High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 1: Best Phillies Lineup Ever?

Episode Date: December 6, 2022

Don't have time to listen to the entire High Hopes pod? Check out this clip where Jack Fritz and James Seltzer discuss whether the 2023 Phillies will have the best lineup in the history of the franchise after the signing of Trea Turner. Presented by Miller Lite. 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

best lineup in philly's history it's like they are so freaking loaded man and and it's really it's really hard to put it into perspective that like they made the world series they got to game six of the world series they're right in it against the best team in baseball and like they didn't just sit on their hands and say well that was great that was fun that was you know like we're just happy to be here they said bleep it go bring me trey turner and i just thought it was so funny that you know about an hour hour and a half before that the the cute little Mets. Oh, you signed Justin Verlander. Oh, I'm so

scared. I'm so scared of Justin Verlander. And we're like, bang! How's Trey freaking Turner sound? How does that sound, Steve Cohen? And to make it even to make it to make it even funnier, James,

the Yankees announcing a three-year extension or whatever for brian cashman all this i tell you what it feels good being the new uh the new yankees and new red socks it's seriously it's a really good place to be at and uh like again shout out to john uh shout out to the bratski jack yeah it's it's just is what it is i mean let's let's be consistent with the bit fritzy i mean we got to be real here he's back he's jack with a capital freaking j man dude he's given out two three hundred plus million dollar contracts in the last four years. Seriously? But, dude, the most – $300 million, Jack! I understand, man, but it's only $27 million a year.

I know the years are shocking. I know the $300 million price tag is shocking. But, dude, imagine how much of a steal – First off, Bryce is the biggest bargain in baseball. Well, yeah, I mean, there's on an average on his 25 million a year for Bryce Harper is absurd. Yeah, it's one of the biggest deals in baseball. Yeah, it's the back end that you worry about. But look, everything's going up.

The values go up, you know, 27 million for Trey Turner, you know, seven years from now is going to look absolutely absurd if, you know, he ages as we hope he can age. And I do think he's going to age better than I think a lot of people do. So we'll get into it all. But I mean, like the first thing that comes to my mind when we talk about it though, is, is Jack, Jack Milton, where like, again, he just said, he's like, here you go, Dave. Here's the keys. Go out and freaking drive the Ferrari, buddy.

Like, go out. We're going to go out, and we're just going to get Trey Turner. Like, none of this BS. We're not waiting until February. We're not playing the Machado-Harper games. Like, we're just going to go give $300 million to Trey Turner. He's going to be in Philly. Like, man,

Jack, that happened today, dude. And I did it for the holidays so that everyone can get their, their trade Turner. Yeah. I mean, gotta wear number seven,

right? I mean, um, yeah, I think seven's a good number for him. You know, it makes up for Mike Al Franco and Pedro Floriman. Uh,

yes, that's the go-to number seven there. Anyone else? course i'm forgetting but um dude it is uh it's it's really really exciting um where you're at and you start like mixing around the lineup and you just you put all the pieces on there, you're legitimately going to have super freaking talented players batting 7, 8, 9. That is what it is. And we know that Harper's missed the first half of the year or whatever. But when he comes back, they're just going to be stupid, man. They're just going to be a stupid, stupid baseball team.

And we're legitimately, like, first off, we're beyond back. But we're so back to the era of, like, every night being in the ballpark and it being a party. And, like, the fact that they signed Turner, who is just a doubles, triples machine and, like, just the thought of him just going for third. And eventually, yes, I'm willing to say this on this podcast, James, he's going to hit for the cycle. We don't have to deal with the David Bell nonsense anymore.

It's absolutely over. But just like how exciting the top of the lineup can be and like how fast they can jump on you like i think they'll probably bat turner lead off um but even if not like i kind of want to bat schwarber lead off just so people continue to be mad about it uh for another season you do i know you um but like imagine imagine just how fast they can jump on you james like whether it's schwarber whether it's turner whether it's harper batting in the But, like, imagine just how fast they can jump on you, James. Like, whether it's Schwarber, whether it's Turner, whether it's Harper batting in the two-hole,

you know, like, all of a sudden, you're facing just superstar, superstar, superstar. And then you go, like, hey, maybe Reese Hoskins is going to put 30 homers behind me. JT's the best catcher in baseball. Castellanos, like, can hopefully bounce back. And the thing that I'm looking through the lineup and trying to compute is like what if boom and stop just continue to get better like they already took a massive step forward why would they they're 24 I know five or whatever I know but like I'm not even they didn't get better I'm like barely even considering it that's how that's how the Castellanos thing you threw Castellanos away in there. But, I mean, look, I don't know if he'll ever be Nick Castellanos, 2021 Nick Castellanos, but he's going to be better than he was this year.

There's a 0% chance he's worse. I feel so confident that he will be a better hitter this year. And even if he gets anywhere close back to that guy, you have a lineup with five dudes who are making over 20 million in it. I mean, that's like, it's absurd. I'm speechless talking about, I mean, you have, you have guys, you've guys who made the all-star team at five spots in your lab. You guys were, and a couple of them are like perennial all-star type players. I mean, Trey Turner, you know, we talk so much and Turner had a slower start to his career because of injuries and all that type of stuff. But I mean, he is a hall of fame caliber baseball player. If he is

able to age gracefully, I see the guy it's funny. Cause Isaac Schwartz in the chat is saying the guy I thought of, like, he's like Barry Larkin. Like that's the type of player is he is. He is Barry Larkin. He is that he's faster, but, and Larkin was a good runner too, but he's like a Barry Larkin type player. He is a Hall of Fame caliber talent. They have multiple guys in this lineup who are Hall of Fame caliber players. And again, Bryce is going to get there, but Turner's that level of baseball player right now.

And that's crazy, dude. I mean, they just added a Hall of Fame caliber player to a team that came within two wins of the World Series. I'm winning the World Series. And, James, they added a world champion. I mean, Trey Turner has been a world champion before. He is best friends with Bryce. I mean, we already have the clubhouse chemistry thing. Let's just add to it, buddy. It's beautiful.

I did well up a little bit of Bryce's Instagram. This was like 34, seven back together or whatever, like 33, 47 every day. It's like, oh, this is just perfect. You have the Kevin Long connection that is obviously. Which is not nothing. Like, I think that matters. Well, think about the last two offseason, James. I mean, it was it was Schwarber was his guy last year,

and this year, Trey Turner is his guy. Kevin Long! Who knew? Master recruiter, Kevin Long, and the Michael Jordan of hitting coaches. Although Michael Jordan wasn't a great teammate, so it seems like a weird comparison by A-Rod, who is a dynamic broadcaster, I will say.

But you think about that. And the part that I totally forgot about is like Howie Kendrick supports the organization too, who they want to roll series together. Like there's so many connections here. His wife is from Jersey. Like think about South Jersey.

You got JT, you got Harp, you got Trey Turner. I mean, just like a Dom squad for the next couple years of youth baseball in the South Jersey area. Seriously, talk about heating up. I mean, these guys are here for a long time. They're here for a long time. But, dude, Trey Turner's a Philly. In what world can you compute that Trey Turner has joined?

Imagine, James, when we started, not even when we started this podcast. Imagine after they fired Klintak that we would be sitting here three years later, three and a half years later, with Dave Dabrowski, who you and I wanted all along. Two years later. Two years later. Two years later? Whatever. Don't care.

2020 was a long bleeping year, dude. Just please don't let facts get in the way of a good story here, James. Yeah. But imagine at that point you said to yourself, okay, in two years we're going to have Trey Turner, Nick Cassiano, Kyle Schwarber, and they're at game six of the World Series.