Potential Moves on the Horizon

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Hi, This is Chase Utley and this is the Phillies Show. Hi, everybody, Welcome to The Phillies Show with Ruben Tomorrow, Junior, Jim Salisbury. I'm Todd's Lucky. It is Friday, May thirty first, twenty twenty four, Phillies coming off an off day and a two and four road trip through Colorado and San Francisco. Kind of the first bit of adversity the Phillies have faced really since maybe the first week of the season. So naturally some concern amongst Phillies fans about what they saw on this road trip. Some of their blemishes maybe bubbled up a little bit more than they have over the first several weeks or certainly the last several weeks of the season. And I'm not too worried about it. Ruben, you were out there, what was the vibe, give me the give me the vibe of the this road trip and the flight home.

00:01:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think that, Well, the flight home was great, but leading up to that, I mean, obviously there's a team that you know, a couple of teams that they just don't play well, either in course field or in Oracle Park. I mean, it's just I don't know what it is, they just over the years they just do not play well there. I think the atmosphere and not as much of the atmosphere. I think the fact that they you know, you're in that high altitude. I think that's a little bit of difference. I think that you see that some of the pictures have to make certain adjustments there that it takes a little time. You saw that happen a couple of times with guys on the mound, and I think that they just it's one of those places that it's so wonderful to hit there that I think you that guys get out of their plan. One of the things that that the a Phillies have done really really well over the last you know, a month and a half or so is situationally hit They've stayed in the middle of the field. I just saw some bigger swings. I saw some you know, some some approaches that were not nearly as consistent as they have been and just kind of letting things happen. It almost seems like, oh my god, I'm I'm in here, of course field, I gotta do some raking. You know, this is a time to do some you know, you know, mix some Hay with home runs and things like that, and I just think that they got a little bit out of their plan. I think that that was part of it on the offensive side, because they faced a couple of guys with like enormous cras, guys who are just not great. The pitchings is not great, and in San Francisco it was just a matter of running into a team. I think that's pretty hot right now. They're playing pretty good baseball. They're I mean San Francisco came in and won like, I don't know, three or four crazy games late in games and like historically won like four, like three or four games down more than three runs or three runs or whatever. And they just playing hot baseball. The fact that they salvaged that one game that was huge. He got a great start from Christopher Sanchez Man and he's been really good. I mean he's been pitching like a like a three, really really solid. I'm really impressed with his old transformation, and I mean we could sit here and talk for half an hour about what he's done just making an adjustment to being a pitcher. The fact that he's now got his velocity back up to where he was before, and he's commanding it. It's just it's pretty extraordinary. He's also throwing a little slider and even featured the cutter, which he had abandoned because he couldn't get a feel for his change up in spring training. The fact that he's now utiling that pitch, I mean, you see the confidence in his whole game continuing to improve, and it's it's quite a fine man. That's a that's a really good number four, number five, and uh that that that that's huge. And he came and came. He became sort of like the stopper form and stopped the flow and and did a really good job of salving that salvaging that last game.

00:04:23
Speaker 3: Yeah, he he provided really good bookend starts to start the trip and to end the trip. And I agree with you. Putting up that great start in the final game in San Francisco just changed the entire sort of psychological complexion of the of the road trip for me. But you know, I think you know, they left for the road trip with the best record in baseball. They had a poor road trip, and they come home with the best record in baseball.

00:04:51
Speaker 4: Pretty good. I mean we talk.

00:04:53
Speaker 3: About, you know, the the peak level they had been playing at and how you know, it's just it's not gonna it's not sustainable. It doesn't mean, you know, you can't be a good team, but you're gonna have ebbs and flows, and you know they had a little ebb here, but Christopher Sanchez and the bats that day helped them get back on track.

00:05:14
Speaker 4: Coming home.

00:05:14
Speaker 3: I just think hitting comes and goes, and you know when it goes, when you go cold a little bit, the good hitters get out of it quickly. So you know, Scott had been having a awesome month, Bom had been having an awesome season. Harper had been having an awesome month. All three of those guys hit under two hundred on the trip, but I think and I think that was probably one of the reasons. You know, they scored two or fewer runs and half of the games out there, so the offense just wasn't there on the trip. But hey, that happens. Thursday's off day to me, comes at a great time. You gotta win before it. On Wednesday, you get the off day to kind of have a cleansing breath, come back in front of a big crowd on Friday night and get it going again.

00:05:59
Speaker 4: So I love where where they're at.

00:06:02
Speaker 2: Guys.

00:06:03
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no reason to freak out over a six game West Coast road trip. I mean, if you freaked out over every six game West gross road trip that then go the Phillies way, you'd you'd be losing your mind. Yeah, over the years, I mean, it's something always crazy happens out there's you know, even even for the for the really good teams. I mean, Nick, you mention, Jimmy, you mentioned the offense. Nick Castianos had a big game in that series finale, hit the home run. I think he double single first three at bats. He was a triple away from this cycle, and we keep going, is this the game that gets Nick turned around? Is finally starting to show something? And you look at his last eight games or so, I was looking at it, and you know, he's he's hitting the ball a little bit better the last eight games, like an ops over eight hundred. You know, they need some more production from that outfield. That's that's something that's really kind of popped up, I feel like, and the way that they were playing the first several weeks of the season, it kind of flew under the radar a little bit. Johann Ross is starting to creep up and now it's a little bit more of an issue. Is it a big issue? Is this something that has you guys concerned? I feel like I feel like right now, the way the team is playing, it's not you know, Siren's going off, But it could be towards the end of July when you start thinking about the stretch drive.

00:07:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's it's I don't know if it's an issue, but certainly when Marsh obviously Marsh is not playing every day because they're Fay facing so many left handers, and so Rob Thompson's wanting to get you know, Pasche some at bats. He wants to get you know, Marrorfield some at bats, and Merrorfield's really not done a lot for him clearly and still adjusting to that, you know, not everyday role, and he hasn't really been all that productive. Passe actually had a pretty decent game that last game playing in center field. I think that I think it's just they have not they have not gotten a lot of production out of Marsh and obviously not very much out of Castillanos, which is more of a concern because the guy just can't hit two hundred and everybody think that that's okay, that's just not that's not gonna happen. I mean, that shouldn't happen. I think he's a much better hitter than this. I mean, Jimmy and I have talked about this, probably at nauseum. At some point, you think he's gonna start breaking out. I don't. I think he's hitting the ball a little bit harder. He actually said that in the post game when we talked to him about it. I think that there's more There's obviously more bat in there, and Rob Thompson keeps throwing him out there to make sure that he tries to swing his way into being that productive player. But when you have a guy like marsh on one corner not playing every day and sort of getting sporadic at bats because of the left handers that they're facing, and then you got Castianos on the other corner not really producing like he can or has, then it gets to a little concerning. I think if you get into the middle of June and you're both you're getting that kind of production scene production that you're getting out of these guys, then because you're not gonna get a whole lot of production center field. That's just not gonna happen. But if you're not getting that kind of production or more production out of those guys in the corner, then you gotta start thinking about, Okay, I might have to go get an outfielder who's at the trade headline maybe who's going to be a little bit more productive. I would not panic about it now because they don't have Turner in that lineup, and so you have you're missing that production. At some point, he's gonna come back and we'll probably talk about that a little bit. But that's my take on the outfield thing. I'm not I don't get all too tied up in like what positions on the field are producing. I've seen people to produce, whether it's an infielder, an outfielder, a catcher, it just doesn't really matter. You'd like to have more production throughout the lineup because that's what makes it so deep and so special. But I think marsh is a key there because I think he needs to start playing more and needs to get in there and get more reps because he's a much better player. I think when he's getting you know, consistent.

00:10:22
Speaker 3: At bats, I do think it's it's you say, it doesn't matter where you get the production from. But you look at this team, they've gotten a ton of production from the infield, and when it backed off a little bit on this trip the outfield, the outfields flaws and production really showed up because they didn't score runs.

00:10:41
Speaker 4: And you know.

00:10:42
Speaker 3: You look at their overall three spots outfield production and in a lot of important offensive categories, they're in the bottom third in Major League basement. I mean, some of these solutions might come from within if marsh gets going, if Meryfield when he plays gets going, and of course when Castianos plays every day, if he can start to turn it around. But we have crossed over the one third mark of the season, and you know, traditionally, I mean you know this Ruben Todd covering baseball, that first third of the season you're kind of getting your arms around what you have, and maybe that second third of the season is adjustment time, and then the final third is you know, you got your team and boom, you're off and running.

00:11:27
Speaker 4: I'm wondering.

00:11:29
Speaker 3: Now that we've crossed the one third line. Big, like I said, evaluation time, getting a handle.

00:11:35
Speaker 4: On what you have.

00:11:40
Speaker 3: As the trade deadline comes into a little more focus here, Todd, What are you what are you kind of lining up here as areas you think you might need to improve because I will remind you, though they have the best record in baseball, that's nice, but you're not in this. I have the best record in baseball. You're in this to win the World Series, and you still need to build a team that is invincible in October. It is all about October. So there are tweaks that need to be made for success in October. What are you looking at on your radar? Maybe at the deadline?

00:12:21
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, I think outfield for sure, you look at It will be interesting to see how far if this situation does not improve. I think if Castiano starts playing like Castiano, so it kind of the ship rights itself in a sense, you'd be great if Marsh No. I feel like Rob Thompson is in a tough spot in terms of Marsh because his bats have been so substandard against lefties. He's hitting one nine three ninety nine ohps against left these eighteen strikeouts and forty three played appearances. So the bats have not been very competitive, and so you talk about, you know, being more competitive, getting better production from the outfield. Do you have the patience right now to just run Marsh out there against lefties and see if he can get on track? That's interesting, But yeah, how big do you go if you go in the outfield. That's that to me is an interesting question. Do you go for an everyday player? You know, say the white You know Luis Robert Junior, a centerfielder, he's coming back from the injured list. He would be really good if they could get him. But now he's playing in center field. Maybe you could play in the corner. But who do you who do you take out of there? Who do you have to give up to get somebody like that? Is there more of a part time player? How does that guy fit in with their current makeup? And then of course, you know, I feel like Rubin, You've said this before. If you can't find a bat, maybe just continue to load up on pitching. Maybe try to find another lockdown reliever or two. Maybe maybe you go in that direction.

00:13:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I always air on the side of pitching, but I think that there's a right handed bat situation Casianos does not. I mean, obviously we're missing trade Turner, so that's a big piece of it. That's a right handed bat in that lineup. That's important. And then you end up, you know, pushing j T, you know, back behind Boem or around in that area probably and that gives you a little bit more right handed depth. But if they don't get production out of Casianos, then I'm looking for a right handed bat that, you know, and maybe it is a guy like Robert. Maybe it is a guy. I mean, if you really want to go for it, that would be that would be a guy. Perhaps they trade a guy like Johann Rojas for the guy. I mean, who knows. I mean, I'm just and that's and I haven't really looked at Robert's contractor his situation and how long they would have him for, But who knows. I mean, Listen, Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton and all others associated with the Phillies are hell bound and hell bent on winning a World Series, and not just this year, for many years to come. John Milton talks about it all the time, multiple ones. He wants to have a legendary team that's gonna be good for a long time. Now they're set up to actually be good for the next three or four or five years. The way they're set up, I think right now and at least three and so you got to get that first one, and so I think that I think the sky's the limit as far as them making a move, But a lot of it depends on like I said, and then Jim Mayde made a great point. I mean, one third of the season, you have a pretty good idea. But with guys like Casianos, who have like a certain number or certain numbers on the back of that baseball card, you give them a little bit more time. I think by the end of June, if you're not getting production out of Casianos and you're not getting production from the left side against lefties. Again, with Marsh, I think at some point he's gonna have to I think you're right, Todd. I think that Rob Thom's gonna have to sort of find out if he can do it right now he's obviously not. Then I think you guys think about, Okay, I need a right hand and back. It's going to do some do some damage.

00:16:09
Speaker 3: If they're committed to Castianos, that would put maybe Rojas in more focus as an area to get improved offense. His defense is his calling card, but it hasn't been like Triple elite like we think it can be. What are we thinking on him after a third of the season. We're still going forward with him? Or might we tweak in that area. I'm not saying give up on him, but he's still a developing player. Well, I think he needs more time in Triple A.

00:16:44
Speaker 1: Todd, Yeah, I mean he could if they decide that if the offensive production in the outfield has not stepped up, I think that would be a way to go. You know, they they love his defense. Of course, you know, if they find another right handed bat, you can always move Marsh back to center if you wanted to do that, find a corner outfielder in that regard, and so now you're you're still you lose a little bit of defense in centerfield. Marsh is very good in center field, so you could possibly do that. So I think that's that's that's a fit. If the outfield does that, does not step it up again. I think if Castianos can get going that that kind of lessens the urgency to do this. But but he hasn't shown it so far. Last eight I mentioned last seven games betning two fifty eight, three home runs, five Arby Eyes eight thirty nine. Oh ps. But he's had these stretches before we go. It's kind of emerging. It's kind of emerging. He's got to do it for longer than that, of course, yeah.

00:17:42
Speaker 2: He sure that certainly does. Now I would consider sending Johann Rolas down if he doesn't see I think that he can be an elite center fielder. But Pash's playing just as well on the center field. I can see him being able to do that. Now they may be and I could put them in a position to to maybe platoon Marsh and Pach and center and you know, move things around and maybe get a corner outfield or whatever the case may be. I like Martian Center. I don't love him as an elite centerfielder. I think he's just you know, he would be solid average centerfielder, not not, but I think it just makes the outfield so much better when you have a guy like either Pach or Rojas and center and the other guys in the corner. Just a much better defensive outfield. Now do you sacrifice to you? I mean, that's what's the beauty of being a GM and making these decisions, is that you know you have to kind of, uh think about what is going to get us to the next level, meaning which is good? What what's going to put us in a position to win the World Series? And that's that's a great position to be in. They're in a great position, there's no question about it. Just a matter of you know, what they would want to give up and how that impacts to the rest of the team.

00:19:08
Speaker 3: Well, talking about offense, and you've kind of hint mentioned this, they are without Trade Turner, who was doing some great things. We thought we'd see him knocking on the door now for a return, but he's been slowed by a setback. What is with the hamstring? What are we feeling like when we're going to see Trade Turner?

00:19:33
Speaker 2: So here's what I saw. I mean, I know that they're being super cautious with him because they don't want it to linger. They want to make sure that in August, September and October and November that this guy is going to be just fine, and so they're being very cautious with him. He had a little soreness. Frankly, I was a little surprised that they took him out to Colorado because because of the thin air and stuff, like that not the greatest place to recover, and I thought they might send him out. Of course I'm not a doctor, but it just didn't seem like that was a great place for him to continue his work. Anyway. That said, he ends up, you know, getting a little tweaked, a little sore. But it was cool to see him in San Francisco go ahead and take, you know, take some swings off the tee, and he was out there when the guys were doing infield drills. He's out there, you know, hanging out with him. I think he's really chopping at the bit. It will be interesting. I'm not sure what he's done as of today Friday on where he's gonna go. I believe that he's going to continue, you know, uh and start up his running program again, either Friday or Saturday. I believe, but I'm not sure. But I think as again again, they're just trying to be super super cautious with him, but he's he is absolutely chomping at the bit.

00:21:01
Speaker 1: Taylan Walker has also been getting a lot of attention recently, has not been pitching well, and I know you need to give him some run. They have a bunch of off days coming up so they could shuffle the rotation if they wanted to. Got two years left on this deal of a seventy two million dollar deal. We talked a lot earlier when turnbullt was going great, how you have to give this guy a shot. He made thirty one starts last year, he won fifteen games. He pitched almost one hundred and eighty innings. But his numbers are not great. Small sample size ish, but not so small. You look at some of his metrics, average exit velocity against ninety one point six miles an hour, and you say, well, what is that? What the hell does that mean? It's the bottom five percent of all pitchers in baseball right now, So he's getting hit hard. Guy who once threw a splitter more than any other pitch, that was his money pitch through a third of the time last season, opponents hit two oh five with a two ninety five slugging percentage. Taiwan Walker is only throwing that pitch nineteen percent of the time this year, they're hitting five fifteen seven fifty eight slugging percentage against his former formerly his best pitch.

00:22:15
Speaker 3: So what you're saying is he's he doesn't have his his only he doesn't have his only weapon.

00:22:21
Speaker 1: Yeah, he doesn't have his own. He's not getting any swing and miss right now. He's you know, with with with that pitch and just with his pitch in general, with rate fifteen point one percent. That's swings and misses on all swings bottom two percent. So that's a concern. That's a concert because you thought the storyline was give him some time, he's going to get it figured out.

00:22:47
Speaker 5: You've got to give him some time. This split's gonna come, this's gonna come. So far, it hasn't come. So far, the swing hasn't come. Is this something you guys about or is it too early? Can they afford to be patient?

00:22:59
Speaker 1: It's not killing them? I guess because you know, very happy still have baseball. You do have Spencer Turnbull.

00:23:07
Speaker 2: You know.

00:23:09
Speaker 1: That's something you guys think should be a concern.

00:23:16
Speaker 4: Yeah, it would be a concern for me.

00:23:18
Speaker 3: I do think given the innings you got from him last year that earned him there's a lot of different wards for the opportunity, a little bit of respect leash.

00:23:30
Speaker 4: But it's getting shorter.

00:23:31
Speaker 3: It's getting shorter just because the pitches roll over the plate and they're getting hit very hard and this team should have should have high standards that if you're not getting the job done, need to make a change, have somebody else. Turnbull is an excellent option. Uh he pitches this weekend, right, He'll pitch on Sunday.

00:23:54
Speaker 2: Sunday.

00:23:55
Speaker 4: You know, I think it's a big start.

00:23:56
Speaker 3: I think a lot of eyeballs will be on him. For me, I'm not at the end of my leash yet. But start to tug a little bit, you know, starting to tug a little bit.

00:24:07
Speaker 2: And I don't disagree with you. Here's the issue from a GM's perspective, Okay, I know at least I get the feeling now having seen Turnbull pitch out of the bullpen, that he can be effective enough to be that guy in the bullpen and you need bullpen help. I mean that's part of this whole process too. Now, if you have a much better rotation the bullpen, piece of that, well that becomes diminished. That said, I know that Turnbull as a GM. If I'm a GM, that he can pitch out of the bullpen, I don't think. And my feeling is that if you flip flop these guys, what are you really going to do with Walker? Is he going to be able to pitch out of the bullpen. They didn't trust him to pitch out of the bullpen in the playoffs, obviously, and that was an issue. That's the concern I have. That's why I think the leash is going to continue to be a little bit longer and they're gonna have to play it out and see, Okay, can this guy get this split together. The split is huge for him because if he can't get it, he's not going to be nearly as an effective pitcher. The cutter he's throwing is better. He's throwing some more breaking balls and they're a little bit better, but that's not his bread and butter. His bed and butter is his split and right now his arm side life. They talked to Coughin was Tom McCarthy talked to Coughin a little bit about this. He hasn't been able to get that armside action on his split. So if he can't get the feel for that pitch and get it working down, then that could be really troublesome for him and they may very well have to think about making a switch. But when you do that, then you lose another guy in the bullpen. In turnbull and who do your place that guy with. So there's a lot of dynamics other than just you know, taking the guy out of the rotation that you know, there's a domino effect that you have to think about long term as well.

00:26:11
Speaker 3: How big of a dynamic room and for a GM or front office is to contract.

00:26:18
Speaker 2: It's a dynamic, It's part of it. But again, at the end of the day, if they don't think that he can be an effective picture, I mean, it's about wins Man. I mean, it's about wins I mean there were some difficult decisions that we had to make over the years. I mean Jenkins, we ended up, you know, releasing the eight six or seven or eight million dollars on him. We just you know released.

00:26:43
Speaker 1: You did the same thing with add a meat in that spring you cut out a meating as well.

00:26:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, so you have to you have to think about doing things that are not comfortable. But if you want to be an elite team, sometimes you got to make those decisions and eat some money. I don't know, I don't think they're at that space now because.

00:27:03
Speaker 3: I'm more or less talking about how big of a in terms of sticking with him in the rotation I'm not talking about cutting.

00:27:10
Speaker 2: I think I think it's a I think it's a factor, but I think the depth is more of a factor than than the than the money, because Hey, all of a sudden, something happens, God forbid to Aaron Nola, and you took that other guy out of the rotation. Now you're now you're oh, now what do we do? I mean, who's the next guy in lion and.

00:27:34
Speaker 1: They're starting pitching?

00:27:35
Speaker 2: Depth is not that The depth is the thing that really concerns me, and they they have enough of a cushion right now that while you're tugging on that leash because it's getting shorter and shorter, it's going to be longer for this guy because they still have the best record of baseball and they're going to make the playoffs, you.

00:27:54
Speaker 4: Know what I mean.

00:27:55
Speaker 2: So it makes it a little different. A dynamic may not be right, it may not be the perfect thing, but it also creates you know, if you take him out of the rotation and shorten him up and then he's not prepared to I mean, then you're really crushing your depth, and that's the last thing you want to do at this stage, especially when you have this sort of cushion.

00:28:20
Speaker 1: We got a bunch of listener questions. I asked for some last night, and I want to get to this. This is one that I could not find it this morning, So I apologize to the person who sent it out. Who is the funniest player? Manager? Coach Rubin, I guess you worked with Jim that you covered. Who's the funniest?

00:28:43
Speaker 4: A lot of funny.

00:28:44
Speaker 1: There's a lot of funny guys.

00:28:46
Speaker 2: I played on a team in Buffalo, guys that I will tell you it was a triple A team. It probably could have been. We could have won some Major League against some major league teams that year in nineteen ninety five. I will tell you that Billy Ripkin and Casey Candell, combination of those two players, maybe I literally belly laughed for the entire time I was there. Jeremy Burnitt's was part of that team. You think about this, so it's and Brian Giles. So I Brian Giles, myself and Jeremy Burnitt's in the same outfield. I mean, obviously I was the weakest link of that, but I was a pretty good minor league player, so we had some a lot of success. Then it was like Billy Ripkin and Casey Candell. Tory Labella was on that team. I mean it was I will tell you that unequivocally that Billy Ripkin and Casey Candell were two of the funniest dudes. I laughed every single day at stretch. It was just amazing, funny as hell.

00:29:48
Speaker 1: When I read that question, something that popped into my mind. And again, like so many guys that were just funny in general, but the first thing that popped in my head was chooch. In spring training and sometimes during the season, so every every morning, Frank Copenbarger, the former Phillies clubhouse guy, would kind of in his gravelly voice, go right your tickets down, because eventually, you know, I guess ultimately some player would forget that his family was going to come to the game and he'd grab Frank twenty minutes before first pitch, go my wife and kids are coming to guys. So he would come through multiple times during the day, go right your tickets down, and so then Choos every once in a while would just randomly come through in his Panamanian accident, and.

00:30:29
Speaker 6: People always laughed and go raight your tickets down. It was just a funny a funny little thing that Cheoch would do all the time.

00:30:41
Speaker 1: He was probably I wrote a story about this years ago. Who's the most beloved player in that clubhouse? And this was during the eight eleven run, and Chooch one hands down, And it was because he was such a great person. But he was also sneakily very funny. And I say sneakily because you know, he didn't rap too much with the media on camera, so a lot of fans at home didn't get to see it. But he was very, very funny behind the scenes. He would goof on Shane Victorino all the time.

00:31:10
Speaker 4: That was great.

00:31:11
Speaker 6: He imitated victor Yeah, like like I said, like I said, because Shane would say like I said a lot.

00:31:17
Speaker 1: And Sochuch would say like I said, like I said. So Chooch to me popped in my head. But there's so many other guys. Ryan Howard's very funny. Chase and Worth has a very dry sense here, Chase slightly what we had on the other day, super super dry sense of humor, and he when he showed it, you're like, oh my gosh, face cracking of funny. Before Jim was very fun Jay Roll was funny. Jay roll was very funny as well.

00:31:39
Speaker 4: He got jim Oh too many to name.

00:31:42
Speaker 3: I mean, Rex Huddler was hilarious. When I covered the Yankees, I covered David Cohene. He was smart, he was insightful. He could be wickedly funny. You know, I don't know if I can tell all the stories, but a lot of too many to name, but Jimmy Rollins made me laugh often with some of the things he said.

00:32:07
Speaker 4: Uh yeah, yeah, you know, just.

00:32:09
Speaker 2: I would make you laugh every once in a while, Yeah, make you laugh.

00:32:16
Speaker 1: Jimmy would always goof on me for questions. I would ask if he didn't like the question, to go, you can't look at me, give me a little side eye there, go, come on.

00:32:25
Speaker 3: Brett Myers was Brett Myers was was funny. Yeah, I'm trying to think of other guys. Just almost every day somebody would say something. I think it's important, you know, during the season to have those guys to kind of break the tension a little bit, and you know, you don't hear them going back and forth with each other, and it'll make Ryan Madson had a killer sense of humor.

00:32:50
Speaker 2: He did.

00:32:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, and on this team we have you know, Stubbs is very funny. Marsh is very for There's a lot of a lot of a lot of great person and allies in this clubhouse as well. That's one of the reasons why they're so close and why they have so much fun is is they are very, very loose and relaxed.

00:33:09
Speaker 4: I do.

00:33:09
Speaker 2: I did want to make one comment about you've mentioned the Phillies did a great thing. They in their Dominican Academy. They named fields after Chuch Carlos Luiz, Bobby A. Bray, You and Juan Samuel and they also named guests her bullpens for Roally de Armis, long time instructor manager. I think that that was a really really cool thing for them to have done. I'm not sure whose idea it was, but but that was really awesome. I mean, three three or four iconic Latin American players and people in this organization, and that was that was pretty classic.

00:33:52
Speaker 3: And they hit all the Phillies, they hit all the baseball hotbeds. You know, Juan, someone else from the Dominican chooses from Panama, Bobby's from Venezuela, and I think Rowley's.

00:34:02
Speaker 2: Roots are yep.

00:34:04
Speaker 3: So they Yeah, I agree with that because you know, It's funny. You'll talk to a young player and he'll not know who that player who was thirty years ago. You know, I remember talking to a player who didn't know who not long ago, who didn't know who Willie Stargell was, and I had a hard time believe in that. But it's just life. Life goes on, and you know, the young player in the Dominican Academy. One day we'll walk by Bobby Abreu field and maybe take the time to learn about Bobby Abreo as a as a player, Carlos Ruiz as a player and a man, Wanston well as a player and a man. And I think that's how you build legacy, and it's what the great franchises do.

00:34:47
Speaker 4: So yes, tip of the.

00:34:48
Speaker 1: Hat, our buddy six Stow asked me a question, how many Ruben Tomorrow junior cards are there on my wall behind me? The answer is zero. I have zero Ruben Tomorrow Junior cards on the wall behind me.

00:35:02
Speaker 2: It's very disappointing. They had me in then MLB network. By the way they do at different times, they do a bunch so but this is not a slate against you.

00:35:10
Speaker 1: So these are all cards basically I collected when I was in the you know when I was a kid in the eighties and so have no room. But this is true. I was just at Carl's Cards in Havertown the other a couple of weeks ago. Took my kids there after they played in the rain in the Little League and I wanted to get out of the house. Went over there. Of course, they got Pokemon cards, because you know, that's that's what they do. But I did ask them if they had any Ruben Tomorrow Junior cards because I was thinking of a sneaking one on the wall behind me. They did not have any Ruben cards, but they are going to keep an eye out for some, so maybe, uh maybe we'll maybe I'll get some on the wall. Eventually we got another.

00:35:50
Speaker 2: Made, like eight or ten of them.

00:35:51
Speaker 1: I think you must say, yeah, yeah, I've seen them, twelve, I've seen I've seen them online for sure.

00:35:56
Speaker 2: They did they They are out there, they are out there. They're not very pop there.

00:36:02
Speaker 4: I got I got one Robin.

00:36:04
Speaker 2: That's very nice.

00:36:07
Speaker 1: So Chris, his handle is Chris three three is a bunch of numbers. After he goes what's your favorite Van Halen's song?

00:36:15
Speaker 3: Oh wow, are we talking? Uh what era, the David Lee Roth era, or the Sammy Hagar.

00:36:20
Speaker 1: Era, whatever hear you like.

00:36:23
Speaker 3: So Hagar era I like a lot. I like the Hagar era Beta probably dreams. But in the davidly Roth era, Hot for Teacher, I love Hot for Teacher, like the video.

00:36:38
Speaker 4: I love the song.

00:36:39
Speaker 3: I love when when he looks like but I love that line I don't feel tardy.

00:36:48
Speaker 1: I'm going I'm going jump only because that reminds me of being in the car with my parents driving to just you know that that car that song, when that came out, I remember just it being in the radio. So that just kind of takes me back to being.

00:37:00
Speaker 4: A kid whose warm up song was that? Jump?

00:37:06
Speaker 1: Is it a Phillies player?

00:37:07
Speaker 4: Yes?

00:37:09
Speaker 1: Maybe before my time? I don't remember. Was it before.

00:37:14
Speaker 4: You covered him? Ruben traded for him? He pitched a long time.

00:37:20
Speaker 1: Jamie not Jamie Moyer, Jamie Moore, Jamie Moyer. I do not remember that.

00:37:25
Speaker 2: How about that? How about that I'm a running with the Devil guy.

00:37:29
Speaker 1: That's a good one.

00:37:30
Speaker 2: That's way back. That's way back right, That's when I was growing up.

00:37:36
Speaker 1: Oh, that's a good that's a classic. Come on, Rubin, how this question for you? How do you stay ready to hit when you're not playing every day? This is from Matt Wrigley.

00:37:45
Speaker 2: Well, the beauty of it now that they have this and I don't really know the name of the actual device, but one of the things that they have now there's a lot of different ways to do it. There's different drills, but one of the cool things is they have this pitch some later that actually shows And I was working with my brother on a different prototype of this with some other engineers that didn't get off the ground, but it now has been perfected where you can basically throw the pitches and you can simulate the actual pitch that the pitcher throws, and so you can put a act. You can actually put the put the screen up and do the video of the guy and he ends up like going into his wind up and throwing, and so the actual pitch, the rotation, the spin, you can duplicate it with these machines. It's pretty extraordinary and I think pretty much, I don't know how many teams have these devices now. They're not inexpensive, but the Phillies have one in their cages here. I think that they have one or two in the David Montgomery complex at spring training. I have not it's super secret, so I haven't been in there. But these devices and these pitch simulators are pretty amazing. I would love to have had those when I was in my pinch hit mode and pinch hit days so that you can actually see them that and they do high velocity stuff because everybody's throwing, you know, in the bullpen especially, you know. And I think that that that's a good drill. Those one of those drills that can really help simulate. And there's a virtual reality stuff that some people use as well, the VR stuff, And I think what Dan and O doubt is. I think he and his son are involved in that, and and that's another way to do it. But that's that's a good way to visualize and to actually see pitches and to react to them. Have your brought your eyes and your brain you know, sort of react to things. So there's a lot of devices to do it with, much better than you know, when we used to just take my buddy and I used take my boy Kevin Jordan in the back and they give me some soft toss, throw me some VP or whatever, get me ready. Now they also have they also have like the uh, the assistant hitting coaches. There's two or three of them now, so those guys will go back there and throw some VP and get them try to keep them ready. And there's a lot of different things that they can do. But there's a long winded way of saying, there's a lot more opportunity and there's a lot better technology to be able to be prepared.

00:40:20
Speaker 3: Y's you know, all these facilities now and the technology you can, Like, if you're facing Aaronola, you can upload all his spin, all his pitches, all the data, the break, the vertical, this, that, and you can mimic that pitch so a guy can watch it. And you can do that in a state of the art, state of the art batting cage right behind the dugout. It makes you know if if an infielder is going to go in to the game, he can go into batting cage. It's long enough and get some throws in it, take a few want hoppers. It just it changes the dynamic for how a bench player can stay ready nowadays, the technology and the facilities, and it makes me appreciate the stories I would hear as a kid. I you know, growing up in New England, I'd hear stories about well, I'd hear stories about Yustreemsky. On the night maybe he wasn't in the lineup, he would spend the game in the clubhouse with a bat boy who would flip him rolled up sanitary stockings and into you know, the sanitary went a ball and he'd smack him to get ready to pinch hit. Nowadays, the facilities, and it makes me marvel. The Red Sox have a batting cage now behind the dugout, right, Reuben, They dug into the earth and they built a batting cage.

00:41:33
Speaker 7: But yes, in four they did not. They had nothing. They had a teeny dugout and a teeny clubhouse and that stolen base by Dave Roberts, the history making stolen base. He goes in there and he steals that base on Rivera and Pasada by that much. And to be at top speed the way he was with essentially no way.

00:41:54
Speaker 2: To warm up.

00:41:55
Speaker 3: Maybe in that dank tunnel he was able to run a little bit underneath the stands there. But nowadays, if you think you're gonna pinch ruck, you can go up in the batting cage and get a good stretch in. You can actually run you know, do some breaks and run the old facilities. In the old baseball, you had none of that. So staying ready as a bench guy was very difficult. And it makes me just marvel at what Dave Roberts did that night.

00:42:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was viewed as sort of bush league. I know this because this is death was my job. It was sort of bush league to be doing sprints like in between innings, to do out do it out there on the field. People were looking at it. You like, dude, this is the major leagues, you know, do that stuff. So you had to get loose. And I mean I remember being in veteran stadium doing breaks and leads in the in the clubhouse, on the tunnel or the tunnel, running up you know, up the tunnel, and just to get my legs loose in the stretch out. So I want one quick thing about getting ready. I remember Albert Bell was super meticulous about everything he did. And Albert Bell basically had this guy who would flip him balls in between at bats every and he had to flip them perfectly because Albert wanted to, like, because he knew that he'd be getting attacked on the low part of the zone. He'd have this guy throw like nothing but flips like he'd swing like ten or twelve times every just before he was going to hit every single day, every day and every game and every bat before he would have it at bat. I mean it was you talk about I mean, the great ones do this stuff. The great ones have these routines. He in particular, man, I mean you talk about being neurotic about it, and I mean it paid off because he was real successful get hit.

00:43:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, would you guys when you think back to listen back to the Chase Utley episode, what kind of sticks out to you guys? It was such a fun listen. I actually listened to it a couple of times because I enjoy I enjoyed listening to his answers so much.

00:43:50
Speaker 4: It was it was a ton of fun.

00:43:53
Speaker 3: It was insightful, and obviously it was great to have a few laughs and loosen up a little bit because he was such an intense player. I kind of liked the stuff that he and Ruben went back and forth on the trade and how he said it was a sad night. But then you know, with the passage of time, and he even spent a little time in the front office with the Dodgers. He really grew to understand the Phillies' perspective on the trade and what they were trying to do. So I I enjoyed hearing him come to that understanding of it all.

00:44:25
Speaker 4: But I enjoyed the whole thing. It was a lot of fun.

00:44:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, same here. I mean, I was fascinated. So a couple of things. We all know how thoughtful he is about things, and I just you know, when I listened to him and I listened to him talk, it's really interesting the level of and I know he's a grown man now, but the way he thinks about things, I think it was a very very cool thing for me. It's fascinating that they would take his kids and take them to Europe to give them that experience. I think that that is fascinating just as a just as a decision to make with he and Jim, that that's really cool stuff. Anytime you can give your kids the experiences that they were able to do, I think that that, you know, that's one really unselfish, and two I think it's really really thoughtful on he and Jim's part. That that was sort of fascinating as a father and wanting to give your kids, those experiences that was that was that was kind of neat for me.

00:45:25
Speaker 1: So for me, I thought the fact that people always, I'm sure I know you guys get this too. People go, oh, Reuben h who are the good guys in there? Who do you who do you like? What's Chase like? What's Bryce like? What's what's Zach Wheeler like?

00:45:37
Speaker 2: Right?

00:45:37
Speaker 1: You guys get that all the all the time. And to me, it's very telling. If you want to know the type of person that Chase Utley is, just know that when they were doing those Playoff share meetings years ago, he was the guy in the clubhouse going, we're taking care of the clubbies, the guys making thirty five grand a year, picking up after you, you know, the guys that run errands for you, the guys that do all the stuff. We're going to hook them up and give them some life changing money.

00:46:02
Speaker 2: You know.

00:46:02
Speaker 1: I think I look back that in eight the World Series share was like the full share was like two hundred and ninety thousand dollars. This past year was over five hundred grand. And the fact that Chase in those meetings was making sure that those guys were taken care of, to me, says everything, because two hundred ninety grand is a lot of money, and there are players out there that will say, we're earning that money, we should keep that money for ourself. Yeah, Chase said, no, no, no, We're giving it to these guys that make garbage money and making sure that we can do something for them.

00:46:45
Speaker 2: I will tell you. I will tell you that as a GM when we went through that run, and you know, when you start thinking about the playoff money, that all these other you know, people that were making people are working in the clubhouse, people travel, people who are I mean all types of people that you don't that Chase was referring to. I get people like that come to me all the time, thanking me for sort of changing their lives. I mean, if you start thinking about the accumulation of money that they made over that five year period when we went to the playoffs every year, that's a lot of money, and it's changes these people's lives and it gives them an opportunity to do a lot of things. And I get people thanking me for that all the time. It wasn't me. It was a bunch of people, but they're really grateful. And I think if we look into this clubhouse right now. I think I understand that Kyle Schwarber was huge with that too. He is that guy, He's the guy fighting. There's others obviously, but in particular, I know that Kyle Schwarber's got that same sort of mindset, which is why you love that guy and why he needs so much to this ball club.

00:47:58
Speaker 1: Billy's open at three games seat this weekend against the Cardinals Friday Night Tonight Miles Michaelis versus Aaron Nola. Saturday It's Sunny Gray versus Ranger Suarez, and Sunday Night Sunday Night Baseball, Sunday Night Baseball, Lance Lynn versus Taiwan Walker. So and then they have Reys Hoskins possibly coming back early next week. We will be back on Monday. And I want to give a shout out to Shy Vintage Sports who sponsored the Chase Utley episode. Want to give them this opportunity to say that if you go into their store they have three locations, Center City, Westchestern Wayne, you go into their store you mentioned the Philly show, you get fifteen percent off your purchase. If you can't make it into this store, you could go to shib Sports dot com and enter the promo code The Philly Show. They sponsored the utly episode, which is still up, so if you have not gone and listen to it, definitely check it out. It was great, guys, so always a lot of fun to chat with you. We'll see you guys on Monday.

00:49:00
Speaker 2: Lewis, Matt, Saint Louis. They're playing good.

00:49:02
Speaker 4: Yeah, they're better, great fun.

00:49:04
Speaker 3: Enjoyed it and of course I'll smell you guys later.

00:49:08
Speaker 2: Smell it, Jim.

00:49:15
Speaker 1: This is The Philly Show. 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. New episodes air an hour 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 a casetionally on MLB network.

00:50:08
Speaker 3: Mm hmm