Speaker 1: Greedy's socitations. Everyone. It's Rich Wilson. Welcome to Fantasy Baseball Live.
The day is July third, and it's about nine thirty
in the morning, Tim, and my Apple watch says it's
eighty eight degrees already here in beautiful New Jersey. The
weather here, I don't know what it's like in Canada.
It has been absolutely you go out, it's like a furnace.
It's hot, it's humid, and it hasn't rained and at all,
so we haven't had any chance to cool down. It's
absolutely miserable.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't want temperatures like that. It's been warm here.
It's almost seventy degrees here at eight twenty five in
the morning, and it's to be up in the mid eighties.
And I think, I think southern Ontario and you know
that we call it the Golden the Golden Horseshoe that
work from Toronto through the Montreal high population, they're they're
experiencing a lot of the same weather that you are
right now. And you know, you get you know, the
humidity is ninety eight percent and it's that hot. It's
it's hard to go anywhere without ending up soaking wet.
And miserable. It's just too hot. It's not good.
Speaker 1: It's not good. I get my run in about six
o'clock in the morning. I hate running that early because
I'm half asleep, but otherwise, I mean, it's dangerous. You
just can't do it. And I know there's going to
be day games this weekend with the ballplayers, and I
don't know. Wasn't it a Vasquez? I read that he
fainted yesterday, So so I mean, I mean, it doesn't
matter how well off, how good of shape you are.
I mean, you can't handle this weather. It's tough.
Speaker 2: No, no, you gotta be constantly hydrating, constantly, and be
very very careful. I know, with my ticker issues, I'm
not even supposed to be out in weather or much
over eighty degrees. When I go to Arizona on a
really hot day, what I'll do is I'll sit through
the first two three innings and go to my car
and sit there for ten to fifteen minutes with the
AC on, cool my body temperature down a little, and
then go back and watch baseball for a bit. But
you know, you can't cool around in temperatures like this.
It can lead to some serious issues.
Speaker 1: Three I can remember three distinct days of it being
the hottest I've ever been one, and this stands above
everyone else. We try to go to the US Open,
the tennis match every chance we get, which is an
amazing sporting it and it's just an amazing time there.
But we don't go and sit in the big stadium.
You sit in the outlining stadiums and see some of
the qualifying rounds. But we went one year. I think
it got to be one hundred and four degrees and
you're sitting in the sun in the asphalt already. It
was unbullieved. I mean, Laurie and I talk about that
day all the time, how hot we were. Remember that
second time was in Glendale watching a White Sox and
whatever of the sitting in that hot sun, going oh
my god. It was early October and it was again
one hundred degrees and it was no humidity, but you
just baked. And then the third time was at English
Race Track in New Jersey when Matt and his buddies
used to love to go to something called the Warp Tour,
which is the outdoor venue of of emo bands and
just bands, and it was at a it was at
a drag strip. They had all these stadiums all over
the dragstrip and it was again one hundred and three
hundred and four degrees and I remember people just falling over.
I mean, people were always at the cooling stations and
the first day kids they were. Everybody was to dehydrate it.
And I remember going back to my car watching some
bands after about an hour, going back to my car,
just sitting in the air conditioning for five minutes before
you go. Yeah, it was those really hot days stand
out on you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, they definitely do. And like Arizona. I've got
a lot of friends that live in Arizona, and I
asked them, like, how do you survive the summers? They
were always asking me how do we survive the winters?
And Nicol, how did how do you survive the summers?
And what they all said the same thing. You get
up at six thirty seven o'clock in the morning, you
go out, you do your grocery shopping, you take care
of everything you have to do out in the public,
and by ten ten thirty in the morning, you're back home,
air conditioning comfort, and you don't go out. It's a
simple is that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, it's it's crazy stuff. But we're here to
talk baseball, my friend, and reviewing the first half and
looking to the second half. But my first question is
are halfway point? What lessons have you learned? I'm gonna
I'm going to hijack the podcast him. Can we talk
about Amaya.
Speaker 2: Waiting?
Speaker 1: I just I'm just pitched and and this is why.
And let me emmote for a moment, and then you
can comment. If a picture I get it. If a
picture is no good, you know, Michael Lorenzen, I use
him as a pitching in Colorado. You're expecting a five
and a half year, a three to four innings, just
that that's who the picture is. And he's consistently bad.
But yeah, yeah, yeah, am Ia pitch on the twenty
fifth of June against at Detroit, six innings, two hits,
ten strikeouts, in one walk, and then back on the
uh MA had the no hitter. Six innings, two strikeouts,
four walks. I mean, somehow he's a joint no hitter.
But then he's got these intermixed with zero point two
innings at Kansas City. I mean, you're gonna start him
at Kansas City.
Speaker 3: It's seven, Yes, you're gonna start the Lorenzo the Kansas
City exactly.
Speaker 4: It's five urned runs.
Speaker 1: And then and then the debacle one the third innings
at minnes home against Minnesota again, four hits, five urn runs,
five walks. This guy, Timmy, you always say he's consistent.
He's inconsistent in his consistency anywhere.
Speaker 2: But yeah, if you've.
Speaker 1: I'm not done. If you take a book at the
at the games, I think it's twelve games started. The
only team that he's played at, I think that has
a winning record. That's any good as Milwaukee. Every it's
been Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, the Athletics, Minnesota, Seattle twice,
Los Angeles Angels. Who the hell is this guy? He stinks.
I I can't trust him, and I know I'm gonna
put him on my bench and he's going to go
out in pull six innings, three hits, nowhere runs in
eight strikeouts.
Speaker 2: Now yeah, it's frustrating his hacker. You know, I don't
have any ancestry. I cannot explain this. The stuff is
good enough a three ear a pictures with high strikeo
better than strikeout burning numbers. But it's like he's there
some days, but he's not, you know, I mean, like
we see the er, like you said, two thirds of
a nitting fiber and runs, Well, how do you how
do you pitch it?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 2: Here, I don't care whether it's one of the worst
teams in the game. Are one of the best teams?
Tell us a no hitter. You gotta know what you're
doing to strike out ten major league batters, even Kansas
City batters. Okay, you got to know how to throw
the ball. Yet he will look like the second coming
of Cy Young one day and totally unfit to be
in the game the next. I don't get it. I
can't figure it out. This stuff is good, this stuff
is good enough that he should be a very good,
above average pitcher. But it's like when he loses it, it's gone.
Speaker 1: It's gone.
Speaker 2: I mean, there's it's the coming back.
Speaker 1: The extremes are unbelievable. I mean, you get guys going
and get blown up every once in a while. I
get it, But how can you go back to backs
games of double digit strikeouts sandwiched in between two stinkers
where it's five earned runs and at ending or less.
I mean, I I don't understand that.
Speaker 2: I don't either. I got no answers for either Zippo
not a single. I don't know what is. I don't
know what is happening. It seems like once he loses it, okay,
it's there's no coming back, and that shouldn't be Okay,
there's you know, I'm going back to Yogi Bear in
a statement, ninety percent of the game is half mental. Okay,
we're seeing an example of that. I think with a Maya,
the skills are there, but at some point in time,
if and when he loses it, it's gone.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I tell hy I took a look at the
in the specific games, and it's not location. I mean,
when he loses it, he can't. He can throw strikes,
but he has no command. It is straight down the
heart of the plate, just meatballs and just getting his
forcing which just gets destroyed.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I don't know what the answer is as a
team or as a manager, but maybe what they should
try is if he starts a game and he doesn't
have it, okay, just get him out of there right away,
because at this point in stage of the game, odds
are pretty good that he ain't coming back from that.
Speaker 1: Okay, So but it can unravel though, I mean that's
I mean, what do you have a guy up warming
in the bullpen in the first standing before the game starts.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean yeah it does. Yeah, I'll agree with you, Philos. Yeah,
I can't save your ear a.
Speaker 2: A little bit, wouldn't it.
Speaker 1: It's it's it's it's very bizarre. It's very very frustrating.
I mean, I just I mean, I mean, I look
at the data and is the four seamers really not
a very good pitch. I know, he throws ninety five
miles an hour, but it's flat as an arrow I mean,
or straight as an arrow, flat, you know, whatever you
want to call it. I mean, it's just it's got
a great slider forty rate. No one can hit a
split finger, but he just doesn't have a very good fastball,
and when he loses his his command of it, it
just gets destroyed.
Speaker 2: Well yeah, I hey, I'm in last place in Labor Mixed, okay,
and I have Amaya and five inning Freddy. Is that
explain where my pitching is this year in that league?
Speaker 1: I know?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's yeah. And you know what, I'm at the
stage right now where I'm just gonna wheel the mode
every start because my ear am are totally destroyed because
of the two of them. Hunter Brown was my number
one in that league, the Boots, So I've been dealing
with injuries. I'm just wheeling him out, okay, and I'll
take whatever he gives me. Yeah, because I'm sitting last
the air and whip and there's no coming back from that, right,
So i might as well take the strikeouts that he's
going to give me when he gives them to me.
Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure I don't have all
of his good starts because I was afraid to put
him in. I'm almost I'm confident I have all of
his bad starts. I'm pretty sure. Ye, well, yeah, we're
safe now. And then you put him in and it's oh.
Speaker 2: Come on, well yeah yeah, because you're playing the game
the right way. Okay, he's struggling, so you don't start him.
He pitches a no hitter, you put him back in. Yeah,
no hitter, okay. Then he allows five and runs in
two thirds of an inning that's counting. Then you take
him out because he's a bombing. He throws another ten
STRIKEO Jim. Yeah, that's that's tough to work with.
Speaker 1: It's it's it's it's impossible. It's impossible. Yeah, I mean
you either just have to close your eyes and deal
with it or just drop him. I mean he feels like, yeah,
you can. You can do yourself a lot of good
by just dropping him, at least mental good. I'm getting
to that point. I've got him in one Dynasty League
and I got him on the NFC team, and I
feel like, I just I hate the guy.
Speaker 2: I just do.
Speaker 1: I don't want to put him in it's it's it's
too frustrating.
Speaker 2: Yeah, totally get it. I totally get it. I don't
know what I'm gonna do for next year. I'm hoping
we see a little bit of consistency in the second half.
Otherwise he's going to be probably despite the upside potential,
he's going to be on my touchless next spring.
Speaker 1: Yeah. And then if he has a good seat, and
if he if he continues the way he is and
also turns around next season and you drafted him, not
you personally, you just got lucky. I mean that's all
ill is. Yeah, and you just got lucky.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well, it's much the same with Freddie Peralta. You got unlucky.
Speaker 1: I think it's I think it's the Mets. I don't
like to pin stuff on performances on a team situation,
but that from everything I'm reading, is just the clubhouse
is just a mess. And I'm just wanted to front.
I mean, because he's a walk here. I mean, like
this is the year that he should be doing. He's
going to get traded. I think he I think he.
Speaker 2: Improves, yes, and when he does get traded, I think
restore a lot of the value lost because they'll go
into free agency negotiations saying, hey, the Mets are a mess.
He was a proroduct of that mess. We got him
out of there. He pitched well after, after he escaped
the doldrums, and I think if he gets traded, then
turns things around and returns to the brawl so that
we've seen in the past. I don't think it'll affect
his free agent standing all that much. But it's easy
to blame the Mets, right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, Yeah, it's but if he doesn't to me,
then he's he's losing money left and right. I mean,
it's it's not a good situation anyway. I'm going to
go back and ask you get back to our notes
were at the halfway point. Yeah, what what lessons have
you learned or reminded of when reflecting on the first half.
Speaker 2: I got about six or seven of them here, but wow, yeah, yeah,
and I think they're all fairly, fairly valid. Number One,
you can never have enough starting pitching in today's game.
It's yeah, you just can't dan you Nope.
Speaker 1: You can't. They get hurt and they underperform, and you
also can't. You can't sit there and say, oh, I
drafted enough pitching. If a guy gets off to a
strong start, he's on the way where you got to
pick him up.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, you got to be aggressive very much.
Speaker 4: So Fosters a great example.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that leads into my next when the draft's important,
but working hard and utilizing the free agent pool is
paramount to success, especially with the number of young players
being promoted. And they're not all going to be success stories,
but there are going to be some. And we're going
to see these younger players earlier and earlier all the time,
and more of them. It's a six month grind. You
can't take time off and expect to finish at the
top of your league. You've got to be working it
hard all the time.
Speaker 1: I think that's fantas asked to give me. Give me
your third one.
Speaker 2: Buy an elite closer. Okay, your top five.
Speaker 1: This coming from the guy that that signed Diaz. Yes,
that that that didn't work out so well, but I
get you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Mason Miller, Lewan Duran, Kate Smith. You know, barring
the injury situation, Edwin Diaz and Josh Ada, I'm sure
we'll also be up on top. The bets have done
very well this year. The teams that are struggling are
the teams with mediocre arms oh okay, and very limited
proven history for the most part. Now I said you can,
you can go through and you look at a role
as Chapman Munos has turned during his season around, there
are very very few new guys. Per Se is the one.
Speaker 1: He's the guy that kind of pops into my mind
because I because I I obviously I think it's not
a secret that I despise closers. But I did pick
up Jacob Blounts in a few leagues, along with everybody
else that you recommended. But that was the one that
I got right, or you got right. I got right,
And it's just Russian Roulette with closers. I mean that's
you're just guessing.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I I know next spring, I'm going to
make it a point to Wana Ross or one of
direct Josh Hader or Louis Iarland or said.
Speaker 1: Another guy that that that that popped up the season
as well.
Speaker 2: But for the most part, if you look through the
saves and look through the top fifteen or so, there's
a lot of veteran returning closures on that list. So
I think it's important to get one for stability purposes. Yeah,
it's yeah, do.
Speaker 1: You really have six or do you know what? A yeah,
I've got I've got to habit. Give me one more?
Speaker 2: One? Okay, one more? Uh, I'm torn between two here.
The real game is constantly evolving and changing. We have
to do the same. The ability to adapt is crucial
when building and running a fantasy game.
Speaker 1: Give me an example.
Speaker 2: Okay, I did this right, because one of my other
points is the bugs, Bundy types, rabbits. They're a thing
in the past. Okay. The overall stolen base leader is
Nasim Nunez with thirty two. He's rostered of forty three
percent as of yesterday, and as late as week twelve,
only twenty five percent you got to get some power
with that speed. Now, fifteen years ago to ten years ago,
you a guy like Nunias would have been rostered to
the tune of one hundred percent right out of the gate.
You know, the stolen base potential was so so high,
maybe not one hundred. He would have been rostered at
seventy five percent by week three of the season as
soon as he started running okay. In today's game, and
with the changes to the the bases okay and the
increased stolen bases, a guy like Nunia is, like I said,
as a today, he's rostered a forty three percent, and
he's he is your stolen base leader. You've got to
get power with that speed game today. You can't go
with the rabbits. The one pier types would not survive
in today's game. And if you think they would, then
you're gonna you're gonna have some problems.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's why I never understood the Chandler Simpson going
in as high as did I. It's just right, and
you've you've just got to You've got to have Aaron
Judges at all the other positions, not all of them,
but I mean, Aaron Judge gets hurt obviously, but you've
got to you got a big power to make up
for that, and the math becomes extremely difficult to make
it work.
Speaker 2: So I totally agree with you. Yeah, it's a lot different.
If you've got a guy that hits ten twelve home
runs and seals twenty five bases, that's right, you, Yeah
you could, Yeah, you can work with that. But the
guys that are short categories, it gets tough, and it
gets tough quick.
Speaker 1: Which player did you get wrong at the draft table?
Non injury? But you just thought he'd be better?
Speaker 2: Oh? The guy that I got really really wrong was
led Junior four homers, thirty four? Are you as I thought?
After after last year and everything that came down? Megan
the World Series coming within an inch of the Big
Prize and he had a good year last year. I
thought a monster year was in the store. I really did.
And I got that badly, badly wrong. I didn't see anything.
There's no indication, nothing, It just yeah, it just hasn't happened.
It's it's sort of sad, it really is. I was.
I was. I was deadly wrong. Right right across the
boarder the black girl.
Speaker 1: I think he's going to pull a James Wood. James
Wood was the same thing in the second half last season,
where the power just completely disappeared and he was still
hitting the ball hard. It just wasn't happening. I just
have to believe you hit the ball as hard as
Lad Junior does, you're going to hit home runs and
he's got to leverage. I get it, but even still,
you should be able to hit some home runs. I'm
it's shocking what he has done.
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, that's that's the one that I got very
very wrong.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm going to give you that one was hard
to determine. It was wrong to me. Mine was I
didn't do my homework because Jacob Marcy is my guy,
and the all of the all of the signs were there,
and I just didn't dig in deep enough.
Speaker 2: One.
Speaker 1: There's some bad splits in there that have really become
a problem. He can't hit lefties and the power, which
you know, I thought he was hitting the ball hard
last season. So I did my homework there, but I
didn't look back to other seasons and you see low
eggs and velossity, low egs, velossity, and then you see
this anomaly sitting there with his time up in the
major leagues and that was a red flag that he
needs to be able to replicate that over a longer
period of time, and he's not been able to do that.
And then you throw in the fact that, yeah, he's fast,
but he's not a burner. I got it wronged him.
That has just not worked out for me at all.
Speaker 2: No, and hey, that bear fair enough. There were there
were some indicators there and hey, you missed them. I
think a lot of people missed them, Okay, and uh,
we're going to see a correction next spring, guaranteed.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I mean, like I think he's a fourth outfielder.
That's what I thought we was coming through the minor leagues.
Like I just I just got carried away with the
season last year and I just dig in deep and
that just bums me out.
Speaker 2: Well, it happens. There's a lot of players in the game,
and there it's it's tough to stay on top of everything.
Speaker 1: It really is which player did you get right? And
wish she had more shares of.
Speaker 2: Oh well I got three of them.
Speaker 1: Maya uh.
Speaker 2: No shot yes, uh Kazuma Comortal oh yeah call yeah,
oh yeah? I Hey, I liked him coming out of
Japan a lot more than everybody else, and I didn't
get as many shares a lot of the leagues I'm in.
I got sniped on Oakramoro. I think I've only got
two shares, and it's not for lack of triting trying that.
The other Louis Berlin, that's obvious. I was onto him
and I, hey, I've still I've got about seven shares,
but I wish I had three more to make it
a full sweep. And the one guy that I have
no shares of that I got right, it just didn't
work out right at the draft was your Dan Alvarez.
I man, he's having He's having the type of year
that you know he had. He had thirty plus home
runs four seasons in a row. Last year he was hurt.
It was a terrible season. But I think too much
weight was put on last year's injury riddled season when
it came into drafts, and I just wish I had
more shares of your Dan Elverz. I believe in him
this year and so far he's getting it done.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I look at at Okamoa, hits the ball really
really hard. I mean he's gonna strike out a ton
and there's no speed, So I mean, I think there's
always gonna be pressure on the batting average. The guy
that surprised me of the two sluggers was how good
Mirakami was when he was playing.
Speaker 2: Now.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm hoping he comes back and plays the
way he was playing before. I mean, how hard he
hit the ball, how young he is. That guy looks
like that. That guy looks like Kyle Schwarber Tennant's you know,
I know Kyle Schwarber is a unicorn, but maybe there's
a second one coming.
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I got that one wrong too. I did
a ton of research and followed his career, and he
always in Japan had trouble with high heat, especially inside Okay,
so I was I was concerned about that heading to
Major League Baseball, and I saw that as a flaw
that could be exploited by pitching. Obviously, Murakami disagrees because
he's in the high Okay. Yeah, I don't know what
happened in Japan. I don't know what he has done,
if anything, but I was I was more bullish by
a long shot on Okamotov than I was on Murcami
because of the concerns of him hitting the basketball, and
he has grove proved me and everybody else that actually
did the research. Okay, the yeah, he can do it.
So yeah, I'm excited about the future as well.
Speaker 1: Where ninety four mile hour exit VELOSSI one fourteen max.
There is good angle at fourteen point five, but man,
it could be even more. I mean he's he's walking
eighteen percent of the time. It's exactly what Kyle Schwarber does.
Speaker 2: Yeh, yep, low batting average OVP and it yeah, and
fifty home runs that'll work.
Speaker 1: That'll work. Yeah, I mean it's for sprint speed. So
he's he could seal a few bases. I hope he
doesn't because we don't want him pulling hammies or anything
like that. But uh, he was impressive. So let's take
a quick break. We've already gone for three minutes and
ten of which I was complaining about Amaya, so.
Speaker 2: Justifiably justifying that bastard Sasaki is right in there too.
Speaker 1: Damn Japanese pictures. Was a soccer last night that bastard.
Speaker 2: I saw the Dodgers came back from a sixty from
a six run deficit to win the game, and I, yeah,
I didn't. I didn't see the I didn't see his line.
Speaker 1: No three runs. I was a back to backstinkers after
pitching so well for over a month.
Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, you got adopt a new country, my friend.
Speaker 2: The market for finished starting pictures is a limited rage.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah. So he against the White Sox he gave
up seven runs, and against these Padres he gave up
six runs and three innings. It's been He's hit a
bit of a skin over the last four games.
Speaker 2: Mmmmm yeah, something to watch and sit him in his
next one, of course, I will hit her.
Speaker 1: Just just done with these. I'm done with these Japanese
pictures for now, and you're you're telling me before we
got on on onto recording, Tim Sky at the two
best Japanese pictures, I wanted to give you a zero
point zero coming to next season. I'm done with them.
I'm done. I got suckered in the Sasaki and I
got suckered in the mine. I'm done.
Speaker 2: I'm done by you Knownseto. You heard it here first.
Speaker 1: Look. If he's the next Yaw, I'm mode, I'm gonna
tip my cap to whoever picks them up. I'm done, okay,
all right to me? Let's go through our first half
of MVPs, and I think we are truly at the
first half mark here. What is your personal MVP?
Speaker 2: My personal MVP is sal Stewart. Wow, okay, I only
have two shares, but in those two leagues, he's carrying
me and he's put me in a position where I'm
in the running for a potential money finish. Yeah. He
was the twentieth first basement off the board and he's
currently seeing ninth in homers. Was seventeen sixty RBIs good
per second at first, eleven stolen base is good per
second at first, and and eight thirteen obs. Sal Stewart
could could earn me some cash this year, so I
had to nominate him as my personal MVP.
Speaker 1: My guy coming into the season was ben Rice. Tim
knows this like all of our Patreon members know. He said,
you cannot leave the draft without ben Rice. Twenty three
hondre runs, fifty seven runs, fifty four RBIs two sixty
nine batting average. She has slowed down since Judge has
been out. He's been a little bit hurt as well.
But I mean the twenty three home runs in a
Ratisaray league and everything else that just said they're all
banked and been rice to me, has just been money
just at your catching position.
Speaker 2: Yes, no, great, great call by you and great results.
And yeah, hey, every everybody in New York is quite
hitting since Judge has been over for the most part.
Speaker 1: So chis Chishm seems like the only guy that's hitting.
Speaker 2: So yeah, yeah, and we'll see what happened. And now
that he doesn't have a lollybob in his mos in
the oshield, cheer lord, I shake my head as some
of the stupidity I see. And that was right up there.
Speaker 1: I agree. I remember there was a survey out for
the most overrated player a few years ago. They asked
players about who the yeah Geschisholm won in the landslide.
So and I think it's that kind of crap, like
he's got all the talent in the world, Like what
are you doing man?
Speaker 2: Yeah, like, yeah, yeah, you're looking at a hundred percent
body with a ten percent brain sitting on.
Speaker 1: Yep. Totally agree. All right, let's move to catching, tim
Who you got what?
Speaker 2: Okay, who do I gotta catcher? I got a guy
that was drafted seventy fifth off the board with an
ADB of four seventy. Now he's slowed down recently, but
he's still sitting right now at the break with thirteen homers,
fifty four RBIs and what is really impressive, twenty nine walks,
twenty eight stricos, eight twenty five ops. If you grabbed
Liam Hicks out of the free agent pool, you gotta
be one happy gamber.
Speaker 1: That's a great call. He was when I lost a
couple of catchers early on, he was sitting in the playerpool.
I just didn't believe. But yeah, you're right, he's been very,
very good. I think I might have taken your guy though,
and that is Dylan Dingler. You did yes, nineteen home runs.
I'm sure you know that. I don't have Dingler anywhere.
You could have gotten in the sixteenth round. Dylan Dingler, Tim, Holy.
Speaker 2: Moly, Yeah, I've got him in one of the leagues
with Sale Stewart. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Yeah,
it's been amazing. Yeah, he was a number two catcher,
a late number two catcher, grab and he's one of
the best in the game this year.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's crazy. Let's let's take a look at his
data to see if this is real or not. I
don't know him anywhere. Let's see Dingler type of Dylan
Dingler here. Sure, oh boy, look at that. Now he's
a great defensive catcher. Wow, pop times eighty nine percent
off framing ninety eight percentile. We don't care about that.
We care about his average exit of velocity at ninety
point three. It's above that ninety percent threshold. A seventeen
degree launch angle.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a powery guy.
Speaker 1: So that's a twenty twenty five home run guy.
Speaker 4: Straight down rate.
Speaker 1: Of twenty one percent. League average is twenty two. That's good.
He does swing at everything, so there's a six point
eight percent walk rate, and his and his chase rate
is also very poor. So he's not going to give
you a big average. So that two sixty nine feels
a little is expected as two ninety six. That's interesting
because of our hardy hits the ball. But it feels
like like a two fifty with twenty to twenty five
home runs and not a great ad in a one
base percentage league. But that's a low win number one catcher,
maybe even a top top ten catcher.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was going to say, yeah, those numbers add
up to top ten for me. Yeah, he did.
Speaker 1: He's just hitting the ball a lot harder than he
did last season, so yeah, good for him. All right,
let's move to first base, Tim, who.
Speaker 2: Do you have? Okay, this one is a tribute to
you because I actually took a look at there's several
first basemen that could definitely apply, you know, Jonathan Mirandez Stewart.
But this one, this one's for you, Rich. This guy
was the thirtieth first base outfielder off the board with
an eightyp at two seventy one eighteenth basically an eighteenth
round pick, thirteen homers, which puts him in the top
twenty fifty one RBI's good for thirteenth overall an ops
of eight to eleven, and that would be one Ryan
over Oh yeah, I y yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1: A bunch of late in a bunch of leagues. It's
boring old Ryan on her yep.
Speaker 2: Yeah. If you picked him up as a late pick
as a corner infielder, he's been goal for you this year.
He really has.
Speaker 1: He played well last season when he was with the
Orioles and he got traded to the I think it
was the Padres he got traded to, and he used
to be just a platoon guy. He's still not great
against left handers, but I mean there's there are plane
the pit Pirates are playing him full time, so and
he's contributing. I love Ryan o'hearan.
Speaker 2: Yep, there's my first basement.
Speaker 1: My guy, is this is crazy. I have no I
I can't explain it. That's Miguel Vargas nineteen home runs,
eleven stolen basis. He was the thirty fourth first baseman
off the pork. Can you explain to gal Vargas should
we have seen this coming?
Speaker 2: Well, he did come under the Dodgers system at one
point in time, didn't he.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but have you taken a look at his uh
his stack cast page. I mean it is all red.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's washing top to bottom right.
Speaker 1: I mean it's crazy. I mean he doesn't expand the
strike zune. The whiff rates are good, the walks a ton.
I don't know why he's only hitting two forty four.
I mean is expected batting averages two seventy eight exit velocity.
Exit velocity is ninety miles an hour with huge launch.
I think there's growth in this. I think he could
be a two fifty two sixty hit or with twenty
five thirty home runs with high on So this is
a dude, man.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you toss in the speed game. Yeah, second
third round pick.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I I mean again, he's only twenty six.
Maybe the man strength just came the season because last
year it was, you know, average exit velocities down to
the it was eighty nine point seven. I guess that's
pretty good.
Speaker 2: But uh.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he just it just blew up the season and
the power just went way up.
Speaker 2: Yeah, big time. He's I've got him in three leagues
and the one with Sale Stewart. Yeah, I've got Dingler
and Vargas. Yeah, they've been good to me, very good.
Speaker 1: Who's your second basement, my friend?
Speaker 2: My second basement is a guy okay that was owned
in less than fifty percent of the leagues up until
week eleven of the season and then game June and
he had eleven home runs and drove in twenty seven
in June. That started changed everything. He's up to sixteen
home runs, fifty nine RBIs, which is good for third
in homers, and I believe the leader in RBIs Luis
Garcia of the Washington Nationals. We haven't talked too much
about him, but man, he had a June and yeah,
that's he's eligible a second, he's playing at first, you're
using him at second. That's a that's a great player
this year.
Speaker 1: Another guy that eggs of losses really popped up this
season up to ninety two point two with more launch
on it. So, yeah, the power is pretty real. I mean,
he never walks to me four point three percent of
the time, so so that's the problem. He's a low
one base percentage guy and he's always been that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but when you look at every Yeah, hey, you
can't argue with sixteen homers and fifty nine RBIs. That's
and you know, and hey, granted a lot of it
was generated in junior. You added him off the waiver
where you know, towards the end of me to fill
in for an injury somewhere. Man, you group some huge rewards.
Speaker 1: Now the stolen bases are gone, right because he's not fast.
So he's definitely traded power for I was traded stolen
basis for power. Just he's filled out a little bit.
But yeah, it looks like the power is real. A
low one base percentage guy, and that's gonna be his
property hits free agency if he ever gets there because
teams aren't gonna want to pay for that.
Speaker 2: No, No, and you've gotten interested. You've got an interesting
player that was plucked out of the free agent pool
as well.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I got Casey Schmidt, which is he's eligible everywhere now.
His his run scored and RBIs are a little suppressed.
It just because he plays with the Giants and they're terrible.
Sixteen arm runs, seven solar bases and a two eighty
three batting average. A guy that you can plug in everywhere.
I got in several leagues and it's worked out quite
well for me. And wasn't a guy who was targeting
I needed a I don't know, second third base or
whatever whatever he was. He was there and I've kept
him ever since and it's been really good.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Uh, it's gonna be I'm going to have a
fun time with my rankings come next fall. There's uh,
you know, what do you do with guys like Schmidt
and Garcia. Yeah, it's it's gonna be fun.
Speaker 1: I think Spit might be a little bit more well rounded,
a little less risk than Garcia, just because of the
concern about the on base percentage. But I don't know.
It's a good it's a good question. Let's move on
to shortstop. Let's see, should we take a break. Let's
take a break, come back, and we'll move on the
short stop and finish this segment up. Sweet Tim.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I had to add a couple of big, big,
bulky starting pictures, or at least one. Anyways, I thank
you for the Thank you for the clip. Her large it. Yeah,
it wouldn't fit in my wouldn't fit on my my
ip owen Ridge.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I was at at Frederick for a couple of
games watching the Orioles high the I reach out to
some of my buddies in Baltimore and asked about a picture.
I wanted to take a look at Cayden Hunter, who
was not who was definitely impressive. But after he was
out of the game, I think it was with the Orioles,
this this guy came in to him. He was enormous.
I don't know if I've seen a guy that big
in a long time, six three or so, but I
looked him up because I never really heard of him.
And it's ad two hundred and seventy pounds. I'm looking
at the guy and going, ain't no way he's he's
three twenty three.
Speaker 2: He was huge.
Speaker 1: He was huge.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he wasn't fitting inform.
Speaker 1: It was impressive. That was it was impressive.
Speaker 2: Man. So hey, he's got a future in sumo if
the pitching thing don't work out.
Speaker 1: Wow. He was an LSU kid too. I'm like, wow,
LSU would recruit a guy like that. But I guess
he's got a good arm. He's a reliever for sure.
But I hope he makes it because I want everybody
to see this guy. He is enormous. But yeah, it
was a great game. Mike Davis, Man, that guy. That
guy's got some serious professional with bats under He just
does not make that bad at bats. That's that's a
good baseball player.
Speaker 2: You heard it first from the great Rich Wilson.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's go to short stop, Timmy. Do you got.
Speaker 4: Oh?
Speaker 2: I got a guy that I took late as a
middle infielder in one of my leagues, and he's currently
leading the league with a three thirty six bad, seven homer,
sixteen stolen bases, fifty five runs scored. It's not bad
for a fourteenth round pick and one auto Lopez.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you love yourself some auto Lopez. Yeah, that's yes,
that's a good call. Uh, Mike guy, I don't even
know what to make of this. He did hit another
home run. It's up to six hour runs and fourteen
stolen bases, and I think it's safe to say he
was He was a guy that was really interested in
we was coming up through the Cleveland organization. I thought
he'd be a pretty good player, and he was terrible
to him. I mean, this is Brian Rocchio. Could not
hit the broad side of a barn, had a little
bit of speed, just no power at all. And I
look at his data and I'm not I don't really
see any power still. I'm not sure where the home
runs are coming from. But he's hit a little bit.
He rarely strikes out, and Rochio has been helpful. I
don't know if it's sustainable.
Speaker 2: But.
Speaker 1: There you go. I mean, this is a guy that
you've got really, really late. He's probably still sitting on
waiver wires.
Speaker 2: Yeah, probably is. Yeah, but five homers, six homers, fourteen
stolen based, two seventy batting iverul just plug that in
middle in field, that works, doesn't it?
Speaker 1: It does? And that's surprised. I actually gave me a
little warm fuzzy because I said, I thought I saw
something in them, and then I look at the data,
I'm like, yeah, I see something in I'm not sure
it's much, but for at least uh, you know, getting
to mention here and actually being a viable major league
baseball player. Good for him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we talked a lot about him and Arius. We
talked a lot about the two of them, didn't we
about the same same period of time, And neither one
has really shown the potential that we thought was there
until this year with Rogio, so good on him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and Arius, I like, wrote you better than Aris.
But Arius turns out to have the louder tools. He
just hasn't well, He's hurt a lot this season. I
think ultimately he's going to be the better fantasy players. Again,
I think the tools are louder. But you know, Roach's
gotten gotten, had start on him, So we'll see how
long all works. Out's third base, my friend?
Speaker 2: Yes, Well, hey, you know who, thanks for leaving for me?
You know who I got to mention. He went off
the board nineteenth. He's currently tied for second with nineteen
home runs at third base. He's tied for first with
Junior Camenero at fifty four RBIs typer fifth and Rooms
scored with forty four. Fifth INBA S was seventy eighty
seven future Hall of Famer Kazuma Lo Comortal.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a great call by you. Absolutely great call.
We talked about him at the top of the show.
Great call. Another guy that I liked a lot, and
I held on to him in One Dynasty because I
was stubborn, and I'm.
Speaker 2: Glad I did.
Speaker 1: And that is Curtis Mead. I if you would have
asked me last season, Timmy, is he Asia Baum or
fourteen home run bound? I would have said Asia Bounce.
I mean he was terrible. And again he's only hitting
two twenty seven. But as a corner guy that you
could scrape off the waiver army, Curtis Mead has been
pretty good.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's been real good. And I remember when he
was drafted by the Rays. Good friend of mine, Buck
Davidson's a big race fan, and he saw him in
his first early Major league at bats. He was doing
pictures for SI I think it was There's Somebody at
the time, and he really liked Curtis Meat and the
Rays really like Curtismad. But it just never happened in
Tampa Bay and as a late bloomer, I think we're
seeing some of what a lot of people saw a
long time ago, finally developing. So good on Curtis Meat.
I'm happy with the kid.
Speaker 1: And I can't tell you why I kept them in
one leaguecause I dropped him everywhere else. I just I
just went it was a pretty good it was pretty
good team, and I just was able to hold on
to him and it's worked out. But I mean, dumb luck.
Sometimes you get lucky. And I don't know if it's
totally believable the Curtis Meat, but he's having a good season.
All right. We got three outfielders, Sore, Timmy, and I'm
gonna go first, Okay, I'm gonna go with PCA. Look,
I know he's a second round pick, but he's on
pace for forty forty and if that happens, that's a
top three pick some I mean, yeah, gotta give it
up for PCA. I was not on PCA this season.
I did not believe because of the hard hit rates
just weren't there. When I failed in my analysis was
that he was really young. He's hitting the ball a
little bit harder, he's just a really good baseball player
and you can't deny what he has done. I know
you're not a total believer yet, I'm not even sure
I am, but you got to give it up for
when PCA is done so far.
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, it's an amazing season. And I saw more
of the second half of last year than the first half. Okay,
and I'm I'm still not totally sold, but man, he's
having an amazing year and you can't take that away
from him. If he produces even at an average level,
if he didn't fall off a cliff in the second
half half break, yeah, he's gonna be a first round pick,
and rightfully so.
Speaker 1: Yep, he's been great. Timmy, who's your guy?
Speaker 2: But okay, I'm following in the same sort of light
as you are with your first pick. I know James
Wood went off the board as an early third round pick,
but right now he's a top five pick. Heading into
twenty twenty seven, he has sixteen more runs scored than
the runner up at that position. He's leading with seventy
five runs scored. He's second in home runs, third in RBI,
is toss in thirteen one basis, he's got the second
best OPS with a nine to eleven, behind only one.
So he was a tenth outfielder off the board, and
as a tenth outfield off the outfielder off the board,
he's proven to be a bargain at that drafts buck.
Speaker 1: He scared many of us because of us the second
half as well. But yeah, but yeah, it was He's
been great, good call.
Speaker 2: We can we can see him in PCA, both in
the top five next year potentially yea.
Speaker 1: And we'll see which one actually if they both go
in the top five, who has whose season this year
was really real or not? So I have to try
to figure that out. I would probably go James Wood
over PCA just because of the I mean, James would
hits the ball so hard that you have to believe
that that's going to stick. But then again he's six
foot seven, so you worry about the contact will make.
But anyway, I got I gay. I left you with
the a couple of easy ones for starting pitcher. I
only put down two starting pitchers.
Speaker 2: My bad.
Speaker 1: But I took the easy one for outfield, and that's
Jordan Walker. I think this is this is one of
the best stories in the for the entire season. Everybody
knows about it. He was left for dead by everybody.
If he got him as your number five outfielder, consider
yourself fortunate. It was a great call by you. But uh,
I mean he's been great.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he has totally. And the player that I'm going
to pair up with Jordan Walker again. Not a bad
second half, a horrible second half, and I'm going with
Andy Pahous of the Dodgers and ADP of one thirty. Okay.
It's still been an up and down season. He's been
hot and cold, but as an outfielder, he is currently
at the position. Titra ninth and homers were sixteen, okay,
and his sixty RBI is trail only Jordan Walker. That's
not too shabby for the thirty first outfielder off the board.
It's nice to see. Like I said, there's still some
inconsistencies there, but there's value as the thirty first oatfielder
off the board big time.
Speaker 1: He was so bad in the playoffs. If you recall
they benched him. No, he did not hit at all
in the playoffs.
Speaker 2: No, he was over September October. Yeah, but we talked.
Speaker 4: About it.
Speaker 1: Like we talked about it. Is the postseason going to
affect his draft status, and is this the real Anti
Pais or was the I mean what in it turned out?
Maybe he was hurt, maybe he just got into a funk.
Who knows. But he's been very good, very much. So
my guy's a little bit kind of under the raidar here,
and that's Angel Martinez. I know he's on the IL,
but before that eleven Hoero runs, nine stolen basis, he
was in two hundred and seventieth out off the porch.
I am a proud owner of him and my NFPC
league and it was just trying to fill out my roster,
and so it's a great way for her to pick
up for people.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I had him in three I have him in
three leagues and absolutely nothing to complain about with as
far as the production is concerned from Angel Martinez. And
let's let's hope he's back. He's out of his walking mood.
Let's hope he's back shortly after the All Star break
and he continues playing steady solid baseball.
Speaker 4: Give me your third guy, my third guy.
Speaker 2: I gotta I gotta go with Carsonvenger the Mets. Okay,
he was a eighty third oat fielder off the board
with an ADP of three forty ninety four, ten homers,
eleven stolen bases, forty five runs scored in a two
fifty nine batting average. I'll take that as a number
five oakfielder and be very very happy.
Speaker 1: I think that's great. I mean coming up on his
heels though, as aj Ewing, guy's been really good. Four
home runs, eight stolen bases, a two sixty eight batting average,
three to fifty two one base percentage in his first
one hundred and fifty seven at bats. Average EGGX velocity
is eighty nine with a twelve degree launch. That's fifteen
to twenty home runs ninety eight percent Island sprint speed.
That's a guy who can seal as many bases as
he wants. Let's hope you ge Dancer the awfulness of
the Mets. But Juing is also off to a very
good start just for his major league baseball career.
Speaker 2: Totally agree, and you know I traded for him this
week and I'm hoping for big things moving forward.
Speaker 1: Let's keep our fingers scroll. Let's be the starting pitching
to me, I'll let you go first. I only got
two so my battle.
Speaker 2: There h well, I I I gotta go, and you're
gonna you're gonna laugh at this one. I'm going. My
number one pick was the one thousand, one hundred and
thirty fifth player off Forard the FC drafts. Okay, I
went heavy on all three of the North Americans to
return to Major League Baseball this year. Haunts didn't make
it out of the gate or two innings worth out
of the gate. Anthony k has been up and down,
but Foster Griffin has been nothing short of in uh uh,
he's the best of the bunch. Two ninety three eras
thirteenth best in the league, a one or four whip,
eleven strikeover inning with ninety eight again. Yeah, Foster Griffin
has been huge for me. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I left him for you because I think that's why
I only have two, because I had him and I
decided I got to get him to you because that's
that was a well called for you I have in
a couple of leagues. Thank you very much, mister McLeod.
Speaker 2: I'm glad it's sustainable.
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't think he is as good as
I mean, he has a lefty what's his expected but
it's three ninety so it's a run worse than this
era is just doesn't throw hard, so I don't know,
throws everything under the sun.
Speaker 2: Though, m hmm, yeah, no, it's I I think if
you if you look at him as a number three
four type starter hitting into next year, you'll do fine.
I think if you plan on looking at him as
a number two starter, I think you're going to pay too.
Speaker 1: Much for Yeah, for seven different pitches, that's a lot.
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh yeah, he'll throw the kitchen sink at you
and then some yes. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean when you don't have a big fastball, you
just got a kitchen sink, and those guys typically don't last.
But I mean it doesn't matter. We're talking about the
first half. Well done, Well.
Speaker 4: Done, mister Mcca. Thank you, Kyle Harrison.
Speaker 1: Look, I was big when he got traded to the Brewers.
I alerted all of our patron members that this is
a guy that I find me be very interesting and
bad on the Boston Red Sox. They had him, they
couldn't figure him out, and he's been fantastic. Two fifty
seventy or eighty eight wins, ninety six strikeouts. You gotta
got him in the twenty ninth round Kyle it's I
thought it was I thought it was pedable when he
got traded, and when you go to Milwaukee, they help
sort out pictures. He's great.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, it's hey. The change of scenery made all
the difference in the world. I believe there, and we're
seeing the guy that we thought the Giants drafted a
number of years ago. Good, good on the Brewers, Good
on Kyle Harrison.
Speaker 1: The thing that frustrated me with the Red Sox they
were they were doing the right things. They was smart
that they drafted. They were so smart they traded for him.
Then they had him introduce a cutter because they knew
that the people were on the fast so they were
doing all the right things. And then they either panicked
or they just you know, they had the opportunity to
make the trade for five inning Freddy. I mean they
had to give up Kyle Harrison, and they did. And
Harrison's this year at least, it's been a way better
pitcher than than Freddy Peralta.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's yeah, yeah, it uh amazing pickup. If you've
if you've got Harrison and any of your starting other
starting pitching worked out, you're in a good position moving forward,
very very good.
Speaker 1: Eight wings. All right, give me give me your second guy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, my second guy. I need you to explain this woman, okay,
because I can't. Oh yeah, oh yeah, right now. Currently,
this guy has the fifth best ERI in all of
baseball at two twenty one. He's won seven games. He's
a former Detroit Tiger, Tiger who has really never been
able to control the walks, and he's only he's allowed
thirty eight innings. Is but how do we explain the
dworder or Rodriguez?
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, with the.
Speaker 2: Fifth best ERI in baseball?
Speaker 1: Like I.
Speaker 2: I can't.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean I he former Red Sox thirty three
years old. That I liked him when he was with
the Red Sox, but that was back in ten years ago.
Speaker 2: I mean it's far away.
Speaker 1: I mean two years of five earras is expected ERI
this season? Ready drum roll tim for eighty nine. I
think this is all going to correct. He doesn't throw
the ball hard is expected, batting averages two sixty four
off the stuff even though people are not hitting it.
This this is danger Will Robinson.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been danger Will Robinson all year and he's
still sitting with it.
Speaker 4: Takes a couple of mines.
Speaker 1: It takes a couple of them mines. That's a vert.
He'll be supposed to be get myself A.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he's got he's got an adverb right.
Speaker 1: Exactly, isn't he isn't a mina? Uh but you know,
look you got it right. I mean it's he's been great.
I would I'd be moving them to being very very careful.
Speaker 2: Soil.
Speaker 1: Yes, this one is a so. I mean, look, the
White Sox have been great. Davis Martin's got nine wins,
He's got ninety straight counts.
Speaker 2: I mean, we had the white Pig, we had the
white socks peg for nine wins at the break, didn't we. Man.
Speaker 1: It's just everything that the White Sox have touched this
season has worded for them, and sitting at the top
of the list is Davis Martin.
Speaker 2: Come on, yeah, yeah, every time I see that name,
I think Dean. I don't know why, but yeah, I
think I think of Dean. But yeah, amazing person, amazing
and he's somebody.
Speaker 1: He's not that good. He's the back of the rotation guy.
He's not the good. So yeah that doesn't matter.
Speaker 2: But you can't take away what he's done. Yeah, it
goes wins.
Speaker 1: It is a spend guy, right, he's got high spen
so good. It does vertical break all those things that
you like to see. But it's uh, I mean, it's
just average stuff in general. O can give me your
last picture.
Speaker 2: I we got to mention this guy. We simply have to.
Speaker 5: Uh.
Speaker 2: And NFBC drafts, he was picked up at one eight
seventy nine for his ADP. He was a forty third
pitcher off the board, So takeaway Davis probably drafted as
a top thirty, somewhere around thirtieth starting picture, and he
currently leads everything in the world as far as pitching is.
He's on pace for three hundred strikeouts, one forty seven
e RA nine winnsdays. Jacob Miserski man that that first
half has been one of the best. He's best first
halfs we've seen in a long long time. If ever,
he's only allowed fifty four hits in one hundred and
four innings. Yeah, zero point seven to eight whip like amazing,
absolutely amazing. I just hope throwing it one hundred and
five and a half miles an hour, whatever, you know,
whatever he's caught, I just hope he can sustain that
moving forward without injury, and we're going to we're going
to see generational type starter with Miseroski.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think he'll get hurt, but I'm right there
with you. Yeah, you dike a toe to toe with
Chase Burns, and Chase Burns Beatlem.
Speaker 4: So it was yes night or a Wednesday night, one
of the nights.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, Burns got his tenth win and Misserowski didn't.
Burns the city sixth overall with a two forty ARRA
among starters, so he ain't having a bad season either.
Speaker 1: One. Yeah, all right, So believers, relievers our final thing,
and I said, I hate them all, but I'll throw
in Jacob Latz as my guy got about the waiverard,
Thank you very much for Tim, And I'm going to
suggest that Tim's going to tell you it's Louis Varlin,
but I could be wrong.
Speaker 2: Well, this guy was the one thousand, two hundred and
forty third player off the board with an adyp A
bench shy of four to ninety, and he was somebody
that I wanted badly on my team and I have
a ton of shares. I'm just gonna you know, Louis
Iarlin seventeen saves, point ninety eighty or a point ninety
six whip. I love it when a plan comes together,
and Louis Irlin was one of my plans going back
to the last offseason. I just saw the potential, especially
with Hoffman and the Jays, you know, not upgrading that
closer position. I like what I saw at the end
of last year. So I'm ecstatic with the way Louis
Barlin has pitched so far this year.
Speaker 1: It's it was your best call. Uh. It doesn't make
up for Maya, but.
Speaker 2: Nothing will ever make up for Maya.
Speaker 1: Deserves Ero.
Speaker 2: Just because, just because real.
Speaker 1: Quickly, give me a player or two that you think
will improve significantly here in the second half. Let's give
our listeners some hope.
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, Well, the the easy answers are Plaid Junior
and Fernando or Tatiase, but we've dealt with that extensively
in the past. I got a couple couple of names
that I just sort of mystify me that I think
have potential to do much better in this second half.
Versus Riley Green, Okay, how can a player with that
hit too okay and have eleven home runs and only
thirty eight Our RBIs in the first half. I think
we're going to see Riley Green hosts much better numbers
in the second half.
Speaker 1: Well, first of all, the first stink, so that's part
of the freeze.
Speaker 2: Rbs are way down, definitely, but thirty eight, yeah, it's
got to be improvement coming out of Riley Green. The
second guy I got is Kyle Stowers. My Bowl prediction
he gets to twenty plus home runs and eighty RBI's
call the hunch for whatever. But I think a better
second half is in order, and I think we've started
to see him turning around a bit in June. So
I like Kyle Stowers a lot for the second half.
Speaker 1: Look, get the twenty home runs and how many RBIs.
Speaker 2: Twenty plus and eighty plus?
Speaker 1: Okay, good stuff. Final question for you before we get
out of here, and we're just gonna hold off on
who Tim's gonna pick up. You have to find that
out this week because we're getting a little long in
the tooth here. What is your number one closer and
waiting and preparing for the trade deadline.
Speaker 2: The two obvious ones Garrett Woodluck and Luke Weaver.
Speaker 1: If they don't get moved themselves and.
Speaker 2: If they get moved themselves, they could find themselves in
a serving in a closer role with their new team.
So I'm not too concerned about either one of those
two guys because they're good pictures. So wherever they end up,
hopefully they end up where exactly where they are right now.
With Devin Williams getting moved and Chapman, I think that's yeah,
that's four collusion. He ain't going to be in Boston.
Hopefully they stay in Boston and New York respectively. Okay,
and hey move into the closure role. But one of
the reasons I'm not is because they could end up
if the if Luke Weaver is traded to Detroit, he
becomes their number one closure, isn't he.
Speaker 1: Why would anybody get traded to Detroit? Aren't they sellers?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, you would think. So. How about Baltimore? If
Luke Weaver gets traded to Baltimore, He's the closure there,
isn't he. Ryan Helsley supposedly is dealing with an arm issue.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's a good call.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think the Orioles are buyers. I
think most people in the American leaguer are gonna be buyers.
But I wouldn't think the Tigers would, although they played
a little better of late.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you wouldn't think so. I just I just pulled
that name out of mind. But yeah, there are.
Speaker 1: Let's take a real quick look here. So yeah, I
mean the Troit. Yeah, the Troit is seven games out.
I mean seven games out. Let's say they get a
little hot here in the you know, they're four or
five games out. Are they buyers or sellers?
Speaker 2: Who knows? I would think they'd be sellers. Moving they
should move Google. Okay, so that that changes. That changed
the discussion discussion entirely. Assuming they move Google, and I
can't see them holding on to them because I think
they can still patch a pretty benny for him to
the right team.
Speaker 1: I would think you would have to, you would have
to move Schooble. But the Red Sox are only six
and a half games out, I mean the wild this
is the Wildcard. Only six and a half games out
of the wild Card. I mean, but maybe the calculus
becomes particularly with the Tigers. I totally agree with you.
They have to trade Schooble because he's in his walk gear.
But the Red Sox are probably have to do the calculus. Well,
even if we make somehow scratch into the playoffs, we're
going to go very far, particularly if Crchet doesn't come back.
So that would argue that they would be sellers even
if there are just a few games out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and who's paying for Trevor's story?
Speaker 1: Yeah?
Speaker 2: And yeah yeah, like Chapman, I can see you know, Hey,
there's there's teams out there hurt. Yeah, the break, Yeah,
he'll be back after the break. So yeah, yeah, I believe. So.
Speaker 1: I mean, the Athletics only three and a half games out,
but uh, they really.
Speaker 2: They should be buyers. Oh, their bullpen has probably cost
him ten ten plus games this year. Okay, that changes
the equation very quickly. Come on, Oakland, listen up. By
a bullpen, you don't have one. You got all the
offense in the world sitting there, minus unfortunately Brent Rooker,
who's lost for the season. But they got enough offense
in Oakland that they can they can make it work.
Go buy yourself a bullpen, Get get with the program.
Speaker 1: So here's a here's an interesting case. Minnesota Twins three
games out of a wild card, four games under five hundred.
Not a good team. What are they buyers?
Speaker 2: No? Because the owner is a tight water.
Speaker 1: They have to move Joe Ryan, don't they.
Speaker 2: I'm not sure on Ryan. I'd have to work that
one out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know. When does Joe Ryan become a
free agent. Let's see what the Google machine says, unrestricted
after the twenty twenty seventh season, so it's next year.
It's a perfect time to train him. You could get
a boatload of players for Joe Ryan.
Speaker 2: Yes, you're good, but just like everybody else in the
AL Central, there are only three games out right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's it. Yeah, we still got We still
got a month left before the trade deadline, so a
lot can happen. But if it's as wadded up as
it is now in a month, it's really going to
make it interesting.
Speaker 2: I would love to see the White Sox go right
crazy and I had a big starting pitcher and you know,
improve upon their bullpen maybe a little bit. That'd be fun.
I'd love to see it.
Speaker 1: I would too that that would be great. I wouldn't
go too crazy because they're gonna get Murakami back. That's
a power that's an old eighties seventies power driven team
with Murakami and Caull. Some Montgomery and it just just
got power all over the place. But they need some pitching,
and I don't think it's Noah Shultz again, I was
worried about his walk rate. It's occurred. So if they
could bring in a Joe Ryan or but Trek Scooble,
I mean that would be amazing.
Speaker 2: Well yeah, to go along with that, grip it and
rip it off fence. Yeah, that would be fun.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, for sure, Tommy, that is a wrap, my friend.
Thanks for staying a little extra for us, but uh,
we came. I gave you a lot of good content here,
so you're still there?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, Sorry, No, I wasn't nodding office not
that time yet.
Speaker 1: All right enough, Yeah that is a rap. Any any
final thoughts?
Speaker 2: Uh? Can I give? Can I give a hint on
what hitter I'm going to target for this weekend?
Speaker 1: Why don't you just tell us?
Speaker 2: Okay, m hm, so far he's been magic, as Merlin
well is of the Pirates.
Speaker 1: Yeah as really he's been very good. I agree with you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, young young kid.
Speaker 5: Uh whereas he got six home runs now and seven
at bats or something like that. My pirates, Yeah, he's
gonna my pirates that's your pirates, Pirates and your White
Sox in the World Series, Robbie. See how see how
Robbie likes his planning to make things equal come that series?
Speaker 2: Huh?
Speaker 1: How are the uh? What are the Pirates doing here?
Speaker 2: And they've faltered a bit lately.
Speaker 1: Skeins has been more mortal recently.
Speaker 5: Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think he's gone ten games with other w Yeah.
Speaker 1: They're they're five hundred three games out and there's a
bunch of teams in front of the unfortunate. Well, the
Miami Marlins for four games. When did this happen? The
Miami Marlins are four games over, five hundred one game out.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Marlin's and White Sox in the World Series. That's
even better.
Speaker 1: Wow, Wow, impressive. All right, Tommy, that is a wrap,
my friend. We will talk to you on Sunday. Have
a good week and happy Fourth of July to everybody.
Enjoy the barbecues. Don't don't stay out in the sun
too long. That's my advice.
Speaker 2: Yes, make sure you're well hydrated and happy. Forth to
all my American friends. Be safe, be well, rich, and
we'll catch a Sunday