Last Day in Clearwater: Opening Day roster crystalizes

00:00:03
Speaker 1: Hi, this is Zach Wheeler.

00:00:04
Speaker 2: Welcome to Phillies shown. Hi everybody, Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, Todd's a lucky It's Monday morning, March twenty four, twenty five, the last day in Clearwater. The Phillies after today's Grape ru League game against the Rays, They're flying north. I'm flying north, Ruben. You're flying north?

00:00:28
Speaker 1: Right?

00:00:28
Speaker 2: Are you staying a couple of days? You're going north.

00:00:31
Speaker 3: I'm staying. I'm flying with the team.

00:00:33
Speaker 2: There you go, there you go. I saw Ruben, Jim. I saw Ruben on Saturday. They had the Darren Dalton Foundation had an event on Saturday at the ballpark and Ruben was guest bartending. But I asked Ruben to make me a.

00:00:47
Speaker 1: He was slinging it.

00:00:48
Speaker 2: I asked him though, I said, can you make me a fuzzy navel? He said he couldn't do it. So, you know, he says he's only slinging beers.

00:01:00
Speaker 3: Too hard.

00:01:01
Speaker 4: Yeah, I worked hard for literally three or four hours straight.

00:01:06
Speaker 3: I was watching. I did not get back from behind the bar.

00:01:10
Speaker 5: It was a nice effort.

00:01:13
Speaker 3: I was efforting.

00:01:13
Speaker 2: It was cal Kendrick was there. You know, a lot, a lot of like Phillies alumni were there. Rob Thompson stopped by after the Gratefull League game over in Tampa against the Yankees, so he made an appearance and it was it was slammed the show. It was a great event. But but Reuben, I do give your credit because I was watching, I was like, man, this guy is he is? You were working back there working for tips.

00:01:36
Speaker 4: I was working for tips and some people gave some great tips and really supportive of the Darren Dalton Foundation. Great foundation, Brett Dado, Scott Freeze, so many other ones. They're doing a really nice job there and and and there's a lot of you know, Tommy Green big, you know, big part of that.

00:01:59
Speaker 5: It was pretty cool.

00:01:59
Speaker 4: Steech Else I think was there. Hey, we saw Jason Michaels.

00:02:03
Speaker 2: Jason Michaels was there, right.

00:02:05
Speaker 4: Jason Michaels was slinging it. Kyle Kendrick, As you said, I'm sure.

00:02:09
Speaker 5: I'm going to miss some people there. Robertson, Robert person Purse.

00:02:17
Speaker 2: Yeah, the so great work.

00:02:23
Speaker 1: That organization does, great work.

00:02:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, they do, It's it's all they do. They do a tremendous job. Uh So, guys, is the last day camp and the opening day roster is pretty much crystallized. At this point. We kind of know everything that's going to go on. Other than that last spot on the bench, it's really down between Cody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy. I expect today at some point they will make an announcement on who they've chosen, but let's before we maybe talk about that in which way they might go. The pitching staff is pretty much crystallized now. Yesterday during the Rob Thompson said, well, we're gonna now, we've already announced it, so I'll tell you Ranger Suarez is opening the season on the injured list. Then after the game he goes expected to open the season on the injurl list. I don't think you he meant to announce it on the broadcast. That is absolutely happening, but I would say it's what nine certain he's going to open on the injurre list. So if Ranger opens on the injured list with a sore lower back, Taiwan Walker is going to slide into that fifth spot in the rotation short term, they think. And then yesterday they claimed a right hander, Carlos Hernandez from the Royals. He's going to be the last man in the bullpen. Tyler Phillips has been dfade and that's pretty much your pitching staff now. You know, what do you what do you guys make of the moves yesterday? You know, play it being safe with ranger. Matt Strom obviously is trending the right direction. He's going to pitch today on Monday, and assuming that goes well, he'll be in the bullpen to start the sea.

00:04:01
Speaker 5: I think it was one of those moves.

00:04:05
Speaker 4: You know, there's a reason why the scouts are out there during the course of the spring is to look for players who are either out of options or guys who are like the lower half of those forty man roster, guys that might be bounced.

00:04:17
Speaker 5: Off the roster.

00:04:17
Speaker 4: And it's clear, I mean, somebody was watching. I don't know exactly who it was. I'll try to get a little inside scoop, but one or two of the scouts probably saw Hernanda's pitch out there in Arizona for Kansas City, probably felt like there were some more upside with him than a guy like Tyler phil Phillip.

00:04:38
Speaker 5: Someone the sneeze, excuse.

00:04:39
Speaker 3: Me, and I think it's and that's why.

00:04:43
Speaker 4: I think it's really important to have, you know, eyes and ears and history on guys. I mean, Hernandez has some history in the bullpen. He's put up some numbers, he's.

00:04:54
Speaker 5: Got a big arm.

00:04:56
Speaker 4: Maybe Caleb Cotham, maybe somebody in their pitching staff or one of their analytics. Folks saw something that they liked and the guy lightning in a bottle. Guy's not going to pitch a ton, they probably hope, so maybe they can grab somebody and see if that guy can help them out a little bit more than what they saw out of You know, Phillips and some of the other guys were in camp.

00:05:20
Speaker 1: A little bit of a history in that regard targeting hard throwers, big arms from other organizations that maybe have had some issues control or command and try to scrub them up a little bit. Alvarado being one of them. I know, he came in more of a trade and it was a little more high profile than just a waiver claim. But you know, he's a case in point of that big arm and they've really made something out of them with their with their pitching program. So I think that is kind of like Rubin said, you know, turn them over to Kafain and his group and see what you can get out of them, you know, sort of the last guy in the bullpen, and you hope, maybe know he can emerge into something more than that. But this organization really does, as a lot of organizations do, they gravitate toward guys who can really bring it. And that's what I see with this, uh with this claim.

00:06:15
Speaker 2: Yeah, the one thing is that he just hasn't been able to throw a strike, so you know, he's kind of run out of he kind of ran out of chances with the Royals, and yeah, I'm sure right, guys, they hope that they can maybe make an adjustment, and next thing you know, he's throwing pounding the strikes on a little bit more and it's like, oh my gosh, we can't believe they picked up Carlos Hernandez. So uh so, yeah, Rangers gonna open on the on the I l expected to, even though Rob said he will.

00:06:40
Speaker 1: And that's no, come on, that's that's the right.

00:06:42
Speaker 2: I mean, that's what you got to make that. I would have been honestly, I would have been very surprised if they would have said to hey, you know what, after playing catch on Saturday and Sunday, we think Rangers can make can make his first turn in the rotation, or or he can be back before they ended that Dodger series, which ends on April six. I would have been very, very surprised. There's no reason to rush him back. He's had the back issues over his career. He derailed his entire second half last year. If it's sore right now, just take him along slowly knock it out. They think it's a short term thing. He might only miss one start, maybe two starts. If they start him on the injured list, they can backdate.

00:07:20
Speaker 5: It three days.

00:07:21
Speaker 2: He could be back as early as April eighth, that first game in Atlanta, if they think he's ready by then. So it might only be one start, and if that means he's healthy the rest of the season, that's the only choice he really should be considering at this point.

00:07:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a totally different situation from Strom, and it's the other guy to at least the puzzle at Matt Strom. I guess either pitched today in today's game, and if he feels fine, then I guess he'll he'll he will make the team.

00:07:52
Speaker 5: At least that's the feeling I have.

00:07:54
Speaker 4: But Matt Strom doesn't really have any history, just like Ranger does, and he seems to be progressing this way. So a little bit of a different situation for Straw as opposed to where Ranger Suarez is.

00:08:10
Speaker 1: Let me let me ask you guys this, how far does this knock Ranger back? Though? Because my question would be how how much was he actually built up? I mean, he wasn't really letting it go early, right, and then he had that one good start and then he's hurting. I don't know where he is on his kind of you know, ramp up ladder.

00:08:31
Speaker 3: You know.

00:08:31
Speaker 1: So okay, if he comes back, you only misses one start, two starts, They're gonna still have to be quite judicious with his workload because it just appears that he's still building it.

00:08:46
Speaker 2: Could you piggyback him or something like that, maybe if he maybe havn't start, have him go three innings at the beginning and follow him with Taiwan. I don't know. Is that an option, Ruben, Is that something you would consider?

00:08:58
Speaker 4: I think it's probably an option, just because they seemingly want to limit his innings early anyway, because they saw what happened last year. As far as him getting out.

00:09:09
Speaker 3: I mean it was last year was the first time.

00:09:10
Speaker 4: This is like the again, this is nothing new for Ranger. He almost never gets out of spring training healthy and so he's only been healthy maybe once in his whole career, like.

00:09:23
Speaker 5: Truly healthy coming out of spring training.

00:09:26
Speaker 4: I don't have all the history, but but I you know, right, and and so I think they, like you said, it was great, you know s a.

00:09:34
Speaker 5: T word you dropped on us on judicious. They're Jim stand quite the quite the quite the wordsmith you are.

00:09:43
Speaker 4: But I think, but I think that there's there is a strong possibility they could piggyback. You make a great point, Todd, and I wouldn't be surprised by that happening. You typically like to have a guy ramp up and be ready, you know, get to eighty or eighty five pitches and be.

00:10:05
Speaker 5: Ready to roll.

00:10:05
Speaker 4: But in his case, since they want to sort of limit his innings anyway early, that might be that might be the ticket.

00:10:14
Speaker 1: It's it's definitely a way to control the innings, control the workload, make sure he's ready so you can get the bulk of it later on. Provided he's producing and providing he's pitching, well, you're not gonna put him on the mound if he's not pitching, well, they need contribution from this guy, and this guy needs to have a good season and you need most of it, you know, after April, So I could see them being careful with him even when he's activated.

00:10:44
Speaker 2: So for for people that don't know how the rotation is set up right now, obviously, Zach Wheeler is starting on Thursday, opening Day in Washington. Jesus Lozardo is going to pitch game two, that's Saturday, Aaron Nola is going to pitch the series finale in Washington on Sunday, and then and the home opener Christopher Sanchez. Zach Wheeler is going to pitch the second game of that series, and then Taiwan Walker, who's now the new number five starter, is going to pitch the series finale against the Rockies on April third, and then after that that Dodger series, it's gonna be Jesus Wizardo, Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez, and then April eighth. Again. If they would think that he Ranger Suarez could come back when his fifteen days are up, theoretically he could come back and pitch April eighth, there's a long, long, long way to go before we get to that point.

00:11:35
Speaker 1: So give me your wagers. Does he pitching April eighth?

00:11:37
Speaker 2: Todd, I say no, I say no.

00:11:42
Speaker 1: I say no, Rubin No, Okay, yeah, yeah, I think.

00:11:46
Speaker 3: Is Zach Wheeler? Is Zach Wheeler? Is that his day too?

00:11:50
Speaker 4: Is it Zach Wheler April third and April eighth or no, Well, he's Zach pitching?

00:11:57
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:11:57
Speaker 3: Uh, I'd have to.

00:12:00
Speaker 2: Go take a look there's I'd have to take a look at that, because I think there's an off day there. I haven't that's yeah, So I guess it's possible they could. They could keep you know, Zach likes to stay on turn, so but they also have said that we understand he likes to stay on turn, but we also want to manage everybody's innings as much as we can. So the reason why they skip the fifth starter that that first time is because Zach still got the extra day because of the day off. So they still have some.

00:12:28
Speaker 4: Luxury with that because because of uh, the fact that they have Ross who hasn't been stretched out stretched out right, but he can get three and they can get through four, and it's probably out of the guy.

00:12:41
Speaker 5: And.

00:12:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, Carls this. They feel like they have several multi inning guys in that bullpen that they can you know, muscle through if they if they need to, So one of them being Carlos Snandez, maybe maybe he can give him two quality innings. The last bench job guys is now down to Cody Clemens or Buddy Kennedy. Well, we could know literally before this show even hits the air. I guess possibly they could announce it. Do we have any feelings on who's going to get that job. I think it's going to be Cody Clemens. But on the other hand, I'm sitting there going if Cody Clemens makes a team as the bench guy, when is he ever going to play?

00:13:18
Speaker 3: You know how?

00:13:19
Speaker 2: Because he's a left handed bat in a lineup with filled with left handers, So I don't know what the pinch hitting opportunities he's going to get our you know how is that going to work?

00:13:28
Speaker 5: Exactly?

00:13:28
Speaker 2: So maybe there's a spot for Buddy Kennedy. But Cody's had a better spring. I would say.

00:13:34
Speaker 1: Cody's and you know, he said three hundred, he's had a great you know, the strikeouts were a little high, but he's had a really nice camp, came in there and to me earned it. So I know it's a predicament having too many left handed bets, but I'll always you know, and I know you have to plan for those platoon kind of situations, but and pinch hitting opportunities, but sometimes you just want to have a good bat take the better. So that's kind of the way I view it.

00:14:03
Speaker 4: I think you go with Cody Clemens, and then it becomes even more complicated, in a good complication. When Western Wilson's ready and he's getting closer. He needs at bats, but he's progressing, Western Wilson becomes a guy. Now Weston does have options, much to his dismay, I'm sure, I mean, but it's a good thing for the Phillies if they feel like, again, another one of those situations where he's probably their best option. But if he's not needed at the major league level, they can still spark him in Lehigh Valley and he can be there playing every day and ready to go if something were to happen at the major league level because he can play a variety of positions.

00:14:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, so the roster is almost set. We'll find out by the time the Phillies board that plane. We will know guys. It is Monday. It's time for Manco and Manco Best Week. Mm hmm Manco Manco Best Week. The best of the best is where we pick our best Phillies player, performance, moment, play, whatever we want to do. I can't remember who let off last week? Jim, why don't you lead off this week?

00:15:21
Speaker 5: Are you prepared?

00:15:23
Speaker 1: Oh man, the lead off?

00:15:29
Speaker 2: Like the Phillies, we don't know who's going to lead off from day to day.

00:15:33
Speaker 3: How many pitches are you going to take?

00:15:34
Speaker 2: Jim?

00:15:35
Speaker 3: How many pitches are you going to take?

00:15:37
Speaker 4: How many are you gonna be able to like, you know, get it, get it ready for the next couple of guys.

00:15:41
Speaker 3: Or what it is?

00:15:43
Speaker 2: The last day at camp. So I hope he's first pitch swinging Ruben.

00:15:46
Speaker 1: I am, I am, I am swinging at the my my man, Frank Pully.

00:15:51
Speaker 5: Swing the bats on the bat.

00:15:55
Speaker 1: That's so funny. Frank On getaway.

00:15:58
Speaker 3: I'll tell the story. I was leading.

00:16:00
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I think we were breaking camp and it was nineteen ninety eight or ninety ninety seven, I can't remember where it was.

00:16:06
Speaker 3: And he did a lot of our games. The Jack Russell Stadium back then. And I stepped to the plate and he looked at me and he.

00:16:13
Speaker 4: Said, son, swing the bat, And I said, no problem.

00:16:19
Speaker 3: First pitch four to three, roll over, perfect, one out, one pitch, one out.

00:16:24
Speaker 1: Let's pull it along.

00:16:25
Speaker 3: I play. I think we played a game in like an hour and twenty minutes from your lips to.

00:16:31
Speaker 1: Those are the days when umpires had personality and there were characters and you knew their names. And now, honestly, almost literally and figuratively, the officiating is robotic in the sport. At that point, great point. Frank Pulley was a trip. Jerry Crawford, all those guys good umpires too. So my best, the best color a little bit outside the lines here, Todd, I know when you love when I do that.

00:17:05
Speaker 5: Mm hmmm.

00:17:06
Speaker 2: Hope you don't take my idea.

00:17:08
Speaker 1: Oh boy, If I take your idea, then you know you batted me lead off and I'm the first one pitch. I'm driving it all right.

00:17:15
Speaker 3: So I'm going to my.

00:17:17
Speaker 1: Best, and the best is justin Crawford. He is my best, the best.

00:17:22
Speaker 3: Wow.

00:17:23
Speaker 1: Came into camp, got to invite to big league camp. Made a really nice showing hit over three hundred and you know, this guy has only played forty games at Double A. But based on his performance and what they've seen in the past is body of work, he's going to go to Triple A at age twenty one. I think it's been the most to me, the biggest bit of news in the last handful of days is that Justin Crawford is going to Triple A at age twenty one, and he's going to play center field. And I I you don't have to have a telescope to see the potential grand plan here off into the distance in the future, and the future might not be that far away, and it's all based on production and playing well for everybody involved. But if this kid plays well in center field at Triple A at age twenty one, well below the league average age, I mean, that's how much of a push. This is a fast track. This is he's gonna put pressure on whoever plays center field. He's gonna put pressure, good competitive pressure on Brandon Marsh and maybe you get more out of Marsh. Maybe Justin Crawford shows that he's ready in a year I can see and I'm sure they're talking about I'm positive they're talking about it. You can see a grand plan emerging here of maybe Justin Crawford in center field as soon as one year from now, and you can also extend that to Aiden Miller. The shortstop is going to open it up double A. You could see him at shortstop a year from now, and the grand plan would maybe include Trey Turner going to left field and Justin Crawford in the center field. So you can see, you know, the gears in work, you know, coming into play here and working a little bit depending on how everybody plays. Crawford, marsh Miller, Turner. But there's things going on and it all, you know. So my best of the best is Justin Crawford had a heck of a spring. I mean, if he came in here and didn't look that good, you probably you know, they sent him back to double A. But twenty one years old, fast tracking him and we fascinated to watch what he can, what he does this year, and the good positive pressure he puts on people in the big leagues, and you know how he plays a triple A to determine his readiness for down the road.

00:19:55
Speaker 3: And let me dubtail onto that a little bit.

00:19:57
Speaker 5: Dave Dembraski's not afraid to bring young.

00:19:59
Speaker 4: Players the big leagues. I will tell you that he's old school, but he also believes that the guys he feels the guy's ready.

00:20:06
Speaker 5: He'll bring him. I remember making that move with Andrew Bennettendi.

00:20:09
Speaker 4: I was part of that discussion when they were thinking about trading at the time, maybe for Carlos Beltrain I think it was and putting him in left field. They had an opportunity to do that, and they just said, you know.

00:20:20
Speaker 3: What, this kid Ben at Tendy, he'll be every bit as good.

00:20:24
Speaker 5: And he ended up going to.

00:20:25
Speaker 4: The big leagues and really helping out the team at the bottom of the lineup.

00:20:28
Speaker 3: Low pressure, great team added.

00:20:30
Speaker 5: To the ball club.

00:20:32
Speaker 4: And the reality of it is at Crawford, if he comes to the big leagues and he made him be before the end of the season, that he comes and becomes a center fielder, and it does put that kind of pressure. I think it's a positive pressure on some guys that are there, Rojas and marsh hey Man. Competition is the best thing in the world and unless you're an established major league player, and I think marsh can't be that guy.

00:20:58
Speaker 5: I think a lot of people feel that way. But you do have to.

00:21:00
Speaker 4: It's a performance based game and you have to come through.

00:21:04
Speaker 5: So I think it's great stuff.

00:21:06
Speaker 4: I think you make two great points on two really really good players who who are awfully close and again young and David and Bosket will not be afraid.

00:21:18
Speaker 5: Todd, what do you got?

00:21:20
Speaker 2: Well, this is a again this is out coloring outside the lines here a little bit. But I went with Raphael Marshawan and Garrett Stubbs. Marshawan finally making an opening day making his opening day roster. You know, we kind of knew what was going to go on this season, but you felt good for him and a guy has worked ridiculously hard over the years, had some bad luck with injuries, but he makes the team. You know, obviously he was he was thrilled to do it. And but I also mentioned Garrett Stubbs because you know, we had him on the show on Friday Thursday after he got optioned, and just his attitude after being sent down, you know how he's you know, he could have taken the full seventy two hours to report to minor league camp, you know, just gone home and decompressed for a few days and then kind of got there. But we talked to him on Thursday. I talked to him on Thursday. I said, when are you gonna go over there? He's like, I'll be there tomorrow. And sure enough, he was there the next day doing a live VP against Andrew Paynter, and in typical Garrett Stubs fashion, this big kind of crowd of front office people and players come over to the minor league side of the field that he was hitting on, and he's kind of holding them back and he goes, Wow, a lot of people coming to watch us hit, you know, kind of like as a goof because he knows that they weren't coming to watch Garrett Stubbs hit. They were coming to watch Andrew Paynter pitch. But he he was still being the same type of guy, the Stayton Garrett Stubbs, and he's he wants to go down there, and he wants to help the young pitchers. He wants to help Mick Abel. You know, he wants to work with these guys and and try to make a contribute, contribution at the minor league level. So when those guys get called up to the big leagues, even if he's still in Lehigh Valley, you know, maybe they can perform a little bit better to help the team win Indivision, to help the team win the World Series. So Garrett Stubbs and Raphaele Marshawn my best week manco manka.

00:23:07
Speaker 3: I will say, let me tell you us.

00:23:08
Speaker 4: I had a private conversation with Rob Thompson about it, and he said, rud but I probably sent out, he said, He's sort of calculated. Over the years, he probably sent out the major league level maybe, and been in pretty much every one of those meetings as either a bench coach or or a manager, well over eight hundred to one thousand players. He said, without question, it was the hardest one he's ever had.

00:23:33
Speaker 2: To do or be involved.

00:23:35
Speaker 5: Wow, that's saying something.

00:23:37
Speaker 4: And the way the kid handled it, I say, kid, he's a man, he's a man's man, and he's a professional and the way he handle was just spectacular and proud of him, glad to know him. He's a very articulate, smart, intelligent. I'm being redundant, but wonderful, wonderful person and the Phillies are lucky to have him.

00:24:02
Speaker 1: Is he your man and manco? Best of the best?

00:24:05
Speaker 3: He is not?

00:24:06
Speaker 1: Oh boy, hold on, let me get a drum roll here.

00:24:11
Speaker 3: Again.

00:24:11
Speaker 4: I'm gonna color a little bit outside the lines because I see this as a kind of a holistic look.

00:24:16
Speaker 3: This is tough.

00:24:17
Speaker 4: I got Max Kepler, and Max Kepler came into camp.

00:24:20
Speaker 3: There's a big deal.

00:24:21
Speaker 4: It was sort of a big deal, like, how are they going to make this outfield better? Because it was one of the least productive outfields in the game as far as offense was concerned. And there's some question marks about Max Kepper been in the league a long time, sort of dropping off a little bit, had a tough year with health and core and all types of stuff last year. But he comes into camp man and he made an adjustment. He worked hard in.

00:24:50
Speaker 3: The off season and his it bats. First of all, he plays left field, fall asleep.

00:24:57
Speaker 4: I watched him and eat on him as far as his outfield is concerned, No transition issue at all for him.

00:25:06
Speaker 5: Really good athlete.

00:25:07
Speaker 6: But the dude had the most quality at bats per cap than anybody on the on the team. He is at bats, his you know, his ability to put the ball in play hard, consistently, all the things you sort of want to see from a new player in a new organization.

00:25:30
Speaker 5: He admittedly was a little nervous about, you know, moving.

00:25:32
Speaker 4: Over after being what ten or twelve years or whatever it was over in Minnesota and going into a new clubhouse and nothing but positives from the guy. He's been outstanding and hopefully it carries over. You never know, you know, you can get deeped in spring training, as you know, I even had good springs and then I sucked during the year. But this guy, this guy really has performed well and.

00:26:01
Speaker 5: He's my manco manco.

00:26:02
Speaker 2: Best of the week, you know, Ruben, the camp of the Camp. Yeah, you know, it's funny because we do talk a lot about like what does spring training numbers mean for a guy like Trey Turner who's maybe working on something you know, not so much, you know, Bryce Harper, you don't worry about college Worber, you don't really worry about it. For Max Kepler, you know, talking to Kevin Long and Rob Thompson, they said, yeah, usually, you know, we don't put much stock in the spring training numbers. But for a guy like Max Kepler coming into a new environment making the mechanical adjustments he made to his swing member, he was kind of straight up last season with the Twins, He's flat in his bat a little bit. He's moved a little bit closer to the plate. They said, for a guy like that, you kind of want him to enjoy some success this spring, so you can kind of believe that the swing adjustments that he's made are actually working. So in the case of Max Kepler, like you said, to see him come out and actually perform, you know, there is some there is some significance of that. I mean, we'll see if it carries into the season, but you know it was you know fully good to see this spring.

00:27:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, that you make an adjustment with Kevin Long and you have success with it. I mean, now you've built a trusting bond between Long and the hitter. So and that could benefit the hitter and the Phillies throughout the season. So really important. He made an adjustment, had a good spring.

00:27:20
Speaker 5: In that vein.

00:27:20
Speaker 4: I want to give an honorable mention. I think I'm thinking more globally to Alvarado. Alvarado was outstanding, uh and and the confidence that he has built uh he as far as the guys in the bullpen are concerned, big question mark which Alvarado, where you going to get comes into camp great shape, firing, throwing strikes pretty consistently, and hopefully you can carry it over for the Phills as well, because he'll be an important piece, especially early with Strom being monitored through this thing.

00:27:52
Speaker 5: Early in the.

00:27:53
Speaker 1: Season, we might we might need two pizzas to man co manco pizzas to spread all this what's wrong?

00:28:00
Speaker 5: What's better than one pizza?

00:28:02
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:28:03
Speaker 2: Hey, well, real funny, real funny. You know, Rubin, you talked a lot about Alvarado, like feeling confident. I need to feel confident. I mean, he has really been upbeat this spring, and everybody knows he's been throwing the ball really well. So yesterday on the backfield, the pitchers are throwing and at the end of it, Alvarado is in a squat and he's I can't remember who was throwing to him, but he's he was catching. So he's kind of like, you know, bringing the glove up and he's framing it. And Rob Thompson comes by and he goes, he goes, leave him alone, like, do not get him off the get him off his legs. Don't touch this dude. He's doing well. Let's not get him, you know, Let's get him off from behind the plate, the fake behind the plate, you know, stop his catching career. Let's get him back into the clubhouse, keep him safe. So he's doing well. One last thing guys before we wrap it up, is man, we've talked a lot about the lineup this spring and all off sea and one day it's Trade Turner and the next day it's Kyle Schwarber hitting lead off. And it is funny because every time the lineup gets tweeted out or put out there, where he goes, oh, this is it. This is the opening dine up, and the next day it's like, maybe this is the opening day lineup. Finally, we have Rob Thompson after the game yesterday, we go, you, guys, are you any closer you can or could you possibly have two lineups this season? And he says, we still might be experimenting early in the season, but there is a chance we could have a left handed lineup and a right handed lineup. So against a tough lefty on opening day, you could have Trade Turner leading off. Against a writy, you could have Kyle Schwarber leading off. So what do we think about that?

00:29:44
Speaker 5: Guys?

00:29:44
Speaker 2: Maybe like a little platoon matchup lineup going for this season.

00:29:50
Speaker 3: I love it.

00:29:51
Speaker 5: I got no problem with it. I love it.

00:29:54
Speaker 4: I know that guys, you know, don't want to feel comfortable and they're slot and that kind of but they have a kind of guys it, especially the first four or so four or five hitters. I don't think they really care where they hitting the lineup. I think that they're professional enough and have been bounced around a little bit.

00:30:10
Speaker 5: Other than maybe other than perhaps Harper.

00:30:13
Speaker 4: I think Carper probably wants hit two or three, but again, he's part of this formula as well. I just think that they're fine with it if they feel like this is the best thing for the team. And again, I mean, everybody's creature of habit, But I mean, what's the difference if you just move those four first four guys, if you're sort of flipping them. They're all going to hit in the first inning basically, or be prepared to do so, or hit the most during the course of the year if they stayed healthy. And uh, And I got no problem with the lefty righty, because there's gonna be some tough left handers in this league. You know, you got sale They're gonna see Mackenzie Gore right out of the shoes. Who's dealt against them at times might see Turner leading off against Mackenzie Gore, and then you know, against one of their right handers, might see Schober leading off, and that's okay, that.

00:31:03
Speaker 3: No problem with it.

00:31:04
Speaker 4: It's about producing runs as many runs as you possibly can and putting that formula together to do so.

00:31:11
Speaker 1: I don't think guys care where they hit until they're not hitting. That's when that's when all of a sudden they start wondering why am I scuffling? And they start coming up with a million reasons keep down inside. I think ballplayers like routine and they like to, you know, know where they're going to be in their roles in the bullpen, and they like to know where they're going to be in the lineup. But I also think sometimes when you're thinking of modifying the lineup, it might take a little bit longer than twenty eight spring training games, when you know, middle of the game, you're facing JV pictures, when you have a ton of guys to look at. So I can see what I'm saying is I can see Rob extending his evaluation a little bit longer here. But at some point I would think he has to arrive at something, and it's that something is going to be kind of what works, and Schwarber has worked over. I know it's an unpopular with you know, he's unorthodox, and it's an unpopular lineup construction with some people, but it's popular with others. And the only the thing that matters most is they put up a lot of w is when he leads off, and they have over three years, they didn't go to the postseason for ten straight years. All of a sudden he arrives it's lead off. They go to the postseason three years in a row. So but I do agree, you know, leading off with trade Turner might result in a better Trade Turner, a better version of Trade Turner, maybe a little more selective, maybe thinking line drive more thinking like a leadoff man might help him, might get a better offensive player out of Trade Turner. So I actually think they have two good options. If those two guys produce, and once we see the top of this lineup producing, Rob will come up with a more of an every day consistent lineup.

00:33:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, the quote that Rob said yesterday I used this morning was hopefully regarding the lineup. He said, hopefully we'll find out soon. So that means probably, you know, through through the first week this season. How guys adjust to it. That's a big question because I know that guys like being in the same spot every day. It's just hard to do that every day. But we want to figure out if we can maximize our offense. So yeah, he's uh, he understands the guys like to know where they're gonna hit, and he understands the importance of routine, but he also he wants to win and he wants to try to get the most out of the offense. So maybe this is the way go. I agree. I mean, if I like the idea in theory, if everybody's on board, and you know, if everybody's okay, one day I'm leading off, one day I'm hitting second, for sure, But one day I'm leading off one day I'm hitting fourth.

00:33:59
Speaker 3: You know.

00:34:00
Speaker 2: But I do like that idea. I think it'd be It could be.

00:34:03
Speaker 1: Fun regardless regardless of what you hit, where you hit, your approaches. Get a good pitch to hit, How can I get to first base runners on base? How can I deliver this move this runner, get deliver this run. I mean, those are textbook consistent approaches of a lineup. It's like that story you wrote last year. You know, when you're talking top four or five, does it really matter how many runs does it change in the course of a season, whether you hit two or three, one or two You know, right? Good? Those stats you looked up, do you have them?

00:34:36
Speaker 3: Well?

00:34:36
Speaker 2: It was it was basically like the only it was like maybe a couple runs over the entire course, theoretically over the course is the only the only time lineup would really matter based off all these simulations would be if you took Turner, Schwarburn, Harper, you hit them seven, eight, nine.

00:34:53
Speaker 1: Right, what you're not going to do?

00:34:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's what we call the fire the manager lineup. And then and then you see a big, massive drop because you're taking your three best hitters and your drop and giving him so many fewer plate appearances. But you're right, yeah, it's the difference is negligible. And this isn't just the current manager saying this. I remember Joe Girardi said this. And when it goes back even further than that, the difference is negligible really when you get right down to it, So.

00:35:19
Speaker 1: You put your best guys up high and and and you and get them the most at bad you can get them. And then they got to produce.

00:35:27
Speaker 3: The bottom line is this, win the game.

00:35:30
Speaker 4: Win the game you play today, And if I can put my players in a position best position to have success, then I got a chance to win the game.

00:35:40
Speaker 5: Better chance to win that game today.

00:35:42
Speaker 4: So that's why I don't have any problem with them tweaking the lineup, especially lefty righty.

00:35:47
Speaker 5: It's been happening. It's happened for years.

00:35:48
Speaker 4: I mean, Jim Fragosi had two lineups in nineteen ninety three, two different three different platoons. Yeah, hey, man, if it works, go with it. And I do think that if this lefty right shift, if it has success, guess what, he's gonna stay with it.

00:36:05
Speaker 3: If it doesn't, he's not.

00:36:08
Speaker 1: And that's why he stayed with Shoreber, who was an unorthodox leadoff man, because they had and they won games.

00:36:13
Speaker 2: It's correct, that's right. That's right, guys, that's right.

00:36:19
Speaker 5: That's right.

00:36:20
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:36:22
Speaker 2: Spring training game today, guys. So we're we're out of here after this.

00:36:28
Speaker 1: So our next podcast will be uh will be the eve of opening Day? Yes, and that will that will be a one year anniversary of the anniversary.

00:36:37
Speaker 4: I was thinking about that Todd Pop Todd pod bringing us all together as one, and it started.

00:36:46
Speaker 1: It all started with Hey, you want to do a podcast?

00:36:48
Speaker 2: Sure, that's exactly right, that's yeah, behind the scenes, Yeah sure.

00:36:56
Speaker 3: You know.

00:36:58
Speaker 4: I was kind of surprised that Todd actually asked me because I thought, you know, I'm not I don't have the writing skills that the other two fellows have.

00:37:07
Speaker 5: You.

00:37:09
Speaker 1: We needed you because you complete us.

00:37:13
Speaker 3: Ah, you complete me, Jim.

00:37:15
Speaker 2: It's a Jerry Maguire moment right here.

00:37:17
Speaker 3: Yes, what is it is that this one? Yeah? Yeah, exactly right, exactly right. Yeah.

00:37:24
Speaker 2: So we'll kind of have our unofficial one year anniversary show before opening Day. So yeah, we'll be back. We'll be back later this week, and then we'll be back on I guess Friday morning. Maybe to react on the first game of the season. Overreact to the overreact everybody over Phillies lose? Is this the lineup end of.

00:37:46
Speaker 3: The season the best.

00:37:51
Speaker 1: I remember Back in the nineties, Uh, I don't know, but there was a lot of hype around the Red Sox and they lost on opening Day and the back page of the Boston Herald was wait till next year?

00:38:06
Speaker 3: That is the too.

00:38:07
Speaker 2: Like on one hand, if I love Opening Day, but on the other hand, like that first, I'm also like, let's just get this one out of their way, because the overreaction of tool loss is.

00:38:17
Speaker 1: Just it's picked apart like a football game.

00:38:21
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:38:21
Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's like, and you got one hundred and sixty one more to go, guys, It'll be okay, It'll be okay. So yes, we'll be back later this week. Guys. That was fun.

00:38:31
Speaker 1: Smell you later, boys, Milly Jim.

00:38:35
Speaker 2: 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 WYP 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