ABS Challenges are GOLD, Rookies SHINE, Tony Vitello’s quotes, Bo booed, Shane Baz extended

00:00:01
Speaker 1: Well, that was a fun weekend. That was a really fun first weekend of games. There was a little boost which we're going to get into. I'm not going to do much exactly. Kratz do it again for us.

00:00:13
Speaker 2: Boom boom boom.

00:00:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, your old buddy Salvey did that a few times and had some success with it. We have so much to cover with the ABS Challenge System, so I'm not going to waste much time because we're going to talk to Mason Miller in about fifteen minutes. I want to make sure we have a good, chunky, twelve minute segment to go over all of the ABS Challenge System virality.

00:00:36
Speaker 3: From the weekend it took over.

00:00:37
Speaker 1: People were like, Oh my gosh, I can't believe how good this is. We were like, yeah, we've been talking about this for a long time.

00:00:44
Speaker 2: So here we go.

00:00:47
Speaker 1: Snee right, Well, ce B Buckner has to lead off the UMP show. I think that was the true viviality from the weekend. People were like, the ABS Challenge System is what is going to bring world peace. Everybody loves it except for CB. Everybody else loves it. So take me through that game and your experience with CB and the year that he's going to have and he's not the only one. But eight challenges on Saturday, six of them were overturned Red Sox reds, including Gino Suarez consecutive strike three calls that were.

00:01:25
Speaker 4: Not No, that we're not And like before we go on to Ceb, like this is going to exploit some umpires and you know, hopefully for the good, but there's going to be a lot And again, balls are missing by that much. Well, I've always talked about it. Forget about the buffer zone. Listen, A ball is a ball, ste B Buckner been doing it for a long time now. This guy right here has missed some calls over the years, and we've talked about it. Everybody has cratzy. You know he misses a call. Hey, Ceb, I got that off straight face. Okay, I'm like, okay, that's not Yeah. He would be real quick with it, and he wouldn't. He never his face was subtle. Cratzy. Tell me if I'm wrong. The guy never had a peep and then he would all of a sudden. He would explode every once in a while. But now you can't get bitter at this. These are the new rules. You missed a call me and Jene got it right. Don't get better, get better and that would be my my my thing to him.

00:02:23
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean I wouldn't even say straight face. He just gives you one.

00:02:26
Speaker 2: Of these yes.

00:02:29
Speaker 5: Yeah, And that's more irritating than anything else it is. It's more irritating how you react to mistakes or how you react to like people questioning you. That's how the that's how the whole like relationship is built. The best umpire, the umpires that you really enjoy are the ones that you know you can have a conversation with. And the first one here I felt like with with with Gino, I felt like, you know that one he reacted fine, his reaction right here, when he calls it, he gives them, he gives them like the hands down, like, oh, you're gonna challenge me? Oh, like, oh okay, I'll go and check it again, like to me, if there's any other reaction, then okay, yeah, I'll challenge it. Then it tells me that it's like you're getting a little too personal with it, like it's either right or wrong, that's it, whether it's by a tenth of an inch or whether it's by two inches.

00:03:22
Speaker 1: The Red Sox ran out of challenges. Otherwise they could have had more fun with this. And then do you feel like CB was taking a shot back at them by not checking on the Trevor story check swing?

00:03:33
Speaker 5: Yeah, well that would be my That would be my other gripe with Cbe and Angel Hernandez, they both on separate occasions told me you can tell if a guy check swung or not by looking at his face. Now, I don't think he was taking a shot. I don't think he was taking a shot. I don't think he was like, Oh, you guys showed me up by challenging so many. I hope that's not the case. That's that's vindictive and that's not helpful. They both said, at separate times, look at their eyes, so they'll like, they'll like, tilt and look at their eyes. If you watch the replay, he looks, he looks right at him. He looks right at his face. I was like, so what are you looking for? He goes, you'll know, like what.

00:04:16
Speaker 3: Did he bring a polygraph out too? For each of them to make sure that they actually believe what they're saying, it's ridiculous, agreed.

00:04:26
Speaker 1: And now called him out postgame. So for me, the difference isn't just your percentage, it's where your misses are. So there's abs challenges the C. B. Buckner effect. We're showing the Reds just bringing it in that game. But I also want to show the actual pitch graph of the ones that he did miss Could we take that pull screen too, so we can show you know, krats breaking down some of the pitches that were outside of the zone and by how much outside the zone. Some of these are pretty egregious.

00:04:59
Speaker 5: Number four is agreed. Just number six and number eight aregreed just too because they're not as far, but they're on his strong side. They're on the side that he's on, Like, you can't miss the balls. You can't miss the balls that you're when you're set up in and those two, I think seven and one are are kind of stacked on top of each other. They weren't. They weren't against uh, righty, so he wasn't inside on those pitches. But I'm sorry, they weren't against lefties, so he wasn't inside. But if you're you just you just gotta like number three, so what like that one's that one touched his own? That one we're gonna we're gonna figure that out, I hope. But the biggest thing is if umpires want to make the change, if they want to, or if they're gonna be like whatever, you don't have a this This is where I think a huge value might be. They're not gonna have any more challenges now. It just might turn into like an old school game, like a Eric greg game, where it's just like hat hat hat, and you're like, oh boy, what do we do now.

00:06:06
Speaker 4: Yesterday and watching the game with my son and he's a Mets fan. As you guys know, I probably talk about a one hundred times. So I'm sitting there watching the game for a little bit before I do something else. And there was a pitch that was up he called a strike and it was a ball. And this is the best part of myself, like challenge, challenge, Like you got young kids that are screaming at the TV screen and then you see the guy they're like.

00:06:29
Speaker 2: M like they want to, but they don't.

00:06:32
Speaker 4: Like I wonder after each game how many calls they miss and how many calls like a player misses. They should challenge and player misses. That's what I was trying to Yeah, and like listen, cebe Buckner. He called strike that it was going to be strike three no matter what. Let's just be honest with you, unless it was a ball that went over his head or in the dirt. He was mad that he challenged a call and he lost. Next pitch was as far off, know what bang them? Anyway, hopefully it doesn't challenge challenge it again. Looked up at him. He's like, really, you're gonna challenge Yeah, it's it's gonna be it's gonna be fun, it's gonna be interesting as we move forward here. Because some pumpires don't want this crap.

00:07:17
Speaker 3: It doesn't matter and I don't think.

00:07:18
Speaker 2: But that's how they're saying.

00:07:20
Speaker 4: And a lot of umpires are like, okay, want to challenge me a hundred times, and if they get it right, they're like, inside they got a little pride, you know what I mean. So you saw in Cincinnati how excited the crowd got.

00:07:30
Speaker 2: That was. That was that was fun to watch the game exactly.

00:07:34
Speaker 1: But it's the game inside the game too, crowd is because it is bringing more fan engagement.

00:07:38
Speaker 3: We knew this was going to happen. Some people are surprised.

00:07:41
Speaker 1: I'm like, no, no, no, this is the change that takes the sport to another entertainment level.

00:07:45
Speaker 5: It is definitely because we're getting it right. We're getting it right and there's intrigued to it. That's like a pause in the game, which we're trying to eliminate, but that pause in the game is exciting. Like people aren't going another challenge on my phone. No, it's like a challenge. Oh, I want to see what happens? Yeah? Or no, why'd you challenge?

00:08:07
Speaker 6: There?

00:08:07
Speaker 5: You shop, You're not one of our better players. Like I want to see what I want to see at the end of the season, and we can't wait. Maybe we could see it by the All Star break halfway through the season. Is we have the umpire scorecards from every year from last year to this year. I want to see who improves and to me, it'll be directly correlated to the ABS challenge system.

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00:09:29
Speaker 3: It's blue Choo.

00:09:32
Speaker 2: Well.

00:09:34
Speaker 3: I found one instance.

00:09:35
Speaker 1: So the other day when the Cubs lost, or were losing at the time, and they lost to the Nationals. It was eight four two runners on one out Nico Horner at the plate bottom of the seventh three to one pitch.

00:09:46
Speaker 3: It was inside. It was called a strike. He would have walked to load up the.

00:09:50
Speaker 1: Bases and then that would have put up Carson Kelly representing the tying run. Instead, next pitch grounded into a double play ended it. So it's those types of late situations where one inning can change it all, right, one pitch in that inning can change it all that players will get smarter with and say, hey, this is the time. I can't be gun shy on a time like this because this could decide the game.

00:10:15
Speaker 3: So that part's important.

00:10:17
Speaker 1: We had a bunch of stats from over the weekend, so I think Salvador presment viral forgetting three for three, but he wasn't the only one, and also over since now then four for four total. He was three for three in one game. Real Muto was perfect three for three in these first several games. Same with Austin Wells on the umpire side Pad Witson in the Giants Yanks game the other day actually had seven challenges, all of them overturned.

00:10:40
Speaker 3: He was worse than Buckner by numbers. Now, some pitches are closer.

00:10:44
Speaker 1: That's why I want everyone to see the Buckner chart and how some of those misses were. But Buckner was at seventy five percent. Chris Siegel in the Orioles Twins game had ten challenges, seven of them overturned. And let's go to that game for a moment, because we actually saw our first ejection as a result of the ABS Challenge system. Some were worried, including some on this show, that we would not have any animosity between coaches, players and umpires. I think we've seen plenty already. We'll run through a few examples, but let's start with Derek Shelton, who was ejected from Sunday's game.

00:11:18
Speaker 3: Was it Sunday or Saturday? I think it was Saturday.

00:11:22
Speaker 5: Saturday, Yeah, yeah, because Helsley was on the mound.

00:11:28
Speaker 3: Yeah, Hellsley. Well, I think he closed out both.

00:11:31
Speaker 1: But Helsley tapped in the Shelton said he tapped too quick or not too quick, too slightly.

00:11:36
Speaker 4: I saw the replay on that he went, he went one. He didn't he didn't exaggerate it. It looked like right, and then he went back and did it.

00:11:45
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:11:46
Speaker 4: They might have to do something about that and what I don't know. That's what I'm saying, like you got to be really egregious with the tapping or because he kind of went like that, like boom like that, I don't know what the ruling is.

00:11:59
Speaker 2: And then he went.

00:12:00
Speaker 4: He won a couple more times, so I don't know that one there. I was in between on but it deals with last ds, so there's always a controversy there exactly.

00:12:09
Speaker 1: Well, you're still gonna have plenty of fun, yeah, and Kratz. There was also Doug Eddings who said that Matt Olsen took too long to challenge a strike call and you didn't give it to him. We saw that happen a few times in spring training, and I was like, oh, that's only happening a few times in spring training. That's going to happen a lot in the regular season, at least at the start of the season. That's kind of a way for an umpire to be like, hey, you better be super definitive right away. And also it's going to affect some ups that are a little bit delayed with their calls, because then you know how a player kind of thinks he's going one way if he's got a walk, but then the strike's called. But then if you make a motion, then did you make a motion and then try to tap your head and you can't do that. The nuances might actually change the way that somebody does something like they might actually wait at the plate regardless, make sure the call is made, and then if they don't agree with the call, do the tap before they move over to first.

00:13:02
Speaker 5: It changes, It changes your timing. We talked. I talk about all the time with the high school kids, like there's timing in baseball, like if you're if you're not onto the next thing when this happens, like you're too late, And so I think, like, uh, I think it was four test. Nick fourtest caught one. It was a slider from a lefty I forget, and he caught it and it was it looked like a very definitive strike and he caught it and he brought it up to throw it back and the umpire and umpire balled it. He put the ball in his glove and then he was like he went like this. The umpire said, no, no, no, no, that took too long. It was not I need to know what that time span is. I need to know what is Is it three seconds? Like that's the number I keep hearing, but what are we Three seconds is a long time? Like to me, I don't think Hellsley's challenge was too late. I didn't think Olsen's challenge was too late or Nick Fortes's challenge. But Nick Fortes just does what he does. Catches. Oh yeah, definitely a strike. Catch it go to throw back? Well, I mean he's got to go with the ball in his hand. So he put the ball in his glove, put the ball right in the mitt and went right to the tap and the umpire leaned over. He's like, nope, nope, not gonna happen.

00:14:18
Speaker 4: Crazy, Yeah, it's crazy. It's crazy fun. You listen, crazy fun. It's gonna exploit some people.

00:14:24
Speaker 2: Yep.

00:14:25
Speaker 4: Some people are gonna be okay. Yeah, man, I got I got some work to do. Some people were like, these sons are guns. You know, that's life. That's any job you go to, that's part of it. You're gonna have some people who are better, but most people want to get better.

00:14:38
Speaker 1: Some players are gonna get pissed at each other too. So Matt Walner had what was it a full count pitch that was basically down the middle, and people called it a rage challenge because he didn't swing. But they were like, dude, that's a strike. Oh what are you doing in the middle quadrant a little bit, you know, took more towards the knees, but middle lower quadrit good there, Monsey fifteen in our chat, not Max Amuncie fan I Guess said of Kuna challenging bottom of the first, right after Baldwin lost a challenge in the top of the first for the braves, can't happen. Got to be used in better situations. Completely agree. You cannot lose your challenges in the first inning. You can't lose your challenges in the fourth inning.

00:15:16
Speaker 4: That's why you save them until the seventh, eighth, and ninth.

00:15:19
Speaker 2: In my opinion, when it gets.

00:15:22
Speaker 3: I think after the one burned, it's got to be agreed just to start right or on a huge moment, bases loaded, third inning, someone's up, this is your chance to blow up in the game. Bad call, you feel like you've got it okay.

00:15:36
Speaker 4: But I and I also think it's gonna hurt some players hitting because they're like like I saw, like Sodo, He's like a kind of picks you out of your rhythm a little bit too. If I'm looking at the other side of it, like they're professional hitters. Don't get me wrong, but if you're thinking about maybe I should have challenged, maybe not, And now it's like ringing in your head now pictures like ah gotch you bud, let's go, you know. So that's where on the flip side, it's a little different, like, all right, you didn't challenge it, let go and move on.

00:16:03
Speaker 2: If it's borderline, if you gotta think.

00:16:05
Speaker 4: If I'm a manager and I tell my guys, if you got a second, guess yourself and you're in between, you better not challenge.

00:16:11
Speaker 2: That would be my answer to all that.

00:16:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, and then to finish here, there's some swagginess where Randy Roseeran it was so confident that it was going to be overturned that he just starts taking off his equipment and walking to first base before the.

00:16:23
Speaker 3: Ruling came in. He's just like, boom boom, challenge.

00:16:26
Speaker 1: And also you can see some guys are making eye contacts, some guys are not right, some guys are just doing this, and some guys are looking back like you are wrong. So there will be plenty of animosity.

00:16:36
Speaker 3: Do not worry. The game will still have tons of human element to it.

00:16:41
Speaker 2: Hey, we're back.

00:16:42
Speaker 1: Let's show you this little nugget from the weekend. We'll talk later about the Giants getting swept by the Yankees. But did you see where third base coach Luis Rojas stood so he didn't get smoked under these new rules? When Jim Carlo stand was at the plate, would.

00:16:56
Speaker 4: You say, it's amazing, that's only you're only allowed to stand there.

00:17:00
Speaker 2: That's unbelievable.

00:17:01
Speaker 3: Well, you gotta be in the box or back up.

00:17:04
Speaker 2: It's ridiculous. I guess it's a safety hazard.

00:17:07
Speaker 1: But well that's why they complained, but nobody's done anything about it as well.

00:17:10
Speaker 2: Put him in the dark out, you're in the seats.

00:17:12
Speaker 3: Maybe see I'm in the dog out.

00:17:17
Speaker 4: But you know, like but yes, whatever, Hey, if that's that's a simple rule that has to be fixed, so be it.

00:17:23
Speaker 2: There's other rules where you like your mind bothering, but safety for sure.

00:17:28
Speaker 1: What about a prison cell, like a square prison cell like solitary confinement that has class or that you.

00:17:34
Speaker 2: Got candy in there too, Yeah you can have yep.

00:17:37
Speaker 1: And it's just you have to be right there, and that's foul ground. I mean, crats, you could be warm crats. He was way back. I mean he's basically against the the wall.

00:17:50
Speaker 5: I've seen guys. I've seen guys far back with extreme pool hitters. I've seen him like that. But I think he's trying to make a trying to make an example too, Like it's it's ridiculous. Let them go farther down the line. I get it. Even in this case, there's no there's no runners on the pictures. The pictures come and set, not even coming set. He's just standing on the mound and his and his hands in his glove like this. If you look at the picture, you know, was he picking it up because he's directly across but just farther down the line. Well, he's also in a safer area. I mean, John Carlos Stanton hits the ball one hundred and twenty miles an hour, like you just you just don't have enough time from where the boxes are to be safe. So you got to be out there.

00:18:37
Speaker 2: Safety. Safety, that's all.

00:18:39
Speaker 5: What they don't care. They don't care.

00:18:43
Speaker 3: Well, the lead's just gonna say that's fine, didn't stand back there.

00:18:45
Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, maybe I don't know.

00:18:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, Well there's there's more paranoia on the pitch tipping part and that they can't make everyone happy.

00:18:59
Speaker 3: I'm just laying it down. That's the message that has been sent so far.

00:19:05
Speaker 1: Hey, it might be time to have a heart to heart with your phone and be like, I love you, but you cost too much.

00:19:12
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'm not paying this much anymore. That's it. I mean, why would I go more than fifteen dollars a month. Mintmobile can give that to me and I get all the same.

00:19:21
Speaker 1: Coverage exactly and you don't have to deal with the crazy bogus fees or free perks that actually end up costing more. Mintmobile plans for premium wireless start at just fifteen bucks a month, and all plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest five G network. If you like your money, mintmobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile dot com slash territory that's mintmobile dot com slash t er r it o r y. Upfront payment of forty five dollars for three month five gigabyte plan required equivalent to fifteen bucks a month. New customer offer for first three month only. Then price plan options available, Taxes and fees extra. See mint mobile for details. Hey, what do you guys have on Carlos' seves? If you look at the pitching chart here, the blown save on Saturday led to a great moment, which we'll get to later. For Tom Smith, the grand Slam walk off, but six earned runs charged to his account. The velocity was down and Kratz I heard Mac Qutrar, the Royals manager, talking about it. He said his velo was downspring training last year and then it pumped back up.

00:20:28
Speaker 3: It just didn't happen this time.

00:20:30
Speaker 1: You know, some guys kind of save it, and you want some guys to do that, but in this case, it wasn't in good shape. And then also it sounds like he's got an ankle contusion. He was in a boot yesterday morning, Sunday morning. So what do you do here?

00:20:44
Speaker 5: I mean, you gotta keep running them out there, but maybe with a little bit of a shorter leash. I mean, the fact that he gave up six earned runs, that's tough, great for Dom Smith, but the fact that they do have Lucas Ersig that can come out of that bullpen. I think he's legit in the eighth inning, so he got to save yesterday. But I think it's something that rarely would you have a season like carlos O Stevas had last year and go, uh, you know what, we need lower leverage situations. But when you have that drastic of a velocity change, Okay, well we need to get you going here. I get it, like spring training. It was the same way, we need to get you going. Where do you get him going at I don't know. I mean that's between quatrro and estevas where it's like, no, I need that adrenaline from the ninth inning, or hey, be honest with me. Is something hanging are we feeling? Are we feeling a little ill here?

00:21:41
Speaker 3: You might say it's early. This might be one of the better rookie classes that we have ever seen in the game's history. We can't project every player's future.

00:21:49
Speaker 1: And I'm talking about impact right now because you have guys like Kevin McGonagall, JJ Weatherholt you're forgetting because he made his debut last year. But Sal Stewart's still a rookie. McLean will talk about of course as the season goes on. Chase the Lotter put on a show, We'll talk about him in a moment. The reason Crats why I think it could be one of the better classes is that you do have guys who are designated as rookies even though they have prior pro seasons. And I know it was a tough start for Tatsuyami, but Okamoto looks super legit, especially with the bat for the Blue Jays and Murakami hit three home runs already for.

00:22:22
Speaker 3: The White Sox.

00:22:22
Speaker 1: Did the White Sox actually make a move that nobody else did and should have in terms of giving some money to Murakami? I mean, I think most of the league kind of kind of looked at him and yeah, swiped him away.

00:22:36
Speaker 2: They did.

00:22:37
Speaker 1: I mean, he received so much less money than people anticipated. And I know he ended up taking a shorter term deal, but even if he took longer when it was going to be nowhere close to what most people thought, he was going to get.

00:22:48
Speaker 2: Correct and the.

00:22:49
Speaker 5: White Sox got it. But how many of those homers were on what people said? He struggles with ninety five plus? It's hard. It's hard to hit a home er in the big leagues. And I think AJ and I both talked about it. He could end up with thirty five plus. But I don't know that the league necessarily missed on this guy watching his swing, watching his swing path. He's gonna have to figure out how to maybe cheat to the heater a couple times, Todd, you know, anybody can cheat to a heater, Like to me, if he's able to get a couple, he's got to able to pump a couple at ninety five plus. Now all of a sudden, Okay, now you've got a guy who's able to just punish mistake off speed pitches in the zone. Punish that that, you know, that weak comeback sinker, that that stays middle. So to me, yeah, I get it. People people looked over him. But let's let's make sure. Let's make sure he can do he can consistently hit. What a lot of bullpens are thrown out there, A lot a lot of starters are throwing out there. So but man, what a freaking start. Three dangers in your first three games that were.

00:24:02
Speaker 2: Wow.

00:24:03
Speaker 4: I mean, hater's gonna hate me.

00:24:06
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:24:07
Speaker 4: The guy's got three games in his book and this guy ain't giving him credit right now.

00:24:10
Speaker 3: Only three homers in those three games.

00:24:12
Speaker 4: I mean, the dudes on pace for one sixty due but cratzy, he talks all that, I want to see this and that. But hey, congratulations on a great game. Hey listen, it's fantastic. That's why we do a show. Though, say it with your test. Sometimes you guys are right, yeah, you guys.

00:24:28
Speaker 1: You guys called out a couple guys that were new on the scene and got a lot of flak for it. Right, I'm trying to remember who they were. I think the main one, but maybe Roki Sazaki. You guys were a little shaky.

00:24:39
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I was.

00:24:41
Speaker 4: Yeah, he got beat up the first game, but now he's he's figuring it out.

00:24:44
Speaker 2: In my opinion, who the right handed picture now.

00:24:48
Speaker 3: Rookie, are you talking about no Yamamoto is Yamamotos Dude, I was wrong about Moto Yamamoto.

00:24:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's what I was talking about.

00:24:57
Speaker 1: Right, And while we're on all these you know, players coming over from Japan, it is hard to project sometimes it is very hard. When they hit, they really hit, and they do and I think that both of them are going to be good players in very different ways. Okamotos might hit two eighty five, Murakami might hit two twenty.

00:25:13
Speaker 2: But listen, what do you see. I see a ballplayer.

00:25:16
Speaker 4: I see a guy that he's talking about thirty five plus I'm saying forty. I think he has it in him. Cratzy, I don't think you're wrong. It's just the way you came out a little hoard. And I say hoard like that horde, like, hey, give this man some credit. He hit a Brewers club with three homers. I don't care what they're throwing up there. He had three bing bangs. Okay, let's see how consistent he is. Okay, deal, fine, shake your hand, we'll move on. But give my man a little slack here, doog. That's three homers in his first time playing in USA. That's the USA, So give him man some slack. Chicago, stand up for the guy. Let's go.

00:25:56
Speaker 5: Yes, Chicago, you guys need to definitely stand up for your guy. I completely apologize. That is so neat. He hit three home runs. The question Todd was is he going to be able to sustain it? And the question has to be answered over a longer term. The fact that the fact that he can, the fact that he can hit the ball out of the ballpark with ease you talk, I mean, everybody knew that eighty. I think somebody put an eighty power grade on him, Like that's legit power. You're talking about top ten power guys in the league. If it's an eighty power and he showed it like he showed it in Milwaukee. He showed it in the situations that he hit it in. But when you go to Oklamota over up in Toronto. To me, what is a more valuable season if Kazuma hits twenty five homers and hits to ninety or if Morikami hits to ten and hits forty homers. To me, I I take the forty homers because two for four what's the score in my opinion? But I like that. It's one of the It's one of those things that you know, who do you look at when you watch a swing path, when you watch the approach at the plate and you get to see fifteen twenty at bats compared to one hundred and fifty at bats, and who's going to come out on top as the better hitter. That's what's exciting about this first week. We can overreact like crazy.

00:27:26
Speaker 4: Yeah, of course, enough so I remember Markami, he signed what a.

00:27:32
Speaker 2: Two year deal?

00:27:33
Speaker 4: Okay, so yeah, I'm taking Akamoto of course, because he's gonna be on the winning ball club too.

00:27:40
Speaker 2: This team's gonna make the playoff.

00:27:42
Speaker 3: You're saying for a rookie of the Year.

00:27:43
Speaker 4: Oh no, I'm just saying just overall, like, yeah, who wouldn't want Mark Kami or Akamoto on the team? But Mark Commy's playing for himself. Chicago's not going to make the playoffs. He's basically playing for himself. So every homer he hits, that's more money he's gonna make after the next two years. So he needs to keep that rate going and not worry about the wins and losses, which is said to say, but you know, if we're going individualized with both of these, yeah, I would want a Kamoto because he's with a winning ball.

00:28:13
Speaker 1: Club, four year, sixty mil, totally different player, totally different player, right one's the first basement, one's playing third, get it right now, so he has I want this though. This is why we do this. I want you to call stuff out. And if you're wrong, I mean, you're doing a show every day, then let him hit forty homers and be in a five win player or whatever he is, then awesome, that's great, okay, But if Krat says everybody's going to be amazing, then this is not the right network for you.

00:28:38
Speaker 3: So what about Okamoto?

00:28:41
Speaker 5: I think his approach his I forget which which I bat it was. He took a walk and it was a borderline pitch a guy that is you know, it looks like his approach is gap to Gap, it looks like he has a very not advanced approach, because more Tommy has an advanced approach. And in the big leagues, you walk because guys are afraid of you, not because oh this guy just can't find the zone. Those are few and far between. And to me, Okamoto has the ability and he showed it going APO in that situation taking the walk later later in the game. I always remember who was again since my fault, but it's it's one of those things. To me, I feel like the numbers, the money that they got, that each of those guys got right now, just watching them against big league pitchers is is about right. I obviously the defense for Okamoto's is there too, So it's it's it's fun, it's fun to watch. I made. I made a bold prediction, and people might say I'm an idiot because I have a you know, a two ZHO five career batting average. But in twenty eighteen I got to see Juan Soto and Ronald Acuna Junior for the first time, and I said, whose career do you want more when they're done? So I pose that question to anybody who has all these rookies that we're talking about here today, whose career do you want more? And then then you make the choice, and then it's fun because all these guys are young, even the guys from Japan, they're going to be around here for five six years. So yes, we had an awesome fun weekend. But choose who you think is going to be the best based on the skill set. And I thought Jan Sota was going to have a better career so far. Akunyas showing me that, Hey, you know what, athleticism and the ability to win MVP in seven fifty seventy whatever, forty seventy you know. So I don't think that jury's out yet, but I think these are the discussions that are fun to have from a baseball sense, not just a oh need O gang. He went four for.

00:30:48
Speaker 1: Five, Well you started it, so let's finish with this last minute here. Chase de Lotter hit four home runs in his first three games, a big reason why the Guardians ended up splitting a series with the Ironers. He ended up breaking the no hip bid from Emerson Hancock, who looks different this year too. We can cover that a different day, But pick one guy out of the billion rookies that shine so far in the first few games.

00:31:13
Speaker 3: Who do you want long term? If you're in a draft right now, which guy do you want?

00:31:16
Speaker 2: Chase? Really? Yeah, I do seeing him.

00:31:19
Speaker 4: He dropped the fly ball in the playoffs last year and first guy come up got a knock.

00:31:24
Speaker 2: They didn't win. The flyball didn't hurt him.

00:31:26
Speaker 4: But to see him come back and just keep battling, putting a smile on his face and doing what he's doing now, that would be long term for me.

00:31:33
Speaker 2: Chase for the later for sure.

00:31:35
Speaker 3: That's the swing for you. Okay, Crats, that's a nice swing.

00:31:38
Speaker 5: It's a nice swing. It's not like the most beautiful swing, but man, he does some really really good things. I'm taking Kevin McGonagall. I think that there's short arms. If there's a trait I want, I want somebody to be six foot three with five foot ten arms, like he's got short arms, just like Mason Miller just said. He's on the plate, he stays through the zone a long time, and he's got a quick bat. I just I just feel like guys who control the zone with a quick bat and aren't only trying to do damage, but can do damage. They have a longer, long sustained career.

00:32:15
Speaker 4: And one we haven't talked about because he's not up yet is Old Connor.

00:32:20
Speaker 3: Ro Oh yeah, oh my god, we've seen him.

00:32:24
Speaker 2: We will get his heini up there, let's go. We will. We're gonna see him. Why talk to me? Why? Why not?

00:32:31
Speaker 5: Because because I hate the Pirates, That's what it is. Twitter thinks I hate the Pirates. That's why he's not. No, the reason he's not up there is because he didn't accept his one hundred million dollar extension. That's why he's not up there. That dude should be playing in the big leagues and should be learning in the big leagues.

00:32:47
Speaker 1: Bingo, He's gonna come up as soon as he's eligible for them to get the extra year because with this rookie class, I think the chance of him winning an l Rookie of the Year is lower, or being top two whatever it is for them to get the pick. So once you take that out of the equation, they just want him up in the bigs as quick as possible. And one last shoutout Owen Casey Atlas also looked really good. You forget that he's a rookie since he had some time last year. But part of that Edward Cabrera trade.

00:33:09
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's what he said.

00:33:10
Speaker 3: That's what he said.

00:33:13
Speaker 5: That's what he said.

00:33:14
Speaker 3: That's what he said. We have some good ones.

00:33:18
Speaker 1: Both of them revolve around booing and slow starts. So we're going to hit Tony Vitello and Boba Schett. We'll start with Vitello. There is a microscope on him because of where he's coming from. In the modern game, we have not seen a college coach jump from there to the big leagues as a manager, and he happens to be jumping to a team that's They're okay, they've been five hundred dish, I feel like for a minute, right since what twenty twenty one I think was their big year for the Giants where they overtook the Dodgers.

00:33:45
Speaker 3: For the division.

00:33:46
Speaker 1: But anyway, they got swept dusted by the Yankees like a clean sweep.

00:33:51
Speaker 3: Never looked like they had a shot. They scored a run in the series. Vitello. And this from a producer out in San Francisco, Stephen Risoto posted this works for ninety five seven the game.

00:34:00
Speaker 2: Uh.

00:34:01
Speaker 1: He posted this about Vytello. He said mention the emotion level for the Giants was too high for perhaps from a speech he made a few days ago to start off the season. Robbie Ray and Hilliott Ramos downplayed it. Ray said, we're all major league players. Ramos mentioned the fact that it's just been two games, two games, and obviously eventually it became three games in your sweep, But still your thoughts on the Giants starting slow and how much Vaytello is going to get scrutinized for every word he said. He already has said he is unfiltered and he is going to stay that way. I respect him for that. I want to hear his honest take. My only thing is is he playing this up too much?

00:34:42
Speaker 3: In college?

00:34:43
Speaker 1: If you got swept early on, it means more because they play like a third of the games.

00:34:48
Speaker 4: Oh, it means a lot more. It means oh my god, this might be the end of the world.

00:34:53
Speaker 2: No, but.

00:34:55
Speaker 3: Fortunate enough for he.

00:34:57
Speaker 2: Fortunate enough for Tony.

00:34:58
Speaker 4: I feel like he wants to come out of the shell and do you know, get the boys going and do some chance and raw ros stuff. Its just not gonna happen, you know, it is. It is what it is, and you know I mean that with the best of my heart. Oho and three, he wants I I honestly, and I'm you know, I'm with the Yankees. I work for the Yes Network. I honestly want him to win the game so he can get one and say for his family. The first game I ever won was against the New York Yankees. Honestly, that's what I felt inside. And then on the other side of my Yankees need to win. So unfortunately for him, he didn't get to win. Now he's probably you know, off day or whatever, and now he's coming back like, Okay, man, I need to find a way to get a win so I can breathe a little bit. And I think that's what the problem is right now. Getting off the schnide and getting that first win for him. I think he's gonna get, you know, be able to breathe a little bit better. The Boys might do something fun for him, but it's a different San Francisco team.

00:35:53
Speaker 2: Man, I don't know, I don't know. They didn't They didn't really look too good to me.

00:35:57
Speaker 3: No, No, Yankees pitching is really good. Yeah, they're fast starters, Todd you know, right like everything.

00:36:03
Speaker 2: Was cranked and cam sch looked.

00:36:05
Speaker 4: Phil Felix number one yelled at but they looked absolutely insane and Giants just had nothing for him.

00:36:13
Speaker 3: No, the offense was not there.

00:36:14
Speaker 1: They picked up some guys you know Bader or some others in the offseason, some pitching, but the hitting was the problem to they they were completely shut down by the Yanks.

00:36:22
Speaker 3: Here's the deal, too, Krats.

00:36:24
Speaker 1: They're about to go to San Diego for a three gamer, then they're back home to take on the Mets and the Phillies, and then they're on the road for the Orioles.

00:36:32
Speaker 3: That's the start of their season.

00:36:34
Speaker 1: That is a rough schedule to start the year in terms of opponents, so it might not look pretty. And hey, the Giants were pretty bad last year and then came on strong towards the end of the season. Right, They almost snuck in towards the end. I think they finished maybe like two or three games out. But anyway, your thoughts on all of this, and I think the main response I want to get from you is to what Todd father said about doing the ra ra and that just doesn't work, because that's the key here is if you're a college coach and you're successful, do you bring the same game plan to the major leagues or do you have to severely adjust the way that you operate from personality perspective.

00:37:12
Speaker 5: Why do you have to change? They hired you, they didn't hire if they wanted somebody different, they would have hired somebody that didn't need to change their their personality. Buster Posey, there's very few GMS front office guys that I would be like whatever he says, I'm on board with Buster Posey's one of them, though, And this is an overreaction to what's happened so far this year, three games, like we can't you can't overreact too much. But you also can't say, Wow, the manager is going to be the one that's going to change this whole thing. No, you hired him to be the guy that he is, so he has to come in and fully embrace who he is. And it's either going to work or it's not. You got to go down. You got to go down with your best punches. You can't try to like Gabe kapler It and fake who you are. You have to be who you are, and when you do well, you're like, Okay, it worked, And when you're not doing well, okay, it's not working. How can I adjust to the guys around me? I think that's why they brought him in that Tony Vaitello's not sitting here going, oh, you know, I know everything there is about the big leagues. No, he's sitting here saying this is who I am. He The only part that was a little concerning to me was the fact that the answer from Ilio Ramos and Robbie Ray was you know, we're we're big leaders, like we got this, Like he had a speech. And when you're losing, the speeches kind of get annoying. And when you're winning, the speeches are probably still annoying, but you can laugh them off and say, ah, whatever, go for it Tony if you know. But you just don't want early in the see to be like, oh great, here we go. Here's another speech. And Tony knows that people act like, oh he came from college. He doesn't even speak the language of Major League Baseball. No, like he got this job. He will be fine. But the Giants have to swing the bat and connect with the baseball.

00:39:22
Speaker 3: Yes, that's the thing right where the Giants in the NLS, they might be third or fourth. That's part of the problem too.

00:39:29
Speaker 1: He did mention, now there's a little try hard right now again, like all that stuff's early.

00:39:34
Speaker 3: You get more of like the buy the book.

00:39:36
Speaker 1: Answer from many other managers, and he just said, like he's just gonna tell it like it is. If that's what he feels, He's gonna say it, even if it's only been two or three games. This episode is brought to you by Fox One. Go get that new app, stream baseball, stream football, stream World Cup action.

00:39:55
Speaker 3: You'll be watching.

00:39:56
Speaker 5: Oh definitely, I can't wait.

00:39:57
Speaker 6: I actually want to try and get to a game, but well, and there, I'll still have my Fox one app. I'll have MLB, the shows, the great shows that Fox has, college football that I love, college basketball, they have it all. This really is the app that you can get all of anything you want to watch on an app. Fox one has it and.

00:40:13
Speaker 1: They are great at yeah, the big sporting events. And by the way, the World Cup is June eleventh to July nineteenth. You can get a free seven day trial of Fox one, so go check that out and you can start your seven day free trial today. Offers are subject to change. Go to Fox one for complete terms and conditions. Fox one Streaming. Now, okay, let's move to Bobaschettow Slow Start one series. Mets won the series and what's happening the Boo birds out already bo had a great answer in my opinion here it is.

00:40:45
Speaker 5: No if anything. I thought it took too long, but I mean I get it.

00:40:53
Speaker 2: I thought my events were terrible too, So.

00:40:57
Speaker 3: How do you not love that?

00:40:58
Speaker 4: You're a good answer because New York they were waiting for something different, the old. Yeah, I'm giving him my best shot, you know, you know, I feel good and answer I will give.

00:41:08
Speaker 2: I still feel good. You know, I'm just missing them all about.

00:41:10
Speaker 4: I watched the game of my son, Like I said, I think he got five or six fastballs in one of bat and he was either in between or late, and I'm like, oh, he's not there right now, He's not there. And that was like the one in bat I saw the like big time aut and then he had an opportunity to win the game and one of the extra innings and Lindor Soto and he with bases loaded, nobody out there, one nothing, two out, didn't do anything. And I'm like, ooh, I texted my son. I'm like not good, Like I bust my son's chops because he's a big time that's.

00:41:43
Speaker 1: But it's five minutes and Boba Schet's got the elite hit tool.

00:41:47
Speaker 2: He will be fine, right, well, pump the brakes, right. What are we gonna say to Kratzy?

00:41:51
Speaker 4: Maybe I should be like Kratzy then and be like, man, yeah, no, swing's not there.

00:41:55
Speaker 2: He's not gonna do good. He's gonna do great.

00:41:57
Speaker 5: Exactly.

00:41:58
Speaker 2: Sorry, he's gonna do great.

00:41:59
Speaker 5: Now, that's exactly what you just said. You got you got on me for forgetting for being honest. You saw it, you saw the honest he was laid on the fastball. That's it's part of the season. Like you can't you can't go up. You can't go up in the big leagues and be like, you know what, I'm not feeling it. Just you know, I'm I'm gonna be able to I'll be fine, Like I'll get hits. He knows heard John Crupp say at one time he was like nobody ever got booed in Philly as the home player because they were booing them or in a situation where you weren't booing yourself, like Bobachett's not sitting there, Like, how could these guys be saying this New York is a monster? No, it's not like relax like Boba Schett is going to probably lead the league in hits. And I'll tell you why because unless he's injured, which I don't think he's injured, he is going to get pitches to hit, and he can hit pitches out of the zone. When he gets his timing going, he will be one of the better hitters and he'll be up in the top top three in hits in the league. I think he's gonna lead the league in hits because of the fact that he has Lindor around him, that he has Juan Soto around him, that he has a lineup that is going to enable him to get pitches. He's gonna swing at a lot of pitches, so Mets fans pump the brakes when he swings at a bad pitch. It's okay because Boba Schet's not gonna walk. You're gonna have Juan Soto hitting near him in the lineup, and you're gonna be like, well, why doesn't he just do it like Wan does Yo? I love Sodo. He's always walking all the time. No, Like, that's not bo. Bo's gonna He's gonna get close to two hundred hits. If not, he clips it. This year. So you're going to have days where the swing and the timing of the pitches aren't quite there, and that's okay.

00:43:56
Speaker 3: Yeah he's gonna be fine. Great, great answer, just an A plus answer to the crowd.

00:44:00
Speaker 4: And if you're a Mets fan, you're like, all right, respect, I'll put a smile.

00:44:04
Speaker 3: Yep, respect. I should have buded me sooner. That's good.

00:44:07
Speaker 1: It's like taking a shot, but for fun in a way where you understand your fan base. Now, we have a quick graphic to show everyone on the opening day rosters who was old and who is young? Talking about teams, krats, the oldest team is the Atlanta Braves. The youngest team the Saint Louis Cardinals.

00:44:30
Speaker 5: And look at the LA Dodgers. Everyone's like, oh, they got their middle of the pack. Saint Louis Cardinals. Good for you. You got rid of all your players. That's all that means. Atlanta has been building this roster. They're not I wouldn't even say they're that old. I would not have said that, but they're all aging together.

00:44:49
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:44:49
Speaker 1: There just aren't many rookies on that team, right. If you get a few, well there's one. How you say, dider Fuentes. He's twenty, right, so he brings that average down. But then basically everybody else is dirting their spikes. So that's a big difference there, and that includes even you know, a more veteran bullpen, right. You just look up and down the board, and Chris Sale obviously brings the number up. But yeah, I agree. I don't look at that team and go, oh, this team's old. I just I think a lot of the guys are or should be in their prime years. When you go by the yeah, I think it's like.

00:45:24
Speaker 5: You said, it's the average, it's the average age of the team. It brings it all up because they don't have those young guys. I'm sure the Padres. I didn't even see the Padres on there. I forgot to look at it. But talking to Mason Miller, I was like, in my head, I'm going through their roster. I'm like, they don't have a lot of young guys on there. I mean, I get it, Jackson Merrill's on there, Fernando Tatis isn't that old. But teams that want to win usually are going for those prime age veterans that will bring your age. I was surprised the Phillies. The Phillies aren't one of the I thought the Phillies would be one of the top old teams. But they're ten, top five, they're top ten.

00:46:02
Speaker 1: They're top ten. They look like they're eight or nine. San Diego's right next to them. Texas Yankees Mets are also very old.

00:46:10
Speaker 5: Show me the Money.

00:46:20
Speaker 1: This one slipped in right after our show ended on Friday. Shane Boz an extension with the Baltimore Orioles, So he's going to spend more time with the team sixty eight million bucks five years. And it was funny when they talked to him.

00:46:34
Speaker 3: Kratz.

00:46:35
Speaker 1: He was like, no, you don't know me well yet Os fans, but I'm going to bring it for you every day.

00:46:42
Speaker 3: I mean he just joined the team.

00:46:46
Speaker 5: I mean just joined the team. And they said, you know what, we like the fact that you made all your starts last year. We like the fact that I get it you're with the Rays, but they don't have all the answers and the number the numbers not bad on both sides. Like I get it. People are like, oh, man, if he hits his potential, yeah, I get that too, But good for the Orioles, saying you know what, We're not gonna go out and make that mega splash in the free agency market, but we're definitely not gonna let some of these guys go after I was kind of against them letting Grayson Rodriguez go because I thought he would kind of be that guy. They didn't see it that way. So good for them not only going and making the move for a guy they like, but doubling down on it and saying we're gonna keep him around. I thought they should have done this with Corbyn Burns. Hey, you know what, Corbyn Burns missed the entire year with Tommy John So the Orioles they're making moves. Obviously, he's got to go out and do what he did last year because making all your starts. This, if he just makes all his starts, I don't care really how he does. He makes his starts in the big leagues. This contract's worth every penny.

00:47:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, and Burns is getting four x on guaranteed dollars compared to this. It's different because Boz is going through his arbitration years right now. They bought out two years of free agency for Boz last year. Full starts, the peripherals, the stuff plus numbers things that front offices love looked good. The road numbers and the or sorry, the home numbers and the home homer numbers were not great, but he was pitching in a minor league park where there were more homers, so that was part of the mix there too.

00:48:24
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:48:24
Speaker 1: I mean, I think that this is going to turn out to be quite the bargain. I think this guy's going to be good. I think the floor is like a three starter and the ceiling is a two or one starter in terms of stuff. And he was drafted in twenty seventeen. Last year was his full, first full season. It's like eight years later, you're a pitcher, arms of taking time bomb. You take these deals when you get that opportunity, and you're Shane Boss quickly on Nico Horner, we learned it's one forty one over six because we did that talk last week, and there are ten million dollars.

00:48:55
Speaker 3: Of deferred money. Deferred money in there.

00:48:58
Speaker 1: Let's show the Bob Night and l Tweed, he said, anyone accusing the Cubs for ruining baseball. They have easily spent more money than any team in baseball this winter, four hundred eighty eight million dollars after Nico Horner's six.

00:49:11
Speaker 5: I'm just gonna I'm just gonna comment on the tweet. That's exactly right, Bob. All it is is people hating on the Dodgers because they ate him. Don't hate him because you ain't them. You know what, people had opportunities to knock the big bad Dodgers off. Now the Cubs are gonna be the big bad Cubs. And if they win, are people gonna say the same thing. I don't know, but like no, like good for the Cubs, good for Nico Horner, good and deferred money cheaters, freaking cheaters, all.

00:49:42
Speaker 1: Of them, all fifteen teams that are doing it. Thirty six career homers entering this year, and gets that kind of money for everything else he.

00:49:51
Speaker 3: Does, which is really cool.

00:50:05
Speaker 1: Hey, let's slap and a shout out to Dom Smith, who unfortunately lost his mother just thirteen days prior to that walk off Grand Slam he had over the weekend. She lost a battle with cancer. Dom had the big Granny in front of a pat house in Atlanta. Just a really cool moment for Himocrat, a guy who's bounced around the league a little bit. And then he said, Ronald mccuney Junior signed a baseball for the fan who caught it so that they could get the baseball back.

00:50:32
Speaker 5: That's awesome, that's awesome. She was diagnosed in September, I think, is what I remember him saying, and like he had to deal with it the entire offseason. Here's a lot of uneasiness, uncertainty about, oh am, I going to do well this year. I worked so hard all this stuff. Spring went good, it went bad, blah blah blah. To deal with that off the field also, and then to be able to hit this absolutely awesome home run coming off the bench. He's never going to be the starter on this team because unless there's injuries, so I mean, just epic story. Feel awful for him is for losing his mom, but to be able to do this on the field, it kind of gave him, hopefully, gave him some reprieve during a tough time.

00:51:16
Speaker 1: And for the Braves a much better start to their season than last year when they went oh and seven. Alex Anthopolis was talking about how they also were on the road right before that for an exhibition series against the Cubs. Then they went there, so they felt like they were on the road forever. Did you know that this was the first home opener for Austin Riley. That's how long it had been since the Braves played at home to start their season. The schedule at the beginning of the year is always so weird strange. Who do you got today?

00:51:41
Speaker 3: By the way?

00:51:42
Speaker 2: Yeah?

00:51:43
Speaker 5: Chinese typeey little WBC Chinese typey hat. The WBC hats are so cool. The logo just popped. But that opening day stuff, I don't get it. All cold weather teams should be down south.

00:52:00
Speaker 3: Is your MLB Odds Boost token?

00:52:01
Speaker 1: To score yourself a bigger payout, go check out the BETMGM app or betmgm dot com for more information. Get after it tonight gambling problem more concern called one a hundred gambling