PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - MLB’s Hall of Fame vote is around the corner, and we are not very excited about the options

Starting point is 00:00:04 Hello there, Jesse Friedman, and hello to all of you guys. Welcome into another edition of the PHNX D-Backs podcast right here on PHNX. My name is Derek Montia, occasionally known as Eddie Johnson's coworker. What? That doesn't make any sense to me. I have already introduced him, but this guy's the thunderstick and my vice mayor, the one and only Jesse Friedman. Eddie Johnson makes Saul Bookman look so short. Oh, and Eddie dwarfs, Jesse.

Starting point is 00:00:33 Jesse looks like a very... Yeah, he does. I didn't, like, actually walk next to, like, I wanted to avoid any situation, which I was standing directly next to him. He stayed 10 feet away from him at all the time. I did. But, but he did stand directly next to Saul Bookman. And it was, it was, it was a sight to behold. It was, it was really good. It was really good. And he's really good. It's a pleasure to work with a legend like that. Of course, this show is brought to you by the fine folks at the Draft King Sportsbook app. These guys over here, America's top rated sports book app. And I'm going to give you some fun draft Kings pick of the week later in the show. But we have

Starting point is 00:01:03 some fun things to talk about when it comes to a lackluster baseball Hall of Fame ballot. The Hall of Fame vote for 2023 is right around the corner. And you could say the ballot is lacking big names. I don't know. I mean, I'm not trying to immediately insult anybody on the ballot. I will give my choices of people on the ballot. But I feel like we are now at a point where there's almost like due to the steroids and the performance-enhancing drugs. kind of scandal that like we are like void of the true stars right now that should be receiving

Starting point is 00:01:39 their flowers in this moment. It's going to be great when all of the steroid guys are no longer like we don't have to have these conversations anymore because it just gets really old. I mean obviously I mean this year is kind of a big step forward in that regard and that you know, Clemens Schilling bonds those guys are no longer on the ballot so we don't talk about them anymore like we've been doing for the last decade. But there are still other guys on this ballot. that you know carry their their respective baggage with regard to PEDs right you've got

Starting point is 00:02:08 Alex Rodriguez here you've got many Ramirez there's a whole bunch of guys Gary Sheffield the list goes on correct so we're still not done having those conversations but at the very least we're having them more so about different players than then the ones we've been already discussing I just can't talk about Barry Bonds anymore and all like I'm just so tired of having that conversation he should be in the Hall of Fame period and that's and that's it and I just wish it was done Well, and I think that's the thing is like when you go through this period of time where now you've kind of disqualified the best players in the game, whether they were actually guilty of something or not, of being unworthy to be in your Hall of Fame due to this exterior reason, then, I mean, you're going to have this kind of void. Ben in the chat says Arod is a huge name.

Starting point is 00:02:54 Arod is absolutely one of the biggest names in the class. The newcomers are not huge names, but there are names on the bat that are big names. Also, the guys that are closest right now to getting in aren't really huge names. It's not to, again, take anything away from the incredible careers. Scott Rowland, Todd Helton, and Billy Wagner have all had. But these guys just aren't needle movers, I think, for a lot of people who aren't true baseball fans. People know a lot about Scott Rowland, especially in the, you know, Philadelphia area. He's a god there.

Starting point is 00:03:26 Todd Helton is kind of the same in Colorado, right? These are guys that it's nothing to take away from their career what they meant to their franchise, but it just feels like we don't have the creme de la crem, if you will, of baseball players from this era making it in due to one reason or another. But the other returnees from last year are, there's, there's, you know, guys in there that may or may not deserve, there could be an argument being made for them. But Alex Rodriguez, I'll say is one of the guys I think should be voted in. That's my personal feeling on it about you.

Starting point is 00:04:00 I probably would as well. I don't think Alex Rodriguez is going to make it in, but I would probably be in the minority that would give him my vote. On guys like Scott Rowland, though, I mean, he doesn't carry the type of baggage that Alex Rodriguez does. But yeah, he also doesn't have the career numbers that Alex Rodriguez does. I still would vote for Scott Rowland. I think if anyone gets elected in 2023, it's probably going to be Scott Rowland. I don't know if anyone else has a super realistic shot this year. Scott Rowland was it about 62% I believe in last year's ballot, so he's inching close to that 75% marker that you need.

Starting point is 00:04:43 I don't know. I like Scott Rowland. I don't think this should be as complicated as we're making it. Part of that I will acknowledge is that I am an analytics guy, right? And the analytics makes Scott Rowland look better than a traditionalist. baseball fan probably would, right? Or at least we would perceive him to be. He had 281, you know, 316 career home runs. That's not that many. You know, the counting numbers just aren't necessarily, they don't completely blow you away. He did beat, you know, the 2000 hit marker, but not by very

Starting point is 00:05:17 much. So some of the traditional stats don't look that great, but looking at some of the other stuff, I would, I would have Scott rolling on my ballot with quite a bit of confidence. There's guys like that, I think, kind of throughout the ballot that you could make a case for, but you kind of have to specifically look at one aspect of their career. First of all, Andrew Jones should be in the Hall of Fame just for creating Drew Jones, right? We can get that out of the way. His hand and his creation is enough to say that that man belongs enshrined in Cooperstown. I hadn't thought about that.

Starting point is 00:05:49 That might be the best case for Andrew Jones. He is also a 10th time gold glover. He's a five-time All-Star. He had an incredible season in 2005 where he led the league and like everything. And I mean, again, he is just a guy that there's not a lot of accolades there as far as championships and things go. Sure. But there's, you know, there's a long career where he was pretty damn good throughout his, you know, throughout his career. However, then you look at his career battings, you know, line and is what he slashed and some of his statistics.

Starting point is 00:06:23 And yeah, it's not, and it almost goes for a lot of these guys where, like, there's always, there almost seems to be a way to poke holes more in the case for them to be in the Hall of Fame more so than to create a good case for them to be in. Yeah. And maybe we're just getting too nitpicky. Like you said, maybe it's just too analytical. Maybe we're always looking for. Not enough analytics is what you mean. That's what you think. I will say this, though.

Starting point is 00:06:47 There is quite a few guys on here that I personally think do belong in the Hall of Fame. but like you said, Manny Ramirez. How do you not hold him accountable the same way you've held guys that have a bigger impact on the game than him accountable? Yeah. But, you know, like Damon and I were talking about before the show started, meanwhile, you have Big Poppy, David Ortiz, who has tested positive in his career for performance enhancing drugs, kind of came clean about it. And everybody loves him. And everybody wants him in the Hall of Fame. And there's few people that, you know, have a bad thing to say about, about.

Starting point is 00:07:23 David Ortiz. Maybe part of that is because so many of these guys didn't really serve a punishment for their performing enhancing drug accusations or whatever. Meanwhile, you know, he did. I don't know. I just love kind of the duality sometimes about the guys that are in and that people are okay with just because they kind of like them versus guys that aren't, you know, super likable like maybe an A-Rod or maybe a very bonds that people don't personally like as much. You said the new crop, though, The guy's being added definitely. J.J. Hardy. Wait, Bronson Oroyo.

Starting point is 00:07:57 Bronson Oroill is on the Hall of Fame ballot. So former Arizona Diamondback, Bronson, Arroyo. I don't think he's going to be the next Arizona diva back voted in. I don't think his case is going to be strong. Yeah, his case is. Carlos Beltran and Jacoby Ellsbury also. Carlos Beltrane's interesting because he probably has the numbers for it. But he did a bad, bad thing a few years ago in Houston.

Starting point is 00:08:19 based on the reporting, I'm sure you all have seen it. He was basically at the center of the Houston Astros scandal with the trash can, that whole deal. So I think that works against him quite a bit, and I suspect that will keep him out of the Hall of Fame when all is said and done. But, you know, we don't know that necessarily for sure yet, but, I mean, he had a heck of a career. I think the numbers probably are in his favor.

Starting point is 00:08:45 Brett Johnson says, also a friendly reminder that Arod posted a career, 117.6. It's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous. Yeah. Yeah. I just,

Starting point is 00:08:56 I don't know. People just draw the line in different places with different players, it seems like, as far as what they're willing to accept and not. And I know Arod, you know, there's quite a bit to that story there. But yeah, I mean, that's just my perspective on those things.

Starting point is 00:09:09 I just kind of err on the side of Arod was insane. I mean, he was an insanely good baseball player. Even if you take those things away, I think he's still a pretty darn good baseball player who probably easily makes the Hall of Fame when all is said and done. It's just wild that we use this reason,

Starting point is 00:09:25 especially when you consider, like, that a lot of these guys were never actually, like, caught of a crime in any way. I know it's a crazy analogy, but it would just be like if you accuse someone of a crime and you told everybody they did it, and everybody just believed you,

Starting point is 00:09:43 but there was zero evidence that they actually did it, other than you were like, they're very capable. of that thing. And based on the way that they go into that bank, I think that's the guy that robbed the bank. I mean, I think the case in most of these situations

Starting point is 00:09:57 is pretty, pretty dang solid. I know. But you're right. Like, not all these guys have, you know, solid, like, testing evidence of drug usage. But, um, but yeah. Carlos Bells-on is- where they change their blood out for no reason at all,

Starting point is 00:10:11 like an oil change in a car, you know, but whatever. That's fine, you know. But, uh, yeah, I say Alex Rodriguez, uh, is definitely in. I don't know about a lot of these other guys, though. There's plenty of good baseball players on this list. But again, it's the great ones that really should be in the Hall of Fame. And I mean, I don't know when you go through some of the people who are in the Hall of Fame, I'm sure a lot of these guys have better numbers than those people.

Starting point is 00:10:34 So there's just so much nuance to people's votes when it comes to that. Our friend Josh Rowwich is, of course, the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame. And we would love to get him in here to get his thoughts on this once this whole thing. Yeah, goes down. So maybe we'll see what his availability is. But in the meantime, let's play a ridiculously early game of predictions and give our guesses on who will actually be the next D-BACs player. Oh, my gosh, here we go.

Starting point is 00:11:03 To make the Hall of Fame, Jesse. I knew you were going to ask me something like this when you decided that we were going to put Drew Jones's face on our thumbnail with a headline. Look, Hall of Fame something or other. I'm saying Jones in for a legend. That's a good name. Here's the thing. When it comes to the Diamondbacks, of course, you have the current roster guys that are on the field right now that we might think are capable of having a Hall of Fame worthy career. Or we could be looking at the future guys that are kind of untested.

Starting point is 00:11:34 A lot of the prospects that we're going to talk about here in a moment when it comes to the Diamondbacks and how fortunate they are with their youth movement. But I'm going to go out on a limb. And of course, I'm going to say, Zach Gantlin. I'm going to say Zach Gowling. I'm not going to go as far as picked Drew Jones just yet, but I would say Zach Gowlin to me would be the next player. Now, whether or not, Zach Gowlin does go to the Hall of Fame, and if he does, if he's wearing a Diamondbacks jersey,

Starting point is 00:12:02 just to throw some gas on that fire. Brett Johnson says easily gold. Yeah, no, I'm not talking about gold. I'm talking about guys on the current team, not guys that have played for this team before. And it could be a guy, of course, like I said, that isn't here yet. So, Jesse, give some sort of wild prediction as to who you think is already Hall of Fameworthy.

Starting point is 00:12:23 I think Brett said Corbyn Carroll first ballot earlier in the comments. Yeah, without a doubt. So this is the most ridiculous exercise. I know. I know. I will entertain you and say that I think people view Drew Jones as being the kind of guy who doesn't have any clear weaknesses, right? Like he's basically good at everything. And I would say even maybe more so to that extent than maybe a guy like Corbyn Carroll who we talked about it yesterday,

Starting point is 00:12:56 Baseball America is giving him a 60 on, you know, for power on the 20 to 80 scouting scale, which seems really bullish because I don't know if Corby and Carroll has as much raw power as maybe people think he will. Drew Jones is not like that necessarily. He's a slimmer kid right now, but there's a lot of projectability there. I think he could be the kind of guy who hits, you know, 30 home runs someday. I don't think that's an outrageous thing to think that could happen. And I mean, Under Jones hit 53 home runs, if I'm not mistaken, with the Atlanta Braves. He didn't do that every year.

Starting point is 00:13:29 But, you know, 2005, he sure did. He did. And so I think if you're just kind of looking at, okay, which D-BACs, up-and-coming players have, like, the assortment of tools that could line up with that sort of career, where you don't really have any weaknesses. Like you can be durable. You can do it for a long time. You can age well,

Starting point is 00:13:50 which I think a player with Drew Jones's skill set would. I think it's outrageous to be talking about him in the Hall of Fame at this point. I want to make that clear. But Derek's making me pick someone. So there's your answer. There you go. There you go.

Starting point is 00:14:03 You heard it. Jesse credited journalist said that Drew Jones will in fact be in the Hall of Fame one day. You heard it here. Greater Hawk Media says, Evan Longoria Hall of Fame. He's been drinking. Evan Longoria is not going to be a Hall of Famer, but I appreciate the comment because Evan Longoria has had a better career than people give him credit for.

Starting point is 00:14:24 You're absolutely right now. He's had, I mean, he's almost at 60 war for his career, which is like not a, I mean, there are guys who get in the Hall of Fame, you know, with that kind of a number. I don't think Longoria is going to be one of them, but the debacks are getting sort of a legend here. Obviously, he did most of his damage early in his career, not as much of late. He's had a pretty incredible go for 15 plus seasons now. Well, speaking of crazy, ridiculously early predictions, our friends over at Bleacher Report put out an article with far too early predictions about this year's trade deadline

Starting point is 00:14:58 and who they could see moved from different teams. And according to this article, they predicted that the debacks will trade first baseman Christian Walker. But we're just going crazy with this outrageous speculation today. Just wild speculation with zero to go. I hate this so much. I hated it so much when I read it. So I guess I just wanted to ask, you know,

Starting point is 00:15:22 they gave their cases for why Christian Walker could continue to ascend from his season last year and how his value could essentially be at the highest that it's ever been by the trade deadline. So while I do like that, again, I do hate the idea of trading a guy when he's playing his best baseball. So does it make any sense to trade Christian Walker? and who the hell would play first base if they did do that. Yeah, I mean, I think you answered your own question. What are you going to do at first base if Christian Walker isn't on this baseball team? I mean, you could start Pavin Smith there,

Starting point is 00:15:55 but I don't know if anyone is necessarily, you know, expecting Pavin Smith to be a five-war player like Christian Walker was last year. The D-Backs did consider, at least according to reports, trading him at this year's trade deadline, which was, I mean, honestly, pretty crazy to hear. So I don't know. I think it's possible that the Diamondbacks are, you know, willing to listen at the very least. Am I getting confused?

Starting point is 00:16:22 That was last year's trade deadline, wasn't it? Yes. Okay. I'm getting like this year last year. We just changed the calendar. So it's getting me all messed up. I mean 2021, not 2022. But not that long ago, Christian Walker was, wait, no, no, I was right.

Starting point is 00:16:37 Christian Walker in 2021 was not the type of trade. You're arguing with yourself. I'm arguing with myself. No, I said it right. originally, 22, Christian Walker. The debacks at least were considering making a move in that regard, but they didn't, and I think they're probably

Starting point is 00:16:50 glad that they didn't because this team appears to be kind of pushing the chips in right now. And if Christian Walker wasn't here, it wouldn't really make a whole lot of sense to have made that move. I and the Larry says, I think they should extend Walker. We agree with you there. And also I think that

Starting point is 00:17:06 there's a lot of talk about the Hispanic Titanic in here, Ivan Melendez, who of course... Were we putting him in the Hall of Fame now, too? Let's all, let's do it. Let's go. Hall of Famer, Ivan Melendez. He has the nickname for it.

Starting point is 00:17:18 He does. He has a Hall of Fame worthy nickname, that's for sure. Of course, we thank you guys for being here in the chat. We always appreciate you. If you haven't done so already, make sure to subscribe to the P.HNX YouTube channel. Sign up for notifications, like, so you don't miss any of our shows, including the brand new show with Saul Bookman and our new co-worker, Eddie Johnson, who's texting me and Jesse right now. This is wild. I still can't get over to that.

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Starting point is 00:18:34 Any previews on what your next die-hard piece might be about? Yeah, we have another one coming in the very, very near future. This will be about Jake McCarthy. And doing a little bit of a deep dive into the numbers and kind of figuring out what happened in the second half of the season and how Jake McCarthy went from being like this fifth outfielder guy to suddenly being like a cornerstone moving forward. So we're going to look at the numbers and see what Stadcast has to say

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Starting point is 00:19:43 So it's easy to get started. Go to underdog fantasy.com or download the app. Sign up with promo code PHNX and Underdog will match your first deposit up to $100. Jesse, yesterday we talked about the DeBAC's prospects making it very high on Baseball America's top 100 list. They have five prospects in the top 30. And we just wanted to kind of pay a little bit more attention as to why. baseball America and other outlets are coveting these prospects as highly as we do.

Starting point is 00:20:14 We love them because we know they're the future of this team and we know how good these guys can be. But it is very interesting to see, again, as Jesse mentioned, the high percentage of prospects that the Diamondbacks have in the top 30. It's quite unlikely, in fact, for any team to have that many. And you got a credit first, Mike Hazen, for obviously building towards this point where, you know, the future of this team is with these young guys that are elite quality prospects.

Starting point is 00:20:44 The biggest, so we talked yesterday about Corby Carroll's 60-grade power tool, which is insane. I'm looking at some of the other guys. Baseball America has Gabby Moreno as a 70 hit tool, which is very impressive. Again, if you're not too familiar with the 20 to 80 scale, 70s are not given out often. It's the top of the top. So that's, I mean, that's a really, a really insane number. And it just speaks to the fact that Marino hit over 300, you know, in his minor league career at 319 this past year in his brief stint with Toronto. I think there are some questions about how much of his power will translate.

Starting point is 00:21:24 That's something he's kind of been more conservative about in recent years, where he seems to be, especially in two strike counts. Mike Hazen pointed this out when I asked about it in two strike counts. He becomes very hitterish. He's not really looking to drive the ball. But he does have, in terms of raw power, Hazen, and a number of other evaluators say the raw power is there. It's not a question of like, oh, Moreno is built, you know, like a slap hitter type. Like he has the size for it.

Starting point is 00:21:53 It's just that he hasn't really prioritized that in his hitting approach at this point. Whereas, you know, his hit tool is just off the charts insane. So even if that power never does come, you know, a 70 in the hit category, that's the type of, you know, you're talking about a 300 plus batting average potentially, which is something that you just don't ever see catchers do, frankly, at this point. So a pretty, pretty crazy number there. There's something about Gabby Moreno to be said to. He's ranked number 12 on the 12th on this list, right? Which that's fine. But in July of 2022, he was ranked number one.

Starting point is 00:22:30 And I know these lists fluctuate. I know the time that he spent in Major League Baseball. That's true. Yeah, Baseball America. I think they were the ones who had him there. Baseball America had him as the number one prospect and all baseball. So when you pair that with the fact that Corbyn Carroll has been listed at number one on a lot of lists as well, you know, you basically have the number one prospect from last year and the number one prospect from this year both with the same organization. And that, of course, is something that does not happen.

Starting point is 00:22:58 It just teams aren't able to acquire this high of prospects, you know, because you really don't know where prospects are going to rank or how, you know, people like us and people that do this are going to feel about them, are going to rank them. I will often say, like, all of this is just somewhat meaningless. It's somewhat meaningless because these guys have not proven themselves at a major league level yet, and that's really what remains to be seen. But if you want to be excited about the direction that this organization is going, this is it. And I feel like this was the plan the whole time. They might not be able to keep up with teams like the Dodgers and the Padres when it comes to spending. But they might be able to outmaneuver them when it comes to acquiring young talent. And as we've talked about when it comes to contracts and things like that, young talent on a baseball team are kind of tied to that team for years before they can break free and become a free agent.

Starting point is 00:23:54 So it feels like the right move for a team like the Diamondbacks that aren't going to spend nearly as much money as their NL West rivals. Brett said, what was Carson Kelly's hit tool rated as when we traded for him? That's a fascinating question. I'm looking at his scouting report from 2018. So this was like the year before the Diamondbacks acquired Carson Kelly. He was a highly touted prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Coming into 2018, he was there.

Starting point is 00:24:21 This might have been at the end of 2018. He was their third ranked prospect behind only Alex Reyes, right? The recently DFAed Alex Reyes that we talked about. Jack Flaherty, who's had some injury issues, was a phenomenal pitcher for a time there. And then Carson Kelly is number three. He had a 50 hit tool, 50 power 20 run, which is the lowest it could possibly be. That's kind of funny. Nobody ever accused Carson Kelly of being the fastest guy out there.

Starting point is 00:24:48 He had a 60-arm 65 field. So very, very good numbers. on the fielding front. And I should also point out that baseball America has Moreno at a 60 field and 60 arm. So not only are you looking at a plus defensive catcher according to baseball America, but you're looking at a catcher who has not only an insane hit tool just in general, but like catchers don't have, catchers don't have 60 great hit tools, much less 70. Like that's just insane positionally.

Starting point is 00:25:18 I think Ben pointed that out in the comments as well. So it's pretty. wild what baseball America is seeing here with with Gabby Moreno. Now the next step for the Diamondbacks is if they want to follow a blueprint, you know, do pay very close attention to what the Braves are doing. And if these guys can perform at this level, let's, let's keep these guys. Yeah. Moreno is young enough where like you're always a little worried about extending catchers like past a certain age.

Starting point is 00:25:44 But Moreno is young enough where you probably could make a pretty good case for that. Now ranked right behind Moreno is Jordan Lawler who Jesse spoke to, Nick Ahmed and Nick talked about working with Jordan. And he had very positive things to say about Jordan Lawler and even some of the struggles that we saw defensively in the Arizona Fall League. It seemed like a lot of it isn't. It's not that the athleticism or the talent isn't there. It just might be a thing of getting reps and playing professional games and kind of getting that throw just ingrained in your mind. And not thinking about it because you might be kind of overthinking.

Starting point is 00:26:22 it a bit right now. Yeah, yeah. It sounded like kind of a mental thing is what Nick made it sound like. And that is something that, you know, we noticed watching Jordan Lawler out in the Fall League. It's like, wow, he looks rangy. You know, he's athletic. He's super athletic. But for some reason, he's just not getting much zip on these throws. And according to what Nick said, it's less of an arm strength issue and more of just kind of a mental, like you're thinking about this too much sort of issue. Which is fair. Double clutching or, you know, doing stuff like where you're Yeah, which is fair for a guy, you know, drafted in the first round. Some had him as the highest ranked prospect in that draft class.

Starting point is 00:27:00 So there were some expectations coming in. And, you know, I can imagine that might have some effect on his psyche as he, you know, is kind of in the early stages of his pro career here. Rounding out the final five prospects that we talked about yesterday is Drew Jones, future Hall of Famer, as Jesse attested to. And Brandon Fott, which we could go into for hours about Brandon Fott, but Jesse summarized all of that in a wonderful video that you can watch on the PHNXports YouTube channel that gives you all of the reasons why you should be excited about Brandon Fott.

Starting point is 00:27:31 But Drew Jones is kind of interesting because you brought up all of the reasons why, again, we should be excited about him a little earlier. But he really is a unique talent that a lot of people are very excited about. And he's kind of the weird thing about how high he's rated right now is he hasn't played baseball yet. So, like, obviously, he's played it at an amateur level, but we haven't seen him play professional baseball yet. So it's weird for them to think so highly of him without even seeing him on the field at a profession. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:28:01 And these, these numbers are insane. So baseball America, Drew Jones, a 60 hit tool. Very, very good. That's a plus hit tool. 55 power. So above average power. 70 run. 70 field.

Starting point is 00:28:15 And then 60 arm. And that's why, you know, if you're, if you're, if you're, if you're. pointing a gun at my head and saying I have to pick the future Hall of Famer from this current Diamondbacks organization. Those numbers are crazy and you don't see those numbers put on guys very often where every single tool. Especially a guy like him that hasn't had that time yet even at a minor league level. They just don't go out and rate them that highly when they're still just such a young,

Starting point is 00:28:45 inexperienced player. And I've seen some evaluators seem more, maybe. higher on Drew Jones's power than his hit tool. It seems like like baseball America has a 60 for hit, 55 for power. So I think that's sort of up in the air. Like is this, you know, is it more of a hit over power profile or the other way around? I don't know if we necessarily have a read on that yet. But either way, neither of them projects is a significant weakness. So, you know, even if Drew Jones does hit 230 or 240, you know, his dad didn't always hit for super high batting averages. But you can have a lot of value when you're as fast as he is and you're as good of a center field defender as he projects

Starting point is 00:29:25 to be. Not to mention the fact that he has been a baseball player since he was born. Yeah, instantly. Right out of the womb. Right out of the womb. He just came out, ditch and fly balls, you know. But it's, again, these, I don't think it's a fluke that there's this many prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks on this list.

Starting point is 00:29:45 I think it was intentional within the organization on acquiring this talent. I think that's the reason why you parted ways with a guy that meant so much to this team that Dalton Varsho meant. We talked again to Nick Ahmed yesterday and to hear him talk about Varsh, they're not happy about this. Like he's trying to, you know, he's trying to see it as a business move. But these guys, they were close with Dalton Varsho. And you don't just part ways with somebody that has as high of a war as he did if you don't believe in trying to essentially acquire younger talent. that all is going to have a similar time frame and you're going to have this kind of like conga line,

Starting point is 00:30:25 which Jesse now knows what it is. You guys remember that one of young talent dancing their way up to the majors. It's very exciting. And I know at times it can be insufferable to be an Arizona Diamondbacks fan. It can feel like we're never making any headway or progression. This group of guys, I think, is going to change that.

Starting point is 00:30:44 And we are going to start seeing these guys impact baseball games this season. So that's why 2020. is a great reason to get out to the ballpark and watch this team. Of course, the best way to watch a baseball game is on some wonderful edibles from our friends at OGs. Not only are they all about flavoring life, but they are all about making sporting events better. And of course, we've talked about their brand new strawberry and cream happy balance ratio. It's CBD to THC 1 to 1 to 1 ratio, which basically for those that don't tend to like the euphoric feeling that they might get from edibles,

Starting point is 00:31:19 which is understandable. Some people, really, they just, some people just want to feel good, maybe just be in a better mood. And that's what the happy balance can do for you. Strawberries and cream flavor, of course, I already know it's fire. But it's hitting the shelves soon. So make sure you can find them at your local dispensary. Must be 21 or older to enjoy and enjoy responsibly.

Starting point is 00:31:40 And of course, speaking of enjoying things responsibly, enjoy our presence responsibly, along with some delicious four peaks brewing company beers. on last Wednesday of every month. Our last Wednesdays are back. Join us out at the 8th Street Pub on January 25th. All of our shows will be out there live and in person throughout the day. We will be hanging out.

Starting point is 00:32:02 Jesse will be earning the nickname Tendys. Again, that's what Tocry calls him, or Tordi. That's what he calls TOTI. I think I've already earned that nickname. I don't think I have to do anymore. No, you have to. You have to live the gimmick. You have to live the gimmick, Jesse.

Starting point is 00:32:14 You have to go and eat Tendis. I will maintain the nickname. Yes. Brett Johnson says, are we going to get a PHNX watch meetup party for a WBC game? We might be doing that. We might be doing something before then for spring training as well, Brett. So keep your eyes peeled for that. Also, enjoy $3.3 beer specials and come say hi to us, more importantly.

Starting point is 00:32:35 Jesse loves when you do thumbs up on the videos, but he loves it more when you come up to them and do it in person. So everybody should do that at the event. As long as you also do it on the video. Your thumbs up in person means nothing to me. Remember, Eddie Johnson will not come back if you don't like every one of our videos. So make sure to keep doing that. And if you can't join us, make sure to grab some Four Peaks beer. Anyway, it's the best beer in the valley.

Starting point is 00:32:57 And enjoy responsibly. Must be 21 or over to enjoy. Jesse, before we get out of here, it's Thursday. And you know what we do on Thursdays. We know what we do on Mondays. We know what every week is around here. But on Thursdays, of course, we get down with the draft king's pick of the week. And I thought this one was really enjoyable.

Starting point is 00:33:15 They have a new season special. on the Drafking Sportsbook app. And the season special is for deciding the World Series winner, what division it's going to come out of. There we go. What winning league it's going to come out of? And like my favorite from last year that I would have totally not won on the winning state. But right now, they have an option on the Drafking Sportsbook app to choose a first-time winner,

Starting point is 00:33:38 yes or no. Is it going to be a team that wins the World Series for the first time? And now, honestly, it is interesting because, one of the teams, as you may know, that has not won a World Series, is the San Diego Padres, who are, I hate to say it. I hate that I'm doing this right now. But there's also the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners, both who haven't won a World Series.

Starting point is 00:33:59 So the odds obviously are in favor of yes for first time winner versus no. You've got a plus 330 for yes and a minus 425. Of course there's a good chance it's going to not be a first time winner. There's so many good teams out there. We know who's a favorite to win already. I'm going with yes for a first time winner. I'm just doing it. Interesting.

Starting point is 00:34:19 I think that there's enough contenders out there that it makes it a little exciting. And then kind of the Padres and then everyone else? Padres, yeah, and then everyone else. Like the Mariners World Series? Hey, hey. I maybe take Mariners playoffs. I don't know if I'm taking Mariners World Series. Crazy the things have happened.

Starting point is 00:34:34 Texas Rangers have done some nice things. Maybe the Rockies make a run at it, Jesse. Yeah, the Rockies. That's definitely the team. Maybe our expansion sister team, the Tampa Bay Rays, win their first World Series. Who knows, but yes, no, basically, I'm putting my money on the Padres. You're basically putting your money on the Padres, which is probably going to make some people in the chat very angry.

Starting point is 00:34:52 I'm sure it will. But, I mean, honestly, not a bad, not a bad bet. It's really not. The San Diego Padres are with Tatis coming back next year, you know, with Juan Soto, who wasn't honestly that good with the Padres after they acquired him at the trade deadline. He's going to get a full season. I expect he'll probably be better. I think FanGraphs has Juan Soto projected for more war than any other player in baseball, other than I think maybe you show Heyo Tani.

Starting point is 00:35:23 So, yeah, I think you're probably going to see a big year from him as well. Of course, you have Mani Machado there in San Diego as well. And you always know that A.J. Preller is going to do whatever is needed at the trade deadline to try to push his team to the next level. And, you know, last year was Josh Hater and that didn't look so good for a while. He didn't pitch so well there for, for, for, a few months, but I think he'll probably bounce back next year too. This year. This year. This year. Crazy. He's excited for it. He can't wait. But of course,

Starting point is 00:35:53 grab that Draft King's Sportsbook app if you haven't done so already. If you're a new or existing customer, you can take a shot at an even bigger payout right now with Draft King's stepped up same game parlayes for the NFL playoffs. Boost your NFL winnings with each leg you add up to 100%. Download the Draft King's Sportsbook app. Now use our promo code of PHNX if your new customer. You can bet $5 on the NFL divisional round and you will get $200 in $400 in 4. free bets instantly, only at the Drafking Sportsbook app with our code of PHNX. Minimum age and eligibility restrictions applies. See show notes for details.

Starting point is 00:36:24 And of course, Jesse talked about this season. It's right around the corner. And you know what you know what to do. You can be a season ticket holder or you can wait till the last minute and get your tickets on game time because you never know what you have going on. You never know if you want to go to a baseball game. Season ticket holders always have to find somebody to take their seat or whatever. Forget all that.

Starting point is 00:36:41 Just procrastinate. Wait until the day of that you want to go to a game and go to game. and go to GameTime. You can save up to 60% when you buy tickets last minute. And of course, the best way to support us is by buying your tickets through the link in the description. It will always be there on every show. So whenever you need to find our Game Time link, just look up our show either on YouTube or on your favorite podcasting app. And you will get the link directly from there.

Starting point is 00:37:04 Jesse's been using GameTime for years. I just recently started using Game Time. And let me tell you, we're both huge fans. We're huge fans of saving money. We're huge fans of procrastinating. Let me tell you that. That's the one thing we share. The best way to attend a sporting event is to do it kind of impulsively.

Starting point is 00:37:20 You know? He's kind of right about that. Like I don't like. Or even like a concert? Like where you're like, the concerts tonight, I want to go to the concert. And then you just adult up and buy a ticket and go. That's kind of, that's wild. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:37:31 It's like buying a plane ticket on the day you're going to travel. Like who does that? Yeah. Yeah. You just feel alive when you do that. You know, it's like, yes, this is the way that life is meant to be lived. Growing up, I would never, never. buy tickets for really any sporting event, like well in advance.

Starting point is 00:37:48 Because then it's just like, you know, if you buy it two weeks in advance, three weeks in advance or something like that, then you're just like waiting around for two weeks or three weeks. Let me tell you about how little Jesse likes to wait. It upsets him that he has to make his sandwich for lunchtime in the morning before he comes to work because he doesn't feel that instant gratification of eating it in the moment. This man hates the fact that he has to wait a mere three or four hours. to eat the sandwich you made.

Starting point is 00:38:15 And I mean, he doesn't, like, fellow parents, would you tell him about what making fucking food for a kid is like that you're never going to cook for yourself? I'm not. That's going to break me. Because making the sandwich for myself is like the most miserable seven minutes of my day. I know. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:38:30 I'm going to do it for someone else and not even get to eat it. Oh, man. Let me tell you. But anyway, we thank you guys again so much for being here. Appreciate you guys being in the chat. Of course, you can follow us on Twitter. I am at cap underscore caveman with a K. Jesse is at Jesse N. Friedman.

Starting point is 00:38:45 Eddie Johnson is at Jumpshot 8. That's the most important one to follow. Our show is at PHNX underscore Dbacks. But of course, all roads lead to at PHNX underscore sports on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. We love you guys. We appreciate you for being here on behalf of Damon, Jesse, and myself. We always appreciate your time. And remember, kids, baseball is fun, but it's so much more fun when you make it in the Hall of Fame.

PHNX Arizona Diamondbacks Podcast - MLB’s Hall of Fame vote is around the corner, and we are not very excited about the options

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