie of the Year campaigns? Just kind
of have a quick check and guess I've forgotten somebody? Who else is there?
Yeah? Yeah, I mean, you know, like Kato saying it's
been very good, but I always feel like it's cheating. Yeah, this
is the same way that I had earlier end of the season. I was
definitely talking about Yashida winning Rookie of the Year because I was just like,
he should just come over and be ye And it's not close. It's like
Carol still went a lot better. Yeah, it's called off a bit.
I'm trying to refresh my memory and whatever I'm looking at it telling me that
Will Myers is the favorite. So I think I might be looking at the
wrong thing. Yeah, well here we go year. Is that wrong?
Has anybody had a weirder like range of opinions that people have had about him
than Will Myers, because Rose fans were like so mad when Will Myers got
dealt he was like the next the second Coming, and now it's like the
Redstone want Will Myers? Like what a weird career. I think it's fairly
fairly locked up, isn't it. It's a gunna Henderson and Corbyn Carrol?
I mean, really, isn't an awful lot behind them? No? I
think there'll be some hat tips to Davis Schneider with his kind of utterly ludicrous
first twenty five and maybe forty five games if he continues on this. I
believe it. This tear what you don't believe somebody who has a five hundred
op in a eight hundred and fifteen sludging grob You don't believe that that is
that Bonzian level performance. Sorry, he also has a twenty eight percent strikeout
rate. I think he's this year's Schwindel stroke menesis. He's the guy this
year. There's one every year, and I think it's him. It should
have been col Reagan's in the all but he forgot to start the season until
he got traded to the Royals. But if he'd pitched like that, oh
yeah, he definitely would have been Actually, he probably would have been so
young. There's a part there's a I'm looking at the fan grass list and
there's a part of this list which kind of really kind of depresses me slightly
as a as a Cleveland fan. There's a point where it goes Nolan Jones,
Bonelia, Will Belts, Will Benson, and I'm like, well,
they should have all been Cleveland players. Nolan Jones have been great. Yeah,
this is a thing like he was never going to be a third baseman
at Cleveland because Ramirez was there, but they put him in the outfield,
and well maybe just he wanted to give a play outfield and courts where But
also, can I just shout out Patrick Bailey? Yes, who has been
unbelievable for the Giants. I'm currently worth the three point one war in the
eighty four games. It is all like framing and don't run on Patrick Bailey
either, Like every morning I wake up to another Patrick Bailey throwing and runner
out of highlight. Unbelievabul But yeah, I don't know where the Giants would
be if Bailey hadn't come up and been this good, because it probably wouldn't
be where they are now, all right, So that takes us I think
through most of those rewards there should we switch up to our two good?
Too bad? Rob? Do you want to start us off with a good?
My good? Is Yankees fans? And I mean that entirely on Ironically,
the Yankees fans are dealing with what is potentially losing season. It's not
at the moment, but it is a bad, bad season for them for
the first time in a long time. And I, if I'm honest,
I've been in the in on Twitter, looking for the comments, looking for
the rage, and if they've been dealing with it quite well. I mean,
yeah, there's there's been a lot of like we're the worst, worst,
worst hard put fan base ever. There's been a bit of that,
but they've they've taken their lumps. It was I think it was at its
at its most evident when Brandon Law had his post postgame interview about being whilst
the Yankees were beinging the Rays left, right, and center, he said
something along lines of they're not a team that are competing. We've got to
focus on the fact that we are a competitive team. And I went.
I went straight to the comments, thinking, right, this is gonna be
fun, and what I found was a lot of magnanimous Yankees fans saying,
you know what, He's right, fair play, all right, we'll be
back next year, you know. And I was like, Okay, you
know what, fair play. Credit where it's due. This team has taking
its lumps a lot better than I thought it would, So hats off Yankees
fans. Good job at being decent losers, which is not something that's in
your wheelhouse because you don't do a norful lot. But yeah, well done.
I'm impressed. You have surprised me by how well you have dealt with
us. So we'll done, Yankees losers, Darius, what is your good?
What's my good? So many choices I've been to sign, Just try
and decide what to pick all the good things that have been happening in Major
League Baseball. You know what I'm I think I think Trey turn turning it
around. It's been a highlight for me, Like just been on an unbelievable
tear. I kind of like this whole thing that he and Harper have done
where they just seem to be like we're all in with the Phillies and their
fans like, we love Philadelphia, We're here for you, and you know,
it seems like they're they're really embracing it. It's a nice relationship they've
got there. And then the Phillies fans can be vociferous at times, but
I think it also means they love their guys if they get the love back,
you know. And yeah, it's been quite gratifying because I quite like
watching turn of play. Has been a fun player over the years, and
it was a bit depressing watching him not really get it going and Philly.
So the fact that he's been on complete fire. I think seven home runs
are ready this month. Turning his season around has been has been quite good
to see. So hopefully more of the same in the playoffs. And yeah,
just good to see him back. Yeah, I've got a whole hot
love to see him. Would love to see him treated to the braves and
seeing if they went, like from loving him to full effigy and how quickly
that would Yeah, I think that the turner turnaround. Obviously, we turn
around the turnaround, thank you obviously with the moment where obviously people are now
stamping it from when the Phillies fans just gave him like a massive like evation
and out of kind of like nowhere to kind of and maybe what that's done,
I don't want to give two months credence to that compared to maybe what's
happened in other places. But hey, maybe if Yankees fans gave Joey Gallo
like a big round of applause at some point to try and get his like
to help him out, who knows what can happen. But when when he's
gone from basically what in August, he had a twenty games span in August,
whereas Weber was two twenty. Since then, he's his last twenty games
span, he has a wober of five forty three. So it's like we
just quickly also mentioned that when it comes to motivating trade to the day he
signed his contract, I don't know what happened that day, but I will
say that his child was born exactly nine months later, So you know,
here's a motivation. Rob. I went there, this is a good time
for a break. Ah. Yeah, you've kind of you've stolen my you've
stolen my one of my good Darius. I'm kind of like very disappointed that
he did the plotted places I wanted a highlight with somebody who's in that rookie
campaign, which we're probably not actually going to really talk about too much,
but like James Altman has just had like this solid season LA and I think
he was one of many players that coming into this season I thought of as
like a fourth outfielder, that he'd he'd hit well in minor league baseball.
It's not get anything kind of like wrong about that, but when he when
he came up, I was very much of this idea of this is what
like the Dodgers are putting out. It felt like part of their cheaping out
tactic and getting under the luxury tax. And he's shown me wrong, Like
he's proved to be a very competent major league player, whether it stays because
I really don't like the plus thirty percent strikeout rate, but that's what he
did in the minors, and he hit well, and he's a defensively solid
player. But I just think he's one of those players that just hasn't been
I don't know if he's been talked about enough. He's just he still is
overshadowed on that team, even the robbe seeing on that kind of like there
haven't been like the stars. People don't think about maybe that Dodgers lineup has
starsted as it used to be, and they were obviously poor to start this
season, and I've just kind of kind of done well from a bit afterwards,
and it's just kind of sat outside the media's perview to be like,
oh, the Dodgers are it again. Yeah, that's how a lot of
us, I don't know, that's how I've seen now that I feel like
a lot of other places have discussed about it. They kind of just the
Dodgers are good. Yeah, fine, we'll move on. So yeah,
I think he's just somebody who's worth like highlighting something good that's actually happened.
Darius Storney was bad. I want to give you a bad, I don't
know good question Go to Rob. I'm still deciding. I've got one.
I've got two. My first one is Stephen Strasburg Debarkle. What their hell
is going on there? I mean, it's just own goal after own goal
from the Nationals. They're leaking that they're going to have a special retirement thing
for him and then inviting him and you know, saying we're looking forward to
seeing him at a spring training like the guy is so injured, so broken,
he's he is a person with accessibility needs now who may not be able
to pick his children up, like he has nerve damage to the point that
he might not be able to open a you know, open a jar in
the future. Like he has real, real damaged body from what he's been
doing. And the Nationals, it would appear, have spotted that all of
a sudden, they're not going to get their insurance pay out for him,
so are going to drag him through through through the bushes to have this this
awful end to a season where they they're going up paying this guy the money.
Either way, what they should have done is paid him his money,
let him go on his way, had the ceremony, celebrated how wonderful the
World Series has been, and finished finished his career in style. Instead they
have they have own gold massively. And I think it's fairly fairly disgusting the
way they've treated him. Quite frankly, I'm not I'm not I'm not a
fan of what the Nationals have done here. It's it's been pretty pretty openly
awful. Yeah, I feel there's not much kind of like more to be
added to that. It's not a particularly it's it's never great obviously to kind
of see a player go through injury to the point where it actually hinders them
from their actual real life. Like the rational sports is a very bizarre set
of circumstances in that where that is like allowed, like there's no there's no
other you would never you have the is it is it OSHA in America or
whatever, you'd have The people in the health and safety would be like,
excuse me, what the people can get like by by doing their work and
do irreparable damage to their body. I don't think this is like this is
right, but yeah, obviously like the second occupational health, Yeah, it's
it is a tough one to watch and just to see what's going on obviously
with then with Washington like extending like the manager and the general manager, and
obviously with all these other things going on, it's like some smoking mirrors that
just makes the whole thing seem particularly distasteful to me. Darius, if you
got your bad or shall I take one first? You still, I mean,
you know, we don't have to talk about it a lot. Who
you are. Urius obviously has been arrested for domestic violence. Second incident in
his career. We don't have all the details, we don't know what's happing
suspension. Mostly I just want to say that we, I think collectively have
this tendency to be like, what are the Dodgers going to do with their
pitching staff for w how is this going to impact? And it's free agency,
and maybe we should not do that and instead remember that there is somebody
who's had domestic violence committed against them, and you know, think about that
person, and you know, we can deal with that other stuff later on,
but it's not really that important whether anybody signs urius and free agency or
whatever. So that's why I have said about that. Yeah, yeah,
no, that's a good one. Back to maybe some more just baseball moaning.
I kind of want to talk about Emmanuel class A, like he's not
had a good season for Cleveland. He may be leading baseball in saves with
with with forty, but that's because every single Cleveland game is like a one
or a three run game because Cleveland don't score runs and don't really give up
runs, so and they're probably going to have a pretty historic one run game
percentage of games being wondering games from at the end of the season, but
he's blown it quite often this season. He has he has lost like nine
games this season. He's still sat there with like what I think is I
think he's bad. He's a three point one yr right, if that makes
sense. This is where I'm moaning from the fact that kind of like he's
supposed to be like one of the best like relievers in baseball and and he's
just kind of been a bit na this season and maybe maybe if this is
bad, I should be quite happy. Because this is bad, it's still
kind of like very good, but for somebody who seemed to have kind of
really nailed down coming in at that moment, getting having his clean inning,
coming in and doing a lot of damage. Like he's just he's not looked
like anywhere near the player that we've seen like historically, and his like it's
walk great is up, strikeout rate is down. It's just it's just been
a little depressing to watch. And the Cleveland I mean, I'm not Cleveland
fans, so if I'm completely honest, I really don't care. But but
you know, you can decry your pretty good reliever or alike. I mean,
as bads go, this is a lame Russell. This is lame.
He is he is a good reliever who's having a not quite as good years
as we think he's available too, So come on, man, you're better
than this. Well, I was just thinking that he's potentially going to have,
like he's going to have the most losses as the leads lead leading save
picture in like MLB history. So I obviously losses don't well started don't really
matter, but to relievers they do matter because that's actually like you're the one
who trade him for Jaalen Beaks. Yeah, I'm gonna pass on that one.
There we go. Yeah, I'm waiting for the next the next Rule
five drafts so we can pick somebody else up out out of nowhere that should
have been should have been kept by one of the good teams to one another,
Trevor Stephen Laura, all right, well bring us back for the good
Julio. Who doesn't love Julio? I had a chance to watch an awful
lot of who Julio over the week because the man raise and there's just you
know what, like if you want to pick a poster boy for baseball,
here is your man. Like. He had a very slow start of the
year, but he has come. I think we can all agree it is
pretty much Pique Julio right now, like this is this is what we hoped
for. And the guy looks the part like I have never seen anybody look
as comfortable chasing down a ball in center field. I'm not saying he's the
best at chasing down a ball in center field, but as it's happening,
I'm looking at him and thinking, Yeah, this guy's got it absolutely Now
your kiamas Jackie Bradley Jr. Is probably catch more balls than he does.
But he just looks, looks the part. And then he stands up and
he flashes those those green eyes to the camera and you think, yes,
this man has absolutely every bit you need for faceive baseball superstar. If he's
not on, the next m will be the show cover. I think something's
gone horribly wrong. This guy is absolutely electric. I think he's the He's
that top outfielder, Like, I don't think you could trade for a better
outfielder in baseball right now. I think he is is absolutely spot on.
He's got the future of all futures come in. He's got the big contract,
he's got the looks. I'm I've been I've been excited to watch Julio
and he hit one of the most ludicrously high and he went over the b
ring in the trop and hit the sea ring, which, let me tell
you that that is impressive. That is very very impressive to hit a ball
that hard. So I mean Julio's Hulio is just coming into his stride now,
Like, watch out for the next couple of years. This guy is
gonna be. This guy is going to be the absolute balls. He is
incredible. He's something else. Yeah right, No, No, I like
obviously, like he's just didn't a territory act to the phrase absolute balls,
really absolutely balls. No, he's obviously a phenomenal player, and there's kind
of he is one of those players that's definitely hopefully you don't want him to
be carrying the Mariners on his back, maybe like Griffy Junior deal or any
Chero deal. But like when they have that sort of talismanic player, it
makes you even as like a neutral, they're a team that like you will
go and watch or cap some of their games because it's actually like worthwhile,
worthwhile. So that is really pretty too. I have a slight crush on
Julio I'm not gonna lie why slight yes, slight, yeah, I'm I'm
definitely of the I still think that Seattle should be getting ready to blow out
the market and bring Shatani up to I'm sorry, you can't have the two
guys in one team. That's too much. My my, dreus. He
got another good Yeah, this is just a cool stat. Jose l two
by a ninth inning homer on Monday, I think it was last week.
And then he hit a homer in each of the first three innings the following
day, which made him the first player ever to homer in four consecutive innings.
Just pretty I did not know that that's good, And just generally,
I think, like I kind of think, you know, basically, it's
more fun when you've got the big boss, right, and I feel like
the Astroids and the big boss and Alto Bay well he's the little boss.
But still I think, you know, having a fully operational Astros roster in
the playoffs kind of makes it feel a bit more like a thing, you
know. I feel like that would be more excited with the Astros in the
playoffs. I don't necessarily want the Asterrois to win the playoffs. But you
know, the fully functioning astrois in the playoffs makes it feel like an event.
So that's that's good. Hopefully you can stay because he's had some trouble
with that this season. Imagine how much more fun he would be if he
didn't have that buzzer stuck to us Just a few years ago, Rob,
I thought we were done making people mad today. Sorry, sorry, break
sorry, we this is a This is not a platform for spending telling out
John Boy media fake news. Bob, I still love the fun that they've
basically tried to distance themselves that from like as much as possible, given the
fact that they were one hundred percent the proposers are pushing that out, that
narrative out there, which is basically, I'm just going on record of saying
I'm not going against John Boy in case they mute us and then put something
over our lip lips. So no, Russell slanders John Boy on podcast to
breakdown. Rob doesn't because after if there are things that I'm going to go
down for, that's fine. I'll take that one. And the fact that
like that the Astros aren't actually that bad and that people need to get over
it. Yeah, No, the good is actually we've kind of likely talked
about the player beforehand, but Nolan Jones, I've just watched him, like
after I've watched a couple of games against Colorado just for times of being awake
or whatever and seen actually him playing well one of those times where for me,
he was one of the first few kind of like prospects when I got
into like following like Cleveland, and I've seen them like get drafted and go
like all through the system and you're like, oh, like they're gonna be
amazing, and it didn't pan out, and then it didn't pan out at
Cleveland. It's now gone around a few places and it's kind of sat well
at a Colorado and seeing kind of him kind of do well. It's just
it's just almost it's just a nice thing to to actually kind of like to
happen for players like all of these kind of prospects that if you do kind
of end up looking at them and maybe kind of liking them, and you've
got to realize that not all of them are probably going to end up on
your team, if not, like most of them are even maybe not even
going to make it to the majors. So them doing it, but doing
it on another team is still it's still a it's a fun thing to kind
of see. And obviously him throwing like the fastest outfield assist in like five
years the other day was a great one to watch, and with the commentary
team being like, why do they keep on doing it because he's got like
fourteen our field assists like this season or something like that, it's just it's
it's great to see someone like a career actually progress, even if it isn't
just the the sleepy town of Denver, Colorado hashtag Rockies decent social media.
Then I think that's the best I can say about them. You've got a
laugh for your crist as. We were like purple, Yeah, yeah,
we like the color purple obviously, but that's just a good film. Those
are the band Purple. I think, just to go a little bit inside
Bafflet's nerves for a second. Obviously, we've been working on a series of
articles to come out there talking about rivalries, and a couple of the people
we know who are Rocky fans were suggesting that the best thing they can do
for a rivalry is Rocky fans versus Rocky fans or Rocky fans versus Dick Bonfort.
It's no one can be your rival if no one actually cares about you.
I don't feel like doing a second round of bad to Day. I
feel like, rather, you have you got something that you want to to
to end the episode on. So it's like a sweet bad okay. So
I don't like It's it's it's rules discourse. I don't like the balanced schedule
as much as I thought I would. I miss the Red Sox, and
I miss the Yankees, and I miss the Blue Jays. Now the Rays
are playing the Blue Jays and all a lot in the last couple of weeks.
I'm sure that I'll come back a bit. But like I used to
know who was starting any given night for those teams, and I used to
look at who was in the outfield and be like, yes, that guy,
that guy, that guy, And you know what, I don't have
that anymore because they're spread out a little bit. And I was a vociferous
fan of the balance schedule, wherever I got to see a little bit of
everybody else. But you know what, I miss seeing the Toronto Blue Jays.
I miss being angry at the fact that Kevin Kiermier plays for them,
and you know what, I just might get as much as thought I would.
So that's a little bit sad, careful ways to wish for people.
That's that's the moral of this episode, or this bit got a quick bad,
Darius will do two quick ones, then I've got all quick bad.
I just feel bad for Mike Saroka, who has gone back on the injured
list with forum information. Let's say you don't it doesn't need surgery, but
it does feel a bit cursed. And you know, the guy his major
league debut at twenty and he was Rookie of the Year runner up at twenty
one, and since then it's just been, you know, disaster after disaster,
multiple akiddies, tears, worked his way all the way back, made
a few starts this season, and now he's back on the injured list again.
And I just hope that, you know, one day he can come
back and picture normal major league season, because it's been it's been a while,
So get well soon, Mike, if it makes you feel better at
all, he's earned more money already than you. The three of us together,
we'll make in our entire lives. Yeah, that's great. I don't
care anymore. Screw you, thank you for putting us, putting us in
our in our place. Rob. Yeah, I did have one, and
my mind has completely gone blank. I don't know it was hastened to Mingez
or whatever. It looks like he's come up, he was going to do
well. Now he's injured, probably out for the season, maybe a bit
of next season, like you're saying, Rob, the Yankees fans have managed
to take losing particularly well, but I don't think they've taken this information particularly
well, as it was maybe one of the bright spots in in this season.
But the same way it works, it's just never allowed to see like
any player kind of take injuries. Really, but somebody who's kind of highly
kind of like counted probably been maybe the most overrated prospect of all time,
even if he's actually like stillay, very good prospect. Just what Mkevin my
Tan Yeah, yeah, I think he was the most overrated prospect. Yeah,
okay, yeah, you wonder Franco, Yeah he should, he should,
he should not be named, but yeah, no, it's it's just
not good obviously for them to come up and kind of have their moment in
the sun and really be a bright spot for the team and looking like he
could be somebody that they can all kind of like get behind for quite good
and then be being jaded. It's not great. I have an update.
The fewest pictures to ever throw two hundred inks in a full Major league season
is four in twenty twenty one, so we probably will have a new record
this year, assuming that it is just Web and Coal and Gallon. That's
interesting because Sandy's done and there's nobody else above one eighty years there. Bramberg
could, but I think you'd have to have three long ish starts, and
you've got to assume the astroids are probably not going to push him if they
don't have to. Okay, okay, Well on that little stats bomb to
finish us off. It's been a delight to chat to you gents about baseball.
I hope all our listeners have enjoyed it. Darius, I'm assuming there's
plenty of stolen based content coming from you at Baseball's Prospectives. You've got get
close to a season review on how the rules have maybe played out. I'm
not doing any stolen based content at the moment, actually, but you should
still go to Baseball prospectives. In fact, Russell Carlton has written about baseball,
about Star and Basis today at BP, so do read Russell's and they
did all the great content over at BP and check out our great depth charts
which I am still managing. Rob. Will we have any written material from
you in the not too distant future or ever? I mean sure, why
not? Let's say yes, and there should be something from me in the
not in future as well. I've been dabbling with a couple of statistical things,
more just looking into the very bizarre nature of this Cleveland season in comparison
to kind of what's happening for all the other teams in baseball. But yes
you have. Obviously you can find our stuff on the website at bat Flips
and Nerds dot com. You can find us at Twitter at bat Flips,
Underscored Nerds. Thank you very much, Jens Well, speak to you soon.
Yeah, hello, and welcome to Backflips and Nerds, the Baseball podcast
with a British twist. I am your host this evening, Russell Eatum Russell
Eatum. Well put it at the end, Yeah, the one goes back.
I don't even say my own name, did Lord