High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Bryce Harper is Ready to Bury D.C Part 2

Episode Date: April 8, 2019

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz are back as the Phils take another series to start this season. The guys take you through the weekend, Cy Eflin's start on Sunday, Seranthony's struggles and more! See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DQ presents Picture This. Picture the Reese's Extreme Blizzard. Reese's peanut butter cups and Reese's pieces in one Blizzard treat. Wait, are you dreaming? No? Then yeah, this Reese's Extreme Blizzard is real. And for a limited time at DQ, happy tastes good. This episode is brought to you by Mazda. When you drive a Mazda, you'll find out why RSUVs won more 2024 IIHS top safety picks than any other brand as of June 2024. Find out what makes Mazda different at Mazda.ca. This is the High Hopes Podcast. It's a bunch of baseball nerds, well, without the computers. Talking about the Philadelphia Phillies on Radio.com and Sports Radio 94 WIP. Yo! It is another edition of the High Hopes Podcast.

Jack, it's Vinny Velasquez Day! Yay! Everything's fine. It's all we waited for all offseason. The day has finally arrived. Vincent Velasquez is pitching tonight. Coming up later, we'll dive into this NAD series, but we have to look back, Jack. Look back, Jack. How about that? Yeah. A little rhyme there.

Look back, Jack. I didn't even think about it when I did it. It just happened. Have you been reading too many lullabies to Zoe? A little too much Dr. Seuss in my life. You think you're a poet now? I like it. All right.

Wow. Let's look back to the weekend. 10-4 victory on Friday. A 6-2 loss on Saturday. Sadly, we were in person for that one. Don't really remember the 6-3. I don't either. Jack and I made the mistake of drinking a beer that was 15% alcohol before the game.

Didn't work out great for either of us. No, not at all. I felt like you know what? I don't. Jill driving is never a good scenario, but she had to drive home from Philly. And like, usually I'm like, I'm never letting you drive. But like, I was like, you need to. You have to drive.

Or else we're stranded here until eight at night, until at least eight at night. So, frustrating game Saturday, I think. Like, I think it was a frustrating game. It was. Dude, I don't even think we watched the last four innings. I think we were just arguing about Jerry Garcia and John Mayer. John Mayer, which I'm still right about. I mean, everyone disagrees with you, but it's okay.

Nobody disagrees. It was way more. Anyway. Let's move on. Yes. Let's talk baseball. People actually want to listen to it. No one wants to hear us argue about Jerry Garcia and John Mayer.

All right. Let's go to Friday, and then we'll get to, we have rewatched Saturday. I do know what happened now. All right. Let's start with Friday. All I remember that saturday felt like it went by fast it went quick like all of a sudden all of a sudden it was like oh we're leaving now no and now i'm just wrecked for sunday because i'm so hungover so that was great don't turn 37 kids yeah all right all right wow you're nelson cruz so you're older than rocco baldelli i am i'm younger than cruz though cruz, almost 39.

Oh, okay. So there's like one baseball player left. Speaking of Rocco Baldelli. I think about that all the time, though. I always do the, I can call them kids because they're actually kids to me. Yeah, that's sad. Yeah. But Rocco Baldelli, talk about not feeling good about your manager.

I thought he made some egregious decisions this weekend. Yeah, he wasn't very good this weekend. He kept pitching lefties to Reese and Reese was like, okay, I'll take that one. Thanks, buddy. Thank you very much. Reese, back.

We'll get to that. All right, let's start with Friday. First and foremost, Pavetta got the win. Yeah, Pavetta. It doesn't matter. Us people who have

Nick Pavetta on their fantasy team know that he got that win. I can't believe you play in a wins league. That's so sad. Wins are gross. I agree with you. I've long been a hater of wins,. That's so sad. Well, I mean, wins are gross. I agree with you.

I've long been a hater of wins, but there isn't a real good, I mean, quality starts isn't much better. Quality, about six innings, three runs, like, wow, great. It's not much better. There's no real good stat for that. I'm with you,

so we just go with the classic wins, but I've railed against it. I'm old school when it comes to fantasy baseball. What can I say? All right, Pavetta. Yes. Not his best outing. Gritted through five innings. Obviously, getting a five spot in the first inning to back you up helps. What can I say? All right, Pavetta. Yes. Not his best outing. Gritted through five innings.

Obviously, getting a five spot in the first inning to back you up helps. What'd you think? All right, the state of Pavetta. The state of Pavetta. Let's get rid of him. I feel like we need some presidential music in the background or something. Yeah. So I thought Pavetta, I think last year's Pavetta allows like six or seven runs there.

Okay, so there's a positive take here. I like this. I really don't think he pitched that bad. Obviously, I mean, first, it was freaking 35 degrees and raining. And raining and gross out. It was horrible. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt there a little bit because as a guy who got rocked in that weather freshman year,

I just see that level of sympathy for the guy. I thought he got into a decent rhythm heading into the fifth inning the fifth inning is when the error happened that allowed the fourth run to come home and that wasn't great he's been missing with his fastball all season long and I just feel like

he hasn't gotten to the point where he's actually unleashing all this stuff I thought in the third inning of Friday night's game, I thought he started to find some rhythm with his curveball and whatnot. It's just that the location looks like it's off. It looks like he's aiming rather than throwing. And those just aren't good recipes for being a successful pitcher.

He looks so much different than how he looked in spring training. He doesn't look as confident. And I wonder if the pressure of him being the breakout guy and being the guy who's going to help lead this staff has been a little bit too much for him. I don't think he pitched great. I don't think he pitched nearly as bad as people made it out to be some places. But I hope it was weather-related. And what a lot of people don't understand,

so the one thing that is something to definitely monitor, I think, from from that game was that in the third or maybe fourth or fifth inning he started for like 93 miles an hour and 92 miles an hour and sometimes when your cleats get all clogged up it's harder to get a grip and it's harder to just finish and you feel like you're slipping on the mound and you can't really fully finish your pitches but if he's doing that on a perfect day and his arms if it's down to 93 like 93, that's definitely something to be concerned about. But it wasn't a brutal Pavetta day. It was not a great Pavetta day. And I was encouraged by the last couple innings.

I think it's a big start for him on Wednesday against Hellickson. And we'll get to the preview of the series coming up. Oh, I think it was Jeremy Hellickson. Yeah, that's what I – look, to the point where – and look, we talk about this a lot. And it's hard because a lot in the and it's hard because a lot of people haven't been into philly's baseball for a while and now there are a lot of people into philly's baseball again and which is great people want to react right away it's not football it's not giving a chance and i think i think what some people

misconstrued like breakout pivetta doesn't mean he's going to turn into like a 2-5 like superstar like that was never... We got a little facetious with it with Ace and whatnot. That was more in fun. Having fun. In jest. But a breakout can be a 3-2 ERA and still have his... Because he's not a finished product.

He's just not. So I think some people took Breakout Pavetta as this guy's going to be Aaron Nola level-ish. And he's not there yet and i am i am very frustrated in the lack of the third pitch i which which is what you call i mean that was we joke about it and stuff but that was always your reason for the breakout you're you're you always said if to if pavetta can develop that third pitch he will break out yes so he does need that third pitch to break out. And I just don't know what he did all offseason.

What were you doing, buddy? Zach Eflin came back with two different sliders or a foreign curveball and better feel for a changeup. And Pavetta looks kind of the same. And I just don't know. I don't totally know what he did. I don't know what he did this offseason. I think he's throwing a little bit harder, which is good.

But what was interesting is on the broadcast, they're talking about how on the first start, he didn't have his legs underneath him. And he felt like he was just a little tired. And I wonder if he's going through a little dead arm period, which could be going, which could be happening. Especially after the good spring, you know, look good there. That could be probably, you see that a lot.

You see that a lot with pitchers where they'll have a dead ball period early in the season after spring training where they're getting their arm right and all that. Yeah, so... I mean, look, Chris Sale's going through it right now. What? Chris Sale might be more of a worry. Can I just say something?

Uh-oh. We got a Chris Sale take coming here? That contract is going to be horrible. It's going to age real bad. Horrible. That guy's got maybe a year left of being a good pitcher. Wow, of being an ace type guy. He is just...

He's just done. He's throwing 89 now. I know. Wow, of being an ace type guy. He is just done. He's throwing 89 now. I know. It's bad. It's not good. He's going to be the new Chris Davis. Wow. I'm just kidding.

We'll get out of that. Chris Davis 0 for his last 44. How hard is that to do? You would think by luck the ball would drop in. Oh, no, wait. You strike out every time. It doesn't happen. Yeah, he doesn't.

0 for 44. He's about to break the record. The record is 0 for 46. Was that guy making 25 million a year? No. year oh not even close oh that's the worst contract ever it's it's for a team as small as the orioles to have to be paying basically like they're paying what ryan howard would look like right now yep like and davis is worse like howard was bad davis is worse than no that's what i mean like ryan howard's swing in the gender reveal was probably better than chris davis right now so like by the way congrats to ryan shout out a pretty good gender reveal even though i really dislike every single gender

reveal party i hate them you didn't have one did you no of course not you were a man and said i'm not gonna do this of course not well we waited to find out anyway, but we would have never, ever done that. Ever. It's not my thing. I'm sorry to anyone who's done it. No shade. It's not my thing. I might have a baseball filled with whatever and throw it somewhere. That might be my gender reveal. Okay, so now you're in on the gender reveal. No, I'm not. Okay.

Alright, back to baseball. So, Pavetta, you're, so again, it's only two starts, but you're slightly concerned, you would say. I'm just concerned that he So, Pavetta, you're... So, again, it's only two starts, but you're slightly concerned, you would say. I'm just concerned that he's the Pavetta of last year. And the lack of the change-up has been really frustrating. Like, that should have been the only thing you worked on this offseason, was working on that change-up,

because your other stuff is legit good, and now guys can just tee off on 96. Because he hasn't really been great at locating his curveball his first two starts, and now guys can just tee off on his fast fastball which has been getting hit around a lot like there's been a lot of hard contact off of Pavetta because he's not really fooling guys because he doesn't have that third pitch like that's that's I'm frustrated um but I think obviously the talent is still there and everyone knows that and the run support has been there as they certainly put

up some runs for Nick running Running Jake Odorizzi in the first inning. How about Baldelli coming out to the mound and Odorizzi's like, I'm sorry. I know. He's like, I didn't have it today, man. It's not a bad day. Sorry. Really sorry. And look, Jake Odorizzi's not a good pitcher,

but he's not a horrendous pitcher. I mean, the guy has had success in the major leagues. It was a nice showing from the lineup in that game. Yeah, I mean, the lineup is just... It's relentless a horrendous pitcher. I mean, the guy has had success in the major leagues. It was a nice showing from the lineup in that game. Yeah, I mean, the lineup is just... It's relentless, man. Yeah. It is relentless. Here's the thing.

Here's the thing. Is that, like, JT Romito hasn't even turned into JT Romito yet. He's batting, like, 170 or whatever. And Cesar is batting 179. And, like, Andrew McCutcheon's only batting 241. But I just, every day I wake up and I... He's got a 400 OBP. Yeah, yeah.

Every day I wake up and I thank the rest of baseball for just gifting us I can't believe how good McCutcheon looks I can't believe how good he looks he has not looked this good since Pittsburgh and I know he was better in New York last year I watch a lot of Yankees games last year he did not look this good well he's driving the ball the other way he's actually putting solid contact on the ball and the thing that I've been most most impressed with is obviously we know he's a great leader all that stuff but I think his I think his base running is contagious like his base running is otherworldly The thing that I've been most impressed with is, obviously, we know he's a great leader, all that stuff, but I think his base running is contagious. His base running is otherworldly.

He's so good. It's so professional. He's such a professional base runner. He's just a pro, an absolute pro. And it's the angles he takes. He's always hitting on the inside of the base. It's textbook. It's exactly how you're taught to run the bases.

And Little League moving forward, it's like, this is how you run the bases. Andrew McCutcheon does it perfectly. And the reads are perfect. He's got such a good feel for it. It's really impressive. Gunned down a guy at the plate yesterday. He does everything, man. He does everything. It's a little bit different than Reese Hoskins in left field, having

Andrew McCutcheon up there. It's basically the same thing. There was like two balls in the area to start where I was like, there's no way Reese gets to that. By the way, can we just call out the people who thought that Reese Hoskins would be as good a defensive first baseman as Carlos Santana? Right. That was very wrong. Very wrong. So wrong.

Also, Carlos Santana's betting 444. Santana's been good back in Cleveland. He's home. He feels good. But Reese is a bad first baseman, man. Yeah. We need the DH. I know you hate it.

I mean, I hate it, but yeah. I know. But Reese is like the Quinta. He's Edgar Martinez. Put him at the DH and let him rake. He does rake, though. He's back. All right, let's get to that,

and then we'll get to F. Lennon, Arrieta, and all that. Anything else in front? I mean, there wasn't really anything else. No, they just put up runs. I mean, Ho-Hum, another Adam Morgan. Another Adam Morgan. Adam Morgan breakout is real. Where's my mentions for the Adam Morgan breakout?

Adam Morgan looks really good. Really good. Like, that slider is a weapon. Like, that is a weapon pitch. Like the ability to go multiple versions of that slider from the same arm slot. And as you've talked about to go from like four inches to six to eight or six to eight to ten, whatever. Yeah. That is a weapon.

No, it's great. And he comes in on Sunday and it's just three straight to Eddie Rosario. And Rosario just pops it up. And that was a huge spot. I mean, that was the spot in the game right there. Yeah, no, I think he's been, I just think, I'm looking up his usage right now because I just want to make sure

or something, but like using that slider more and more, like that's something that sparked. I mean, right now, this is what I was looking for. You have to say real quick, you would have to say that right now Pat Neshek and Adam Morgan are the two best pitchers in this bullpen right now. It not even really a bar none i mean uh narris you could put in there he's pitched really well since that the opener uh nikasi has been good nikasi has been

good but those two have been lights out so i feel most confident when neshek and adam morgan come in the game right now neshek's always good so i think we have to preface why we don't love neshek because like all right so neshek won't take the ball back to back games i know he did it once this year but that's an anomaly. And last year, he was all the leaks from the clubhouse about Gabe Kapler. And the year before with McKinnon, too. I know. He just has this track record.

But now, apparently, he's all in on being a team guy. Thanks, Pat. Welcome to the program. And also all the baseball card stuff. Just Google Pat Neshek and baseball cards, and you'll see some of the stories where it's just like, just because you're a Major a major league baseball player you think that other major league baseball players are required to give you their cards or sign their cards it's a weird thing he's a weird dude yeah that's fine he's a great pitcher great pitcher all good bro yeah we've

i have no qualms we're in on pat neshek he's very good we're good on it's never my issue no he's a an interesting guy i wouldn't want to hang out with him. That's it. It's okay. He's a great pitcher. Keep pitching. Alright, so two things from Friday. So here's the one thing I was looking up for Adam Morgan. So Adam Morgan right now, his usage of his pitches. He's throwing 40% sliders. Boom. He's thrown only

6% four-seamers, which is good because last year, guys batted 444 off of that. I mean, when Jason Hayward takes it deep, you should just not throw that. It does seem like it. Just retire the pitch. Yeah. It's that bad.

It was the first time Jason Hayward's caught up to a fastball since 2012. Especially against a lefty, too, which is not good. Yeah, not a good look. No. Not a good look. But here's the thing that I think is interesting. So his slider used- What dumb GM gave Jason Hayward $123 million?

I can't figure it out. Anyway, keep going. It's Jed Hoyer. That's who it was. Jed Hoyer. I just can't wait until you wake up one day. Jed Hoyer was the GM. I was just trying to remember who the GM was. It was Jed Hoyer. Anyway, keep going. It's Jed Hoyer. That's who it was. Jed Hoyer. I just can't wait until you wake up one day. It was Jed Hoyer

was the GM. I was just trying to remember who the GM was. It was Jed Hoyer. It was not that fraud, Theo. It was not that fraud. She's the president. I don't care.

I really don't care. So the slider, so last year, his slider usage was at 42%, okay? But his fastball usage was at 21%, a four-seam fastball.

21%, down to 6%. So what he's using now is a sinker, which is up to 24% of his usage. Why would you not use that when it dips underneath lefties batters? That's your only job with it, and also goes away to righties. So Adam Morgan looks great, Neshek looks great. Now Robertson, Robertson threw a school of sittings this weekend. And got two-thirds before Morgan came in to save him. Right.

And they finally realized what he was doing wrong, I guess, was that he was breaking his hands too early and he was getting to the plate. He's basically just too early to the plate. And they had to get him slowed down and make sure he stays back a little bit longer. Nice job. Nice job noticing that. Yes. Good job, Chris Young.

Chris Young found out the Arietta arm slot. I'm bullish on the early Chris Young reports. Yeah. They seem to like him a lot. So that's good. If you can get Robertson going, I think Sir Anthony, I think he needs some just long, not long relief, but like blowouts stuff. He needs to just come in.

Come in and low leverage. Yep. Exactly. Low leverage situations because I think his problem is the same kind of problem that Robertson was having. I think he's opening up way too early and I think it's just throwing everything out of whack. His slider's not moving that well.

His fastball isn't cutting as much. I think he's just a little bit early. I think he needs to stay back on his back a little. They're switching to Sir Anthony now. Yes. Okay. He took me a second. I was like, wait, is he still talking to Robertson? No. He said, okay, so Sir Anthony. Now I'm a Sir Anthony. I was going to wait for Saturday for Sir Anthony, but go ahead. Let's talk about Sir Anthony. Let's jump ahead to Saturday, Sir Anthony. Oh, Friday night's done now. Yes, I'm the middle of us. Okay, he took me a second. I was like, wait, is he still talking to Robertson? No, he said, okay, so Sir Anthony. Now I'm a Sir Anthony. Okay, I was going to wait for Saturday for Sir Anthony, but go

ahead. Let's talk about Sir Anthony. Let's jump ahead to Saturday, Sir Anthony. Oh, Friday night's done now. All right, so we'll

go backwards. Sir Anthony, then Arrieta, Sir Anthony. Sir Anthony. So my thing with Sir Anthony right now is I think he's opening up a little bit too

early, and I think it's causing all of his pitches not to have the same level of zip. Which has been noticeable, and the movement at the end, the late giddy up we

talked about. Yeah, and it just- The cut? We haven't seen the cut. It all just fl has been noticeable. And the movement at the end, the late giddy-up we talked about. Yeah. The cut. We haven't seen the cut. It all just flattens out. There's cutter movement to it a little bit, but instead of being the late last second cut, it's kind of cutting earlier. Which is funny.

The only time he's had that cut this season, the throw to first base on Reese Hoskins, the ball cut away from Reese. Right. Although, I was talking to Ben Harris about this, and he sent me a video of Sir Anthony against the Braves on opening day, and it was like the cut. It was a hard 98. Acuna swung right through it. We haven't seen that kind of pitch from Sir Anthony just yet.

Everything out of his hand right now is just flattening out at the wrong time. I think he needs to just stay close, stay back a little bit longer, and I think the zip will come back. All right, Arrieta, seven innings, three earned, had that one rough inning, but at least to my eye, seemed to battle through some spots. Yeah, I thought I was pretty encouraged by Jake. I guess he said that that team is very aggressive, and he tried to get them out early and just throw pitches in the zone.

I thought that was the most comfortable he had looked. I thought he was getting through his pitches. I thought that was the most comfortable he had looked. I thought he was getting through his pitches. I thought that was very good. The one thing that was not great was that he had only one swing and miss all day, which, not great. Not good. No, I mean, for 94 pitches,

only had the one guy swing through it. Not great. Especially, it was like a, I mean, that was the lowest he's ever had in his career. Wow, really? Yeah, it was one guy. That's not good. It was like a 1.6% hit rate. It was like guy. That's not good. It was like a 1.6% whiff rate.

It was like crazy. So that's something to monitor. But I guess if he's generating soft contact. And if that's the approach he went into the game with, saying I'm not trying to strike these guys out, I'm trying to get outs. Which I think that's a good development for Jake. We talked about that last year.

I think that as a pitcher, philosophically, you need to be able to get strikeouts when you need them, but to go in and say, I want to use less pitches to get outs is a smart strategy. Yeah, and I thought he filled up the zone a little bit. Obviously, the third inning was a little bad, but I think it just got away from him a little bit rather than he was

not really figuring it out because he pitched until the seventh inning, so he obviously had something going. I thought he looked comfortable. I thought he was finishing well. I thought he was, I mean, I saw him hit 95 a couple times, which I think is a good sign. And if he wants to be like a ground ball pitcher that doesn't strike that many people out anymore, I think that's almost better than trying to nibble and try to get guys to chase, because guys just aren't chasing any of this stuff anymore.

I agree, especially when he's got a great sinker ball. Like, he can get ground outs. That's his bread and butter. So, leaning into what your bread and butter is, I don't think is a bad thing for Arianna. I agree, especially when he's got a great sinker ball. He can get ground outs. That's his bread and butter. Leaning into what your bread and butter is, I don't think is a bad thing for Arrieta. I agree. I was encouraged by Arrieta. I thought he was fine. The one swing and miss is definitely something

to monitor. Alright, Sunday and then we'll get into some other things from the weekend and we'll look ahead. But Sunday, let's start with Eflin. Cy Eflin. Cy Eflin. Cy Eflin. The Eflin breakout that we all called for. I mean, he's looked great so far. I would say that the first three innings on Sunday,

he didn't look great. Obviously, the first inning he didn't, and then kind of settled in after. The guy who pitched four through seven is a guy that can be legit, legit. He was dotting like he was 95 like every lefty he faced he was getting up and under the hands and was actually running back a little bit and it was 95 just darts like wherever real muto was putting his glove efflin was hitting it

and going up in the zone and being able to pitch up in the zone with that 94 95 and then having all the pitches off of that, that is such good pitching. Eflin is such a solid, solid pitcher. He is awesome. I trust Zach Eflin. Wow. I trust Zach Eflin. And I don't think it's a flash in the pan either

because he's actually getting swings and misses. I think he actually has a plan of attack. And I just think his mechanics are finally all figuring it out. He is staying back just long enough to where it's it's the balls coming out and it's hard for batters to pick up on I thought I thought Eflin was great the first three innings I didn't think he looked that great there was some hard hit balls off him but four through seven it was like just pounding the zone soft contact getting jam shots to righties I thought it was I thought it was great and obviously he's throwing the two different sliders now.

He's mixing in his curveball even more. And the changeup, I feel like he didn't even have to use that much. Now, the one thing that I did want to bring up is that the one thing I'm mildly concerned about, not too concerned, but something that I want people to monitor, is his slider and his changeup are coming in at the same exact speed, which isn't great when you're thinking about just eyes, like a batter's eye, because if they see it a little bit softer, they're going to stay back on and be able to hit it.

So I would love for him to be able to get his changeup in at like 84. So you want a 7 to 10 mile an hour difference between your fastball and your changeup. So if he can come in at 84 and then have the slider at 88 and the fastball at 94-95, I mean, game over. It's freaking game over. He's developing right in front of

our eyes. So more real than fluke is what you're trying to say here. Yeah. If he's going to pitch up in the zone 94-95, it's definitely more real. Wow. It's definitely more real. It's exciting. It's good. They need this. He looks really good. Obviously, I like Pavetta. I think Pavetta's upside is definitely higher.

But right now, Eflin's pitching better. There's no question about it. And listen, man. He's just solid. It's six innings, seven innings of less than three runs. That's all I ask for out of Zach Eflin. And I think he can do that on a night-in, night-out basis. All right.

Speaking of Eflin, Gabe Kapler. I thought he made a really great decision to leave Eflin in the game there. Just in general, Kapler. I thought you were talking about after the game when he said that he's a perennial Cy Young candidate. Did he say that? Wow. You know, that's old school game.

He's still going to be a little effusive about his guys. Yeah, he's still in there. But I mean, through eight games, and I know a lot of people are like, you know, he's just staying out of the way. I think that Kapler is... He's not though. He's doing a much better job than people are giving him credit for. He's making every right

move so far. In a sense, he's staying out of the way but I think that's more learning more about players emotions than looking just at the spread street. So in that way, I think he's staying out of the way but I don't know how you can watch his team every night and not see the decisions he's making from the bullpen.

Maybe he left Sir Anthony in for too long on Saturday, but I think he has to learn where he's at with Sir Anthony rather than, I mean, you're already down in the game anyway. Yeah, you're a little bit more lenient with that. Right, and you have to see if your guy can pitch out of this situation. Sure. But pulling Nola in the second Washington start, being able to bring in Nick Williams off the bench,

he's made really correct decisions at the bottom of the lineups to get hitters in there when he knows the pitchers are done. And everything he's touched so far has been really good. And really, I think the clubhouse culture has been phenomenal. It's been the biggest thing. I think that you can't give credence to the camaraderie and celebrations and say, oh, that's so great and not give Kapler credit for that.

You just can't. They go together. He has to foster that type of clubhouse where people feel comfortable being themselves, people feel comfortable celebrating, and he's done that. I think, yeah, I just, I think the clubhouse has been great. He's letting these guys just be themselves, and I

think that's the biggest part of the early season camaraderie. It's like, do the handshakes, celebrate all you want. I agree. We'll go kick some ass. I think that's the way he is. I think his motto in the clubhouse is have fun and kick ass. I think that's... I think it's a great motto.

It's a sport. It's fun. It should be fun. Shout out to Gabe. One more thing from Sunday's game. I have one more Gabe thing, too. Okay. Oh, lay it on me then first.

There are six managers I'd rather have than Gabe Kepler. Ooh, that's it. Wow. Six managers. Wow. So you're saying Gabe Kepler is the seventh best manager in Major League Baseball for all intents and purposes. Get Joe Maddon out of here.

No interest in Joe Maddon. Wow. Wow. Out on Joe Maddon. So Francona. Francona. You have to take Francona over him. Bochy, I know he's retiring, but Bochy, Hall of Famer. Okay. I guess I'll put Bochy in there. You have to.

I mean, I know he's old school and stuff, but Bochy is an all-time great. Bochy, Cora, Francona, Hinch, Cash. Yeah, I agree with those five for sure. I mean, Cash is the most underrated manager. Cash is unbelievable. Cash might be the best manager in the game right now. I mean, he's awesome. I would put Ka five for sure. I mean, Cash is the most underrated manager. Cash is unbelievable. Cash might be the best manager in the game right now. I mean, he's awesome.

I would put Kapler right there. I like that. That's an interesting list. I like him better than Boone. I don't like David Roberts at all. I think Boone stinks. I don't think Boone's good. I think David Roberts is a product of his team out there.

I'm not a huge Roberts guy. I think he's fine. Oh, I'll put him up. I'll have Craig Council I have ahead of him. I like Craig Council. He's fine oh i'll put him up i'll have craig council i have ahead of him i like craig council he's fine bub black no solid manager but i agree with you but i like bub black i think he's underrated but i agree with you this is interesting i gotta actually take a look and i'll come back with where i would have him but i like that a lot i'm all in i think i think of all the leaps guys have taken this year i think gabe has taken the biggest leap

from year one to year two. Obviously, the talent is there. Obviously, the talent has leapfrogged this team from an 80-win team to where they are now, which is a 95-plus probably win team. But the clubhouse culture, I think that is something that players are going to want to come in and play for. It seems like he has his guys back it seems like he's tying in the emotional side of it and listen the guy gives a crap

and like when I watch Rocco Badelli all weekend be asleep at the wheel when I watch Dave Martinez who is a freaking disaster like do his thing and then I see Gabe and like he says he literally said in an article like two weeks ago that the thing I had to learn in year one was that there's not enough time in the day to figure out everything.

I'll take that in my manager. Me too. If my manager... Oh, he cares? Wow, that's rough. Yeah, well, going from Pete Buchanan to him is a big difference. But Gabe gives a crap. He's smart, and I think he has a really smart coaching staff around him.

I think Chris Young's smart. I think John Maley's smart, even though I get a little frustrated with him. Sam Fold is smart. I think right now he's so comfortable from year one to year two that it's just everything. He's just got it. I'm in on Gabe. I am too.

I love it. I'll take a list. I do think of the guys from last year. Corey, you mentioned. I think Brian Snicker might be a good manager too. I've liked what I've seen from him when I've watched the Braves. Opening weekend, I was like, this guy's bad. Oh, this opening weekend.

No, Philly's opening weekend. Right. This season, you're saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he didn't have a great opening weekend, but in general, he's made some good moves. But regardless, I would take Gabe over. All right. One other thing from Sunday.

He's made some good moves. But regardless, I would take Gabe over. All right, one other thing from Sunday. Mea culpa here, because I believe, either on the last podcast or the podcast before, I said I never needed to see Hector Neris pitch in the ninth inning ever again. Well. Hector.

Yeah. Hector. Hector. I don't know. Closer. Let's go. It's like he'll look great, and then he'll look bad, and then he'll look great.

I know. He permanently has a deer in headlights look. He always looks afraid to be in the ninth inning. Got it done. He did get it done. Good job, Hector. I'm with you. One, two, three, two. Okay, so are you all back into the bullpen?

Where are you at? I think it's rounding into the form. I think it's rounding into the form. I think Morgan, I think it's sustainable with his sinker and slider. I think Neshek's always going to be solid. I think Robertson's getting better. I think the first week was just a disaster from that standpoint. But I think Sir Anthony, he just needs low leverage situations,

maybe some flat grounds, some film work. And obviously the talent's all there to be ridiculous. He needs a little breather. All right, a couple things surrounding the action. We mentioned it before. Not worried about Reeves' shoulder anymore, I'm guessing. No, I guess we're not. We're not. We're good. He saw 78 pitches this weekend. He was awesome

this weekend. He was awesome. He was the best player on the team for the weekend. Well, yeah, and that at bat yesterday, he hits the home run. And that was just a great piece of hitting, man. It was nine pitches. It was a great pitch, too, that he hit out of the ballpark. That was a really low and outside in the strike zone, like a really nice pitch. And he just went and got it, man.

And it just carried. Yeah, his barrel just stays with his own so long that he's able to just launch everything. I mean, the pitch he fouled off before was a much better pitch to hit. And then he still went down and got the next one. Right. It's a great at bat. That was the most fired up I've ever seen Reese. Me too, man.

He was jacked up. And it was a big spot. Big hit. Yeah. Off a really good pitcher. Yeah. Berrios is one of the best pitchers, like one of the best young pitchers in baseball. Yeah, he is.

He's legit. He's kind of what I think Sixto is going to be, which is kind of sad. Sad. He's bigger than Sixto, though. Yeah, he is bigger than Sixto, which is saying something because Barrios is not that tall. No, but Sixto is that little. Is it Barrios or Barrios? Barrios.

That one I feel comfortable. By the way, Maricopa again. Maricopa. I was wrong. It's Tyler Naquin, not Tyler Naken. Yeah. That's my bad. Still better than pseudo-suedo, though.

Get off my case, okay? That's a real word. We don't do real words. We only do baseball words, and that's what I'm good for. All right, a couple more things I want to talk about from a roster perspective. One is kind of starting to get discussed. Cesar Hernandez. Yes.

Not the best start to the season. He's been fine. You know, obviously 180-something average, but he's helped. He's gotten on base, but is it time? Is Scott Kingery your starting second baseman soon? I don't think it's a bad idea to get Kingery some starts this week, beginning of this week. Cesar's just struggling, and I think Cesar's a good player,

but what is the worst thing that could possibly happen from Kingery playing this week? The worst thing that happens for Cesar is Kingery takes it and runs with it, but from an affiliates perspective, that's a good thing. So I think there's only positives that can come from this. One, it gives Cesar a little bit of a breather, lets him calm down and get into the swing of things. And two, if Kingery goes out

and proves that he is worth of the contract they gave him last offseason, then you have your second baseman. You have your guy that you can actually grow with Gene Segura and whatnot. So I don't see the downside in replacing Cesar with Kingery. I think it's just a decision right now.

Give Cesar, I mean, the off day Thursday, give him a little bit of a breather. And if Kingery, I think it's just a decision right now. Give Cesar, I mean, they have the off day Thursday. Give him a little bit of a breather. And if Kingery takes it and runs, then that's a good thing. It's a good thing all around. So I am pro Cesar. I think Cesar is a good ball player. Not playing well right now. There's a bunch of soft contacts to the right side.

I don't think it'd be the worst idea in the world to get Kingery some playing time. Yeah, look, I'm there too. I think that you need to start mixing Kingery some playing time. Yeah. Look, I'm there, too. I think that you need to start mixing Kingery in to begin with. You have to figure out what he has. What he is. And look, development-wise, all that type of stuff. And look, this team is trying to win baseball games this year. This is not a development year.

But at the same time— They can do both. Yeah, it's balancing. It's exactly right. It's balancing those things. And it's also that this organization clearly believes in Scott Kingery. They gave him that contract last year for a reason. One year at 24 in the majors that was not a great year

isn't going to change that for them. That's not going to make them be like, oh, we were wrong. This guy stinks. That's not happening. They still believe in Scott Kingery long term, so eventually they're going to have to figure it out. They're going to have to figure out whether he's your second baseman of the future or not.

And I agree. I think, look, Cesar's struggling. I think it's an... I'm not saying start King or Ravy game this week, but give him a couple starts at second base. Mix him in there. That is the position you want him at. Right.

You're putting him into a pretty low leverage situation. I mean, last year, he was viewed as a guy that had to help take this team from one level to the next. Yeah. He had big time expectations last year. Now he's just a cog in the machine. And what's really going to be the difference between having

Kingery in your 7-hole and Cesar in your 7-hole right now? On base percentage, that's about it. Yes, the on base percentage, I agree. But he should be able to get pitches down there. And I think Kingery's a better fielder than Cesar at second base too. And a way better base runner. Oh, well, significantly better's a better fielder than Cesar at second base too. Not that that's a huge And a way better base runner.

Oh well significantly better base runner. Yes. Why does Cesar he keeps stealing with a runner on first I would say one out and he'll

be on first base one out and he'll try to take second and then leave first base open and Franco takes it. He keeps doing it every time.

It's like they're clearly going to walk him. What are we doing here? I understand it turns the pitcher over but you're taking the bat out of Franco's hands where he can it every time. It's like they're clearly going to walk him. What are we doing here? I understand it turns the pitcher over but you're taking the bat out of Franco's hands where he can do some damage. It's not the greatest thing in the world.

I agree with you. So I'm just like, what are you doing? Relax, Cesar. But Kingery, I'm still bullish on Kingery. I don't think he's as great as he was pegged out to be last season.

But I just want to see what he can be. I want to see what he can do. If he takes this and runs with it, it's a way better thing for the future of the Phillies, and once the Cubs collapse, like they will because they have a bad GM and a manager on the hot seat, then they can steal Ben Zobrist to the deadline. Oh, man.

How am I supposed to respond to that? By the way, Cesar does give you a switch hitter off the bench, which is nice, too, from that perspective. It's always good to have someone a little more versatility on the bench right speaking of which roster crunch coming up yeah roman quinn so what is it like 14 15 days left before they have to make a decision somewhere in that range i believe until the rehab assignment is up out of options aaron altair out of options so the way I see it it's either Quinn or Altair or

they decide to go with a more conventional roster construction approach and they have five bench bats and they keep both how do you see

this shaking out are you nervous Aaron Altair not good Jack so good out of options I know Aaron Altair

could be on another team in a month yeah I think he's gonna be in the Diamondbacks in a month so you think that's the way it goes yeah I just think that I mean look I think they give Quinn a month. Yeah, I think he's going to be in the Diamondbacks in a month. So you think that's the way it goes?

Yeah, I just think that... I mean, look, I think they give Quinn a spot if he's healthy and he's back. I almost think that they... Like, Altair, even if he turns out to be good, there's not really a spot for him anyway. Right. And I think they like the kid, and I think that... They want to give him a chance, you think? Right, and give him a chance in a fresh start on a bad team and see what he can do.

Like, go to the Diamondbacks. We're actually rakingaking and Adam Jones somehow has four home runs Christian Walker yeah I don't know where he's he's a he's a southeastern PA high school legend is he really yeah about that

yeah knowledge by the South Carolina and rate I heard a lot about him growing up so that's the only reason I know never faced him though probably would have taken the yard that was a moment of

realness right there Jack well it's funny because there's this guy on the Mariners named Joe DiCarlo who's like a minor league pitcher now. But when we were 13, he took a ball like 330 off me. So it's just like, it's all coming back to me. But yeah, no, Altair, I think he deserves a fresh start.

It's not going to work out here. And they have Nick Williams who can be the power guy at the bench. And then Roman Quinn, like Oduble's playing too well. Roman Quinn's not that good anyway. Roman Quinn is a fine end, like a bench bat. He's a perfect bench guy. We talk about this all the time. He's a switch hitter for you.

You have multiple options there. He can run. He can field. He's a perfect bench guy. He's exactly what you want out of a bench guy. Yeah, I think he's just been so overrated by a lot of people because he came up and had a fast little start. And for so long, we heard so much about him.

Yeah, but Oduble's playing well. You can't take Oduble out of the lineup right now. I 100% agree with you. My bigger worry is that they decide to let Altair go, bring Quinn back, and then Quinn gets hurt again, which will happen. Well, you can't trust them, that's for sure. Right, so if you make that decision, you DFA Altair,

I mean, why wouldn't you send Ramos down or something like that? Why wouldn't you go with the bigger, the slightly larger bench and give up on a pitcher, especially when you can do so much gymnastics with that from a week-to-week basis and you can move guys up and down and all that? Why? Well, I guess, like, do you really need three bench outfielders when you have guys that play pretty much every day?

No, I don't know if you do or don't, but we've seen instances already where Andrew Knapp has had to pinch hit. And by the way, Andrew Knapp's still on this team, Jack. What do you want him to do? I want him not to be on this team. Drew Patero, whatever that guy. I'll pick anybody. Debbie Grullion?

Who's the triple A catcher? Bring him up. I mean, Aaron, I can't do Andrew Knapp anymore. I can't do it. He really... I hate it. I hate it. He's like a high school hitter.

He is such a bad hitter. Like, he is an epically bad hitter. Yeah, it's like having Freddy Gallows be a shortstop for the entire season. That's basically what it is. Yeah, I never liked Andrew Knapp. Jilio loves Andrew Knapp. Really? I can't explain it.

Yeah. Wow. It's sad. I didn't think anybody did. Well, he just thinks he has a good eye at the plate. Oh, come on. He's a good OBP guy. No wonder Gabe wants him on the team.

Yeah, well, Gabe will never let Andrew Knapp leave. Hey. Knappy! Maybe he's a great clubhouse guy. Knappy. Maybe that's what he is. Culture guy. I don't know.

That seems like a huge bench. And if they're not going to get at bats anyway because this line-up's too loaded, it's what he is. Culture guy. I don't know. That seems like a huge bench. And if they're not going to get a bet anyway, because this line is too loaded, it's like, I don't know. I'd rather have the pitcher up here. That's fine. I'm, I'm, I can go either way. You're finding a way to keep Aaron on the roster and I appreciate that. How am I the one who's arguing to keep Aaron Altair on the roster?

Because I want, I want my beautiful butterfly to blossom. You want the best. Yeah. Wow. That is really altruistic of you. This is a... Yeah. Wow.

Yeah. It's been self-reflective. I was expecting from Jack, it's all about me, Fritz. I wasn't expecting it. Yeah. Well, you know, sometimes you got to give back. And with Aaron Altair, it's time for him to just go be on his own. Go spread those wings, butterfly.

Spread those wings, Aaron. In San Francisco. Fly away, brother. Yes. Prove me right somewhere else all right big series coming up I mean it's hard to say any April series a big

series but remember last year was like area to need to step up tonight biggest series and biggest series and but now really is like again these are the biggest series in 10 years or whatever but I like to go

how about how about the crowd just being back like this week back like it was every game was there were like there were like 15 20,000 people who stayed through a freaking rainstorm to watch baseball. Yeah, that was a horrible night. I felt uncomfortable watching it on my TV, and I see all these people there. I was like, awesome.

And the Phillies. Shout out to the Phillies for doing right by them, offering them a ticket to a game later in the season just for hanging out. Yeah, that's cool. That is cool. That's getting it. That's understanding your fan base and being cool. So shout out to the Phillies for that. Oh, it did give me

a lot of 2016 flashbacks. I did not appreciate the empty crowd. Yeah, but you know, you can't blame them at the same time. I know. But I had gotten so used

to these big crowds. You're already there. It was just ready. It was great. Why'd you go 2016 flashbacks and not, I don't know, last season? Yeah, I don't know.

17, 16. Well, 16 is when they lost. I know, but it was know, last season. Yeah, I don't know. 17, 16. Well, 16 is when they lost. I know, but it was equally empty last year. Well, whatever. Well, because 2016 doesn't seem that far ago, that long ago, even though it was like three years ago. Yeah. Isn't it great waking up every day

and being able to watch the Phillies at seven now? It is the greatest thing in the world. It's such a great feeling. Well, especially because I had to watch them when they were bad anyway. And it's just so much more fun to look forward to these games and think about, oh, my team is

so fun to watch. Alright, so speaking of which, this series, it's a pretty big series. Nats coming into town. Velasquez gets the ball tonight. Yay. Aaron Noel tomorrow. The human rain delay tonight. Okay, so let's Alright, we all know how we feel about Vince Velasquez. Fingers crossed.

Who knows? I would bet the over tonight. You have, it's an, the over under is nine. You're talking on time? Cause I would too. Bet the over on it being a long ass game. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, they start every game late and then they also have Velasquez on the mound. And then the lineup, which is a great thing. They grind, but man, they play some long baseball games and then Velasquez on the hill. Not cool. Here's the funny part. I gotta wake up in the morning, Vince. Here's the thing. Is that no one cares anymore because they're a good offense.

It's true. Like last year it was like, oh, this is painful. They're grinding out at bats and not doing anything with it. Now they're grinding out at bats. It's a good point. It's a lot easier to hang with. Like no one cares that the games are three hours now because they're actually a good offense.

Baseball's dead, Jack. Yeah, baseball's dead. No one cares about it. Stop talking about it. But it's clearly the second most popular team in the city and the Sixers don't matter. No one cares about it. Stop talking about it. But it's clearly the second most popular team in the city, and the Sixers don't matter. No one cares about the Sixers. All right, so what are you looking for in this series here?

I'm assuming Nola. We talked about Pavetta. What are you looking for? You know, Velasquez, we're going to cross our fingers and pray. Yeah, we'll see with Velasquez. Nola. What are you looking for tomorrow from Nola? Or, yeah, tomorrow from Nola.

It's a big spot. Nola, for me. Strasburg. It's a big matchup. For me with Nola, it's all about where's the location of his pitches. I mean, that was something that was so interesting about the Washington start last time was that he didn't have the location of his fastball, which he always has. He didn't have the movement on his fastball, which he always has. And he was trying to throw off speed pitches, and they weren't even close to the zone.

Like, he was just... It was a very strange Aaron Nola start. He walked five guys in his first game. He walked, I don't know how many in the Washington game, I think like three or four. Very uncharacteristic. I want to see Nola have a bounce back performance and I'm interested to see how his offense

does against an elite pitcher like Strasburg. I mean, they've gone against two elite pitchers so far in Scherzer and Barrios. And I would say that Barrios, whatever his freaking name is, Barrios, Barrios. This one I feel pretty confident it's Barrios.

Oh, I forget because I'm in my head because I used to say Barrios a lot. And then I heard Franski this week and I said Barrios, I'm pretty sure. Did he really? But I forget. I have this little, I forget kind of what he said.

So now I'm just, now I got mush in my head. But he carved him up. He didn't throw his changeup. He was a fastball, curveball guy, and his changeup is legit good. So I'm interested to see how they battle against an actually good pitcher. Who looked great

against the Mets the other night. He looks great when he's healthy. Yeah, Strasburg looked awesome. I think nine strikeouts and six. He looked really good against the Mets the other night. Yeah, no, I agree. So I'm interested to see what they do against a good starter there. Also interesting to see Nola go up against a team that just, you know, beat the crap out of him a few days ago. It's a good bounce back start for him.

You know, sometimes when you face that team, you want to get back out there again and kind of get past your demons a little bit. And I tell you what, they really got a good draw this weekend. Or this week. I mean, you have Anibal, Strasburg, and Jeremy Hellickson. Yeah.

Are you kidding me? You don't get Scherzer? You don't get Corbin? Thank you. Yes, please. It's a big win. It's a big win for us. And then obviously Wednesday

you have Pavetta versus Hellickson. Okay. How many home runs for Bryce this weekend, this week? Two. You're talking just in this first series, right?

Yeah, first series. Two. Cool. I'm saying. I was going to say over under two and a half. So under. But that's a lot.

That is a lot of homers. I mean, come on. I know. I think he hits at least one off Alexson. He's going to hit it. I mean, I think I could hit it on my own. He might hit two off Alexson. Well, and that bullpen.

Dude, the Nats bullpen is a tire fire. How about Trevor Rosenthal, the first pitcher ever to not retire one of the first nine hitters he faces in a season. It's pretty impressive. Still has an infinity. Pretty impressive. Trevor Ros a season. It's pretty impressive. Still has an infinity. Pretty impressive. It's a bad bullpen. Other than Doolittle, they got nobody.

Oh, it's horrible. Yeah. I mean, Justin Miller sometimes is okay. Yeah, but like Andrew Knapp took him yard last year. It's hard to take Justin Miller. Good point. That's like an automatic indictment. You suck.

Sorry. Whenever I see Justin Miller come in, I'm like, eh, Knapp took him yard last year. So you stink. Yeah. So I never really buy into Justin Miller because of that one. like, eh. Nap took a yard last year. So you stink. Yeah. So I never really buy into Justin Miller because of that one. I think that's a really fair point. Plus... The Nap barometer line.

But it is a great point to bring up that this offense is going to crush bad bullpens. It is going to crush bad bullpens. So it is something to look for heading into games. All right. A couple of fun things before we get out of here. First and foremost, JT's walk-up song yeah so i come give us a little sample just of course you won't sing again jack is so uh i'm not doing at the end of the podcast jack is so uh scarred from his first appearance singing on this podcast already very tired anyway jack's singing this bad song uh that

is apparently jT Romero's walk-up song and I was like, oh, is it some terrible country song? Turns out, no, it's some terrible Christian rock song. Either way, it's a bad song. It's not a bad song. You've never even listened to it. But Jack is alright with it because this is his argument. JT's his catcher so he supports the song.

So I ask you, High Ops Nation, do you like a song just because a Philly walks up to it? Because I don't. That's not going to make me change my opinion on a song. I'm not you like a song just because a philly walks up to it because i don't that's not gonna make me change my opinion on a song i'm not in on a song just because it's jt romero's walk-up song oh no that just makes me think that my catcher has bad taste in music no i always do it yeah i mean i mean i mean half the music is country anyway and i love country music so of course that hurts your clothes it's it's the best there's nothing there's no nothing better in summer than country music and beers.

One of those two things is true. I'm just saying. Unless they're 15% beers, then it's just a bad idea. Just don't do that before a Phillies game. Or ever. You won't remember the 16. Or ever. I think you can say ever.

Especially when you're 40 like you and have a kid. Yes. Not great. Not great. It wasn't great. All right. One other thing I was thinking about. Celebrations. How much effort do you think they put into these things because everybody's got individual things with everybody i mean i love the bryce hart like how much time

i think about this a lot like when i was watching reason mccutchen do their little celebration after his homer the other day i like how much time and effort do these guys are they are they just is it just naturally like oh boom boom boom we got it that's perfect or is this like how much time and effort do these guys are they are they just is it just naturally like oh boom boom boom we got it that's perfect or is this like hours of time spent and saying no no no let's do the three slabs and then we'll do the little shiver move and then what handshakes are very hard to do that's what I mean this is something it's coordinated this is time and effort how much time and effort would you say is put into this well I would say

it's like you go up to a guy and you you start figuring out the pieces of it and then once and then once you have the pieces together

and then you practice it like six times I was actually surprised that Sigura and Hoskins had it down so well because there was an Instagram video of them

working on it together. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, I like that. I didn't know that. Yeah, so they were working on it. So they showed it. That's very cool.

I like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they're showing the little twirl thing at the end, which, was it in on? Oh, so in. Salsa dancer Reese.

So in. I did not see that coming. But I, yeah, it takes, I would say it takes like a good hour, hour and a half, two hours. That's for each pair of people. That's what I'm saying.

You got to plan out what you're going to do. I appreciate that. That is time well spent. But I always think about it because I always think it's like it just happens for us. We're just watching it and these celebrations are there and they happen. I think about the time and the effort. And they're always perfect. That's what I mean.

They're fun and each one's different. What do you think of the wave, by the way? Like the wave? When they get on base, that's their new thing this year. Oh, I love it. Me too. I'm a fan of it. Because we talked about that last year with the thing they had.

And then it's something that it seems like that's just something that is a part of Major League Baseball now. Yeah, you got to have one. Teams have their thing. I really like the wave. I think it's fun. I think it's fun because I like doing it at the ballpark now. So I think I could see like a whole ball.

I could see Bryce Harper taking a jog at the right field doing the wave and then everyone doing the wave back. That's pretty cool. Yeah, but it's going to take a little bit longer. Obviously, everyone's watching now, but I would say that that doesn't fully catch on until like July.

All right. Anything else before we get to final thoughts? Sure, I'll just do it now. Sure, I'll just do it. Wait, is this your final thought no i have two final thoughts but i'll do one of them now got you that's good once again i just think watching bryce harper on saturday going back and re-watching the game and watching him uh coming home on friday night and sliding in and whatever like bryce harper i don't think i don't

know if he realizes it yet he needed Philadelphia. Bryce Harper needed Philadelphia because he is playing so much harder. His right field defense has been phenomenal. He's getting all the right reads. He tried to jump over Williams-Ostadillo on Saturday which is awesome. He made the heads up play on Friday

night to get home and steal another run for them. Sliding head first. That was a really heads up aggressive play. We don't remember this, but he hit this ball right center field gap on Saturday. Got the second base on it when Buxton made a little misplay. You're right, we don't remember. I don't remember it. Saw it this morning for the first time, got excited about it.

I just think he needed Philadelphia, and I think it's reached a new level. The guy's batting, the guy's batting three 70 something and has a five 60 OBP. And like he's, he's taking pitches. He's driving the ball. It's not all just home runs. He's hitting for a high average at this point.

He's he, he, the Philadelphia fan base, I think has energized Bryce Harper to help him reach another level of his game. I think that might be your best take Jack. It's a great take. I support this take. Thank you for blowing that burp away from me.

So here's the thing. I am a recent, for long, I have hated avocados. And I am now an avocado man. I told you how great they were. I had avocado toast for lunch. Oh, welcome aboard.

Yeah. Welcome. It's truly phenomenal. I went avocado toast for lunch. Oh, welcome aboard. Yeah. Welcome. It's truly phenomenal. I went out to- See, all right. So y'all, this is when- Did you just say y'all? I said y'all.

And I rarely say it. And I thought about, should I say it? And I went for it. Never again. Yeah, it's not going to happen again. But y'all, listen. I fought with Jack about this. I've had so many conversations.

And Jack is one of those people who will say, I don't like it because I've never given it a chance, but I don't like it. And I said, just try it, Jack. I had had it before. I didn't like it. I'm also now a cheeseman. He's not like cheese. These are all great things.

I'm becoming slowly terrified that I might like wine. I don't want to like wine. Wow. You're growing more eyes. But I'm starting to like everything else. Like, what if I like wine? What if I like tomato. I don't want to like wine. Oh, wow. You're growing more eyes. But I'm starting to like everything else. Like, what if I like wine? What if I like tomato? I hate tomato.

Tomato is disgusting. What if I'm just changing too much? Wow. I don't want to change too much. What if these random things that I say I don't like because I really didn't give them a chance, I give a chance and I actually like... No, because cheese does smell bad.

Some cheeses smell bad. Not all cheese smells bad. Some cheese smells like nothing. I'm not a change guy. That we know. I like to say exactly the same. That we know. I mean, I've had the same.

I'm really excited about this, man. I'm proud of you. Well, I went out on, Jill, we went to a Mexican place because I just wanted to get guacamole. And this place, guacamole, is unbelievable. This is like music to my ears right here. So that's where I'm at. I'm now an avocado toast man. I'm really happy about that.

I'm very millennial of me. So is that an avocado burp? I used to hate coffee. I used to hate beer. I'm learning. Look at you, man. I'm a well-rounded man. So proud.

One of these days we'll be on the same page on everything, Jack. Except for the DH. Except for the DH, baby. That ain't going anywhere. Final thought. Except for the DH, baby. That ain't going anywhere. Final thought.

My final thought is that Mickey Moniak is off to a scorching hot start. He's batting.318 up in Portland where, in my mind, it's snowing and it's a blizzard and he's still raking throughout a blizzard. He is on fire. Drove a home run on Saturday and followed me on Twitter. I was just about to say, wasn't there something else there? I get an all-caps text from Fritzy. It's like Thursday or Friday, losing his mind because Mickey Moniak followed him on Twitter. Followed me on Twitter.

It's now my only job in life to get him on this podcast. Well, how's it going? Haven't tried yet. I don't want to be that guy that's like, I don't want to be like, hey man, come on my podcast. Good job. Thanks. You followed. You have an in. And now you're like, eh. I don't want to be that guy that like, great job. I don't want to be like, Hey man, like, good job. Thanks. You followed you at it. You haven't in.

And now you're like, I'll get there. All right. My final thought. I'm handing my final thought over to Devin Fink on Twitter. Great follow. Yes. Should follow Devin Fink on Twitter.

Writes her fan graphs. Now really bright guy. Get this. I think he's like a Dartmouth, like 2021 guy. Like he's so young, not surprising at all. He's a Dartmouth guy though. He's clearly super smart Not surprising at all that he's a Dartmouth guy, though.

He's clearly super smart. All right. This is from Devin Ving on Twitter. Mike Trout has a 25.6 walk percentage and a 7% K percentage after 10 games this season. Pretty good, right? I mean, that's pretty impressive. A 25% walk rate and a 7% K rate. Okay.

There is actually one other major league baseball player who has both a higher walk percentage and a lower K percentage than Mike Trout this season. And that is Mike Alfranco. It's Mike Alfranco. Shout out to Mikey. Or Michael Franco, like Mike Schmidt would say. Michael.

Like, come on, man. Say his name right. It's not that hard. It's Michael. Yeah. Michael Franco. Michael Franco. Right. That's it. Michael Franco. Michael Franco. That's it. Michael Franco.

James Franco's brother. And Dave's brother. They have a third brother. And while Mike Trout is doing that and wasting the rest of his career there, let's look at the lineup around him. He's going to get five home runs in four games, by the way. Does this sound good to you? Leadoff hitter, Tommy LaStella. Tommy's got a job, huh? Three-hole hitter,

Justin Boer. Oh, man. Four-hole hitter, Andrew Al, huh? Three-hole hitter, Justin Boer. Oh, man. Four-hole hitter, Andrew Alton Simmons. Five-hole hitter, Albert Pujols. The corpse of Albert Pujols. Right fielder, B. Goodwin. Don't know who he is. B. Goodwin.

Catcher, Jonathan LeCroy. Brian Goodwin, maybe? Maybe. Catcher, Jonathan LeCroy, who's three years removed from being good. Third baseman Zach Cozart. You think he's psyched

to be in Los Angeles? Pinch hitter Peter Borges. Peter Borges still playing. Yeah. Still for Peter Borges. My man has done

a great job of hanging around. And finally some left fielder slash third baseman definitely left fielder today Dee Fletcher. David. That's what I was going to guessder today, Dee Fletcher. David.

That's what I was going to guess. It is David Fletcher. So, good decision, Mike. Way to go, Mike. You made that decision because you get to play with Joe Adele, who may or may not be good. He watches baseball tonight or whatever, any of these shows, the end of the night, and sees all the celebrations,

and he just cries by himself, just sits there, tears streaming down his face. He's having such a good year. He's been awesome already. He might reach another Mike Trout level. He might be better. Again, he's walking 25% of the time and striking out 7%. Are you kidding me? And he used to have strikeout issues. Well, that's the thing about Mike Trout

is every year what he does is he takes the part of his game that is flawed or whatever and he improves it. And now he doesn't strike out anymore. It's crazy. I mean, Drew Anderson struck him out, so how good really is he? That's a great question.

Which is worse, getting struck out by Drew Anderson or Andrew Knapp hitting a home run off you? Oh, Andrew Knapp hitting a home run. Yeah, it's by far. Nothing is close. Drew Anderson might be okay. Yeah.

It doesn't matter. You could have said anybody, and I would have said Andrew Knapp hitting a home run. I agree. All right, Justin Miller's trash. Go Phillies. Phillies-Nats this week. Two out of three this week? I think they went two out of three and then I think they sweep

the Marlins down to Miami. I don't know, man. That Marlins staff is frisky. The Marlins staff. You're excited for Thursday's pod, aren't you? Thursday's pod, we'll talk Pablo Lopez. We'll talk Sandy Alcantara. You'll be all excited. Or Alcantara or whatever it is. Kayla Smith, Trevor Richards. You're psyched about this.

Coming up later in the week, we'll talk Marlins pitching. How's that for a tease? That's a tease. I don't know how you don't tune in for that episode. Go Phillies. I'm Sal Terese Fritz. Talk to you soon. All-star closer, Kenley Jansen. We have a question.

What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball isn't boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is. Another fact, so jump aboard the BIB Express.

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