Bryce Harper leadoff spot debate, Shohei Ohtani pitching update + Pirates winter report with Noah Hiles

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Noah Hyles joining us right now. You can hear him on Bucco Territory. I'm wearing the shirt. I love the logo Buco Territory shop dot com. Also sports enterprise reporter and columnist for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

00:00:15
Speaker 2: Noah, great to have you on.

00:00:16
Speaker 1: Let's go to that Marcelo Zuna signing for the Pirates, and I want you to open everyone's eyes to your column and why it's nice to see this move, but it is also a product of perhaps a mismanaged off season in terms of who they targeted.

00:00:33
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I wouldn't even say it's a mismanaged off season. I think it more just highlights the realities of the Pirates offseason. Had they operated this way in past off seasons, they wouldn't have been used for leverage by every free agent they essentially tried to acquire this offseason. And because that happened, because the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Josh Naylor, Gino frown berval Dez, you go on and on just said, Okay, Pirates are interested in anybody else, and then they chose anybody else. The Pirates had to take what they could get and what they could get didn't necessarily fit the needs of their team altogether. Now, their overall need was to add offense, yes, but after acquiring Lao and O'Hearn in the same week, those needs became a little bit more specific. They were getting a little bit of overlap on that right side of the infield, the right side of the outfield, and heck, even the designated hitter position. And when you don't have the credibility of as an organization to just go out and directly acquire a quality player at a specific position that meets a specific need, that's a problem. And I think that's the big story of the Pirates offseason is they found some decent players, but they had to take what they could get, and that's not the best takeaway for an organization. If you're asking me, I mean, Marcelo Zuna, does he make this offense better?

00:02:05
Speaker 2: Sure?

00:02:05
Speaker 3: I mean this team had one player hit twenty home runs last year. They just added two in the offseason, plus Ryan O'Hearn who was an All Star designated hitter. So yes, this offense is better. But when you look at all of the additions, Now, how does Ozuna's arrival impact some of the other bats in this lineup, you're probably going to be asking more from O'Hearn defensively, You're gonna be asking more from Reynolds probably defensively. And did those extra asks take away from their offensive output? And if so, did this team actually get better? I don't really know. I mean I think on paper, yeah, they have a better offense. And that's probably the big takeaway here overall is that they needed slugging percentage and they went out and got it this offseason. But because of their organizational reputation and their inability to overpay to erase it, they had to take what they can get rather than directly acquiring guys who met their specific needs.

00:03:07
Speaker 4: Okay, well then why didn't they know? Why didn't they go after the guys that fit their needs? You mentioned Schwarber and you mentioned all the big free agents, right Gino Swaraz.

00:03:14
Speaker 5: We keep saying, oh, they were in on them.

00:03:16
Speaker 4: They were in on Schwarber, and they were in on Fromber, and they were in on this. Were they really in though, Because if they really wanted these guys, they would go get them. That's my thing, Like, is it more of Hey, we didn't get from ber Valdez but we got Marcelo Zuna to a one year deal. Hey, we didn't get Kyle Schwarber, but we traded for Brandon Lao right, and we shined Ryan O'Hearn and these guys or good players that they got, but they're not what you say, which is fit the exact needs of the team now they have. I mean, I'm sorry to say this, but they got a bunch of dhs that are going to be running around the outfield in PNC Park, which right field is small, but left and center are gigantic. So it's gonna be interesting to see how the defense plays. But also like, why didn't they just go get the guys in You pay the extra. I've said this on the show a million times. You're gonna have to overpay if you're the Pittsburgh Pirates because teams won't take your serious and they'll just use your offer to go get the offer they want.

00:04:12
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I agree, And I echoed the same thing on Bucco Territory. I echoed it in my writing. I mean, that was something that was known from the moment they went out and said, Hey, we're gonna try to be different this offseason. We're gonna try to do things differently. You know, you don't get credit for offering the same thing everyone else is offering because historically you've been a worse workplace. You don't normally pay as well, you certainly don't win as often, and just organizationally, your reputation isn't great. So in order to overcome that, if you really want these players, you have to go the extra mile. I think they probably did go the extra mile on Alhearne, but I mean the rest of this, I mean, low didn't have a say they traded for him. He came here. You know, every other deal they signed was a one year deal, and in Ozuna's case, I mean, you look, guys are reporting to spring training this week. Everyone's looking to you know, finalize a certain situation. I mean, he checks certain boxes, right. They needed a right handed bat, they needed an additional slug. But yeah, I agree with you, aj. I mean, this was an opportunity for them to make a statement. And even if they did overpay, which again was super necessary to do, they would have made that money back. I really do think that, like if fans saw the organization actually recognize and take accountability for its situation and say you know what, We've saved so much money in recent years by not overspending that we can overspend just this once on a player that is a direct need both you know, positionally and what he contributes from value. Fans would have showed up to the ballpark more, and I still think they will. I still think fans overall are encouraged by this offseason. But like you mentioned, I mean, now they have to figure out this weird puzzle where you're gonna have one of the worst defensive outfields in baseball, and that's not necessarily a recipe for success for a team that's built to win through its pitching. I mean, the strengths of this team heading into the offseason, we're starting pitching, and I would say overall team defense, especially in the infield. I think both of those areas got worse now. The offense got better, but this is still a team that's going to need to win on the margins. They're not going to overpower many opponents. They're not going to win a lot of ten to nine ball games. And when you're sacrificing defensive runs saved just to get guys who are going to slug a couple points above league average. How much better did you really get? I don't know.

00:06:42
Speaker 1: Hey, sometimes we do a little game on foul Territory called role play.

00:06:47
Speaker 2: It's not what you think.

00:06:48
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00:06:58
Speaker 2: Krats?

00:07:00
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00:07:05
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00:07:39
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00:07:43
Speaker 5: They still have a little bit of money left for ESOC? Parades.

00:07:47
Speaker 3: I didn't think they had this much money left. I mean honestly, oh, y'all, honestly, I mean, like you look. And I know this has been brought up everywhere that this move essentially marks the end for Andrew McCutchen and pits. The reason I thought McCutcheon made sense was just because he would give them a little bit more money to spend. Now, if they have more money to spend, then absolutely go get parades. I think this team looks a lot better if you go get a third baseman and a left handed starting pitcher, you feel a lot better with that roster, or at least a utility infielder, because right now they only have one person who knows how to play third base, Jared Triolo, and he might need to be your opening day short stuff if Connor Griffin isn't ready. So yeah, they need to make an addition in the infield. They probably need to make some pitching additions as well. I don't see a lot of guys they could really trade away to clear up money, so that either tells me they're going to be banking on some you know, minor league camp invites, or try to find a last second bargain toward the end of February like they have in the past, I personally, I mean parades. I know that they're still reportedly in the mix for him. The name I've been hearing just from conversations is Vien is the guy that I think is probably more realistic. I still don't know how realistic that would be for the Pirates, but he's certainly more in their financial wheelhouse, and I think the demand for him would be far less than pre eighties.

00:09:14
Speaker 6: When Andrew McCutcheon made it up to the big leagues and he signed his extension, he joked with me. He goes, well, I know what year I'm getting traded And I was like, well, what is that?

00:09:24
Speaker 5: He said?

00:09:24
Speaker 6: He said, it's the year that I'm gonna make this much in my contract. I was like, why is that because Bob Nutting doesn't go over that price? Is fifteen million, two hundred and fifty thousand that new price? And is that where we can see like they stopped short because Brian Reynolds he's not going to make more than that on his contract. Before the number was ten million, and they gave ten million to Key Brian Hayes and his first year of his extension and then it went down. Is that number fifteen million? And you can just look at it and say, okay, well that's not what they're going to give anybody, And does that mean all schemes his time is now cut by another year short based on what Terrek Schouobile just got.

00:10:07
Speaker 3: I think the Scheens thing is probably a more relevant point to the pirates. I don't know if Bob Notting still has that specific number. I mean, I know in Mitch Keller's deal he's set to eventually make more than that, and I mean that might explain why they're trying to trade him this offseason. But I digress. The Skeens thing is a legitimate concern because I can't even begin to fathom what his first year of art will look like. If he's going into that back to back cy young winner pre ARB in this market after a potentially new CBA is negotiated, I mean, he might be out of their price range right then and there. And the longer you keep them, the lesser his trade value goes down. So that's obviously something to monitor. But yeah, it's just I don't necessarily think the one year value is something nutting shies away from I think it's just as simple as he gives his general manager a number at the beginning of the offseason and says, this is your number that you have to spend on everything from you know, the forty thousand dollars a year entry level data analysis guys and your baseball op staff to your highest paid free agent, and you have to find a way to make it all work and don't really come asking for more because it's probably not going to happen. That's kind of how it's always worked in Pittsburgh. And so because of that, because you have to feel so many spots on the roster, it makes more sense to have your best player making fifteen million so you can have a couple more guys making five to ten million as opposed to one guy making thirty million and everyone else playing for league minimum. That's just kind of the reality of how this club operates.

00:11:45
Speaker 4: Hey, Noah Connor Griffin, you mentioned and he's number one prospect. Is it okay if he comes up I mean in play shortstop? Is he going to play third? I mean, I know short stops his position. Would they just say, hey, you're our short stuff, go get him? At nineteen and see what happens, and then if he fails, maybe you know, send him down and bring him back up or do they not want to or do they want to avoid that, because that seems like the move to make now is like just throw him out there and see what happens.

00:12:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll honestly be shocked if he's not on the opening day lineup at this point. I mean, if he goes out this spring and bats one hundred or if he you know, god forbid, gets injured. Those are the only two scenarios where I don't see him making the team because again, they don't have a true shortstop on this roster right now. It's probably gonna be Nick and Zalez, who's a second baseman and wasn't that great of a defensive second basement as is now. I think injury might have had something to do with that. But nonetheless, Carter Griffin is the best defensive infielder in this organization not named Jared Triolo. Triolo is the best defender, but he's gonna be there everyday third basement because he's the only guy who knows how to play that position that's big league ready right now. So they're less side of the infield is very That's why again, I really think they could benefit from adding a utility guy who could play both spots, because you know what happens if Griffin, who I think we all can agree has a very high chance of being a productive Major League baseball player, But what happens if you know he can't figure it out at nineteen years old?

00:13:17
Speaker 5: What do you do then?

00:13:18
Speaker 3: Because you're already sacrificing offense at third base to have a great defensive player. But are you gonna let a nineteen year old struggle through an entire rookie campaign when maybe he's showing that he needs some time in TRIPLEA like other guys his age have shown earlier in their career. I think that would be bad for everyone involved. So I do think, yes, they need to add some depth there. Connor Griffin probably is still the primary option. I don't see them going out and acquiring a shortstop who they think could be better than Connor Griffin this year. But I do think they need someone who has a utility background, who can play both spots on the left side of the endfield. That can kind of be a high floor emergency case in case of any or just you know, a nineteen year old not being ready for the major leagues yet.

00:14:05
Speaker 4: And by the way, if the Pirates don't know if he's ready by now, you can't take you can't look at the spring training numbers. If he hits one hundred, if you had seven hundred and say, oh man, he didn't make the team because he hit one hundred, that would be the excuse they use if he doesn't make the team. But that tells me they didn't think he was ready anyways. So that's that's I hate that. Oh if he hits a hundred, now, if he gets hurt, I understand, But if he hits a hundred, that cannot be the Pirates excuse. He's either ready or he's not. However he does in spring training is irrelevant in this conversation. But we're gonna move on. We had a super chat here and it's about the Pirates, and it's one of those things it needs to be said. Pirates had to spend. They aren't draft letter lottery eligible next year.

00:14:41
Speaker 5: Either.

00:14:41
Speaker 4: Thank you Cuch for everything we needed bat upgrades. What what Schnoa shnow I guess Shnoa is saying is what the White Sox went through what I think the the Rockies went through it. If you don't finish, if you finished in a certain area, you can't draft till tenth, no matter what right, you can't win first. And also, I'm gonna throw this on top of their SHNOA certain teams have been asked to spend because there's a CBA coming up, and they want teams to say, hey, look guys, we've actually spent money. We don't need this so called floor that everyone's asking for. We can't spend money we need to. The A's have done it now, the Pirates are doing it. The Marlins, for some reason, still haven't. But what are your thoughts on this and what it means for why the Pirates are spending.

00:15:21
Speaker 3: No, I think you're spot on, aj. I think that had an absolutely huge influence on this desire to spend a little bit more of this offseason, because if you go back and review the rhetoric of the front office the day after the offseason, they stated numerous times team president Travis Williams being the main culprit, that they the resources that they had was more than enough that they just need to allocate them better, which just is factually incorrect because they haven't won a division since nineteen ninety two, So yeah, I do think that there's no coincidence in the fact that Evan Drelich reported what your the notion of what you're saying, AJ, and I believe it was in late October in the Athletic And then sure enough, Yeah, the Pirates payrolls going up, and it's going up despite them probably having less revenue coming in last season because their attendance dipped because they weren't a very good baseball team. So yeah, I think that. And then you also just look at their financial commitments. None of the money they spent this year will be on the books past twenty twenty seven. I mean, they only signed one multi year deal and that was o'hearne for two years. Everybody else has been a one year deal or they acquired pre ARB guys like Mangum and Garcia. So yeah, they they they spent a whole bunch of not a whole bunch. They spent money to get over that one hundred million dollar payroll mark to make it look like they're trying. And heck, I mean, Pirate fans don't care what the reason is behind it. They just want to see this team get better, and it did get better. I just think if it was, you know, coming from the true intention of wanting to actually win and compete and maybe win the National League Central, which I think was very doable, if this team's payroll just got up to like one hundred and twenty million, they could have probably spent it better on things that they're addressed direct needs.

00:17:22
Speaker 4: That's fair, that's fair. Agreed, all right forward, Let you go. I see you're a Mountain Union fan. They used to be good at football, right, they were good. They won a couple of times.

00:17:30
Speaker 3: We listen, we stopped giving money to the school. They haven't won a national title since twenty seventeen.

00:17:35
Speaker 5: Exactly. They stink. They stink. So but here's my question.

00:17:40
Speaker 4: Before you came out, we had this whole argument about like the Pirates now or there was more of the Brewers and the Diamondbacks. Right, the Brewers they make the playoffs, but they never win, kind of like the Steelers under Mike Thomlinson's twenty ten have kind of made the playoffs, but they never get to where they are.

00:17:55
Speaker 5: Would you rather be a team like we used were?

00:17:58
Speaker 4: Scott brought up the Diamondbacks where every once in a while they just go for it, they make a deep run, and they might suck for a couple of years, but then they go for it again when they see the opportunity.

00:18:07
Speaker 5: So how should Pittsburgh fans feel about this?

00:18:09
Speaker 4: And do you agree with that assessment that, like the Brewers are kind of how we get there, We get there, but we never make the final push. Or would you rather be a team and we're using the Diamondbacks and just throws it all in every once in a while and makes that push.

00:18:22
Speaker 3: I think championship appetites are developed over circumstance, right, Like, if you're asking me a Pirates fan right now, I think every Pirates fan would kill to have the similar run that the Steelers went on where they were just you know, barely sneaking into the playoffs, get the doors blown off every year in the opening round, but hey, it worked out right because they haven't seen a lot of playoff baseball. I mean, I'm thirty years old, I've lived in Pittsburgh almost all of my life, and I think I've watched this team play what would that have been seven playoff games total in my life? So I think, yeah, Pirate fans would sign up for what the Brewers are doing right now, or even if they could get eight of ten years like the Cincinnati Reds had last year, going eighty three and seventy nine and just absolutely looking like they didn't even belong on the faield with the Dodgers last year, they would sign up for that because that's been such a foreign thing. Now, when you show to be capable of reaching the playoffs consistently, those expectations change. That's where you see, you know, Steelers fans going absolutely nuts over Mike Tomlin because this city's known for winning Super Bowls. So the expectation, the standard, as Mike Tomlin liked to call it, was a little different on the grid iron compared to the baseball field.

00:19:39
Speaker 5: So, I mean, in.

00:19:39
Speaker 3: Milwaukee, it's it's interesting because, I mean, they've never won a World Series, and it does feel like they are appreciative for the consistent success despite their small market limitations and everything. Whereas I don't know, I think it's a fan base by fan base thing. I think it goes into how the other teams in that town are playing. I think it goes into the organization's history. It's certainly a new thing. But I think, yeah, if you could tell any Pirate fan sign this and the Pirates will make the playoffs four of every ten years a decade or yeah, four years of every decade, they would sign without even knowing what the ramifications were.

00:20:19
Speaker 5: But you have Mike McCarthy. They have Mike McCarthy now.

00:20:21
Speaker 4: And just for reference, the Pirates haven't won a World Series since nineteen seventy nine, so I mean they're not that far. If you go back to the I think they've won two in the time that the Brewers have been as franchise. The Brewers have won nine, but the Pirates haven't won one in almost We're going.

00:20:36
Speaker 5: On almost fifty years now, sure, which is insane.

00:20:39
Speaker 2: That's quite the boomer bust.

00:20:43
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's definitely boomer.

00:20:45
Speaker 1: Hey we're good for one in seventy nine, then it's going to be a minute, but maybe again.

00:20:50
Speaker 5: In twenty twenty nine. Every fifty nine, Yeah.

00:20:53
Speaker 2: That's fine.

00:20:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, Hey, championships a championship, no good stuff. Great to have you on as always, and check I got nos work in the Pittsburgh Post is at this morning, and of course I'll plug Bucco Territory on the way out.

00:21:04
Speaker 5: Thanks.

00:21:05
Speaker 3: Bud Absolutely, guys, thanks for having me on.

00:21:08
Speaker 1: And there it is Bucco Territory. I've got the shirt on to cool logo. You got the pirate on the right side for the o.

00:21:17
Speaker 2: Check out the show.

00:21:19
Speaker 1: Noah Hailes, Josh Harrison and Platinum Key running point part of the Ft Network.

00:21:25
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's what he said.

00:21:26
Speaker 2: That's what he said.

00:21:28
Speaker 5: That's what he said.

00:21:29
Speaker 2: That's what he said.

00:21:33
Speaker 5: By the way.

00:21:34
Speaker 4: By the way, I had to text my stat people and tell them, hey, I have a game coming up on March six, so just you know, so I could take care of those stat guys crats, just in case you're wondering about those stat guys behind the scenes that no one knows, who's ever heard of, Just so they know that they're taken care of. My favorite part of that rant was the fact was the fact that the dude threw me in there like he's been taking care of me for for it might have been it might have been a girl, I don't know, even taking care of me behind the scenes. It was a boy because he said his name, I forget what his name was, but he said, you miss this whole thing, didn't you?

00:22:08
Speaker 2: Was I out this day?

00:22:09
Speaker 4: No so this weekend, that's what he said. Well, yeah, you know what this is actually perta. So we had a Twitter thing where we put out our thing where we said the analytics oh when everyone just blew up and like we hate, which we don't. You're just saying you can selectively apply anything to anything, make whatever you want look good or bad. Fine, we have different opinions, although we actually kind of have the same opinion, but we just said it different.

00:22:33
Speaker 5: Whatever.

00:22:34
Speaker 4: Okay, some guy on there goes this take is terrible, but these two behind the scenes are even worse. I used to run I used to find stats for him, So these guys are terrible behind the scenes, terrible, terrible. So then so then I'm like, uh this, and then I said uh so then I'm I'm like, well, if you're gonna call me names, like who are you?

00:23:02
Speaker 5: When did I work with you? Have I ever met you?

00:23:04
Speaker 4: And he's like no, And I'm like, okay, then how do you know what I'm like behind closed doors? And he's like, well, all the broadcast associates are just so mean to me when I worked at Sports Radar and I'm so happy I never got to meet you. I'm like, what are you talking about. So he's first of all, every Stack guy that I've ever met. I don't know that I've ever met anyone from Sports Radar, but every Stack I love my stat The stat guys are awesome.

00:23:27
Speaker 5: Those guys bust.

00:23:28
Speaker 4: Their ass and get no reward at all other than just handing us cards during the game. And the guys behind the scenes, I don't even know anything about it. Like if I meet some and you've done games, if you're stacked, you hit the talk back and there's somebody, usually a BA broadcast associate assistant that's there, and you say, hey, can you give me this stat? And they and they here it is, and they they hit you in your ear with it, or they run it on the thing that no one can see, like they say, hey, how about if we build this graphic for you. You love those guys, I know, and they make my job so much better and easier.

00:24:02
Speaker 2: Wait, so there's a disgruntled but I'm not going to.

00:24:04
Speaker 4: Say the guy's name. He actually threw his name out there, did Oh yeah? He said he worked at Sports Radar for two years.

00:24:09
Speaker 2: Ago, but you never worked with him and he hated his job. So now he's taking it out on you apparently. Oh my gosh, I did not know any of that.

00:24:16
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, you mess.

00:24:17
Speaker 4: So Crawtston text me yesterday He's like, hey, do you know this? And so I reached out to my people at Fox that were like my DA's at this time. I'm like, do you guys know this guy is? And I sent him and they're like no, But I asked this first one, then I asked the next person.

00:24:28
Speaker 2: Clearly made an impact and I don't even know.

00:24:33
Speaker 4: I don't even know, but I was just like, I mean, I was, I mean, I tried to be as nice as I could be, like without being like dude. And I finally said, he sounds like you're mad at the ba's but I'm glad you're doing well. Now he has some some stupid Twitter thing he does, but but not a ton of followers. But it was like, dude, like you need to, Like, I figure, I see you're trying to get clicks here, but let's calm down.

00:24:55
Speaker 2: Wow and krats, how dare you? You're terrible too?

00:24:58
Speaker 1: According to this guy's friends, I was uncles dry cleaning representative.

00:25:03
Speaker 6: I was just I was just riding to school with AJ and I caught astray like, oh man. I was like, I was like, hey, AJ, how's your day? And this dude just came in. It was like Cratch and Saw two and I was like, oh man, I don't have a good career banning average, but.

00:25:20
Speaker 1: Wow.

00:25:22
Speaker 5: Anyway, so I don't know what we're going to talk about, but.

00:25:24
Speaker 2: I'm doing tonight when I can't sleep.

00:25:26
Speaker 5: That was a whole threat. I was just like, I was like, what is this guy talking about?

00:25:30
Speaker 1: I was it was apparently trending when you guys, you know, whatever clip we put out, we put out so much and I missed it.

00:25:36
Speaker 2: So I am going to have some fun tonight. Let's get to That's what he said.

00:25:41
Speaker 1: Clip wise, We'll start with the Philly Show part of the FT Network, offering Bryce Harper in a different role.

00:25:50
Speaker 7: Sho hey o Tani last season had six hundred and eighty played appearances hitting leadoff.

00:25:54
Speaker 2: That's a big seller.

00:25:55
Speaker 7: Mike Trout when he was healthy and playing a lot, he was starting to hit lead off a lot for the Angel You know, he's obviously the lead hitter. A Fernando Testis Junior hit lead off a lot last year, a little bit of a different player. But the fact that shohe Otani hits lead off, he's up there all the time. Every spot you drop in the lineup is about seventeen fewer play appearances over the course of the season. So hypothetically you have moved Harper up from third to first.

00:26:22
Speaker 2: He hits thirty.

00:26:24
Speaker 7: Four more times in twenty twenty six than he would if he hits third.

00:26:27
Speaker 2: I like so, That's why I would love to see it.

00:26:30
Speaker 7: I don't think Bryce would go for it. I don't think Rob is necessarily going to push him into it, But I love that idea of having Harper hit first, Turner, Schwarber, and then Alec Bohm.

00:26:41
Speaker 5: I like it too. It makes a lot of sense. But he's got to buy in rights. That's gonna be a hard buy in.

00:26:52
Speaker 4: Okay, sure, if you think it makes a better Sure why not Torboro? Though I thought it leads off, hit leads off a lot, not anymore.

00:26:59
Speaker 5: That end of last year.

00:27:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, just Trey Turner speed get a run on the board.

00:27:07
Speaker 6: I agree they cut down their strikeouts last year as a team. You know, whether or not people are like, well, that's a good idea, bad idea they did. So if you're not, if you're not an all or nothing team, Maybe it doesn't play. Shohotani was also coming off a year where he had shoot. I forgot how many stone bases he had? Did you have forty the year before? Like he's not gonna he's not gonna steal as much. So like everybody makes such a big deal out of the leadoff spot. Philly was burning because they were like, Schwarmer's got to get out of the leadoff spot.

00:27:44
Speaker 5: He has to.

00:27:46
Speaker 6: The leadoff spot is such a miss misinterpreted spot in the lineup, Like you're only leading off once.

00:27:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, you get more late appearances, you'll.

00:27:58
Speaker 5: Get more plate appearances.

00:27:59
Speaker 6: And I think the number is actually closer to forty two than the thirty four. But you know, we're splitting hairs. But to me, I don't hate it. I don't think Bryce Harper is Kyle Schwarber. But I know Kyle Schwarber's you know he's gonna run up there some years with a three eighty three ninety on base percentage. And you want guys on base when you hit bingers, Like that's how teams are building, building their lineup.

00:28:27
Speaker 5: So if you think, if you think.

00:28:29
Speaker 6: Harper, I think I think it blends more to the left, right, left, right, the platoon advantages, which I think will help the rest of the lineup. The only time you'd have a left left is when you have Crawford. Most likely Crawford play center field for them. He'd be hitting nine, so you would have that, So there's your platoon advantage. I think that's why most people why the Dodgers like having show Hey leading off. They even started kept them leading off when he was pitching, which I would have thought, Hey, maybe we'll slide him down a little bit so he's not running in from the mound to get all of his armor on to go up to hit, but they never did, and those few extra bats could be a difference in.

00:29:08
Speaker 5: Winning the division or needing to play in a wildcard series.

00:29:13
Speaker 1: By the way, Otani in twenty twenty four fifty nine stolen base members, fifty to fifty runs nine, I know it does it. It's insane. I get to show Hey Otani for our last clip of the day. Mark Pryor, pitching coach for the Dodgers, was on Dodgers territory, and we have a little clip right now.

00:29:33
Speaker 8: He's throwing bullpens. Last year, you know, was obviously a very unique year. He was coming off Tommy John and then he had the shoulder injury on the non throwing arm, and this year, yeah, full version. The WBC will maybe provide a little bit of wrinkle. But he's so flexible with what he does, his ability to win, he can pitch, and how he goes about keeping himself sharp, So it's gonna be fun to watch him. We'll go into spring training, he'll keep throwing bullpens, you know, try to get him to face some hitters before he leaves for the WBC, and then we'll just from then we just kind of have to wait and see where everything's at. The fun part about show is as long as he knows when he's pitching, he'll pitch whenever, if it's six days rest, if it's eight days rest, if it's three days rest. Like, he's willing to do what he needs to do to help this club win ball games. And so we'll just kind of plant it out and kind of go day by day like we always do when we're in kind of these unorthodox situations where you can't just map out the next four weeks.

00:30:29
Speaker 2: What are you laughing about?

00:30:30
Speaker 5: Just ah, whatever, you we'll figure it out it's fine. We're gonna make the playoffs. Like we'll figure it out, Like it's totally fine. Most teams will be like, oh crap, one of our best pitchers. It'll be fine, Like we'll definitely. Prior is like, it's fine.

00:30:47
Speaker 6: If he's got to take an extra you know, a week or two at the beginning of the season, until he's ready to pitch, it's totally fine.

00:30:52
Speaker 5: He'll hit a couple dangers and then we'll be good to go. True. I just had him Mark Prior for a long time ago, and it's not his fault for being a Cub. No.

00:31:02
Speaker 4: Well, yeah, actually, you know what not yes, because in two thousand he's actually a really nice guy. In two thousand and one, when I was of the Twins, they picked Joe Mauer one, and Prior went to to the Cubs. Okay, well, we lost two thousand and two ALCS to the Angels, two thousand and three DS to the Yankees.

00:31:19
Speaker 5: We could have had Mark Pryor, and I listened. Joe Mayer went on to be in the Hall of Fame.

00:31:22
Speaker 4: I get it, But for selfishly, it would have been nice to run Mark Pryor out there in those playoff series and with Johan Santana, Brad Radkey and some of those other guys. Yeah, I'm not saying but so yeah, I mean just selfish reasons.

00:31:35
Speaker 2: Not right, you wish you had him?

00:31:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I mean Joe and he got hurt obviously, but Joe went on and.

00:31:42
Speaker 6: And then the Twins would have The Twins would have paid you. Oh no, they would have. They still would have traded you.

00:31:48
Speaker 2: True, they've changed, No, they haven't.