Talkin' Baseball (MLB Podcast) - Who Will Make The Biggest Comeback in 2025? | 954

Episode Date: March 3, 2025

Use code TALKIN2025 for 10% off your next SeatGeek order*: https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/TALKIN2025. Sponsored by SeatGeek. *Restrictions apply. Max $20 discount Book your next trip at https://www.bestwestern.com Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app and use promo code TALKIN Jolly Olive joins Trevor Plouffe to discuss Jim Bowden's Athletic article breaking down Ten MLB players who are Comeback Player of the Year candidates, how they think each player will perform in 2025 and WHO will win Comeback Player of the Year! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello and welcome to Talking Baseball. Jake is dead. The dirty martini is in the house. The kids are playing on the streets. Let's go. Corey Lewis Knuckleball, Strike 3. I'm not hitting up. Not even swinging at it.

You're out. Never saw it. Hello and welcome to Talking Baseball. We got a fun one today. We got to send a shout out to our buddy, Talking Jake and Jess. they are together and we're sending good vibes their way because that's what we do here. I do love Jake and I do love Jess. But whenever I get to have my man, Jolly Olive, with me on this show, it warms my heart.

Jolly, thank you again for stepping in. How are you doing? You're looking great. I appreciate that. Dalton said such a nice thing when I walked in too. He said he liked my boots, whatever. texted Jake, made sure he was okay. Try to have like a sentimental moment with him.

Like, hey, like, hey, man. Just like happy to fill in. Hope you're doing well. Text it back. Mahalo. So I don't really know what to think about that. That's just big story. Maybe he's in Hawaii.

I don't know. Maybe he just, I don't know. Maybe he cast it away. I'm good, man. I'm really excited for our episode today. When you guys texted me what we were doing, it was like a nice helpful thing for me.

So we got, I think like 10 players to talk about today. And I think it's going to be action-packed, baby. Yeah, what we're going to do today on the show. By the way, this episode is brought to you by seat. The MLB season is just around the corner. Basketball and hockey seasons are heating up and artists like Morgan Wallin, Kendrick Lamar, and The Weekend are on tour.

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You can use code talking 2025. That's 10% off the next set of tickets at C-Keekeek, 10% off any tickets with promo code talking 2025. What we are going to be doing on the show today is going over. Yeah, there's 10 players. And I got the idea because there's an article by Jim Bowden in The Athletic, which again, I really like the athletic and I want people to go there and subscribe. I think it's a great platform and they do a really good job.

But he has an article in the athletic that's talking about 10 comeback player of year candidates. And when I looked at the list, it was very surprising to see just like these are, I'm talking, real deal impact players. So what we're going to do is kind of go over a list. I'm going to talk about the injury when they're coming back. if they're going to be ready for opening day, we'll go over each one. And I think I'm going to offer some sort of statistical line to you.

And then we'll just see over, under, yes, no, and stuff like that. And I do believe it will be good for the people to remember exactly who's going back. Because I don't know if in my mind, Jolly, it seemed like lately the injuries have been ramping up. And I know we've said that about pitchers, but there's also some position players on this list that you're like, oh my gosh, like they could really make a massive difference for for their team. Yeah, this article was helpful because I've had the thought of like, oh, when is, when is Spencer Shrier coming back? I don't know off the top of my head.

When is, what is Saniel Contra going to look like this year? It's like this article was great. I highly recommended if you want to go familiarize yourself with who's due back, the big stars on teams that are currently injured. But yeah, you are right. I feel like we've, we've ramped up a little bit. I mean, we lost Sean Murphy about 15 minutes before we went and started recording this podcast for four to six weeks. I mean, that's going to happen in spring training. You're going

to get your spring training injuries. It's always a bummer when it does happen. But this is not about that. This is about the guys they're due back. Ready to make the impact. Yeah, you're bringing a down under the episode. Shout out, Sean Murphy. I also got hitting the ribs and I did miss four to six weeks. Same exact thing happened. It's not fun. Take your time. That's what I've been hitting the side with a blitzball. And I thought that's kind of the same thing. It's, it hurts for a little bit. The ribs, man, there is nothing you can do about them. And again, take your time. I came back and it was not the same. Anyways, let's start off with our guy, Sandy, who is expected back. If you remember, he had Tommy John surgery. That was September 6th of

2023. He missed all of 2024. And you guys know who this is. I mean, he won the Cy Young in 2022. He's led the majors with eight B-war and 20, excuse me, 228 and two-thirds. And he's pitched during that year. He's had 10 complete games from 2021 to 2023, which is the most in Major League Baseball. He looks great in spring training. He's hit 99, so the Velo is back. He's feeling good. He's had some good quotes about feeling like himself, and, you know, he was nervous for the first pitch, and then he wasn't nervous because he's Sandy and all these things.

But the line I'm going to throw out at you, coming back to Miami here, and you kind of know what season they're going to have. They're under Peter Mendix, they're rebuilding. Sandy surely would fetch an incredible package for them if he was available via trade. I think the line I'm going to put on here, the projections for 2025 have him at 189 innings pitched. I think that's pretty high. Yeah. So I'm going to go and say, I'm going to ask you, will Sandy throw?

180 innings in 2024 for the Marlins. And he is supposed to be back for opening day. He's been named the starter. It's supposed to be him versus our guy Paul Skeens in an opening day matchup. We tuned into Pirates Marlins for the first time in my life. That's a great line because in every full season of Sandy's career, he's made it over that mark, 180. innings. He went 197 in 2019, 205 in 2021, and then the Syung year, 228 and two-thirds

with that sparkling 2.28 ERA. So Sandy's an interesting case, man. I mean, you do have to unfortunately have the trade discussion, which it stinks from Marlins fans, but it's intriguing for everybody else because this is one of the most marquee trade pieces coming up at this year's deadline. He's got one of the more favorable contracts for any elite starting pitchers, 17 mill owed this year next and then a club option for 21 in 2027. I mean, five years 56 million for a guy who won the Siong is ridiculous. And it's even more ridiculous that he's going to get traded. So it's an interesting conversation. I do think I'll take the under because I don't know what he looks like yet. I know he's hitting 99 and I know that there's going to be a lot of eyeballs on him

this year. He might be one of the earlier trade pieces as well. If you remember, Luis Aras got traded in May of last year from the Marlins because they kind of knew what their game plan was. was. I think the more interesting conversation is what team is he going to try and approach that 180 inning with because I have a feeling that we're probably only going to make him see 10 to 12 to 15 starts of the morons before he ends up somewhere else. So you think he's out for sure this year. I think he's deaf. I think if they're sticking to their game plan, they just traded Jake Berger who had four years of control. So why not trade the starting pitcher who hits 99 with three years? I agree. And I think we talked about this a little bit on baseball today with

Rosie, you know, if he shows that he's healthy, which, you know, through, you know, the first start in spring training, yes, I think that you have to start having those discussions. I don't think there's a rush at all. You mentioned the, the, the, the finances behind the contract and how, I mean, approachable is not even the right word. I mean, it's a bargain. Yeah. It's a steal for a team. Isn't this guy healthy? Understanding what kind of pitcher he is, I, I, too, think they need to begin shopping him. And I don't even want to think about the teams. I'm not there yet with saying. I just want to see him. I just want to see him. him on on the field as far as the 180 inning mark goes i think he gets there yeah i i do and it's

i think at the early stages of the season we aren't going to see him put up the complete game numbers it's just not going to happen but i feel like we are going to see him make 35 starts like they possibly would have some already planned uh like skip his spot in the rotation days i could see that happening. But I don't know, man. Maybe I just am thinking about Sandy on a whole. Like, that's just what he does. You mentioned he's done it every single year that he's had a full year.

He's broken that mark. So to me, I'm always on the side of like, hey, until you don't do it, you're going to do it. I'll give him right over that 180. That's, I mean, look, 33 starts, six innings per start, puts him way over. Yeah. so five and a half gets him there. I feel like he could do it. I feel it's a good line,

but I feel like he could do it. I'll give you this counter. The only reason I said under is because I do think the Marlins might try and skip a start here and there to keep him healthy because, as we said before, trade chip, all that. They also have decent starting pitching depth. They do. When you talk about the Marlins, there's not a lot of good to talk about. That is one of the things you can go to.

My wrinkle, I'll add, and like you can throw this out the window if you want. I don't think he gets there in the, regular season, but if we include playoffs, I think you might get. Clay McCullough, new manager of the Marlins, you think he's probably going to be first year, like listening to the front office quite a bit. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, that's how you get a job now as a manager as you say, I'll listen to what you say and implement it. Now I'm rethinking if he's going to get there or not because I do think they are going to be very, very careful with him. I'll stick to your guns, Strub. Come on. All right. Sam.

180 and one third of an inning pitched you got it i just want to see him to do it so i'm going to be optimistic about it uh but this guy has the potential how about this real quick yes or no top five si young votes this year oh that's a fun question you know i mean if he's healthy and he's hitting 99 yes well you can't say under 180 innings oh sure i can maybe the stats will be better i don't because he's under i don't know we'll see uh Another pitcher that's coming back for an East Coast team. Actually, a Florida team. It's a Florida episode.

We're talking Shane McClannahan here. He is coming off of T.J. August 3rd, 2023. He missed all of 2024. He has had some other injury history. He missed a couple weeks with a midback tightness in 2023 before he had Tommy John. He had some left shoulder impingement in 2022. two. Like, so there's some just normal stuff. Obviously, the, the TJ comes into play, especially because it's his second, uh, TJ, which is always interesting to me. Like,

what happened to the first doc? Like, what's up? Like, he didn't wrap that thing tight enough. Give him the wrong tendon. Let's go, docs. Uh, but if you don't know, now you know, six and a L. Sa Young voting, uh, in 2022, uh, he was two-time All-Star. He started the All-Star game for the American League in 2022 as well. In 2023, before he had the surgery, he logged a 256 ERA through his first 18 starts. He ended up finishing with a 3.29 ERA that year as he kind of had that lower back stuff before the T.J. So he's coming back. I believe he has also been named the opening day starter for the race. I don't know who they play. I guess I should have looked that up. But that's awesome.

to have him back in that rotation. Question for Shane McClanahan. Question for Shane McClanahan. So he has never really eclipsed. He's not like a sandy type guy. 166 and a third innings. That was in 2022. That was the most that he has thrown in a season.

So I will do this. We're going to go starts instead. Right now the projections for him are 26 starts, 159 innings pitched to a three. 344. I'm going to give you two things here. Over 25 starts under a 35 ERA for Shane McLean. Gray lines is always strong. In great long. Thank you. I'm going to hammer the under on that 35 ERA because I believe in Shane McClain. And that dude is absolutely nasty. Career 3.02 ERA has always been under that mark in his career. The starts is an interesting conversation, especially when you

factor in the second Tommy John surgery because there's kind of like there's two roads here. There are success stories of guys who had to go through it twice. Nate Eivaldi is always the one that comes to mind and he's carved out a really impressive career, you know, dealing with all that. The other success stories are usually like relievers like Joaquin Soria is a guy that comes to mind. Daniel Hudson's still kicking like those guys had multiple Tommy John surgeries. My heart gets sad when I think of the Josh Johnson's when I think of Brian Wilson is another one. who had a couple Tommy John's surgery. So this is a very tough hurdle to overcome.

There are, I'd say more question marks with Shane McClenthan than maybe any other player on this 10-person list. So for the starts, I am going to take the under. Just because I feel like the raise, if they want to be successful this year, they have to be cautious. They have to keep that in mind. They have six starters in their rotation listed currently. Pretty much all these guys besides maybe Tosh Bradley

have some sort of injury concern, and that's kind of been plaguing the raise. they are getting this whole rotation back, but how long can they keep them healthy, I think is the biggest part of the equation. And Shane McClanahan is going to have the biggest impact if you can keep him healthy. So I think,

Joe Boyle is going to get a look, the guy they got in the Jeffrey Springs trade from the A's. I think you're going to see Shane Baas maybe finally get a decent amount of innings if he can stay healthy. So if things are going well for the raise, I think he is under 25 starts. I think that's part of the plan for them.

And hopefully they can protect that arm because, you know, Shane McClainan, he's only 27 years old. And he's still got potentially a lot of big league years ahead of him. You've got to protect him while you can. I agree with you. I'm going to go under on both. I don't think he gets the 150 inning mark. He's only done it once in his career.

I think the under 3-5 is a good bet as well, just because we've seen him do it so often. The raise have so much starting pitching. It is going to be, you know, it's going to be their strong suit. of their team. So I do, I don't know if they're going to implement a six-man rotation throughout the season, but we're definitely going to see, you know, a bunch of times where, yeah, we might skip a start, give a guy an extra day. And because of that, I think that's going to be the reason that McLean doesn't hit the 150 inning mark. He is back. He's thrown 97 in spring training.

So the Velo's back. We know about the change up. Some interesting stats on him. He's still in Offsy pitches 60.4% of the time on the first pitch of the bats since the 22 seasons. That's the highest in majorly baseball in majorly baseball among starting. That's actually a crazy staff. 60% of the time? Change up slider first pitch, get ahead. Oh, one makes the fastball dance a little bit more, jolly. The Raz are one of my most intriguing teams of this season.

I think I might have locked them over again on the over under total. I did that last year, did not come to fruition. But I think that they are kind of getting back to raised baseball. They'll have the starters. The bullpen will be fine. I think the defense will be a lot better. There's a lot of, like this list, there's a lot of bounce back candidates. I have a lot of race.

It's a lot of bounce back. And I think they will. I'm disrespected right now. They are. I'm not one of those people, jolly. I would never take you for that, Trev. You know, ball. How about this step before we move on from Shane McClainanhan?

He's allowed an 185 slug on his changeup since the 2022 season. And that's the first pitch you see, usually. That's the first pitch you get. Good luck. If you're a first pitch swinger, good luck. Tampa Bay opens against the Rockies. A couple of Battle of Titan. Okay.

And I did, Robbie said I put the lock lock. Double lock? Over. I think it was like, I think it was like 81 and a half or something like that. I might put the, I might put my college loans in there. Just trying to double that really quick. Yeah, we'll get you out. We'll get you out of debt, please.

All right, Shane McClain. We're excited to see you back. Today's episode is sponsored by Best Western Hotel and Resorts. Life's a trip. So why not make the most out of it with over? 4,000 hotels worldwide. Best Western is there for every detour, destination, an unexpected turn along the way. Whether you're hitting the road, traveling for work, or chasing the next big game, there's a room waiting for you. But a great stay isn't just about rest. It's about what comes next.

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Our guy, Jacob de Grom. Now he's coming back from a plethora of stuff. He had a T.J. He's a two-time Tommy John guy. He had April 29th of 2020. He came back for three weeks at the end of the season in 2024. Some other injuries he's dealt with. I mean, it's a lot.

Rotator cuff tenonitis back in 2014. He hyper-extended his right elbow in 2018. Soreness, tightness in the elbow in the side, the forearm tightness in 2021. He had a scapulous stress reaction in 2022. It's been, unfortunately, it's become the story of Jacob de Grom in his career. As we know, what kind of picture he can be when he's healthy. I mean, four-time All-Star, two-time Salyung winner.

He won the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year. He was top 10 in NL. Salyang from 2017 to 2021. He's been the guy. He hasn't made more than 15 starts. the season since 2019. I hate that sad so much. It's a tough one.

I hate that stuff. And now he's with the Rangers. And I think I'm going to do a more team-based question here because I don't want to put numbers on Jacob de Grong because I'm kind of scared to do that. And this might be a question I ask for some of these guys down the road as well. Is Jacob de Grom pitching in the playoffs this year? Oh. I mean, that's a multifaceted question.

It is a multifaceted question. The bounceback Rangers are similar to the bounce back rangers. that we talk about. A lot of guys have stuff to prove on the Rangers. You're a smart guy. You have stocking the Rangers. I'd like to start this discussion with the story. That's okay with you. Me and Chris Rose recently went to Arizona. We went to a lot of clubhouses. It was a lot of fun. One of the clubhouses we visited was the Texas Rangers. And when I'm in the clubhouse, I'm all business. Getting my stuff done with Dan Roark, even though he's got the camera out of focus half the time. It's fun. One of the guys we didn't talk to you because I know that he's not, he doesn't like media that much. And I know he would. wouldn't want to do it was Jacob de Grom, but I was like, you know what, man, like I'm a lifelong Mets fan. I got it. I have to say something to him. I have to. So I go up to him and, you know, I wax poetic a little bit. I'm like, hey, like, you know, I just want to say, you know, thank you for your time as I met. Like, I've ruined for you hard this year. Like, I told him a story about one of the starts I went to. And, you know, it was like 30 seconds of,

like, some deep emotional baseball fan stuff. Uh, Jacob, Jacob de Grom's response. Okay. Walked away. kept his crossword started doing it on the couch. I was like, all right. Wait, where was this at?

This was in the Rangers clubhouse. Yeah, but where? Not at his locker. No, not in his locker. We were talking to Semion and Seeger, and then he was kind of just in the area.

And I was like, you know what? I just fill myself with him. Let me get, go talk to him by, I think it was like by Josh Young's locker. Josh Young, by the way,

great dude, a nice guy. He hit you with the old, good old fashioned Southern. Okay. So I'm rooting for my guy this year. You know, we had a special month.

moment that. That's top, Jolly. I mean, I kind of knew it, dude. I've seen him take interviews for like 10 years now. I know what he's like when the cameras are near at the very least. You got big league. I got big league hard, but you know what if I'm going to get big league?

It might as well be by Jacob de Grohl. Holy schnikes. I have the Rangers in the playoffs this year. I think that you nailed it on the head. A lot of guys with a lot to prove the World Series hangover is over. They added Jake Berger and Jack Peterson. I really, really like what that team is comprised of this year. and I do have Jacob deGrom appearing in the playoffs.

I don't have him making a playoff start. I think this is the year we finally see the reliever conversion. Because it just makes sense, dude. Like, yes, he has not made more than 15 starts in almost coming up on five years now. The Rangers have to get something out of this contract. He's getting, I mean, I hate to say this. This is becoming one of the worst contracts in baseball. If you can't keep him on the field, he's getting paid for.

$40 million this year. There's not a lot of players in the sport that are getting that much money on an annual basis. They've gotten 10 and two-thirds innings got out of him last year, 30 to third the year before. Obviously, when he's healthy, he's the best pitcher in the game, and I don't think anyone would dispute that, but you have to keep him on the field. And the way you can do that is, hey, the Rangers didn't add a lot to their bullpen this year. I like their starting pitching depth decent enough.

I know the lineup can bang. Why not make him this super six-out closer that when you, get to the eighth inning of the game with the lead. The game is over, dude, because it's Jacob de Grom throwing 102 out of the pen with devastating slider. Like, I just think this is the path to success for them. It's obviously not what they envision. And they're not going to do this.

I want to preface this by saying there's no way the Texas Rangers do this. I'm not actually believing that this is going to be a thing. But if they're in the playoffs and say they traded for a couple starters like they did in 2023 with Jordan Montgomery, then why not, dude? Why not protect him? get your five innings out of the guy you trust in the rotation and then get the bridge bullpen there and then just shut it down with Jacob de Grom.

That's how you're going to win some postseason games. So I do have them pitching the playoffs, just in a different role. Okay, okay. Jacob de Grom owed 40 million this year, then 38 in 2026, 37 and 27 and 27. And then there is a mutual option in 2028 for 37.

So there's a lot of money still to be paid. I think my question more, I guess, about the playoffs. Yeah, I get the Rangers. I think I'm buying Ranger stock as well. I think that they are, they're very much prime for a much, much better year than last year. It was a weird thing for them last year. I think the question was, and I'm knock on wood here, I think the way I was thinking about it was, is he going to be healthy? Yeah. You know, not, you know, are the Rangers going to make the playoffs? But is he going to be healthy when they're in the playoffs? That's, that's my question. And I'm always very, very optimistic about it. But like, I talk about, you know, prove me, prove me wrong.

Like, I guess prove me wrong that he's going to be in there. I actually don't mind your take on moving him to the bullpen. I still think they're going to try to get some start. Absolutely. You have to. It's $40 million. It's a lot to pay for that. But I do think he is a candidate for kind of the way I see pitching going, the new age strategy, which would be, we don't need guys. throwing six innings, dude. We don't, like, let's just kind of carry more of the swing or, not opener, but like four, four and a half, five innings, a start, whatever you want to get.

I think that maybe is the future and that could be the future for, for a guy like Jacob de Grom. A lot of, a lot of piggyback type stuff. Yes. I was, I was going to ask you sort of something like that. Like, I think I hate to yankify this entire thing, but we know what the situation is now. with John Carlos Stan and the Yankees, I think they're kind of just letting him skip a decent chunk of the year to have him ready for the playoffs because they expect to be there.

What would be your take if that's what the Rangers decide to do? Like, let's, like, I mean, I think everyone kind of believes that DeGrom is not fully 100% still. He's still working his way back. We even have it in the note sheet that it's going to be kind of tight if he's even ready for opening day. What would you think if the Rangers said, okay, like, let's just give him half the year,

like fully rehab, fully get healthy, get back to a place where you think you're 100%? then come back and be ready for October. I think it's, if you're a team that, like, really believes you're going to be in the playoffs, almost no matter what, and there are a handful of those teams. I think it's a strategy that you employ.

I do. I think that you have to, that's what the game's all about. And it is a long season. And if you don't have a track record of, you know, staying on the field, I think that you can start to think about what that means. Yeah, I'm curious to see if he is ready.

for opening day they're saying maybe maybe not they're trying to take it slow during spring training i don't if you're the rangers here's my advice chris young we played against each other i had a triple off you one time um take it slow like yeah like let's let's let this guy fully come back and

the only thing about that jolly is the way he big league view this is jacob de graham if he's ready to pitch he's like he's gonna say ear mouse fucking pitch me absolutely I mean

there's that aspect to it Treb I'm gonna convince these guys to to to kind of go to that

next phase of pitching in my mind and Jacob de Grom since he's been around for so long not really thinking like that he won't he

he probably still wants to throw 180 280 80 80 or 200 innings it's just you got to be realistic at some point yeah

I mean, this guy had tears in his eyes when he got the news last year that he was going to miss the entire season. And he's usually not a guy that's forthcoming with emotions on camera. So that really hit on for me. I was like, damn, you can tell this guy wants to be out there. He wants the ball desperately. He loves baseball. So I do agree. Like, I don't think they're going to be able to take the ball away from him if he feels like he's healthy.

It's just got to protect him the best you can. I'm going to lump both these next guys together since they do play. for the same team. We're talking about Spencer Strider and our guy Ronald Acuna Jr. Spencer's coming off internal brace surgery, which I think is just a fancy word for Tommy John Light. Is that what we're talking?

Dr. Paloof? Okay. He did have Tommy John in 2019 while he was at Clemson. Now again, April 7th he had the internal brace surgery, so he missed all of 2024.

He's going to miss into 2025. They don't exactly know when he's going to be coming back. They're hoping late April, early May. We're talking about, I believe Spencer started one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. And I think, I guess that's the consensus thought on him. But maybe we've forgotten a little bit because he wasn't there last year. 2023, All-Star, fourth and Saw Young in 2023. Second in the rookie of the year in 2022.

He led the league in wins. K's FIPP and K's Per 9. in 2023. So that's the kind of guy that he can be. And then Ronald Lacuna Jr., this one's, this is tough for me, man. It's all, it's all knees for this guy. He had the right ACL tear in 2021. That kept him out until the end of April in 2022. Left ACL tear on May 27th of 2024, so he missed 2024. He'll be back sometime in May as well. And obviously we know the kind of of player he can be he was 4070 in 2020 23 41 homers 73 stolen bases

um 9.1 war that year uh he won the MVP and just kind of changed and I know that was that was the first year of the three disengagement rule so you definitely took advantage of that so I believe it was right big number that's a 73 stolen bases nothing to scoff it I think my question for those two they won't be back in let's just call it may let's just call it may okay my question to those

for you for those two and now I guess we can add Sean Murphy as I mentioned the beginning of this show four to six weeks with the broken rib will they be playing in the playoffs like is Atlanta going to make the playoffs three guys out for the beginning of the year does it matter for them

will they be back playing in the playoffs Trev this might be sacrilege for me to say I think some people already know what I'm going to say. The Atlanta Braves are still going to win the analyst. They are the machine that just keeps on churning. I don't know what happened last year. Last year, we keep calling a down year for the Braves. They won 89 games and still made the playoffs and they had half their roster.

They're going to win the NLEs because they're still the best roster in that division, in my opinion, coming from a Mets fan. I think not only these guys are both going to be in the playoffs, I think they're both going to lead their respective side of the baseball in war for this team. Spencer Shrider, I'm so high on. I think not, what doesn't get talked about with Spencer Strider enough is how smart he is. He's a very intellectual guy when it comes to knowing his body and knowing the art of pitching itself. I think that he's going to do whatever it takes to put himself in the best position to last as long as he can this season. Because this is a season where the Braves are going to need Spencer Strider really bad. They don't have Max Reed. They don't have Charlie Morton. They didn't really bring any reinforcements to fill those rules. Right now, those

rules are going to some combination of like Bryce Elder and AJ Smith Schaver and Grant Holmes is another guy that's there. They're going to need Spencer Strider to be an ace as soon as he's ready to come back. And he's the kind of guy where I think he could really carry this rotation in the long run because I don't think any of those guys have the same ceiling that Spencer Strider does. With Acuna, the equation gets a little bit more complicated because it's a guy. who's known for using his legs as one of the premier talents in his game. He's going to be playing the outfield because Marcel Lozuna is the DH and you can't really send him out there. So there's no DH option for Ronald Ocunia Jr.

He's an interesting case, but I just still believe in the pure raw talent of Ronald Lucnuchin Jr. The ACL tear in 2021 was a freak injury. I still feel like he's just been a victim of a lot of freak injuries because of what his game is like. So maybe you'll see a toned back version of Ronald McCune. junior but that talent is still there he's still one of the best power hitters in the game too which doesn't get talked about enough and uh when they're both back they are going to lead the way for the atlanta brays easy yeah that was kind of a silly question they're going to mean the playoffs i also believe in this roster i think there's a bunch of guys that never going to get mentioned who

were just excellent players like money mike and center field and you know ricell at glacius like there these there's there are guys on this team that i mean we've we didn't even talk about Austin Riley anymore. I mean, they're stacked. I don't know if they're going to win the NLE East. I don't know if I'm with you there. So I think there's some pretty damn good teams in the NLEs. I'm always a Phillies guy. 95 wins

for them last year. But yeah, they'll be playing in the playoffs. I think the thing for me in Akunia was do you find some days? Excuse me? What are you laughing at? And you walk in on them with another man. Huh.

You, but you like You like it. Okay. Is that for me? Because I picked up the slack. He got me coffee. If you want, if you want to say Jake on it.

Head to the YouTube page. If you're only on the podcast apps and you get to see a little bit of Jake story alley in a, what was a trench coat? Yeah. It was like a pea coat or so I don't like seeing Jake in normal get up. freaks me out. Yeah, he actually looked.

He looked good today. Okay. I'll give him that. I wonder with the Kunya, you don't think they. can find some DH days for this guy somewhere. You can't throw Marcel out there and just stay where you're at and try to catch the five balls. That's a big left field, Trev.

That's a big left field out in truest. I don't know. We got to do something to keep these guys healthy. You know, his game is going to change. If you're a cunea, you got to figure some things out. We're not going to see the stolen base levels. It's tough because, you know, a guy like him, an athlete of his ability is so, confident and they want to continue to

showcase their skill set. So it's almost like, we're talking on Jacob de Grum. Like, you're going to tell this guy he can't pitch when he's ready to pitch. You're going to tell Kuna that you can't steal stolen bases. Obviously, he's feeling good. But they have to convince him

to kind of tone it down and stay healthy. I believe this Braves team has a chance to win the World Series for sure this year. So, I mean, I'm both on coming back and contributing in the playoffs. I am. And Sean, I'm sorry, man, that you're dealing with that. Who hit him?

I don't know. That's a great question. Rob's on it. He's already typing. Mine was, was it Husker, you know, or Michael, you know. I think there was two you know. He was a brave. Where is he?

Just freaking nailed me in the ribs. It was tough. Basketball? About 96. I even rubbed dirt on it, Jolly. There's a video of me. I, like, just messing around and rubbed dirt on it. Hey, tough guy.

Stayed in the game, played four more, played four more games after. hit a homer. Okay. How much of that homer hurt to hit? It's not about me, guys. Like your story. You know, we're going to be talking about Draft Kings here. Who's scoring big in the NBA season?

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For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.com.co slash audio. Let's go through these a little bit quicker, I think. I think those are the ones I really wanted to get into. This is next guy. He's one of the best players of our generation. Injuries, unfortunately for him have also been kind of a lead story. 119 games in 2022. last time he played over that was 2019 we played 134 we're talking about mike trout uh he had a left

knee a meniscus terry had meniscus surgery on april 30th he missed the rest of 2024 he will be ready for opening day he is moving off a center field um so they're you know they are trying to keep this guy um on the field do i need to go over the accolades i do not think i do three-time MVP, 11-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger. More broad question. Are we going to get back to a time where we look at Mike Trout and say that's the best player on the field? That's an excellent question. Not to be a Debbie Downer, I think those days are over.

Just because when they announced that he was moving off center field, I don't know about you. I could be alone in this. My brain instantly went to, okay, they're finally going to make him a full-time deed. because I think that's just, that's where we're at. With Mike Trott, I think he's going to be, this is his age, what do we got here, age 34 season it's going to be for him, not getting any younger. I know that he's a freak athlete when he's out there. I think everybody knows that, but we just have five years worth of evidence now that I don't think he can do the full season anymore. And if the angels are going to be any sort of relevant because they don't, he doesn't want to get traded, they don't want to trade him.

They have to have him out there. And I just think his bat alone is enough to have as a solo D.H. Like if he's healthy, you're going to get a 900 OPS. You're going to probably still get stolen bases. You're going to get 30 home runs plus. I just think that the angels have enough position players that they can fill out their outfield. They don't need him in right field. And I'm just worried that this move is only too much of a slight adjustment.

And it doesn't actually end up keeping him healthy. So that combined with the fact that even if he does solo D.H, you're not ever going to really consider a solo D.A. the best player in the game. I think that era of Mike Trout baseball where he was the consensus best dude in the league for a full on decade, I think it's come to come to an end,

which is unfortunate, but it's also just kind of natural in the game. Yeah, I mean, I guess my question was a little too vague because Shoha Tani exists, and I believe he's, in any conversation you talk about, he's the best player out there.

Obviously, you know, there's other guys, Juan Soda, Aaron Judge, who have a track record. I do believe that we will still see spurts of Mike Trout being the best player. It's just, he's just, I think, like you said, bat alone, get this guy healthy. Like there's going to be months in his future where he hits 12 homers, you know, hits

probably 400 and, you know, has a 1.5. Like this guy can still absolutely bang. I think the move from center field, I don't know how much that's going to play. I don't think that really changes too much. it's actually a longer run from the Angels dugout out to write really did they think about that a little bit

but Perry Manasian said he's the best shape he's seen him in four years since he's been there isn't Mike Trout always well I mean that's just spring training itis too

but like that shape in my life always just like a freaking he's built like a bolder yeah can you point me to a picture of Mike Trout out of shape insane so yeah I think I think for spurts we will see

him and have that. I don't think like the days of him getting on the field and dominating are done. I don't. I don't believe in that. Do it for a full season. I'm, I mean, look, I am, I want this guy to play somewhere else. I don't think that's ever happened. I think that's out. That window is closed. Angels fans used to get so mad at me and Jake's, we just tell the truth about their team and they finally come around and said, yeah, fuck. Everything that we said was right. And now they add in, we hate our owner and all these things. I mean, Trev, I was one of the people that when they, when they bought at the deadline two years

ago, they got like Gialito and all those guys. I was in. I was like, yes. I love that too. Okay, okay. Because I was, I was with the delusional. Like, I wanted to believe that the Troutotot-Otony Angels could get there. Oh, so I didn't, I didn't really believe in their team, but I thought it was what I said was,

I'm sorry. I said it, you had to give that to the fan base. You had to keep it, Tony. Yes. You had to give that to the fan base. that to me was worth the goodwill from that was worth more than a prospect package you were in different. I still believe that. And, you know, obviously it didn't work out. And didn't they end like, they traded for those guys and then they waived them like a month later to get rid of the money.

I think in like 10 years we're going to see Perry Managing on like a podcast or something. He's going to tell us what the packages were. And then we can really decide if it was. I'm very curious about that. Okay. Let's move on. This is what this is a guy that I'm fascinated. with Matt McLean of the Cincinnati Reds. We haven't seen a ton of this guy. Now, he had left shoulder. He had Labrum surgery on March 26 and 2024. He missed all of 2024.

And it had a massive impact on the red season. I think that the downer news alone was just, it wasn't good. He is, from all accounts, he is Spark Plug, like kind of like clubhouse guy. I don't want to, I don't know if I'm going to give him leader yet in the club. I'm still a young guy, but I think he exudes those vibes.

Fifth, an NL rookie of the year in 2023, but he had a fantastic year. 89 games played 23 homer, 16 bombs, four triples. We're talking 43 extra base hits in 89 games. He accumulated 3.1 war in that time. Projections in 2025 have him, 138. That's a full season. Okay. 622 plate appearances.

They got him 30 doubles, 25 homers, 18 stolen bases. So they, the Reds desperately, desperately need this guy. Is Matt McLean an All-Star in 2025?

That's a great twist. His second base is a little bit like weak. He will be ready for opening day. Okay. Good to know. One of the guys we talked to in the Reds Clubhouse, I'll say this. of my favorite people we talk to, gives me clubhouse leader vibe.

So when you said that stuff, I kind of lined up with the way I was thinking. Like, he gives me that vibe. Okay. So with all that being said, it's crazy that we still have not seen a full season of them. Like we've seen that, that half season and he missed all of last year. Was it a diving catch in spring training? Just like a workout game or something? Yes.

I think it was, I think it was in, I think it was in just practice. Yeah. That sucks. It wasn't even a game, I think. Uh, so for that to happen. to take away the entire 2024 season and put this kind of question mark over Matt McLean. Former first round

pick. The talent is very clearly there. And the Reds are just kind of one of the more interesting teams in baseball right now. They have Terry Francona at the helm. Being in that guy's presence was crazy. That's like baseball legend right there. And the Annal Central's kind of open for the taking. It feels like any of those teams, besides the pirates, could go out there and win it.

And Matt McLean is, I think, the biggest X-factor on his team. I do think he's an all-star. I even go as far to say he's the all-star starter in the National League because of second base is not that stacked. And like if he does what he did in 2023, which is essentially the half season that leads to the All-Star game, then he should be the All-Star starter because the dimensions of his game are all there. He steals bases. He hits for power. He hits for average. He's got a great glove out there. He plays multiple positions. Like what is not to like about Matt McLean going into this year? I think there's an interesting conversation for the best middle infield in baseball.

It's been Matt McLean and the Deleuilu Cruz. I'm very excited to see them work together. I mean, him coming back as a reason the Reds were able to trade Jonathan India. As far as starting in the All-Star game, I don't know. Cattel Marte exists. It's true. But the Reds fans do vote like MFers. Yes, they do.

I really got a lot of votes last year. Yeah, there's something to be said about that. I do believe he is an All-Star. And I think when you have enough people talking about Matt McLean, the way that he gets talked about, I think it becomes truth to it. So I fully expect him to kind of come back into form and a full season, those projections to me are too light. I like it.

Too light. I think he exceeds those expectations by far. I think I've said this before. We put a clip out on it. Terry Francona coming back tells me a lot. I think about the Reds roster and it gives some validity to a lot of us who's. say, man, this is a very talented roster, like, ready to take the next step. And we just haven't seen them, I guess, all healthy kind of at the same time. If that can happen, and Lodolo kind of,

he's a massive X factor. I think that they have a huge potential. Like the NL Central is so wide open right now, man. The Brewers are probably going to win it. But dang, I think the Reds have a shot to be a very good baseball team. So yes, Matt McLean in the All-Star game. No, I don't think he's starting it, though. What was their record against the Brewers? first year. Let's look at this. Oh, go get that up. Go get that. Four and nine against the brewers last year. Beat the Brewers.

Win the Central. Here's your kid. Matt reclaimed wasn't there. Okay. This guy is near and dear to your heart. Kodi Senga. He is coming off a left. Well, first he had a right shoulder strain that kept him out from March until July. Comes back, left calf strain. He came back and pitched in the pull.

playoffs dog people dog that was crazy to see him on the mail because that wasn't like announced was it i mean it was announced pretty shortly after it was kind of like a fan theory for a little bit and then they actually did it it was like what he's starting like okay anyways um we know what this guy can be because we saw him in uh 20 23 uh he started 29 games 166 and a third innings pitch 200 strikeouts uh to a 29 8 he was an all star second and rookie of the year 7 and NL. Sy Young during that season. And then last year

came back for the one start, five and a third inning sped. She did strike out nine dudes. I'm trying to think of a good question specifically for you with Kodi Senga because, you know, this is your guy. Hmm.

Well, I'll say... Kodai Senga. Okay, you go. Hold on. Kodi Senga. Does Kodai Sanga finish? 10th or higher in Syung voting in 2025.

I think no. Pretty high. I think no. I'm going to come out and I'm going to say that. I'm very worried about Kodai's saying. I haven't, you know, it's a tough spot to be in.

I want to believe, you know, he's a big vibes guy in the clubhouse. But there is a reason that he shocked a lot of people in 20203. Like, we know about the ghost fork. We know what he's capable of. He threw 166 innings that year.

Kodaisenko has always had injury concerns. Before MLB time, he had injury concerns in Japan as well. It's a reason why he signed for five years, 75 million, I think, 15 million average annual value, which seems really low for someone as good as him. It's because of injury concerns. He's going to be in his age 32 season. He was up and down last year.

The calf thing is tough because the arm and shoulder has always been the concern for him, and I think that was just kind of a freak injury at the wrong place of the wrong time, which is really unfortunate. He looked great in that outing as well against the briefs. But I'm worried about him, especially because there's less of a safety net. John Mania is going to miss time at the beginning of the year for the Mets. Frankie Montas is going to miss two months.

They have options, but they don't really have proven, esteemed major league options. They've now got, I think, Griffin Canning and Max Kranick at the back end of the rotation, if they still want to do their six-man. I felt a lot better about saying his outlook when the six-man had Mania and Montas and Clay Holmes was that question mark.

The Mets rotation as a whole is just a crazy discussion right now. But what worries me is that the Mets are going to have to lean on him early in the season, which I think was not part of the original plan. So I have Senga getting over that century mark for innings. I think he can do that. I have him making over 20 starts, but I do think, especially with who they have in the front office right now, they're going to try and protect what I think.

They're going to load manage him. They're going to have him miss a start here and there. I don't think he finishes top 10. You're wrong. I do think I think the stuff plays. I really do. Yeah,

goes for, call it what you want, split finger. In 2023, people hit 1-10 against it. It's still a pitch that is just not thrown frequently enough in the major leagues

where guys can see it well. It's just, it's one of those pitches. It's very difficult. Comes out like a fastball, it dives. You don't exactly know

how it's going to be shaped every single time. I think that pitch still plays. His cutter in 2023 was worth more than his split finger. 18 run value for the cutter. So the fact that he's able to throw

like four pitches for strikes, I think is when I talk about upper echelon pitchers and what it does to a hitter, if you have a guy that can throw three pitches for strikes is awesome. Four pitches for strikes is now you're just, as a hitter, you're like, what do I do? What is my game plan against this guy?

So if he makes his starts, if he makes 25 to 30 starts, I think he does end up finishing that high in the cyan voting. There's just not many pitchers around the league that can do what he does. So I'm going, I'm going, yes. I think the Mets gives him a little bit of a boost because they will be relying on him. they are one of the stories of the season we know who votes for these things it's writers so i i just think if he does his job and leads that rotation the way i think he's going to i don't think he's named opening day start up he will be opening day started for the met's um i'm in i'm i'm all in at khoda sang good man we can't we can't like he was hurt last year don't forget about what he did

in twenty twenty three that's the thing man he was he was the ace of it i mean that was supposed to be like khoda sanger was the wild card behind verland or insurers or it's like if you get everything out of them. Great. You got everything out of them and the other two didn't really pan out. Don't forget what he did. I agree. He's going to walk some guys. It's good. Nasty. Like he throws like, what? His four seems 95, 95, 96. You got a cutter at 92. You throw your splitter off of that. Like this guy's nasty, dude. I don't think, I think we haven't seen the best from him. Maybe not. How about that? Same. All right. We got two more here. And these guys are,

different and very interesting. We're going to move on to a reliever in Felix Batista, one of the best relievers in the game, when healthy. He did have Tommy John, August 26 of 2023, missed all of 2024. He's going through a ramp up in spring training, but they say he's expected to be ready to go for opening day. Mike Elias, the GM, his quote is,

Felix was a dominant force. We missed him greatly last season, obviously. We can't wait to have him back at the end of the pen this year. He was an all-star in 2023, the reliever of the year in the AL in 2020. He finished 11th in the Tsayung voting. He accumulated 2.4 B-War in each of his first two seasons. He's the only reliever to do so in both 2022 and how about this? among relievers

198 case 2022 2022-20203 that led all of relief pitchers in major league baseball question for Felix Batista I think I'll go an innings thing here because they're pretty similar

in 2022 65 and two-thirds in 2022 61 in 2022 I do think this bird's bullpen the back of it is going to be very it's key to their success this year. Like if this team can hit and get a lead, like I don't think their starting pitching

is going to be their calling card. So I think the bullpen is going to have to come down and lock in some games. Will we see him reach that 60 inning mark? Right now the 2025 projections have him right at 60, still King everybody. You get a 16.23K per 9 in 2020. is he going to get to the 60 inning mark in 2024 coming off of tj yes and i'm going to hammer that one home

uh i feel really good about the orio's bullpen bouncing back it does begin and end with felix bautista i don't think you're going to see him throwing you know a hundred on average anymore i think we got to you know strip that back just a tad just to keep the guy healthy because he's going to be this is age 30 season um but i mean you're talking about maybe the best arm town of any closer in the game right now. That dude would, I think he only blew three saves in his 2023 season where he was dominant, 1.48 ERA. 110 strikeouts in 61 innings, dude.

It's an interesting case. I think he is going to cross that threshold. I'm worried, I guess I'm not worried, but I'm curious to see what the strikeout numbers are at the end of this year, because I do think they'll be lesser, but I still think Felix Batista can be really effective if he's not, you know, pumping 102 against hitters. It's going to be an interesting season. And like you said before, the Orioles, I think we know they're going to bang the ball around a little bit. They are namesake in 23 when they won all those games and won the AOL East was the bullpen. Like the games ended

in the seventh inning. Like it reminded you of the mid-2010s Royals teams that would just end games after six innings. I think the Orioles are at their best when they have that combination of Canone, Batista at the back end and whatever reliever they want to throw in the seventh inning because they have so many great options. I do think Batista crosses that mark. Hammer the mark. I think they're going to rely on them for sure. His baseball savant page is actually a really fun one.

It's pretty too. It's pretty. Yeah, I'm in on them being a massive part. And Jolly, I don't mean to throw this out there, but teams don't care about relievers, throw. They just say go throw.

They don't. It sucks. I think relievers are very valuable. Most teams are like, how often can you throw for us? he's one of the guys I watch where I see him pitch. I'm like, that looks like it hurts.

Like the way he throws the ball and like whips his elbow. That's a big boy, dude. Oh my God. Hammer the over. Orioles are an interesting team for me this year. I don't think we've done a TPP on them. But I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to place them. Behind the raise.

I have the raise having a chance to win the ALEs. I also have that. That's interesting. I thought it was alone on that. for our last discussion of the day near and dear to my heart our guy christian yellich uh underwent some back surgery microdicectomy i actually saw him not too long ago he showed me a picture of what they took out of his back oh my and it was disgusting and basically i said you were playing that was just floating around your back he said yes he's a man i was trying to

manage it all last year uh and finally got to a point where i just couldn't he goes i'll be laying down in the training room flat of my back on the ground and just trying to like get myself to be able to get up. So that's what he was going through. He feels great now. I think I don't know if he's been ready for opening day. The way he taught to me he was like, yeah, I'm going to be be ready. I saw him take swings. He looked good. He's also dealt with some dang injuries, man, over his time there. But we know the type of player he can be 2018 NL MVP, 2019 NLNNVP runner up. Three time All-Star. He's one. won the batting title twice.

He's won a gold glove. Like, I think people, he's taken a little bit of a hit in people's minds because of some of the injuries. Then he's had a couple of years that were down offensively. But this guy is one of the, one of the, when he's right,

one of the best players in all of baseball. I think he deserves that. And from all accounts, he's healthy now. I'm expecting big things for him. I mean, when he played last year, he was going until he couldn't physically do it.

more. So I'm going to throw this out for my guy, Christian Yellich. I think he's going to be in there. I think they're going to be smart. I think he's going to DH a lot. I think he's going to, you know, find his, I think he's going to play quite a bit. I got one. Do you want me to give you one? Yeah, what do you got? Is Christian Yelich going to give me a 25 homer season? Because it's been

a little bit, but he was like, well on his way. That's a good one. I was thinking of where to go. If I was going to say, is he going to be an all star this year? I don't think he cares about that at all. So I think he might let's like say, no, I don't want to be an all star. 25 homers me. I'll say yes.

I think he's going to get a full year. I think he's feeling finally healthy. And when you, when you feel like yourself again, I mean, things just change mentally for you. So I'm going to, I'm going to say yes to that. Here's my thing. Like, Dalton did a great job with this outline at the bottom. of every section is the injury history for every player. I see the phrase lower back strain five times on Yelich's.

It's something he's been dealing with for like a decade. So my line of thinking is like, well, he finally got the surgery after trying to manage it forever. We might be about to see the healthiest version of Yelich we've seen since he won MVP. And like we even saw it. I mean, last year he had a 151 OPS plus 909 OPS was certainly on pace for a 30 homer season, was kind of like up there in NL MVP conversations. It was like him, Otani, Betts, he got hurt. And then he went down.

He also stole 21 bases in 73 games. Like this is still an elite marquee talent that we might see the best season of him in five years because he's finally healthy. So I'm hammering that mark for sure. I wanted to see where you were at because I know, you know, back and power, they kind of go hand in hand there.

But I'm really excited to see what Christian Yelch can do to try and carry the Brewers' offense this year. Thomas they're going to need them they're going to need them but they just they're like cut off a tentacle they grow a new one like they'll figure it out uh shout out yellie because i did i took a guy who played he's playing for my high score now his name is Diego velasquez he's a stud um probably going to get drafted in the first round if not he's got a full ride to USC he's a lefty hitter and i said can i said yeah like can i bring this guy in to hit with you you know like that how how cool is that to be able to do that and he said yeah he brought him in

and he was just so nice but during that session i was we're at the east and hit lab and so they have all the track man and everything set up and yelly was smack in the ball it looked good i know it's the cage i get it i get it i get it um that's it for the comeback player there you know last thing i want to end on that jolly is does one of these guys win come out play there which is probably yes and who oh who is going to let's go let's just go um how many guys is there I think I have 10 here. 10 here and most of them are in the National League. Yeah.

Most of the National League. Who wants to come by player of the year in the National League? It might not be the answer you're thinking of. I'm going Matt McLean. I think that Matt McLean is going to get the full season. People are going to see what he's actually made of over a full season. The Reds make the playoffs and I think he's the face of it. I give me Matt McLean.

I'm going to go Spencer Shreder. He's missing a month. I don't know. I know. I know. But there's just, he just has the charisma. I think he just, I don't know, man. I think he can come back and be like the most dominant pitcher in baseball.

And because of that, I think he ends up winning. I don't know. McLean's a great answer too. Sandy's like, I'll throw 230 in your face. Yeah, I'll show you about Sandy. Well, he might get traded to an American League team. That's, that is one thing. 100%.

And that's going to do it for us, man. 10 comeback player of the year candidates. We went over all when we know ball You know ball if you listen to this show And Jake sucks Subscribe guys Charlie thanks for coming on my man That's for having me man

I want to see Jacob de Grom throw 150 innings I want nine out save ALDS game five Rangers Yankees Can't believe you don't believe in Kodi Senga I just want him to be healthy Sandy to the Twins