Latest / Cards & Categories / Ep. 104 : First Pitch Arizona Overview With Brent Hershey

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Ep. 104 : First Pitch Arizona Overview With Brent Hershey · Cards & Categories

• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome everybody to episode one oh four of
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Cards and Categories. I am Mike Coolard from RAS Ball,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: and I am joined this week by a very special guest.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: I'm joined by Brent Hershey from base Ball HQ. How
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: you doing tonight, Brent.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Go well, Mike, thanks for the invit glad to be
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: here in chat with you this evening.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: So yeah, yeah, I guess I should let everybody know
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: we are recording here on Wednesday, August twentieth. So as
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: we were just discussing before we hopped on, you got
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: to see the Phillies crush the Mariners today, got to
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: see a big Kyle Schwerber homer. So it's a good
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: day in Philadelphia for you. But I figured we would
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: focus our conversation on First Pitch Arizona, which Baseball HQ
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: runs every year, and you're kind of one of the
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: main people in charge there. I attended for the first
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: time in twenty twenty four. I had an absolute blast
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: for folks who have been listening to this podcast they've
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: seen or heard because you're only listening to me, you've
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: listened to some of the people that I've had on
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: that I've met at First pitch here a Zona, and
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: I figured to be great to have you on, Brent,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: just to kind of talk about what first Pitch Arizona
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: is and just kind of get the word out for
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: those of those that might be on the fence. So
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: if you want to give like a quick background on
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: just kind of what first Pitch Arizona is and kind
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: of what Baseball HQ's involvement is, we'll start from there.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that sounds good. I don't know, that depends how
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: what your definition of quick is. I could go on
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: for a while. It's basically a weekend conference that we run,
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Baseball Q being we in November, usually the first or
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: second weekend of November, kind of a Thursday through a Sunday.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: It started actually UH thirty a little over thirty years
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: ago from Ron Chandler and from UH Baseball's Q and
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Rick Wilton, who worked with round for a long time
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: as a just as a as a gathering around the
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Arizona Fall League. This was in the late nineties. The
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Fall League had been around for a while or a
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: little bit anyway, and I think they just thought it'd
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: be a fun time to uh, you know, go out
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: for a weekend and catch some of the games uh
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: there throughout the you know, throughout the valley there they
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: have it's kind of a six team league for those
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: that aren't familiar. Uh, each major league team sends uh
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: six to seven players. Uh. They they're kind of grouped
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: by organizations, and those change every year. They play out
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: of these six different minor excuse me minor league, but
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: also spring training parks there in the Phoenix area, which
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: are fairly close to each other. Every one every we're
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: all within I don't know, a forty five minute drive,
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: and some of them are are quite close. It's just
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: a little sixteen league. This plays basically six weeks throughout
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: October and November. So anyway, the gathering of those folks
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: kind of grew into a into a conference setting where
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: they had some panels on breakout players, and it has
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: evolved into now kind of a like I said, a
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: full weekend of of that kind of talk. So there's
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: several activities going on. We do some live drafts that
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: play out for next season. Uh, there's a ton of
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: kind of player analysis panels. Uh. There's often we've run
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: different like we call tools labs, where folks from different
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: sites or different tools come and uh kind of give
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: tutorials about uh, you know, the best way to use
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: stackcast or how to uh use you know, the different
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: things on fangrass or or ras bolls in there too.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: We do some baseball HQ stuff of course, as well
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: as a bunch of other uh types of things. The format,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: you know, loosely is that uh we usually have included
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: in the registration fee is the is the tickets for
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: these Arizona Fall League games. There's usually uh four or
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: five of them throughout the weekend uh there that are
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: part of hur registration package. So we have time to
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: uh all attend those games, and they're great because it's
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: a general admission UH games. There's often you know, these
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: are young or prospects that are uh you know, a
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: step or two away from the majors. Uh, So we
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: see these guys. You know, there'll be a couple of
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: top guys there, but there'll be some guys that are
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: fighting for uh spots in their organization. So that's always
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: fun like checking out the checking out the prospects that way,
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: So we do those do that oftentimes in the mornings,
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: we have sessions like on you know, have a couple
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: of prospect writers go over prospects. There might be different
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: sessions on different formats, like a NFBC centric session, a
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: score sheet session, as as well as just straight up
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: uh player analysis. And it's really a it's a blast
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: put together as someone uh that you know is involved
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: in the industry. We invite all kinds of different speakers
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: from different sites and podcasts. Yeah, there's a podcast room
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: there that we have eight to ten podcasts and that
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: are kind of going on live at different times that
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: folks can sit in and on and kind of get
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: part of. It's just a it's just a well rounded
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: kind of good camaraderie, uh, you know, folks in baseball
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: and fantasy baseball especially kind of all weekend long. So
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: it's uh yeah, it's really a highlighted year. It's fun.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Excuse me for me to kind of help put together
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: the program and try to think about what are some
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: of the recurring kind of sessions we want to have
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: for folks as well as kind of new things to
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: look into. So I don't know if that's I don't
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: like I said, don't know if that's is defined us quick,
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: but that's one of a on it and we were
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: glad to have you join us for the first time
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: last year, so that was pretty cool.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I mean, I think that's a great synopsis.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: I mean, it's such a fantastic weekend in terms of
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: I mean, I was talking baseball with all sorts of
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: different folks all weekend. And I think one of the
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: highlights of last year too was when as a conference
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: we drank every beer out of the bar in the
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: hotel side. So it's a it's a rock and group
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: in terms of, you know, having a good time and
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: going on vacation in Arizona and it's beautiful at that
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: time of year. So yeah, I had an absolute blast. So,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: like you said, that is the quick summary, because it's
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: so much to try to pack in and try to
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: explain for those who haven't been there, especially because it
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: is a lot if you've never been. So if you
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: want to also, let no, when are the dates for
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: this year and kind of what are some of the
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: plans for the big events too. Yeah, I mean, because
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: last year we weren't there during the Fall Star Game,
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: but we are going to be this year, which is
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: going to be fantastic. And the nice thing is it's
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: also at the Sheraton Mason and Wrigleyville, so on one
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: centralized location, but let people know what the dates are,
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: kind of what the setup is in terms of those
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: details of logistics exactly.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah. So this weekend this year, it's November sixth through
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: the ninth. As you say, this is our third or
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: fourth year, I think at this facility Sheraton Maso Wrigleyville left,
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: which is literally right across the street from one of
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: the parts that's right across from Sloan Park, which is
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: the Cubs spring training home, and it's one of the
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: it's one of the AFL clubs. So this year, like
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: you said, they have they have kind of a full
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: Stars weekends kind of like a league All Star game. Uh.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: And that that runs on the Sunday evening of our
• 9:10
  Speaker 2: of our conference this year.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: And that's at Sloan Parks right across the right across
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: the street on Sunday night. Uh. And on Saturday night
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: there's a league wide kind of home run Derby that
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: they put on with some other fan fare and such. Uh.
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: And that takes place again also has slowan at six
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: thirty on that Saturday, and then there are two games.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: There's an afternoon and an evening game scheduled on Friday, UH,
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: and an evening game on Thursday, which kind of serves
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: as our kickoff. We do a kind of a sort
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: of a welcome reception with a cash bar and some
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: appetiers and stuff. Again has Sloan Park for one of
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: the uh one of the actual AFL games. So that's
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: the UH that's the general layout of the weekend. Like
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: you said, last year, we weren't. We often usually are
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: on the same weekend as this Fall Stars game, which
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: is fun. You know, it's kind of the best of
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: the of the group that's out there and if there's
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: any kind of high profile guys that are always playing there.
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: And but last year week because of some scheduling stuff,
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: we weren't able to coordinate with that one. But this
• 10:23
  Speaker 2: year we are so excited excited to do that. And yeah,
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: we're kind of in the midst of planning from the
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: other sessions and activities I said I had mentioned before.
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: We do drafts to kind of play out for in
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: this case for the twenty twenty sixth season with kind
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: of prizes and stuff. So that's always fun. We have
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: a kind of a big draft, kind of it'll be
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: in the afternoon on Saturday afternoon. This year, well will
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: be five or six different drafts that you can sign
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: up for different kind of well that's uh, there's will
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: be uh you know, a best ball and and uh
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: some drafts and holds and an auction to be a
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: part of it, uh if that's your thing, and uh
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: yeah it is really Uh we also kind of, yeah,
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: sort of take pride in in the fact of the
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: feedback that we get from a lot of folks is
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: just the uh you know, the upfront noss and just
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: frint friendliness of kind of everyone out there. And that's
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: something that we u try to foster and have everyone
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: kind of uh feel of them out there. And I
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: know you mentioned and talking with you beforehand, you you
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: came by yourself, uh last year, and that's that's you know,
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: we often hear that folks come kind of on on
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: their own, uh, but it doesn't take long till they
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: find you find kindred kindred spirits out there. Uh and uh,
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: you know, folks to hang out with for the weekend.
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: And for those that return year after year, you know,
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: it may be the only time you see this group
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: or a certain uh you know folks, uh each year
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: and you kind of just pick it up where you can.
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: But it's a it's just a yeah, really a really
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: fun time. One of the other things I want to
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: uh mention too, is just that there are a lot
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: of uh, you know, the kind of industry people there,
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: kind of writers and podcasters and you know folks you
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: read and from these different sites and all that. But
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: we do, you know, we it is not like an
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: exclusive sort of industry conference at all, at least we
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: don't want it to be that. I mean, we want
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: it to be if you're able to come and you
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: have you know, you play in one home league, uh
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: you know, for for whatever, for thirty years or for
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: three years or whatever, you know, you can come and
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: kind of learn stuff and enjoy. But we can so
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: we definitely try to you know, kind of cater the
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: programs to the actual folks that are you know, in
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: these home leagues playing the games. And of course there's
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: always at any session, almost in all the sessions as
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: well as in the hallways in between, there's always a
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: chance to uh ask questions of of of the writers
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: or the presenters that are there throughout the weekend, and
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: usually everyone because uh, you know, we've got fancy baseball
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: on the mind, are just more than happy to discuss
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: any any one a number of fancy baseball or other
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: topics with you all. So I yeah, I encourage encourage
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: your listeners. If there's folks that are on the fence
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: that it may have heard about it or or do
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: you mention it and are considering it. It is obviously
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: a commitment, So it's a weekend away and it's uh,
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: you know, it's uh there's some financial commitment as part
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: of it too for us just to be able to
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: put it on. But if that's if you're able to
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: do it as.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely yeah, And I mean I can
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: echo with that. In terms of my experience the first
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: time last year, it is certainly there are writers and
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: podcasters and other folks that you read and listen to,
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: but lots of people who just enjoy being there and
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: kind of are taking it all in. And I mean
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: there's lots of things to learn too. I learned so
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: many tidbits, learned about lots of different players, saw so
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: much baseball in terms of looking you know, going to
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: those Fall league games, and I mean there's something I
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: think for everybody because you know, there's multiple sessions going
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: on at one time, you know, concurrently, so you can
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: find something that will work for you. So certainly if
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: you are on the fence, like you said, I mean
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: I was until last year, and now it's like something
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: I've been itching to get back ever since the weekend
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: was wrapped up because I had such a great time
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: either meeting people who you know, I've been reading their
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: work for a long time, or we were Internet friends,
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: or I made new friends.
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: There's I joined one league out there where I was
• 15:10
  Speaker 1: just talking and in during one of the games and
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: the stands and I joined this home league that had
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: been going forever and they're they're kicking my butt. But
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: but yeah, like you said, the live drafts are also
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: really fun in terms of you've got gladiators and best
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: balls and drafting holds and a little bit of everything
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: for anyone. So, I mean, I know you you mentioned
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: the financial commitment, but on top of getting to go
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: to the conference, you get all the tickets to the games,
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: You get a copy of the twenty twenty six Baseball
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: HQ Forecaster, You get a copy of the BASEketball HQ
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six Minor League publication as well, and then yeah,
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: you get a lunch, you get the well reception to
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: be able to go. So it's I think it's a
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: great deal because on top of it too, you've got
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: a few tiers right coming up. What is the tiers
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: and pricing so that people can sign up and make
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: sure that they get the best deal they can sure.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, registration right now is at four twenty nine for
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: the weekend, and we have a we kind of yes,
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: we do kind of several early bird kind of discount rates,
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: but that four twenty nine is good through through this Friday,
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: August twenty second. After that, it's the price goes up some.
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: There's our final kind of deadline is let me find it.
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: It's Friday September twelfth for seventy nine, and then after
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: that any time after that it's five ninety nine for
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: the weekend. But yeah, even you know, even even in September,
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: we do some you know, do couponing sometimes. But we're
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: really excited, uh for uh for that. The the sign
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: ups we've had so far this year are are kind
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: of succeeding, uh, anything we've had in recent years. So
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: we're looking over to a a real bumper crowd, and
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: I'm seeing some new new names also still coming through
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: on the registration. So that's always uh, that's always fun
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: because yeah, like you, it's just always great, uh, including
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: new people, meeting new people, uh and having them be apart.
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: So yeah, if and then we also I guess yeah
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: for uh they're at the at the actual facility. We
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: also have uh we have a room block where the
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: hotel rooms there are at a discount. You don't uh
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: you know, you can also find lodging other places, but
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: obviously being right there at the hotel is uh is
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: very convenient. They take they take really good care of us,
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: the folks there. If you stay at the hotel, a
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: hot breakfast is included in that, which helps out. It's
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: kind of another benefit uh there get you get your
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: fueled and a m before we get gone exactly several
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: several mornings.
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: So yeah, and if you stay there too, you can
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: help out as we try to drink all the beer
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: in the hotel bar again this year, so right, yes, yes,
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: we set the bar very high last year. So uh.
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: It is also it's the thirtieth anniversary here. You kind
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: of alluded to that, and that's what's in all the
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: branding and stuff for this, So anything special we've got
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: planned for the thirtieth anniversary here first picture Arizona.
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there are several things, some things which I'll reveal,
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: somethings will kind of wait till we get there about
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: but it will certainly include some looking back, kind of
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: old photos and old memories from folks that have been
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: there for a lot of those thirty years, and some
• 19:16
  Speaker 2: looking you know, as well as kind of looking at
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: how our game that we play has kind of changed
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: over that time. I think we'll be doing some looking
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: forward to, like you know, sittle around a little bit
• 19:29
  Speaker 2: with what it could look like in another fifteen or
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: twenty years. That be fun, But that kind of thing
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: just sort of and I had lots of pictures, of course,
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: I think, just kind of celebrating something as crazy as
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: a fantasy baseball getaway weekend going on since nineteen I
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: think nineteen ninety four was their very first one, and
• 19:56
  Speaker 2: I think they've I think we've missed two one of
• 20:00
  Speaker 2: course from the COVID year. Yes, and then I believe
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: there was one that perhaps soon they may have run
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: the very first one and then skipped the year, uh,
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: because that was right around the time of the ninety strike.
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: But anyway, this is the thirtieth time that we've gathered.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: I've been fortunate enough to be able to be coming
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: since two thousand and eight. But there are folks there
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: Ron Chandler certainly, and a few others that have been
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: there for all the thirty years, and so, uh, there
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: will be uh yeah, there will be some storytelling for
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: sure as part of the part of the weekend too.
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: But uh yeah, it'll it'll be a fun it'll be
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: a fun celebration. They'll also be actually one of the
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: things too, Ron has gone wanted to bring back one
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: of the activities called Arizona Challenge, which is basically like
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: a full room I mean those that want to participate auction,
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: uh except uh with the caveat that there's a panel
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: of three or four people that decide who is coming
• 21:14
  Speaker 2: up for nominations. So in the past, these you know,
• 21:19
  Speaker 2: they've just brought up a whole string of catchers or
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: you know, waited on uh waited to bring out uh
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: some superstar Alex Rodriguez till you know, way later in
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: the draft. Uh that kind of thing, and having it'll
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: be clear they'll you know, there'll be some sets it'll
• 21:40
  Speaker 2: be like a retro draft off of last last year's
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: stats when it will kind of compile on the fly
• 21:47
  Speaker 2: and all that. But that should be, Uh, that should
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: be a fun time. They had had some good stories
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: of of of that in the past, and so that's
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: that's one of the things that will be going on.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: Uh for sure.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Awesome, that sounds fantastic. Yeah, I'm looking forward to that
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: on top of just everything else. I can't I can't wait.
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: So it should also be a really exciting year for
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: prospects too. I know, like last year Leo Dolls Freeze
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: was out there, who got traded from the Padres to
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: the A's recently, and so we've got a pretty strong
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: crop of prospects going on in the league. So I'm
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: just I'm waiting for seeing who will be out there.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: I mean last year, like Jose Percegno, we saw him
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: put on a cool show. Any other kind of like
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: cool prospects that you've seen over all the years that
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: really stand out to you.
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: Well, this is before my time, But the one story
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: they love to tell from early on is in uh
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: in two in the fall of two thousand, some of
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: these guys were gone out to one of the games
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: that I don't know, Scottsdale Stadium, and there was this
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: there was this right handed hitter that kept putting the
• 22:58
  Speaker 2: ball over this uh over out in the burm over
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: the trees and just crushing everything. And it was Albert
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: Poohle's the year the year before, uh, you know, the
• 23:11
  Speaker 2: year he was a rookie. And so the story that
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: the old timers like to tell is that, yeah, that
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: group of first pitch Arizona attendees you know, knew, knew
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: who to grab uh in the drafts next spring, and
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: we're you know, rewarded Hampson handsomely uh with the you know,
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: Rookie of the Year performance whatever it was thirty seven
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: homers one and thirty ribies like that. So that's uh,
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: that's one of them. Uh the year. I think more
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: recently that Mike Trout and Bryce Harper were on the
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: same team out there, uh in in the Arizona Fall
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: League team because again, all of the you know, the
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: it just worked out that all the Angels and all
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: the Nationals prospects were uh part of the same group. Uh.
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: So that's that was fun to see, you know. And
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: again at that point, they were uh, you know, a
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: stepper two away from the majors. I forget exactly exactly
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: what year it was, but they were a stepper two
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: away from the majors. People knew who they were, you know.
• 24:18
  Speaker 2: It was not a HOWERT. Poole's sort of thing, which
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: is uh, you know, pre uh social media and all
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: that kind of thing. But but the but the Harper,
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: the Harper Trout kind of uh yeah, being on the
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: same team was the fun one for sure.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's fantastic. Yeah, Yeah, I'm really jazzed because getting
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: to see the Fall Star game is going to be
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: allow us to see all those players and I've never
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: attended to any sort of like home run derby now
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: that I think about it, So it's going to be
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: great to see that in action in the in the
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: thin desert air. So I'm looking forward to seeing some
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: Titanic taters that night. So yeah, it's gonna be a
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: great time.
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: Good.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, if I figured, since I have you on
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: and you're also a fantasy baseball player and lover like,
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: we should get into a little bit of discussion on
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: some news too.
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: So yeah, one actually, one thing I thought of that
• 25:13
  Speaker 2: I didn't. We didn't mention where to find out more information.
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: Perfect. Yeah, I was going to say, because I will
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: put this in the show notes to all the information
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: links to all the materials for first Picked Arizona will
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: be in the show notes. So if you're listening, click
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: down there and yeah, let everybody know where they can
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: also find it.
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fine. I mean, we as baseblaite Que put
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: together the conference, and so you can go to base
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: plites Qu's website. You'll see information there on the right
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: rail and it'll click. You can click into that and
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: see kind of the basic rundown. We're still working on
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: the official schedule to get up there, but you can
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: look at previous years schedules to kind of get a
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: feel for how the days go. So we have all
• 26:01
  Speaker 2: the confirmed speakers up there already, as well as information
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: just general information testimonials from folks that have gone in
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: the past, and an FAQ and then all the pricing
• 26:14
  Speaker 2: breakdown tiers and stuff are there. But yeah, base boys
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: qu dot com is kind of where we have that stuff.
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: So sorry, no, I'm gonna cut you off. We can
• 26:24
  Speaker 2: we can move back into the news.
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: Yeah, No, that's okay. Uh, that's going to be very
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: important that if people want to actually sign up, you
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: got to actually find the link. So right, all right,
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: let's get into some of that new discussion, because we've
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: had some pretty big stories here over the past weeks
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: since I normally pot on Wednesdays, and the biggest one
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: actually concerns your Philadelphia Phillies I think in terms of
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: a starting pitcher, Zach Wheeler. He had been battling shoulder
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: soreness probably for a few weeks, and then we finally
• 26:56
  Speaker 1: had a diagnosis after his late his latest out where
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: it was a pretty short outing and he labored a
• 27:02
  Speaker 1: little bit more than you're used to for, Zach Wheeler
• 27:05
  Speaker 1: ended up realizing that he had a blood clot in
• 27:08
  Speaker 1: his shoulder. Since then, he has actually had a surgery
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: to remove that blood clot. So we're still waiting on
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: a timetable in terms of what his return might look
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: like this season, if it happens at all. So I
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: guess what do you do in this type of situation
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: where you're waiting in between for especially if you had
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: Zack Wheeler on your team, this guy was an absolute
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: horse for you, carrying you through the season with a fantastic,
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: fantastic year, a two seventy one ERA and one hundred
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: and ninety five strikeouts before he went down. What do
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: you do for like the rest of the season to
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: try to replace him as much as you can? And
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: what do you think his long term outlook looks like
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: going into twenty twenty six? Are you still drafting him
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: as an ACE based on this?
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, it's boy, it's just one of those gut punches. Really,
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: Like you said, he had been not his same self
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: the past couple of starts, but still, uh, the you know,
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: the news of a you know, a serious medical condition
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: kind of for anybody, let alone a picture you know,
• 28:19
  Speaker 2: blood clots kind of thing that uh, you know, yes
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: he was laboring, but still the gravity of that sort
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: of came out of nowhere. The fact that, like you said,
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: he on as a fantasy you know, anchor is on
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: your teams, I mean and has been you know, relatively healthy,
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: uh and at this high level the last several years,
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: just something that if he you know, if you as
• 28:50
  Speaker 2: you rostered him, you just didn't have to worry about it,
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: you know, your your plans a couple of weeks ago
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: for the last six weeks. You know, if you had
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: Zack Wheeler, that was the last thing you were worrying about, right,
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: I mean, you have you had an ace uh there
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: to to lead that charge and now and now you don't.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: Or I probably went past your fantasy like trade deadline
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: and maybe he was dealt at the deadline. I know
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: in some of mine he was dealt at the deadline
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: for significant halls.
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: Yeah, right, exactly, thinking that you had the final piece
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: right to a run or you know, and then head
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: to head leagues that have you know, playoffs coming up
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: here soon. I mean, it's the same kind of thing.
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, your question about what you do is that
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: I mean there's just not much I mean, or there's
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: you know, that's just the reality there. You can, you know,
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: you can. I think the best you can hope for
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: is that what he's given you so far has put
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: you in a position to be able to whether the
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: next six weeks trying to find another, you know, other,
• 30:00
  Speaker 2: a replacement or a group of replacements that give you
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: can give you kind of a portion of what he
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: gave you. But you're still kind of riding on the
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: strong ratios and that big K number or any other
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: you know, statistic that the scoring specific that you're that
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: you're using, you know, especially in like a season long application.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: I think you just you just do the best you
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: can kind of to kind of compensate for it. But
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: it's just, uh, you know, it's just the reality of
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: the game we play sometimes times that happens. I mean,
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: these things kind of uh come out of nowhere. That's
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: just that just you know, at a wrinkle that you
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: we need to overcome. So as far as Wheeler himself, yeah,
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: I mean I'm not I'm not counting on him at
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: all for the rest of the year. I mean they
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: haven't officially said that, but that's I uh, you know,
• 31:00
  Speaker 2: with the surgery and and all that, I can't imagine
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: that even if he would make it back to the
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: last you know, best case a couple of starts or
• 31:11
  Speaker 2: something before else somehow that that that would even be
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: you know, they the Phills would be if that was
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: even the case, the Phillies would be treating him, you know, lightly,
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: He's not going to go deep. Uh. It's just uh,
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: I just think it's it's better to kind of accept
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: that that you're that you kind of won't have him.
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: I mean, I do I do wonder about when he
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: asked the question about next year. I it's just it's
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: just hard to know. You know, there's there's been some
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: talk that that, uh you know, that that this there
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: was a Philadelphia a writer here who mentioned that this
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: is this could that the symptoms of this and try
• 32:01
  Speaker 2: I'm something around the symptoms of what it sounds like,
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: again not being medical professionals, Uh, it is somewhat a parallel.
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: Seems to be a parallel to what Merrill Kelly had
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: a couple of years ago. Uh right, Kelly, So Kelly,
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: you know, had something like that. And again it's it's
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: kind of speculative because you know, for good reason, we
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: don't know all of those medical histories, but it seems
• 32:27
  Speaker 2: like some of the symptoms were similar. Uh Kelly missing time,
• 32:31
  Speaker 2: got some surgery and obviously has come back fairly close
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: to what he was and obviously he had had a
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: fantastic having a fantastic season uh this year. So you know,
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: I guess that's a that's the best case scenario. I
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: I mean, I I think if I'm you know, if
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: I'm drafting now or drafting this fall, I mean I
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: think I'm still I think I'm still interested in in Wheeler.
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: I think it's discounted because of the risk. You just
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: don't know how he's going to respond, uh because I mean,
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: I you know, I think it's also you know, it's
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: just unfortunately isn't within the it is within the realm
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: of possibility that it's a you know, a career threatening
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: or altering uh situation, just health wise. And that's just
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: how it is. This is especially you know, as as
• 33:33
  Speaker 2: we all are fans with different teams, when that happens
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: to your own team, you want to you want to
• 33:38
  Speaker 2: kind of think the best. And I yes, I'm in
• 33:40
  Speaker 2: Philadelphia and grew up with a Philly fan, and uh,
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: you know, have enjoyed uh watching him pitch for us
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: for the past bunch of years, and so you uh
• 33:50
  Speaker 2: you hope it doesn't end this way. But the reality is,
• 33:53
  Speaker 2: it's just uh yeah, it's just hard to know. I think,
• 33:56
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think the answer to the question is
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: for future year and stuff is just you know, your
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: kind of tolerance for risk, there's not be a lot
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: of risk because at least at this point, hopefully you know,
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: hopefully we have some more information here soon or as
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: the off season goes on, we'll have some information, but
• 34:16
  Speaker 2: there still will be even even if that he comes
• 34:20
  Speaker 2: back and is quote unquote fine or they think he's okay,
• 34:24
  Speaker 2: there'll still be some I think some risk involved in that.
• 34:27
  Speaker 1: So yeah, absolutely, I mean, or if you want to
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: find one place where the draft price might be set,
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: Arizona Fall League, join us all. There will be plenty
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: of drafts where you'll get the first taste and to
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: see where he'll be going. Or maybe there's a possibility
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: that somebody might be returning here that could help you out.
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: And that is we have Shane Bieber for now. The
• 34:52
  Speaker 1: Toronto Blue Jays is set to be coming off the
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: i L later this week. We're speaking on Wednesday. It
• 34:58
  Speaker 1: looks like he's slated to start on on Friday. And
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: he's been very sharp down in the minor league. So
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: it has been across a few stops, actually every stop
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: between complex ball, high A double A triple A done
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: that across Cleveland and Toronto. Put up twenty nine innings
• 35:17
  Speaker 1: one to eighty six ERA eleven point four K nine
• 35:22
  Speaker 1: a point ninety three walk per nine eighty or a
• 35:26
  Speaker 1: fifty eight percent ground ball rate, So things are humming.
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: He looks like he's picking up right where he left
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: off last year in twenty twenty four, where he opened
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: the season with no runs given up after twelve innings
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: and then eventually had to have that elbow surgery to
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: went down with Tommy John. He's looking like it's all
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: systems go here for Shane Bieber. So, I mean, are
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: you really excited about him, you think he could return
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: to something akin to what we've seen in his previous
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: si young years, or are you maybe a little more
• 35:59
  Speaker 1: hesitant to dive in uh all the way on somebody
• 36:02
  Speaker 1: like this returning from a major elbow surgery.
• 36:05
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm a little I'm a little more hesitant, uh,
• 36:11
  Speaker 2: just early on because we've seen uh some uh this
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: year in fact, like some pictures that take a little
• 36:22
  Speaker 2: you know, to take a little longer to kind of
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: quote unquote get it back. You know, Yuri Perez certainly
• 36:29
  Speaker 2: went through that. He's since you know, recovered out of
• 36:33
  Speaker 2: that that those first couple, uh, you know, first handful
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: of starts were not good. Uh. Sandy L. Contra, you know,
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: has been kind of up and down all year. I
• 36:43
  Speaker 2: mean these were both I mean Contra especially uh somewhat
• 36:48
  Speaker 2: akin to Bieber as far as you know, track record,
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: uh you know, a sustained uh time of of success
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: uh kind of you know, kind of know where his
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: level is at. I on the other hand, I mean
• 37:08
  Speaker 2: you couldn't you know, you couldn't really ask for better
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: uh stats coming up through the miners on the rehab
• 37:16
  Speaker 2: stuff either, And so it is, you know, it is.
• 37:24
  Speaker 2: It is something that I could see folks chasing if
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: you if you want to. And the you know, the
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: other the other reality is kind of where we are
• 37:34
  Speaker 2: in the season, you know, with five six weeks left.
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: I mean, you we don't have a lot of time
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: for We don't have time for him to go through
• 37:44
  Speaker 2: his you know, Uri Perez stage and then get better.
• 37:47
  Speaker 2: The season's gonna be over. But maybe, you know, but
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: maybe he's the outlier. I mean we do certainly, yeah.
• 37:55
  Speaker 2: I mean the level that he was at the control
• 37:58
  Speaker 2: he showed you know, at his best years of Cleveland,
• 38:01
  Speaker 2: the cy Young all the metrics kind of backed up
• 38:07
  Speaker 2: his his level there, but his skills and that kind
• 38:10
  Speaker 2: of thing. So it's definitely in there, you know. But
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: we also could have said the same thing you know
• 38:17
  Speaker 2: about al Contra, uh Perez and others that kind of
• 38:21
  Speaker 2: take a little longer coming back from this, but but yeah,
• 38:26
  Speaker 2: I think there are there are spots to kind of
• 38:29
  Speaker 2: take a shot on that. And I think, you know
• 38:33
  Speaker 2: you're losing. If you're someone who has lost Wheeler like that,
• 38:37
  Speaker 2: then you have the ability to to snatch up uh Beaver.
• 38:44
  Speaker 2: Uh you know, it might be depending again where you
• 38:47
  Speaker 2: are and the standings and all that, it might be
• 38:50
  Speaker 2: it might be worth a shot. I uh yeah, I
• 38:52
  Speaker 2: mean he's gone into a pretty decent uh uh you
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: know situation in Toronto, even the new team and that
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: that kind of thing. As far as win potential, I
• 39:04
  Speaker 2: think they you know, they obviously believe in him and
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: uh and think he'll be you know, I think he
• 39:11
  Speaker 2: has potential to be a big part of their uh
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: kind of playoff push and lead playoff run. So uh yeah,
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: it's it's interesting. I'll be definitely watching like us all
• 39:23
  Speaker 2: on Friday night see see what it looks like against
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: major league hitters, because that's the other thing to keep
• 39:30
  Speaker 2: in mind. Of course, while he's mowed through the minor
• 39:34
  Speaker 2: leaguers like that, even the high guys, uh you know,
• 39:36
  Speaker 2: definitely different level appear in the majors.
• 39:40
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, and I mean, I think one thing that
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: is pretty encouraging too is that walk rate. That the
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: you know, the walk rate three point one percent andle
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: a so that that I think will help him. That
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: that's always been Bieber's calling cards. So uh yeah, I'm
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: fascinated to see how it works out. I've got him
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: in a couple of places, but I think I probably
• 40:01
  Speaker 1: will be starting him. It is against Miami, which also
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: makes it really hard to not start him against the Marlins.
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: It's not a great offense. So I think we're we
• 40:11
  Speaker 1: should be having fun watching Shane Bieber start in a
• 40:14
  Speaker 1: couple of days.
• 40:16
  Speaker 2: So sure.
• 40:18
  Speaker 1: Next bit of news that we have is a couple
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: of call ups. Of course, happened right after the sort
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: of deadline, the cutoff for the number of days and
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: at bats that are needed to qualify for rookie or
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: lose your rookie eligibility and not qualify for Rookie of
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: the Year next year. So let's focus on the two
• 40:37
  Speaker 1: big ones that have happened in Baltimore. We had both
• 40:40
  Speaker 1: Samuel Bassaio, the first baseman slash dh slash catcher there
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: who was promoted after these numbers are bananas for both
• 40:51
  Speaker 1: of them FORSAIO for Basaiyo and Triple A before getting
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: promoted as a twenty year old. Let's keep that in mind,
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: that's very, very young for the level. He slashed two
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: seventy three, seventy seven, five eighty nine. That's a one
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: to fifty WRC plus with twenty homers over three hundred
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: and twenty one played appearances. So he's already put up
• 41:11
  Speaker 1: five RBIs in his first three games. Looks like a
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: stud of a catcher going forward for the rest of
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: the season. The other one that we had called up
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: was Dylan Beavers. Who I mean, if you thought those
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: were great numbers for Samuel Bisio, wait till you hear this.
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: Dylan Beaver's line three zero four four twenty five point
• 41:30
  Speaker 1: fifteen slash line that's a one to fifty two WRC
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: plus and triple A. It came with eighteen homers, twenty
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: three stolen bases, seventy eight runs scored in ninety four games,
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: four hundred and eighteen plate appearances. Both of them look
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: like absolute like league winners or shifters, you know, in
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: terms of their skill set. Basio, it's really tough to
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: find a great catcher that is going to play at
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: that volume at first base in DH and have that power.
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: Beavers kind of does all of it in you know, speed,
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: average home run power. So are you verys excited about
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: these guys as as you can.
• 42:09
  Speaker 2: Tell, I am.
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: I've written a lot about them in my waiver wire
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: pieces because I was trying to prepare people to stash
• 42:14
  Speaker 1: them away, and I hope that they did because the
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: prices shot through the roof in any leagues that had
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: fab runs over the weekend. So what do you what
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: do you see in these two players in Thesio and Beavers?
• 42:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Uh as the SiO. Yeah, it's it's super impressive
• 42:34
  Speaker 2: watching just just a few of his major leaguet bats,
• 42:39
  Speaker 2: uh this week. He seems to uh have that combination
• 42:46
  Speaker 2: of uh, you know, a good plan at the plate
• 42:51
  Speaker 2: and then the physical ability to just punish mistakes you know,
• 42:56
  Speaker 2: and kind of and and do and be able to
• 43:00
  Speaker 2: uh you know, cover the plate well, get the good
• 43:04
  Speaker 2: pitches and really uh put a charge into it. So
• 43:09
  Speaker 2: the yes, the fact that he put up that stat
• 43:14
  Speaker 2: line that for me kind of passes that eye test,
• 43:20
  Speaker 2: and you know, and is so young. I think all
• 43:25
  Speaker 2: are point two reasons to be excited. I think with
• 43:31
  Speaker 2: both of these guys, I do you know, keep in
• 43:35
  Speaker 2: mind the Orioles uh and there and their uh track
• 43:42
  Speaker 2: record of kind of working some of these other prospects
• 43:46
  Speaker 2: in you know, kind of the up and down of
• 43:51
  Speaker 2: kind of Kobe Mayo, how how you know, Holiday Jackson
• 43:56
  Speaker 2: Holly has kind of worked out, and I think he's
• 43:58
  Speaker 2: kind of uh settled in now second base, but kind
• 44:01
  Speaker 2: of this time last year kind of moving him in
• 44:05
  Speaker 2: and out some kind of seeming to not fully commit
• 44:10
  Speaker 2: or give chances to some of these guys. So I
• 44:15
  Speaker 2: don't know, will for instance, Sosia be different. I mean,
• 44:19
  Speaker 2: the obvious thing you haven't mentioned too, that is there
• 44:24
  Speaker 2: is Rutchman, you know, being kind of the understood franchise catcher.
• 44:34
  Speaker 2: It's not you know, now we're still you know, Jordan
• 44:37
  Speaker 2: Westburg was kind of hurt this week, so's there's some
• 44:40
  Speaker 2: stuff shifting around, but I haven't seen it yet where
• 44:45
  Speaker 2: you know, they haven't really moved Mayo back to third.
• 44:49
  Speaker 2: I mean, I think Mayo long term is more of
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: a first basement. It seems to me defensively having that,
• 44:54
  Speaker 2: but like if they trusted me to play third, then
• 44:57
  Speaker 2: you could you know, open up a a bigger path
• 45:01
  Speaker 2: for Masio, who's who's played a good bit of first
• 45:03
  Speaker 2: as well as catcher uh and d H. So I
• 45:07
  Speaker 2: think with with that Sosio especially, there's seems this just
• 45:11
  Speaker 2: seems to be uh you know, other folks that are
• 45:16
  Speaker 2: there now. I think, you know, if I were running
• 45:20
  Speaker 2: the club and I was where the Orioles were, I
• 45:22
  Speaker 2: would think you would want to see you know, that
• 45:25
  Speaker 2: this would be a perfect six weeks to kind of
• 45:27
  Speaker 2: exactly you know, plug Basio in a you know, eighty
• 45:30
  Speaker 2: percent of the time at one of these spots and
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: move guys around and see what you got.
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: Signed some pitching in the off season too.
• 45:38
  Speaker 2: Well yeah, exactly, well that's that's true. Uh but but
• 45:42
  Speaker 2: I mean, so far the first week they have they
• 45:45
  Speaker 2: have gotten him you know, uh some of Fats and
• 45:47
  Speaker 2: so perhaps perhaps that is part of the thing, you know,
• 45:51
  Speaker 2: maybe uh, maybe they are coming to terms with uh
• 45:55
  Speaker 2: sitting Ryan Mountcastle more because they want to see SiO
• 45:58
  Speaker 2: at the very least, you know, hit uh and let
• 46:01
  Speaker 2: him let him uh you know, be the primary DH.
• 46:06
  Speaker 2: But that's still in mind for me. Beavers, uh, you know, certainly,
• 46:12
  Speaker 2: like you said, is more you know, is more kind
• 46:16
  Speaker 2: of well rounded. I don't think the overall ceiling uh
• 46:19
  Speaker 2: is as high, but the you know, but the combination,
• 46:23
  Speaker 2: like you said, of the good batting average of power
• 46:26
  Speaker 2: and the speed there are definitely uh, definitely interesting. I
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: remember seeing Beavers. This is several years ago back in
• 46:37
  Speaker 2: low A and uh, I I was not overly really impressed.
• 46:43
  Speaker 2: I think it was I think it was his draft.
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: I think it was the year he was drafted and
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: the very end of the year, UH, and he was
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: up and it just didn't It just didn't pop to me.
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: But obviously, I mean, these guys are you know, all
• 46:57
  Speaker 2: on different heads and all that kind of thing, and
• 46:59
  Speaker 2: obviously the numbers support uh, you know, a much more refined,
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: polished prospect at this point and what it was uh
• 47:08
  Speaker 2: several years ago. The thing the thing I will say
• 47:11
  Speaker 2: about uh beavers is to me, it seems like uh
• 47:15
  Speaker 2: that that the Orioles would have a spot in the
• 47:18
  Speaker 2: outfield more easily to kind of plug him in for
• 47:21
  Speaker 2: the rest of the season and and see what they have,
• 47:24
  Speaker 2: you know, moving moving Mullins out, knowing Tyler and Neil's
• 47:29
  Speaker 2: going to be hurt most of the time, probably for
• 47:32
  Speaker 2: just because that's how it is. Uh. You know, I
• 47:35
  Speaker 2: think they want to play cows are a lot, uh
• 47:37
  Speaker 2: probably and uh, you know, Carlson, I don't think uh,
• 47:43
  Speaker 2: I think he's a good fill in, but I think
• 47:45
  Speaker 2: it's they have the choice. Uh, it's it just seems
• 47:48
  Speaker 2: like they're set up to kind of more in the outfield,
• 47:51
  Speaker 2: to stick beavers in there a good bit and uh
• 47:54
  Speaker 2: and kind of see what they have. And I think
• 47:56
  Speaker 2: the you know, having the athletic outfielder like that on
• 48:00
  Speaker 2: the corner even uh will be that. So from that perspective, Yeah,
• 48:06
  Speaker 2: that's what I that's what I think. I mean again,
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: sort of keeping in mind Baltimore and not totally trusting
• 48:15
  Speaker 2: how they've shown that they've that they can integrate young
• 48:18
  Speaker 2: guys in the past. That's kind of a you know,
• 48:21
  Speaker 2: overlays this full situation. I would say, Besiles, yes, the
• 48:25
  Speaker 2: higher upside, and you know, I'm hoping, uh for our
• 48:31
  Speaker 2: purposes next year, that he uh catches enough to kind
• 48:34
  Speaker 2: of have catch your eligibility for next year. But it's
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: also a possibility where you know, depending on your leg
• 48:41
  Speaker 2: role is all important. But you know that he if
• 48:44
  Speaker 2: he ends up beaching more than catching Uh, he may
• 48:47
  Speaker 2: not be catcher eligible right away either, but anyway, all
• 48:52
  Speaker 2: have to say I think he has the higher upside.
• 48:54
  Speaker 2: Beaver's I think is really interesting. Also, I think that
• 48:59
  Speaker 2: Beavers I has a clearer path to twenty twenty five
• 49:04
  Speaker 2: kind of playing time. So you know, we'll try to
• 49:08
  Speaker 2: balance all that out.
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think that's a great takes on
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: both those players. I think I'm right there with you.
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: So let's move on from current Baltimore Orioles to a
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: former Baltimore oriol and Kyle Stowers, who went down with
• 49:21
  Speaker 1: an oblique strading this week and we're still waiting to
• 49:25
  Speaker 1: see kind of what it will look like in terms
• 49:28
  Speaker 1: of the time missed, but they're currently saying out of
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: Miami that'll be several weeks that he's down with a
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: Grade one strain on his left side, and I mean,
• 49:37
  Speaker 1: with the Marlins out of it, you don't necessarily know
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: whether or not he's going to make it back. If
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: he doesn't, it was a great season for Kyle Stowers
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: wherever you picked him because the draft cost was minimal.
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: It's a two eighty eight three sixty eight forty four
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: slash line that's a one forty nine WRC plus twenty
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: five homers seventy three RBIs even five steals as he
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: was an All Star for you, and we just discussed
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: him on this pot a few weeks ago because he
• 50:06
  Speaker 1: won the Rookie of the Month in the NL, so
• 50:10
  Speaker 1: we commemorated his three homer game they had right before
• 50:14
  Speaker 1: the All Star break. He's been hot over the past, like,
• 50:17
  Speaker 1: you know, six weeks or so, so certainly a breakout
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: year for Stours. Where I want to go with this
• 50:22
  Speaker 1: question is what do you do in situations like this
• 50:26
  Speaker 1: for fantasy where you're got a player who goes down?
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: It's all It always seems like it's an oblique strain
• 50:32
  Speaker 1: or it's a hamstring strain that you're dealing with in
• 50:36
  Speaker 1: late August early September. But he's been a stud for
• 50:39
  Speaker 1: you on the fantasy side for several months. The way
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: Stours has been when do you cut bait? And is
• 50:46
  Speaker 1: there like a magic formula for you or is it
• 50:49
  Speaker 1: all feel and pixie dust?
• 50:54
  Speaker 2: Yeah, no, there's no magic formula. I you know, I
• 51:00
  Speaker 2: think the individual injury. Individual injury is always important. Unfortunately,
• 51:06
  Speaker 2: to me, oblique strains often uh I can seem to
• 51:11
  Speaker 2: take longer than what their initial diagnoses are. Uh so
• 51:17
  Speaker 2: it's a grade one, which is low. It shouldn't you
• 51:20
  Speaker 2: know you think he'll be back? I yeah, I guess.
• 51:25
  Speaker 2: I guess that's where I start with this. I'm a
• 51:27
  Speaker 2: little a little skeptical, you know that he'll be back
• 51:32
  Speaker 2: to to help I. You know, I I don't have
• 51:37
  Speaker 2: him roster it anywhere, but of course wish wish I did.
• 51:40
  Speaker 2: Like you said, he was the uh you know, he
• 51:43
  Speaker 2: was uh great for what you for what anybody uh
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: paid for him or picked him up, you know, whether
• 51:50
  Speaker 2: you got him in a draft or whether you uh
• 51:52
  Speaker 2: you know, got him in a fab run during the year.
• 51:57
  Speaker 2: I I think, if you know, if you're to me,
• 52:02
  Speaker 2: I wouldn't I wouldn't hold on to him. If he's
• 52:06
  Speaker 2: taking up some sort of precious bench space that you
• 52:09
  Speaker 2: can use for something else, I probably would let go
• 52:14
  Speaker 2: and like and only you know, I think I'm talking
• 52:16
  Speaker 2: in mainly in redraft situations at this point, but you
• 52:22
  Speaker 2: know it's in cases like that I also kind of
• 52:25
  Speaker 2: want to want to hold them as long as I can,
• 52:27
  Speaker 2: to get as much information as I can, because you know,
• 52:30
  Speaker 2: he's he is just a setback away from being out
• 52:35
  Speaker 2: the year for sure. And I think but and I
• 52:38
  Speaker 2: think you're also a right to the bring team context
• 52:43
  Speaker 2: to it. Also, the Marlins are a young team. You know,
• 52:45
  Speaker 2: at one point they've kind of made a little run
• 52:47
  Speaker 2: to made a little bit of noise about possibly snagging
• 52:51
  Speaker 2: a wild carbadge that seems to be gone. He seems
• 52:54
  Speaker 2: to be a really important part of their future. You know,
• 52:58
  Speaker 2: maybe they get him back, uh, you know, the last
• 53:01
  Speaker 2: week or so, but if if it's anything, if you like,
• 53:04
  Speaker 2: that's probably won't want to push it. So I think
• 53:09
  Speaker 2: those are the types of things both kind of the
• 53:12
  Speaker 2: injury itself, kind of the team contexts to kind of
• 53:17
  Speaker 2: keep in mind. And I think one of the hardest
• 53:18
  Speaker 2: things in fantasy to do is kind of uh two
• 53:22
  Speaker 2: you know, uh decompte de couple kind of our Oh
• 53:27
  Speaker 2: he was the man for me, you know, for five
• 53:30
  Speaker 2: months or whatever I got him for you know, a
• 53:33
  Speaker 2: dollar at the end or whatever, you know, to turn
• 53:37
  Speaker 2: that around and say I got a windfall out of that,
• 53:41
  Speaker 2: and you know, this happened and it's time to move on,
• 53:46
  Speaker 2: and you know, he he Uh, I was smart because
• 53:50
  Speaker 2: I did that, uh you know already and I can
• 53:54
  Speaker 2: move on and find uh, find the next guy. Uh
• 53:57
  Speaker 2: you know it's gonna get hot. That will help me. Uh,
• 54:00
  Speaker 2: it will help me, uh you know, from the next
• 54:03
  Speaker 2: for the final four weeks or whatever. So uh but
• 54:07
  Speaker 2: I think that's that's that's that's a tough tough thing
• 54:10
  Speaker 2: for all of us to do when a guy has
• 54:13
  Speaker 2: a guy like that has come through for you.
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly in that way. I mean, just ask people
• 54:20
  Speaker 1: that were still holding Kirra in Paris and may.
• 54:23
  Speaker 2: Right exactly.
• 54:26
  Speaker 1: Yes, I think that is a great insight. So yeah,
• 54:29
  Speaker 1: I'm glad to see that you struggle with it just
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: as much as I do. It's there's so many like
• 54:34
  Speaker 1: feelings within fantasy baseball that I think they're universal, and
• 54:39
  Speaker 1: I'm glad that I was able to find people to
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: talk about that at First Pitch Arizona. So appreciate you
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: coming on this podcast and talking ball with me, talking
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: about First Pitch Arizona and let everybody know where they
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: can read and your your work or find you on
• 54:54
  Speaker 1: socials and reach out to you and connect to you.
• 54:56
  Speaker 2: Yep, yep. So yeah, I I handle part of baseboys
• 55:00
  Speaker 2: q uh dot com. It's a subscription site of course.
• 55:06
  Speaker 2: Uh year round. I manage our group of writers. I
• 55:11
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• 55:13
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• 55:19
  Speaker 2: content pretty much every day from the beginning of spring
• 55:21
  Speaker 2: training uh through the end of the regular season. It's
• 55:25
  Speaker 2: mainly kind of season long focus. But there are other
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: aspects of what we do. Uh there. So you can
• 55:33
  Speaker 2: find my work at Base Voice Q. I'd love to
• 55:35
  Speaker 2: have you if you're not a subscriber, to be a
• 55:39
  Speaker 2: part of that. And uh, like you said, we also
• 55:42
  Speaker 2: run the uh also run the conference. You can find
• 55:45
  Speaker 2: me on Blue Sky. I don't post a ton there,
• 55:51
  Speaker 2: but that is one way to certainly connect and uh
• 55:55
  Speaker 2: that's how you got a hold of me. And uh
• 55:57
  Speaker 2: so I do answer the uh the chat things of
• 56:01
  Speaker 2: the DNS eventually, right, Yeah, yeah, you can rent it. Yeah,
• 56:07
  Speaker 2: so that's uh yeah, appreciate uh appreciate Yeah, your listenership too,
• 56:12
  Speaker 2: and any of those that are interested uh more about
• 56:15
  Speaker 2: us Arizona. Uh you can Yeah, you can contact me
• 56:20
  Speaker 2: on the on socials and answer questions or whatever. We'd
• 56:23
  Speaker 2: love to love to see you and have you there.
• 56:27
  Speaker 1: So excellent. Yeah, and uh, if you want to find
• 56:30
  Speaker 1: my work, you can find it on rasball dot com.
• 56:33
  Speaker 2: I am.
• 56:34
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• 56:38
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• 56:41
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• 56:49
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• 56:52
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• 56:56
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• 57:00
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• 57:14
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• 57:20
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• 57:23
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• 57:26
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• 57:29
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• 58:00
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• 58:03
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