High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - The High Hopes Phillies Podcast: David Robertson Emergency Podcast and International Scouting Director Sal Agostinelli

Episode Date: January 3, 2019

David Robertson is a Phillie and James Seltzer and Jack Fritz are here to break it down. They also give updates on Machado and Harper and more! Later in the show, (16:19,) they are joined by 2018 International Scout of the Year, Sal Agostinelli to talk about Luis Garcia and the overall health of the Phillies farm system.  Rate, review and subsribe on iTunes by searching High Hopes! 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

Introducing TD Insurance for Business, with customized coverage options for your business. Because at TD Insurance, we understand that your business is unique, so your business insurance should be too. Contact a licensed TD Insurance advisor to learn more. Your mom hates it when you leave six half-full glasses on your nightstand. It's a good thing mom lives on the other side of the country. And it's an even better thing that you can get six IKEA 365 plus glasses for just $9.99. So go ahead. You can afford to hoard because IKEA is priced for student life. Shop everything you need for back to school at IKEA

today. 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. David Robertson, high hopes nation. What is going on folks? We are fired up today as a, the last time we spoke to you, I said, bring me David Robertson. Or bring me death. And Jack Fritz, what did the Phillies do? They brought me David Robertson. I appreciate that Matt Klintak listens to the podcast. Once again, we are influencing all the moves the Phillies make.

Clearly. Now, Bryce Harper, I fully expect, will be a Philly sometime in February. Can't wait for that. February. Bryce is finally going to meet with the Phillies, which is nice of him to do. We appreciate it. Oh, it's adorable. We appreciate it. But we're going to dive into the David Robertson thing.

Coming up in a little bit, Jack and I will be joined by International Scout of the Year, a.k.a. the best scout in the world. For 2018. For 2018. Sal Augustinelli will join us. You get to hear Jack just totally nerd out.

Yeah, me and Sal gushed over some prospects. You guys. So this is one of those interviews where I keep giving Jack the, all right, let's wrap, and Jack keeps giving me the, one more. I got one more. I had to know about Victor Santos. I'd never heard of him until yesterday. Good answer on that, too.

A lot of really good stuff. If you're into prospects, and even if you're just into what a scout does and all that type of stuff, there's a lot of really interesting stuff in there. And if you're into the health of the Phillies organization. That, too. And if you're into hearing Jack Fritz gush, that'll work for you, too. Well, why else would people tune into this podcast? That's coming up, and in the show notes, we'll let you know when that is if you want to skip

ahead or skip back or whatever. No, just listen to the whole thing. Come on. All right, Jack, let's dive in whole thing. I mean, you know, come on. All right, Jack, let's dive in because finally, finally, we've been doing all these shows about not player signings. Nice to actually talk about a new Philly and David Robertson, an exciting one. What do you think?

Yeah, so I'm very excited about David Robertson. David Robertson, to me, has always been a guy that if I watched him in a postseason series, because kind of when I evaluate guys that I like, I want to make sure that they can rise up to a big occasion. Like, I'm not interested in bringing in weak-willed people. Yeah, like a Nick Foles type person. Right, stop. Only three more days.

But David Robertson, to me, is a guy that you can bring in. I mean, Girardi brought him in in any situation. I think here he's going to be a closer. I think he's going to be the ninth inning guy for the next two years. Let Sir Anthony be the fireman that he was always meant to be. He's always had more value as a guy that can go multiple innings. Now, while as important as that is, David Robertson will come into postseason series and his heart rate will go down from watching him in the Yankees for a decade.

I mean, he's been a Yankee for a decade. And a guy who gets brought in in the most difficult of situations. It's like, bases loaded, no outs. Oh, let's go to David. I'll take care of it. And that takes a special kind of individual. Absolutely. And for a team that struggled down the stretch last year, it's nice to have a calming force

in the ninth inning. Sir Anthony wasn't great in the ninth inning in the last two months. No question. So he will be better off roving around, rovering around, being the fireman coming in. He's a more dynamic weapon now. Yes, for sure. So Robertson kind of evens out the bullpen and gets him a legit closer. He's closed the four.

He closed the White Sox. And gets him a legit closer. He's closed the four. He closed the White Sox. He's a guy who, again, what the Phillies continue to do is they continue to value durability over upside. Could they have gone out and signed Andrew Miller? Yes. I mean, this is the same exact contract that Andrew Miller got, pretty much, besides $1 million.

But the downside is Andrew Miller has knee problems. And he may not be healthy next year. So Robertson does not have the same injury history. Has had no practically injury history, just a consistency, consistency, consistency. Yeah, and he's pitched at 91, which I always like. I like when guys, we talked about this on the last podcast, where we were worried about Craig Kimbrell because he's 95, power, power, power, that doesn't translate well to a late career.

Robertson's been 91 with an absolute hammer curveball. I mean, you could argue not this past season, but the 2016 season or 2017 season was the best of his career. I mean, he was amazing a couple years ago. I think like an ERA in the ones between two teams. I mean, he's someone who has maybe not gotten better, but has stayed the same or had better seasons, whatever. But that level of consistency has not gone anywhere.

And like you said, you know how much we love to go to the eye test here, Jack Fritz. Just watch the guy pitch. I mean, he's a really good pitcher. And like you said, he's one of those guys who last year, Jack, especially as the season wore on, it just felt like, and especially when Sir Anthony kind of got worn down and you know you couldn't you couldn't trust him it just felt

like you couldn't trust a single guy in that bullpen last year felt like no matter who was coming in you didn't feel good about it you're going to feel good when the Phillies bring in David Robinson you're going to be like alright that's a guy who's going to come into a spot and get me out and that's something they crucially needed Jack so Robinson 91 Like, all right, that's a guy who's going to come into a spot and get me out. And that's something they crucially needed, Jack.

Yeah. So, Robertson, 91, 92. And just to clarify, there is still the possibility they sign a Britton or somebody else out there, and he's not a closer, but he could also be a closer for you. Yeah, but Jim Salisbury just came out and said that this likely takes them out of the Britton sweepstakes. Okay, so there you go. But I agree with you.

If they want to get crazy and just make this bullpen a souped-up bullpen. Which, for what it's worth, has been a thing we've seen teams do. I mean, obviously the Yankees. Yeah, but the problem is they have a bunch of guys now. They have a bunch of guys. They've got a lot of guys. Extra pieces and whatever. But I forget who tweeted out yesterday,

but he was basically saying that all the analytic departments within teams think David Robertson is pitching the best of his career right now. So that goes right in line with what you said about 2017 being an unbelievable year, last year another good year. It feels like the Phillies are getting him. It's not like they're paying for past performance like they would be with Andrew Miller and Zach Britton. They're getting a guy right now who's still theoretically pitching at a really, really high level and maybe not peaking, but pitching at near peak level. At a very fair price. I mean, when you look at that Andrew Miller contract.

Thank you for negotiating for yourself, David Robertson. How about that, too? I mean, look, that means nothing in reality for us, but for some reason I really respect that. I like it. I like that that dude was like, screw you, agents. I don't need you. I can handle this.

And he can, and he did. He also seems like a very down-to-earth guy. I know that's a who-knows type of thing, but it does seem that way from the way people have talked about him. People have been around the Yankees, all that type of stuff as well. Yeah, and Jason Stark tweeted this out. I think it's a good stat. Past performance is never a guarantee of future results with relievers, but... Oh, I saw this. This is a good stat. Pass performance is never a guarantee of future results with relievers. Oh, I saw this.

This is a great stat. But Robertson held both left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters to sub-200 average each of the last two seasons. The only relievers in baseball to do that in a minimum of 50 appearances? David Robertson, Edwin Diaz, and Craig Kimbrell. And look, for what the Phillies like to do, for what Gabe Kapler likes to do, having a guy like Robertson who you can bring in to face lefties and righties is a big asset.

How much have we seen Kapler try and do those matchup type things? If you've got a guy who it doesn't matter who's up at the plate, it's a massive advantage for a guy like Kapler. It is. It is. And we talked about this a lot, that if you're not going to go get a legit No. 2 starter, if you're going to plan on going into the next year with Arrieta, I guess, as your number two, I mean, I think Pavetta

takes the leap this year, but I don't want to bank on Pavetta being the number two starter. Sure. And nor should the Phillies. Right. You better have a good bullpen. You better have a really good bullpen. Right. And especially with how Gabe likes to use it. I mean, he needs a good bullpen. If Robertson can be your ninth inning guy, it allows

Sir Anthony to go all around. They have all the lefties now. It's not just Adam Morgan with Pazos and Jose Alvarez. It's a good bullpen. It's a good bullpen on paper. I mean, Tommy Hunter, everyone hates Tommy Hunter. He was pretty good last year. Hector Neris looked great at the end of last year. You're damn right he did. He looked like

awesome, Hector Neris. Yeah. Neshek? And especially Neshek. Hector Neris especially not having to worry about him closing at any point. Just let him go in and get out. Yeah, I'm with you, Jack. I think this is a really, really nice signing. It does make sense that they probably wouldn't go after another big name guy, but I wouldn't be surprised if they still are supplementing there.

And look, like you said, maybe there's a deal where they include relievers and kind of supplement that way too to kind of thin out some are supplementing there. And look, like you said, maybe there's a deal where they include relievers and kind of supplement that way too to kind of thin out some of the herd there. Regardless, I think this is a really, really strong move by the Phillies and one we should be excited about. Do you think valuing durability over upside

is the right move? I don't know. I think in this case, I like the guys they've signed for the prices. We discussed McCutcheon maybe a little high on the money end, but we think he ages well. There's durability there. I like the guys.

I like Segura. I like Robertson. So I think finding guys, especially for a team that struggled with consistency so much last year and as we saw the last six weeks of the season, I think having guys in here you can count on, especially guys like McCutcheon and Segura, on that side of the ball, you can count on to put a bat on a ball or get on base when you need it. I think it's important. So I think that, look, this team is clearly trying to turn a corner here

and go from upside to contending to having some consistency there. So I'm fine with the idea of bringing in more guys you can count on there, but I don't want it at the expense of upside. You know what I mean? I don't want it to be an organizational philosophy. I want them to go hand in hand. Now, I will say that they're picking similar players. They're picking similar players.

McCutcheon and Brantley are similar-ish guys. Miller and Robertson, both got pretty much the same deal. Miller's upside is obviously higher than Robertson's, but Robertson pitches whenever you want him to and also is good. So it's not like they're choosing way less talented guys over the high upside guys just because the guys can be there. They're not going after Lance Lynn. Right, exactly.

No, exactly. And I think that makes a difference. But I think, look, I think after last year and the way the season went, bringing in some guys you can count on to maybe, you know, look, we've talked about it a ton of times, but it's a grind, man. The season is long, and you need guys who are going to be consistent for you. Guys who, when the team is slumping,

Gene Segura is going to go out there and get you three hits, and maybe you win a 2-1 game or whatever. You need those guys. So I'm okay with that type of philosophy bringing in guys. A guy that can take the ball in the ninth inning. Exactly. A guy you can count on to get outs when you need outs. I mean, it seems like such a simple thing, but it was such an issue last year.

All right. Very excited about the Robertson thing. Harper, Machado are weekly checking. Yes. So a little more new news. I mentioned it before, but Bryce Harper is apparently finally going to actually meet with the Phillies in person. Wasn't at the meeting last time.

Yeah. It doesn't seem like he's met with any team personally yet. So it's a good sign. I think it's a great sign. It's an amazing sign. I feel the same way. It's their second meeting. No other team's gotten a second meeting.

No one else has met with, no one else has talked to Bryce Harper himself. The Phillies get that first opportunity to do that. I feel the same way. It's their second meeting. No other team's gotten a second meeting. No one else has talked to Bryce Harper himself. The Phillies get that first opportunity to do that. I think that's huge. Well, I think some teams did do that in Las Vegas. Was he in the meetings? I wasn't sure if he was actually in the meetings. The Phillies were the ones that just met with Boris, but there were some teams that did meet with Bryce Harper.

But the fact that they met with- They're getting called back. Right. The fact that Boris was like, hey, we want to meet with you again with Bryce. And I think that, first off, it's about freaking time. Because where else is Bryce Harper going to go? Where's Bryce Harper going to go? He is not going to the Dodgers.

Get that out of there. He's not going to the Cubs. So, Scott Boris, pick your crap together and get the Phillies back involved and make sure they don't. I don't think he's going to say don't sign Manny Machado. But don't be like, don't be so off pushing about the Phillies. Because if they get Machado, where are you going to say, don't sign Manny Machado. But don't be so off-pushing about the Phillies. Because if they get Machado, where are you going to take Bryce Harper? You know what I mean? The Phillies?

Well, no, but they're not going to sign both. They're not going to sign both. I know they're not going to sign both. I wouldn't be my guess, but I don't think it's as crazy as I did before. But why? Because the way it's playing out. Look, I don't think they will either. We've said this. We're both on record saying

we think they end up with Harper. That is our guess for how this plays out. I still feel that way. But I just think the Machado thing is playing out in a really interesting way. It doesn't seem like the Yankees want to give him what he wants. And if it comes down to money for that guy, I do think the Phillies, regardless of Harper,

might still be the best offer on the table from a pure financial perspective? I mean, I hope so. I mean, if we walk out of this offseason, I don't think they want to do that. Look, I don't know what they want. Because I think Harper's going to get over $330 million. I think so, too. That's the floor.

I think $350. $400, maybe. I think $350. Well, look, here's the thing. How great is Scott Boris, right? Because if it's 400, then that dude just played them and did an amazing job. If it's 350, that's probably more what the market bore out. But I do think the Phillies did a good job so far of calling Boris' bluffs.

Agreed. Look, I think the fact that they haven't caved on either of these guys has been showing some fortitude there, especially after John Middleton said what he said. I mean, they did kind of paint themselves into a corner in a way with that. Yeah, and I think they've done a nice job regrouping from that. The fact that Boris, it's almost like, all right, come meet with us. Like, it's an admission. Fine!

Yeah. No, well, it's smart because the Machado contract is going to come down within the next five days. We think. We think. If he goes to the Phillies, which I still don't think is going to happen, again, where is he going to take it? It's smart of him to be like, hey, I'm not BSing you.

Keep him close. We do want to bring Bryce Harper to Philadelphia, and that's a good sign coming off of the BS comments that were spewed out there about how he doesn't even want to play in Philadelphia. He's taking a second meeting with the team. We didn't take that very seriously to begin with. Right. We are BS sniffers here.

That's what we do. We just sniff right through it. Also, Jeff Passan did come out yesterday and said that they are willing to go 10 years on Bryce Harper, which is interesting because there was a report last week that they were not willing to do the same for Manny Machado. So the fact that they're willing to go 10 years for Bryce Harper seems like he would be more of the main target even though the local beat writers keep saying Machado

I think it's still going to be Harper. Yeah, and again, look. Or maybe it's an admission of defeat to the Yankees. Well, it could be either. Look, it's one of those things too with like we just talked about with Scott Boris and the misinformation that he spreads the Phillies should be doing that too, right?

I mean, the Phillies should be getting everyone in the world to say, hey, we don't need Harper. We're getting Machado, bro. That's who we want. We're going to go get Machado. And that's what it seems like. That's what you want Scott Boris to think. Whether true or not, we don't know. But it would not be surprising at all if that were part of the whole push for Harper.

Now, the one thing that is still leading me to believe that I think Machado's going to be a Yankee is that the Yankees last week told him they were signing Troy Tulewitzki, and they wanted to make sure that was okay. Do you really do that for... I think you do. I think just on the... If you're courting someone,

you want to make sure that they're not thrown off by... I mean, anyone should know that signing Troy Tulewitzki shouldn't stop you from doing anything. We don't know if Troy Tawoski will ever play another Major League Baseball game again as far as it goes. Look, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if that influenced one way or the other.

I think the Yankees' interest in Machado is real, and I think that is further confirmation that their interest is real. Yeah, well, I think the fact that they wanted to confirm with him that it wouldn't change anything, even though Tullo should never change any of your plans, I think that is minorly significant. Yeah.

Look, I don't think it's insignificant. I don't think it is a decisive thing one way or the other. But regardless, obviously, we are ready to go. Even if Manny Machado does not sign here, we will do an emergency podcast wherever he signs. And when Bryce Harper signs with the Phillies, it's going to be the most banging podcast ever. It's going to be me and Jack just yelling at each other, but

in a good way for an hour. Alright, what else? Anything else hit you before we get to Sal coming up in a few minutes? Should we do final thoughts now? Or should we do Sal and then come back for a final thought? It's a great, see, the beautiful thing is we could do this in the next few seconds either way. It's a question what the listener hears.

How about this? Let's welcome in now International Scout of the Year, Sal Gussinelli. And joining us right now, it is our distinct pleasure, and basically Jack Fritz's month is made right now, as we are joined by the 2018 International Scout of the Year. The Sultan of Scouts. The Sultan of Scouts right there, Mr. Sal Agustinelli. Sal, thank you so much for joining us today, brother.

Thanks, guys. It's really a pleasure being on with you guys. It's great. We love the Phillies, and so do I. And it's great talking with our guys that are coming to the system. Yeah, of course. And the one guy that is coming to the system that a lot of Phillies fans feel like they're becoming infatuated with is a guy that you found, a guy that you signed, shortstop Luis Garcia. You signed him $2.5 million last year. It was one of the bigger international signings.

And ever since he came over, he batted, what5 million last year. It was one of the bigger international signings. Ever since he came over, he batted, what, 360 last year? Had a weighted runs created plus of 162. What did you see from Luis Garcia? Tell us the story of how you found the kid. I was very fortunate. Every year we bring a team from the New York metropolitan area and some way down to the Dominican Republic to play. I have a very good son of mine who's a high school coach here

and brings a lot of New York kids down there to play against, you know, like a lot of the minor league teams. They play some Sandlot teams. So it's funny, when Luis was like 13 or 14 years old, we actually played against his academy. So our guys knew him also. Like, you know, I had seen him early at that point, and we just kept following him. We saw him as far as a game. I was just sitting there watching him.

He was playing in the game, and then little by little, we would follow him. He would play with an organization called the Dominican Prospect, the DPA, and he was playing in those events. And I got to see him, and I kept on following him. We got to know him a little bit, and it was just amazing. First of all, as an individual, what kind of person he is, I'm not quite sure. Have you guys met him at all?

We have not. No, yeah. I mean, he's almost the embodiment of a guy that has all the tools to play, number one, but he also has the makeup to play. I mean, it's unbelievable. His makeup, I mean, he's built to play baseball. I mean, it's like if anybody ever was born to play baseball, this guy was. He brings energy to the field every day.

He can hit, he can run, he can field. And the excitement, like when you look at him play, if you didn't play baseball when you look at him play, if you didn't play baseball, you'd want to play baseball because he brings that type of energy to the field. You know, so he's just, you know, I hope he does his movies. I know he had an unbelievable year. I mean, that's incredible for a 17-year-old kid to hit 370 or 360 or whatever. I don't know if he can play 2,000.

He rated the number one prospect. So let's hope he continues to go in that same direction. Yeah, did you expect him to hit like that? Because coming over in the Sky reports from the Dominican, it seemed like he was a slick fielder who they weren't really sure about the hit tool. And then to come out and do that in his first stint here, were you surprised by that? You know what? I'm going to tell you.

I'm obviously 370, 360. I'm surprised, yes. I thought he would hit 260, 270. He always, you know, his back skills, I mean, his back control, you know, I mean, great for me. It was very good. I mean, he always made good contact. He had good plate awareness.

He just, you know, he's just one of those guys that, you know, I'm not saying I ever thought that he was a 3-7. Let's just make that clear. But I thought he would hit. I thought he brought a lot to the table. But, obviously, 3-7, he never thought that would happen. So, yes, my surprise, yes, I am. Sal, what do you think his ceiling is?

Jack is already calling him Francisco Lindor 2.0. Is that too much? What is this kid's ceiling? Especially if you could maybe comp him to another player, people might know. You know, I saw Francisco Lindor in high school. I never knew he was starting to hit the home runs he's hitting. He had 38 home runs last year. It was crazy.

I mean, that's insane. I mean, it's insane. Never thought that. runs last year. It was crazy. I mean, it's insane. I mean, it's insane. Never thought that. This guy, you know, it just seems to me when guys, you know, when you bring a good hitter to the table,

as his kick gets bigger and stronger, who knows? I'm not saying he's ever going to hit 30. I don't know if he's ever going to hit 38. I think he'll hit 15. I think he'll hit 20. And I think he's going to play a stellar shortstop. I think he's going to bring a lot to the table. He's going to be a quintessential, you know, number one, number two hitter consistently in any lineup.

I just hope he continues and goes up. You know, I hate to put a ceiling, but if you really want to ask me, I think he's an all-star. I actually think he'll play in multiple all-star games. I could be wrong, but, you know, I don't know if he's going to be Francisco and that type of all-star where he's a superstar. But I think he, you know, he just't know if he's going to be Francisco and that type of all-star where he's a superstar. Yeah. But I think he, you know, he just has, the things he does right now,

he just, it's amazing. He can play short. He can throw. He can run. He can hit. You know, obviously, at a 17-year-old, you don't know if he's going to hit for power. Yeah. But he lines the ball to all parts of the field.

He has the ability to take pitches. I mean, he does a lot of good things that excite the heck out of me, you know? Yeah, and I think the thing that has me most excited about him, not only from the bat-to-ball skills and the defensive stuff, it's that he seems like the guy that's like a team leader, a guy that everyone would rally behind, that infectious kind of personality.

And in today's league, I mean, with this Phillies team, they kind of need a guy like that to bring the mojo every day, kind of like the Jimmy Rollins kind of player, and to me, when I read about Luis Garcia, I hear you talk about Luis Garcia, he seems like the kind of guy that's like, yo, boys, let's step it up, let's go win a ball game. Does he come across that way to you as well? Oh, my God, yeah. I mean, you know, one day I'm going to introduce him to you, but it's just, I've known him a long time, you know, and I know him, I know his family, I know his mom and dad, I mean, you know, one day I'm going to introduce him to you, but it's just I've known him a long time, you know, and I know him.

I know his family. I know his mom and dad. I mean, I know everybody. And just, like, from the day I met him, every time he's seen me, he came over and hugged me, called me his father. You know, just, you know, like, he's just an unbelievable guy. I mean, I'm telling you, he's the kind of guy. Like, everyone on the team loves that.

I mean, they like him. He's – there's no one – like, he's not the guy no one dislikes. He just has a personality. He doesn't come off arrogant. He's just a team player. Everybody likes him. He has a smile on his face. He loves being out on the field.

He's all the things you say he is. And he just, you know, he's just another team. He is perfect. The word you said was infectious. That's what he is. Absolutely. 100%. And one of the guys that seemed like he really made a nice connection with this year was Alec Boehm.

Did you see Alec Boehm during the prep tour, like with the college ranks at Wichita State at all? You know, go ahead. I'm sorry. What did you think of Boehm? Do you think that the upside's there to be a legit cornerstone third baseman? And then in 2022, you have Luis Garcia and Alec Boehm. I'd be lying if I said that I haven't envisioned that when I lay down to sleep at night.

Do you think that's got a high chance of happening? Well, Alex, first of all, you had the Cape Cod hitting. I only saw him one game in Wichita State. It's hard not to like the guy. He's big, strong, he's athletic. He's a... I mean, he's not big. He's huge. You know what I mean?

You know, he's got power. I mean, I know he loves to blow out over the plate. He can drive the ball the other way. I mean, he's good. He's a over the plate. He can drive the ball the other way. I mean, he's a very important figure. Believe me, what you're dreaming about, I'm dreaming about. And I'm hoping those two things happen, that he comes out and Luis comes out and our future is sitting right there in front of us, you know. But, yeah, I mean, he's got tremendous power.

He's got, you know, a guy who goes to the Cape Cod League and leads that league in hitting usually comes out and does very, very well. He's a strong guy. That's the thing. He's got good back control skills and he's got power. So those two things look good for the future for him, you know, in my opinion. Yeah, and he doesn't strike out either, which is nice. I mean, him, Luis doesn't really strike out.

It feels like they've kind of changed their approach with the guys they've gone after. I mean, Adam Haseley's kind of in that same kind of ilk of not really striking out, so it's encouraging. Absolutely. I mean, we got some guys, I think, in this era we have to have, you know, like we talk about back control.

I speak about that a lot because, you know, with the advent of these shifts and things, you know, if you got guys that can manipulate, hit the ball to different parts of the field, I think about that a lot because, you know, with the advent of these shifts and things, you know, if you've got guys that can manipulate, hit the ball to different parts of the field, I think that's the future of baseball. Guys that, you know, have high on-base percentages, have a good feel for the strike zone, don't, you know, don't just stick with one way of doing things. Kind of, you know, if they see the ball out over the plate, don't try to yank it.

You know, go the other way. That's the future of baseball for me because with the only way guys know when the guys are going to hit the ball, I mean, guys' averages are going to keep sinking if we don't get better on baseball settings, guys. You know, better bat tool guys, you know? Well, Sal, along those lines, you've been doing this a long time, 25-plus years in scouting. The game's changed a lot the last few years,

at least the way people follow the game, the way teams build their teams and rosters and all that. With the rise of analytics and all that, what's been the biggest change for you as a scout in what you do? You know, I think, first of all, let me say this. You know, a lot of people, they look at the analytics part, the old timer guys, and I guess I'm getting into that, Look at the analytics part, the old-timer guys. I guess I'm getting into that, you know, kind of thing. But overall, for me, more information is better. I mean, for me, I like – I mean, in Latin America, it's not used as much,

you know what I mean, because, you know, the vacuum isn't as consistent. You know, you've got young kids that are, you know, 15, 16, 17-year-old kids that are not playing in a consistent league or, you know, it's a little different. But what I do like about it overall is I think that when you do have the ability to use the track, man, to use, you know, some of these tools to find out how guys impact the baseball, who has better, you know, contact skills, all the numbers that we can kind of put. So it's good to have. I mean, I think that any numbers that you can have that are usable are good,

in my opinion. You know, the consistency level of a pitcher, how he throws in the zone, you know, track man looking to spin rates and looking at different, you know, bat speed and, you know, all these things that I think we look at all these things now and I think that it's a tool with which we use to make better decisions overall. So I'm all for this. I don't want to all go into that direction of being completely analytical.

And I think that me as an all-time scout where I look at the guy and sometimes I look at it and sometimes the numbers. Defies the numbers. Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah. So anything that we can do, like I make my argument as a guy who has a little bit of expertise. I don't like using that word.

It's all right. You can say it. You're International Scout of the Year. Come on, Sal. We can say it. You're International Scout of the Year. Come on, Sal. We can say it. They must have ran out of candidates. No, that's not true. No, no.

But in all honesty, you know, it's just I think you need to utilize as much as you can. Listen, every team is using analytics to jump ahead of other teams to try to get a foot out front. There's good scouts out there that have been doing it a long time. When you have good scouts and good numbers, I think you make good decisions. I truly believe that. And I think that we all have got to work together. That's just the way it is. Now, on a surface level, like from our standpoint,

and we look at what the Phillies have been doing in the Latin American countries, it feels like this is a big market team starting to flex its kind of financial resources. Is that accurate? Absolutely. Absolutely. Matt and these guys are just, you know, Matt, Brian, and Ned, and, you know, Andy McPhail, and, you know, ownership of built a brand new academy. They've had trust in me and my staff.

We've gone down. They've gotten me. And if you look at almost every trade that we make, Matt's getting international slot money for me. I live for international slot money. Yeah, pardon me? I live for international slot money. Yeah, exactly.

And people are like, oh, we traded that guy for international. Well, what we feel, I do have a lot of stuff on my computer. I go over the numbers. I look at the guys, and I have to look at what we're trading to get the numbers. And when I look at the guy and I say, God, this guy has a chance to be this guy, and we have this guy who's already this guy, and his ceiling is that. We have a guy to get a higher ceiling guy. We're going to utilize that money and try to do the best we can.

So these guys have been unbelievable. They've had a lot of faith and trust in us. Hopefully we can get a whole bunch of new, you know, Luis Garcia's up there and, you know, Jalen Ortiz and I know we got some, you know, good arms coming through the system. I know that, you know, we got Sixto and Medina and, you know, Ranger and, you know, we got a bunch of guys that, that have a chance to really be good ones.

And I think that, you know, overall, I think that this is all happening because these guys believe in what we do down there. And it's exciting. Speaking of Six, though, he's going to be okay, right? He had a little collarbone thing. They shut him down for the Arizona Fall League, but all systems

go by spring training, right? That's the plan? Yeah, I mean, you've got to remember one thing. I think more than anything, they're being very cautious with him. You what i mean and yeah they should know they should be i mean let's face it do we want them to go into next year healthy or do we want to send them maybe to an hour full for arizona fall league where you know maybe he may tweak something and you know what the other thing is we gotta understand this he's still a young guy. You know, he's still very young. And we want to just make sure that, you know, everything is, you know, working in order

and make sure that if he has any issues, he's going to throw extremely, extremely hard for a kid his age. You know what I mean? So we have to be very, you know, we just got to be, you know, got to be careful not to, you know, push him too hard or, you know, we're just very cautious with him. So I know maybe people think that we're being overly cautious, but I think what's going to matter is when he gets to the big leagues,

he's ready to go, and that's the most important thing for us. Yeah. Sal, have you noticed anything different recently with the Josh Bonifay being brought in and all the minor leagues? It seems like it's a whole fluctuating process. They brought in Jason Ochart to be the minor league hitting coordinator, I guess. Yes. Have you noticed a change there?

Is it a positive change? Are you excited about the future of the minor league system? First of all, look, Joe Jordan did an unbelievable job. Joe is now with Atlanta. I mean, you know, we've got a lot of guys from the big leagues. I've had nine guys go on the roster in the last two years. And it's just been – he did a great job. I think that with – right now with DeWay,

we have a lot more communication in the analytics department from the minor leagues to the big league club, from the scouting and trying to understand some of the stuff that they're giving us. So I think that, you know, I spoke with the new hitting coordinator. I love a lot of the stuff he's doing. You know what I mean? I truly believe the stuff that, you know, he's bringing to the table is really, you know, it's, how can I say, really cutting edge in my opinion.

So, you know, not to take away anything from the past at all, because they did a good job i mean they've done a good job with our players all along um but um i i i don't really do i see um anything really changing i don't really see a whole lot changing other than i think the communication lines are going to be way more like i think that everyone's going to know what everybody else is doing i think the communication is going to be different in my opinion that's a it's a really good thing right you know everyone on the same page working towards the same goal sal last one for you um who's we've

talked a lot about luis garcia and i know that there are a lot of top 10 phillies lists out there and all that who's someone in the philly system right now who people are sleeping on who maybe it's the the national puns whatever is people don't realize the future this kid could have um you know a couple of guys i can actually i think i think martin is a really good prospect the catcher that was in williamsport catching that hit.300. I'm not sure if you know him, Rafael Martin. I really, really like him. I like Rodolfo Duran. He had 21 home runs as a 20-year-old, and he's another catcher that we had.

And I think that, and I know he didn't get on the roster, but I'm still hoping that Pujols could be the guy. He had an unbelievable year last year, and I just hope he consistently. He just has so much. You know what it is with him? I take a shot on a guy like him. I know you guys got to run. I take a shot on a guy like him, a big power guy,

strikes out a lot every once in a while. I like back control guys every once in a while, but this guy impacts the ball so incredibly that I just somewhere, somehow, I think that, you know, someday, you know, that, you know, I had that feeling, you know what, and it's going to sound, I hope this doesn't sound, you know, I had the same feeling and I'm not saying from a power standpoint of guys making it when Astro Deal was with us, you know what I mean? And he's with, it's just like some guys just, you look at them, you say, I know, I don't

know when it's going to happen, but someday they're going to get there. You know what I mean? Yeah. And sometimes we're wrong, but, you know, sometimes, you know, but I got a lot more. I mean, there's a right-hander. I love it on my system.

His name is, other than the prospects, you know, is Francisco Morales. I love that. I love Francisco Morales. I mean, that dude is, if he was in the draft, he would be a top 15 pick. I mean, he's up to 97. You know, he's just got to learn. You know, we've got to just understand he's only 18 or 19 years old. He's a kid.

He's big-bodied, too, right? Oh, 6'5". I mean, he's the kind of stuff you dream about as a scout. So I love talking baseball. You know, I love you guys, and it's great talking to you guys, and I hope I haven't gone too long with you. No, Jack would do this all day. I have to pull Jack away from you, Seth.

Can I please ask about one more player? I agree with you on Jose Pujols. Honestly, I don't have a trained eye, but I think I know what I'm looking at. I think his hands are really fast. When I watch his hands, they seem really strong for how wiry he is. Exactly. The one last guy I wanted to ask you about,

he emerged on Fangraph's top 36 prospects, which came out yesterday, is Victor Santos. What is it about him? Because I think he's got some really, really high potential. Look, Victor Santos is going to pitch in the big leagues. He's got more pitching moxie than he's, what he is, is if you look at it, there's area of the pitching.

He fools around on the mound, not fooling around. He has so much confidence in himself. He can spot the ball. You know, he's only 90-92, which is good, you know, at his age. He knows how to spin a breaking ball. He's going to be successful because he knows how to pitch. He knows he's smart. He knows

how to pick out. There's weaknesses and he attacks the weaknesses. That's something, to be quite frank with you, you don't find that often at a young age. I can see why they would like a guy like him because he's almost like the hitter that doesn't have a lot of power, but he's always

putting the bat on the ball. Then one day you just figure out he's in the big leagues. This guy's the same way. This guy can pitch. So, you know, you picked out the right guy. I truly believe that he's an underdog because the velo is not top end. But his pitch ability is, you know, well above average. So that means something. If he ever finds that fastball, I mean, he could be legit.

You know what? I think it's where it should be at his age. I mean, 90, 92 at 18 or 19. I think he's 19 now, I think. And I've seen him, believe it or not, I've seen him up to 95. But you know what it is with him, too? He tries to pitch. He doesn't try to overthrow, which is interesting with a young guy.

You know what I mean? So I think the velo is not always there because he's more interested in getting guys out. You know what I mean? So it's interesting how he throws. He kind of, like I said, he's a pitcher. That's his name. He's a pitcher. International Scout of the Year, Sal Agustinelli.

Sal, thank you so much, man, for taking some time. Hey, man, thanks a lot for having me. You guys are great. If you ever need anything, give me a call. Thanks a lot, Sal. Talk to you soon. Awesome, awesome stuff from Sal. If you were paying attention earlier, it's just been a few seconds for Jack and I.

We're back now. Jack, that was awesome stuff. Now that people have heard it or hopefully not skipped through it, great stuff from Sal and you all got to hear Jack. As much as it sounded like he was geeking out, it was way more geeky in person. I'll tell you that much. Good point.

It's a fair point. It's a fair point. I've gotten so into these guys. It's awesome. I treat them all like my children now. I really enjoy it. Honestly, it was one of those things where you see your kid opening Christmas presents and you get excited.

That's what it felt like to be here watching you go show yourself. All right, dude, we get it. You're a dad. I know I was your first son, but congrats on the daughter. We get it. You named it after Bill Simmons' daughter,

which is so super cool. What a happy coincidence, by the way. I love it. Sure it is, buddy. Sure it's a coincidence. Yeah, like my wife would have been cool saying, oh, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. All right, final thoughts. All right, would have been cool saying, oh, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. All right, final thoughts.

All right, I have three final thoughts, which is not the point of final thoughts. It's on brand, but go ahead. So before the Robertson signing, I'm a little bit worried that the Phillies are overrating their own pieces in a way. I like Jorge Alfaro. I don't know why they haven't gone out and gotten a legit guy to go with Jorge Alfaro. I like Jorge Alfaro. I don't know why they haven't gone out and gotten a legit guy to go with Jorge Alfaro. I like Nick Pavetta. I think Nick Pavetta's gonna flourish into a No. 2 this year. Why have they not

gotten another sir? Why have they not gotten a No. 2 guy? Are they relying really on Vince Velasquez again? Or even just a 3. Just a guy. A guy you can count on to give you 160, 170 innings. Now maybe that's Keichel. Maybe it's Keichel. Like, maybe it's Keuchel. I don't know.

I freaking hope not. But it seems like Madison Bumgarner is off the table now. They want to wait until the deadline. Maybe a Marcus Stroman deal. I mean, he was bad last year. And I don't trust short pitchers, especially with what they're going to have to give up for him. But that guy's a bulldog. Yep.

And I love the mentality. Yeah, he's just short. Yeah. And, you know, the injury, he definitely did not seem the same last year at the ACL a couple years ago, which is somewhat freakish. But look, depending on what it would take.

I like Stroman's upside, but I agree with you, what it would cost to get him is probably not going to be worth it. Right, and my last point was with the bullpen. Now, the Robertson signing does change that a little bit, but my problem is, is that, like,

they're relying on still too many fringe guys that they're treating like important important pieces like i like hector naris i don't trust hector naris i like eddie bry ramos i don't trust eddie bry ramos i like victor arano but i don't like i don't trust these guys right and the fact that the Phillies feel, it feels like to me, that they're banking on those guys having really big leaps next year to compete for a legit division run is a little bit concerning for me. You have all this money, right, that you talk about. And even if they sign Machado and Harper, they still have a boatload of money.

Even if they sign Machado and Harper, they still have a boatload of money. I don't hate the idea of Robertson to be your closer and then also getting a Odovino. Yeah, that's what I was talking about. I would love that. And then just make it Robertson, Sir Anthony, and Odovino. And the Yankees did it and had one of the best bullpens in the game. I don't think they're going to go $40 million for Britain. It seems to be out there.

But I think that for as much as I think those guys take nice leaps forward, the Phillies better be right. Because if the Phillies aren't right on their self-scouting, they're not going to take the leap that we need them to take. You know what I mean? 100%. I think we have seen many organizations over time. The Yankees actually used to be really a real example of this. Teams overvalue their own prospects, overvalue their own players, and it's detrimental long-term.

What's number two? Number two is that the Fangraph's top 36 came out yesterday. Their prospects. Referenced in the Saligus and Agostinelli interview. Mickey Moniak was number 11. How about you? Which I firmly disagree with. You think he should be higher.

But there was one nice little nugget in it from, I think it was Kylie McDaniel. In 2019, Moniak will start the season as a 20-year-old in AA Redding, which is notoriously hitter-friendly, and sources indicate he's bulked up since the season ended. This is in combination with a more progressive loft-oriented hitting coordinator. Could make a buy-low opportunity on Moniak, even if his numbers will be artificially inflated at Reading. And for what it's worth, 20 is very young for AA. Yeah, and the loft stuff, if you're watching, Jason Woodow put a video up yesterday of Moniak's progression.

And in the beginning of the year, he was just popping up things, wasn't driving anything. By freaking September, man, the guy was mashing. He was stroking the ball. Honestly, he looked like Andrew Benintendi as a prospect. It's what it looked like, man. I'm not saying he's going to be Andrew Benintendi. I love it.

I'm not saying that. I love it. I'm just saying that they were identical swings. Not as handsome as Andrew Manitali. No, he's not. He's not. Number three. Number three.

I guess if I can limit it to three. Number three. You should have a show called Jack's Final Thoughts and it'll be like 45 minutes of your final thoughts. Number three is that when Bryce Harper, if he does make a visit to Philadelphia, I think instead of putting his headshot on the Fantavision, they should put his stats at Citizens Bank Park on the Fantavision. Ooh, I like that.

Just blown up. Also, factor in, and then maybe make it a slideshow. I don't know. I haven't really thought of it fully out. So you have the stats at Citizens Bank Park. You also have ballpark factors where it's like you see the How many more home runs would you have hit? Playing to his analytics side right here.

Bang. Ballpark factors, Citizens Bank Park. You put Citizens Bank Park in front of Nationals Park, and you see just how many more projected home runs. See, this is the outside the box kind of thinking we need Jack. You jack the projected home runs up by at least 10, and say, our analytics said that. I love it. So instead

of 35, like he would have hit, and if he stayed at Nationals Park, 45. And that's how much quicker you break the all-time home run record, Bryce. We're going that far. Yeah, well, probably not. Alright, my final thought, rate and review the podcast, do it for Jack. It means so much to him, and

by proxy, means a lot to me. And I'm hoping we're going to be talking soon. It won't be Bryce Harbor, but hopefully we'll be talking about something fun in the near future. Either way, we'll be here. I think we will. I think so, too. I mean, Salisbury came out yesterday and said that things are heating up. I like that.

When he said that, I also heated up myself. Things are heating up. You should have seen Jack when Sal Agustinelli was on talking about heating up. All right. That's going to do it. We'll be back soon. Emergency or not, we'll be talking to you guys soon again.

Rate and review the podcast. And we'll 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. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.