Chaos! Who will the Phillies play in the postseason?

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hi, This is Chase Utley and this is The Phillies Show. Hello, everybody, Welcome to The Phillies Show with Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury, todds Olecki, brought to you by the Foul Territory Network. It's Monday morning, September thirtieth, twenty twenty four. The Phillies played their final weekend of the regular season.

00:00:37
Speaker 2: Guys, how are we doing going into the bye week? You need the rest?

00:00:41
Speaker 1: Do you guys feel like you need the rest going into the bye week in a long year?

00:00:46
Speaker 2: What do you think now?

00:00:48
Speaker 3: It has been a long year for that team, one hundred and sixty two games. Man, It's just like no other schedule in sports. It is a grind and they always talk about you want to keep playing or you want to get the time off. And I think where this team is, with his age and a couple of guys banged up and getting some pitching, some rest, that that week off could be valuable. But we're gonna have to hopefully the intensity ramps up on Saturday, because didn't see a ton of it over the weekend in Washington.

00:01:20
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, I think that there's been a lot of talk about whether you know, these teams that do have to buy that they can't you know, they're not ready to go, they don't have the intensity, they has too much time off, et cetera, et cetera. Well, you know, I call BS on in a lot of ways. I do think that for teams that were super hot and we're ramping up and getting into it, that those teams got you know, got time off, then that would sort of slow their momentum down. But those teams are basically teams that are going to be in wild Card play anyway, and they continue to play, you know, throughout so until they get knocked out, and so I don't really think.

00:02:05
Speaker 5: That's that big of a deal.

00:02:07
Speaker 4: I will say this, if there is a team that has the ability to flip the switch on, I think this team does. The Phillies do, just because they have some veteran guys. They've gone through it, they've been there, they've done it. But I am concerned that they can switch that that, you know, turn that switch on, because offensively, it's been light and the pitching has not been terrific. The pitching obviously ahead of the hitting right now, but they need to play really, really good, like Christine Baseball during the playoffs or they're not going to be going very far at all.

00:02:48
Speaker 3: This is where the being at home I think is just going to help them. It's like, you know, you talk about the tenth man. The tenth man is going to be huge for the Phillies because they could like to win or at least bring the intensity to another level comes Saturday, because you know, you know they're saying a watched pot never boils. I mean, this is a team that just seemed to be watching the postseason pot and just waiting for the division clinch and waiting, waiting for the regular season to be over, and that pot never boiled. Well it is over now. And you know, the big thing that scares me in the postseason, and there's a lot that scares you that can go wrong, but this offense is so prone to periods, lengthy periods of inconsistency and you just don't want to see that. And I do think some intensity, the intensity of the home crowd in the postseason could impact them in a positive way in that area.

00:03:45
Speaker 2: So we this week the Phillies.

00:03:48
Speaker 1: They're gonna be off on Monday Tuesday, They're gonna have workout the ballpark. Some guys are gonna throw like a live VP and I guess some guys can stand in.

00:03:56
Speaker 2: Wednesday, they're gonna have an inner squad game.

00:03:59
Speaker 1: Rob Thompson is going to pick the teams. He's gonna name a couple of captains to run those teams, and they're gonna play a full on game. They're gonna have the walk up music, the scoreboard going, they're gonna have some crowd noise. They're going to do everything that they can to make it feel like a game as much as possible. And I said, you're gonna have anything on the liners. It's gonna be just a.

00:04:20
Speaker 2: Bragging right situation.

00:04:21
Speaker 1: And he said, I feel like we need to kind of throw another carrot out there for them to get these guys. They kind of get them fired up to play that game. So I don't know, I don't know what that is going to be. Maybe, you know, one team buys the other team dinner at Butcher and Singer or something like that downtown in Center City or something like that. I don't know what, but they're gonna do that on on on Wednesday. Thursday, they're gonna have another workout, maybe some live vps Friday, of course, is the mandatory workout. And in between that, you know, talking to some of the hitters this weekend or yeah, this weekend, they you know, they're gonna get in the high velocity machine, step in and face that they're gonna step in and face the traject machine. That's the one that you know, fans that don't know, it's kind of like the simulation shows you video of the guy throwing the arm slot all that stuff, with the exact spin of the pitches that they might be facing, the velocity that they might be facing, and so they seem to think there's going to be enough technology and enough different things they can do to stay sharp. The one thing that I think should encourage fans is that they seem intent on not using the bye week as an excuse. The Braves mentioned the bye week cooling the bats each of the past two postseasons, and that kind of irked the Phillies, I think a little bit, kind of maybe diminishing their accomplishment of upsetting the Braves, and so they seem really intent on going into this week saying we're not this is not an excuse.

00:05:47
Speaker 5: So do your.

00:05:48
Speaker 2: Work have some intensity to it?

00:05:50
Speaker 1: Have some purpose to it because we're not going to go in and maybe if something bad happens in game one, go oh man, the layoff, Man, the layoff really killed us. How are we supposed hit? We had five days off? As Trey Turner pointed out in twenty nineteen, they had six days off between the NLCS and the World Series, then won the first two games of the World Series. So the Houston Astros have handled the bye week pretty well the past few years when they've had it, so it can be done. And so they seem to have the right mindset anyway going in.

00:06:21
Speaker 5: To the bye week.

00:06:21
Speaker 1: So they don't know who they're going to play yet nobody knows who they're going to play at So if you so the Braves and Mets today, guys, they are playing a doubleheader.

00:06:34
Speaker 2: You guys have all this, You guys know all this? How this is all going to work?

00:06:37
Speaker 5: Or no, no clue.

00:06:41
Speaker 1: The Phillies are going to play the Brewers, who are the number three seed or the number six seed. They will not put the Phillies will not play the Braves in the first round and in the NLDS because the Braves, if they're in, they're going to be the number five seed, So the Braves and Phillies are. Braves and Mets play a doubleheader today. If there is a split, the Braves will be the number five seed and fly to San Diego to play the Patres on on Tuesday night. The Mets will be the number six seed and fly back to Milwaukee. They were just in Milwaukee. They'll fly back to Milwaukee. If either team sweeps, they'll be the number five seed and play San Diego. Then the Diamondbacks are sitting at home right now in Arizona, will fly to Philly, our fly to Milwaukee to play the Brewers in the NLDS. So it's gonna be the Brewers, the Mets, or the Diamondbacks. And what's interesting is how they set up there.

00:07:38
Speaker 2: Pitching.

00:07:39
Speaker 1: The Braves are pitching Spencer Schwellenbach in Game one. The Mets are pitching Tyler McGill. The Braves are holding back Chris Sale to pitch Game two if needed, and now obviously if they don't need it, they'll hold him and have him pitch.

00:07:49
Speaker 2: Game one of the Division Series. What do you guys think of the setup today?

00:07:53
Speaker 3: Gonna be some gonna be some musty TV. There'll be a lot of a lot of intensity. I remember what I was a kid the Red Sox in seventy eight, the Red Sox and Yankees had a one game playoff. The Red Sox blew a fourteen game lead. They had a fourteen game lead in July, and they played that one game playoff in uh in seventy eight, and I was playing a middle school soccer game. My mother had the radio on the sideline keeping me updated on the game. And uh, but you know the intensity that game still goes down as one of the greatest ever, that special playoff game of the Bucky Dent game.

00:08:30
Speaker 2: Right, that's right, And so you know you're.

00:08:33
Speaker 3: Gonna have like two of them today. It's gonna be pretty cool.

00:08:35
Speaker 1: So what happens, Like, so, if you're the if you you win game one, okay, say you're the Braves, in game two, you pull back Chris Sale.

00:08:44
Speaker 2: And you're throwing all your.

00:08:46
Speaker 4: Arizona's going no, yeah, you're right, you're right. But there is a rule MLB that you know, throws a rule out there that says, you know, you do have to do everything you possibly can to win a base ball game. Now within reason, obviously, they want to put themselves in the right position going forward into the playoffs. It's going to be amazing to watch this thing developed. What was it a few years back when there was about five games that had an impact on the very last game of the season.

00:09:22
Speaker 5: I think Tampa Bay was part of that.

00:09:24
Speaker 4: I think the third Basement in Longoria hit a big home run or something like that. There was all types of games. What was that about four or five years ago? Maybe longer?

00:09:33
Speaker 1: Well, are you thinking about twenty eleven when, yeah, that was.

00:09:37
Speaker 5: Was that twenty eleven?

00:09:38
Speaker 3: That was the game? That was the night in Atlanta. We're watching that the night the Phillies season ended. They won their one hundred and second game, and we were all standing on the TV and Longoria dunks went over the left field wall.

00:09:50
Speaker 4: And that's right. I watch two and realized it was that long ago.

00:09:55
Speaker 3: Oh, my red socks lost in Camden Yards like many like pappal Bond gave it up, gave it up.

00:10:02
Speaker 5: That's right, pat gave it up that year, and.

00:10:06
Speaker 3: Yeah, that was not I can still see the video image of Francona pulling the lineup off the wallet cam New Yards, dung out and walking down the steps. That's right, Papa band gave it up on a hit to left field and they couldn't make a playoff. That was a wild night. And that was the night John Mayberry came out of the shower and goes, what happened happened?

00:10:27
Speaker 2: I do remember that. That was very funny.

00:10:29
Speaker 1: Everybody's going nuts and he's like, totally totally the list about what happened, what happened in that game, But that will be fun. And then I mean, yeah, if you're the Diamondbacks, and I know what you said, Rubin, like you want both teams to play the game, and they're supposed to play the game, but you have no incentive to win game two if you win game one, you have none.

00:10:48
Speaker 4: You really don't. And you know, they sort of brought this on themselves. I mean, the fact of the matter is they probably could have played this game somewhere else, right, they decided, Hey, guess what, we're gonna go ahead and you know, push this thing back.

00:11:03
Speaker 5: You can't control nature. It is what it is.

00:11:05
Speaker 4: Hurricanes pop up and that's stuff you can't deal with. But that's yeah, you know, it's that's rough. It's rough for the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it's life, man. I mean, every single game counts, and the game that you you you threw away, you know, four weeks ago or four months ago, ends up meaning something.

00:11:26
Speaker 5: I mean, that's why it's one hundred and sixty two games.

00:11:28
Speaker 4: But really every single game counts when they get right down to it's kind of crazy.

00:11:33
Speaker 3: The Braves show continue to show a lot of guts.

00:11:36
Speaker 2: Man, it's amazing.

00:11:37
Speaker 3: You know, a few days ago they're back there two back of the Mets, and the Mets can't put it away. They lost, They lose, you know, lose up there in Milwaukee. Hoskins has that big night. Also, you know, they just the Braves. I have so much respect for them. They just refuse to go away. They're playing released guys at like three positions, getting contributions from They've lost Riley and and Stryder and they had Albie's I'll be back.

00:12:00
Speaker 4: But I mean they've lost MVP type two MVP type players on their team. I mean, imagine we you know that that the Phillies lost Turner, which they did and then moved Toosa did fill in really well, but you lose Turner and Bryce Harper. Yeah, I mean that's basically what the what they lost and and and Strider as well, and they and you know, and well we sort of lost Ranger Suarez too, right.

00:12:27
Speaker 5: Uh so, or the Phillies did anyway.

00:12:30
Speaker 4: But but yeah, they're showing a lot of resilience, pretty pretty easy.

00:12:34
Speaker 3: I think. I don't think Brian Snicker is gonna win Manager of the Year, but man, he does something right there to keep that team together.

00:12:41
Speaker 5: He sure does.

00:12:42
Speaker 4: And my concern is, and I know I like Alex Anthopolis, but my concern is that he did he might get banged after this year if they don't get to the playoffs. And I can't imagine that happening. But listen, I mean there was other guys who made playoffs. I mean John Ferrell made the playoffs, we won the division two years in a row. I mean, Dusty Baker won, you know one over there DC. I mean all types of guys that wanted the past. Joe Girardi's won and gotten bagged, so you know, uh, he could get.

00:13:07
Speaker 3: Bagged you if they don't perform well in the postseason, because they haven't the last couple of years. But man, he doesn't hell of a job getting them to the pie.

00:13:14
Speaker 5: I think he's fantastic. I mean I have a great.

00:13:17
Speaker 4: Respect for him, and he's sort of like our version of Rob Thompson in a lot of ways.

00:13:21
Speaker 3: You'd be hard pressed to find anybody better.

00:13:24
Speaker 5: But you know, you never know.

00:13:27
Speaker 2: We will be right back. We get it.

00:13:29
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00:14:29
Speaker 2: And we are back.

00:14:33
Speaker 4: I want to talk about a couple of different things we talked about this season, like the first half and the second half. And I put some numbers together yesterday. All right, and do this because I wanted to take a look at this stuff. So you say first half and second half is after the All Star Game is really ninety six games versus sixty sixty six games. But that said, I was looking at some of the offensive rankings.

00:14:54
Speaker 5: Let's just go with rugs. Runs scored, they were Phillies were fourth. They have four hundred and seventy seven at the All Star break. The second half they had three hundred and one run scored.

00:15:06
Speaker 4: The ranking the ranking in the first half was fourth. The ranking in the last half was ninth. I mean, that's not very good. Home runs one and eighteen sixth, okay, sixth home it was sixth, ranked sixth home runs in the second half eighty that's ranked eleventh. So ranked six to eleventh, and that's sort of middle of the road. And then you start talking about the stolen bases as well. These are just offensive numbers right now, ninety nine stolen bases, which ranked fourth in the first half, and forty eight in the second half seventeenth, so ranked from fourth to seventeenth. And I've looked up some runners in scoring position stuff too, because we just haven't really been that great now. I think the average four major League baseball is like two point fifty.

00:15:53
Speaker 5: Five with runners in scoring position, and.

00:15:55
Speaker 4: The Phillies in the first half were at two seventy one, which is pretty significantly hot, really really good. The second half to sixty, so they dropped down eleven points, which is also pretty significant. Now it's above average, but it's also not nearly as good. So and then pitching wise, here's here's the other thing. They were ranked first in batting average ERA and second in WHIP in the second half. Starting pitchers batting average twenty eighth, ERA twenty fourth, WHIP twenty sixth. I mean, pretty significant difference in you know, two halves of baseball, in particular in the starting pitching.

00:16:35
Speaker 5: Now, the fourth and fifth spot in that rotation were really really poor, and you're.

00:16:41
Speaker 4: Not talking about the top three, but that said, I mean those are pretty significant differences. That's why it was sort of a lackluster second half of the season, and they basically won this division in the first half.

00:16:52
Speaker 2: And I think that's why there's some.

00:16:55
Speaker 1: Phillies fans are a little on edge go I think going into the bye week and going into this post season and understandably and yeah, yeah, they can be really good. They won ninety five games, They finished with the second best record in baseball. There's something we said for that. But what have they seen the last last few months. They've seen a lot of like little warning signs here and there that make you think, could they get bumped out early?

00:17:17
Speaker 3: And I mean you're right on pointing out the big reason on that starting pitching is the four and five. I mean, you know, they just couldn't put anything together there. The ranger injury really hurt. I mean, Wheeler was exceptional down the stretch. His last eleven starts. He went at least six innings every time, sometimes seven, sometimes eight once never gave up more than two runs. What a stretch he finished with. But to point it to four and five, we know what a problem the five spot was. They could not find anybody, which is a significant organizational I'll say failure, and that's something they need to really work on. And then the ranger injury or the range drop off, whatever the heck you want to call it remains to me one of the biggest confounding mysteries on this team. I mean, he goes on the il with a back injury and he spends time there. Okay, there's something to playing at. There's an injury, but he's been back for a while now and he's really just showing a big drop off to where he was in the first half. And you know they're not going to put him on the mound if he's not healthy, so they're acknowledging he's healthy. What happened here? How does it get? How old? Is he thirty?

00:18:27
Speaker 5: So he's either twenty nine or thirty.

00:18:29
Speaker 4: I'm not sure which, but but there's it do years.

00:18:33
Speaker 3: I just dropped who who was? I will say this maybe the best picture of baseball just kind of drop off the map.

00:18:39
Speaker 4: I do not know this for sure, but having watched him and seen him over the years, in the very first part of the season, he looked like he was and we talked about this. He had a full spring training, he was in tremendous physical condition. I'm not sure it was because of the back injury. What came first the chicken of the egg. Did he take care of himself and then just get a tweak in his back? Or was he not taking care of himself during the course of the season such that he got injured because he was not in the physical conditioning that he needed to be in to perform over a course of thirty or thirty two or thirty three starts. And so that was that's my concern. And when he comes back, obviously with the back issue, does he is he able to work his body to get to the point where he's able to utilize his legs and you know, it's heart conditioning, whatever the case may be.

00:19:34
Speaker 5: Is he physically the.

00:19:36
Speaker 4: Same guy going on to the mound and competing against the best players in the world or is he not? And so that's the concern I have because you saw the guy come back off of the aisle and his first couple of innings threw okay, and then all of a sudden the third inning, he looked like he was, you know, sitting in a sauna somewhere, And so my concern was, and I don't know whether he couldn't condition because of his back or what the situation was, but it just seems to me like he didn't put himself in a he wasn't able to or did not put himself in a position to be physically able to sustain that the level of performance that he had.

00:20:20
Speaker 1: And this is the point where there where Rob Thompson's at now. You talk about flipping a switch. Earlier, We've talked about that, So I'm just kind of hoping now that in the postseason that extra adrenaline will somehow boost something inside of him, improve his command a smidge, or improve his velocity a bump, and get him the pitch better. But that, But but the other night when he pitched in DC, that was after the game, you could sense Rob Thompson was definitely flummixed by the lack of incredible lack of progress in him. You know, they've there's been moments where his command looks okay, but his velocity is down. And then I think it was two starts ago as velocity was up, but he couldn't spring the ball all over the place, And last and the other night in DC, it was just nothing was good.

00:21:10
Speaker 5: Something's wrong. I don't know what it is. Something, something's just a miss.

00:21:15
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I agree, we've said this for now a month. He does not look to be in shape. Yeah, and you know, it kind of makes you appreciate that Aaron Nola who just doesn't missstarts, you know, totally durable. Zach Wheeler durable.

00:21:32
Speaker 4: It's someone said throughout a stat yesterday that I read.

00:21:36
Speaker 5: I'm not sure if it's true.

00:21:37
Speaker 4: Since twenty eighteen, exclusive of twenty twenty, he's the only pitcher who's made thirty two plus starts in every single one of those years.

00:21:45
Speaker 5: I mean, dude, that's something. And I know there was a long contract they signed him too.

00:21:50
Speaker 4: I understand the marketplace, and they may end up regreting in.

00:21:54
Speaker 5: The last you know, two or three years. But here's a guy who still posts up.

00:21:58
Speaker 4: Man, it's pretty amazing what he's done as far as posting up and being able to throw quality in.

00:22:03
Speaker 3: Speaking of this Ranger thing, it's I don't think I'm being dramatic or even overstating it to say potentially life changing for him. This this this drop off and because you know, you're probably looking at a winter where, you know, if he continues that season through six months or even five months, has a little little dip but gets it back. You're probably looking at them a year before free agency doing something to lock him up for a lot of money. And now I would think that's not a conversation they're probably going to enter. They're probably going to want to see a lot.

00:22:37
Speaker 2: More great point.

00:22:38
Speaker 1: We've been getting asked about that a lot, you know from listeners and Rangers Wars contract extension.

00:22:44
Speaker 2: I would not even think about it.

00:22:45
Speaker 1: If I was the Phillies right now going to this offseason, I'd be like, I want to see one more year. There's absolutely be crazy. You kind of be crazy to go for long term extent.

00:22:54
Speaker 5: And the Phillies and the Phillies aren't afraid to pay.

00:22:56
Speaker 4: I mean if they see the performance right comes back and he takes care of himself, and you know, they know the guy as well as anybody, and it comes back and really performs and you know has a you know, cy young type year the next year, then they'll pay.

00:23:08
Speaker 3: What would you like if if I was a GM, I might say, you know, after the season, take a few weeks off, then you go camp out and cliar Water and you camp out in cliar water and with the conditioning staff and you know, you get in great tip top shape and you know come to camp ready to have six strong months.

00:23:32
Speaker 4: He would be a guy that I would have a nice long talking to after the season, which I have done in the past with other with other players when they have underachieved. And not just okay players, really great players, and I think it's every once in a while they.

00:23:46
Speaker 5: Need to hear it from people.

00:23:48
Speaker 2: Guys, let's talk Philly of the Week.

00:23:55
Speaker 1: Philly of the Week is presented, of course by our friends at Shy Vintage Sports. Get union throwback Phillies, teas hats, sweatshirts from local artists at their shops in Center City, Wayne and west Chester, and at shib sports dot com. We're all sporting our Shy gear as always. In The postseason is beginning Saturday, So run over to Shibe and get some fresh gear for the postseason, right Jimmy, eh, yeah yeah, get your gear era.

00:24:26
Speaker 2: So guys, let Philly the Week. Let's be honest.

00:24:29
Speaker 3: You know, it wasn't the best week.

00:24:31
Speaker 2: For the Phillies.

00:24:31
Speaker 1: They clinched on well, it was a great week. Actually, they clinched on Tuesday. The NL East on Tuesday. They clinched first round by on Wednesday. But the weekend in DC was not that great. So season's over, the regular seasons over. Let's do Philly the week Let's let's let's go big picture, big picture. Let's talk Team MVP CY young Fireman of the Year. That's reliever for those young kids listening. When I was a kid, it was Fireman of the Year because they put out fires.

00:25:01
Speaker 2: Uh, team MVP. This is interesting. Now I have an actual.

00:25:05
Speaker 1: MVP vote BBW a MVP vote, and there's there's there's gotta be a Philly maybe two on that list. I have no idea where I'm going to put him yet. I have not finalized my list. Who was the team MVP in your guys mind, Let's start with Jim.

00:25:23
Speaker 2: Let go Jim.

00:25:24
Speaker 3: It's a it's a very tough call. It is. I would go with Zach Wheeler. I'm just trying to think of, you know, if Heaven forbid, if I lost Zach Wheeler, where would this team be? So, you know, conversely, having him, where is this team? I just I just think he had a great season and I think he's someone you can really depend on as a rock in the rotation. You know what you're gonna get every fifth day. He's incredibly dependable, and he backed it up with great numbers, great performances, so strong down the stretches. I remember, he's my MVP. I perished the thought of thinking what this team would be without him.

00:25:58
Speaker 1: So, Jim, are you you you've done sy Young votes and m VP votes bbw A in the past. Are you a guy that has put a picture on the m v P A ballot Because some people won't.

00:26:06
Speaker 2: Do that, I would, I would, Okay, I think you.

00:26:10
Speaker 3: Look at the job Sale did for that team down there and Atlanta this year. I think he would. He would deserve to be you knowall somewhere. But uh I, I can't remember if I've ever put a picture. I'm sure I have, though I'm sure I have somewhere along the line. Was did Gane win the m v P one year? I think he did?

00:26:28
Speaker 5: Yermo Hernandez won the m v P one year, Willie.

00:26:31
Speaker 3: He did? Signed by your father right?

00:26:34
Speaker 5: Yes, he was really original, Philly. I think he got traded for John Walking Puss.

00:26:40
Speaker 3: Yes, I think he did. But I wouldn't have any reservations. I mean, you know, I know you wait, things differently for a guy who's on the field every day. I mean, I think we're going to see that in the National League Rookie of the Year voting with the kid from San Diego Merrill and uh. But for me, Zach Wheeler, I can you know, imagine this team being where they you know, you look what you mentioned. They kind of won this division in the first half. And if that's the case, and I agree, they did it on the backs of their starting rotation, and he is the pillar on which his starting rotation is built. So he would be my team MVP. Hey, Harper right there with him, right there with him. You know, you win Player of the Month twice, that's something. Schwarber right there with him. You lead off what fourteen games with home runs and you win thirteen of them. That's value. And you look at the season he had. The three guys I think you could you can't go wrong with. But I probably would would go Wheeler.

00:27:38
Speaker 1: Go ahead, Todd Well, I would go Harper only because you know, I when I do the MVP vote for the BBWA, I usually try to keep pitchers off because they have their own own award. But I understand what you're saying Jim, But I would go Harper just because of his consistency. I know he had that long stretch without a home run mid season with the elbow and the wrist stuff, but he was an l Player of the Month in May and in June. His numbers are right there at the end over thirty home runs. Man, you take him out of that lineup, it's a completely different lineup.

00:28:12
Speaker 2: Of course.

00:28:13
Speaker 1: But Kyle Schwarber, that's the other guy that you sit there and you go, Man, he's so steady at the top of the lineup, and he means so much to this team. You take him out of that leadoff spot. Who hits leadoff? You know it's big, it's big. But I would go Bryce Harper as my team MVP. What about you, Reuben?

00:28:31
Speaker 4: So I'm glad you guys went first because mine mine is Kyle Schwarber. And I'm going to tell you why Kyle Schwarber is the MVP for me. Here's a guy who hit under two hundred last year. He decided to change his approach hit fifty points higher this season. Fifty Think about this for a second, five zero points better he had Probably he was north another like twenty five or thirty on his own base percentage. He didn't hit as many home runs, but his run production was even better this year than it was last year. I do run production, I do Harbie is plus runs home runs divided by games played or games started, and his run production numbers were even better this year even though we had less home runs. So this is guy's producing more runs pretty much than anybody on that ball club. And I just feel like.

00:29:24
Speaker 5: He brings so much more to the table than just his numbers.

00:29:28
Speaker 4: Ability to one be a great leader in the clubhouse, to be sort of a spokesman for the team. I know Harper talks a lot, He's an important piece of it. But and the fact that he you know again, I know he's a d H, but is basically did it because it's the best thing for the team. His body doesn't and probably would have broken down had he been playing in the outfield, not a great outfielder, and I think it just made the team overall better ball club. And he just brings so much to the table on the daily basis on the daily and listen, I get it about Harper and I get it about a Wheeler as well. I love them both as players. But for me, it's Kyle Schwarer because he brings so much more to the to the to the table than just his numbers and his ability to communicate with the players in the lineup after his at bats, and and his knowledge on.

00:30:25
Speaker 5: The you know, in the dugout in the clubhouse. I think there's just so much that he brings to the table that he's my MVP this year.

00:30:31
Speaker 3: I am fully in agreement with both of you guys on all of the great things that each of the player you have chosen brings to the table the season they've had. I mean agreement. You can't go wrong on any of those three guys. And we did not communicate no different guys. I think it's awesome. We had three different viewpoints. Yeah, that is great everyone, every one of us, I think is illustrated. Why you know, the guy we picked could be the m v P and that's that's just some great stuff.

00:31:03
Speaker 5: Yeah, think about who brought it.

00:31:04
Speaker 4: He's just one of these guys in I basically gave Middleton the Harper piece.

00:31:09
Speaker 5: Okay, that's Middleton. I got to give the U. I got to give the Wheeler piece to.

00:31:14
Speaker 4: To clintac right, and then David Mobrowski's got to get shorter. I mean, you start thinking about what it takes to have this kind of team, and if they end up winning the World Series, you know, people going to say, well, you know, it was Dave Dombrowski and it was just that, and well no, not really, it was pretty much everybody. Just like when got Pat Gillick was the GM of the of the Phillies in two thousand and eight, it was Ed Wade prior to him bringing a lot of the you know, pieces of the puzzle together. And I think, you know a lot of people get credit for this stuff and a lot of people should.

00:31:46
Speaker 1: Well, Jim, we talk about how we all have three different answers for m v P. I mean we talk about Team cy Young. Everybody's gonna say Zach is anybody gonna go out on a limb and say somebody other than Zach Wheeler.

00:31:56
Speaker 5: Well, someone could. I mean there's a couple of m viewers that could that could.

00:31:59
Speaker 1: Jump too, but I mean Zach Wheeler, yeah, gosh, it's not even yeah. The really the only question, so we always say Zach Wheelers as Team cy Young. My question, the only question I have is can he edge out Chris Sale. And what I am wondering is do the voters all wait until after today to send in their vote. I'm sure some of them, by you know, just might have instinct, you know, instinctively. I guess sent it in today before the game. But if what happens if Chris Sale goes out in Game two and spits the bit. Chris Sale has not pitched since September nineteenth.

00:32:38
Speaker 3: And that's a regular season game that should be.

00:32:40
Speaker 1: A regular season game. He only lasted five innings in that start.

00:32:44
Speaker 2: His vila was the way down. What if he pitches Game.

00:32:46
Speaker 1: Two today and gets rocked against the Mets in a game that you know that the Braves need to win, that could affect the voting, you know. Regardless, I think Zach Wheeler has has made a strong case for nl SI young like the Phillies. The Phillies yesterday sent out this kind of like big long email pdf tweet. They also sent it out as a tweet on some of the Some of the numbers et zachly are. The one that really jumped out at me was Wheeler faced three hundred and sixty nine right handed hitters this year and held them to a four to thirty four ops over the last fifty years. That's the second lowest ops against right handed hitters. Max Scherzer had a four to twenty five ops against righties in twenty seventeen when he won a second consecutive NL sy Young. I mean, he flat out freaking dominated right.

00:33:35
Speaker 2: Handed hitters as well as a lot of other hitters too.

00:33:38
Speaker 1: But Jim you mentioned also earlier levin straight starts to finish the season two or fewer runs.

00:33:44
Speaker 2: What a strong finish. What a strong finish on.

00:33:46
Speaker 1: A team that desperately needed it because Ranger was bad and the number five starter spot was a disaster. Can you imagine if Zach was kind of like up and down going into the bow season.

00:33:57
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a sign of a thorough when they get stronger down the stretch, and that guy's a thoroughbred.

00:34:03
Speaker 4: Totally, totally, guys, I'm super passionate about this one.

00:34:07
Speaker 5: I think he got soft in twenty twenty one.

00:34:11
Speaker 4: It's just not the right thing. It was just not the right thing for him to have lost that. And I do believe in length and consistency and bulk, and in this situation, because you talk about it, horses, a horse is a horse. This guy was an absolute horse. I mean he's posted up, he pitched every time in his rotation.

00:34:33
Speaker 5: Basically he pitched.

00:34:36
Speaker 4: You know, the quality start numbers, the quality against the toughest teams in the league numbers. I mean, there's just so many factors that I hope that people who make this decision Todd no disrespect, but sometimes they're not informed enough and they just look at the numbers and they say, Okay, strikeouts.

00:34:58
Speaker 5: He has a lot of strikeouts, a.

00:35:00
Speaker 4: Ton of this, And well, if you don't post up, if you don't bring those quality innings, those a number of innings, you don't have the quality starts. Then I just feel like this. And I love Chris Saleman. I love the way he competes, I love the story. Let him have the comeback player of the Year, no no brainer for me. But for as far as the cy Young is concerned, and I know I'm biased because I know this guy and I've seen him develop, But if you look deeper inside the numbers, this man is a cy Young winner and should win it.

00:35:36
Speaker 1: Zach Zach Wheeler through twenty right now as of today, twenty two and a third more innings in Chris Sale that's about three and a half more starts.

00:35:44
Speaker 5: That's three and a half more starts. I mean, think about when he lost us to con Berns. It was like fifty innings.

00:35:49
Speaker 3: It was ridiculous.

00:35:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, it was insane it Yeah, totally totally agree with you. You know, some of the numbers that the durability numbers I think really jump up out of may. You know, three and a half more starts than Chris sale By innings pitched, and just the fact that his ear is right there with him. He's right there in strikeouts, he's right there and wins. You know, he's he's right there in a lot of those stats. So you know, Zach Wheeler, for me, what about fireman of the year, who's your reliever of the year?

00:36:19
Speaker 3: Go ahead, guys, and a tough one.

00:36:22
Speaker 2: Yeah it is. I mean you really look.

00:36:24
Speaker 4: Look, I'm gonna go out and say Jeff Hoffman because again and listen, he was fantastic and he's pitch pitching in in situations that are a little bit tighter. I think that little bit further back in the game than than his strom Strom was outstanding. But I mean, to me, Jeff Bockam was just stellar. I mean, one bad outing. He would have won the e r A race and the team had he not had that one bad outing.

00:36:48
Speaker 5: He was right.

00:36:49
Speaker 4: I mean it jumped up to like two point one or something, some ridiculous number. He's been outstanding and his story is a great one as well. Uh for him to go from you know, being a first round her and really sort of a failed starter, and then getting the opportunity last year to come back and pitch for the Phillies and and bearing down and become the guy that he is.

00:37:08
Speaker 5: I think I think the story is great. I think the performance was phenomenal.

00:37:12
Speaker 4: People just sort of take it for granted that he was just out there for you know, flipping, flipping again and he was pitching against probably the toughest guys in the lineup.

00:37:19
Speaker 5: Almost every time. And that's what al Rob Thompson will work this during the course of the I believe will work this during the course of the of the playoffs.

00:37:28
Speaker 4: But I mean his number is his performance, his ability to get strikeouts when he needs to.

00:37:34
Speaker 5: I gotta go with Jepoffmann good stuff.

00:37:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess I could argue with you on Strom, but like I said, I think they're both have been tremendous, Uh, you know, throughout the whole season. So I can't really pick one there. Maybe Hoffman by a nose, but Strom that has had an awesome season too, the incredible performance for this team.

00:37:59
Speaker 1: Probably Yeah, Hoffman by a nose, Ruben, Like you said, he did pitch in those later innings against the Bulk, you know, the meat of the lineup usually. But look how close their seasons ended. Hoffman ere a two one seven, Strom one eight seven. But like you said, Ruben, that last appearance that Jeff d was not.

00:38:15
Speaker 2: Good one six, one six five to two one seven. That's that's so it just it killed him.

00:38:22
Speaker 1: Whip Matt Strom point seventy five, Hoffman point nine six. Opponent batting average against Strom one sixty six, Hoffman one nine seven.

00:38:34
Speaker 2: Uh walks very close.

00:38:36
Speaker 5: Uh.

00:38:37
Speaker 1: Strom had eleven walks and sixty two and two thirds Hoffman sixty six and one thirds. He had sixteen walks. So everything was right there at the end. So yeah, I think Jeff Hoffman gets the edge.

00:38:47
Speaker 5: And let's he made himself some money, didn't he.

00:38:50
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean he's he's gonna be enough free agent this year, man, and someone's gonna have to post up.

00:38:56
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's that's gonna be interesting. That's gonna be interesting.

00:38:58
Speaker 3: See what Hoppen would you do, Rubio?

00:39:01
Speaker 5: Oh, I would try to sign him to a two year deal. But he's not going to take a two year deal. He's going to take a three year deal.

00:39:06
Speaker 4: It's going to be somewhere between, you know, twelve and fifteen million dollars.

00:39:10
Speaker 3: We were talking about this the other day.

00:39:12
Speaker 5: Tough one, man, it's a tough one. You can't pay everybody.

00:39:15
Speaker 3: We were talking about this the other day, Todd and I. Somebody asked about Hoffman and I drew the comparison to J. C Roumeiro. Both were released players. You brought in J. C Romero. He pitched grade the postseason, and then he became a free agent. It was a tough decision. I think you had to actually kind of take the market a little, a little upward and give him a three year deal. It was a tough call. But this is very similar to that, except it's going to be more than what JC got.

00:39:42
Speaker 5: Yeah, well a lot more, maybe triple.

00:39:46
Speaker 3: The market was different then, oh.

00:39:47
Speaker 5: Way different, way different.

00:39:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, there is a little similarity. Reliefs guys, and they've found great success here, became such an important part of the team and you really needed him going forward. It's a very.

00:40:00
Speaker 5: Interesting, yeah, really really cool discussion.

00:40:03
Speaker 1: So so this week, guys, we get the Braves Mets doubleheader on Monday. We'll find out who they're playing. We've got some cool shows planned this week. Last week we taped an episode with Charles Barkley, who is a Phillies fan, huge Phillies and he's also entertaining as hell.

00:40:20
Speaker 2: So we talked with Charles. That episode is going to come tomorrow.

00:40:24
Speaker 1: I caught up with the Armantani brothers and and those are the guys that put together this postgame mix playlist that every Phailies fan that is that connects with this team wants.

00:40:37
Speaker 2: To know about.

00:40:38
Speaker 1: So they put together that post game playoffs because one of the things that connects this team with the fan base is how these guys like to party.

00:40:45
Speaker 2: And a lot of the music. And so I caught up with those guys.

00:40:48
Speaker 1: We're gonna run that this week and then later this week, once we know who the Phillies are playing. It could happen, you know, after game two or Game three of the Wildcards here is we'll get together and then we'll come back and will break down the series, the NL Division series.

00:41:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, which is?

00:41:06
Speaker 5: Which is?

00:41:06
Speaker 1: Begins Saturday? Game ones on Saturday. Game two is on Sunday. And then they go on the road to wherever they are going to play. It could be Milwaukee, could be Arizona, could be New York.

00:41:16
Speaker 3: How would how would Matt Breens say Saturday.

00:41:20
Speaker 1: Say Saturday, Northeast Phillies.

00:41:23
Speaker 2: Matt Brains say.

00:41:25
Speaker 5: Nothing nothing wrong with Northeast Philly.

00:41:27
Speaker 2: No, nothing wrong at all, Nothing wrong at all?

00:41:32
Speaker 1: What did they just say? All right, guys, we'll be back remember Charles Barkley, Armantwani Brothers. And then we'll be back later this week to break down the n l DS.

00:41:43
Speaker 5: That was fun. See you guys, Say Jim.

00:41:51
Speaker 2: This is The Philly Show.

00:41:53
Speaker 1: If you haven't already, please subscribe to The Philly Show wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch us on our YouTube channel. If you like what we do, give us a review, Tell a friend. Catch Rubenjim and Me on Phillies Nation TV, presented by Valley Forge Tourism.

00:42:09
Speaker 2: New episodes air and hour.

00:42:10
Speaker 1: Before every Saturday Phillies game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Replays air throughout the week and on Philliesnation dot com. Get more of Reuben's analysis during before and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports Radio ninety four WIP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Rejim at the Allcity Network at allphl y dot com. Find more of me at MLB dot com, the philliesb Newsletter, and occasionally on MLB Network