High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 2: Andrew Painter's plan and Aaron Nola's extension

Episode Date: February 23, 2023

Don't have time to listen to the entire High Hopes pod? Check out this portion where Jack Fritz and James Seltzer discuss what the future holds for Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola. 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

You know, we have been talking about Painter as, you know, an elite, elite prospect on this podcast for a while now. Obviously, everyone's come around. He's the best pitching prospect in baseball. Most places that you look right now, there's still lists to come out and all that. But, you know, going to camp and all of a sudden he's like the most hyped dude down there. It's all everyone's talking about the excitement around Painter. What are you what's your kind of read on the whole whole painter situation down there in terms of like the hype about him obviously we know how we feel about painter but like do you think he's actually gonna make the the team out of camp because i like i would be really surprised they have to find a way to manage

this guy to when it matters most but like like, like they're law hype, man. Well, and I think it's the right thing, uh, that this team kind of needed, you know, um, it gives you that little bit of juice that I think they, you know,

they come off the world series last year and everyone's kind of expecting them to go back. And this little Andrew painter kind of hype train gives them kind of an extra little juice. I think Turner being brought in and adds in a little bit of juice, of hype train gives them kind of an extra little juice. I think Turner being brought in adds in a little bit of juice, of course, but you, you,

you, you, you, you, Andrew Painter is there. He has all this buzz around them. Everyone is apparently at his live BP session, you know,

want to see what he looks like and wanted to see, you know, how he does. And I just, I like that. It gives them a little bit of something that can give them a little bit of extra jolt rather than just like, oh, we got to count down the second until spring training, or until spring training's over.

Now, I think he starts the season in the major leagues. I don't get the point of like, unless he's terrible, right? Like, unless he's terrible in the spring and doesn't deserve it. But what's the point in having him pitch AAA innings? You know, if he's good enough, you're still getting the innings regardless. We might as well do it at the major league level. And where I think I've gotten to

with the Andrew Painter thing is, let's be smart about this. He, they start six man from day one, Bailey falters in their rotation. And they go six man to give these guys plenty of rest. They kind six-man from day one. Bailey falters in their rotation. And they go six-man. They give these guys plenty of rest. They kind of ease them into it. And then in the middle of the season, give them what you did with Ranger

and Wheeler last year. Ranger essentially gave a month off heading into the All-Star break. I would give Painter the two weeks before the All-Star break and then give him the All-Star break off and then have him back and ready to go. So last year he threw 103 innings,

which is actually pretty good for a 19-year-old in his first year of full Pro Bowl. 103 innings is a lot. I don't think Spencer Howard ever got to 100 innings in a season. Yeah, he's not Spencer Howard, that's for sure. I just think that the Phillies need to... Obviously, they're going to manage it well, but if you go six-man

and you give him a month or three weeks off in the middle of the season, that should get him to around 130 innings. I think 130 innings is the right kind of spot for him to be in. You don't want it to be Steven Strasburg where you push him and then by the end of the season you're just like,

ah, we'll shut him down, whatever happens in the postseason happens. I hope that he can be a factor in the postseason. In a perfect world, he comes out and immediately is the four or three given how good his stuff is. But I would do that for everyone, James. We talked about this a couple of months ago, but Nola, I'm not having pitched 200 innings this year. I think they got to be smart about this.

170 is a good number for him. Same thing with Zach Wheeler. I think Ranger, as he gets more durable, gets more used to this, I think he can go. He might have the most innings on the team this year. I think that's fine. And Tywon Walker, if you buy into the theory that he struggles in second halves, then let's be smarter about what he does in the first half.

And let's be smarter about extending what he can do. So they have options. The one guy that doesn't get talked about that I think should be talked about is Michael Plassmeyer, who they got last year from the Giants and saved the season. I don't know if people remember this, but he saved the season in the middle of the year when things were falling apart,

he came in and it got out like a basis load of jam. So, um, so Plassmeyer and Falter, I think there are good six man options. Um, and I think they can manage this. I think they can be smart about this.

And, um, you, you, you hope that they manage these things as well. And they are heading into the postseason way fresher and getting able to get through the postseason rather than to the postseason.

Yeah, I mean, I love that idea, and I definitely think with Wheeler and Nola, you need to do something to get them rest throughout the season, and a six-man rotation makes a lot of sense. Obviously, you need Falter to pitch well. You need Plossmeyer, one of those guys, to be consistent, at at least if you're going to go to them, especially if you're going to give guys, you know, a month rest at a certain time and all that. But look, I think they're ultimately going to need more starting depth, you know, with the potential for injuries. If they're going to

go with this type of situation, if they're going to try and go with a six man, like you're going to lose guys, guys will get hurt for stretches too and and not everything's gonna go just according to plan so i do think that ultimately and maybe it's a trade deadline thing they're gonna need to add a little depth there um but look you know maybe they're guys who come up from the minors can make a difference too but um just the concept of andrew painter starting the season the majors at 19 or whatever is like who, whew, that would be... What's the point of not, though? I get it. I get it. I get it. What else does he have to push?

Unless he's terrible in spring training, which is fine, and it's clear he needs more work, but if I'm going to have him in AAA pitching every fifth day, I'd rather just have him in the major leagues. I love it. I think it's a great take. I support it wholeheartedly like

now now i will say the pitch to schwarber was absolutely hung i mean it was just a it was a hanger breaking ball now what i did here and i think this is important for people to get out there i know i don't i don't need the you know uh misinformation being spread he's only throwing sliders or breaking balls that entire at-bat. Well, that's what they do. That's what I always say with spring training, where I never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever take spring training stats seriously, especially pitchers. Because you can look for certain things, position battles.

You can win a position battle. For that stuff, it matters. But in terms of like, this is a big fantasy thing for me you know like i don't overreact if nothing else to spring training stats because like to your point a lot of times a pitcher will be going out and being like all right i'm working on my curve today and i'm gonna throw it like 60 of the time when in the season they'll throw 20 of the time or whatever you know like so i do think that that you be, you could be fooled by spring training. Well, and that's so admirable of you. Like, and honestly, that's just a little fantasy advisor for all the fantasy baseball players out there. Take it from a 22 year fantasy baseball veteran.

That's that's just don't overreact to spring training stats. They will lead you astray. And believe me, I think it's, I think it's commendable. I really do. I'm just telling you, I'm telling you, it's impossible for me. I head into every single spring training like, don't buy into it, don't buy into it, don't buy into it. And then by week two, I'm like, listen, I think they could win 100.

Look at where this team is. Look how great they look. So believe me, I try. It's just not in my DNA. It's not in my DNA. I totally believe that. You're watching every video. Yeah, it makes sense.

All right. Coming up in a few minutes, we'll get to a couple questions from the chat on the YouTube video. If you're not watching us, we usually try and do these on YouTube, the WIP YouTube page. We tweet out when it's on. Yeah. Hey, look, she's been better uh she was being bad before but now she's doing much better i'm really proud of you sticking her tongue out at the audience this is a family this is a family friendly program you can't be doing that kind of stuff so that's the kind of

benefit you get if you tune into the YouTube. We'll take some questions, some comments in the comment section in a couple minutes before we get to the take bag. Two other pitcher things I want to get to quickly. Obviously, one of them is Noah Song. But quickly before Noah Song, just obviously the other big story around the team right now is the NOLA extension that talks about it.

If it'll happen before the season uh obviously if it doesn't it'll be a free agent um he said that it was a deadline for the season he's like we continue talking in the season so i don't know okay deadline that is what's your take on the whole because look if he does decide to play it out and if he does decide to go to free agency he will be by far the best pitcher on the market. Like, like light years, the best pitcher on the market this offseason. So he was doing better. And right after I said he was doing better. Anyway,

we'll figure it out. Jack, your thoughts on the NOLA extension, and do you think he would sign it? Because, you know, if I'm him, I really would consider going out and testing the market and maybe getting a freaking massive deal. Yeah, I think he would sign it. He said also last week that, you week that he's not looking to break the bank. He wants to be here.

He wants to be a part of this team. He wants to be obviously paid accordingly. He's not going to take like $12 million a year, like his first contract. But I do think that – I don't think he's looking to be like a $30-plus million a year guy or a $35 million-a-year guy. Why? Like, why? I don't think that's him.

I don't think that's him. That's so weird, though. I get it. Wow, wow. He's a team guy. I know. But don't you think his agent is like, Aaron, bro, what are we doing here, pal?

When you get to the players' association being like, hey, what are we doing here? My feeling is that he's not going to try to break the bank, even though he could. What you said is completely true. With you, Darvish, signing, it's over. I mean, Noah's the number one guy on the market next year. The thing that I – and I would sign him just because it's not my money

and I want him here and he's a good pitcher. He's very durable. It's important. because it's not my money and I, and I want him here and he's a good pitcher. He's very durable. It's important, but I just, I,

I, it feels, I wonder how much the, the, then not trading any of the, the pitchers this off season, the Griff, the Nick Abel,

they were never training Peter. I don't think that I wonder how much of that is, is factoring into the possible Nola stuff because in, in theory they could say, okay, we'll let Nola walk. We'll have Wheeler, Painter, Griff, Tywon Walker, Mick Abel

a part of this, and we'll go Young, and we'll use the Nola money elsewhere.