Fair Territory: Konnor Griffin Called Up! Who's Hot & Who's Not

00:00:09
Speaker 1: Welcome everyone to the Thursday edition of Fair Territory. I'm Ken Rosenthal here with Alana Rizzo and Alta. We can't always say this when we open the show, but we have big news this morning.

00:00:21
Speaker 2: It is big news.

00:00:22
Speaker 3: I wonder if it's just a week too late, but it's good news nonetheless. Ken, if you are Connor Griffin, the top prospect is baseball is getting a call up to the Big Weaks.

00:00:32
Speaker 1: He is nineteen years old, doesn't turn twenty until later this month. This is a kid who I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, quoting a team as saying, in their model, the statistical projection model, they have him as the top position player in baseball relative to the surplus value he would provide, and Paul Skeins as the top pitcher. This team also had him as a top shortstop, even though he has yet to play an inning in the major leagues. Again, we're talking about surplus value. Now people are asking when is that extension coming. They've been negotiating it, We've heard a lot about it. It won't come if it does, it all, and I expect it to until after he makes his debut Friday. Why because once a player is in the major leagues. Once a rookie is in the major leagues, and at that point, if he signs an extension after that, his team becomes eligible to receive a Prospect Promotion Incentive pick. And the Pirates are doing this in time, promoting him in time, and likely doing the extension in time to remain eligible for that PPI pick. If you remember, they didn't do that with schemes. They kept him in the minors longer, and yet he qualified for a full year of service time anyway, even though of course he was not in the big leagues for a full year, but he won Rookie of the Year and that is what did it for him. So they didn't get the pick, they cost themselves a year of service time. With Griffin, they're going to be in a much better place. This is a kid Alana who looks like physically a young cow Ripken body type, and he tore up the minor leagues. I want to show you what he did statistically in the minor leagues. Baseball America's JJ Cooper pointed out this morning, this is one of the great minor league slash lines ever. One hundred and twenty seven games last two years, three thirty six four to twenty five thirty. That's the slash line. Twenty one home runs in five hundred and eighty four played appearances, and oh sixty eight stolen bases.

00:02:27
Speaker 3: Alanna, I tell you what, he is a player that already has a lot of eyes on him with great expectations to follow.

00:02:34
Speaker 2: He enjoyed speaking with him when he was on.

00:02:36
Speaker 3: Foul territory when aj Pierzinski was at Buckos camp a couple of weeks ago. Ken, why now instead of just allowing him to break camp with the big club? What difference does nine ten days make a.

00:02:48
Speaker 1: Lot of This is a very good question, And in my view, I don't know why they held him down. They're going to say I know this, I've heard this from people there ready. Sending him down kind of relaxed him. He got going a trip and now it's time. It would have been fine time nine days ago. And yes, they're doing it in time again so they can qualify for that draft pick if he wins Rookie of the Year, and that's no guarantee in a league with JJ Weatherhole and South Stewart and other rookies also making a strong impact. Already in the National League. But at the same time, this kid has all the potential in the world. He could be a difference maker for the Pirates, and I kind of equate it to what's going on with the Tigers now. The Tigers did not have a good series in Arizona, but Kevin McGonagall has made a major difference in their offense. Connor Griffin can do the same for Pittsburgh. It's a lot to ask, of course already, but this is a player they need. They spent money in the offseason, they're actually trying. If you're actually trying, Connor Griffin has to be.

00:03:50
Speaker 3: On your team, and guys, don't forget to get your questions in for Grill and Ken.

00:03:54
Speaker 2: We're going to do that after the break.

00:03:55
Speaker 3: Let me ask you this, Ken, you said that they're likely going to announce an extension for him after he makes his major league debut. How close in your opinion are the two sides on getting the amount that they're going to want. I'm hearing that they want something alla Roman Anthony type of contract in the one thirty range.

00:04:14
Speaker 2: What more can you tell us about what he may get?

00:04:16
Speaker 1: Right? Buster only reported that yesterday for ESPN that that is the ask by Anthony. I'm sorry by Griffin's camp one thirty or so. I don't know that they're that close, but I don't know that they're that far apart. So here's why I say that. Haven't heard in recent days that this is heated up, but now I do expect it to heat up. And obviously they've been negotiating for quite some time. Each side knows the other's position. If indeed the number is one thirty and the Pirates are offering one ten, let's go. No need to mess around here. It's going to be an eight year deal probably, and we're talking about what two million per year or something like that. So I don't expect this to be a problem. I do expect it to get done in the way of the Colt Emerson deal this week and to a lesser extent, the Cooper Pratt deal. It's extension time, and once the guy's in the big leagues, that's the time to do it. We saw that last year with the Red Sox and Christian Campbell didn't work out, or at least hasn't worked out yet, but you do it after they debut. In that way, you retain your right to get that pick if the player is Rookie of the Year.

00:05:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, that PPI that you were talking about. Let's get into the rest of the league powered by Game Changer. More on Game Changer in a moment, can you briefly mentioned that some extensions have already happened and you also said on your athletic report that you expect more extensions to be coming into the days, the weeks, and the months. Now, why are some Major League Baseball teams ken willing to offer long term deals to unproven top prospects and some just don't seem to be able to do that or want to do that?

00:05:50
Speaker 1: Rather, I would say the majority do want to do that, and the reason they want to do that a lot It is ultimately to save money, and with the collector of bargaining agreement expiring, there are motivations along those lines as well. You always, as an owner want cost certainty. There is a possibility in the next CVA that the length of time before a player becomes a free agent will be reduced. That would be something that Major League Baseball could dangle in order to get the players to potentially agree to a salary cap. So if you're locking up a guy now for additional years. Well, if crea agency is going to four or five years, I'm not saying it's going to I'm just saying this is a potential outcome, then you're winning in an even bigger way. So it's all about cost certainty. It's all about getting players to sign below market deals. Some teams are less willing. Buster Posey in my article is quoted as saying, hey, I'm not so sure about this. It's a little risky. And it is. There are players that ultimately do not succeed. Scott Kingery, Evan White, Jonathan Singleton. There have been players who signed these extensions and ultimately did not prove the money. But the vast majority, from ronald' kunya to Josemirez to all kinds of players, the vast majority it does payoff. And that's why teams are so willing to do it. And I trust even with a Roman Anthony one hundred and thirty million, Okay, big deal. Well, Roman Anthony should prove worth that and much more. And that's what the owners are looking for. They're looking for the surplus value, the production of the player to exceed what he is getting paid.

00:07:28
Speaker 3: A lot of folks think in Roman Anthony perhaps left a lot of money on the table Ken taking that one hundred and thirty million dollar deal.

00:07:35
Speaker 1: Well.

00:07:35
Speaker 3: The Lead is powered by Game Changer, the number one youth sports app that helps you coach smarter, connect, live and replay the action. Learn more at GC dot com. And one final section that we're starting here on the show with the Lead Ken is who's hot and who is not?

00:07:50
Speaker 2: Team wise?

00:07:51
Speaker 3: The hot starts and the below average slow starts for teams?

00:07:56
Speaker 2: Who are we starting with?

00:07:57
Speaker 1: All right, allta, Now, We're going to take a mature, measured approach here. We're one week into the season. We're not going to get carried away. But I just want to point out some things that at least have stood out in the first week. Number one, who else the Milwaukee Brewers. Right away, they are right out of the gate. Fifteen stolen bases, most in the majors in six games, averaging seven point five runs per game in six games. Strikeouts by their pitching staff seventy six in six games. Here come the brew Crew yet again, coming off two strong performances, one against the White Sox and then the other against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees pitching it's been incredible. They've allowed six runs six runs in six games, and they did it on the road in San Francisco and Seattle. Pretty impressive. Houston Astros lost their first two to the Angels, if you remember, at home, and since then have won five straight against the Angels and the Red Sox, averaging eight point six runs per game. We knew their offense was good, their rotations, I wouldn't say it's a work in progress, but I want to see more out of that group. Then they're the Texas Rangers, and this, to me might be the biggest surprise is not the right word, but the biggest statement made by a team this week four and two on the road in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Andrew McCutcheon, Danny Jansen, Brandon Nimo, new veterans joining this team. They've brought a certain energy. This team has a tremendous rotation. They might be in skip Shrewmacher's first season better than people thought. And finally let's go to Miami, the Miami Marlins five and one. Now, admittedly it's against the Rockies and the White Sox, so you got to put a little bit of an asterisk on it and we'll know more after they go to New York to open the Yankees home schedule against the New York Yankees. But the Marlins with Sandy al Contra, they're pitching staff. I have thought all along they have a chance to be somewhat of a surprise team. Say nothing yet to diminish that thought. So those are the hot ones along, at least so far.

00:09:59
Speaker 3: Yes, Saniel Contrero with a complete game shutout Kennon in front of about sixty six hundred people that didn't really get to see, unfortunately, his greatness on the mound. What about those teams that are not hot right now? Let's start with the Boston Red Sox.

00:10:14
Speaker 1: Let's start with the Boston Red Sox, and I've been worried about their offense and yet to start the season, they haven't pitched all that well either. Check this out. Twenty eighth in run scored, twenty sixth in ERA. That's a bottom five team in both categories. Not great for the Boston Red Sox. The Sacramento West, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Oakland as they are one in five now they are one in five even though Shay Langeleres has hit five home runs to lead the Majors. They're one in five. Also, they had a tough schedule to start in Toronto, in Atlanta, I'll give them a little bit of a break. They're gonna be good, at least offensively. And then two teams in the NL West under new managers, the Padres and the Giants, both started off two and four, just got done with the series against each other. Padre's rotation questions, no doubt. Giants, I'm still not convinced totally by their offense. Certainly their bullpen is a problem. So we'll see how these teams play. And then I'll look at the Phillies and the Mets. Now they're going to be fine, but both started the season three and three, annoying their fans to say the least. And the Phillies they were home against Texas and Washington. Finally got a win yesterday against Washington, the otherwise would have been two and four. And then the Mets they opened it home against Pittsburgh and then go to Saint Louis, two teams they theoretically should be able to handle and yet go only three and three.

00:11:38
Speaker 3: Yeah, very uninspired baseball. If you're looking at the Phillies and the Mets. A lot of teams that we didn't think would be slow starters are in fact on that Not So hotless. We're gonna have much more to come on Fair Territory with Ken Rosensal. Don't forget to get your questions in. We'll be back with Gorilla and Ken right after this.

00:11:56
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00:11:59
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00:12:01
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00:12:05
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00:12:06
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00:12:24
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00:12:42
Speaker 3: Now, all right, let's get to some Gorilla and Ken questions from our fans, our viewers, the chat group.

00:12:53
Speaker 2: We appreciate your participation. Zay Z Reviews. Has this one to kick things off?

00:12:57
Speaker 3: Ken, It's been a disaster start in Boston, just talking about that. In your opinion, do you think Breslo or Cora lasts till the end of the week that's a little rough before they are fired?

00:13:09
Speaker 2: And is their.

00:13:11
Speaker 3: Season over come on? It's been six games these reviews.

00:13:16
Speaker 1: All right, Alana. First of all, I am confident that Alex Cora and Craig Breslow will retain their jobs through this week and after this week, and even through the first half of the season, even the entire season. Now, the Red Sox are an interesting case study. The problem I've had with their off season has been that they essentially are telling Roman Anthony without telling him this, Hey man, you've got to be David Ortiz. You've got to be what David Ortiz was to the previous teams. Now they would say that's not true. We've got William Obreu, the one guy who's off to a hot start. We've got others, will Wilson Contraras in the mix, of course, other good hitters. Trevor Story. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. You've lost Evers, you've lost Bregman, and in my view, they still haven't found the additional thumper that they need, and that is the deficiency I see in the team. We'll see maybe he plays out really well for them, and with Durand and all the different pieces that they have, maybe they ultimately put together a really dynamic offense. It just seems to me they're asking a lot of some young players and that's not always a good equation.

00:14:24
Speaker 3: And Ken for a team that led the league and errors last year, wanting to clean that up. So far that has not been the case defensively for the Socks. Sarah Harmon, nineteen seventy four. Ken, now that Connor Griffin is coming up to the show, who do you see being the next couple of high impact prospects who will make the jump?

00:14:42
Speaker 1: Wow? Good question, Sarah, And Frankly, most of the big ones are in the majors right now, and we've seen this Weather, Holt, McGonagall, Stewart the latter right down the line. Now, there are some others I'm sure that will get promoted this year and we'll see them, but I'm not sure they were who necessarily is next in line. Colt Emerson from Seattle would be one to watch for sure. Now he just got the extension eight years, ninety five million, and he is in a spot where the Mariners have Jp Crawford a shortstop. They're set pretty much around the diamond and there will be an opening at some point. I don't know when it will be. They've got Brendan Donovan now on the team, but Colt Emerson was not signed to an eight year, ninety five million dollars or contract to languish in the minor leagues. He'll be there at some point.

00:15:33
Speaker 3: Steve Parlay Parlee seventy six, forty eight, Hey, Ken, Should the Jays be worried about the starting rotation after losing Cody Ponce on Monday and three others now on the il from.

00:15:44
Speaker 1: An injury perspective, yes, no question. And Beaver's not yet there, Barrios is not yet there. They've been without you Savage of course, and now Ponce, but some of those pitchers are going to return in due time. And what we've seen so far from Gossman, from Cease, from Scherzer, it's been pretty good. Eric Lauer as well, it's been really good in fact, and the strikeout potential of that staff is much greater than it's been in the past. The rotation, I mean, and assuming some of these guys get healthy, Pince I know might be out for the year. They should be.

00:16:19
Speaker 3: Okay, it was so tough to watch when he went down. Okay, another question here. This is a super chat. We appreciate it very much, Daniel Doctor, nineteen nineteen five bucks for the show. Jim Bowden said he'd take Yankees' top four prospects for Skeins, of course, of the Pirates last year. If he were the Pirates, this person, Daniel disagrees. I want MLB proven talent. He'd like to know your thoughts on it.

00:16:42
Speaker 1: I want MLB proven talent too, and that package would have to start with Cam Schlitler. And the Yankees are not trading Cam Schlitler, who might be a lesser version of Paul Skeins, and that might even be selling him short. Cam Schlittler looks really good. So yes, the Pirates are going to be tempted in the next couple of years with all kinds of packages for Skiens. They were, I'm sure tempted in the offseason as well. But with the promotion of Griffin, with the additions of A Hearne and Brandon Lowe and a Zuna and all the things that they are doing. Now, what they are trying to do as best as the Pirates can is win with Skeens, and that should be their motivation for at least the next few years. Now, once you get closer to free agency, if the team is not what you want it to be, yes, of course you consider a trade because most likely under the current system anywhere, you're not going to resign him, so the Yankees can offer their whole farm system, the Dodgers, these teams are going to do that. But if I'm the Pirates, I'm trying to win with what is absolutely a unicorn of a starting pitcher.

00:17:46
Speaker 3: Kenn This is not a question in the chat. This is more for me. I guess why the need to or the want to sign Connor Griffin to a long term extension, But it's not there for Paul Skeens. Is that an agent situation is that let's get this kid to free agency because we know he's going to get a lot more money. I mean, why does it make sense for Connor Griffin, but it doesn't make sense for the best picture in the game.

00:18:08
Speaker 1: I'm sure the Pirates would love to sign Paul Skins to an extension, but it takes two to tango, and clearly the player has to be motivated to do it. And also keep in mind with Paul Skins, he's going to want a wait for Schoobls deal right and beyond that, it's going to cost three or four times what Connor Griffin is going to cost to retain Paul Skins. Maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration. He's not even eligible for arbitration yet, but you get what I'm saying. The free agent years alone would be forty five million fifty million a year, I would think. So the Pirates have money that they can spend, or at least that they're willing to spend. I don't know that they're willing to spend what it would be what would be necessary for them to retain Paul Skin's.

00:18:53
Speaker 2: Long term Zaz Reviews once again.

00:18:56
Speaker 3: Final question on Grill and Ken here. With the lockout looming at the end of the season, could we see teams willing to trade big contracts at the deadline? Ken so they're off the books come to lockout.

00:19:09
Speaker 1: It's a good question, and I would think that you might see some of that. But keep in mind, and I've heard this from a couple of teams in recent days, you can't assume anything with the CBA. You can't assume there's going to be a salary cap. You can't assume there's not going to be a salary cap. You can't assume we're going to be playing in twenty twenty seven the entire season. So essentially teams are operating in the dark. And if I were a GM, and of course I'm not, but I would think the way most of them are thinking is that, you know, we have no idea, so let's operate as we would normally operate. And yes, if you want to clear big contracts if you're a bad team or you're a disappointing team, of course, but you would be doing that anyway. So I don't know that the expiration of the CBA on December first has a meaningful impact on that.

00:20:00
Speaker 3: All right, thanks everybody for getting those questions in. For Girl and Ken, We're going to talk about Dude and Dork of the Week right after this break.

00:20:08
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00:20:23
Speaker 5: Dude, dude, dude.

00:20:31
Speaker 2: All right, Ken, I'll have you go first, of course, on your Dude of the week. Who is it.

00:20:36
Speaker 1: We've been talking a lot about prospects, and this guy was not necessarily a top one hundred. He wasn't even a top ten in his organization, even a top twenty. I'm talking about Jose Fernandez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. This dude gets called up and on Tuesday, in his major league debut, hole run off Casey Maize in the fourth inning, and then with two outs in the eighth, the Diamondbacks down by run to the Tigers, a two out, three run, go ahead shot off Kenlee Jansen. Welcome to the major leagues, Jose Fernandez, and you are the Dude of the week.

00:21:10
Speaker 2: I love that.

00:21:11
Speaker 3: I see that, and I raise you two gentlemen that are playing this game right now, the game that we love.

00:21:16
Speaker 2: Ken with heavy hearts.

00:21:18
Speaker 3: Dominic Smith, of course of the Atlanta Braves, just recently lost his mom. Hits a grand slam as a brave. He is certainly my dude of the week, obviously thinking about mama round in the bas is good for him. I also want to talk about Josh Low kind of says his mom, of course passed away unfortunately after dealing with brain cancer. He and Nathaniel Lowe, of course, their mom, Wendy passed away, and he hit a three run home run his first is an angel, kind of points to the sky pounds us just that one certainly was for his mom as well. So Dominic Smith and Josh Low, you are my dudes of the week.

00:21:57
Speaker 2: All right.

00:21:57
Speaker 3: Time now for our dorks of the week. We'll be right back after this front end, all.

00:22:08
Speaker 2: Right, Ken, who is your Who's your dork of the week?

00:22:11
Speaker 1: All right? I can't believe I'm saying this, and I trust that this will be the only time this player is ever dork of the week. Francisco Lindor is actually one of my favorites. He should be one of everyone's favorites, but he had a really bad day. It would have been kind of a rough start for him obviously coming off the Hamad surgery. That's possibly the reason Corbyn Carrol had the same surgery. He's on fire anyway, Francis Hill. Lindor on Wednesday gets picked off, and not only that, he forgets the number of outs and he costs his pitcher a few pitches Freddy Peralta, and he said afterward, he owned up to it, said that was unacceptable, and he's right, obviously, he can't forget the number of outs. The pickoff the Mets were more forgiving of because they thought, well, he's trying to get a lead. He was stealing on the pitch with Soto up and didn't work out, okay. But for Lindor, a guy who is so savvy, so good at playing the game is what baseball people say. He is so instinctive on the field. It was just shocking to see. And I'm sure, like I said, he will not be dork of the Week ever again. But he is dork of the week for that and not for any of the other things. Met fans are accusing him of the problems with Soto and all of that. No, no, no out. Stuff on the field is what matters, and what mattered here yesterday was meaningful in the game.

00:23:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, that was a little bit of a joke there.

00:23:34
Speaker 3: Some folks in our chat were saying that he got picked off on purpose, Ken, so he could rob one Soto of an RBI because they hate each other that much. Obviously, that is it was a rookie mistake, a boneheaded move for a veteran player. All right, My dork of the week is the Boston Red Sox as an organization as a whole. How in the world do you win your first game and then lose a five straight. I'm not the only one that's wondering Ken, because ris x Dash eighteen in our chat says, health, what's going on with the Red Sox?

00:24:05
Speaker 2: Ken? What is going on with the Red Sox? Kenny? They can't get off to the slow start.

00:24:09
Speaker 3: Garrett Crochet has not been good at Dykin Park, obviously home of the Houston Astros.

00:24:14
Speaker 2: That's who you count on.

00:24:15
Speaker 3: And they're not even winning with Crochet on the bump the second time through.

00:24:19
Speaker 1: It's a slow start. I'm not sure I read anything more into it. And as we had that earlier question about Cora and Breslow getting fired, No, that's not happening again. I'll repeat myself. I am concerned, as I said earlier, about their offense, and I'm just not sure it's going to play out the way they think it's going to play out. But they're pitching enter the season supposedly as a strength. I still expect it to be a strength with Crochet. I expect Rangers Suarez to be really good, and I expect some other things as well to happen with that staff that will click. But yeah, it's a slow start, and in markets like New York and Philadelphia and Boston, when there's a slow start, it's not the same as it is in a market West Sacramento, just to name one.

00:25:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, West Sacramento. I love that.

00:25:04
Speaker 3: Yes, and they are off today the Red Sox are they finally start a homestand tomorrow they need they need something good cooking at Fenway. Well, if you're watching on TV, we are going to see you guys next week. Thank you so much for being here. We have a couple more minutes for the YouTube crowd right after this. All right, if you're still with us, that means you're watching us on YouTube. Thanks so much for being here. Ken, What is your game upcoming this weekend? And hopefully you get it in with no delays.

00:25:36
Speaker 1: My game is in Cleveland in obviously progressive field, and the Cubs are visiting the Guardians, and it's an interesting game in any number of ways. One because the Cubs, of course, have invested a ton into their team four hundred and thirty one million combined for Bregman, for Horner and Pete Crow Armstrong. The Guardians, of course are doing their low revenue thing. They did hardly anything in the off season. But one of the reasons that they were so inactive is because they want to keep creating opportunity for younger players. Chase the Laughter pretty good young player from what we've seen so far for home runs. Hopefully his foot is okay. Did not play yesterday. He is expected back. The Guardian's home opener is tomorrow, and yes, there is weather threats all weekend, but we'll see what happens. And one more point about the Cubs, and we go back to the Cooper Pratt extension with Milwaukee. People ask why are they doing? Is this kid at a six ninety one ops in Double A hasn't shown he can hit even in Double A, and he's getting fifty million dollars. Well, the Brewer's logic is, we can't spend like the Cubs. We have to place smaller bets. That's what the Cooper Pratt extension is. That's what the Jackson Curio extension was. We'll see how it works out. But the Brewers always seem to figure it out. It's amazing to me every year, including this year. I thought maybe this is the year they're not going to be very good. And granted they've played weaker opponents, but they're off to a great start and they look like they're going to be a very dangerous team again.

00:27:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, five and one, Ken, and they're doing it without Jackson Trail right now, and Andrew Vaughan as well, both on the il. Well, that's it for us. Foul Territory is next. Chris Catillo, JJ Cooper, and Isaac zout joined AJ and Kratz and Scott Ron Dodgers Territory with myself and Clinton CS follows that. Ken Rosenthal is back on Monday with fair Territory.

00:27:28
Speaker 2: Have a great weekend. Everybody will see then