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Our 2025 Phillies Season Preview! (PST Episode 609) · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up everybody. Hope you're doing well. I wanted to
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: let you know. We recorded this podcast episode on two
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: separate days this week. Our interview this week was recorded
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: on Tuesday, March twenty fifth, twenty twenty five. The first
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: part of our show, where Eric and I get into
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: our Philly season preview, that was recorded on Wednesday, March
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: twenty sixth, twenty twenty five. So by the time you
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: hear this, some things may have changed here or there,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: but we hope you enjoy the show. Welcome to the
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, the longest running weekly Philly
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: sports podcast show in the world, just about twelve years.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: We'll be celebrating our twelve year anniversary in April. Subscribe
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: on whatever our podcast platform you're listening to us on.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: If you are now to listening to the show, I
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: hope you enjoy the content. I'm Jeff Warren. Here are
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: my buddy Eric Leonard.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: How you doing man, I'm good man. We are deep
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: into I always tell the coaching stories. We're deep into
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: our AU basketball season coaching for the third time, and
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: it's screwed up.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Jeff, Well, what's screwed up? Now? No, they're all normal Oh,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: they're all normal kids, and they all listen.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: They all work really hard. They know, they understand the
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: offense right away, the defenses when I tell them to
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: run three suicides and they just go do it.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: There you go. Nobody has food in their pockets at all.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: No, no French fries in the pockets during practice, like
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: all the fun stuff. And it was like a couple
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: of times they got in the car and I'm like,
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: I wish one of these kids was a screw up.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: It's just weird sometimes. Yeah, like wow, I'm just a coach. Now.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: The kids are getting older, kids are getting older, Vinnie's
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: getting older, your son, And you know, as kids get
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: old with sports, it becomes more serious. And when it
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: becomes more serious, they're putting more effort into it. When
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: they're putting more effort into it, like there's some meaning
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: behind it, you know. I see that with my daughter
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: in gymnastics now at this point she's at she is
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: the highest level at the gym right now, and we
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: were talking about how we're gonna have to have some
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: conversations after the season about what we're gonna do with
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: the next level and where she wants to go with
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: their gymnastics career. So and I love the competitions this year,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: even though it stinks that they're always on a Saturday
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: morning at like eight o'clock. But there aren't as many
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: just because there aren't as many at that high of
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: level that she is. And it's fantastic. It's great. I
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: love it. We're in and out in about two and
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: a half three hours. It's great.
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I wish a you tournaments are first games at
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: nine and then your next one's gonna be at three,
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: oh god, and then you either go home or go
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: in to a hotel, and then you have to wait
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: to get bracketed.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: I mean it's fun, but dude, it's a lot of waiting.
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: It's a lot of like, you know, especially if you
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: have emotional kids, maybe had a bad first game. Yeah,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: then you play psychiatrist for six hours like trying to
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: keep them. Oh god. Yeah.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: No, I don't know, maybe not so much this year
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: because I'm a disaster myself emotionally, so it's hard. I agree.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I agree with.
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: You, Yes, exactly. We're all disasters we're talking about here. Well, folks,
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: we are going to be getting into our Philly season
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: preview here in just a bit. But I've been teasing
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: here and there on some of the other podcast table
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: talk shows and also the Opposition Territory shows about the
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: fact that we are going to be embarking on video
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: here at the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show come our
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: twelve year anniversary. You're not only going to be able
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: to hear us in terms of our audio podcast, but
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: we are also going to be up on YouTube. Yes,
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: you're actually going to get to see our faces if
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: you want for some reason every now and again. I mean,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Eric's face is fine, Mine is horrible. Lens is absolutely horrendous,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: and we're diving into the video aspect of this. So
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: that being said, head on over to YouTube and subscribe
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: to the Philadelphia Sports Table. Have not put up any
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: content there in years and years. In fact, I took
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: down some videos Eric that I initially put up horrendous, horrendous,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: like I'm talking from like eight years ago, just absolutely
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: terrible of me looking into the camera and just talking
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: about nonsense. They're terrible.
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: Technologies come a long way just in eight years. Man.
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah sure they look like shit.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: Yes they absolutely do. Yeah, yeah, all right, man, Well
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: let's get into this Phillies season preview. Yes, as you
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: are listening to this, the Phillies are either gonna be
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: playing their first opening game of the season. Opening Day
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: is actually gonna be tomorrow. Eric and I recording this
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Wednesday night. We'd be playing the Washington Nationals in the
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: first series. But we're gonna get into a bunch of
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: different storylines and a bunch of different players on our
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: season preview. Here no other Philly sports talk this week,
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: but our Phillies in preview. The first topic Eric wanted
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: to dive into was why there just doesn't seem to
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: be more excitement surrounding this Phillies team as they're heading
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: into the season. It is a damn good roster. There
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: are a lot of good players on this team. They
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: have some of the best pitching in Major League Baseball,
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: they have a very solid bullpen, and I just feel
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: like there's negativity consistently, whether it's of course, I mean,
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: if you're listening to sports talk radio, there's always negativity.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. The Eagles won the championship and there
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: was negativity with the Eagles afterward, But even in certain
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: podcast spheres and certain blogs, fears there's a negativity about
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: this Phillies team coming into this season. Some of the
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: fan base, not everybody, but some of this fan base
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: is not really excited about this year and what we
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: may see from this team. And I just I'm very
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: perplexed by it. I really am. Like I said, it
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: is a damn good roster and they have some really
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: good bats, They've got some fantastic pitching. I just don't
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: get it. Have you been thinking about this at all?
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's noticeable. I just think, you know, there's a
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: couple of factors here. One I'll get into in our
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: next our next segment. But I just think there's a
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: general malaise with baseball in general, or general malays in general.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: But and I think it just permeates throughout baseball. And
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: I think I'll just say it like the pattern that
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: the team is following, you know, if you just go logically, Yeah,
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty two World Series, twenty three NLCS last year,
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: you know, out in the first round, first round or
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: second round, first round, first round, right, doesn't take a
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: rocket scientist to you know, see the course correct, you know.
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: And Phillies fans are pretty smart. We'll give them that.
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: They understand baseball. They love their team teams another year older.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: I think with a combination of like the Eagles winning
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: the Super Bowl, I think everyone kind of has their
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: their they're satisfaction there right like they So I think
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: that does bleed into next seasons sometimes. You know, it
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: took a lot of pressure off the Sixers. Let's face it,
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: absolutely no one gives a shit about them. Yeah, now
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: they're finally tanking, and I know we're not doing six
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: Ers talk. With the loss to the Wizards night, what
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: a great loss. It's a fantastic loss.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Yes we should have a whole segment on it, but
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: what a loss.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: Guys. Keep it up, boys. Anyway, they have the nine left,
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: lose them all. But yeah, I do think it's like
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: a hangover from the Eagles malays with baseball and just
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: I think teams or fans are being like, this is
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: going in the wrong direction. I'm a little scared.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: I think it's interesting that it's it's the wrong direction,
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: uh type of mentality to be honest, because like I
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: am getting said, and look, we're going to talk to
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: John Stalness from the Good Fight dot Com and Hitting
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Season podcast a little bit later, and I wanted to
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: this subject matter up with him as well. But again,
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: this is a team where we're gonna get into some
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: lists here in a bit. But there are perennial cy
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: young players and pitchers on this team. There could be
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: an actual MVP in Major League Baseball on this baseball team.
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: It is a Yes, it's absolutely valid and fair that
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: everybody is a year older. Everybody is looking at last
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: year with disappointment, but that doesn't mean it's gonna replicate
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: the same year. And I look at the fact that
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: it's all about the postseason with this team. It's all
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: about the postseason, and I think maybe folks are like,
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: we know they're gonna get to the postseason. We just
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: got to get through the regular season. We just got
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: to get through it. Like I feel like people are saying,
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: we just got to get through the regular season to
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: see what this team is gonna do in the postseason.
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: But I want to have fun watching the regular season.
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: That's what I want, I know.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: But fundamentally, baseball Bao season is so freaking long. It
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: is so it's hard to I just want to get
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: the postseason. When is it six months from now? Yeah,
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: oh my god, one hundred and sixty two games. I'm
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: another half. I'm another half of a year older. That's
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: you know what I mean, I'm going to be forty
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: nine when the Phillies are in the postseason hopefully like that.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: It's hard to sell that to fans sometimes, especially when
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: if they're younger, and that's what we can get into later.
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: But like, you really want them to reverse course from
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: what they did last year, where they were hot in
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: the beginning, they were the talk of the All Star
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: Game because at one point, I think the whole infield
• 9:35
  Speaker 2: was like, Phillies are almost all Phillies and then the
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: second half they went like what thirty five and thirty
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: five or something like that, and to the Mets. The Mets,
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: on the other hand, shit the bed. The first half
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: got hot and made the run. So you really hope
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: that's when you do that. Like the fans haven't had
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: a good feeling about the Phillies since like July of
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: last year, right you think about it, right, right, right,
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: You didn't make a huge splash, they didn't make a
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: ton of splashy moves and come back with the same team,
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: and you haven't had a good moment until since like
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: last July, you know, So it's almost a year now
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: where people have been like it lose right, right right,
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: because when the Mets, you lose the Mets, that is
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: an extra stamp of fuck you, Like it's just oh god,
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: that team beat us. Yeah it sucks.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: It's fair, It's absolutely fair. So all right, we're gonna
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: move along with our Philly season preview. Here, we're gonna
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: give our top three predictions for this year's Phillies team,
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: and folks, they can be positive or negative themes that
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: we're gonna be getting into and diving into here. So Eric, buddy,
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: I'll let you go first. I mean, it doesn't have
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: to be in any particular order. This isn't necessarily like, Okay,
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: this is the top thing I think is gonna happen.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: If you want to do that, we can, certainly. But
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: I just have three things, three predictions for myself that
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: I'm gonna be thinking that I think is actually gonna
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: happen this year. So why don't you start us off, buddy.
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: It's a weird prediction. I'm going to try to explain
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: it the best I can. I think they're going to
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: go the way of the Sixers this year. And what
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: I mean by that is there's not gonna be a
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: middle ground this team. I think they're either going to
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: I think they have like one year left maybe two.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: With the age of the players on this team, I
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: think this is the year. This is pretty much it.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: I don't either they got a year older. Either the
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: injuries are going to be debilitating to the point where
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: this team is nowhere by September and there's just no
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: postseason hope, or this is going to be like their
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: flagship to the Moon season where everything finally comes together.
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: I do not predict, Like like with the Sixers, early on,
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: it was like this team might make it to the
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: middle of what's going on? Yeah, but then after with
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: the embied stuff, Maxi went down, Paul George was a
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: no show, was like, oh, this is not middle this
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: is like a disaster. They're not gonna win game in
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: the middle. Like it it's like we're we're we're like
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: I said, we beat we lost to the Wizard tonight,
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: which is horrendous. It's barely an NBA team. I think
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: with the Phillies it's either it's a cliche of boom
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: or bust. I do I don't think there's any middle
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: ground where like how many years in a row. Do
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: we predict this Phillies team to win like eighty four games,
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: eighty five games, like, I think it's gonna be like
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: ninety eight games, or it's gonna be down the toilet
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: because of the injuries.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: No gray, no gray at all for you. Yeah, I
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: think that's fair too, I really do. I think that's
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: a great prediction for this season, given again, how old
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: these guys are they This team is set up for success, folks.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: And let's keep in mind, yes, the Dodgers are dominant,
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: and we think and know that the Braves are also
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: gonna be good this year as well, and after that,
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: like you got the Diamondbacks. But I'm honestly, I'm not
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: too too concerned about the Mets necessarily, but on any
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: given series, any given series, sometimes you just don't know
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: what's gonna happen. I'm not one hundred percent sure the
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: Dodgers are gonna win the World Series this year. I'll
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: say that. So number three for me, or just again,
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: in no particular order, the fifth spot in the rotation, Eric,
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: I don't think it's gonna be as bad as everyone
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: is predicting. I've really gotten tired of the whole Taiwan
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: Walker storyline, how he's gonna be the fifth starter for
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: at least two or three games, and I just don't
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: think the fifth spot is gonna be that terrible. The
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: guy is depth. Is he the next Christopher Sanchez? No?
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: Is he Zach Wheeler? No, this is Major League Baseball.
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: Teams have contingencies for these things that happen when Ranger
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: Suarez goes out, and yes, there is concern for him
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: and his back and what that means for his future.
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: But when you have Taiwan Walker coming in, I don't
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: think the fifth spot in the rotation is gonna be
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: that horrible. And then we also have to remember Andrew
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: Paynter is likely gonna be coming up around June or
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: in that June time frame, and that's going to be
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: an exciting aspect of this season as he is likely
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: going to be the fifth spot in the rotation. So again,
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: I don't think the fifth spot in the rotation is
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: going to be as bad and disastrous as so many
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: people in the world of Phillies Sports here thinks it's.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: Going to be. I mean that goes to one of
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: the topics later, like the pitching rotation has the possibility
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: of being the best in baseball. Yes, I think the
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: Hazels Lizardo signing was just genius because it's such a
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: by lo. The guy had a he had an offseason
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: on a bad team. That's a that's a perfect recipe
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: for a good team to go pluck.
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: Let's get him out of that system, get him healthy,
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: put him in the right spot four or five where
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: he should be, set him up for success. I think
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: that's the perfect place for him. I think he's going
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: to really step up. Christopher Sanchez. People all over all
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: over Twitter, Olliver, Google are saying like he might be
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: like the number two when it's all said and done
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: this year.
• 14:58
  Speaker 1: We're going to be talking about him. We're going to
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: be talking about.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: I'm just saying there's a lot of there's a lot
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: of like to the sky talk about the Phillies rotation.
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: I think the one piece I am not worried about,
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: thank god, because for how many years that was the
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: biggest concern, you know, like obviously.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, all right, Well, what's your number two here
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: in terms of predictions for this season?
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: Well, my earlier scenario, I said, boom er Bus, right,
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: there's no gray area, right, I'm actually leaning towards the boom,
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: and I think if that does happen, if that, if
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: this team finally puts it all together in jails and
• 15:32
  Speaker 2: the pieces that are kind of on the peripheral of
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: being like really good, like marsh right, like Max Kepler
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: will talk about him, then if they really step up
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: and kind of just increase their game a little bit
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: ten to fifteen percent and this team goes on to
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: win like the upper nineties, I think you're going to
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: have an MVP and saw young winner on this team.
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: I think this is one of Harper's like last go
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: arounds to be at that elite level, to be like
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: a goal glove first basement, because he's going to get older,
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: because I'll get to my next one later. Next Max prediction,
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: which affects that ANNYK. Wheelers, do you know he's I
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: think he plays second the last two seasons. He's right
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: on the cusp of winning one. He deserves one. And
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: if this team does go like win ninety eight games
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: and the team is just red hot and he's the
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: starter at the Ulstar game, It's set up perfectly for
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: Harper's last run as an MVP, and then Wheeler finally
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: gets a cy Young. I would love to see it.
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: It would be so cool, And because has it ever
• 16:34
  Speaker 2: happened in Phillies history where we both won both?
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: No, I don't think so. Probably not so yeah, not
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: that I can remember at all. I love the prediction
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: because I do think, I really do think this is
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: going to be a successful Philly season in a lot
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: of different ways, with a lot of different players. Where
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: they're going to go in the postseason, I do it
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: goes back to what we were initially talking about, the
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: negativity surrounding this team that I really don't understand. I
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: love your prediction here and think that that is likely
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: the way this Sea is going to go. However, the
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: number two prediction for me, I see, I have this
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: feeling that it's gonna be so difficult for Zach Wheeler
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: to replicate what he did last year. I think his
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: ZRA was something like two point sixty seven. I believe,
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: I mean, a monumental season for him. I do think
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: that he could potentially drop off a bit, not not
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: terribly by any stretch, but drop off a bit. But
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Chris Sanchez is going to be the guy. Chris Sanchez
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: will be in the running for the Cy Young That's
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: what I could see happening, because I mean, look at
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: the end of the day, Wheeler and Sanchez, they're gonna
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: be one of the best one to two punches in
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: baseball again leading that rotation that includes Aaron Nola, Jesus
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: Lozardo who you mentioned, and whence Ranger Suarez is able
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: to get back onto the mound. Oh oh, by the way,
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: along with the top prospect in Andrew Painter as well.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: Like the pitching is gonna be ridiculous, But I think
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: I think Chris Sanchez is going to take that next step.
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: It seems to be a logical next step based on
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: what we've seen from him so far on the mound,
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: and I think that he is going to be in
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: the running for a Cy Young.
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: Well, I mean he was in tenth place last year. Yeah,
• 18:17
  Speaker 2: for Cy Young, made his first All Star Game. Still
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: really young. I think he's twenty seven, gonna be twenty
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: this year. But what a what a great story kind
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: of came out of nowhere. Yeah, he was pretty good
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty three. Just one of those like keep
• 18:33
  Speaker 2: at it, keep at it kind of stories that like
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: really chimes big in a city like Philadelphia. That kind
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: of goes into my third prediction.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, which one? What's that?
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: I have two? Once kind of negative one is tied
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: into I'll go negative because I want to talk about
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: the other player later Topica, not super negaod. But I
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: think this is jt Roumo too, his last year as
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: our catcher. Oh okay, I just think the he's thirty four,
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: I think thirty five this year, long time in the league,
• 19:06
  Speaker 2: still like a still a really excellent hitter. I just
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: think he's ready for the d H slash first base situation.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: Like I don't know how much longer he can actually
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: be behind the plate. STI calls an amazing game, throws
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: guys out. I just know physically like another full say
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: they make it okay. So for real mood to, that's
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: three straight postseasons on top of one hundreds to do
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: games all three years. Start adding that up. If he
• 19:33
  Speaker 2: does it the same thing this year into the deep
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: end the postseason, then used to like start adding up
• 19:39
  Speaker 2: like Lebron minutes, you know what I mean. Like Lebron's
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: always in the playoffs. It's not like you almost have
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: like six extra seasons on Lebron's legs. He's a bad
• 19:47
  Speaker 2: example because he's like a superhuman but like real Muto
• 19:50
  Speaker 2: is going to start to enter that, like my knees
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: are hurting, I can't play catcher anymore. Yeah, And it's
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: it's gonna be sad because I don't feel like that
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: anybody at all to behind the plate playing catcher, Like
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: I think you're actually gonna to d h for the catcher,
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: which how often does that happen?
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: Well? How yeah, how often do you see that? Oh gosh, geez.
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I just feel like I know that he's
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: had some pesky injuries the past few years. I just
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: feel like this might be his last go around at
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: that position.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: It's not a bad prediction at all, because you know,
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: on our table talk interview shows over the course of
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: the past couple months, whenever we got into some Phillies talk,
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: you know, we're talking about JT. Real Muto and the
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: fact that he has been on the downslide the past
• 20:31
  Speaker 1: couple of seasons. Like you were saying, Eric, not not
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: not a terrible catcher at all, He's not bad at all,
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: just just we're starting to see that downslide. Can Rafael
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: Marshawn be that next catcher? I mean, who the heck knows.
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: Probably not, he's no JT. Real Muto. It's certainly at
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: this point in his career. But I think that's a
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: I think I not that I necessarily like it, like it,
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: but I understand what you're saying, and I think that
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: I think there's a reality to that.
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: So what I think it's part of the reality of like,
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: part of the reason people may not be like super
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: geeked up for this team.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: Because certain aspects of the team are getting old.
• 21:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we know these guys, this is the same thing.
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: And sometimes you know, even younger like younger fans especially
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: get bored with that crab, which is absurd, right, Yeah,
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: this team has a problem with not bringing up younger
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: guys to get excited about.
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: Andrew Painter is the only name. Give me another name,
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: Justin Crawford. Maybe, I don't know, you got.
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: To be a John Stalin has to be like, well,
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: I gotta do. I love John John that's he knows
• 21:36
  Speaker 2: this stuff. But it's like, you're not getting me excited.
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: I mean, you'll get me excited, but like not a
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: tip and every like not an everyday fans. Oh, Joe
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: Johnson cool, clear water, great, like you know what I mean, Like.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: All right, do you want to get into the other
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: one you had or you want to wait on that
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: one a little bit. I'll do it now because actually
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: has nothing to do with one of the players I
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: want to talk about. It does involved Andrew Painter, And
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: like in my same scenario when things go boom, they
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: made like almost no moves at the trade deadline last year.
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: They haven't made a ton of moves period at the
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: trade deadline. This is like Don Browski's this is the team.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: We're paying him a fortune. We don't have a lot
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: of space to bring players in, don't have a lot
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: of young players to trade out, right.
• 22:24
  Speaker 2: I think Andrew Painter gets called up in like June,
• 22:27
  Speaker 2: like you said, and he's just lights out. He lights
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: the city on fire. And the pressure on Don Browsei
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: like they're in first place a like eight like six
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: games up in the East and they're the second best
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: team in the NL. It's like all of a sudden, like,
• 22:42
  Speaker 2: uh oh, I'm gonna have to do something. Whatever prospects
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: we have, let's go out and get a blank Okay,
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: but not like a minor move, like a big move, right,
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: like something big like this is he gets that pressure
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: on him, like this is one final run. I have
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: to do something right.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: I think there's a definitely some some steam there. There
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: definitely is you got, there's definitely legs to that, because
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: you know, we all keep talking about Andrew Painter coming up. Oh,
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: can't wait to see him, can't wait to see what
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: he's gonna do. I think the kid is gonna be great.
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: I really do, like you, I think he is going
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: to be fantastic. It's not too often that guys come
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: coming back to the game after Tommy john It's not
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: too often that you see them falter like and completely
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: fall off. In fact, a lot of guys have a
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: lot of success after coming back from Tommy Johns.
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: It's almost like graduating in high school. It is, yes,
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: from major League Baseball pitchers at this point, Tommy John tunny,
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: you know who get it done now, like getting your
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: wisdom teeth out.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: It's like this, yeah, exactly, exactly, all right, nice. I
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: like that prediction a lot. Uh my last one here,
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: And you know it goes to a theme that's been
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: talked about a lot within the Phillies Twitter verse and
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: various social media platforms and podcasts. It's a guy at
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: Max Kepler. Not too many folks are really excited about him,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: But I think he is going to have a quote
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: bounce back season. I believe Max Kepler is not going
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: to have the two fifty three batting average that he
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: had last year during the twenty twenty four regular season. Yes,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: this year in spring training he's batting three seventy five.
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Do I think that's going to be the case throughout
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: this season? No, not even not in the least. But
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: I think Max Kepler is going to bat at least
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: two sixty five and be a key part of this offense.
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: I do. I think he's gonna have a bounce back season.
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: He went through some injuries last year. Get you know
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: this this this medical staff appears to be extremely good
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: and professional with this Phillies team and organization. I think
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: that two point fifty three batting average that he had
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: last year that gets up to two sixty five this
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: year and is ops last year with six point eighty two.
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: You know we bring that up as well. He's gonna
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: be a key piece to this offense. I think a
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: lot of people are crapping on Max Kepler, and I'm
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: not one of them.
• 25:06
  Speaker 2: I'm not either, and I will expound on him later.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, sounds good. Sounds good. Well, we'd love
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: to know some of your predictions for this upcoming Phillies season.
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: Reach out to his Philadelphia Sports Table dot com or
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Philadelphia Sports Table at gmail dot com, and
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: we'd love to read your email here on the show.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: Philadelphia Sports Table dot com is our website where you
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: can find all of our shows over there, search us
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: out on social media sites, and again, head on over
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: to YouTube subscribe so that you'll be able to see
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: us when we start uploading our videos in mid April.
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: We're gonna take a quick break here and we will
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: be back in just a bit. All right, we are
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: back with our Phillies season preview. And what did it
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: get to? A storyline that's been talked about here and there,
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: but we're gonna hear finally a new voice, a new
• 25:58
  Speaker 1: voice coming from the broadcast booth this season. This gentleman.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: He's gonna be doing one home game per month in
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: the booth. God, I hope he is good, because I'm
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: honestly looking forward to this. That's Cole Hammils. Cole Hammils
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: is gonna be doing that one game per month in
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: the booth. I am so tired of Mike Schmidt, Eric
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: that the prospects of having somebody younger and god hopefully
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: a little more dynamic. Hopefully Cole Hamils is that type
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: of guy. I met him one time down on the
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: field actually, when he was with the Cubs came to
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: Citizens Bank Park. I met him on the field, got
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: my picture with him, and he was such a nice guy.
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: I hope that translates to some good stuff in the
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: broadcast booth, because again, Mike Schmidt is such a bore fest.
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: And I you know, we all love Mike Schmidt growing
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: up as kids. But man, I Cole Hamil's I am
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: looking forward to him in the broadcast booth. What are
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: you thinking, Well.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: Man, they're not giving a much run, that's for sure.
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: That's true.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: As a basketball coach, if I was like, don't worry,
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: you're gonna go in there one quarter out of the month. Yeah,
• 27:08
  Speaker 2: you'll be ready for the playoffs pretty sure, I don't
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: think so. Coach some practice, I was gonna.
• 27:17
  Speaker 1: Say really quick before he saw The one thing that
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: I really don't mind about this is how when players
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: are retired. You know, they just try to force players,
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: retired players on us, whether they're you know, whether it's football,
• 27:30
  Speaker 1: whether it's basketball. They put them on the pregame shows,
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: the postgame shows. They force these guys down our throats constantly.
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: One home game per month. I think that's actually fantastic.
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: It's not like, what if he stinks and we got
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: to hear him and Schmidt it would be terrible. So
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: I'm really digging the one home game per month in
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: the booth gig that he has.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I like it too. It'll be really interesting to
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: hear his take on like the actual pitch is thrown,
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: because it's usually batters, you know, I I know I
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: always call like caught shift from people saying like I
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: like Jamie Moyer in the booth I did when he
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: was on there. I told him to his face and
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: I told him, I'm not I'm not kissing your ass.
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: I actually did because I liked how we always get
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: like we always get hitters giving their takes on on
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: pitches and like, I'd rather hear a picture talk about pitching. Yeah,
• 28:25
  Speaker 2: but I'll say this, I'm I'm happy we're going back
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: to the days of the good looking guy in the
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: in the booth doing the color now analysts or analyzation
• 28:36
  Speaker 2: like Jim Palmer back in the day. You know, he
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: was like an underwear model after he's stopp playing with
• 28:42
  Speaker 2: big Oriels and then went up in the booth and
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: Cole's a good look at dude, and uh it's he
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: speaks really well. And I think that's the direction we
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: should go with a sport like let's let's let's try
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: and bring the ladies back.
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: To the game. Maybe t Mat can say, hey, Cole,
• 28:56
  Speaker 1: let's show us your underpants.
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: Because there's not all the lookers in the booth. Back
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: is not a looker like Cruok.
• 29:05
  Speaker 1: You know you just got a new co Yeah, I
• 29:09
  Speaker 1: mean there's they all use charisma, but that you know,
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: they don't lose sexuality exactly. Show us your underpants, Cole.
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: All right, Well, as we're moving along here and before
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: we get to our interview this week with John Staaling,
• 29:24
  Speaker 1: this is from the Hitting Season podcast and the Good
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: Fight dot Com. We are gonna get We're gonna get
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: in some player categories here. Who's gonna be the breakout
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: guy this season, the comeback kid, the best bullpen piece,
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: the MVP of this team, And the one thing I
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: forgot to put on here, Eric was the actual regular
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: season prediction of how many games they are going to win.
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: So let's let's do that. If we got to put
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: that on the agenda, I was a tired boy before.
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: So let's start out with the breakout guy this year
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: for the Philadelphia Phillies. Who's that for you, buddy.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: H you talked about him earlier. I think it's Max Kepler,
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: all right, another really nice signing, one year, ten million dollars,
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: I believe, yep, super by, low, high ceiling kind of
• 30:10
  Speaker 2: kind of signing. Not like Hazeus Flzzard we talked about earlier.
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: I'm looking at his stats right now. He's only thirty
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: one years old. Twenty twenty three, had a really damn
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: good year. I think he batted he had looking right now,
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: twenty four home runs he batted to sixty eight sixteen
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: oh ps. Not bad. Does you feel like he's just
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: in the left field, like he doesn't have to be
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: the star if he's your six hole hitter. Yeah, and
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: he gives you those numbers. Yeah, this team that, like
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: I said earlier, that takes his team up a couple
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: of steps, Like I hate to say baseball is not
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: a team sport. It just isn't. It's not like basketball,
• 30:48
  Speaker 2: it's not like soccer. But each position like affects the
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: other person in the batting lineup right, And if he
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: doesn't have to bat fourth or fifth, perfect for him.
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: If he's six or seven where he belongs, and he
• 31:03
  Speaker 2: can give you the stats from two years ago before
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: his injury, like his last year was just crap for him,
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: like some really nagging, shitty injuries. Seems to be healthy.
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: You're paying them peanuts basically for a left field in
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: a major league baseball If he can give you what
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: he gave you, what he gave Minnesota twenty twenty three,
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: that is an absolute bargain and allows you to make
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: a move at the trade down, like I talked earlier,
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: to get another piece in house that can maybe steal
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: some bases or a bullpen arm, and you you're solidified
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: at a big position. Paying him ten million dollars, I
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: think he's poised to make that. He's poised to hopefully
• 31:40
  Speaker 2: be that guy in that in that spot and left field,
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: where we've kind of had some like some turn right,
• 31:46
  Speaker 2: we've had some real you know, our fields always been
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: kind of except for Costianos, which is still in the team.
• 31:51
  Speaker 1: I know it's incredible, it's a GREDI.
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: Bless him, right, but somehow that the left field just
• 31:56
  Speaker 2: keeps having turnover turnover, and I like that he's there.
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: I think he's a solid, solid arm, solid bat. I
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: think he's going to be the comeback kid just because
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: of the injuries last year.
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: I love the pick D. We are high on Max Kepler,
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: We really are, he said, just a little bit, but
• 32:11
  Speaker 1: just a little bit.
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: You know, we have a lot of Max Kepler's sock
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: in the show. I don't like it that we both
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: like this. It's not a good thing. But we'll see
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: how how works.
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: I think in June or July we need to do
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: a revisit of this show, okay, and see where we
• 32:26
  Speaker 1: are at. We've done it in the past before.
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: August.
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe August. Yeah, guy, sounds good. Look I love it.
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: I am. I am with you. I think Max Kepler
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: is going to have a really good year and he's gonna,
• 32:38
  Speaker 1: like I said earlier, think he is going to help
• 32:42
  Speaker 1: get this team and this offense to that next level,
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: even if it's just a little bit. And this guy
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: that I'm going to be naming as the comeback I'm sorry,
• 32:52
  Speaker 1: the breakout guy. The breakout guy this year is actually,
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: I believe, going to be Brandon Marsh because more is
• 32:59
  Speaker 1: going to be asked of him. And just as of
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: a few days ago in spring training he was hitting
• 33:05
  Speaker 1: two ninety. He went nine for thirty one in recent
• 33:10
  Speaker 1: stats that I was looking at, but with regard to
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: lefties and spring training, he was three of seven. That's
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: four to twenty nine batting average. Of course, he's not
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: going to do that through the regular season, but the
• 33:21
  Speaker 1: fact of the matter is he has said I see
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: the offseason work paying off a little bit as as
• 33:26
  Speaker 1: it pertains to hitting against lefties, and we know that
• 33:29
  Speaker 1: that has been in his kryptonite. I think that is
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: going to reverse for him, or at least start to reverse,
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: and again that little bit of offense him going up
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: against lefties, not having to do the platoon. I mean,
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: so long to that platoon. Thank god, I'm tired of
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: it after so many years. I think Brandon Marsh is
• 33:48
  Speaker 1: going to end up being, and I think we're going
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: to be talking about him at the end of the
• 33:52
  Speaker 1: regular season the breakout guy on this team because he's
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: finally going to start hitting against lefties and being productive with.
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: It, and I hope. So we talked about on the
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: show like two or three weeks ago, you know, Coach
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: was talking about him like this is my guy, and
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: we I think we kind of went back and forth
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: with debated like is Thompson just saying like is he
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: just saying it because he's trying to like deflect his
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: play in the field. Yeah, or he just want doesn't
• 34:17
  Speaker 2: want to deal with the platoon situation. He's poised. He's
• 34:21
  Speaker 2: twenty eight, I think twenty twenty nine years old. He's
• 34:23
  Speaker 2: he's in line for the like the next big payday.
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: This is one of those this is probably his shit
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: or get off the pot kind of seasons, because you're
• 34:30
  Speaker 2: trying to buy guys that are a lot older, they
• 34:31
  Speaker 2: already paid, like you're probably the next one up. You
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: better freaking perform. If he doesn't like this is like
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: he has to be the breakout guy to make the
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: next stage of his career. So hopefully he understands the
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: pressure and steps up to the plate like that cliche Jeff.
• 34:47
  Speaker 1: Oh yeah, look at that. I'm trying to make base.
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: I'm trying to be baseball cliches. So we do football
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: a the time. It's so much fun. Look, and if
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: he doesn't do it, it's going to be on a
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: future podcast. If he does it, does be the breakout
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: guy this year for me. So all right, let's move
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: on to the comeback kid this year? Who do you
• 35:07
  Speaker 1: have as the comeback kid? I have a feeling we
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: may have the same guy here, but who do you have?
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: I had Brandon Stott because Bryson Stott so, oh my gosh,
• 35:18
  Speaker 2: I'm sorry, sorry, we were just talking about Brandon Marsh.
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: I was, yeah, sorry, I was looking at Brandon Marsh's
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: stats and he said, right, yeah, Bryson Stott didn't quite
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: have the season we all expect it last year.
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: He's mine too, by the way, that's okay, yeah, and.
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: I have it right here. Six six oh my gosh,
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: six seventy one ops yep, two forty five average the
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: year before. We really I think we really thought, like,
• 35:43
  Speaker 2: oh man, this is the price is he? Like you
• 35:45
  Speaker 2: was talking about Marsh, like Scott was the next guy,
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: Like Scott was going to step in where the older
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: guys are going to start to like stop performing.
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: You and I were talking about it on the twenty
• 35:53
  Speaker 1: twenty four season preview. That's what we said. We said
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: he was going to be the next guy on this team,
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: taking things forward.
• 36:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, because he hit that huge home run the song played, Yeah,
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: we've all seen on YouTube a thousand times, and I
• 36:07
  Speaker 2: was like, Okay, he's the next guy. And last year
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: he just kind of sucked. Yeah, he was not just
• 36:12
  Speaker 2: he was very mediocre for an everyday player. It was
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: kind of it was really a doubt. It was really
• 36:17
  Speaker 2: like like he was letdown. I think he's one of
• 36:21
  Speaker 2: those keystones to their success. If he you know, if
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: he raises his stuff to like two eighty, his ops
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: is like you know in the seven hundred, eight hundred,
• 36:30
  Speaker 2: it's like that's when you know, like my my Wheeler
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: Harper prediction is going to come to fruition because he'll
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: he'll be a big part of it. Yeah, because he's
• 36:38
  Speaker 2: not he's not the guy to bat in the six
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: to seven hole. You got to move him up and
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: plays a huge position in the infield. He's he's key
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: to their success. I think Alec Baum kind of is
• 36:48
  Speaker 2: who he is. Yeah, he's kind of Reese Hoskins, let's
• 36:51
  Speaker 2: just face it, right, better athlete but that's about it.
• 36:54
  Speaker 2: I think Scott is the is the is the outlier
• 36:57
  Speaker 2: to this whole thing, and if he doesn't perform, he
• 36:59
  Speaker 2: does his same thing you did last year. They're kind of.
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: Like, we're I don't want to They're not gonna be
• 37:05
  Speaker 1: in the middle, right, but he'll be one of the
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: reasons they're in the.
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: Bottom of the top. That's how I feel about him.
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: My gosh, can you imagine if these guys were talking
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: about whether it's Max Kapler, Bryce and Scott, Brandon Marsh
• 37:18
  Speaker 1: if they just take that little step, that little step
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: for each guy can be the complete difference maker as
• 37:25
  Speaker 1: to whether or not this team actually can get to
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: the World Series. It really can.
• 37:30
  Speaker 2: Well and think about it, like if you're if you're
• 37:33
  Speaker 2: Bryce's Stott, your Brandon Marsh the age you are, you're
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: in your mid to late twenties, and your teammates are
• 37:39
  Speaker 2: all guys that are making like three hundred million dollars
• 37:42
  Speaker 2: right like Harper, and you're you're kind of in line
• 37:45
  Speaker 2: for the possibility of being that guy. They're not going
• 37:48
  Speaker 2: to be Harper, This is never gonna happen, but like
• 37:50
  Speaker 2: to being like kind of percentages down of what Harper,
• 37:54
  Speaker 2: is you're in line for like two hundred million late,
• 37:57
  Speaker 2: like a lot of money. Yeah, I think you. The
• 38:00
  Speaker 2: pressure's gotta be on you be like right, damn man,
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: I am in like the what third fourth market in baseball.
• 38:08
  Speaker 2: I'm in line for like a huge payday if I
• 38:10
  Speaker 2: can just perform this one year we won a World Series,
• 38:12
  Speaker 2: I cash my checks. I am set for life. Like
• 38:17
  Speaker 2: this is like I said, this is probably their year. Besides,
• 38:20
  Speaker 2: like the superstars, this is this, this is the year
• 38:22
  Speaker 2: four the guys like marsh and Stott to perform.
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: We're getting hyped up, man, We're getting hyped up for
• 38:27
  Speaker 1: the season. Yes, all right, well we do.
• 38:30
  Speaker 2: My Sixers, like I said, are in the toilet. I
• 38:33
  Speaker 2: have nothing else right now.
• 38:35
  Speaker 1: Same with that. Look. I know you're not into the Flyers,
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: but my god, I can't even I couldn't even watch.
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: I mean they their last two games, they gave up
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: seven goals in each game. Fourteen goals in two games.
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: It is, it is horrendous watching that team. But did
• 38:49
  Speaker 1: they have a goalie just well you'd be like, not
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: even a goalie, Like just no goalie, no goalie. Yeah,
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: they just pull they just they don't even pull them.
• 38:58
  Speaker 1: They just don't start one.
• 39:02
  Speaker 2: I have no idea. Is that what they're do in
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: hockey these days?
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: I know, but they should. That would be great. So
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: all right, we'll move it along here. We got a
• 39:10
  Speaker 1: few more best bullpen piece and MVP of the team.
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: What is the best bullpen piece for you that you
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: think is gonna Which guy from the pen is gonna
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: be that top guy for you?
• 39:24
  Speaker 2: I think herkoerams do for a breakout season. Yeah, he's
• 39:29
  Speaker 2: been on this squad. What they brought two years ago,
• 39:32
  Speaker 2: three years ago.
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and he was kind of brought him up right
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: the postseason two years ago.
• 39:38
  Speaker 2: An insane spot for young kids twenty three, like I wouldish,
• 39:41
  Speaker 2: like I think I said earlier was ship my pants
• 39:44
  Speaker 2: on the mound like in the playoffs. That's crazy. Yeah,
• 39:48
  Speaker 2: but he's seasoned now, he has a couple of years
• 39:50
  Speaker 2: under his belt, and like they had, it's one of
• 39:54
  Speaker 2: those years where baseball always is like great season with
• 39:59
  Speaker 2: the bullpen down, season up. It's one of the most
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: roller coaster positions in all sports, the relief pitcher and closer.
• 40:07
  Speaker 2: And like, I think he's poised to be that eighth
• 40:12
  Speaker 2: inning setup guy with his stuff it's electric. He's the
• 40:18
  Speaker 2: perfect age where he's due for a payday as well
• 40:20
  Speaker 2: like the other guys. Yeah, and he's got that demeanor too,
• 40:24
  Speaker 2: He's he's kind of an asshole on the mound, which
• 40:26
  Speaker 2: is perfect. Alvarado is already he's got that. He's entrenches
• 40:30
  Speaker 2: the closer. We need that eighth inning guy. Kirkeran's been here,
• 40:35
  Speaker 2: He's got that evil look on the mound. Like, I
• 40:37
  Speaker 2: just think he's the perfect guy because there's there's a
• 40:39
  Speaker 2: lot of like there's a lot of movement, right, they
• 40:42
  Speaker 2: have a lot of free agents, and all the guys
• 40:44
  Speaker 2: that like Strom and that like did their thing last year,
• 40:48
  Speaker 2: made the All Star Game. It's like they're bound to
• 40:50
  Speaker 2: have it down year. That's just how it works. It
• 40:52
  Speaker 2: Like Strom's already day to day on all the fantasy things.
• 40:55
  Speaker 2: Like it's just like, ah shit, he's already hurt. This
• 40:57
  Speaker 2: is gonna suck that you need to guy to step up,
• 40:59
  Speaker 2: And I think he's the guy after two years of experience,
• 41:04
  Speaker 2: Like he's the guy to step up and be the
• 41:05
  Speaker 2: man in the inning. Yeah.
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: I love the prediction. I love the him being the
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: guy that really does take it to the next level
• 41:13
  Speaker 1: in the bullpen for me, this kind of goes with
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: my comeback kid. I couldn't decide on what to do,
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: so I was like, well, I'm just gonna put the
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: best bullpen piece as Jose Alvarado. I really believe that
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: last year and just you know, over the past you know,
• 41:32
  Speaker 1: year and a half or so, dealing with the family
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: issues that he was dealing with, that was really on
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: his mind a lot. In reading Todd Zeleki's season preview
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: on MLB dot com, it's funny he says Alvarado will
• 41:45
  Speaker 1: not only be the first Phillies reliever to save at
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: least thirty games since gen Mar Gomez, who saved thirty
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: seven games in twenty sixteen if you remember that, folks,
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: but he'll lead all lefty relievers in strikeouts. We have
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: been seeing what Jose Alvarado has been doing in spring training,
• 42:02
  Speaker 1: and just him coming back into form has been so
• 42:07
  Speaker 1: not only welcoming, but like, I think he's going to
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: be so incredibly dominant. I know a lot of folks
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: are saying, well, Jordan Romano probably gonna be the closer,
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: it's why the Phillies brought him in. But I don't
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: think that's necessarily gonna be the case. I think we're
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: gonna see Jose Alvarado closing out a ton of games,
• 42:24
  Speaker 1: and Jordan Ramano is going to be a close second.
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: I think in terms of a bullpen piece that is
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: just absolutely awesome to watch. But Jose Alvarado for me,
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: is going to be that best bullpen piece this year.
• 42:37
  Speaker 2: Well as always like in being a homeowner, car owner, whatever,
• 42:41
  Speaker 2: like it's good have insurance, right yeah, yeah, desnight to
• 42:43
  Speaker 2: have a Jordan Romano. I don't think you're gonna need it.
• 42:46
  Speaker 2: I think Alvarado is going to be a monster year.
• 42:50
  Speaker 2: I can't imagine what he went through and trying to
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: compete at a major athletic level. Yeah, just a nightmare.
• 42:57
  Speaker 2: And he's looked amazing at spring training. I honestly think
• 43:02
  Speaker 2: he was gonna be one of one of my predictions.
• 43:03
  Speaker 2: Like you can't want to say young as a closer,
• 43:06
  Speaker 2: but I think he's gonna be one of those guys
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: like when he comes in, I'm not gonna have my
• 43:10
  Speaker 2: fingers crossed, like right, yeah sucks, like you know, I
• 43:15
  Speaker 2: don't think it's gonna happen. I think he's gonna be
• 43:17
  Speaker 2: amazing this year. And but but to have a Romano
• 43:21
  Speaker 2: in the back, you know, as a backup just in case.
• 43:23
  Speaker 2: Like it's really nice like they've That's why I wish
• 43:26
  Speaker 2: the Phillies seems a little more excited because they really
• 43:29
  Speaker 2: have built a nice roster with depth too, you know
• 43:32
  Speaker 2: what I mean? Like that, that's that I wish there
• 43:35
  Speaker 2: was some more nuance to to some of the But
• 43:38
  Speaker 2: we also, like, Jeff, what do we look at Twitter?
• 43:41
  Speaker 2: You know, we're looking at the idiot at the idiots unfortunately.
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: I know. Yeah, all right, very good, all right. M
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: VP of the team. I mean I'm just gonna I'm
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: just gonna say, Bryce Harper, I think this is it
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: you you said it earlier. I think this is his
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: year to do it. And I really think this is
• 44:00
  Speaker 1: the Phillies year to get to the World Series once
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: again as they did two years ago. MVP of the Team,
• 44:07
  Speaker 1: Bryce Harper for me? Is that for you as well?
• 44:10
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Of course he's the queen of the chess board. Yep.
• 44:13
  Speaker 2: He put this whole team, he put this whole thing together.
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: I remember sitting here in February twenty nineteen, I think
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: it was March twenteen. Yeah, when they signed him and
• 44:21
  Speaker 2: he made that speech like this is where I want
• 44:23
  Speaker 2: to plant my flag. We're going to make a winner here.
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: Within like three years in the World Series. It was
• 44:29
  Speaker 2: like shocking for someone to come to Philadelphia, to a
• 44:33
  Speaker 2: Phillies team and be like, yeah, I'm a winner and
• 44:36
  Speaker 2: we're going to do this. And it's like he's still
• 44:38
  Speaker 2: here and he's still he's still the guy and he's
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: been here. My god, this is his sixth season. I
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: think like that, that is exactly, that's right, and he
• 44:47
  Speaker 2: still performs at an incredible level, like he's an all timer.
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: He's probably a Hall of Famer.
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: So talking about extending him like he wants to be extended,
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: like they're in talks, you know, his agent in the
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: front officer and talks about an extension.
• 45:00
  Speaker 2: He'll be fifty.
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: I know, he's still fine. Whatever exactly he's supposed to
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: be here in a little two thousand and thirty, you know,
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: which I'll take.
• 45:07
  Speaker 2: Likes he's an all time Philly Like I had this.
• 45:09
  Speaker 2: I had this thought the other day, like my all
• 45:12
  Speaker 2: time Phillies list was always like Mike Schmidt, Ryan Howard,
• 45:16
  Speaker 2: you know, and it kind of dwindles really fast sometimes
• 45:19
  Speaker 2: if you ever noticed it if you ever like sit down,
• 45:20
  Speaker 2: do your list, like it's like, oh shit, Harper's up there.
• 45:23
  Speaker 2: He's He's always up there, and and like he's gonna
• 45:27
  Speaker 2: I think this is his last breakout, Like I'm going
• 45:30
  Speaker 2: to hit forty home runs, drag this team the World's
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: not drag the team, but like I'm going to be
• 45:35
  Speaker 2: the leader of a team that makes the World Series. Yeah,
• 45:37
  Speaker 2: and if he can put one more ring on his
• 45:40
  Speaker 2: finger or a ring on his finger with this team
• 45:44
  Speaker 2: and does the MVP thing like he's he's he's vaulted
• 45:49
  Speaker 2: into the like the stratosphere of Philadelphia sports. Absolutely, but
• 45:52
  Speaker 2: I think it's in him though, Like he's he's that
• 45:54
  Speaker 2: freaking talented.
• 45:55
  Speaker 1: He can actually put this team on his shoulders. I
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: believe he can still do that for sure. All Right, well,
• 46:00
  Speaker 1: what do we think the regular season record is going
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: to be for this team? Eric? For me, I'm going
• 46:04
  Speaker 1: with a ninety four and sixty eight record. I think
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: this team can and will win at least ninety four
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: games this year. Hell, this team could win one hundred games,
• 46:17
  Speaker 1: I think with this roster and how it is and
• 46:19
  Speaker 1: with the Yeah, I know they're playing the Mets, the Braves,
• 46:23
  Speaker 1: but They're also playing a terrible Washington Nationals team and
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: Miami Marlins team throughout this division throughout this year, and
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: I just this is just a really good team. But
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: I'm going with ninety four wins on the season. What
• 46:35
  Speaker 1: do you what do you? What do you got?
• 46:36
  Speaker 2: Ninety six and eighty six? All right, I'm going to
• 46:40
  Speaker 2: boom side. Part of the reason I think some of
• 46:43
  Speaker 2: the fans aren't happy is you start your season in Washington. Yeah,
• 46:49
  Speaker 2: God damn, I think it's a four o'clock start with
• 46:52
  Speaker 2: bummer it is it? Guess it's such a dead stadium.
• 46:58
  Speaker 2: It's not a great team, and like you're starting a
• 47:01
  Speaker 2: possible like World Series run in just a like not
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: even a fun town. I know you live there, Yeah,
• 47:07
  Speaker 2: Like it's not it is not exciting. It's it's a
• 47:12
  Speaker 2: lot of big built like a lot of a lot
• 47:14
  Speaker 2: of history, but not fun. I'll say about DC, it's
• 47:18
  Speaker 2: our govern You want to get into that tonight or no?
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: I am tired. Yeah, I agree, I live it.
• 47:27
  Speaker 2: I am, but like, yeah, I I I can't wait
• 47:31
  Speaker 2: for the home opener and I I I dude, I
• 47:35
  Speaker 2: I I think they're kind of a good year. I
• 47:37
  Speaker 2: really do. I'm really optimistic, and I think they have
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: so many horses at every position, like but but it's
• 47:45
  Speaker 2: short lived. Yeah, because it doesn't happen this year. Next
• 47:48
  Speaker 2: year we're gonna be on the show on video a
• 47:51
  Speaker 2: lot of more gray hair, right exactly, being like, can
• 47:55
  Speaker 2: this team win eighty four games?
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: Like beards as gray as my hair like that, that's
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: where we're going to be in two years. And he
• 48:04
  Speaker 1: doesn't shave it for an entire year and he just
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: looks like a grizzly beard. Freaking guy.
• 48:08
  Speaker 2: It's the wizard beard. Don his gloves.
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he's Gondolf. He'll catch ground balls and his beard
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: just like Okay, got him? All right? Great season preview,
• 48:22
  Speaker 1: we got we got more Phillies talk coming your way
• 48:24
  Speaker 1: with our buddy John Stalling. This from the Hitting Season
• 48:26
  Speaker 1: podcast in Good Fight dot Com. I'm gonna let you
• 48:29
  Speaker 1: go Eric here so that we can get to this interview.
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: You got anything else here before uh, before this Philly
• 48:35
  Speaker 1: season starts.
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: No, I'm just excited for the year.
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 48:39
  Speaker 2: My two Flyers are I don't watch the Flyers and
• 48:42
  Speaker 2: the Sixers are an absolute uh travesty. So next if
• 48:46
  Speaker 2: I do the show next week, A week after we
• 48:48
  Speaker 2: got to do Sixers Awards and we talked about it. Yes, yep,
• 48:51
  Speaker 2: I didn't go through the Wizards six or stats. I'm
• 48:53
  Speaker 2: sure there is a Sixers winner in there that helped
• 48:56
  Speaker 2: lose to the worst team in the league. Yes, there
• 48:59
  Speaker 2: has to be like a minus fifty dude in there.
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: Andre Drummond, Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure.
• 49:05
  Speaker 1: When we get done, when we get done, hit and
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: stop on the recorder over here, we gotta we gotta
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: look at this.
• 49:11
  Speaker 2: Let's look it up. Yeah, there has to be some
• 49:13
  Speaker 2: loser of the year, of the week or the night.
• 49:16
  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, all right, sounds good. But we're gonna take
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: a break here when we get back more Phillies talk.
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: We're gonna take that break right now. All right, we
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: are back and let's get into more Phillies talk. As
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: this season preview show has been fantastic thus far, it's
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: gonna get better. We've got our friend John Stall and
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: this joining us. It's what we're throwing down on the
• 49:36
  Speaker 1: table and now on the table joining us this week
• 49:43
  Speaker 1: for our Phillies season preview show. What we have coming
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: to us from the Hit and Season podcast. They also
• 49:49
  Speaker 1: have a Patreon platform over there at Hitting Season and
• 49:52
  Speaker 1: you should hit them up over there as well, and
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: also the good Fight dot Com. You write some words
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: over there every now and then. We've got our good
• 49:58
  Speaker 1: friend John Stall in this win in us here, Buddy,
• 50:00
  Speaker 1: how are you, my friend?
• 50:02
  Speaker 3: I'm doing good man. It's always talked to you. Man,
• 50:04
  Speaker 3: I can't believe in other season's almost here.
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: I can't believe it, buddy. I mean, I am saying, Look,
• 50:08
  Speaker 1: when we're getting into some of these topics here, we're
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: not gonna get into the Taiwan Walker situation. I have
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: had it talking about it, whether it's on this podcast
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: or whether it's like listening to other shows like I
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: Know that you Liz and Justin on the Hitting Season
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: podcast have certainly talked about it over these past, you know,
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: a couple of weeks, and the storyline is just getting
• 50:27
  Speaker 1: kind of old at this point, isn't it.
• 50:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, yeah it is.
• 50:31
  Speaker 3: I mean, and Taiwan Walker is not gonna be what
• 50:33
  Speaker 3: sinks or or makes this season, right, you know, you
• 50:37
  Speaker 3: just you need him to get through. What could sink
• 50:39
  Speaker 3: or make this season is a long term Ranger Suarez injury.
• 50:42
  Speaker 3: But yeah, yeah, I imagine that if Taiwan Walker isn't
• 50:45
  Speaker 3: the answer. Should that happen, they'll find another answer.
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: So absolutely well, I hope that as we're going through
• 50:50
  Speaker 1: these topics here, John, I hope I hope to have
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: an interesting pitching question for you. I haven't heard too
• 50:55
  Speaker 1: many folks getting into a certain pitching question that I
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: have for you. But first to get the discussion started here.
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: You know, my co host Eric and I we were
• 51:05
  Speaker 1: talking about some of the negative aspects of this fan
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: base and what seems to be just.
• 51:13
  Speaker 3: A negative, a negative fan base. Yes, I don't know
• 51:16
  Speaker 3: where you're getting this from, Jeff, I think I'm gonna
• 51:19
  Speaker 3: stop you in your track card. Disagree, I mean, you know.
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: With your question. Yeah, I just it's just that the
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: negativity is sometimes surrounding this Phillies team. You know that
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: we've been hearing surrounding this upcoming twenty twenty five season.
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: I mean, I get tired of hearing the negativity because personally,
• 51:40
  Speaker 1: I don't subscribe to this feeling of being downtrodden about
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: where this team is at when we haven't even seen
• 51:47
  Speaker 1: them take the field officially for a couple of weeks. Yes,
• 51:50
  Speaker 1: we've seen spring training games and stories coming out of
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: spring training. But again, yes, it is spring training, and
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: there are certain things to latch onto during spring training.
• 51:59
  Speaker 1: But I'm getting a little tired of the negativity actually
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: surrounding this Phillies team. I wanted to get your take
• 52:05
  Speaker 1: on what certain sectors of the fan base just why
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: they really don't seem maybe excited about this season when
• 52:11
  Speaker 1: I think this is a very good baseball team that
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: is about to start this Major League baseball season here
• 52:16
  Speaker 1: in Philadelphia. What are your thoughts.
• 52:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I've got two main thoughts on this. So the
• 52:20
  Speaker 3: first is that Philadelphia sports fans often stay in the bubble.
• 52:25
  Speaker 3: They don't look at national media. They don't read national
• 52:29
  Speaker 3: write ups of the team. They're not looking at or
• 52:32
  Speaker 3: listening to what national reporters are saying. Because if you
• 52:36
  Speaker 3: zoom out a little bit, if you're able to get
• 52:38
  Speaker 3: a little this is a word I'm gonna throw out
• 52:40
  Speaker 3: there the kids today, the gen z might not know
• 52:43
  Speaker 3: what is but perspective. If you gain a little perspective
• 52:47
  Speaker 3: on things, you'll look at every every metric that's out there.
• 52:52
  Speaker 3: You look at every power ranking. The Phillies are a
• 52:55
  Speaker 3: top five team in Major League Baseball? Yeah, are they
• 52:58
  Speaker 3: the Dodgers. No, guess who isn't the Dodgers? Everyone else
• 53:02
  Speaker 3: right right? So no, the Phillies, the Yankees, the Mets.
• 53:06
  Speaker 3: No one could match what the Dodgers did this offseason.
• 53:10
  Speaker 3: So you just have to go into this season knowing
• 53:13
  Speaker 3: that you also have to go to the season thinking
• 53:14
  Speaker 3: it's not a fat of company that the Dodgers are
• 53:16
  Speaker 3: going to win their second straight World Rights. May I
• 53:18
  Speaker 3: remind you no team has repeated as World Series champions
• 53:22
  Speaker 3: since the ninety eight to two thousand Yankees, And there
• 53:25
  Speaker 3: have been some great legendary teams that have come down
• 53:28
  Speaker 3: the pike since then, none of them were able to
• 53:30
  Speaker 3: go back to back in these playoffs. With this format,
• 53:33
  Speaker 3: it's just really hard. You take an objective look at
• 53:36
  Speaker 3: this Phillies team. They're really good. Yes, they've got a
• 53:41
  Speaker 3: great starting rotation. Even with Rangers Suarez sideline, the top
• 53:44
  Speaker 3: four are among the best, one of the two or
• 53:47
  Speaker 3: three best, if not the best starting rotation in baseball.
• 53:50
  Speaker 3: So you start there and you're already way ahead of
• 53:52
  Speaker 3: the game.
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: That's why the Tom Walker situation is. And I know
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: we said we weren't going to talk about it, but
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: oh my gosh, we're talking about it, and that's why
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: it kills me. We are not hearing the amazing stories
• 54:02
  Speaker 1: about Zach Wheeler, about Aaron Nola, about Christopher Sanchez, you know,
• 54:05
  Speaker 1: about these guys the top four, like you just said,
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: pitchers on this team, who are gonna make this season
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: what it's going to be. It's not going to be
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: Tylan Walker making or breaking this season.
• 54:15
  Speaker 3: Right, No, And I get the thing that people are
• 54:17
  Speaker 3: the most concerned about is the offense, and the offense
• 54:20
  Speaker 3: is aging, yep, and I get that, but I think
• 54:22
  Speaker 3: all of these guys are This is not a similar
• 54:25
  Speaker 3: situation to twenty twelve, right, I think that's what fans
• 54:28
  Speaker 3: are worried about. Yeah, it was about this age where
• 54:31
  Speaker 3: that core of players started breaking down and it all
• 54:35
  Speaker 3: fell apart, and that team went like I think it
• 54:37
  Speaker 3: was eighty one to eighty one. I think they finished
• 54:38
  Speaker 3: five hundred that year because you started to see Utley
• 54:41
  Speaker 3: and Howard and Rollins and Halliday and you start to
• 54:45
  Speaker 3: break down. Twenty twelve, I don't think we're going to
• 54:48
  Speaker 3: see that here in twenty twenty five. We may, and
• 54:51
  Speaker 3: the pessimists may be right, but that is if you're
• 54:56
  Speaker 3: looking on the realm of possibilities. It is one of
• 54:58
  Speaker 3: the least likely things to happen.
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: It is.
• 55:01
  Speaker 3: It's The other thing I was going to say about
• 55:03
  Speaker 3: this is that the reason fans are a little disappointed
• 55:06
  Speaker 3: and down on the season is because they've taken a
• 55:08
  Speaker 3: step back in the playoffs each of the last three
• 55:10
  Speaker 3: years and they didn't do anything to drastically change the
• 55:14
  Speaker 3: makeup of the team. So the thinking is, then they're
• 55:17
  Speaker 3: just going to do the same thing again in twenty
• 55:20
  Speaker 3: twenty five, which, of course it could happen. They could
• 55:23
  Speaker 3: also go People forget this is also a team that
• 55:26
  Speaker 3: in twenty twenty two went on an insane playoff run.
• 55:29
  Speaker 3: They ran out of steam those last three games against
• 55:32
  Speaker 3: the against a better Astros team. But this team has
• 55:34
  Speaker 3: shown the capability of doing both. The problem is that
• 55:37
  Speaker 3: they're a faucet and you never know when they're gonna
• 55:40
  Speaker 3: turn it off, right, And so that's the concern, and
• 55:43
  Speaker 3: that's the worry. Is like this team could win one
• 55:44
  Speaker 3: hundred and five games in the regular season, no one's
• 55:47
  Speaker 3: gonna believe it, no one's gonna trust it. Everybody's gonna
• 55:50
  Speaker 3: be worried until they're able to get all the way
• 55:53
  Speaker 3: through the postseason and get a parade.
• 55:54
  Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, you're absolutely correct. Look, we're talking about how
• 55:57
  Speaker 1: important the pitching is going to be for this team
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: and how fun quite frankly, it's going to be to
• 56:03
  Speaker 1: watch these starters. I can't wait. But something that's been
• 56:08
  Speaker 1: in the back of my mind. Want to get your
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: opinion on it, John, because you know, I want to
• 56:12
  Speaker 1: talk about two of the starting pitchers on this team
• 56:14
  Speaker 1: being Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Both are not Spring
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: chickens by any stretch anymore. Wheelers thirty four years old,
• 56:21
  Speaker 1: Nola is thirty one. They're still very able, very capable
• 56:25
  Speaker 1: of doing real good things from the mound, and I
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: expect to see a lot of good things from the
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: mound this year. But I do wonder if we may
• 56:32
  Speaker 1: start seeing some possible slippage this season from both of
• 56:35
  Speaker 1: these gentlemen, and if we do start to see any
• 56:38
  Speaker 1: sort of downslide, what that may actually look like. Because
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: Nola has a career three point seven zero ERA, Wheeler
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: has a three point three to four career ERA. Last year,
• 56:48
  Speaker 1: Wheeler had by far a monumental season for him, a
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: two point sixty seven ER. I'm not saying here that
• 56:55
  Speaker 1: either of these guys are going to be falling off
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: a cliff by any stretch, not at all, But what
• 56:59
  Speaker 1: a slippage might look like. I'm wondering what that potential
• 57:03
  Speaker 1: downslide might start to look like, because it is going
• 57:06
  Speaker 1: to happen at some point down the road, you know,
• 57:08
  Speaker 1: whether it's er or even outside the realm of an er.
• 57:12
  Speaker 1: I'm wondering, have you given any thought to this in
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: terms of the two top pitchers on this team.
• 57:17
  Speaker 3: Well, what it's going to look like is a decrease
• 57:18
  Speaker 3: in velocity and inability to make up for it. Now,
• 57:21
  Speaker 3: I think we've seen that with Wheeler. He doesn't throw
• 57:23
  Speaker 3: as hard as he did in twenty twenty two right now,
• 57:25
  Speaker 3: that's true. He's developed new pitches, he has command of
• 57:28
  Speaker 3: the baseball. He still is dominant in in finding different
• 57:32
  Speaker 3: ways to be dominant as he gets older. He's also a.
• 57:36
  Speaker 1: Very usual they have.
• 57:38
  Speaker 3: They are a unicorn franchise in that they actually developed
• 57:41
  Speaker 3: their pitchers to pitch deep into games, so they're more
• 57:45
  Speaker 3: set up for their pitchers to last a little bit longer,
• 57:48
  Speaker 3: I think, to have better careers as they age into
• 57:51
  Speaker 3: their thirties. And we've seen guys like Scherzer and Verlander
• 57:54
  Speaker 3: and Kershawll up until these last couple years in their
• 57:57
  Speaker 3: forties be very productive well into their thirties. So just
• 58:02
  Speaker 3: because these guys are approaching their mid thirties doesn't mean
• 58:04
  Speaker 3: that it could fall off.
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: But I do agree with you.
• 58:06
  Speaker 3: I do feel a little bit of nervousness, specifically about
• 58:09
  Speaker 3: Zaq Wheeler because he has been so dominant, because he
• 58:11
  Speaker 3: is getting older now at thirty four years old. But
• 58:14
  Speaker 3: older doesn't mean old, and I don't think there's I
• 58:17
  Speaker 3: think what we would see is a is a drop
• 58:19
  Speaker 3: in velocity, these guys getting hit around a little bit more,
• 58:23
  Speaker 3: unable to command the baseball the way they do, and
• 58:25
  Speaker 3: then injuries, they're just not able to be as durable
• 58:30
  Speaker 3: as they once were. You know, they're hitting the disabled
• 58:32
  Speaker 3: list a little bit more often. So I think if
• 58:35
  Speaker 3: Zach Wheeler, you know, has a has a drop off,
• 58:38
  Speaker 3: even if he drops off by a full run on
• 58:40
  Speaker 3: his RA, that's gonna be really disappointing and it could
• 58:42
  Speaker 3: hurt this team. But you're still talking about like a
• 58:44
  Speaker 3: three point four to three point five RA, which is
• 58:47
  Speaker 3: about what Aaron Nola gives. Johnny you're in, You're out.
• 58:48
  Speaker 1: Basis.
• 58:49
  Speaker 3: So the thing that I'm a little concerned about is
• 58:52
  Speaker 3: Aaron Nola tends to alternate good and bad seasons, even
• 58:55
  Speaker 3: your odd.
• 58:55
  Speaker 1: Year, right, And so it's not year.
• 58:57
  Speaker 3: We'll see if he can break that trend this year.
• 58:59
  Speaker 3: But I hear what you're saying. I subscribe a little
• 59:02
  Speaker 3: bit to being worried about drop off due to age
• 59:07
  Speaker 3: with those two guys, and it's something a monitor for sure.
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: Absolutely. I'm not sure if you heard me, but I
• 59:11
  Speaker 1: was saying, you know, it's really the Jamie Moyer effect
• 59:14
  Speaker 1: of what Zach Wheeler has done with his pitching, not
• 59:17
  Speaker 1: saying exactly Jamie Moyer got to a certain point in
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: his career. He had to alter some things within his
• 59:22
  Speaker 1: game from the mound that enabled him to continue pitching
• 59:25
  Speaker 1: and to be and continue to be as effective as
• 59:27
  Speaker 1: he was later in his career. It's not the same
• 59:30
  Speaker 1: exact thing, of course, as Zach Wheeler has done these years.
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: But I call it the Jamie Moyer factor, just in
• 59:36
  Speaker 1: terms of being able to alter your game to stay
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: in the league and be relevant longer and longer. So
• 59:41
  Speaker 1: perhaps Zach Wheeler is subscribing to that philosophy. But as
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: we're moving along here John. Speaking of pitching, the Phillies
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: acquired Carlos Hernandez from the Kansas City Royals. He's a
• 59:52
  Speaker 1: righty who is a career four point nine five ERA
• 59:55
  Speaker 1: in five seasons with the Royals coming out of the bullpen.
• 59:58
  Speaker 1: I'm wondering what should we be exc expect him to
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: see from Hernandez, perhaps at the start of this season,
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 1: and could he potentially be a key piece to the
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: bullpen this year.
• 1:00:07
  Speaker 3: I don't think so. He's a project. He has pitched
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 3: a lot for the Royals over these last few years.
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 3: He's not a young guy who you know, has like
• 1:00:16
  Speaker 3: ten innings in the majors and or ten appearances in
• 1:00:19
  Speaker 3: the majors, and you know he's got a big fastball.
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 3: He's just got to learn to control it. I mean,
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 3: that is who he is. And the Phillies have had
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 3: some success with guys like that, Jose Alvarado being a
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 3: prime example. So maybe Caleb Cotham ken turn him into somebody,
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 3: but get it. My sense is that when Ranger Suarez
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 3: comes back, he's probably off the big league roster. I
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 3: doubt he sticks around for much of this season, and
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 3: I don't think he's going to see any high leverage
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 3: innings in the meantime, I'd be surprised if he does. Now,
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 3: if he comes in in a couple of mop up
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 3: duties and goes like an inning or two and is
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 3: showing much better command with a high fastball, well then
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 3: maybe that changes the conversation a little bit. It really
• 1:00:58
  Speaker 3: is going to kind of depend on how long Ranger
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 3: Suarez is out, how long Taiwan Walker is going to
• 1:01:03
  Speaker 3: be in the starting rotation, and how often they use him.
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 3: He just he's got a great fastball, he's got some
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 3: electric stuff. He doesn't know what to do with it,
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 3: and he's had a lot of opportunities in the majors
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 3: to try and figure it out. We'll see what the
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 3: Phillies can do with him, but I would not expect
• 1:01:16
  Speaker 3: him to be a key piece to the bullpen.
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 1: All right, again, folks, we're talking to John Stolen this
• 1:01:20
  Speaker 1: from the Hit and Season podcast, and also he writes
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: some awesome words every now and again over at the
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 1: Good Fight dot Com. Catch him on the Twitter slash
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: x at John Staalness. John, are you out there on
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: other platforms that you might want to plowluse guy?
• 1:01:34
  Speaker 3: Now, I've got a gram too. Could I tell you
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 3: what they are exactly now? Absolutely, But I'm on both
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 3: of those things, So yeah.
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 1: Okay, sounds good. Search out John stallin this search out
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 1: hitting season, good fight folks, great, great content always and
• 1:01:48
  Speaker 1: moving along here. I think there are so many interesting
• 1:01:51
  Speaker 1: storylines heading into this season with this Phillies team, and
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: the one that I'm really going to be following John
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 1: closely is what Rob Thompson is going to do with
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 1: the leadoffs. You know a lot of us have been
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 1: talking about this as well. You know what we were
• 1:02:03
  Speaker 1: going to be seeing during spring training, and I'm thinking
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: this could change at times throughout this year. And yes,
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 1: we're going to see Kyle Schwarber in that role more
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 1: times than not here in twenty twenty five. But I
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 1: find the leadoff spot storyline and what it could actually
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 1: mean for this offense to be an interesting storyline this season.
• 1:02:21
  Speaker 1: I'm wondering what are your thoughts here?
• 1:02:23
  Speaker 3: You know, I think the leadoff thing, I find it interesting,
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 3: but it is overblown. I know Dave Dombrowski said it's
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 3: maybe the most overrated thing in sports, and it really doesn't.
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 1: Matter a whole lot.
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 3: But I think I had a friend of mine My
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 3: friend Mark was texting me something the other day, and
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 3: it was in a last spring game when you had
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 3: Trade Turner leading off. Trey Turner gets on with a single,
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 3: and I think it was Bryce Harper, whoever's hitting number
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 3: two that day. I think it was Harper hit into
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 3: a ball back to the pitcher and it turned into
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 3: a fielder's choice. Trey Turner is able to hustle and
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 3: get to second base. Harper was thrown out at first.
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 3: If that had been Schwarber on first base, he gets
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 3: thrown out at second base. What happened after that was
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 3: Bom gets a single and scores Turner and you see,
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 3: you know, gets scores from second on a ball hit
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 3: the center field, which again may not have happened with
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 3: Kyle Schwarber. So you saw right there an example of
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 3: how having an athletic leadoff man can perhaps help you
• 1:03:12
  Speaker 3: more than having somebody like Kyle Schwarber. That being said,
• 1:03:15
  Speaker 3: that really only helps you in the first inning most
• 1:03:17
  Speaker 3: of the time, because after that the leadoff hitter is
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 3: not usually leading off an inning. He's just kind of
• 1:03:22
  Speaker 3: hitting in the middle of a lineup. And you know,
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 3: especially now with the DH in the National League, there's
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 3: no pitcher spot. When the pitcher hit, you needed that
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 3: leadoff hitter to reset the offense essentially every time that
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 3: lineup came through. Now it's just one nebulous flow of
• 1:03:37
  Speaker 3: offense that you hope never stops. So I'm excited to
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 3: see Turner at the top. I think I'm more excited
• 1:03:44
  Speaker 3: to see Turner at the top of the lineup to
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 3: see what it does for him. If it helps to
• 1:03:49
  Speaker 3: change his game, if he stops trying to be a
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 3: pull heavy, homer happy guy and start to use all
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 3: field hit, line drives, uses legs, use his speed, everything
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 3: like that. If it forces them to work plate appearances,
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 3: grind out at bats a little bit more, then I
• 1:04:04
  Speaker 3: think it's worth it, even if it doesn't do a
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 3: whole lot for overall run production necessarily.
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 1: All right, very good, Well John, before I let you go,
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: have a two part question here to end our discussion
• 1:04:16
  Speaker 1: and their general questions, but I like to think of
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 1: them as fun questions. I'm wondering, what are you looking
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 1: forward to most this coming season? Then then we'll get
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 1: into what you're looking forward to the least this coming season. First,
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 1: what are you looking forward to most this season? From
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 1: this Phillies team.
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 3: I am looking most forward to the World Series celebration
• 1:04:34
  Speaker 3: that we will be celebrating in November. Yes, I've been
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 3: quite strong in predicting that this is the year they
• 1:04:40
  Speaker 3: do it, and this is the year they will do it.
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 3: They will win the World Series this year. So I
• 1:04:45
  Speaker 3: am looking forward to that early November day when Jordan
• 1:04:51
  Speaker 3: Romano throws that final pitch Phillies celebrate. So that is
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 3: the thing I'm most looking forward to. And I also
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 3: am really looking forward to these series against the Dodgers, Braves,
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 3: and Mets and Diamondbacks. Like the National League is just loaded,
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 3: it is with the best teams of baseball, so it's
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 3: going to be a real battle. The thing I'm least
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 3: looking forward to, you know, I think generally speaking, it's
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 3: just some of the you know, the negative, the fact
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 3: that we no one is going to trust anything they
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 3: see in the regular season, and feels and I wrote
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 3: for the Good Fight this week, it almost feels like
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 3: this one hundred and sixty two six month regular season
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 3: is kind of an afterthought.
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 1:05:28
  Speaker 3: They need to make the playoffs, so it's important that
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 3: they play well, but you know, it almost doesn't matter
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 3: if they win the division or a wild card, or
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 3: how well they play during the regular season or whatever
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 3: it's all about October. Yeah, and it stinks to say that,
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 3: but that's just the reality of the situation. They could
• 1:05:44
  Speaker 3: win one hundred and ten games and if they lose
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 3: in the divisional round, the season's of failure.
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 2: It just is.
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 3: It's not fair, but it's not going to be a
• 1:05:52
  Speaker 3: fun season. We're not going to want to watch the
• 1:05:54
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty five video of this team's regular season if
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 3: they lose in the divisional round to the Dodgers. We're
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 3: just so you know, that's I'm least looking forward to
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 3: that possibility.
• 1:06:04
  Speaker 1: I you know what. Those are two great answers, and
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, Buddy, I'm hoping to talk to
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 1: you at some point down the road. Always love talking
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: to you. Thanks so much for closing us out here
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 1: on our Phillies season preview Again folks, John Stalness from
• 1:06:18
  Speaker 1: The Goodfight dot Com the Hitting Season Podcast check them
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: out on Patreon as well. Great great content, John, Thanks
• 1:06:25
  Speaker 1: so much for joining us this week, Buddy, and again,
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 1: hope to talk to you down the road. YEP.
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 3: Sounds good, Jeff, Thanks you too.
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 1: Always a fantastic discussion with John. Folks, the season is here.
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: The season is here. Some of you may be listening
• 1:06:38
  Speaker 1: to this podcast as the season is starting during the
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 1: course of these first couple or few games, but we'd
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: love to hear from you here at the PSD Podcast
• 1:06:46
  Speaker 1: Show about what you're feeling as regards to with regards
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 1: to this season. Philadelphia Sports Table at gmail dot com
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 1: love to read your email here on the show and
• 1:06:55
  Speaker 1: respond to it. Catch us on all social media sites
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 1: out there, and yes, head on over to YouTube. Subscribe
• 1:07:01
  Speaker 1: to our YouTube channel. Search out the Philadelphia Sports Table.
• 1:07:05
  Speaker 1: Video content is going to be on the way in
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 1: the very near future. Folks. All right, let's go do
• 1:07:11
  Speaker 1: it for us. Happy Philly season. Let's go. We'll catch
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 1: you next time.