How Are the Cleveland Guardians This Good?

How Are the Cleveland Guardians This Good?

we got America college baseball coach we also have to talk about the American League Central and a couple of really notable debuts it feels like everything is happening within the American League Central so consider this the just AL Central show Jack and arum the just baseball show is presented by B MGM it’s Thursday June 27th but we’re also talking about the SEC um this was a really fun rundown to kind of think about because we have a new best team in baseball in terms of winning percentage we had Cinema like an absolute show on Tuesday night that we got to go back and recap but we got to start with this dumbassery in college baseball first and foremost you weren’t on the show kind of recapping the the College World Series Christian Moore is he a first round guy or what he’s a he is it’s funny I was talking about it with Peter though I’m like he’s giving me Ivan Melendez Vibes so take that with a grain of like I I just think defensively limited um crazy power he’s I mean what Melendez did in college baseball is unreal and like what he’s doing from a power perspective in the miners is awesome I’m just a little concerned that it might not totally translate but man was he fun to watch uh on the Collegiate stage and I mean just just really special power he’s more of an athlete than Melendez like part of me when first said Ivan Melendez I was like are you talking about uh Blake Burke but like no you’re talking about Christian Moore yeah because it’s like a it’s like a subpar second base kind of okay interesting but he was awesome um college baseball like when do you I obviously you you keep tabs on a lot of the first round guys when do you really tap in the Regional Conference tournaments Regional because I there’s something about just like the I love watching a team that has no business playing against some of the other teams like like in Evansville like I was dialed in Evansville like I was I had I had my girlfriend Ellie like looped into it she was excited about Evansville like we we were ready to watch that one cuz it’s like the Underdog Story of course it’s exciting but it’s also like how does a [ __ ] swinger that you know is is throwing at 82 where on the other side some guys throwing 98 and somehow you’re going toe-to-toe with them sometime somehow you steal a game like I love that part of the regional and then also there’s just there’s just times where they boat race teams and that’s also fun so yeah usually the regional will tap in sometimes the conference Attorneys at the end can get fun but for the most part yeah the the regional and then Super Regional starts to heat up for me 100% um College Station there was a super in College Station although Braden Montgomery got hurt in the Regional but they get to the College World Series they end up losing to Tennessee Jay laviolet who’s probably the odds on favorite to go number one overall next year him and cam canella who’s the center fielder for Clemson are probably the two leaders in the clubhouse to go one-1 in the 2025 draft but lavet in the portal because his head coach just left College Station Jim Schlagel who I do believe was at TCU before taking the M job uh echoed some sentiments when he was at TCU like this is the job that I want to have forever and then he goes and takes the A&M job he’s there for three years he’s the national runner up and there was a reporter that asked coach snagle after A&M lost the national championship if he had heard the rumors about the Texas job and and you know where he kind of stood on that and he said quote I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question to be honest with you but I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again and that hasn’t changed in my mind that’s unfair to talk about something like that I understand you’ve got to ask the question but I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job and I’ve poured every ounce of my soul in this job and I’ve given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it WR that then he stood up and left and about 15 hours later Jim Schlagel was the head coach Texas he left after bullying this [ __ ] out of a reporter that was simply like trying to do his job he murdered them and said how dare you ask me this this is my lifetime job and within 24 hours he left 80 grade Gaslight there but insane it so good like really really talented stuff there but okay a couple things first I understand a coach not to answer that question you know right after losing just say you don’t want to answer it right now say we just lost I’m reeling like I feel for our guys leave it at that you don’t need but you know why he didn’t say that because this was like defensive 101 here where it’s like I didn’t even insinuate something and then you got so defensive that now I’m like whoa like what’s going on also last thing what does he mean he left his family I don’t know I don’t want to be insensitive there like maybe there’s something I don’t know I’m not that tapped into like you know how all the details of of all of these coaches of collegiate teams but like left what do you mean left your F especially if he was at TCU I know Texas is a big state but like he’s making it sound like he he he left the other side of the world like he was in the UK and said I’m gonna go take this coaching job in in the US uh to to to go be a college baseball coach like what do you mean left your your your family also you made a lot of money to get this job like can you bring them with you again there might be things I don’t know but like I just thought that was a a wild thing to just fire out right away I left I left my family um okay so don’t your family next is he leaving them again or now is he going closer to them I don’t know the Texas geography or are they with him or are they waiting for him in Austin Austin’s a great City so maybe they’ll they’ll go there it’s expensive though so I is he bringing them with him this time dude I’ve got the same questions that you do um I’m not sure I think A&M paid him enough and like I understand that it’s Texas baseball like that’s a totally different brand and I understand that like A&M is a huge brand in college baseball Texas is bigger like the Texas job that was Auggie Gitto’s job forever it’s Texas and Florida State when you think about college baseball I think USC is up there too um I think Miami was up there but kind of lost some of that luster I think Florida state is certainly up there um like there are Premier brands in college baseball and like when Tim Corbin took the job at Vandy it was not that brand like he turned it into what it is Vandy was not a brand before Tim Corbin got there Jim schlagle went to A&M when A&M was an absolute brand and he’s brand jumping from like I I don’t want to call TCU Kohl’s but like let’s call it I’m thinking backpacks uh I’m blank what’s that uh what’s that Norwegian backpack you know what I’m talking about F Raven I don’t know if I know that I’m not I’m not priv to Norwegian backpacks let let’s go like let’s go high price stuff so like TCU Lulu Lemon right he goes from Lulu to I don’t know we jump to javoni wow right at how big of a jump you think that is for baseball maybe I don’t know if we can we can like accurately compare that I don’t know enough about fashion either I think I lost it yeah I think I totally lost I know you’re trying to say though but like he was just bougie brand jumping and now he’s at like the bougiest best brand but like don’t be a dick to reporters dude that was just that was a horrible horrible look for him and frankly like I don’t know if he cares um but man you got off in a horrible foot at well the point that you’re making like and again if I if I knew more about like clothing and fashion I I could definitely chip in and help you out here but like I get it because like I can’t blame him for wanting to jump to a better opportunity and a better brand especially when it’s college baseball in the nil world and you know you need to not only recruit people to not only do you need funding you need to recruit people to your brand and and you know to to be at the school that you want to be in in the city and it’s it’s beyond that and Texas is is a national brand like we know that A&M is a bigger brand obviously than TCU uh like so I get that he’s climbing upwards but how you do it I think makes a big difference and I again I have no issue with him going to take I’d do the same thing I’d go take the Texas job too for more money I probably wouldn’t site leaving my family again there might be something there if there is I’m sorry actually I should say I apologize which is my favorite thing too instead of saying I’m sorry and I messed up the I apologize kills me if every everyone ever says sorry to me like about something and they say I apologize I’m more pissed yeah just I apologize see in your head you’re saying oh I needed to apologize I’m going to go do that and and this was my favorite part you know before we move on to the MLB side of things I I just I love I love this this part of it he asked a question and this is from schl n he asked a question that was an obvious question I wish I could have answered that better but in the moment all all 30 minutes after that last pitch all I could think about was our players and I wasn’t really in the mood to talk about myself for the future all you could think about was your players because you knew you were about to leave them or because they just lost and again like it’s okay to leave the players players are jumping all over the place for for nil too but I just again like if you’re going to pull that one out he’s pulled the family card just pulled the players card like just just say you’re making the best decision for your family and and leave it at that and and and I think that keeps it very simple uh and again these play these coaches are getting screwed all the time too by players jumping and taking money which is fine players should do that also this is the free market craziness we have in college baseball but I think you know to site the kids all I could think about was the kids like you’re leaving dude and you were just one game away from from a World Series uh so that part of it is is tough and I also think it’s a tough look when it’s you were one game away like you couldn’t get them to give you a little bit more money in stay maybe not I don’t know uh but yeah also he led that thing off with I apologize so I just I always love that I I apologize um yeah I watching people talk out of their ass is like a very fun thing and this was you know 24 hours of watching him absolutely talk out of his ass and it was like very enjoyable I think the way that I I can actually demonstrated is steakhouses let’s go steakhouses right so Weber grill was TCU that’s a really good meal I greatly enjoy Weber grill but like I understand if you want to go to a St Elmos or like anywhere that you know is is at the top of your thought you know when it comes to hey mid-level City let’s go to the nice steakhouse in that City I get it that’s A&M and then Peter Luger comes calling in New York and it’s like oh this is the one you’ve got the [ __ ] gold shavings on the steak like that’s what he just jok you take it for sure but like you don’t tell St Elmos that you’re like I’m never leaving I love it here leaving yeah the best thing I’ve ever eaten would you ever consider eating anywhere else no why would you even ask me that I’m trying to enjoy my meal that’s a horrible question I love this steak house I’m I’m about to eat this steak and you’re asking about other Stakes how how could you but that one’s in Gold I don’t care I love it then the next morning you’re like I kind of want the gold Stak yeah we got it yeah um let’s talk about the gold standard here in in Major League Baseball and as it stands right now it is great segue into Dallas Kyo season debut that was really good I know Dallas Kyo with the Milwaukee Brewers uh the gold standard of [ __ ] tossing lefties also speaking of [ __ ] tossers third time we’ve used that term on the show today congratulations to Kyle Hendricks on 10 years of Major League service yeah he can he can retire now that was awesome and like I you know hope he’s rides out the rest of this year and you know we we’ll see how much longer he wants to go I’ve heard as good of a clubhouse guy as there is in Major League Baseball as smart of a guy as there is in Major League Baseball and this guy want an RA title man like he was one of the most underrated pitchers of the past gener we’re going to think about kersha ver Lander Scherer understandably so and then you got to think about Kyle Hendrick like I I think he’s on the same not the same level as clubber because clubber won multiple Sai Youngs but he’s a step down from clubber like I think you should be talking about Kyle Hendrick in the same way that you know you talked about the back half of Adam way wri’s career and and there I think wayo is a great I think wayo is the great comp where I think a lot of what we saw from wayo because boer’s Peaks were just like outrageous crazy but to your point ra title finished third in sa young voting finished top 10 another year Lois walks per nine in in in Major League Baseball and then I think over the last few years you know it’s really inflated those numbers but given that the story and the expectations and what he’s been able to do as a guy that was you know not very sought after um I I think is is really amazing I do want to also mention like yeah he’s been a disaster but not lately last five appearances 21 Innings three runs so it would be nice if he could kind of just finish this year strong and all of the sudden you know have have a nice little going out not not quite the way away uh but and maybe maybe he tries to stick around a little bit longer if he finds something but last time out seven Innings two runs I know it’s at the Giants you know and it’s a good place to pitch there but he’s been better of late so it’s pretty nuts considering the way the Cubs are going like he’s been one of their better arms over the last couple weeks he was also the losing pitcher in that one I think going seven Innings at two-run ball that offense is horrible the Cubs dude the Cubs are cooked they’re not good they’re really not good like I know they’ve had injuries to the bullpen but like every time I watch the the late Innings of their games I’m like how did Jed Hoyer think this was gonna work and again I know you can go look at some of the guys that are hurt they’ve got some some good arms that are on the on the Shelf but still even those guys I think you’re ambitiously hoping that they’re going to be dudes like nerys was your was your big get I it just seems like they put them in themselves in a weird spot and it’s not like it’s a rotation full of guys that you confidently are stretching out all the time and can count on every fifth day either like I mean no one was expecting imaga to do what he did in the first in the first half of the season and if he wasn’t if he was more of the three6 guy that a lot of people are expecting where are they now then so like they got a over performance from him they’ve gotten an over performance I think from tyone yes and it still is kind of a disaster pitching wise and that’s not even getting into and I know they’ve done well overall but they continue to blow low games late and things like that then the offense if they go down a couple runs it feels like they’re toast there’s no way this team can can buy I don’t think there’s any way this team should add I really liked the nerys signing over the offseason because oh I liked it but like that can’t be it that can’t be it I was thinking you know Chapman was going to you know be involved there and I I know they’ve been rumored for bashet several times at this point but like I I thought that there was some serious fire to that I’m not sure um but man like if they made a big splash offensively like that I would have felt good I felt good about nerys getting the eighth because he was so good in the seventh for Houston I was like okay yeah let’s level up with another team he gets the eighth aleli gets the ninth now alai was not healthy he was not good at the beginning of the year and then he hit the Shelf um but yet like that offense I don’t know why I just like kind of ignored the lack of topend talent and how quickly it falls off and you know like I think in terms of name BR recognition Cody Bellinger and Dansby Swanson as a one-two punch going into the air it’s like oh yeah they have Bellinger they have Dansby they’re fine no like those guys are like Bellinger stood on his head last year you can’t assume that he’s gonna be a 900 Ops guy every single year and like I I don’t know I think the reasonable baseball person would expect belly to take a step back from last year but I think and he has and he’s been fine like he’s been kind of what everyone was expecting I think that’s what like what the market was for him was that high 700s maybe low 800s Ops with good defense my and I love the what you bring up about like the top end Talent like who’s the best hitter on this team Bellinger maybe seya like you need a star or two that is going to almost consistently you almost always mashed because you know dansby’s a volatile you know offensive piece at the end of the day like he’ll finish somewhere around League average WC plus but it’s it’s es and flows uh like Ian hap is never going to be somebody that does anything crazy he’s always gonna be slightly above average bat niik Herer kind of the same story like who were they expecting to to be that like guy that makes a leap and is that offensive Juggernaut middle- of the- order Master Michael Bush he’s been great but like come on come on then why were they dangling him in every trade talk going into the year you’re not breaking news to me but morel was the answer Morel was the guy that everybody was like oh he’s going to be a star I don’t think they believed it why would why would he be floated in so many conversations if that was the case and they can’t even play Third so like I think they they severely severely Mis like mischaracterize their own team I guess is the best way to put it and I know this wasn’t part of the uh agenda here but this is probably one of the more frustrating teams for me in baseball I it it just it’s just I don’t even know what they’re good at I don’t like I don’t know what what their strength is no I I think defense I guess uh but even then are they grading out as a no because you you you you hedge that in a bad way with your third base situation and with the corner Outfield spots kind of being so it now I get it with PCA in center and Bellinger in right but I mean like what’s the point of having one of the better middle infields when you have a guy that can’t really play Third and then you know a guy that’s not great at first it’s just it’s a weird it’s a weird spot and the catcher spot I think they severely overestimated what Jan gums could do after last year and what Miguel Amaya might be able to do this year he’s kind of a whole bunch of nothing he hasn’t played that much in the minor leag he’s always been hurt I know that guy’s not really put together a complete good season in the minor leagues and they’re like oh yeah let’s let’s let’s let him go like I don’t think he’s put it together a complete good season since like Lowa if I’m not mistaken I I know he’s you know one of the top prospects in all of baseball and he’s graduated at this point but were you expecting PCA to be this lost I wasn’t personally coming into this year I was like oh PCA is going to hold it down no I’ve always had concerns about the approach but I thought at the very least he’s going to be like a Mike Harris light where frustrating gets himself out but he G goingon to run into an off Homer his extra base hits and just be such a good Defender and Runner that it works out he he just doesn’t look like he’s he can handle big league pitching at this point but I I I’m glad that they’re giving him run now and just trying to see if it works might as well at this point yeah two teams in the American League Central one really good one really bad we’ll start with the team that is by winning percentage going into Wednesday’s slate I know Philly got a win so they jumped him by like one point the Phillies have a 663 winning percentage but the best team in the American League and the best team in baseball entering play on Wednesday morning was the Cleveland Guardians the Cleveland Guardians had a 66 62 winning percentage which was good for the best in baseball on Wednesday morning they are 51 and 26 I know that there was like a semi viral clip that went around of a certain you know media member in baseball saying oh I’m out on the Guardians who do they play well they play everybody um not only that they have figured it out in every single aspect of their game they figured it out in the Dugout with Steven vot they figured it out in the bullpen with a two3 5 Bullpen e r right that clears the rest of Major League Baseball by I think half a run they figured it out in the rotation with Shane Bieber on the Shelf Tristan McKenzie looking like a shell of what he once was Gavin Williams not throwing for them yet this year like they have pieced the rotation together at this point this year and frankly like do I think that they can make improvements to the lineup yes I do and we’re going to talk about somebody that I think can be an improvement that was an internal option a little bit later on in the show but they have figured out this lineup and they have found guys that work so well together and I know the power of friendship jokes are a real thing but like this team more than any other feels like a power of friendship type team and listen like the Knicks got to the Eastern Conference F or no they got to the Eastern Conference semis sorry the Pacers won it but I mean like the Knicks got to the playoffs with Vibes and the Guardians how about the heat my my heat a year ago like you’re making that run to the finals like that was on Vibes they’re not as good as the as the Celtics and some of the teams they beat the 2021 Atlanta Braves I know that we talk about the Braves is being star studded right now but the 21 Braves didn’t have aunia they didn’t have Harris they didn’t have Strider and they won the World Series because they had a freaking awesome Clubhouse yeah guess what man the Guardians are the vibe team and if you like baseball I guarantee you that you like the Cleveland a Cleveland Guardians unless you’re a White Sox fan unless you’re like a team that the Guardians have personally victimized like I’m not sure who those people are if you are a baseball enjoyer you like the Cleveland Guardians and what I love is like you we talked about like okay who’s the star for the Cubs like they got that in Cleveland with with Jose Ramirez but beyond that you know Stephen Quan is performing like a star Josh Naylor you know I know it’s not like Star he’s not a star but he he can absolutely Mash like a middle of the order piece and he’s slugging over 500 and then David fry is a superstar I won’t hear anything other than that no but like he he is playing like a really really damn good player is that going to sustain I don’t know and that’s kind of where some of the questions come for me is is Stephen Quan gonna hit 400 and you know is David fry gonna be one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball maybe not but I have a lot of faith in Andre simz continuing to do what he’s doing Jose Ramirez continuing to do what he’s doing same with Naylor and I still know that Quan’s gonna be one of the better hitters in the game at the end of the year too I have full faith that that’s going to continue what’s most amazing to me is that they’re doing this man with like will Brennan playing right with d Daniel schneeman who’s been great like thre him in center field and he’s been all right uh Brian roio has been not good at shortstop and bone has been bad at catcher so like the back part of that lineup and also two three integral spots shortstop catcher center field right up the middle are are not proven guys for them right now and they’re still dominating I love them bringing up Jun keny Noel because I think that allows David fry potentially to catch more I don’t know what kind of Defender he is but that allows fry to catch more you put Noel in the DH spot wow that would make your your offense look a lot better I still believe in bone but you know I think that gives you a nice Plan B uh and then we’ll see what they do but I mean man like they can add because guess what they have the number one pick in this year’s draft and not just they could go get bazan or Conan or whatever they could go get weather Hol and then add a ton of talent because having the biggest pool is what everybody envies these GMS don’t envy the number one pick usually as much as they Envy the bonus pool that comes with the number one pick yes and the Guardians are in the driver’s seat there too they could go make a trade and then add a ton of talent because I wouldn’t be shocked if they go weather Hol and then end up being able to add you know multiple borderline first round type players because of their savings there they’re in the driver seat I really hope that they actually push the pedal to the metal instead of coast I could see it like don’t forget about the ownership change that happened I I do think that this team will be willing to spend a little bit more and you know like you talk about kind of the lame ducks in that lineup I mean dude there are I think four teams with a higher run total like run scored total in Major League Baseball than them this year the New York Yankees the Baltimore Orioles the Philadelphia Phillies and the LA Dodgers the Guardians are right there you think about the four best teams in baseball you think about the Dodgers the Phillies the Yankees and the O’s and then you got these Plucky Cleveland Guardians whose offense falls off a cliff at the five hole it’s amazing what they’re doing and I’m not going to say that it’s all pitching in defense but like that tells you pitching in defense Reigns Supreme I know that the Mariners have a five-game lead in the American League West on pitching in defense their offense sucks objectively is bad they’ve got 325 runs scored that is the what one of the lowest Clips in the American League I think yeah that’s lower than the Detroit Tigers you think about how abysmal the Tigers offense has been they’ve scored 327 runs the Mariners have scored 325 yet the Mariners are nine games over 500 and the tigers are six games under it’s pitching in defense Cleveland has just enough star power Just Enough offense to complement the pitch in defense they’re everything the Mariners want to be right now yeah yeah and what’s crazy is like the the pitching as you mentioned isn’t what it could possibly be because a healthy McKenzie and a healthy Bieber and and they’re gonna get Gavin back though which is great so that’s more reinforcement coming I think Logan Allen’s still G to throw better as as the season progresses Tanner BBY has been one of the better pitchers in baseball over his last handful of starts he seems like he’s really figuring it out Ben Lively out of nowhere M you cannot tell me that Ben Lively’s success has nothing to do with the vibe in that Clubhouse no I I agree and then whatever the Guardians can do from a Developmental and like maximizing guy standpoint my question is where do like H like how aggressive do you think they’re going to be now that they have the ability to add plenty more Capital they’re another team that is perpetually in a 40 Man Crunch and I mean we’re doing top Guardians top prospects on the call up Friday super I honestly like it’s been one of the hard ones to work through just because yes it’s a really good system but the redundancy like it gets it gets exhausting for me because I love bouncing around different types of prospects writing up different types of profiles the Guardians all upper minor middle infield Switch Hitters a lot of teams need players like that and a lot of teams would happily add players like that to the fold in a trade and those are all guys that are going to be on the 40 man so they’re going to need to trim down so I think naturally they will make a move or two there’s so many you know replacement center fielders out there like if if Mets decide to sell you could go get a biter uh they might do that even if they’re not completely selling like you could go out and get those types of pieces but you know I do Wonder like do they try to aim higher and and do something like that catches us off guard that is very uncharacteristic of the Cleveland Guardians yes what does Taylor Ward cost a decent bit but nothing that they can’t afford and nothing that hurts them so tell me how the organization as a whole gets worse if they acquire Taylor Ward for Juan Breo anel G now and a filler yeah I would say that’s that’s pretty much enough there I mean they’re fine they’re they’re gonna go draft JJ weather Hol who’s already a better Prospect or or or bazan whoever they’re gonna add one of those guys TAA and they have tatina right there too like they’ve got so many freaking options man like trade from your Surplus for the love of God we’ve been begging them to trade from their Surplus and this is like you’re right Taylor Ward is right here he’s from Dayton he’s like he’s in Ohio he’s right here go get him I didn’t know he was from Dayton and like it makes more sense for Cincinnati but like Cincinnati’s not trading for Taylor Ward right now can he play center though that’s the only issue like do you need him to you’ve got will Brandon in a corner right that’s true yeah it’s true just throw just move him over to Center yeah yeah I mean that’s and they need a right-handed bat no-brainer and like think about what that does now just kind of adding the layers there I mean it’s just it would be so perfect so I I hope they do something like that because Guardians fans deserve that Cleveland fans deserve an investment you know in in building on this and um man I they’re easy to root for so I I hope I hope they do that I also hope they go out go out and get you know maybe like a rental arm I don’t know if that’s not really up their alley but it would help them a lot just someone that I think like a flarity type that they could rely on because that that’s the one thing is like okay there’s a really fun regular season team when they get to the postseason what what’s your postseason rotation if you’re the Cleveland Guardians BBY gets the ball game one for me yes then what that’s a great question that’s another hurdle in this thing I think I think Gavin Williams will get to the point where he can get the ball game three he’s that good he is that good if he’s healthy 100% And then I think Ben livley gets the ball game three do you really think so D he’s got three flat maybe not at this point like maybe by the end of the season no I’m worried that McKenzie doesn’t even make it through the year if he does then I guess it’s you live and die with McKenzie or Logan Allen starts throwing better I don’t know that’s where I think getting one more arm is is interesting but that said like they’re in a good spot and I don’t think they need to go get anybody crazy and I think they can afford to go get a rental and clearly this team is for real like I I don’t think you’d be making a mistake by investing in this team this year and if they I don’t think I wouldn’t have the concern of them hitting a wall because I think some of the other teams in the division are hitting a wall uh and I know we’re going to get to one of those in in a moment but like they’re going to run away with the division so you gotta give them a good shot to to do something in the postseason too can I throw you a name and you shut it down if you want but if they want to go real big like bigger than Taylor Ward and they want to try it and I don’t think this guy is their type because I know they really prioritize middle of the infield defense but if Bo bashed is available do they entertain that they have the capital to do it I know they love the middle and field defense as you said but at the same time like what is roio doing for you at this point and like we’re seeing some of the smarter teams in baseball prioritize them offense at shortstop rather than defense you know you can go get it anywhere else you know that the team is really good defensively in a lot of other aspects I wonder how roio is actually I know he’s a great defender as a Prospect but I wonder how he’s graded out at the big league level at this point because you know I know he’s been struggling a lot of times young hitters take that out to the field with them looking at roia like he’s he’s gring out as a pretty good Defender but I mean i’ I’d be cool with that I’d give it a shot it it isn’t quite up there Aly but why not like why not try to push this thing over the top and and go from there I doubt they do it I I because of the shortstop defense side of things and as you kind of mentioned that the pitching and defense has been a huge part of why they’re succeeding but it could be a good bu low opportunity that I I don’t think that they should overlook the problem is the shortstop Market’s just so thin otherwise too right like like who else is a short stop that’s gonna be moved I don’t think there’s very many out there I don’t think there are very many at all because it’s not like the Marlins have a shortstop to deal they’re begging for one Rockies aren’t moving toar and in terms of teams out of it in the American League like D young I guess but even then like what does Paul D young do for you like I’d rather give Tana a shot yeah I’d rather just try one of my 80 middle INF fielders at that point yeah and I just don’t see that the Padre’s ever being in a spot where they would sell because like a Hung Kim would make sense but they’ll never do that so yeah I think I think you’re either gonna have to go internally or or adjust their philosophy or or just focus on the Outfield and then try one of their several middle infielders or hope roio starts to you know tick up and and figure things out you know who I would kind of love to see them pay will Adamas I would love to see them go that route in free agency the rest of the team is so controllable you have Jose R is on like the best deal in Major League Baseball J menz is on one of the best deals in Major League Baseball I know last year everybody was like oh that’s a terrible deal why’ they give him a $100 million because he’s going to defend his way to 80 of it and the other 20 is going to come from offense and like he’s he’s producing way more than $20 million worth of offense over the next what six seven years no doubt about it so I I I can’t wait see what they do and I really hope that they push the chips forward yeah I I have a feeling they might kind of dip their toes in and this off season is really when you see Cleveland attack it but um we’re going to get to that team that you kind of teased hitting a wall in that division but before that quick break that team that’s hitting a wall is the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Royals have dropped seven of their last 10 in the month of June by team Ops they are the fifth worst in baseball the Miami Marin have a 579 team Ops in June that’s the worst by 50 points I think 4550 points um then Texas 22 games in June 623 team Ops then Oakland then Detroit and then the Kansas City Royals and this Royals offense was exciting and young and like I it was amazing it I don’t think I truly understood how much much they were living and dying by Bobby Whit Jr until he started and salvi and salvi like it was those two I was like oh W Nelson Velasquez is swinging it MJ Melendez is swinging it they were swinging it for like two weeks three weeks and then they tapered off and it was really just Bobby Whit Jr and salvi and they would win Seth Lugo starts 4-1 and they would win singer starts and then they would win Reagan starts and it’s like oh wow this team’s above 500 this is awesome this is super exciting and then Bobby Wht starts to cool off and it’s not even like he’s been horrible it’s just like he hasn’t been the superum that he was for the first two months of the season salv starting to show his 33y old self what’s he 34 year old self I mean again it feels like he’s 38 years old but 34y old self I mean dude like this team was living by Bobby Wht Jr and Sal Perez and they are dying by Bobby Whit Jr and Sal Perez right now yeah and it’s tough because it’s like do you do you go get some reinforcements I think they’re going to still be kind of aggressive because why not and maybe you can buy with control but you also this is an instance where it’s not like they have the best farm system in the world you don’t want to deplete assets uh for a team that might not even that might end up still you know fizzling out Salvador overs last 25 games 182 273 330 slash lines it’s a 602 Ops you know I’ve always been concerned we talked about like buy or sell hot hot starts or or we talked about guys that I think will slow down in the second half in the mailbag last episode and salvi was one of those guys for me just because the chase is just so high and it just seems like as pitchers start to execute their game plan against him it becomes harder MJ was was redh hot and then reverted back I don’t know why I was just comparing the video reverted back to the old swing I don’t even know if he fully like is aware of how where he was and then how he reverted back and since he’s reverted back to the old swing mechanics it’s been pretty ugly um they’re trying to catch lightning in a bottle with anybody they called up CJ Alexander to to give it a shot uh Freddy Fan’s getting some more run which I think they should play him way more I think he should be playing way more and I think Salvador should be dhing more and fine should be catching because he’s actually swung it well but like when you look at this lineup man like Michael Garcia I think was was were you the one that said it was like a group thing coming into the year yeah I I said I don’t even know if I said that on air Michel Garcia sorry if I just exposed you but like it kind of was a group thing like I get it he’s fun he’s young he defends well there’s some good like underlying characteristics but why were we assuming that he was going to be a productive you know corner infielder right away a buck 35 in the month of June right now Michel Garcia Michel Garcia in what 12 or uh 23 games in June slashing 135 214 157 this happens to young players yeah the underlying data like looks good so I get it like I get it it was really fun like there’s a lot to like and it could all come together but like you said it happens to young players players The Outfield you can’t have an outfield of MJ Melendez Hunter Renfro and Kyle Isbell and and say you’re serious about you know going somewhere the problem is do they do that now and try to add you can’t because it’s too early there’s just not going to be that many pieces available so they got to weather this storm I love Bobby I love Vinnie I think Vinnie’s Gonna Keep heating up I still believe in him no matter what Massie being back is great but I mean I think it’s a stark of a drop off we talk about the Cubs I think it’s way worse here in terms of drop off from the top four guys to the the next four to five guys I mean you’re going from solid like really good hitter and then eh with with a couple and then it’s fully guys below the Mendoza Line and and well below 300 OBP I I don’t know like what do you do if you’re the Royals you try to make some like lowc cost move and and expedite this thing like do you call the Marlins about Brian De La Cruz knowing that he won’t be too expensive and hope that he gives you a shot in the ass they’re also so Lefty heavy on the back end of that lineup too so like it just puts them in in tough spots I and the back end of the bullpen stinks like there’s just so many I love this team they’re so fun I love what they’re doing I think they’re heading in the right direction we’ve praised them and I still think they deserve all the praise but like if you’re serious about this year how do you how do you get this thing right I think you use the word not great to describe their farm system I’m going to give you a chance to amend that their farm system is bottom one what in Major League Baseball [Music] bottom they have one Fringe top 100 guy right now Ramon Ramirez I’ll give Blake Mitchell a fringe top 100 nod but I don’t really think so either yeah it’s bottom five it’s bottom five it’s bottom five so like you have really nothing to work with here so you’re telling me that you’re going to try and go make a big splash for a guy with multiple years of control well you can’t do it because you’re going to get out bid very very quickly and okay Brian De La Cruz great he’s going to cost you like in a normal farm system he would cost a team two guys in the six to 10 range in their system right yeah at most maybe one guy in that range and then two guys out 11 to 15 yeah sure in the Royals system that package goes from one in the six to 10 range and one in the in the 12 to 15 range to like a guy in the 3 to five range and a guy in the six to7 range yeah like that’s what we’re talking about right now so even a Brian deor Cruz you’re going to feel it yeah in your organization and that’s a really tough spot to be in and I know that this is like very very early in the post dayon Moore era but like Dayton Moore left them in a very I I I love the point that you bring up and I think to that have fun enjoy it like if you’re a Royals fan this is a young young team this is a fun team and the window’s not open yet it’s it’s they’re they almost are wrestling it open who knows they could get hot the pitching’s fun but this is gonna be a really valuable learning experience for the whole team we talked about it going into the year how valuable it is for Bobby Wood Jr and and Vinnie pasano and Cole Reagans and some of these guys to just play a season where they have a shot where you’re not just it doesn’t feel like the minor leagues where you’re just kind of playing for yourself to a degree and you know there there’s no goal at the end because you know you don’t have a chance to compete this year like they have a chance and they’re playing more meaningful baseball that’s great and I think that’s going to set them up really well for next year but I think the Royals probably look at this the Royals front office knowing what they inherited and and you can tell that it’s night and day uh from where Dayton Moore left it and the way that it’s run organizationally I I think you ride this out hope things go well you know if you have a cheap opportunity to go at a right-handed bat sure go go go at a cheap right-handed bat but I I think for the most part just have fun like if you’re a Royals fan enjoy these young players and I think this off season they’re going to see what they have nucleus wise and I think they’re going to go add a couple more guys and all of a sudden you know you might have a team here that can can really put it together and and and be a competitive ball Club next year and I think the easiest way this is the team where you can add in free agency to put it over the top you can’t build in free agency they’ve got their core they they nailed their other free agent signing with Lugo um and you know even the way Marsh has developed has been nice like all they got to do is just sign a couple bats of this offseason I think they’re in a really good spot yeah what kind of level of bat are you looking at Price jumps quickly like do you think they’re willing to Fork over 60 to 70 million for a hitter I’d hope so but they got a lot of like unknown with like where they’re gonna their next ballpark like where the next ballparks going to be and all that stuff too right I know that was like kind of weird it was I didn’t understand that at all to be honest I didn’t even understand what was going on I didn’t even know that was a thing doesn’t want to pay for I’m not I’m not sure what’s going on either but I know that there’s some I guess like indecision on that front that might be hampering their ability to spend on talent I think like a I think a Reclamation or like bounceback guy like a like a Cedric Mullins wouldn’t be that expensive great addition and a great vet to add into that fold Austin Hayes would be in their price range I think uh I think like those types of players Lane Thomas should be a free agent if I’m not mistaken any of those guys I think are in their price range and really do make a difference for them yeah I Cedric Mullins totally feels like a royal totally feels like the vet on this Royals team I could totally see that I like that so how do you think the rest of the year goes for them not well not this bad though right not this bad no I think um I think Reagan continues to throw the ball really well because I just think Reagan is is Uber talented and Uber talented guys like I have faith in them willing their way to a 35 and I think Reagan is like in that conversation as crazy as it sounds because we didn’t know who that was when he was traded for a rdest Chapman like we knew but he was the first round pick guy that at this point TJ guy it’s like oh yeah like oh damage goods for rald is Chapman that’s kind of a weird one and now it’s like oh yeah he’s the young really talented arm that’s one of the best left-handers in the American League um I think that he has changed the narrative on him that quickly I think that singer made some real good adjustments and we have totally seen that SO lugo’s lugo’s pitching like one of the best pitchers in baseball yeah like Lugo is one of the best arms in baseball so I think that they are at a competitive net neutral or competitive Advantage three days out of the five yeah I’m with I don’t even W Waka is a good four yeah Waka is a good for now having said that like if they’re in a 4-3 game I think they have the three more often than not I could see this team if you were to look you know June 26 June 27 onward for the rest of the year I could see this team playing at maybe two games under 500 and that’s not good enough to get you in the postseason but like that’s something to hang your hat on if you’re Kansas it’s Improvement think about when we were talking about over under win totals coming into the year and like you know we we like them to to go over but like it’s probably 500 team that takes a step forward this year if their handful of games over 5 100 that is a great step in the right direction considering where they were at last year yeah couple of guys that I want to talk about before we go David Festa and John keny noell both guys are getting up for their Major League debut David Festa in arm with the twins John keny noell a bat with the Guardians told you it was going to be a very American League Central show but David Festa um he is he’s a tall weird looking guy like he’s very long it’s very Ben Brown He’s listed at six six a buck 85 but 13th round pick in 2021 at a seed in Hall this guy’s 24 years old this year in St Paul 59 and 23s Innings across 14 starts he’s got a 377 erra King 13 per nine walking three and a half per nine Festa has been as impressive of an arm as I’ve seen this year the triaa level now let me say that’s not saying triple it’s been pillaged that’s not saying too much for sure not not saying too much at all like tripa a pitching has been downright horrible this year stafi is a 495 in tripa a this year it’s hard to wrap your brain around but this guy has been one of the few pitching prospects that has really looked the part in Triple A and now he gets his shot and if you guys remember I had plenty of qualms about Simeon Woods Richardson I had plenty of concerns about SWR but now he’s shut me up and you think that David Festa is a guy that you know can can shut a lot of the critics up yeah I think he found something this year um made a slight adjustment to his mechanics working more like north south instead of rotationally and I think when he was kind of flying open a little bit the fastball would tend to run more than have maintain that vert so now this year and this is a guy that’s always had a 70 grade slider now fastball better it’s also a little bit harder he gained about an inch or two of of induced vertical break now he’s trusting that more last year his fastball strike rate was sub 60% now it’s 65% because he’s trusting it in the zone and getting way more in zone with so not having to rely on the slider nearly as much having that fast ball that gets way more whiff than it than ever before and then his change up his flashed off of that in the past but now that pitch he has a much better feel for and that’s been playing like an above average or at least plus pitch this is a top 100 Prospect I think you know for for good reason because you look at what he can do and he’s a guy that cracked the top 100 for us in our update three big league pitches all above average and the command has just gotten better and better since he made that mechanical adjustment and over his last five starts with the ABS and we talk about how hard it is to throw strikes in Triple A right now four 5% walk rate in his last five starts 35 strikeouts just five walks the one thing to watch is he likes to elevate and sometimes the Cutters can or the sliders can kind of flatten the Cutters and you know kind of stay up on him and he’ll get burned by the long ball here and there but when he’s executing I mean it’s three above average Big League pitches good command I I think he can be a guy that settles right into that four spot in the rotation for them and can be really solid I I’m I’m very pumped to watch him do do his thing and I I think he can he can be good for them do you see any chance a blow up for him like he’s a guy that I watch and and major by the way maor not Maser I major yeah I didn’t know that either maor um but I just watched major like that guy has experienced a blow up and I think we knew that that could have been in the carts and with a lot of young right-handers especially we know that that can be in the cards with with Festa I just watch him and I’m like okay if you’re going to have a terrible outing by your standards you’re going to walk the world and you’re not going to really get hit hard like you’re going to beat yourself you’re going to allow four runs in an inning in two thirds because you got in trouble with five walks he hasn’t done that this year I don’t see a world where like a major league team hits him around and all of a sudden he’s got four homers hung on him in the fourth I I I don’t either to be honest I I just was looking up at like some of the worst starts he he’s really had are are like five earned runs um I think the worst start of his professional career was six earned runs in double A against Northwest Arkansas in 2023 had a couple five ear run starts this year but in Triple A again things just get so wonky and that was earlier in this season I don’t see him as a guy that’s going to get and again when you have two secondaries that you can go to in a good fast ball when something’s not there he can just kind of skatee by and figure it out uh and and with where the command is trended towards I I think he’s a guy that at the very least is gonna be able to go out there give you five innings and give you a shot um and I think that’s all they they need because like varland not impervious to to the blowup unfortunately Paddock was not impervious to the blow up since he’s come back and now on the I so I I think he fits exactly what they need yeah I I totally see that as well um speaking of fitting exactly what you need John keny noell is up at the Cleveland Guardians and we’ve been begging for what four years pod started April 1 2021 we’ve been begging since April 1 2021 for the Guardians to have power um 22 was this guy’s breakout between what low a and high a and then I think a little bit of double a at the end he was like who is this Mammoth of a human being in the Guardians organization last year he’s up in triple really bad really but then John keny Noel in the month of June at this point is slashing 395 446 711 with an 1157 Ops and on the Year John keny noell’s numbers for a guy that like punched out a lot wasn’t really walking and hit I think swings at everything everything and hit very very low 200s John keny Noel in 65 games slashing 295 359 578 that’s a 937 Ops 15 doubles 18 homers and he’s only punched 60 times in 258 ABS he’s like achieved what we’ve asked him to a chief like he’s corrected what we’ve asked him to correct and now he’s up for the big league debut he’s so young too he’s not even 23 yet uh what’s Wild to me is a little bit of prospect fatigue because of how he burst onto the scene in 22 the Chase has always been the issue and in the first 36 games of the year was chasing at a 43% clip and he had a 720 Ops in that Span in the 30 game since then where he’s flashing 402 471 705 he’s cut that chase rate to 34% which is still high but it’s borderline egregious compared to the the most egregious yeah the contact rates are way up too and I’m actually going to put a thread out uh later today because there’s a tangible setup change for him in that span that I think has allowed him to get to his spot earlier and see the ball earlier and not feel like he has to be in swing mode all the time but nobody that hits the ball 118 miles an hour which he has flashed this year should be able to hit 400 over a 30 Games pin I’m not saying he’s Barry Bonds like there’s going to be a lot of issues here because he is if you execute your game plan you can set him down yeah but the point is for a guy with plus plus raw power he’s got a better field to hit than you’d expect and I don’t love him in the Outfield I do like him at first he’s actually a really pretty really solid Defender at first I was surprised with that video um if he can just keep that chase rate in the low 30s I think he’s an above average Big League bat but we haven’t really seen him do that for more than this 30 game stretch where we do have a tangible adjustment and he’s been a monster so I’m just excited to see what it looks like at the big league level and and hopefully they give him a little bit more Runway since they’re you know already doing so well he has a body unlike anything I’ve ever seen in minor league baseball he’s a gargantuan human being like that lower half on TV you’re going to be in awe and I got like close to the turtle during batting practice like I’m stunned by how big that guy’s lower half is and then you see him pop 118 and it’s like oh yeah no this makes sense he’s just a big he he swings like an edge rusher like if andomican Sue in college played baseball like he him running into balls would look like JN keny Noel running into baseball that’s funny I was in the Dominican for his for his Dominican winter league debut this uh offseason he hit a ball that like you remember the the Mike Trout at top golf video where the ball disappears like that’s what happened it was like 10 p.m. and it was just a liner that like kept on going like long drive Bryson to Shambo type thing we’re like it just kept going and I was like you know what obviously no Hawkeye here and San Pedro de Makar reice but that was 140 off the bat he he’s got again 118 this year like he he can I think in the big leagues too he might flirt with a 120 I I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of those guys that tops it up there and and gets into like another another range one other note if if you play like daily fantasy or something and you’re looking for like a cheap addition or if you want to use our bet MGM promo code if Jen keny Noel faces a guy throwing a sinker take his over bases his last 30 games so his last 32 played appearances against sinkers he’s 15 for 30 with four home runs let’s promo code just baseball if you want to take his over bases next time he faces like a synchr type uh and and if it loses because I gave it to you you get your uh you get your deposit back bonus or you get your bet back in bonus bets up to 15500 that’s 1500 that’s really please don’t put 1500 on anything I ever give you don’t do that yeah um all right last thing that I want to talk about Nat’s Padres on Tuesday night uh what was it JX and profar came up immediately started barking with kebert ruiz behind the plate then they what did benches clear right after that I have the timeline yeah so Machado came in tried to like break it up which honestly just made it more inflam it was inflammatory because like profar doesn’t care like you could just tell profar like just wasn’t even looking at him just like didn’t really give a [ __ ] just like almost trying to piss him off by how little he cared then Machado got in and like kind of said like break it up and then that’s where it got like even more uh of a thing and then uh that’s where the bench is clear and you have this like barking back and forth and it was a lot of nothing until until the you know shilt starts yelling a little bit the manager start going back and forth uh and then profar comes back to the to home plate him and kebert starts talking a little bit again and then it kind of like builds back up and we had to wait about 10 minutes before the next pitch was thrown and then then the next pitch the next pitch was 98 in on profar for McKenzie Gore and it plunked him and there was no immediate ejection and like I was with the Padre’s booth on that like given the benches clearing and then dispersing and the next pitch being 98 in on his body like with I it was his back Shin but it did H but like and it was 98 um like I think given the circumstances you probably need to toss score at that point but there wasn’t even a warning issue I don’t yeah no there was there was a warning issued right before there was a warning issued right before and then they didn’t toss him after 98 hit the guy and I know it could be entirely unintentional but I I I feel very confident that it was unintentional but by the book you you toss him there by the book you have to toss him there they didn’t so shil comes out and immediately gets tossed because it’s like dude what the hell if you’re not gonna toss Gore what are we doing here and then that’s when things escalated we had another what 10 minutes of barking and dialogue and all that and then Manny Machado goes yard and it was like that was as good a baseball Cinema as we’ve gotten this year and probably in the last several years and there were layers to it like you know jerx and profar being you know probably an All-Star starter this year and him being damaged goods last year and literally the worst qualified player in baseball after signing late course at Kors like how can you be that bad at Kors um McKenzie Gore facing his old team and the team that kind of [ __ ] him up before the trade like there’s a lot of baggage there with McKenzie Gore and the San Diego Padres so there were a lot of layers here and for all of it to result in that the the couple of benches clearing the ejection of the manager and the Machado home run right after the fact that was like very good baseball F you just knew you just knew Machado was gonna go deep there like it just I just felt even even though he’s not swinging it great like you just felt it I do think that that was an unintentional hit by pitch you could tell Gore’s reaction right away he’s like a [ __ ] but like how do you do that first pitch I’d be working away like first pitch right away and I think he wanted to surprise him and work in knowing that that’d probably be what he was thinking but I I no like knowing what we’ve seen from Mackenzie Gore where like things can unravel yes I’m imagining him just getting ready to go in the wind up saying don’t hit him don’t hit him don’t hit him don’t hit him and then hitting him um so like it just was like that’s the one thing you can’t do um so I I understand like the the outrage on that and he probably should have been tossed I genuinely don’t think it was intentional though uh but then later in the ball game proar hitting a grand slam too just incredible that guy is on another planet and I it is just so fun to watch and I I I love the way he went about it honestly like he didn’t really do anything to make it worse he just kind of was like walking around strutting his thing and like yeah hey am am I bothering you oh sorry I’m bothering you like you could tell he was kind of trying to ruffle feathers but not not saying anything and then I don’t know how he kept that ball Fair the swings he’s been getting off this year have been some of the best swings I’ve seen at the big league level including that walk-off like a c swing that he crushes into the Gap he’s dialed in right now and uh even with all the extracurriculars there for him to do that I that’s when baseball is fun right like where where a Nationals Padres matchup can deliver because teams care and they’re competitive and um you know you get a little bit of of fire on June 25th yeah no that is that is baseball at its best where like two teams that just don’t like each other kind of show it and yeah oh go ahead no I like two teams that don’t like each other show it in late June like you’re saying but also like two teams that you would never expect to not like each other sometimes it just happens and like sometimes reys Hoskins pisses somebody off with the Mets and like Brewers Mets became a thing at the beginning of the year and now Nat’s Padres is a thing each time Mackenzie Gore throws Nat’s Padres is gonna be a thing I think Jesse Winker just naturally pisses everybody off personally I think so yeah just he looks like a kind of guy that just would piss everybody off do you see shouting match with that like 70-year old fan yeah I’m I’m I’m out consider me out on Jesse Winker you can you can put that on on record I think he’s weird like I don’t know I don’t know how to describe it just the way he goes about is this just rubs me the wrong way I I just don’t like it it’s Anthony randone with less money yeah yeah at least he hits better andless he plays I am out in all caps on also last thing if the Nationals really want to stick it to the Padres they should call up James Wood yeah yep too little too late for that uh for this trip to San Diego at least but yeah that would that would really really burn uh every link you need is in the episode description I think it’ll be Peter and arum tomorrow yes to tie up the week I’ve got a day game on a Thursday which is kind of crazy also the Savannah bananas in Indianapolis so I’m sorry do I do that on Thursday night I don’t know saw it last year it was fine I think once is enough once is enough um we’ll see if I can get a cheap Tyler child’s tricket all right uh every again every link you need in the episode description and we will talk to you guys tomorrow

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Jack and Aram pretty much turn Thursday into the Just AL Central Show.
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Timestamps:
Intro: 0:00
Jim Schlossnagle: 2:49
Kyle Hendricks/Cubs: 11:44
Cleveland Guardians: 19:35
Kansas City Royals: 33:44
David Festa: 45:06
Jhonkensy Noel: 50:00
Nats-Padres: 55:08

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