High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - Dingers Baby, Dingers

Episode Date: March 24, 2022

James and Jack are excited about Phillies baseball. What a novel concept. The guys continue to revel about Schwarbs and Casty, and discuss why they think they will important both on and off the field for the Phils. James and Jack also talk Spring Training ball, Takebag it up, and much more. 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

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Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the high hopes podcast. It's a bunch of baseball nerds talking about the Phillies on radio.com and sports radio, 94 WIP. Is another addition of the Ohio's podcast. Jack Prince, let me tell you, like, I felt like you this week. Like, I'm watching Castellanos highlights nonstop.

I'm watching Schwarber highlights nonstop. Like, I'm obsessed with the Phillies again. Like, I'm actually excited about a baseball season I can't wait to watch these guys mash I can't wait to see Nick Castellanos go out and fight for his survival as he said like I'm freaking jacked right now

buddy this is so exciting I'm in like such a good mood I always come on and I'm always like oh Jack's gonna be all excited about the Phillies and I have to be the guy who's like oh well jack reign it in buddy i don't have to do that let's go you want me to wait do i have to play the reign it in guy now yeah i don't think you could if you tried like that's like i don't know asking uh uh i'm really bad at these type of analogy type things but like i don't know asking a turtle to run fast or something.

It's just not possible. They can't do it. Well, listen, man, I don't know. I mean, the bullpen could be an issue. The, the defense, Hey, has anyone mentioned the defense? Do you know that they're probably going to not be a great defensive team? I have not heard anyone say that you would be like a setting the trend there. Oh, the, the, the more pitching, that so you would be like a setting the trend there oh there's the need more pitching need more pitching need more pitching james it is good to talk to you it is good to be back i feel like you're yo at the beginning like you got so much positive reinforcement after the last one that i felt like you were using that one to say hey i still got it like i think i didn't want you to i didn't i didn't think you you wanted to let down the listeners that have came from last podcast with just a dynamic yo.

You maintained the yo there, so that was exciting. Right. I tried to give it the same oomph, but obviously— But you can't, right. Right. We know. I mean, that's the beauty of the yo. The yo should tell you how I'm feeling about the phillies and what's going on and sometimes in special moments the yo is a yo type of yo and today it's great i'm happy we're good

but you know you got to reserve those you know to really i that honestly like that is the most i've ever pushed my voice before like i honestly at the end thought i might pass oh and the last one yeah yeah the last one was intense i was like i was wondering if you were gonna pass out and frankly like i didn't see it coming like i've heard a lot of seltzer yos in my in my oh wow i i that is well i'm shocked by that no it's not like i didn't think you could do it it's just like i didn't think you could do it. It's just like I didn't think it was going to be – I thought it was going to be epic. It exceeded my expectations. Wow.

Yes. I got a big smile on my face. Hey, no problem, pal. The Phils are back. The Phils are back. They rake. Whoever – and I'm sorry for forgetting who it was, but whoever tweeted at us, like, it's so happy to just hear Jack and James excited

and happy about the Phillies. Like, hit me so hard because it's so true. Like, I'm so freaking happy to talk to you and be happy about the Phillies like hit me so hard because it's so true like I'm so freaking happy to talk to you and be excited about the Phillies I feel like it's it's been such a rare occurrence it really has been it's been it's been a dark dark couple of actually I'd say it's been a mostly a dark decade um but like I said last time we have made it and frankly like we all get to revel in this we all get to enjoy this and you know we earned it we earned it you know we we really earned it it really and and and people have made this comparison a lot this week now i wasn't alive for the 93 phillies but uh it reminds me more of like heading into the 07 season where

i don't think there's world series expectations on this team, but there's definitely playoff expectations and there should be. And the 07 team raked. I mean, it's very, very similar. Now the starting staff is obviously way better on this team.

The bullpen is, I would, I like this bullpen a lot more than I like than most people. I would say like, I'm actually, I'm more worried about the starting rotation than I am the bullpen a lot more than I like than most people, I would say. Like, I'm actually, I'm more worried about the starting rotation than I am the bullpen. Ooh, what a take from Fritzy. 2-1-5-5-9-2-9-4-9-4. But, like, I feel like, James, I can't help but sit here and feel like we're on the precipice of the next run.

The Castellanos signing on top of Schwarber, I feel like we're about to enter into a golden age of Phillies baseball. They have a core here that they're all the same age. You made that point last time. They're all the same age. They get to grow together for at least the next four years. But you could also add talent around them. That's what

makes baseball so beautiful it's like it's like you can get a steal at the in the 15 to 20 range in the draft or anywhere in the draft the like there's there's good guys all around the draft like because it's so weird that the best players don't go first it's whoever can it's whoever can afford them so like you can you can you can get talent through there the international whether the draft is going to make it really interesting. But they have a core here that can compete right now, and they're not done adding talent to it. They have an actual scouting director.

They have an actual plan down there. They have actual player development guys. James, Dave Dombrowski is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my entire life. I mean that. He is one of the – Just like we predicted. I I mean we knew it would be the first thing we said we were the first thing we said the best thing that's ever happened to us he truly is one of the best things that has ever happened to me as a sports fan you know me he's in the top 10 of most important people in my life like that, yeah. Without a doubt.

Just one step below Brian Barber. Brian Barber is deeply, deeply important to me. He very much is. Well, it is funny because it's just exciting because that was, you know, I said this like multiple times in the offseason pods and all that, but, you know, my whole philosophy with the Phillies, and I didn't expect it to happen. I think that's why this is, like, so much extra fun.

Like, not only is it exciting to actually really have faith in a team as, like, a playoff-condending team to be like, oh, this is, like, real and not just us manufacturing reality like we've done so well for the last few years. Don't drag my name through this. Like, come on. That's not good teamwork. It really – that's not very nice of you.

I got to be honest. It was a compliment. I think it's incredibly impressive what you were able to do. Thanks. Talk about like turning, what is it, the coal into a diamond or whatever you want to say. That was an impressive job by you. It's been a long two and a half years, James. It's been a long, long, a long, like you said, decade, but really 40 years.

But imagine James waking up and loving this team as much as you know I do and having to just put a smile on. I think it's like that meme that you see on Twitter where it's like the face is smiling, but behind it is angry. Now, I really did mean all of it. I was never disingenuous. I just genuinely believed that they were going to turn around. But I don't even feel like I'm lying at this point.

90 wins. 90 wins, James. 90 wins. And if they don't make the playoffs, this podcast is done. How's that? If they don't make the playoffs, this podcast is over. I think you just forced him to go out and add more i mean the trade deadline's gonna be crazy whatever it takes they can't afford that i mean dave deborowski would rather lose his job than lose the iops podcast i mean the support we've given him from day one um but i do think

the point you make about like the next run and supplementing that run, and it's super exciting because that was – and I didn't expect it to happen, obviously. And again, I think that's why it's so exciting because this feels so unexpected that they actually finally went over the tax. They finally just said, screw it. We're going to really commit to this. And that's why I said the only thing that I see as a possible path forward for the Phillies because the most important thing is still the drafting and developing brian barber preston mattingly ani the the super ani colombe that is now in our front office yeah raised guy as we affectionately like to call him that is a

seven term affection raised guy um but like drafting developing the most important thing but we like we said and you agreed like the only way this works is if, all right, we're going to draft and develop, but we're going to focus on this. But at the same time, since we have Bryce Harper here, since we paid JT a bunch of money, since we have Zach Wheeler here and Nolan, all these guys, and Hoskins, like the only thing that makes sense is to suck it up and commit to this group to do it on both ends, focus on the drafting and development, be serious about that.. Put everything in place you need to for the future for that. But also commit to the guys you got here. And you know what?

The only way you could do that? Spend some freaking money. Suck it up. Go over the tags. And they actually did it. They actually did it. Like, Jack, how long have you talked to having a smart baseball team? I honestly, truly from the bottom of my soul, we've talked to having a smart baseball team before.

We've joked about it. We've had pods where in the moment we're like, oh, maybe it's a smart baseball team. This is the first time in the history of this podcast that I genuinely, in my soul, in the core of my being, believe that we have a smart baseball team right now. Like, that's freaking awesome, now. Like that's fricking awesome, man. Like this is exciting. I actually feel like things are moving in the right direction on multiple levels.

And we get to watch fun baseball and also be excited about the future of the franchise. It's like a, what a gift, Jack. It's unbelievable. Didn't know that was a thing. It's,

but that's what I think is possible. And that's what the great teams do. I mean, that's what the best teams in the sport do. And sure, is the Brad Hand signing bother me? Yes. Does the Jerry Sommelier signing bother me? Yes. Does the Oduble re-sign bother me?

Yes. But the overall direction of the franchise is moving in a very, very positive direction. Not only do they have a smart pitching coach, I believe, but I think Kevin Long arguably could be the most important signing of the offseason. I know Schwarber, Castellanos. Wow. That is a bold statement. They're awesome.

They're awesome. A hitting coach. Yeah. Dude, the approach is. You're in full-on Fritz mode right now. I love this. The approach is early in camp. This is heaven.

It's where I want to stay forever. Yeah. The approaches early in camp are looking fantastic. So, except for one guy. But we'll get to that. I'm sure. No, but, like, they are doing the thing like uh brian caplan the guy who was part of like cressy performance like he's a he's a guy that's been working with pitchers

and developing them for years they brought him in to be like the basically the bridge between the minor league development and the major league he's a he's a major league assistant pitching coach slash like talking to the minor league guys about how they're developing so everyone's on the same page like preston mattingly's here that's a massive massive uh signing jason ochart's still here like they're they're they kept the smart guys they brought in more smart guys but they're they're molding it into a thing where it's like i don't think guys are going to get to the major leagues and stall. Now, I know a couple of them have in the years past, but it just takes a long time in baseball.

It really does. But all the little seedlings here are being fertilized and watered, like Nick Sirianni would say. And I just think. Oh, buddy. Oh. I think they are. Honestly, they are turning are like honestly that they are turning into what we've

always dreamt of I mean Ani like you want to talk about most important people in my life it goes Dave Dombrowski Ani and Brian Barber like those are the impressive Maddenly so there's four like they're all very very very very very important to me so then they can never leave I already made that distinction

they can't they can't leave ever but they made that distinction. They can't leave ever. But they're in a really, really good spot. They are spending money. And the most important part, James, is that the owner believes. And he believes that. He believes in his general manager. He believes in his president. He believes in his superstar right fielder.

And the vibes are very, very good right now. So it's just a really exciting time. And I think for the Phillies fans that have been so down for the last decade, I just think it's time to almost wipe the slate clean and say, hey, I'm willing to almost get my heart broken again, but it's okay. Because they are doing the right things. I promise you that. And it's just, I are doing the right things, I promise you that and it's just, I can't believe we're here, it's like everything that we had

I didn't think that Dave Dabrowski was going to be the guy to do it but everything that we had asked for, they're pretty much doing and it's exciting and I just think that once these guys get up here and we see more and more throughout the years, we're just going to continue to be impressed by this team.

And I can't wait. Yeah. Again, I think Mattingly, Barber, Ani, like they're they brought some real smart baseball people in there, guys who know what to do. And to the Dabrowski point, like like the one thing, you know, that we were always in on the Dabrowski thing with was the idea that if nothing else, this guy knows what a winning baseball club should look like. He knows how things are supposed to work. And that's everything we've seen from him, including him having the ear owner of the ears owner. Oh, owner. Yeah.

The ear of the owner. Wow. Geez, buddy. Not even close. You're so excited. You can't even talk. I know. I can't even talk i know i can't even talk i'm losing but it's true like these things don't happen to your point if john middleton doesn't trust dave dombrowski and like truly trust him like you could say objectively excellent

offseason and not really trust the guy and not really let him go do what he has to do to build this team or you know fail to build this team it's clear that with this move with them finally going over the tax with with Dombrowski convincing him for a guy who obviously he knows pretty damn well in Cassianos though I will say that Dombrowski during and we'll get to the press conferences Dombrowski's like explanation of how the Cassianos thing came together was one of the stranger like I read in rumors that uh i was reading the rumors that he was there i think he was being sarcastic i don't know that was a weird one it was a weird one well i mean i've i've i've i've barely gotten over him saying i read about in the newspaper from his

so we'll give him we'll give him a pass i think he was being sarcastic. Our king gets a pass. Yes, he does. He does. Our king gets a pass. Yeah, I do think he was like, yeah, somehow he's still available. So that's the way I read it, and that's the way that I hope. I like that you're giving him the benefit of the doubt there. That's good.

I will always give Dave, well, not always, but for right now I'm giving Dave Dabrowski the benefit of the doubt. He's earned it. This is so exciting. This is just so far and away the most exciting time as a Phillies fan we've had in a decade. In a decade! This is the most excited Phillies fan should be since 2011. You could say the start of 2012, right?

We didn't know they were going to suck in 2012. We were still excited about that team. They still have pieces. The start of 2012, going into that season, that's the last time I'm going into a season close to the level of excitement that I have in this Phillies team, the level of belief that I have in this Phillies team. It's going to be awesome.

They're going to mash. This team is going to mash. And yeah, the defense is going to suck, but I actually feel pretty good about the pitching. Outside of the concerns about Wheeler's shoulder, which it seems like we're heading in a positive direction with, is going to suck but i i actually feel pretty good about the pitching like you know outside of the concerns about wheeler's shoulder which you know it seems like we're heading in a positive direction with like i think the starting rotation is pretty good when you look around majorly like it's look i get it you know you go right up to the you know the uc scherzer and and underground

it's like well you know that that's that's pretty good but like outside of the mets like there aren't it's not like all these rotations are locked down. The Phillies actually have a pretty good rotation, assuming Ranger Suarez is what we saw last year, at least some version of it. I think the rotation's pretty good. And to your point, I think the Bullpen has a chance to be pretty good. And the other key with the luxury tax that we haven't talked about enough is it's not just huge in the idea that they finally went over

and got these two guys that they really needed to make this team better. But it also opens up the trade deadline for this team. How many more like how many more Estrubo Cabrera's and, you know, Kyle Gibson and all those type of trades? And Gibson was, you know, a fine one. It was like those type of trades. How many of those do we have to see year after year? Because they woke over the friggin tags. Like now they can actually add it to deadline.

Now if this team shows up like they're supposed to, they're like, screw, we're already over the cap anyway. You want us to take on 10 million? No freaking problem. Give us that awesome player so we can have him for the rest of the year or whatever. Like it really has completely changed the complexion of A, what this team can do on on the field but also what we think they can do to add to the team during the season like it's thrilling i can't believe he went over the tax jack for a week after i can't believe it i can't believe it it's the most surprising thing that's happened to me in 2022 it has to be it has to be and yeah it's just, I guess my thing with the rotation though, James, is that I just have this, I have this worry about,

I think there's a lot that could go wrong. Like the wheeler shoulder thing worries me. Nola early, I mean, he looks, the problem with Nola, honestly, if he gives up solo home runs all year long, I'll take it. Like, that's fine. I mean, that's what Gary Cole does and it's not the end of the world. So it's just like, he still can't put guys away uh i thought the fastball location looked a little bit better today i haven't i watched the first two innings and then

had to do my real job instead of just salivating over uh the phillies but um i think that's your real job i consider it your real job i think so too i totally agree with you so i'll tell that next time when people say hey stop watching the watching the Phillies. Yeah, well. You're going to be like, this is my job. Yeah, excuse me. No, but Nola, I just don't trust him. I want to trust him again. I want to buy back on Nola.

I just can't get there. And there's been four home runs in four innings. It's just not the best start for the whole I need to trust Aaron again. I think he's going to be better than last year, but I can't fully trust him ranger i just i don't know what it is i just i just think he's gonna go six or seven innings less than three runs pretty much every time he goes out there i just i i think he's hard to to break in a way so i think he's gonna be good um and then efflin i don't know what's going on with the knees like i hope he comes back and is good because i really like zach effling when he's going well i just i can't fully lock that down as i'm going to get 25 to 30 starts from zach effling because we just haven't seen that um and then finally with kyle gibson like i mean we're talking about a single sinker ball pitcher with the worst infield defense we've seen

you know maybe heading into a season in our lifetime. So that's not a great mix. And then let's say those guys don't come out and are good from day one and stay healthy. Like, I like Bailey Falter a lot, but after him, I don't know who the next guy is. I think Hans Kraus, I'm not a Hans Kraus guy. James McArthur apparently looked pretty good today.

I know they're very high on him, so I'm excited to see what he looked like. But the depth isn't there. I don't know where they go to after those starters run out if something goes wrong. The 1-5 is very good. They should get the job done on most nights, and they compare with everyone in baseball. But when it comes down to depth and injuries, it just, it keeps me up at night, James. It really does.

Yeah, and I get it. Because, look, that's the most astounding part of the being over the tax thing is, like, there are some high-end players who get paid a lot of money and deserve it and stuff. But you look at, like, the sum of the roster and you're like, what? How does it cost this much money i don't get how they got to 221 million dollars like i really don't it's unbelievable so it's like something like the mass i mean center field is is a is a massive hole on this team third base and also holes are not paying money to like it costs nothing for their center field combo it costs nothing for their third baseman like it is it's pretty crazy like it's actually hard to figure

out like how they spent all this money like and even fail matt klintak we're just a all-time disaster like like kids allowed to go out with their parents credit card with no rules whatsoever and just no understanding of how things work like it's just it's crazy they had no money on the books the only like the only money they had when they took over was the rest of o'double's contract which was like it's unbelievable it really is it's astounding dude it's astounding and we're 221 million dollars later and we're in a 11 year playoff drop like it's just one of the biggest colossal screw ups in the history of sports I think

it really is and especially when you're taking all the high picks when you add to that too yeah so Dave had some stuff to clean up it's just it's so nice that it feels like they're back on track so listen we'll put the McPhail and Klintak I guess era behind

us and speaking of McPhail and Klintak, I guess, era behind us. And speaking of McPhail here, I tell you what, it sure is nice listening to Dave compared to him. Oh, my God, yes. One guy can talk, the other can't. One guy actually seems like he cares, the other guy clearly does. Every time Dave Dombrowski talks about the Phillies, I feel like we're going to win 10 World Series. I know the newspaper thing was a little worrisome and whatever.

He's so confident that what he's doing is right. It's almost like, guys, I got it. Don't worry. You can rest easy. I know what I'm doing. Trust me. And it's just so – I think that was our first takeaway from his press conference.

The first one he ever did, James, even though we were not totally in on Dave Dombrowski, we heard we were on from day one. But the first time that we heard him talk, it was like, oh, wow, that's what it's supposed to sound like. I don't feel like impending doom is headed my way. That's a crazy crazy concept so yeah just listening to the the difference between that and like the whole you know the disingenuous andy mcphail with the you know quickest turnaround in baseball history and if we don't we don't and

like uh he was just there was there was no one that could possibly make me feel worse about the future of my baseball team than Andy McPhail. So another thing that Dave Dombrowski is very good at, talking to the media. And you know what else is so exciting? This is something that you've brought up so many times. Like, honestly, an inordinate amount of times in the history of this podcast in requesting and hoping the Phillies do what they actually finally did with the Cassianos short back to back is that like, they finally grabbed the city, man.

Like they finally had an opportunity, a window here. And yes, the Sixers are fun and all that, but let's be honest, this is a baseball town way more than a basketball town. It just is. I'm sorry.

Like people just care more about the Phillies than do about the Sixers. Facts. Sorry. It is what it is. I'm sorry. Sixers fans. I love the Sixers too. It is what it is. I'm sorry, Sixers fans. I love the Sixers, too. It is what it is.

And the Eagles are super boring and super not fun right now. Well, they resigned Derek Barnett. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for making my point. Like, the Eagles are not fun right now. Like, it was a perfect time, a perfect opportunity for the Phillies heading into the summer right now. In this kind of, you know, no man's land that's about to happen with the sportscape, you know, as we get deeper into the summer right now in this kind of you know no man's land that's about to happen with the sportscape you know as we get deeper into the summer like it's just like finally

finally the phillies grabbed the bull by the horns and said we're gonna actually be the team this city's talking about we're gonna be the team that this city's excited about yeah and and for about guess it's been what 10 10 days now i guess it's only been it's been, what, 10 days now? I guess it's only been, I guess it's been, what, five? It's only been, like, six days. Six days? Yeah, six days. Five, six days, something like that. Anytime, like, I remember, I guess Saturday or Sunday,

Jill and I, we were out shopping, I think maybe, like, some grocery store. No, we were at Home Depot. And there was, like, six Phil shirts. I was, like, it's just so funny how fast everyone just back in. Like, they dust it shirts. I was like, I just so funny how fast everyone just back in. Like they dust it off. Like they love it. Welcome back.

Well, it's just so it literally felt like they dusted off their Phil's gear. And we're like, we're back now. They, they probably brought it out for Bryce. Now the, the 2019 season, there's a lot of hype heading into it.

It's just so funny. Like you look at that lineup and then you look at this lineup and it's like, wow, this is way better. Or, you know, like lineup and then you look at this lineup and it's like, wow, this is way better. Or, you know, like, we had, there was, like, legitimate 90-win aspirations

about the first Bryce team. Remember the 6-1 start that weekend? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Use our minds. So it's just been, it's been so, like, nice to just see Phil's gear back

and people wearing it again and, like like having pride about their baseball team and not every time I tweet about the Phillies like well they're gonna let you down anyway you dumb idiot like it's just you know it's it's it's nice that there's hey we're allowed to be positive about our baseball team here it's not the end of the world everyone every day so um yeah it's it's it's just so funny how quick everyone's just like back because they're going to start slugging their way to like 10-7 wins. Come on back, baby.

I love it. It's been such a treat. All right, let's talk about a couple of things, like actual things that happened this week. Instead of just excitement and yelling about how awesome everything is. I could do this for hours, but I figure, you know, maybe we'll get to a couple things. Yeah, we should get some real analysis on the baseball team.

A couple things. The introductory pressers. And it's so funny because you made this point to me at work, and it's so true. When you look at Castellanos and Schwerber, like for completely opposite reasons, I think both these guys are going to – obviously the bats, we know. But, like, I think both these guys are going to be such massive parts

of this clubhouse, of this vibe, of what this team can do. You know, we're both big believers and that stuff matters. Like, I'm sorry it matters. Like, chemistry, teamwork, like how the guys bond, like how they work together. Like, it just matters. It matters. it matters and it feels like both these guys in different ways schwerber with his fun loving attitude his you know making a grind of a baseball season fun and all that type of stuff and then castellanos with his super intensity and like his you know wanting to win at all costs and like you know as he said you know his survival like this is going to the plate as it is approached the plate is survival i didn't go to

college i hit baseballs you know i mean like like it's uh i think it's really exciting it not just obviously we've talked about what they're going to bring offensively but but what these two guys i'm getting the specifics from the press conferences but just seeing their personalities and the kind of real contrast between the two but knowing what these two are going to bring to the clubhouse from, from kind of both sides of the spectrum, I think is going to be massive. Yeah. And that's honestly,

I'm just as excited as I am about their bats. Like I just, I like the fact that it's not April 8th yet is just a cruel joke. It really is. It's just, I know it really is. And so, especially because it's like,

I keep forgetting Jack because, you know, stupid baseball. Like, look, they got it together in time. It could have been worse. We're getting. Oh, you're not doing this. No, no, no. I'm just saying, like, I keep thinking like April 1st. Let's go.

March 31st. Game on. You know, like and I keep getting excited for it. And then I keep remembering that we have to wait an extra week. So it's extra. Hey, but guess what, buddy buddy it'll be worth it it'll it'll be well worth it um but yeah like my again i'm excited about their bats it's gonna be incredible and they're gonna rake and all that stuff but they needed an attitude adjustment they needed like i just think that i think bryce is

such a superstar that he almost has this aura that I can't approach him and he's kind of does his own thing. I think Bryce does his own thing. JT I think this is honestly the perfect case scenario for JT because JT can pressure off kind of thing. Well that

but also he can just be role model guy. He can just be go about his business and just go about it and not have to be a vocal leader because i don't think that's jt either uh reese same kind of thing like reese i feel like ever since bryce and jt got here he's like well am i the leader am i not am i and reese can just be reese like first off kyle schwarmer belongs in the k-lot like he needs to just he needs to just embrace that and park in the K-Lot,

have some beers and then walk into the ballpark and then go mash dingers. It is hilarious. Every time I see him, I'm like, is he from Delaware County? Is he from here? And then he just turned into this Matt Stairs clone? So I need that to happen. Maybe park in Jethro, whatever it takes.

So I need that to happen Maybe Park and Jethro, whatever it takes But He's going to be the fun loving You know Energy, talking to everyone Good vibes guy But the thing about Castellanos The takeaway from him

I just feel like if they slip And they like Aren't hustling Or going into a bit of a tailspin, he just kind of like snap and hopefully. Well, I said to you at work, I'm like, remember Carlos Santana and the TVs? That's Nick Castellanos. Like he's the new Carlos Santana with the TVs. He's the one who I could see taking a bat to TVs in the locker room because he's so mad that people aren't focusing on baseball and he does not like he would not care like he will step up to anyone

and say like step it up you got to figure it out and i don't care that he's never won a postseason game in a thousand games like he's been stuck in a after 2014 or whatever a bad detroit situation and then a uh you know i mean this cup it was the end of the Cubs run when he got there. Dude, his numbers with the Cubs was ridiculous. I looked them up the other day. Like, it's like, he sees that lineup and then comes here. It's like, wow, we could get a new version of Castellanos. And then the Reds.

I mean, the Reds never really win anything. So, like, that guy, that guy's going to win here. And then Schwarber's just, like, the fact that he has made the playoffs on five out of six years in baseball I think is really impressive yeah it really is when he said that I was like whoa oh my god wait what really that was it yeah it's really impressive yeah so I just think that from a clubhouse perspective it's the it's the perfect kind of and and and this is one of the values of Dave Dombrowski, I think,

is he mentioned that. I mean, he openly mentioned in both press conferences about how they needed to get winners in the clubhouse. They needed to get guys that could add a spark to this clubhouse. And I think he views Schwarber and Castellanos... Sure, their bats are great, but what they bring from an attitude perspective and what they bring from a winning perspective and what they bring from a winning perspective

and getting this team over the hump, there's a lot of worth comps with Castellanos, you know, heading down to Washington and teaching them how to win. Obviously, Castellanos has never really done it, but just his attitude, I think, is going to push guys to be even better. So I can't wait for the offense, but I'm almost just as excited to to follow them and see this clubhouse kind of turn into a a fun atmosphere yeah i'm 100 with you are you

so i'm assuming because you know won't miss you archie bradley have fun wherever you signed i think you signed some and the angels yeah of course loser got it um our new targets couch forward right yeah i mean that's because like let's be honest you you would be way too afraid to have nick castellanos on the pot it would just be me it would be me asking him questions oh i'd be terrified you and you'd stutter a little bit and say something and then i'd have to jump in you you would not be able to handle nick castellanos i don't think no i would not no i wouldn't i wouldn't i wouldn't even i wouldn't even attempt to say i played baseball like he'd be like you played d2 and you're here you would like know my era i swear to god he'd be like you had an 864 era

college let's calm down with the questions i swear i think what is that a question do you have a question or yeah yeah i'd be like hey nick uh what's your favorite color like what uh blue okay you'd be like what's your favorite color like what uh blue okay what's your favorite color yeah yeah well yeah yeah you idiot i think you call me an idiot which i i wouldn't handle very well um but yeah shwarbs shwarbs oh come on well no i've already decided like me and kyle shwarb are gonna be friends i don't know how good to know i like this yeah i i just i have a feeling i just have a feeling like me and Schwarby are going to be good friends. I can't tell.

I can see it. Well, it's Schwarby, Schwarbsy, or Schwarbo. Schwarbs. Schwarbo. Schwarbs. Yeah, Schwarbs is the one that he gets called a lot. I like Schwarbo. That's just me.

I've always called him Schwarbs. Schwarbs is good. I've always been a Schwarbs guy. It's just good. Yeah. Like, I need Kyle at a High Hopes night. Like, I really do. I need Schwar Kyle at a High Hopes night. I really do. I need Schwarbo at a High Hopes night. I need him

on the podcast. I feel like he'd have a good time, frankly. I really do. I think he'd be like, wow, those are two guys. To be fair, who doesn't? We're a delight to come on and talk to. I would agree. I heard Phil Gossin still telling people around baseball about what a great

time. Yeah. Except he's a trader and down in Atlanta now. So big old, Phil's got to make a living. I know. I know. I just,

I just feel like I'm going to have, my new life goal is having a beer with couch over. That's my, my next goal in life is I need to have a beer with that guy like it's it's it's up there on the mat rush more of jack things now um i it would be it would be delightful we need to be friends and uh i just love this first bat of balls 114 miles an hour i'm getting real always sunny chase out leave i know i don't i don't want it to sound like i don't want it to sound like a ripoff but that's how i feel like i just that's exactly dude that is all i can see in my head is that is

that is it right there yeah all right so let's let's help jack out yeah let's have some beers with schwarbo tweeted schwarbs you know say hey buddy go on the iops pod have a beer with jack fritz do you want to be jack's friend however you want to play it we like it all hey personal bp thrower i i threw bp most of my college career be like schwarbes trust me you will crush my baseballs i lost my cutter in college you know that he would he would understand he definitely would understand all right so schwarbes on the podcast is our new mission um the the press conferences themselves obviously castellanos i think pretty clear the takeaway was wow that guy

super intense dude i felt the awkwardness like through the screen i was like oh my god when someone asked question he'd like stare at him be like is that a question or like when he looked at him he's like what do you think my approach is and it's like bro i'm asking you man like what are you talking it was great i know poor jim but also yeah i know poor jim jim asked like three questions like that's a lot can you just simple it down please that's a lot of questions you want me to like answer all that but then the answer that he gave to that one basically about like hey i you know i've been however long i got zero playoff wins what does that tell you like you know i mean it was like

what it was funny she was so intense and he didn't want to answer or he didn't like like necessarily answer some of the questions he was asked but the answers he gave were like so perfect so perfect they're exactly what we want to hear it was like bryce again it was like saying all the right things to us like all i care about is winning you know i'm gonna go up and hit mash baseballs and that's all i got like he was just perfect he was perfect but he was also super intense he did look like he was smiling up there so i think i think he knew that he was super intense and whatnot but he came off as like really maniacal about what he does i know it was so refreshing and great well i guess i guess the other takeaway is like oh my god dave

dobrowski loves loves nick castellanos oh yeah i mean he was it was it was like the harden bro hug but except for a press conference that lasted 20 minutes like like the harden uh maury how much maury obviously loves james harden it was that's like the honestly i think the harden maury thing is the most unique player gm relationship I've ever seen in my life. Yeah. I mean, yeah. But it makes sense. I mean, well, what about.

Yeah, no, I get it. What about giving Fletcher Cox $14 million for no reason? Well, you're right. Howie and Fletcher's a really good one, Jack. You're right. That's up there, buddy. Yeah. Okay.

But, yes. Too much other stuff. That's a lot. It's too much Eagles talk. You know, I mean, they don't have a quarterback. But, so. No one cares about the Eagles, all right? This is a Phillies town. Okay, but yes. Too much Eagles talk. I mean, they don't have a quarterback. No one cares about the Eagles, all right? This is a Phillies town.

I know. It's a fake. Red October is back. And then the Schwarber press conference, it was just like, oh, that guy's awesome. He's like, yeah, it's a great place to hit in their cheesesteaks. What else do I need to know? I know. I usually get annoyed with the cheesesteak thing it's like oh we get it but with him i was like oh you you definitely were thinking

about the cheesesteaks when he signed here there's no doubt in my mind it felt real he's like oh bro i'm gonna eat some cheesesteaks man oh and i've already i've i've snipped this one out from day one like he's giving the jason kelsey speech at the parade i mean there's no doubt about it there's like he he like not no pressure which is which is which is too much pressure on you right now which is the bigger comparison james and this is for you to decide and for whoever's out there but i think that kyle schwarber is the next jason kelsey and i also think he's the david ortiz of the 2020s so which is the which is harder for him to live up to? One's a Hall of Famer.

Well, they might both be Hall of Famers. Yeah, they might both be. But Kelsey is a legend here. Yeah, and such a unique, like Kelsey is like the Renaissance man with the speech and the, you know, chugging with people at bars and the arm wrestling. Schwarber,

Schwarber, Schwarber. Whereas, and then the other is like the best guy to ever play his position. So, you know, I don't know. Nothing,

not tough to live up to either one. I mean, he should be able to do either, right? Maybe he's both. Maybe he's the David Ortiz and the Jason Kelsey. Cause why not, Jack?

Wow. What a, no, Hey, Hey Kyle. Hey Kyle. When we have that beer, I'm going to bring this up. No pressure. both maybe it's the david ortiz and the jason kelsey because why not jack wow what uh no hey hey kyle hey kyle when we have that beer i'm gonna bring this up no pressure kiddo yeah i can't wait to ask him that question it'll be good yes beers with kyle beers with kyle i like that i'm in on that i would watch that tv show yeah yeah i love it right. Man, this is so exciting. How many times have you said that this podcast, by the way? I'm so excited. I'm like really, I'm really excited.

Like I've said it to Emily like 50 times this week. I keep going to her like, I can't actually believe they did it. I can't believe they signed Castellanos after signing Forver. And she's like, yeah, I get it. And she was like, do you remember you have a daughter named Zoe? By the way, Zoe's first baseball game happening this year. Get ready. Oh, buddy.

How great is that going to be? Well, that needs to be a High Hopes event. I mean, Zoe's first. I think so. Zoe Webster is involved. Very excited about Zoe's first baseball game. It's going to be good. Zoe's first baseball game is a High Hopes night.

There would be no better. Can you imagine what a night that would be? Zoe's first game with is a high hopes night there would be no better uh can you imagine what a night that would be zoe's first game with a bunch of high hopes people that's a win for everybody i think yeah i think so too yeah i like it um all right some other stuff uh oduble got hurt yeah cool come on veerling let's go let's go take the job matt seriously though have you ever wanted someone to just grab a job and run with it more in your life? Because my answer's no. Yeah, no, I need.

I need. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like if Beerling just came out and went wild, I'd just be so mad. It's like 320 in the first month and it's just, you know, barreling up balls. Now, hopefully it's not. To be fair, to be fair, to your point before, and I don't blame him, you got to make a living and all that.

But Phil Gossum being a brave, like, sorry, pal. Barrels is gone. The nickname is over. So there's new barrels open. You know, and I feel like, I don't know. Matt Verling could be Barrels. Yeah. I mean, I've got, there's that nickname.

I'm also considering Babbitt King. I mean, like, I don't want to bully the kid, but can we put the ball in the air hard once rather than just ground balls up the middle? You know, I mean, that's what, you know, I'm very, very excited for Matty V. Just, I need a long drive into left field, you know, that's a couple rows deep.

And four nothing Phillies. Oh. you know that's the couple rows deep i that the and four nothing phillies oh maddie but no for right he's he can be barrels i'm just saying right now he's maddie babbitt okay i think that's fair hey that's called that's called raising the bar yeah the challenge has been thrown down the gauntlet has been thrown as they say so now matt matt you're very very important i need you and for what it's worth i mean you can even get a real shot here and like i'm sure it'll be hazy or someone else will get a shot too like it won't just be veerling but like the the double oblique injury like we always talk about it but obliques are the worst man like

obliques linger like it sucks whenever a player has an oblique injury i always add two weeks to whatever the high end of the thing is because it's always longer than they say it's going to be. Always. Yeah, and I mean, listen, Mickey went yard today and Mickey hit a double yesterday off of Jordan Romano, who's a real pitcher.

Jordan Romano's a real pitcher. Jordan Romano is nasty. He is nasty. He's no Corey Knievel, but he's nasty. Might be the return of hashtag come on mick right to the iob's pod like the friend our favorite yes yeah come on buddy why not mick but yes it is it is uh it's definitely one of those guys and it would just be such a it would be so so awesome if one of them just was like hey you know what i'm gonna do i'm gonna take this job and run with it i know it's a crazy concept but um they they do and and i hope it's one of those guys and i mean hazel's swing looks interesting to me it's like

he changed his entire uh load position like it actually looks like he could drive it for once which is crazy um so i don't know maybe there's something there mickey looks pretty good veerling i mean he's he's hitting the ball it just again it's it's in the ground so it's just hard to fully believe in that for 162 but um yeah so so obliques out maddie v it's showtime love it all right uh i have other stuff from like what you've watched this week but i'm assuming it's on the take bag so i'll follow up if it isn't but i don't want to step on the take bag so take back okay yeah it's speaking of things to get excited about i mean just watching spring so little inside i figured i had specific things i was gonna ask you about been spring training but i also follow you on twitter so i feel pretty confident you're gonna get to these things

inside the fritz brain here is so I usually am able to watch the first half hour, you know, 1 to 1.30-ish when they're on NBC Sports Philly, I have it on during the show, but it's hard to fully pay attention. I have been watching basketball,

ending my night by watching Philly Spring Training, waking up at 6 in the morning, and re-watching the philly spring training games we are so back like maybe the most back i don't i'm sitting there like at like 6 30 in the morning i'm like seltzer would definitely make fun of me for this but like it would so make funny except that's the thing is like we've we've reached this point where like instead of making fun of you i applaud you like this is healthy because they're actually fun they are actually fun they're actually good um and yeah we'll get all to it here so my first thing i've written down from the game so far is

like i i have i have been down on his bat in years past but I think JT is going to have an awesome, awesome year. I think they changed his stance a little bit. He looks like he's more upright and it's closed a little bit more and you can just see it already. He's already able to get to outside pitches way better. He can actually go out and reach it and do some damage with it.

He had a home run yesterday. I am all in on bounce back JT. i think he's gonna have a really really good year he's back down like fifth six in the lineup i i would still put him behind reese i don't like that joe's doing that early it's not a not a great trend um but i think jt looks really really good um at the plate and i i'm excited to see and honestly that's part of one of the reasons why i wrote down that ke Kevin Long was the biggest offseason addition for the Phils. JT looks great. Reese looks...

I mean, his last four at-bats in spring training, it's like right field. He hit a ball down the right field line. He hit a ball down the left field line. And then he smoked two balls at center field. One went out today. And one almost went out yesterday. It's like, that's the Reese we need right there. That is the

absolute Reese we need. So if he does that. Playing for money, too. My man's playing for some money. He is. So, I mean, JT and Reese both look awesome. That's so huge, too. Like, I'm so confident, obviously, in Harper and in Castellanos and Schroeder hitting here.

But the lineup's not the best lineup in baseball without those guys picking up. That's the point. That's the point. That's the point. If Reece and JT are like high-level Reece and JT and then all the other pieces do what they do, you're talking about one of the two or three best, four or five, whatever you want to say, like eight elite top of the league lineup.

And that's what it has to be. So Johnny Heller put this out earlier. And this is all while Ree Reese was hurt a little bit. But last 40 games of last season, 270, 380, 686, 29 extra base hits, 14 homers in those last 40 games. Like, Reese is a – like, I put out something about Boehm last night about how – I just have a weird feeling they're going to trade him. And it seems like that's the buzz down in spring training

is that they're going to trade Boehm. And people were like, I would trade Reese first. It's like, have you watched Reese? Reese is way better right now. What are we talking about? Especially if their defense is both bad, but Reese at the plate is in a different stratosphere than Alec Boehm right now.

He's not even close. He's not even in the same hemisphere as hitters. And Boehm's younger and all that stuff, like in a different stratosphere than, than Alec Baum right now. So, um, close. It's not even the same hemisphere as hitters and Bones younger and all that stuff. But like, it's not the same hemisphere. I agree. I agree. So, uh,

Reese, the fact that he's already thinking right center field, I think is a massive sign. Um, keep working my way through this. Uh, Ryan Sheriff, I think needs to be in this bullpen.

Uh, I know that's not a name that's going to make some buzz for people, but he has this funky lefty kind of drop-down Pedro Feliciano-ish where I think it's a nasty slider. It's hard for lefties, I think, to pick up. And the fact that, again, the fact that he could be not in this bullpen given I think he could actually get out to the major league level and then he could come up with anyone kind of struggles like they've i

think they've built legitimately good depth of the bullpen and and i was one of my main early takeaways was i thought ryan sheriff has a chance to be very good um for something outstanding name too yeah for a pitcher i mean the sheriff's in town i'm gonna say sheriff's back like this is the sheriff's town Whatever you want to say it's just perfect Yes So Schwarber is going to be the leadoff hitter this year

I think If this guy doesn't come up and just be unbelievable But like Bryson Stott Is going to be Is going to be this leadoff hitter I've already pegged him there for the next decade. Wow. Wow.

Buddy. Dude, he is awesome, man. And I know people are concerned about prospects and coming up and them faltering. And I get it. The track record is a track record. But the reason why I'm higher on Stott than, I guess, the other prospects that have come up is just, like,

the way he works at bats, his eye within the zone, he's very, very good at knowing when to attack and when to lay off, knowing what he can do damage with, what he cannot do damage with. He just has a very good feel for the strike zone. I would say, I think him, Schwarber, that's another early takeaway, is like he knows when he can do serious damage and the ball flies off his bat. He'll swing and miss. I mean, Schwarber will swing and miss,

but he has a really good feel for the zone. Harper is obviously one of the best in the sport at it. Hoskins has always been very good at it. But I think, and actually JT I think early looks good from that standpoint, but Stott i think is right in that group and i just think eventually he's going to take over as the leadoff guy and i think he's going to be really really good at it so um i've been like last year when stott was up in spring training is like oh he's definitely overwhelmed but he's been facing real pitchers

so far and he's he's more than held his own so um you eventually he's going to be the leadoff guy, but he looks really, really good, and I can't wait for him to come up. Love that. Yes. I love it. Like, yes, please give it to me. Yes.

I have not stopped thinking about the Sir Anthony inning. It's one of those. See, this is what I was waiting for. When I said I was following you on Twitter. Yes, I really... I was waiting for this. I have not stopped thinking about it. It was disgusting.

I mean, 97, he was spotting it. It was 14 pitches, and he doesn't even throw that little cutter thing anymore. I wonder if that maybe contributed to his elbow problems, but he was dropping in a slider that he definitely didn't have pre-injury. He was back up to 97. If they get that Sir Anthony with the Corey Knable that we saw.

Dude. I mean, that's firepower at the back of the ball. And then, so if you think about it, like Knable, when healthy, is one of the most unhittable pitchers in the sport. Like, he just is. His stuff is disgusting. So you should have the ninth inning lockdown. And then you have Sir Anthony eighth slash rotating around firemen.

Then you can work in the Alvarados, the Familias, the Bradhands, the Brogdon, Coonrod. Like, I think that's why I'm so high on the bullpen is because what Sir Anthony did was stuff that, like, Dodgers pitchers do and Rays pitchers do and nasty, nasty pitchers. Corey Knable should be nasty. Then you can fill out the rest of that with guys who have actual stuff. They're going to walk a lot of people. That's going to be a thing.

But they're filling out the rest of the bullpen with guys that can actually throw hard and get outs and get swing and miss and all that. So Sir Anthony, man, that was unbelievable to see. Yeah, it honestly, he's like one of the biggest X factor swing guys on the team, like where if he's, you know, any semblance of what he was when he first came up, that type of guy and the guy he looked like, you know, a couple of days ago when he pitched um i mean it's it's a game changer it's a game changer for this team all of a sudden like you said i mean assuming can able could say i'll do the back end they have that like elite middle reliever weapon that elite like high leverage guy you can throw in in any spot in any situation and get you know dominant stuff from it's massive massive. And also someone who I think a lot of Phillies fans, obviously not IOPs fans,

we are too locked in, some might say. But I think most Phillies fans forgot about this guy. And I think that he's going to be a really pleasant surprise for a lot of people. I mean, I don't blame him for forgetting about him. No, no, it's been a while. Was it 2018 when he came up? Like, holy cow. I mean, he was nasty, but it's been a while was it 2018 when he came up like holy cow i mean he was nasty but it's it's been a long time and then he didn't get tommy john and then he'd get tommy john

i mean holy cow but yeah i mean 97 with like two seam runs of it with the slider off of it it was just it was it was ridiculous and like t-mac and and rube almost had to stop interviewing brad hang because they're so blown away with what sir anthony was doing on the field it was unbelievable it was awesome so um that's a massive uh addition so gotta get to alec bomb and i guess my thing is is i think it's going to take a little while for the long, the Kevin Long kind of influence to reach Alec. Like, I think, I think he won't start hitting until late May, early June. Like if we're following the Kyle Schwarber, like Kevin Long rebuilding Kyle Schwarber

and turning him into a guy to get a four year, $79 million contract. Um, so I just, I think he's going to start slow. I'm not too concerned about what's going on right now. It's very, very annoying that his first seven at-bats, all seven were ground balls

to third base and shortstop. It was not leaving me feeling great about Alec Boehm. So I just, I'm preaching patience with Alec when it comes to his, his bat and the, the, the frustrations early in camp. But like, I think, I think the Johan Camargo thing is real.

Like, I think he, I think he legitimately is going to start a lot for this team. And I guess when you're looking at it, like the lineups already so loaded, like they won a world series with Pedro Feliz playing third base. And you don't need mashers at every single position. I think you could make the case that Camargo starting at third base makes this team better from day one just from a defensive standpoint. And anything that comes with the bat is gravy. And I guess when they signed him, was like oh that's cool like defensive

replacement and he looked at his triple a numbers he batted like 340 like the braves didn't have a spot for him because austin riley was good i mean johan camargo before the josh donaldson signing was a legitimate piece for that braves team so i don't know i just have a weird feeling that that camargo plays a lot for this team and i, I don't think trading him and trying to get another starter in here is the worst idea in the world. I think you can make the case that if you can get a legitimate, I would say, top three guy in the rotation as a part of a bone package, and then you have Camargo start for the year, or you want to bring up Stott and have him start at third base or Didi at third base. It's almost the floor of this team has been raised. Yes, you're giving up on the bat in Alec Boehm, which I think is still going to be an impact bat, but I think the floor is raised and you add a legitimate starter in case that the depth is a concern. So it's a really

interesting spot we're in with Alec where I still believe in the bat, but I also would trade him for a starter and ride with Camargo, Stott and DD at third base. Yeah, look, it's an interesting spot. I mean, I get,

I certainly get the idea of just putting out there is going to make plays defensively because you really don't need that extra offense, but you know, it's, it's also trading someone who was the third pick in the draft a few years ago and who batted three340 or.338, whatever his first year in the majors, even if it was a shortened year.

So I would really need to get something back I'm excited about. I would understand it, but I'm not looking to trade Alec Baum. Yeah, and I think that's definitely fair. It's more than fair. I have dreamt about trying to get Montas from the A's. Like if I can get him with the.

Lou Trevino. Get both of them. Get both of them. Yeah, but I mean both of them. Throw Ramon Llorana in. Then you got me going here, buddy. Yeah. I'm feeling it.

So, yeah, it's interesting. It's interesting. I wouldn't trade him for like any starter. I would still want an impact starter back. Like I don't want to sell low on him. But I think he can make the case that Camargo at third base almost raises the floor of this team. And it's something I think they're legitimately going to consider.

And Camargo, for what it's worth, looks pretty damn good at third base. And it's not like his bat looks like he can't hit. So I think he's only 27 28 so he's still a younger guy and uh yeah and i i you need defense given where this team is at and i don't know i just uh i've liked what i've seen so far from johan camargo and i just i i can't shake the feeling that a starter gets in here they trade boom Boehm, and they kind of go all out. Like, if you add Montas to that

rotation somehow... Oh, buddy. We're talking about a legitimate World Series contender. Obviously, the Dodgers are... I mean, I think... Yeah. The Dodgers are the Dodgers, but, like, it's baseball. The Dodgers didn't win last year. Yeah, I know. There's some scrub team won last year. And, like, if you go into

a playoff series with Wheeler, Montaz, Nola, Ranger, I mean, that's going to be tough to beat. It's going to be tough to beat, James. That's all I'm saying. It's legit. No, it's a good argument. You make a good case, Jack Brits. All right.

Yeah, that's all I got to take back so far. Okay, good, because I have two other things. One that you didn't get to and one that's totally separate. The one Phillies thing, and then I'll end with something that's not Phillies. A lot of people on the radio station have mentioned the – and look, we both agree and we've talked about this many times. Managers in baseball don't mean that much. They matter somewhat and all that,

but they don't matter as much as people make them out to matter. But we also can agree that Joe Girardi has not done an awesome job in his first two years here. He certainly has not been amazing and lifted this team above what it should be or whatever, and you could argue two collapses. It certainly has not been great at the end of the season. And whatever you want to say, I've heard a lot of people talk about how important the DH is going to be for Girardi because he can finally get back

to managing the type of baseball he knows. How ridiculous is that or not ridiculous? What do you think of that idea? Like, I just, you know. It's pretty silly. I'm pretty out on anyone that keeps bringing up the Yankee stuff. Like, he had, for a good majority of that time, the best closer he's ever lived.

And then it went straight into Andrew Miller, Rollins Chapman, uh, Dylan Batances. Like it just like, he almost doesn't have to do anything. It's almost Girardi proof at this point. I mean,

the line is going to be set. He is one through six is going to be ridiculous. And seven, eight, nine, you hope are just good. So I'm just like, Girardi is just so not a,

this is, I'm going to, this is going to age poorly. Girardi is just not a concern for me at this point. He's just not. Like, the only thing he has to do is run the bullpen. He doesn't even have a double switch. He can make defensive replacements if he needs to.

Like, he got his boy Ronald back, you know? Like, I just – he's just – he is not going to be the reason they miss the playoffs if they do miss the playoffs. He doesn't have to do that much. baseball is anyone could manage an al baseball team totally great all right last thing um was hanging out with our good buddy blg yes shout out to big phil's fan big phil's love that guy or zoe calls him uncle brandon wow um she is obsessed with uncle brandon well he's also but i i agree I can see that because he's so tall He's huge

Yeah well it's funny he went with me to pick Zoe up yesterday And all the kids in the class Are just like staring at him And like one kid goes you're big So yes Who's that freak But they brought up a good point Wait the kids in the class

Or BLG No Brandon brought up a good point um brandon wait the kids in the class or brandon brought up a good point and we ended up telling emily the story explaining with emily and she didn't know the story um but he he's been dying to know because and he i forgot i i too have been dying you know without realizing i've been dying you know here we go did you ever go back and start succession after you watched season three or did you just say i'm good with three i said i'm good with three i i haven't yeah i know well because i can't get jill to watch it jill and i watch tv shows together and i can't and and we we are both in the mode where it's like end of the day we're gonna watch something happy and exciting and funny.

So we're usually looking for rom-coms. We're usually looking for stand-up. So it's like. Disappointment. Yeah. No, I know. Believe me. I have mentioned it about seven times.

Like, can we start a succession? She's like, eh. So I'm like, all right, well, whatever. We'll find something else. So I've tried, but I've given up. So I don't even know if I'll rewatch it. I don't even know if I'll watch it when it comes back out that sucks man

I know I know I'm very sorry it's a massive disappointment well listen all I do is let people down way to end the podcast on a low note but what about my top 5 whatever oh you got a top 5

alright let's do it it's a little redundant with the take back but i don't care no you never care top five fritz guys heading into 2022 oh buddy because it's early but the takes are still flying james number five is cory can able because i watched about that that inning that took maybe a minute and a half, and I was like, oh my God, we have an actual closer if he stays healthy. Please stay healthy, Corey, because ninth innings are a wrap. I don't know how you consistently square that guy up for an inning. I just don't.

I don't know how you square that guy up. I think he is disgusting, and there's a reason why you and i had him on our perfect off seasons without talking to each other love it love it love it love it number definitely on my list number four and he might be a prospect he might be up here i don't know but johan rojas i i just can't wait to see what he does this year i don't think it's out of the realm of possibilities that he is starting in center field in September. I don't think, I don't think that's insane. I think he's made massive strides at the plate and he is one of the best

defensive center fielders. And he's, he's probably the, well, I guess Pache, whatever. I think Christian Pache stinks, but if he's not the best defensive center fielder in the minor leagues he's one of

the three so that's just exciting for the next decade uh love it three is reese i mean he looks awesome and i love that he's already thinking right center field like he needs to consistently think that and like the home run today the ball of the wall yesterday the ball down the right field line yesterday like it's just it's he's in a really really good spot and i just any one of those reese years where he just puts it all together and kind of silences all the haters that are still out there questioning if he can is good enough for a contract extension or whatever so um i'm excited for him and i'm excited for him to kind of almost have no pressure on him and almost just kind of hang out and be the,

you know, just free Toskens that can just be in the middle of the lineup and, and, and, and rake. So Reese is a Fritz guy heading into 2022. Number two is Sir Anthony. Obviously.

I mean, I love it again for everything you said before. Can't stop thinking about that ending. I really can't. I wake up to it every day. And number one, didn't think I would be here, but he has made a believer in me early in spring training, and that is JT Real Mutual.

What are we doing here? Now, the pitch calling is still concerning, whatever, because who cares about that when you're hitting 275 with 25 home runs? That's my JT projection for 2022. That would be pretty massive, buddy. If your catcher in this lineup is giving you that, you're doing pretty good. Yeah.

Dingers, baby. Dingers. Dingers. Ball go boom. All right. Any final thoughts? I don't. I'm excited to get home.

The game's only five innings today because of the rain so I can knock that one out very very quickly I'm excited to see what James McArthur looks like because I think I think he could be a rotation starter piece because I don't think Hans Krause is so I'm excited to see what he looks like I can't believe it's not April

8th yet but we'll get there soon it'll all be worth it High Hopes listeners you deserve this we deserve this I can't believe it's not April 8th yet, but we'll get there soon. It'll all be worth it. High hopes. Listeners, you deserve this. We deserve this. Can't wait for April 8th. Ah, couldn't have said it better myself. Plus, I got to put Zoe to bed.

So this is a blast. We'll be back soon. Stay safe. Talk to you later.