Bryce Harper’s Back, We Answer Your Phillies Questions

00:00:04
Speaker 1: Hey, this is Bryce Harper and welcome to the Philly Show.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: Rubin tomorrow Junior, Jim Salisbury Todd's will like it's the Philly Show. It's Wednesday, June fourth, twenty twenty five. Ruben. How's it going, buddy? You're in You're in Toronto, Canada. Philly's windy.

00:00:22
Speaker 1: They've got a lot of ale a.

00:00:24
Speaker 3: They have nothing but ale here because they don't want to become the fifty first state, so they're.

00:00:31
Speaker 1: So they don't even import any bourbons or anything like that up here. So I you know, struggling to find some of those, but you know, yales.

00:00:39
Speaker 4: So but you know, as Scott Rowland used to say, when is a single up the middle not good enough? I would say when is a little bat blue not good enough?

00:00:48
Speaker 1: Great point? A little higher percentage alcohol? Nice?

00:00:52
Speaker 2: Jim, can we tell the story about when you were on What's Brewing Pa? Several years ago during the during the pandemic. So so Glenn Mack now has this show, What's Brewing Pa. It's on the NBC Sports Affiliates online. It's a great show, and specialize in local micro breweries and usually what they do is they have a guest on and they'll say, you know, hey, Todd, come on, bring on a bring a beer on, tell us why you like to drink it.

00:01:20
Speaker 5: So I fancy beer, like a fancy Dan beer.

00:01:22
Speaker 1: A micro something like that.

00:01:26
Speaker 2: And so I brought on this beer from Mawi Brewing Company that I grabbed driving back from the pandemic in twenty twenty. So I had this Mawi Brewing company. You can't get it in the in the area. And then Jim comes on a couple of weeks later and they go, Jim, would you bring us what kind of beer do you want to show us? And Jim show us up with a labat blue.

00:01:46
Speaker 5: Actually, actually it was a Lava blue Light.

00:01:50
Speaker 1: And apparently, the.

00:01:51
Speaker 2: Way Jim describes it, the look of horror on Glenn and Joe six packs face when he pulls out this mass produced beer.

00:02:00
Speaker 5: Oh six pack, Joe six pack was repulsed. I have never been invited on again, shocking.

00:02:09
Speaker 2: I've been on like five times since then. Jim has not gotten a call back.

00:02:14
Speaker 1: Two sis, that's so funny.

00:02:16
Speaker 5: When is a little bat blue not good enough? On What's Brewing?

00:02:20
Speaker 1: I guess so funny? You like a nice little bat blue? So great?

00:02:25
Speaker 2: It is a good beer, but you nevertheless, nevertheless.

00:02:28
Speaker 1: A beer, big beer guy. I had.

00:02:31
Speaker 3: I finally had one yesterday a little uh, a weedy type beer that was a micro brew.

00:02:36
Speaker 1: But it was good.

00:02:38
Speaker 2: But yeah, you like your old fashions. I get it, So so do I so do so.

00:02:44
Speaker 4: One of the categories on Jeopardy last night was about whiskey.

00:02:47
Speaker 5: You guys would have loved it.

00:02:49
Speaker 1: Really Yeah, fiddle stick I like that.

00:02:53
Speaker 2: I like that well, Jim Jim Rubin. Bryce Harper comes back Tuesday night in Toronto. First game back. Yeah, Bryson Stott starts the game up, was a four pitch walk, I think, right, and then Trey Turner homers and then Bryce Harper comes up and hits a big home run. His first game back, gets a.

00:03:12
Speaker 1: Couple of walks.

00:03:15
Speaker 2: Could you use a guy like.

00:03:15
Speaker 3: That, immediate immediate impact. Yeah, you can use a fellaw who can do that. He was an insignt offense. He was insignt offense.

00:03:24
Speaker 1: You know. He has been swinging the back much better. When he went on the road.

00:03:28
Speaker 3: I felt like he had like a couple of hits at night and hasn't been hitting the ball out of the ballpark as much, although lately the power is starting to come back. It's nice to see him drive some balls out of the ballpark. And they had the roof open here at Rogers Center, and boys took advantage of it because the ball was flying.

00:03:47
Speaker 1: Right.

00:03:48
Speaker 4: Yeah, nice beginning, right, nice beginning. I mean obviously, you know they didn't score a lot when Harper was out, So he's kind of a guy I think makes everything right. You know, when you get a guy like that back. Big home run by Trey, big walk by stop, big home run by Tray, big home run by Harper. Good way to start a road trip. I mean, Harper's swing was nice. I love the way he kept his hands back. Was that a it had a little hump in it was.

00:04:18
Speaker 3: It was a split, and it was a split that didn't that didn't really split enough.

00:04:22
Speaker 5: He kept his hands back nice and he kind of flicked it.

00:04:25
Speaker 3: Yeap, he didn't really, he didn't really put that Harper unleashed swing on it. And then and that's a good sign too, because he didn't need to because he back spun it nicely.

00:04:38
Speaker 5: He didn't have to.

00:04:39
Speaker 4: He's a strong man, and you know when he squares it, it's gonna go. I I don't care if it goes four sixty, I'll take three eighty anytime.

00:04:50
Speaker 3: Exactly right, as long as it's ball, a fly ball that happens to go over the fence, right, Charlie, Charlie.

00:04:57
Speaker 2: That was I always love when Charlie would say that, because it's so true, just get it over the fence. But yeah, I mean, he makes the lineup obviously look so much. We've heard a lot about that the last five days. You know, what does the lineup look like without him? What does the lineup look like with him? How much of a difference does it make for the for the hitters around him? And yeah, you just see Bryce Harper's name in there, even if he's not swinging it. Well, you gotta be ready.

00:05:22
Speaker 3: It was funny after the interview, we did a postgame interview and he's talking about making fun of us.

00:05:27
Speaker 1: So at least somebody's got some protection for Trey. Now, Trey Turner.

00:05:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know what, Speaking of that, it's time for the Arena club player spotlight. Guys, we got to talk about Trey Turner. Right, Trey Turner. It's two home runs on Tuesday night in Toronto. First one was an opposite field to run homer in the first end and gave the Phillies a two to nothing lead. And then he hits a two on homer to left in the eighth inning to give them an eight one lead. Nice day for Trey Turner. I mean, he keeps it rolling. So I was looking up these numbers the other night or last night after the game. Tray was hitting two seventeen with a six twelve OPS in eighteen games through April eighteenth. He was really struggling. We heard a lot of oh my gosh, what's this guy gonna? You know, where is he can play and move them off for short?

00:06:26
Speaker 1: Ten more years?

00:06:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, ten more years, blah blah blah. Since then, Trey Turner batting three forty one six home runs, twenty four irby eyes, and eight ninety eight OPS. That's his last forty games, sixth in baseball and hitting in that span seventeenth in OPS. In that span, he has a three eighty six on base percentage, which is twenty third in baseball. He entered Tuesday, or I should say he enters Wednesday six amongst all shortstops in baseball in War TiO point one war. That's in fangrafts. He's been pretty good.

00:07:05
Speaker 1: Really good.

00:07:07
Speaker 4: So when I hear you say that, Todd, what really resonates with me is April eighteenth, Like there's so much impatience now in baseball that didn't used to be here. Yeah, the season hasn't even begun barely. I mean, if it was, like, you know, a race, they just left the starting blocks. They've they've made two or three strides. But we just start analyzing stuff right out of the gate when it's freezing and it's mud season and it's cold. You know, this is a long term thing. And April eighteenth, the season hasn't even begun. And hearing those numbers, you know, you've got to let a guy get going a little bit what I'm saying, But hearing those numbers since April eighteenth, I'm thinking, is he in Atlanta in July for the All Star Game?

00:07:57
Speaker 3: I don't know?

00:07:58
Speaker 1: Why would Why would he not be?

00:08:00
Speaker 3: I guess maybe some of the defensive woes will pull him back a little bit. But offensively, it's an offensive game, offensive minded game. Now, why would he not be? Who is how many? I mean Lindor is the other shortstop?

00:08:16
Speaker 2: I mean Geraldo Perdomo.

00:08:19
Speaker 4: Maybe I'm not saying he's starting but he might be departing for Atlanta.

00:08:23
Speaker 5: And you know, it's like.

00:08:27
Speaker 4: He has followed orders from headquarters. Chase less, more contact, more on base. Okay, that's what you want from me, I'll do it.

00:08:36
Speaker 3: And he's done it and steal more basis, which is still more basis.

00:08:40
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:08:40
Speaker 4: I know the defense is a struggle, but he hadn't made an error in over a month before a very egregious one on Sunday.

00:08:48
Speaker 5: We'll admit that.

00:08:48
Speaker 4: But there has been improvement in this guy's game. I mean, I still believe at some point he needs to go to the outfield, but twenty twenty five through you know, June fourth, there's been improvement.

00:09:05
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:09:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, defensively, I mean yeah, I mean, do you think just the eye test, I mean, he's played a better short stop. I'm not saying he's a lead or anything like that. Maybe he's league average, you know, at best, I don't know, but I feel like he's played an overall better short step. Obviously, yeah, that the era on Sunday it was a huge error. I mean he acknowledged that after the game. He said, I feel like I've played better shortstop, but when I have made an air, it seems to come in a bad spot, but offensively, you can't argue with with what he's doing at the top of that lineup. It's pretty pretty impressive.

00:09:36
Speaker 1: He being very tray like.

00:09:37
Speaker 3: I mean, it's the reason why they got him, because he's pretty damn dynamic offensively, and it's nice to see him driving the ball the other way. He would have had another triple if he had he had not smoked the ball right at Vladimir Guerrero. I mean, Glad Junior made an unbelievable play on him. Shoot, he would have added, you know, have a chance for the cycle.

00:09:57
Speaker 2: Maybe even Yeah, he's been he's been tremendous.

00:10:01
Speaker 1: He's been hot.

00:10:03
Speaker 4: Hey, Ruben, quick question. I have not been to that ballpark since they reconfigured it. Is it looking like it really short to the alleys in center field? I mean, know they lowered that wall. They reconfigure the outfield little bit of the wall right.

00:10:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, it doesn't look super short, but it doesn't look nearly as big out there. And I do think that the ball I think that they're more apt to try to keep the the uh, the try to keep the windows open, to try to keep it open aired because I think they feel like it has a little bit more offense to it. So in the past, anytime, you know, there's even a question as to whether there's any weather at all, they close it up.

00:10:47
Speaker 1: But now they're going to try to open it up as much as they can.

00:10:49
Speaker 5: Good.

00:10:50
Speaker 3: I'm not sure what the point was, but I would I would imagine they want to see a little bit more offense.

00:10:57
Speaker 1: Oh f F E n C.

00:10:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, up north, up north.

00:11:01
Speaker 4: They've had some offense over the years that it's maybe you scratch your head a little bit.

00:11:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, correct, All right, so let's let's so Arena Arena Club player Spotlight. We got to check up check out this slap pack that we ripped open. I want to see what you guys think if we got this card from Arena Club. Here, here we go, open it, here we go, rip it for watching on YouTube. It is a Ellie Daly Cruz twenty twenty four Chrome Bowman Chrome Now Ellie da Cruz just talking got them talking about Trey Turner. Ellie DALYA Cruz gets so much love from so many people. And I mean, he's a very talented player, but Trey Turner has been better than him this year.

00:11:55
Speaker 1: And oh yeah, Ellie Dayla.

00:11:56
Speaker 2: Cruz last year finished eighth for an l m VP. Fun fact, I had an MVP vote last year. I did not put him on my ballot. I did not put him in the top ten. You know, I appreciate the talent and all that, but I thought there were you played on a losing team, strikes out a lot, he steals a lot of bases, gets caught stealing a lot. You know, I didn't think he he warranted.

00:12:17
Speaker 1: A lot of fun to his game. Though.

00:12:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, he is as super fun. I hope he puts it all together and like really like lives up to the hype. But Ellie Dally Cruise. So here's the thing with when you Arena Club. You go to Arena Club, you buy a slab pack. If you get that card and you're like, I don't want an Elli Dala Cruz card or see you get a Francisco Indoor card and you're like, I'm not having other Francisco Indoor card. You can use their buy back program from Arena Club to maybe get that Trey Turner c Trey Turner card. So Arena Club right now you can get twenty percent off your first slab pack or card purchase by going to arenaclub dot com slash foul and use code foul. That's Arena club dot com slash foul code foul for twenty percent off your first purchase.

00:13:08
Speaker 1: So go check that out and you can get that. You get the virtual card, but you can also get the real card.

00:13:13
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, So you buy the slab pack. It tells you what you got. It opens it up virtually like we saw if you're watching us on YouTube, and then you can get that card. You can get that physical card delivered toy or you can just keep it in your showroom virtual show them. You can trade it, you can sell it. You know, you can do all sorts of things with it. So that's that's pretty cool.

00:13:35
Speaker 1: Guys.

00:13:35
Speaker 2: We asked for questions yesterday. Got a lot of questions, a.

00:13:38
Speaker 1: Lot of questions.

00:13:39
Speaker 2: Let's fire I want to fire this off. This one goes to Ruben right off the bat card right off there. They want they want to grill Ruben here now, so Ruben said, I don't recall this. So Ruben Ruben said a few weeks ago that the Phillies still hold the cards on Kyle Schwarber. They still and at what point do they no longer. That's from Bill Brown on X.

00:14:02
Speaker 1: I didn't say they still held the cards.

00:14:03
Speaker 3: I don't think I used that terminology, but I said that they should hold off and see, you know, what they've got out of them and what they should do with him. Listen, the player always holds the cards, that's.

00:14:20
Speaker 1: The bottom line.

00:14:20
Speaker 3: The player always holds the cards because he can decide what he wants to do.

00:14:24
Speaker 1: That's the beauty of free agency. So I don't know if I ever really said that necessarily.

00:14:31
Speaker 3: But I did say that maybe they're going to have to wait, or they should wait till the end of the season and see where they want to go. There's no question in my mind that they should and want to, you know, keep him in the Philadelphia Phillies uniform for as long as possible. I don't think there's any question about that. But you know, it's going to be difficult to get it done during the middle of the season. It can be done. But it's not like they can't sign the guy if he becomes a free agent right right, because they've.

00:15:02
Speaker 1: Done that before.

00:15:04
Speaker 3: And to be frank with you, I don't know if there's that many teams out there that will want and to sign a guy to this kind of money as a DH who is in his you know, approaching his mid thirties.

00:15:21
Speaker 1: I mean, you're gonna you're talking about.

00:15:24
Speaker 3: You know, a very limited group of teams that are going to be able to one do want to keep them, two who will be willing to pay that kind of money, and three can pay that kind of money. I think the Phillies will be one of those teams.

00:15:39
Speaker 5: Clearly just dovetailing off that real quick.

00:15:42
Speaker 4: You say, you know, wait till the end of the season to see what they want to do. I think maybe you wait till the off season to see what other teams are willing to do, and then you boom, come in on top of it if you want, you know, see what the market is and make it clear we want you and and get it done. And I think they have something going for them. He wants to be here, and I think they have the wherewithal to do it and to do it. And I think they know how important power is in this ballpark.

00:16:12
Speaker 5: It's a good marriage.

00:16:12
Speaker 4: I think both teams, both sides want to extend it.

00:16:16
Speaker 3: Did you guys sit on top of that just wanted it as a funny aside. Did you guys see what he did with yesterday with Max Scharser, I mean it.

00:16:25
Speaker 1: Was funny as hell, man.

00:16:26
Speaker 3: I mean he Max sus are throwing a For those who didn't see it, he was throwing a simulated game. He's trying to come back from nerve damage in his finger, and he's thrown against the Toronto hitters, and he sneaks over in.

00:16:40
Speaker 1: Full uniform with his helmet in the whole nine yards and when Max Scharzer turns his back, he jumps into the box and Max looks up and there he is, and he's like the hell at it?

00:16:51
Speaker 2: They like, they like messing with Max. You know, Trey Turner did that in spring training. Remember a first pitch of the game was right down the middle, and Trade did the challenge challenge in a game in dinted because Max made it clear he does not like the challenge.

00:17:06
Speaker 4: Is like the challenge to tell you, I'm sorry tell you there is one of those guys who's he's sort of nuts.

00:17:13
Speaker 3: I mean he's crazy. I mean he you know, he's got two different color eyes. Anybody with two different color eyes, you know you're crazy like anybody but his pictures ever, But he's nuts.

00:17:24
Speaker 4: Anybody but Schwarmer probably would have gotten one of the rifts for doing that. Todd, don't you have a spring training story about Schwarmer this year?

00:17:33
Speaker 2: But what am I thinking of? Jim?

00:17:35
Speaker 5: Do I? You told me that you went to dinner one night and.

00:17:40
Speaker 2: Oh oh, that is not a Schwarber story. That's a Max I.

00:17:43
Speaker 5: I'm sure the story story.

00:17:45
Speaker 2: So I go to I go to the French He's on South Beach and just sit sit at the bar, grab my group of sandwich. I look over and write to my right, Max, sure's a is sitting there eating dinner by himself. Not a single person bothered. I was absolutely amazed, you know, because he does stand out obviously, because he does have the eyes and you know, you see my TV and you went like, I wondered what that looks like in real left nod, his his the multi colored eyes definitely jump out at you. I'm like, how does nobody recognize that this is Maxters are just sitting at the bar having a group of sandwich.

00:18:19
Speaker 3: So I will tell you that that's exactly what happened yesterday. Everybody's walking back over the bridge from Rogers Center after the game, and we had just done our broadcast and we're walking. Scott Franski and I were walking and there's Max Suers just walking along jeans, T shirt, hat on. No one has any idea it's him.

00:18:38
Speaker 1: No, he just walks right past the crowd.

00:18:41
Speaker 3: And right on to where he was going, where he lives or whatever. It was hilarious, Like Max, so you don't like the crowds. It was funny he turned out looking at us.

00:18:52
Speaker 4: I just love that, Like this Hall of Fame pitcher eating a group of sandwich nobody recognizes him.

00:18:58
Speaker 1: That's really funny.

00:18:59
Speaker 2: I literally kept looking around, like, is nobody gonna go up to this guy and bother him?

00:19:02
Speaker 5: I was expecting.

00:19:03
Speaker 2: Somebody to bother him. Nobody did, though, so dovetailing off of Jim's dovetail. Is there a chance the Phillies give jt real Muto an extension? If not, who would be a good option to replace him? That's m Jermino on Instagram. You guys have any thoughts on jtam He's having a down year offensively, of course, uh, but defensively he's still very good. And you know, in terms of his impact on the pitching staff, planning, game planning, game call pitch calling. He is. He is still elite in my mind, and I know the pitchers all absolutely love throwing to JT.

00:19:40
Speaker 4: I feel like that one's going to go into the offseason and see what the market is and then go from there.

00:19:47
Speaker 5: You know, I could, I could.

00:19:48
Speaker 4: See a reasonable two year deal to return, but if somebody goes, you know, above that, maybe he's elsewhere. And as far as the replacement, I don't know. I just don't know to be very important transaction for this team.

00:20:04
Speaker 2: But there's not a lot out there in the free agent market this year. I just I was looking at it the other day and there's there there isn't any Oh well, if they lose j T, they'll just go out and get this guy. There's a lot of catchers with club options mutual options, and none of them are at that level of better than j T.

00:20:24
Speaker 1: I would I would say, there's not a lot of great catchers period. Let's just call well, you know what that's called. You know, tell the truth. There's not that many good catchers out there. There really are not.

00:20:37
Speaker 3: And uh and you know, pitching is the strength of this team and they need to have a somebody who can run that that uh, that pitching staff, and so.

00:20:50
Speaker 1: I do like Marshawn. I do like what he brings to the table.

00:20:54
Speaker 3: I don't know that he's going to be able to be durable enough. He's never really been healthy enough to be able to get through a full season, let alone a major league season.

00:21:05
Speaker 1: Does he have the tools to be an everyday catcher.

00:21:07
Speaker 3: I think he does because I do believe that it receives well.

00:21:11
Speaker 1: Switch hitter, he's got a pretty good swing.

00:21:14
Speaker 3: He's not getting a lot of reps, so you don't really know what kind of hitter he's going to be based on what you've seen so far. But that's a very risky move to allow a guy like this, who's so important to the team to run that staff. I you know, to me, I think you're right, Jim. I think you wait to see what he's going to, wait to see what the market's gonna bear, and then I'm gonna go from there. But I'd like to try to keep it to a two year deal, keep it short because tight height's coming.

00:21:43
Speaker 5: Tight's coming, but he needs time.

00:21:46
Speaker 1: I like eighteen years old.

00:21:48
Speaker 5: I like marsh On.

00:21:49
Speaker 4: I like the tools, I like the guy. But now we're into early June. And here's my take on what I've seen from mar Chan. I see a guy that's tiptoeing. He's tiptoeing around, trying to find his place. He's a backup.

00:22:07
Speaker 5: And I don't see until the other day when he.

00:22:10
Speaker 4: Had that big game in the double header, first came a double huader. I'd like to see him play with a little more energy. Here you're there, like, really go out and I'm getting my one assignment a week. I'm gonna grab it by the throat and take it for all it's worth.

00:22:26
Speaker 5: I just see that.

00:22:26
Speaker 1: Sure, that Todd Prat energy, that Todd Prat energy. Yeah, well, but I'm just saying. I mean that Todd Prad was hey, yet he had a higher lever little you know.

00:22:36
Speaker 4: This is my but Marjohn's Marchohn's got a different personnelity. He's a quiet kid, he's unobtrusive, he's humble. But I think when you get nine innings a week, I just want to see him just grab it by the throat a little bit more. And that might come as confidence bills. It's you know, he's essentially a rookie first year in this role. He's replaced a popular guy. I just see him tiptoe in a little. But I think it's time. It's June forth, time to stop tiptoeing and you get your nine ings a week.

00:23:04
Speaker 5: Attack them.

00:23:06
Speaker 2: Mark Mark mc n eighty four on Threads said, I think the Phillies need an all star caliber right handed bat at the trade deadline to have a shot. I'm talking out about it. I'm talking about a player better than Rhys Hoskins, which was just something that was thrown out there last week. I don't think they abilidity do it? Do the Phillies agree? Do they think? Do they do? They agree with him that they need an all star caliber right handed bat at the trades?

00:23:35
Speaker 1: Do to agree? I think that there's no question about it.

00:23:37
Speaker 3: They know they need more offense, that that center field and left field is not giving them enough, just not their whole outfield is just not giving them enough offense. And that doesn't necessarily have to be right handed, but it'd be you'd rather have right handed because is out They just need a really, really good offensive player, and.

00:23:56
Speaker 1: That's a hard thing to find.

00:23:58
Speaker 3: Because there's no much so much mediocrity out there right now in Major League Baseball that everybody's still in the race.

00:24:06
Speaker 1: It's you know, everybody's still in the race. There's you know, four teams that are out of the races or two.

00:24:13
Speaker 3: Another than that. Everybody's still trying to win. So it's going to be tough to find that guy. And that guy might be sitting somewhere in Lei Valley.

00:24:24
Speaker 2: Well, great, great point.

00:24:26
Speaker 1: I don't know that, but maybe.

00:24:28
Speaker 2: Right so let me ask you guys, let me follow up this. Then let's go right to Logan bros On X says, when will they call up Justin Crawford or Otto Camp.

00:24:38
Speaker 1: Well, we might be soon.

00:24:40
Speaker 4: Yeah, when we've talked a lot about both guys almost every episode, I think we talk about both guys. I think Cam's going to get a look at some point. I'm intrigued about the right handed bat. I know it's triple A pitching, but he's hitting what's in front of him every night. I think he's going to hit his way here at some point and get a look, get an opportunity maybe in the left field platoon. And I think if they could get a productive bet in a left field plall dooon, that's a nice, nice addition to the ball club. As far as Crawford, we talked about him extensively the other day. He's, you know, getting multi hits almost every night, hitting like three eighties. Since May first done a great job. They fast tracked him with the idea that he's going to be here at some point possibly, and I think there's a pretty good chance because he's producing in center field here. Is not producing to me the big challenge or is just the decision itself, because he's twenty one years old. He's young, he's not a college player. He came out of high school. He's a twenty one year old kid. And I don't know if I want to throw him in the tide and have him get buried. That said, his performance is making you take notice. This is where I think, you know, I think veteran wisdom is so important in this game in terms of your minor league instruction and your minor league staff. And I would really lean on my player development people, my Triple A manager, my Triple A coaches, the people who see this kid every day, have seen him every day coming through the minor leagues as to you know, mentally, in terms of psyche, can he handle a.

00:26:14
Speaker 5: Jump to Philadelphia at age twenty one?

00:26:17
Speaker 4: Can he handle the possibility that, you know, it's going into the greatest league in the world. Can he handle the possibility that some nights it's not going to be that easy, And is it going to wound him long term if he struggles. To me, that's the big decision. I want to make sure that he is, you know, not so much physically, but I want to make sure he is mentally ready for this jump.

00:26:38
Speaker 5: So I think at some point we might see him.

00:26:41
Speaker 4: We could see him, but it's it's a really tough call for that for that front office.

00:26:46
Speaker 3: I think that you're going to see him at some point, honestly, and I hope it's when these guys are swinging the bats well in the top bart of the lineup, when they're going good.

00:26:55
Speaker 1: Then the pressure's off him.

00:26:57
Speaker 3: Then he just adds and you put him in the back of the lineup, bottom of the lineup, and let him go. But I think you're gonna see him sometime in the next within the next few maybe a month or so, because they need to find out, just like they need to find.

00:27:11
Speaker 1: Out about what Taiwan Walker and the bullpenck Max.

00:27:15
Speaker 2: You know, we're talking about a lot about center field. Max Kepler, guys since he had a three hit game in Chicago in late April. Since then, thirty games, he's bet in one seventy nine with a six thirty ops. I mean, so they're not getting much of anything.

00:27:28
Speaker 3: And left he's having some good at bats, but he's there.

00:27:33
Speaker 1: They're not. They're not coming to fruition. He's not. And he's an outstanding left fielder. Man.

00:27:38
Speaker 3: I love the left field defense, which is important because the center field and the right field.

00:27:44
Speaker 1: Even though.

00:27:47
Speaker 3: Castianos has played much much better, he just doesn't cover a ton of ground, right And are they're center fielders when Rojas is not in there, you know, Brandon marsh isn't covering a ton of ground. So the defense is still important, especially the ball in the air.

00:28:03
Speaker 1: Man for these for this, for these pitching staff.

00:28:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, and this is a team that has not played great defense as a as a group, I would say they need to get any they need to take any edge they can defensively. So that's something that that's something to consider. So do the Phillies get a bullpen piece or two? Right now? That's from t Montgomery ten on Instagram.

00:28:24
Speaker 3: Well, they're getting one in Taiwan Walker, but they need another yeah, at.

00:28:29
Speaker 4: Least they need they need another David Dombrowski. I believe we'll get another, uh, and then they're gonna get upgrades from the surplus and the rotation, you know, when the weather gets chili, if you know. I expect them to play in October, and I think they'll get additions from their rotation. And I'm very intrigued by it because I think there's some potential uh there at the.

00:28:50
Speaker 3: Got a chance to be really exciting with if Nola get wants once Nola gets back in the rotation, hopefully in a couple of weeks here he gets back in the rotation, and you set it up such that when you roll into October, you can throw a whole bunch of guys back there, whether it's ranger able, painter, maybe you know, all types of big arms that can stop a baseball game.

00:29:11
Speaker 4: So guys, uh, I don't want to interrupt the questions. They're great questions, but I'm hearing this like trade ranger talk, and it's gonna make my head explode.

00:29:20
Speaker 1: Oh it's ridiculous. Okay, okay, well, not happen. And if it does happen, it's because they're out of it and that's not gonna spen.

00:29:26
Speaker 4: That's the only reason it happens, and that's that's the only reason that happens.

00:29:30
Speaker 3: Done, So everybody take your mind off the Ranger movement. They don't have enough pitching.

00:29:35
Speaker 4: You're here to win the World Series in twenty twenty five, you need Ranger.

00:29:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, what's the idea that he's gonna be a free agent for the season. They have so much starting pitching.

00:29:42
Speaker 3: And yah, I just don't you know, Like, it's insanity, that's crazy, that's insanity.

00:29:49
Speaker 1: There's a couple of differences of insanity. That's one of them.

00:29:53
Speaker 2: I agree. So wait, so, uh here's a let's let's stay in the bullpen theme? Any closer options think Dave Dombrowski would look at leading up to the trade deadline. That's some Sean Woolford on Instagram. Well, I think, I mean, I'll start.

00:30:08
Speaker 1: I think a.

00:30:09
Speaker 2: Big thing is you look at the standings right now, and there's not a lot of teams that are absolutely for sure out of the postseason race. So are those teams that are still within wildcard contention? Are they going to trade their closer? I guess that the package is big enough they might, but I'm talking about somebody like you know, the Red Sox or they're out right now. But Eraldus Chapman, Pete Fairbanks of the Rays is out there. Kyle Finnigan and the Nationals. I mean that he might be available, or I would expect him to be available. But Mason Miller from the A's that they're not.

00:30:43
Speaker 3: They're not moving Mason Milder. They're very I think they're very acquired about him. He's he's got under control. They have a young team, they want to try to build with that young team, and he's got I mean, it's already been sort of semi documented that they eat They're just not going to move the guy, Like, so why are you beating the horse down?

00:31:02
Speaker 4: They definitely have inquired about Mason Miller last question. In the offseason, that was one of the potential destinations for Boem and Seattle for some of their starting pitching. So I think they'll get a bullpen arm. Those are all intriguing names that you mentioned, but you know, twelve teams make the playoffs, and it just makes these teams hold on and hold on and hold on and hold on, and then that's why you know, I think we're going to see a flurry the final forty eight hours before the deadline as gms make a tough call whether we're in or whether we're out.

00:31:36
Speaker 1: It'll happen all the way down to the deadline.

00:31:38
Speaker 3: And if you think about it, were some of the reasons why some of these teams are so bad is because their bullpen suck.

00:31:44
Speaker 1: Okay, so why do you want to get a good player player from a bullpen that stinks?

00:31:49
Speaker 2: Right? Well, you look at the Rockies, rightly, is there anybody on that team?

00:31:55
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:31:55
Speaker 5: Right, But there's two guys that will probably move. That Bird guy will probably move, and what's the other guy?

00:32:00
Speaker 1: Jake Bird?

00:32:01
Speaker 4: Bird and Kinsle will probably you know, they'll probably move. There'll be a bunch of relievers on. You say, bad teams moving. It happens every year.

00:32:11
Speaker 2: Jake Bird gotta make up with Bryce Harper if you're going to join the Phils.

00:32:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, that won't happen.

00:32:18
Speaker 5: Oh, there would.

00:32:19
Speaker 4: The minute he walks in. They'll they'll be bros. They'll shake hands. Put on that same UNI.

00:32:25
Speaker 2: Here's the one from Magic Meadows Farms on Instagram. If the Phillies are locked into Trey Turner shortstep, why are they so protective of Aiden Miller. Where would he fit.

00:32:34
Speaker 4: Because I think Trey Turner is going to move to the outfield at some point during his contract and Alec Bowman is going to be a free agent after next year, after twenty twenty six. He can play both left side positions. That left side could be in flux in the very near future.

00:32:49
Speaker 3: That's why thank you, Jim Great inciseise.

00:32:56
Speaker 2: Do you guys have any thoughts on which top prospects are most likely be traded? That's from Eb five thousand on Instagram.

00:33:04
Speaker 3: I think a guy like Rik Konas might get traded because he's got some power potential and it's having a pretty good year up in Lehigh Valley. I think that I don't know, I don't know if there's any untouchables, but some are more touchable than others, right, And it's tough.

00:33:26
Speaker 1: It's a tough call.

00:33:27
Speaker 3: But when you start talking about the Crawfords and the Ables and the Painters and the Millers of the world, you got to be awfully careful because you want to try to sustain this organization for a long time, and you better be right when you make those trades, for when you move those guys you better not miss.

00:33:45
Speaker 2: What do you think, Todd, what about a guy like a run Escobar down in clear Water?

00:33:49
Speaker 3: I think he was definitely BeMoved and he's gonna be. He's a really good looking hitter. That's my that's my brother's my brother represents him. Maroon's been outstanding. Wow, he's my brother represents him. I think it's uh, Beverly Hills Sports Council who represents him. And I talked to Ruben Ruben, I talked to Luise about him, and uh, he loves him, thinks he's great and the kids, the kid can really hit. I talked to Charlie Manuel about him, and he loves.

00:34:20
Speaker 5: He loves them l o v e s loves.

00:34:24
Speaker 4: He actually put a name on him the other day. I'm a little reluctant to say it, but he said, yeah. He kind of reminds me of Bill Madlock. I remember, I remember Bill Maddlock. Why would you be why would you be reluctant to say that? You know, expectations, pressure, all that stuff. But Bill Madlock was a pure hitter.

00:34:43
Speaker 5: Battle raked Rake, he.

00:34:45
Speaker 2: Won like I feel like Bill Madlock won a few batting titles. As I recall back in the.

00:34:50
Speaker 1: You know what, you know, he raked, he.

00:34:53
Speaker 5: Did win batting titles.

00:34:54
Speaker 4: And you know what's really funny is coming into this off season, coming into the season, in the off season and even last.

00:35:01
Speaker 5: Year, where like you know, Mick Abel trade Chip, you.

00:35:05
Speaker 4: Know hasn't put it together yet.

00:35:08
Speaker 5: Now I've gotten so greedy. Haven't seen what I've seen in this turnaround of his. I don't want to trade him.

00:35:15
Speaker 4: I want to make him and Painter pillars going forward of that rotation me too.

00:35:19
Speaker 3: I mean, listen there that they got long term contracts from a couple of guys who have a little longer of tooth. They're losing Suarez to they need depth. I mean, if they're gonna, like I said, if they're gonna move any of those guys, you cannot miss. And you've got to have some control of those players. So if Abel moves for like a bat for instance, an all starback that someone's looking for, right it, that's son of a gun better be around for the team for a while.

00:35:46
Speaker 1: Ruby.

00:35:46
Speaker 2: I want to ask you this, So when you made all when you made those trades in nine, ten eleven, the offseason trade for Doc, none of those guys really came back to haunt the Phillies. I mean, Carlos Krasco event became something. Travis Darnaut became a good he became like an e league average maybe a little above a league average catcher. But none of those guys can like, oh my god, we Kyle dree Beek is just haunting.

00:36:11
Speaker 1: The We did very well.

00:36:14
Speaker 2: I was gonna ask you, though, like, is that really did he just really really know those Was that just luck? I mean because he had to trade talent to get talent, and you did at the time. But do you just get lucky or is that just really knowing your players in your system? In other words, I.

00:36:30
Speaker 3: Think it's a little bit of both. I mean, I think we knew our players in the system pretty well. You know, when we moved the uh you know, we did the Cliff Lead deal. I didn't none of those guys. They were all decent players, and they were sort of close to the big leagues, but they were more close to the big leagues and being high upside players. Donald's of the world and the catcher that we Lou Marson, you know, premium position, but we weren't. You know, he's going to be necessarily an elite number one catcher.

00:37:01
Speaker 4: But there was that kid, that picture Nap from New Jersey who threw hard that.

00:37:05
Speaker 3: Was not and that was probably the best overall prospect, and he broke sadly and I felt badly for him, and I felt badly for Cleveland actually, because you want to make a deal that's that's you know, equitable. But the you know, I think we did well with them, and we were fortunate. I think we did a pretty good job of evaluating our own and uh.

00:37:28
Speaker 1: And their prospects, they're just prospects.

00:37:32
Speaker 5: Question.

00:37:33
Speaker 1: I hadn't played a game in the big leagues. Really. I think maybe Lou Marston added a little bit, but a little bit.

00:37:39
Speaker 5: What do you guys?

00:37:40
Speaker 4: Uh, what do you What's the first thing that pops into your mind when I say the name Jason Donald?

00:37:47
Speaker 1: You got the thing? I think? Adn't he did you have trouble with the throw? He had some trouble. Uh?

00:37:54
Speaker 4: The first thing that pops into my mind is he was the base runner the night that Gloraga from the Tigers lost his perfect game on that bad call, and Jason Donald ran across the bag knowing he was out, and you could see the look on his face.

00:38:10
Speaker 2: As Jim Joyce was it was he the first base?

00:38:12
Speaker 1: Oh that's it, Jim Joyce, man that because he's a great guy. A tough day. He broke down and cried afterwards. Man, I mean he knew he made a mistake. It's awful. It's a shame. It's a shame.

00:38:24
Speaker 4: But Jason Donald was the base runner and I did not know that he hit the ground ball. Yeah, he was the base runner. He crossed the bag and it was this look of disbelief on the face. I'm sorry, I digress, but that's what I think of when I I did not know that.

00:38:38
Speaker 1: I also figured his story in, Jim, I had his story.

00:38:41
Speaker 4: I think I remember Jason Donald hitting two bombs in Dunedin one day too.

00:38:46
Speaker 1: So let's listen.

00:38:48
Speaker 2: Let's do a couple more questions right after these words.

00:38:51
Speaker 6: By now you know about arena club by sell trade, open up slab packs to get a card that you don't think you could get usually, but the.

00:38:58
Speaker 2: Grails will tell you that.

00:38:59
Speaker 6: For example, there's an Aaron Judge rookie card in this week's slab packs, So make sure you check those out.

00:39:05
Speaker 5: No doubts, those are what you want.

00:39:07
Speaker 7: The grails are in Judge Grail is awesome, graded traded if you want, tell you how much it's worth, whatever you want to do. And I'm a big Michael Jordan Fanily my twenty three shirt on. There's a Michael Jordan Grail in there that I'm looking forward to.

00:39:19
Speaker 6: Try to get twenty percent off your first slab pack or card purchase at arenaclub dot com.

00:39:23
Speaker 2: Slash foul use code foul. All right, so let's do this one. This is from Strauss Nation on Instagram. Who is one player from the Phillies Pass that you'd want on this year's team? I mean brad Lydge two thousand and eight would be pretty good. Good right now?

00:39:41
Speaker 1: You know I You know, I.

00:39:43
Speaker 2: Tend to lean towards like a position player like in the league.

00:39:45
Speaker 5: I'll take a Pat Burrow man, I'll take a Victorino.

00:39:49
Speaker 3: That's a good call too, But I'll take a Pat Burrow Victween This good one in that position center field.

00:39:56
Speaker 4: Go play one sixty two switch hit Ron, Pat Burrell, catch everything.

00:40:01
Speaker 1: Pat Burrow hit behind uh Schwarber.

00:40:06
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, that would be nice, right Pat? Just hitting bombs from the right handed side, getting on right there.

00:40:13
Speaker 3: I mean, not a great defender as far as covering ground, but solid when he gets there and caught it and he threw the ball.

00:40:19
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, all three of those guys would I think would help this.

00:40:24
Speaker 5: How about how about a Sarge Matthews in left field.

00:40:29
Speaker 1: That'd be thinking Sarge, high energy.

00:40:31
Speaker 4: High energy, loves loves the spotlight, likes to win, time to play for the show.

00:40:37
Speaker 5: Yeah, take a little bit of take a little right handed.

00:40:40
Speaker 2: Sage Jason Worth would be pretty good on this squad.

00:40:45
Speaker 5: Left field.

00:40:47
Speaker 2: Great call high, He's a ton of sees, a ton of pitches.

00:40:52
Speaker 1: I love that question.

00:40:53
Speaker 2: One great question, great defender.

00:40:56
Speaker 5: Yep, I'm staying with Victorino.

00:41:00
Speaker 1: Questions asked, no questions asked.

00:41:03
Speaker 2: That's great.

00:41:04
Speaker 1: I see what's great there.

00:41:06
Speaker 2: So here's one A big fan of the podcast. Question for Ruben, I found your nineteen ninety two leaf gold addition baseball card. If I send it to you with a self address stand envelope, would you use autograph it for me? And where would I send it? Thank you? That's from Brian Klinger via the Phillies Show dot com, where you can get your Philly Show.

00:41:23
Speaker 1: T shirts at the I signed all my fan mail, all of it.

00:41:28
Speaker 3: Some the time, every time, and just send it to the ballpark at Citizens Bank and it'll get to me at somehow someway.

00:41:35
Speaker 2: There we go. So we got it.

00:41:36
Speaker 1: Guys.

00:41:36
Speaker 2: It's our second show of the week and we've got shy Benched Sports is doing another giveaway. We've talked about this. They're doing a giveaway for several more weeks of giveaways this week. If you're watching on YouTube, you can see it right here. It's a Philadelphia Phillies nineteen forty nine royal blue two tone hat with the fight in Phillies patch. Now, this is an exclusive for you can only get this at shy Ventured Sports. If you're watching on youtubec the QR code there. You just open up your phone, open up the camera, and you enter for a chance to win. If you're not, if you're listening to us right now, you go to shibe sports dot com backslash t p s to win that hat. Nineteen forty nine royal blue two tone hat that's kind of like the inspiration for the current Cream at least Cream jerseys that they wear, you know on day games.

00:42:32
Speaker 1: It's a beautiful hat. I love it. Man. That's a little fighting Phills on the side. That's really cool. Old school man, dig it, that's cool.

00:42:38
Speaker 2: So I was looking at nineteen forty nine, right, you know this is I like going to these retro hats because I started thinking about I go to Baseball reference page, I look at those stats. So nineteen forty nine, August nineteenth, nineteen forty nine, Phillies held Eddie Wakas Night Eddie Wakes Night at Shy Park. Why did they have an Eddie Wakes Night?

00:43:07
Speaker 1: Why?

00:43:08
Speaker 5: Hold on, he's the guy that got got shot.

00:43:12
Speaker 3: Yes, so that the base that based the movie on him, right, The Natural Natural that scene.

00:43:19
Speaker 1: Yea.

00:43:19
Speaker 2: So they had an Eddie Wakes Night on August nineteenth, nineteen forty nine, at Shy Park because it was his first time in uniform since being shot wow on June fourteenth, nineteen forty nine in Chicago Hotel. Uh yeah, it became the inspiration for the movie The Natural. And uh so then when I go on newspapers dot com, right, and I start reading about it, I want to see what, like what what goes on at Eddie Wakes Night? Like what happens at Eddie waketh Night? And he ended up getting Eddie Wakes ended up getting an automobile, a television set, two radios, several risk watches, a match out of luggage, a match set of golf clubs, and a golf bag as on Eddie Wakes Night. And here's here's probably perhaps the most interesting thing though. Dick Sissler, who was on the Whiz Kids that year, Big hit. They got a huge hit that year. It was the last game of the season. Get him in the win the pennant uh Dick Sissler presented him with his first baseman's met, bronzed and mounted on a stand on a stand and with autographs. Here's the part that killed me. Bronzed first baseman's met, mounted on a stand with autographs from his teammates and baseball writers who covered the.

00:44:43
Speaker 1: Can you imagine that's how famous you guys would have been.

00:44:47
Speaker 4: Can you imagine if like they gave Zach Wheeler a glove with our autographs on it, their look of repulsion that would be on his face.

00:44:58
Speaker 2: I thought that, I thought that was so funny, because that is something that wouldn't even pop in anybody's head nowadays, there would be no such thing like even like bringing back a former player, right like even if he had, like you know Jimmie Rownd's Wall of Fame night in August. You know you wouldn't have like, you wouldn't give him a gift and say here, here's by the way, you got Chase's autograph here, and here's Mike Schmidtz and Chase Utley's and Jim Salisbury Todd's lucky Matt Gilmer here, that would be so funny, breaks it over his knee, uses it for kindling.

00:45:33
Speaker 4: Right after that, it would be like once there was a player we know very well who was presented with a gift and he left it in the.

00:45:40
Speaker 5: Lock or remember that?

00:45:43
Speaker 2: Yes, I do remember.

00:45:45
Speaker 5: So when you say Eddie Wakes, I have to get personal.

00:45:49
Speaker 4: My dad told me many many times his first glove as a kid.

00:45:53
Speaker 5: Was Eddie Wakes.

00:45:54
Speaker 1: That's awesome.

00:45:55
Speaker 5: It had Eddie Wakes's.

00:45:57
Speaker 4: You know, autograph in the in the po Okay, it was probably probably early fifties.

00:46:04
Speaker 2: That's pretty cool.

00:46:05
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:46:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, he was the first basement of the nineteen fifty Whiz kids.

00:46:08
Speaker 1: So they're speaking of gloves. How about the kid David Schneider.

00:46:13
Speaker 5: That's a great glove.

00:46:15
Speaker 4: As soon as I saw that picture last year, I recognized that glove immediately because vuk had a very distinctive v Uk block letters that I knew whose glove that was immediately.

00:46:25
Speaker 1: And then when they.

00:46:25
Speaker 3: Said found he was working out in a facility and I guess in somewhere in Jersey near Boorhi's where Uk is from. And he found this glove in the air. It looks like a kind of a cool glove, said Vuk on it. He didn't even know whose it was or didn't even know who John Vukovich was, I don't think gets the glove uses it. And then Vince, his son sees him, sees it in a game, and they started talking to me and it was like, oh my god, that's my dad's glove.

00:46:54
Speaker 1: Kind of crazy nicknames, So David Schneider's nickname became Vuk that Great, which is awesome, honoring a.

00:47:03
Speaker 4: The man that we love and this so I remember I remember one day going to watch Vince Vukevich played for the University of Delaware.

00:47:12
Speaker 5: He was a hell of a hitter.

00:47:13
Speaker 4: Good little hitter centerfield, that goat went and got everything. And I went up to Ryder University and watched Vince play center field for the University of Delaware. And the catcher that day was John Schneider, who is the manager now in Toronto Blue Jays.

00:47:29
Speaker 2: Oh wow, that's cool.

00:47:30
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's very cool.

00:47:32
Speaker 2: All right, so we guys still had the QRS code on the screen if you want to enter it. When that that hat from Shive Benched Sports. If you are not online or not watching us on YouTube, you can go to shipsports dot com backslash tps to enter. Oh yeah, last week's winner was Jonathan Ramirez from Nazareth, PA. So congratulate Jonathan. He won us. He won the hat last week. Shop Shive Benched Sports for all your throwback Philly gear and the best gifts for Father's Day. Father's Day is just around the corner. Visit their four locations around Philly or online at shibe sports dot com. Thank you everybody to the questions.

00:48:13
Speaker 1: We got this.

00:48:13
Speaker 2: We got a lot of great questions, and we'll be back. We'll be back on Friday.

00:48:20
Speaker 5: Smelling of Boys, Slade Jim.

00:48:23
Speaker 8: The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network. Subscribe to The Philly Show on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like us, give us a review, follow us on Instagram, TikTok x, Facebook and threads. Find Rubens analysis before, during, and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports Radio ninety four, WIP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Find Jim at all phl y dot com. Find me at MLB dot com, the Phillies Beat newsletter, and MLB Network