Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:20):
Welcome one and all to the Hammer Territory Podcast. My
name is Sean Coleman. Hope, wherever you are and wherever
you are listening, you are having a wonderful, wonderful week
so far. It is Thursday. It is hard to believe
it is already. We're nearly a full week into August.
But it's good to talk with you as always, and Stephen,
it's actually good to be able to talk about an
(00:41):
amazing performance, not only from the Braves, and I consider
an amazing performance from this team actually getting to win,
but also the Braves actually got an amazing performance because
of the Rookie of the Year candidate Drake Baldwin with
I won't call it a career game because we've already
seen a game like this before, but perhaps the best
(01:01):
game of his young career. We talked about it last episode.
It's one of the biggest storylines of the season and
we're gonna get right into it. But before we do that, Steven,
always a pleasure to talk with you. Hope you've been
with all my friends.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
What's up, buddy? Yeah, man, we had a fun game tonight.
We had to watch a really fun game. It's kind
of it kind of reminded me of twenty twenty three
a little bit, where like they got down early and
just like slowly came back. You know. I think they
scored six runs in the last three innings too, to
(01:33):
you know, take a four run deficit into a two
run win. It was just a fun game. Like you said,
Drake Baldwin had a monster game. We talked about it
on the last show, how important it is for Drake
Baldwin to have a big last two months. But yeah,
just a fun night, really fun night of baseball, you know,
even though the season is effectively over. Although although if
(01:58):
the Braves go four and oh to end the year,
they would be in the playoffs. That would be a
ninety six win team that would probably set a couple
of records. I don't know what the longest winning streak ever.
I feel like it's probably less than forty nine, but
mathematically not out of it yet. So we're gonna we're
(02:18):
gonna skew positive here, We're gonna put on our Sean
Coleman hat. But it was a fun It was actually
a really fun game to watch tonight. And we haven't
had many of those, and we'll take as many as
we can get.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
And that'll do it here for us on the Hammer
Territory podcast, We're gonna make sure that the most positive
comment of the night comes from one that Steven Talbert
all joking aside. There is plenty of positivity to talk
about because as you mentioned, Steven, it's just simply the truth.
The biggest storyline of the season for the rest of
this year so far, I won't say the biggest storyline,
(02:50):
but one of the biggest storylines is the performance of
Drake Baldwin, not only for him ringing Rookie of the
Year house special that will be, but also the fact
of what that solidifies for him being a big part
of the Brace future and what it could add is
another asset and a very strong and pivotal draft for
the Braves in twenty twenty six. All those things are
writing on Drake Baldwin. And I want to set the
(03:11):
stage here for just how special this performance for Drake
Baldwin was, because there's several factors that go into this.
Number one, this probably is one of the most directly
important weeks of the NL Rookie of the Year race
that is left on the calendar. Because Drake Baldwin is
going head to hand, head to head with two of
his biggest competitors, Isaac Collins of the Milwaukee Brewers as
(03:34):
well as Agustin Ramirez of the Marlins, two rookies in
their own right who are not having as good as
years as Drake Baldwin, but they're big contributors to two
teams who are going after the playoffs, which the Braves
are not. The other thing is is that the added
pressure to Drake Baldwin means he has to perform and
the Braves are giving him every opportunity to But that's
exactly what he did tonight. And Stephen, the thing that
(03:56):
stands out to me is that Drake Baldwin is not
having these performances or he's not staying consistent against you know,
below average pitching or pitching that won't be in the
majors for a long time. He took deep Yuri Perez,
who legitimately is one of the best young arms in
the game. The thing that stands out to me about
Drake Baldwin, Stephen, is that the indicators that are playing
(04:19):
a big part in his success are factors of his
game that should allow for him to sustain this beyond
this year, hitting will against left handers, hitting well with
runners in scoring position, hitting well against quality pitching. To me,
that's the most exciting part of his performance so far
this year.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, I mean, I would say one of the most
important parts of a young left handed hitter's career in
the early years is how do you hit against lefties?
Because so many lefties now get platooned immediately or they
(04:59):
get like half a year to show anything, and if
they don't show anything, then they get platooned. It is
become it is very difficult to become like an everyday
player as a left handed hitter now. And listen, Drake
Baldwin having a nine hundred ops against lefties this year.
He's got better numbers against lefties than he does against righties,
(05:20):
and he hits righties really well too. He's just been
mashing lefties. That's the part that's really good like because
that is for a left handed hitter, that is the
benchmark of can you be an everyday player? Now? Listen,
he's a catcher, so he's not going to be an
everyday player obviously playing in Atlanta. But the fact that
you don't have to platoon in that you don't have
(05:42):
to worry about him regardless of who's on the mound.
Like we've talked about all the other stuff with Drake,
but that, honestly might be the most important just from
a tactical standpoint of building out a lineup that it
doesn't matter who's pitching. Drake's fine, And again tonight he
was just awesome. You know that second homer he hit,
He was on a two pitch. It was like a
(06:04):
ninety eight or ninety nine min hour fastball and he
freaking destroyed it to right center field. So super impressive stuff.
I mean, I don't know what else you could say
about this kid. I just really hope he can sustain
maybe not all the way up to this level, but
something like this for the next two months. Just run
(06:25):
away with Rookie of the Year. Make it a no
doubt or not just for what it will help the
Braves off the field, but just for him. I mean,
that would be such a cool honor to be recognized
like that, and again, hitting lefties the way he has.
We haven't talked about it a ton maybe the most
important aspect of what he's done.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So far, absolutely, and that's the thing that we talked
about before the season right, you know, and Drake Baldwin,
there are so many added layers to what he offers
to this lineup that were needed coming into this year.
He hits left handers, he puts together great bats, He
puts together great at bats no matter of the situation.
He works counts, he can walk, he hits for power,
he hits opposite field, he delivers with runners in scoring position.
(07:08):
Those things matter when it comes to the what Drake
Baldwin can offer. And the other big thing to me
is that there's no spot in the lineup where he
is less effective, Like he's just he's straight nails wherever
you put him, and that is very, very important for
a Braves team that needs as many hitters like that.
I think their games are probably going to be different
(07:30):
as time goes on. But I do not feel that
it is a bad comp to suggest that he is
kind of like a Brian McCann. That may be a
bit lazy, but I do think that when we look now,
if you go look at Brian McCann's numbers, so I
want to give Brian mccannon credit. I looked at the
numbers and I was even about to ask on Twitter,
how would you feel about Drake Baldwin having a career
like Brian McCann in a Braves uniform. I win, and
(07:52):
I don't want to put that pressure on Drake Baldwin.
I know he'll never see what I put But my
point is Brian mccannon is freaking awesome as a Braves catch.
But I think that Drake Baldwin has that type of
potential and that once again could be a really, really
awesome development before this Braves team, because the one thing
that we've seen with Braves teams that have US catchers,
they typically will win and win at a high level.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Yeah, and it's listen, it's gonna be fascinating to see
what they do in the offseason. Are they gonna roll
with Murphy and Baldwin as the catcher DH and just
alternate them so they both get to hit every day
or are they not? Are they gonna just do a
typical catcher situation where one plays in one sits and
go somewhere else with a DH spot. You know, there
(08:40):
was talk Brad and Scott covered it, so we're not
gonna cover tonight. But you know, with the Byron Buxton
stuff that came out a couple of days ago that
you know, with the Braves considered dhing Akunya or dhing
Profi or DJing Byron Buxton. And then of course that
affects catcher right because obviously if you're gonna have DH
(09:01):
for an outfielder, then you you're not gonna be able
to use it for your catcher. So, like what they
do is gonna be very fascinating to me, But man,
it's gonna be hard to convince me the best, the
best way forward is to sit his bat for fifty
percent of the games. That's gonna be a tough sell
for me. Like, I really believe we got to have
(09:21):
him in the lineup, especially again, the way he hits lefties.
It's not this is not a situation where you need
to be sitting him against lefties. He hits these guys
extremely well. So it's all connected, of course. But yeah,
I'm very curious to see how they're gonna handle this,
this DH catcher outfield situation they they've got coming up
in the Winner.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
It makes it a bit easier for me, actually, And
what I mean by that is this is that with
every performance like this that we see from Drake Baldwin,
I love Sean Murphy. And I think Sean Murphy has
proven that he clearly was a smart move by Alex Enthopolis.
But every performance like this from Drake Baldwin makes Sean
Murphy expendable in the off season for two main reasons.
(10:04):
Number one, Sean Murphy likely is going to be your
best way to be able to bring in a significant
change that you need because of the money that he
makes you exchange that for another position of need, you
have money to then invest in that position. But also
Alex and Thopolis has proven if we talk about the
fact that he can identify reliever value very well, he
(10:24):
can certainly identify catcher value very rare very well. It's
been very rare where he is missed on adding a
catching talent to this organization. And Drake Baldwin once again
does that tap into that skill. If there's an opportunity
out there where it makes sense to trade Sean Murphy
in the off season to address a bigger need elsewhere,
go ahead and make that with the confidence you're going
(10:46):
to be able to find a compliment to Drake Baldwin.
And here's the biggest thing of all, Drake Baldwin's value
comes at a very cheap cost, which the Braves need
as much of as possible moving forward. That's kind of
where I am. Don't want to get too much into that.
We got plenty of time to discuss that over time,
but that's kind of where I'm at with every good
performance that Drake Baldwin shows.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, I mean, listen, we'll have plenty of time to
talk about it. And you know, from everything they've said,
they want two really good catchers. I don't know that
you can afford to a have Drake's bat be out
of the lineup that much. I don't know if b
you can afford to pay Sean Murphy what you pay
him and have him out of the lineup that much. Yeah,
it's gonna be. It's one of the more fascinating parts
(11:28):
of when we get to the off season is what
they do at catcher, what they do at DH and
how it all connects.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
But if there's one positive from this year so far,
it's a really good problem to have. Remember just four
months ago we were sitting here talking about is Drake
Baldwin going to take over to Sean Murphy? And then
what do we do with Sean Murphy's contract? Now his
contract clearly is an asset. So it's a very good
problem to have and is with many problems overalls. We've
(11:56):
talked about the Braves this year. Good problems are certainly
a welcome development. Speaking of good developments, we learned about
a few others when it comes to some of the
bigger names and more pivotal names on the Braves. A
couple of names that certainly could not only play again
this year, but could be back much sooner rather than later.
(12:16):
We'll discuss that in just a moment after a word
from our partners Crats.
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Speaker 1 (13:17):
Go for it. So, Stephen, some more positive news when
it comes to the Braves. It's so weird to sit
here and be talking about you. Actually, let's let's let's
take a step back here for a second, Stephen. Not
only are we talking about the fact that the Braves
earlier this week actually won on a Sunday, we're also
(13:39):
talking about Drake Baldwin having some positive performances to further
secure his Rookie of the Year con his Rookie of
the Year award. But now we're seeing some positive injury news.
I'm not going to know what world we're living in,
what part of the multiverse we're in if all this
positive news keeps happening, but hey, we're certainly here to
discuss as much of it as possible. What I'm getting
(13:59):
at is that we did learn further news about ronald'cooney
Junior as well as Chris Sale. I know that we
discussed this just last episode, but it's important to give
as much news as possible of those two because it
seems like they're coming back sooner rather than later. Steven,
let's start with Ronald o'conney Jr.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Yeah, So it was reported today it was d B
Dave ol Brian of the Athletic that Ronald was on
the field taking BP. He was seen taking ground balls
in the infield a couple of days ago, and people
of course started speculating like crazy. I don't think it
means anything, but according to Dave o Brian, he looked
(14:39):
fantastic on the field today. He was reporting he had zero,
you know, ill effects from the calf injury. So Ronald
got put on the IL on the thirtieth, July thirtieth,
which means he is eligible to come off the IL
on Saturday. Now, I have no idea, There was no
(15:00):
indication given that he was coming off the i L
as soon as he's available to, so, you know, I
wouldn't expect that, but you know, after Alice gave his
comments about how he's not gonna sit a healthy acuonion,
he's not gonna set a healthy sale. I am curious
to see what they do. I mean, you know, if
he if it's a ten dail trip he did, you know,
he doesn't need a rehab assignment or anything like that.
(15:22):
He can just come off. But what are they gonna
do and how long are they gonna wait? Of course
everybody wants them to be, you know, overly abundance, abundantly cautious.
I one hundred percent agree with that, but like, what
is the line for them? It's gonna be the question
where where is that line where Okay, he's clearly just healthy,
(15:43):
we're gonna start playing him. I don't know, we'll find out,
but I didn't want to mention that technically he can't
come off the I l on Saturday and no one's
expecting that. But technically that is where we are on
the calendar.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
So the other question that I opposes this Steven, is
that say he comes back, what today is, August the eighth, seventh,
August the seventh, Say he's back by the fifteenth, within
the next week. Where do you put a COUNI in
the lineup. You know, you batted him third for a
few weeks and and the offense in general it picked
up a bit, but I feel like that he's still
his most effective out of that lead all spot. It
(16:17):
just it sets a whole tone for this lineup. I
know again that they had their struggles with him there,
but I still would just you know, just even beyond
him getting the most at bats in the lineup, it
just sets a quality tone so many different ways he
can impact the game. Where do you put him in
the lineup once he's back.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Yeah, that's a good question. So in terms of like
modern day analytical driven lineup construction, you typically don't want
to put your best hit a third. And I know
for one hundred and fifty years, every the best hitter
in every lineup hit third. Tripper Jones for instance, h
third his whole career basically. And the reason that you
(16:59):
don't typically want to do it is because the number
of time you come up to the plate with two
out and nobody on. And that's why you a lot
of times in modern lineups you'll see the best hitter
on the team either about second or fourth. So it
is interesting if you're gonna do the Olson Baldwin thing
(17:20):
two and three. It does make sense to put a
Counya between them so you don't stack lefties. Now, Olson
and Baldwin can both hit lefties, so it's not that
big a deal. I don't know. Obviously, with Profar too,
he's a you know, he's a switch hitter, so you
can move him anywhere. Profar is walking more, which helps
the on base or which helps the leadoff argument. I
(17:41):
do like having a Kunyan spots where he can be
more of a run producer than a run creator, especially
since he's not running. I don't know, I I the
reason I'm I don't have a good answer for you.
I'm just kind of figuring this out of my head
as I'm talking. That's a really good quest. I would
probably stick him third, just for the end of the season,
just to see how it goes. I don't really love that.
(18:01):
I would me personally, I would want a Cunya batting
except first or second. But if they want to do third,
if they want to do Profar Olsen Acunya Baldwin, I'm
fine with that. I mean, listen, you know, lineup construction
rarely matters, and it really doesn't matter when you're twenty
games under five hundreds. But it does tell us a
little bit about what maybe they're thinking for next year.
(18:23):
So it's a it's an important question to answer, and
I don't know. I don't know what the answer is
to that. What do do you have an opinion? What
do you think you should do?
Speaker 1 (18:31):
I actually like the idea of potentially batting the second,
you know, because then you have the ability to swite,
you know, putting between you know, profar Acunya, uh, Baldwin
then Olson. Maybe I could see that making sense because
then Baldwin is getting some good pitches to hit in
between Acunya as well as Olson. Now Olsen possibly you know,
(18:54):
walks more. But yeah, I think that makes sense. You're
stacking right now. You're four best hitters, and you got
your two best sources of on base percentage right past
each other. But the one development that I am happy
to see is that for so many years we you know,
kind of got the feeling that Acunya, you know, really
preferred to be in that lead off spot, like he
did not want to be moved. Seeing him be okay
(19:17):
with it now and being him just as productive out
of another spot. Besides the leadoff spot. That's encouraging, So
why not batting second? I don't mind that at all.
Get someone on in front of him, have him do
his damage, and then have others hit behind him. I
think it's a luxury that you could certainly explore in time,
and then when you get Austin Riley back then it
gets become more interesting. But I will say this that Acunya,
(19:41):
Baldwin Elson Riley quartet moving forward. I get people may
not believe this, and I can understand that from this
year that legitimately can be one of the strongest quartets
of batters that you can see in the majors. Like,
that's the POTENTI that this team has so bad ab
(20:02):
at the top of the order. See what you got.
I know that order this year really doesn't make sense,
but it at least is fun to experiment for the future.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Yeah, and I listen. I think Acunya is probably more
willing because he understands he's not running as much. You know,
it's not the same level threat. You know, it used
to be Ronald Walk twenty percent of the time at
the top of the lineup, and he would steal second
every time. It's like a double and so in that
situation you want that guy leading off. It just starts
rallies consistently if he's not just hitting the ball over
(20:32):
the fence. So I do think he's probably more willing
to move down now he's not running with you know,
with the quartet potential, you know it's gonna it's gonna
come a lot of a lot of it's gonna come
down to Riley. You know what Austin Roley looks like.
But of course the potential is there. I mean even now,
the Braves have an insane amount of potential. It's just
we've watched for two years this offense, you know, flutter
(20:56):
for way too much of it, uh to not at
least ask some questions about it. But you're one hundred
percent right. The potential has not gone anywhere. They still
have the potential to be the best lineup in baseball
with the talent they have on the team.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Absolutely, But speaking of talent elsewhere on the mound, we're
gonna see one of the premier talents in the game
once again again, sooner rather than later. Chris Sell today,
through a live BP everything seemed to go according to plan.
It's very likely that he's going to have at least
one rehab start, which makes perfect sense. But Steven, I'm
gonna let you discuss it because you put it in
(21:31):
such and a fun way on Twitter. When it comes
to what should the Braves do with Sale? Should they
sit him? Should they put him on the shelf or
give him an opportunity to be able to pitch? I'll
let you explain how you put that, But it certainly
seems as if the window for Sale returning is much
quicker than later.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah. I know all these guys get grouped together because
they're hurt, but like if you break a bone, I
put you in a different category. Like, returning from a
broken is very straightforward and very simple. It's the bones
just got a heal and once the heat, once it
heals and the pain's gone, you're fine. Now, if you're
coming back from an elbow or a shoulder like Lopez
(22:12):
or like Grant Holmes, that's a completely different ballgame. There's
a whole different level of caution that you need to show.
But Chris Sale's coming back from a broken rib, like,
it's very straightforward, and listen, if he's healthy to pitch,
and clearly he is. He literally pitched a live VP today.
Who in God's name is going to walk up to
(22:34):
Chris Sale and say, I know you're healthy, You're not pitching.
You're gonna sit for two months and then sit for
another six months until the season starts next year. You
might get murdered. Chris Sale might murder you. I mean,
he is one of the most competitive people on the planet.
And there's no I mean, I don't care who you're
there's no one that's gonna tell Chris Sale that so
(22:56):
and I don't really think you should. Again, it's a
broken bone, broke a rib. Like, once the pain's gone
and the bones healed, let him pitch. And you know,
he made a good point today. I think he was
talking to the media guys like that helps him set
up his off season, which he needs to set himself
(23:16):
up for twenty twenty six. If he's already got some
innings under his belt in twenty twenty five, he knows
he can go into twenty twenty six with a completely
normal off season. Which was the key to getting vintage
Chris Sale last year is that he had a normal
off season. So I'm one hundred percent. I know people
are bothered by it, and I would be bothered by
it if it was if it was ligament, if it
(23:37):
was muscle. But it's a bone. It's a broken bone,
and this helps him set up his off season going
into twenty twenty six. It doesn't bother me at all.
I completely understand why they're.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Doing this, and I agree with you on that. Now
I know that this is not the case for all
of you know the names of the Braves that we
were hoping will be significant tributor contributors of the next
few seasons. But one thing that I will say could
potentially be a positive, could potentially be a silver lining
for this year, is we could go into the off season,
(24:08):
especially if Riley comes back healthy with olsen Acunya, Baldwin,
you know, several of our best hitters, and Sell Schwelenbach
as well as Strider, all those names could go into
the off season relatively healthy and have the ability to
go through an off season where they're healthy. So that
could be a blessing in disguise. I think that should
(24:30):
be a priority for the Braves, But that could be
a big way to end this season, to really get
next season started off with the bang. But that wasn't
the only news that was out there today regarding the Braves.
We'll discuss more on what was a newsworthy Thursday in
just a moment, after another word from our partners.
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Speaker 1 (25:47):
So Steven. Today, you know, of course, with the news
about you know, potentially sealing a Coonia coming back, that
was really positive at news to see. But also one
of the biggest subjects that people have talked about over
the past year or so is what exactly are the
full details of the Braves financial situation, you know, because
there have been you know, what we see in the news,
(26:08):
what we see reported, and then what we see in
terms of actions of the team. They're not always adding
up over the past twelve plus months or so. Today
there was a further update. It's the normal update that
you see when it comes to the quarterly earnings report
with the Braves, but I know that it garnered a
lot of reaction. You do a very good job and
(26:28):
when it comes to the finance as a payroll of
the team, you know, kind of digging into the details,
what does it actually mean, what did you take from
the news today on the quarter two earnings for the Braves.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Yeah, so the Braves are obviously a publicly traded company. Listen,
I do want to get one thing out to start
with this because I still see it every day people
still think Liberty Media own the Braves. The Braves broke
off from Liberty Media like three or four years ago
and they started Atlanta Braves Holding, Incorporated, which is its
(27:04):
own separate, publicly traded company, and the chairman, president and
CEO of that company is Terry mcgork, and that is
the Braves essentially the Braves owner. Now he is not.
He doesn't own the team. He runs the publicly traded
company that owns the team. But like when the owners
(27:26):
have their meeting, you know, MLB has their owners meeting,
it's not somebody from Liberty Media who goes to that meeting.
In the for the Braves, it's Terry mcgork. Like Liberty
Media has absolutely nothing to do with running the Braves
in any way, shape or form, from finances to any
decision making. It is entirely Atlanta Braves Holding Incorporated, who
(27:48):
is chairman by Terry mcgork, who runs the team. So
today they had their Q two, their quarter to earnings
report that came out. Obviously, it's a publicly traded company,
so they have to release earnings report that came out today.
I was a Q two is April, May and June.
So this was the report for April, May and June,
(28:08):
when the team was still relatively at least pretending to compete, right,
Attendance hadn't really dropped, and the revenues were really strong.
And I'm not going to go through the entire earnings
report on here. It's a lot of financial jargon and
there's no point. The quick and dirty of it is,
(28:29):
revenue has gone up, really really strong revenue in quarter two.
Attendance was still good. The Braves call it their multi
use real estate, which is the battery had a really
really strong quarter. Obviously, the television rights money went up
because they added streaming, and so revenues were up, and
(28:52):
that's kind of the main takeaway. And then about midway
through the report they moved into operating cost and one
of the main things that people notice was that players
salaries was an operating cost that was down from the
year before. So revenue is up and payroll is down
(29:12):
and listen. This was a big point of consternation for
us in the offseason. We talked about it endlessly that
the Braves cut payroll. I mean they did. Now, Alex
would tell you that they didn't cut it. They just
didn't find the right deals to spend the money. But
it's effectively the same thing. They didn't spend as much
on payroll this year as they did last year, so
they cut payroll despite the fact that revenues are through
(29:35):
the roof. We've said it a million times on this show.
The Battery, the Braves, they print money. They make so
much revenue. The Battery is a money maker. The new stadium.
You know, it's just a money it just they make
a ton of money. And you know, the one good
thing about being a publican traded company, I think the
only publicly traded company in Major League Baseball is that
(29:57):
we get a full earnings report. Most fans don't get this.
They don't get to see inside the books of their team.
We do because it's a publicly traded company. So we
get to see exactly what they spend on whatever, including payroll,
and so we know for a fact that payroll was down.
The numbers do not lie. They're not allowed to lie
on these things. Revenues up and payrolls down, And that
(30:19):
was kind of the main takeaway everybody had today was Hey, guys,
you're making money hand over fists. You know what the hell?
Why is? Why is payroll down? And of course especially
doesn't look good in a season where you're on pace
to lose as many games of you as you've lost
in almost forty years. So yeah, it got some it
got some attention today.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah, and I think that you know, you know, I
came out of the trade deadline with the question, you know,
the number one question that I had was, you know what,
how confidently can you trust the braves resourcefulness, the resourcefulness
that the Braves should be able to have in order
to put them in the right direction. Well, the question
I think is answered. The Brave are swimming in money.
(31:01):
That's just absolutely the truth. I do feel that if
you have a concern, are they going to then reinvest
that into this team swimming in the right direction. That's
a fair question to have. The thing that I will
say though, is this is that the Braves, from the
front office to the people that run it, be above
(31:23):
that to the players. Everybody knows that this team, the
word was they were a model that other teams are
going after. Well, the reason why that model works, just
about as much as anything is when this team is winning.
One thing that can certainly remind you of just how
good that you had it when you were winning is
when you are not winning, which they are not doing
(31:43):
right now. So to me, and I know again I
have a positive outlook on things more often than not.
To me, that gives me a little bit more of
a how shall I put this, It reassures me that
the Braves realize what's going on. Yes, they know that
they're making good money out off the field. It needs
to go back on the field for that product to
be as good as possible, because that's what's going to
(32:04):
help to continue things to be as good as they
are off the field as they have been. So a
bunch of different words, my point that I'm getting at,
the resourcefulness that the Braves need is certainly there. I
think in time we're going to see that reflected on
reinvesting in this team to give us what we need
to get back on track.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
Yeah, and I'll say this, you know, the the comment
that Terry mcgorg made was that the Braves are the
model franchise in Major League Baseball that every other team
is chasing. And of course that got a lot of
publicity in headlines because the Braves are ten games behind
the Marlins right now, so like everybody's like, you know,
what are we talking about? I want to say this
(32:44):
from my business standpoint, he is one hundred percent right.
The Braves model was somewhat revolutionary. What they did was
they picked up and moved out of the city. When
they moved from True from Turner Field to Truest Park,
they moved to the suburbs. And not only did they
move into the suburbs, but they bought the land and
they bought all the surrounding land, so they could control
(33:08):
the area around there, directly around their park, and they
could build it exactly the way they wanted it. And
that was always the problem with Turner Field was the
Braves didn't control any of the land around it, so
they had no control over what was happening around the park,
just outside the park. When they moved to Cobb County,
they made sure that they had not only the stadium,
(33:28):
but all the surrounding area and they could build up
the battery exactly how they want it. And listen, I
know for a fact there are teams that come to
the that come to that park to tour it, to
pick the braves' brains on what they did and how
they did it. Like it really is a model for
other organizations, not just in baseball, in sports. So he
(33:50):
is not wrong about that. There are there. I know
for a fact there are teams that literally fly to
Atlanta to hear presentations on exactly what they did and
how they did it. The thing is, maybe don't say it,
you know, quite the way he said it. When you're
getting your ass kicked every night on the field, like
that's you know, it just doesn't look great. Now it
was an earnings report. It's kind of a raw, raw
(34:12):
event for you know, shareholders anyway. So he's gonna spin
it as positively as possible. But yeah, it's not great
optics talking about how you are the model franchise in
all the Major League baseball. Meanwhile you have like the
third worst record in the sport. Like, you know, read
the room a little bit.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
It's all about perspective, right, You may have a business
model that other Major League teams aspire to do on
their own that other teams aspire to be like. But
the thing that we're used to is Brave's country is
seeing a model of winning that other teams aspire to
be too as well. And that's what we need to
get back at, being consistent at I feel like that
will certainly be the case, but certainly want for the
(34:52):
resourcefulness to show in terms of being reinvested into the team.
And hey, you know what, actions speak louder than words.
We'll see if the next twelve months can certainly reflect
what we hope that looks like instead of what we've
seen over the past twelve months.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
And I'll say this, when you release revenue reports like this,
which are like, we're making so much money it's not
even funny, it adds pressure to do to add to
the team. Now, listen, when they release the Q three
the quarter of the third quarter reports in like November,
(35:26):
the revenue is not going to be as good because
attendance is going to tank the last two months of
the year. But still, when you release revenue like this,
it does add pressure because every fan hears about it,
every fan knows you're making tons of money. It adds
pressure to you know, put up or shut up in
the off.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Season, absolutely and maybe you know, we've got the full
off season to certainly discuss this hopefully an off season
that will be much more effective than last offseason. And
the trade deadline was one other fun thing to look
forward to this weekend as we wrap up this edition
of the Hamrich Podcast. Hurston Waldrip not official as of yet,
but all indications seem to point the fact that he
(36:05):
will be pitching again on Saturday, probably that first game
on Saturday, Steven we talk about Drake Balderwin making the
most of his moment. You know, these players who we
want to see them succeed at the major league level
from this year because it means they can be contributors
for hopefully better times in the future. Hurston Waldrip's like
he's going to get his opportunity against a pretty you know,
(36:27):
I don't know what the right word is, A bigger threat.
Is an opponent than we thought they would be in
the Marlins who are trying to go after the playoffs.
Hurston Waldrop is going to get another quality opportunity on Saturday.
Hopefully he makes the most of it.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Yeah, I mean we figured this is what was going
to happen. The only way that Hearson Waldrop can come
up is as the twenty seventh man on a doubleheader day,
because when you're the twenty seventh man, it doesn't count
that you've got options less than fifteen days ago. So
my rule, the only way he can come up is
if he's the twenty seventh man, and that's why everybody
assumes he's pitching. And then Snet also kind of hinted
(37:03):
that he's pitching the first game on Saturday, the doubleheader
against the Marlin, so it'll be fun to see him again.
He you know, it was a really strong first doubting
all reports have been that, you know, he's made some
big strides in Triple A. Obviously, he's a very big name.
I don't care how big of a fan you are,
casual fan you are. Most fans have heard of hersu Waldrup.
He was a first round pick. He was also an
(37:24):
SEC like baseball, you know, pretty big name in SEC
baseball country for Florida. So everybody knows him and it's
a big deal that he's that he takes a big step,
especially since we're probably not going to have a j.
Smith Shawver next year. There's a decent chance you're not
going to have Grant Holmes next year, like Waldrops p
Waldrop's development is a big storyline, and so that's a
(37:47):
big start. And I you know, we'll be watching it
and we'll talk about it. I've seen anything that happens,
we'll talk about on the show. But that's a big
deal and I'm happy for him, and you know, I
hope he can really end the season strong in Atlanta.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Absolutely, And the one thing that I want to end
on is this is that you know, we want to see,
you know, the opportunity to see Hirston Walder perform and
you know, really be able to you know, make the
most of his now for the future. Well, one thing
that I will say is this. I'm not going to
get on my soapbox or anything like that, but I
was talking with the buddy of mine, him and another
friend of mine they're taking their families to the game
(38:23):
on Saturday. Is that I understand that fans want for
the Braves to be as good as possible, and I
understand that the fans are disappointed in how the Braves
have performed so far this year. But I will also
say this because I recently got to experience it at
a Braves game for the first time with my son.
Make the most of those opportunities that you can, even
(38:45):
if the Braves are struggling, even if they're not performing well,
that there's plenty of opportunity to make the most of
the experience. We just talked about how much the Braves
earned from the battery and from the stadium, and how
they're a business model other teams are aspiring to. It's
one of the biggest reasons why is because it's one
of the best experiences in baseball to enjoy. I know
(39:05):
that the biggest factor in that is the performance on
the field. But if you're going to a Braves game,
make the most of it, enjoy it, and I certainly
hope that you do. Hopefully they'll get some wins. Four
games in three days, including a double hitter on Saturday.
You can't beat that. So I feel better times are ahead,
but even in the present, if you get the opportunity,
make the most of it and enjoy the hell out
of being able to watch baseball, especially with those that
(39:28):
you love. Stephen, anything else from you as we wrap
up this edition of The Hammer Territory podcast.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
Now Thisten. We're gonna end it the same way we
started it, forty nine and oh, and they're in the playoffs.
Acuna is coming back, sales coming back, Riley, I'm just saying,
like people always accuse me, I've been told that the
show has been too negative lately. You know, if you
(39:54):
look at the standings, you'll probably understand why. It's probably
been a little negative. But we'll end it on on
this forty nine and all, and they're going to the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (40:04):
The longest winning streak and MLB history, Stephen is twenty
six games by the nineteen sixteen New York Giants. So hey,
you know what one hundred and nine years later, you
know if a record's been out there for one hundred
and nine years. I know that they talk about these
unbreak breakable records in the game. You know, the hits record,
Cy Young's record, Nolan Ryan strikeouts's let's take the win
(40:25):
streak off of that. But the best way for you
to possibly do that two in a row.
Speaker 2 (40:31):
That's true. You cannot win forty nine in a row
until you win too in a row.
Speaker 1 (40:35):
Win two in a row. And if Drake Baldwin wants
to hit Tom home runs a game and make history himself.
You know what, by September Hill break bonds record. Let's
just make history all over the place. Now for Stephen Tilbert,
you could buy him at b Underscore Outliers. Always realistic
in keeping things in perspective. Here on the Hammer Territory Podcast,
my name is Sean Coleman. You can find me at
(40:55):
Stat's Sac on Twitter, slash x Hammer Territory all across
more all forms of social media. Part of a Foul
Territory family of podcasts. That one didn't go as smooth
because it didn't settle on the head, but regardless, always
fun to be with. You can't thank y'all enough for
the support. Hope that you have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy
the weather. If you're back to school as well, Hope
(41:17):
that you and your loved ones make the most of
that as well. But enjoy these weekends and with Braves Baseball,
it's always fun, whether in person for one TV when
they win. Until next time, go Braves, We'll talk to
you again soon. Here I'm a Hammer Territory podcast