May 7, 2025 • 41 mins
Hosts Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci try to explain the success Aaron Judge is having right now. When someone is this hot at the plate, Joe explains how he would approach each at bat. Tom looks at the slower start for Juan Soto as he prepares to return to play in the Bronx. Kyle Schwarber continues to hammer the ball and sits 3rd in home runs over the last two years. Tom has some questions about the Marlins pitching, which Joe has some issues with. Plus, are the Orioles the most disappointing team in baseball?
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
Hey Daron, Welcome back to the Book of Joe podcast
with me, Tom Barducci and Joe Madden. Joe, it's hard
to believe, but this weekend we are coming up on
(00:24):
the quarter pole of the twenty twenty five Major League
Baseball season. So I want your perspective. Can I still
say it's early or is that past its freshness date?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
At this point.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
There's trends that are definitely being created.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
When you're describing to me, always thought about it as
slow time, and then it turns into fast time. Spring
training a slow time beginning of the season's slow time.
Then all of a sudden, this hamster wheel starts spinning
and it becomes fast time, and all of a sudden,
before you know it, it's the All Star break. Yeah,
there's trends that are setting up, and you're looking at
teams like an alas the Al East is kind of
(01:01):
underwater compared to the Central as an example, and of
course even on the western side of things, the athletics
what they're doing makes that side even a little bit
more pertinent.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
But yeah, it's the.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Orioles having struggles last night, the watch the video of
the Angels and the Blue Jays how the Angels came
back against Hoffmann in the eighth inning as an example,
blue Jay's not gaining any traction once again. So yeah,
it's it's hard to think that if you aren't showing
signs of being like exceptional in a sense this year,
(01:32):
it's hard to think that all of a sudden, it's
just gonna happen coming out of camp. The fast starters
really always benefit on an annual basis, and there's those
anomaly moments, Astros coming back, Nationals coming back years ago,
the Rockies coming back. But it's hard to do that.
It's like an NBA game. Although your Knicks, the Knicks
(01:53):
did it the other night. They came back hard and
they held on and won it. But it's hard to
come back. It just is you expend a lot of
energy in the process and it's difficult.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
So I think there are that are sitting up right.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Now, absolutely, and I want to dive into individual trends here, Joe,
because I think the biggest story of this season so
far as we reach the quarterpole is Aaron Judge, and
we know he's been great, There's no question about it.
But he's gone next level this year. And they also
want to talk about vis A VI Juan Soto, because
(02:26):
it's clear to me at this point, Joe, that Mon
Soto misses Aaron Judge a lot more than Aaron Judge
missus Mon Soto. You look at that Yankee lineup and
it's top heavy. I mean, Bellinger really hasn't gotten on track.
Gold Schmidt is getting his hits, He's not necessarily doing
a lot of damage in terms of the long ball.
So behind Aaron Judge, you know, there's not a whole
(02:49):
lot of thump going on there in the Yankee lineup.
But right now, Joe, I mean, he's hitting four to twelve,
which is just ridiculous. His on base percentage is over
five hundred. It's five oh three, and he's slugging over
seven hundred, almost eight hundred.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Let me give you a couple of numbers here.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Joe's the guy who's managed for a long time and
done it well in the major leagues.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
How this is even possible?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Aaron Judge is hitting five to twenty against fastballs, five
twenty against fastballs, and do you realize that Aaron Judge
is seeing an above average rate of fastballs. The percentage
of fastballs he sees is above major league average, and
he is seeing and this is unbelievable to me, forty
(03:34):
nine point eight percent of pitches in the strike zone,
which is more than he saw last year, more than
he's ever seen. I don't know why people haven't gotten
the message, Joe, you just cannot pitch this guy right now.
Tell me what you see and how you would approach
Aaron Judge.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Yeah, I mean just talking about the fastballs. I'm sure
it has something to do analytically with these different groups
because they all bring from the same well. But it
sounds like, you know, let's challenge him with the fastball,
and let's locate this fastball in a certain area. But
the problem I ran into a lot the last couple
of years. It's just overall fastball command. Guys are throwing balls.
(04:13):
Baseball is hard, but it's hard for them to hit
the exact spot that they're looking for. I start right there,
so I'd have to look at it more deeply to
see how badly these different pitchers are missing their targets
while the ball's coming back to the middle or wherever,
wherever that hotspot is for him.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
That's the number one. Number two. Yeah, I listened.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I watched a little bit of the game last night,
and how they rallied late was kind of exceptional against
the pitching that the Padres had, But it happens. They
just they strung together some singles and all of a sudden,
here we go. But why again, you said, listen, I'm
not denegrating anybody else on that team, but why would
you pitch to this guy?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Now?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
They were forced to in that situation. Later in the game,
I think they walked them. But yeah, there was an
intentional walk, I think as it turned out. But yeah,
it's listen, Analytics doesn't like the intentional walk. Analytics doesn't
necessarily like pitching around people. You. I've always got a
hard time from guys when I would do that. Even
it started like with Harper when we walked them so
(05:11):
many times back in once sixteen or sixteen, right, fifteen
or sixteen.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
And I didn't get any grief for that.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
But eventually it comes back to that these guys don't
like that putting another runnerund base, and that's when you
start treating everybody the same, just based on data. That
makes no sense to me. And that's what we were just
talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
The trends. We just opened up about trends. Trends exist.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
Guys get hot, guys get cold, guys get better, they
get worse. You know, something's bothered them. They're not talking
about all these different things. So there's no reason to
attack this guy, right I'd make Rice do his job.
I would make Wells do his job. I would Grisham
right now. I mean, Grisham's always been a fine outfielder,
but what he's doing right now again is like crazy good.
(05:52):
So I'd have to believe they're gonna regress it the mean
at some point here, but for right now, playing the Yankees,
I am not pitching to this dude.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
I'm just not.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
I mean, And if you're gonna say let's attack him
with the fastball, that's for those that really know how
to command their fastball.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I think.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
So long answer, there's a lot going on there, but
it just doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
He's he's hitting like Bonds right now.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
He's just hitting like Barry Bonds and the kind of
treatment we had to give him back in the day.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
You're absolutely right, and I like your point about the fastballs.
I think that's a big part of it. You know,
Aaron Judge has always been one of the best high
fastball hitters in the game. And part of that to
me is, you know, he's six foot seven and pitchers
just don't elevate the ball enough to him. What they
think is top rail to him is actually in his
nitro zone. And the other thing I've noticed this year,
(06:41):
Joe is he did have if there was one hole,
and it's not really a hole, but one place where
you can keep him in the ballpark and turn him
into a singles hitter, is the pitch down in a way.
If you can dot that up down and a way,
he's not going to do damage. Well he is this year,
he's hitting everything. And you look at Aaron Judge in
his twenties. He was a two seventy six hitter in
his twenties, And I know batting average is not the
(07:03):
be all and end all, but just use that as
a rule of thumb. Two seventy six hitter in his twenties.
In his thirties, he's hitting three thirteen. He has become
a pure hitter, a great pure hitter, and not just
a slugger. We already always knew he was a great slugger.
He's hitting four to seventy three when he puts the
(07:24):
ball in play this year. Now, that's not sustainable. His
career average is three fifty. He hits the ball really hard,
so his ground balls, when he does hit them, they're
going to get through for hits. But he can't hit
four to seventy three on balls in play. But right now,
I I'm with you, Joe, you have to walk him.
I go back to a game where Alex Cora, the
Red Sox manager, had a base open with load Guerrero
(07:46):
up late in the game, decided to pitch to him.
Guerrero wins the game hanging breaking ball three to two. Now,
the pitcher, justin Slayton, did have moho and two. But
alex Cora I liked his answer. He said, you know,
if we're October, I'm walking him. But at this point,
I want to find out about my guys and I
want to trust him, and especially when the count got two,
then you're full green light and go after him. So
(08:07):
probably context matters too, but I think Aaron Judge right
now is just so good the best hit are in baseball.
I'm not tempted to try to get himself out. He's
not going to do that.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
You just got to get to oh and three and
really get him out. You know, oh and two doesn't
work sometimes. I understand Alex's point there, and I honestly
have to have had those same thoughts.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
The thing is that this is different.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
I mean, the Red Sox are trying to beat these
guys or within that division, Guerrero Judge whomever. These games
build momentum, where they take momentum away. I've always believed
in that too, when you lose close games late, give
up something late. And if you've had these like different
internal struggles within yourself as a manager, should I do
(08:50):
this or not? And then you choose to do the
one thing and then it turns out not very good
and even though you might have been leaning in the
other direction. That's the old Zim thing. If it comes
to your mind, do it. And I really try to
train myself to do that as I moved it a
little bit further along, because when you start having those
internal debates, man, it's it's not good. It's not good.
(09:11):
I think something like that. You have to make up
your mind before the game. And if his mind had
been made up before the game, as an example that listen,
I'm gonna but still early. I'm and to make sure
they're gonna try to give these guys every opportunity. But
you know, it's the same thing we said with Bonds
in this World series. I know it's a different time
of the year, but these guys are you're when you're
that good, you're gonna you're probably gonna bet wrong if
(09:34):
you're gonna bet that your guy's going to get this
particular guy in that moment, especially when they're playing as
well as they are.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
So I'm all about that.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
I I I don't I prefer not pitching to him.
And you know, you've got a guy like with a
lead control and command, whoever that guy is in today's game,
uh you know the Gram or somebody like that. Maybe
you let him roll with that fastball, try to dot
him up down in a way. But listen, my my
experience has been that with when you get guys out
(10:03):
there and today's pitcher just tries to throw as spin
and throw as hard as he can and not locate necessarily.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
That's where I have an issue.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, I'd agree with you on that.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
I think you trust your ace if you will or
maybe your closer, but anybody else, you just don't try
to attempt Aaron Judge. He's too good right now. As
far as onan soda, I want to get your take
on what you see, Joe. I'll give you just some
numbers here, because he still gets on base right even
when he's not going well. He controls the strike zone
very well. He just passed Mickey Mantle for the most
(10:33):
walks ever before the age of twenty seven, and he's
still getting on base for the New York Mets.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
He's just not doing any damage.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
What I see here is his bat speed is down
two miles per hour. His swing length is down. Those
are also those numbers, by the way, top five in
baseball in terms of the difference from last year to
this year. What I see is someone who is not
turning on the baseball and getting beat by velocity. And
(10:59):
that to me is shocking to see Wan Soto not
catch up velocity because I again high fastballs. He eats
him for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But last year at
this time he had twenty two hits to the pole
side and slugged over eight hundred. This year pul side
just fourteen hits and he's slugging five eighty five. Here's
the big difference to me, Joe. Last year against pitches
(11:21):
ninety five and above, he hit three forty seven and
slugged over seven hundred, one of the best in baseball
on elite velocity. This year, he's hitting one fifty eight
and slugging five hundred. He's three for nineteen. He's got
three hits against ninety five plus this year.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
I just see a guy.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I don't see the swing that's changed, but I see
a guy that timing wise, similar to Aaron Judge last year.
First month of the season is simply not there. I
don't know why it's happening. It could just be the
ebbs and flows of this game. The baseball gods are saying,
you're not quite right. But it's strange for me to
see one Soto not on time. Tell me what you
(11:58):
see of mon Sota this first quarter of the season.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Yeah, I mean, I didn't realize those new eric those numbers,
but yeah, it's just obviously something is not right. Just
to to just interject, though, I'm watching Alonzo now, we're
talking about missing Judge.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
What about Alonzo?
Speaker 4 (12:14):
What this guy's doing right now is kind of almost
Judge like, so it's like he's already he's already He's
actually got Judge with him right now, it's just got
a different last name.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
I mean.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
The think big thing about Alonzo that really stands out
to me where I think Sodo has had an influence
possibly although they haven't played a lot together, is look
at a Lonzo's walks versus his strikeouts right now.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
It's incredibly best played discipline of his career right right.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
And that and I don't know where that has rubbed
off on him or not, or this is part of
his motivation from kind of being ostracized during the last
off season in regards to teams.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Wanting him or not.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
So Soto's got that now. The thing about Soda and
I listen, I'm a Sodo guy, but you paid all
that money for a guy that's an on base percentage guy,
guy that does like to walk. So it's it's he's
gonna hit. He's gonna hit more than he's hit right now.
But I would keep an eye on the bat speed
thing that is an analytical component I like because it's
(13:10):
obviously he's not catching up the fastballs. Something's slowed down
a bit. In there, and there's no reason too. He's young,
he's not hurt. He's in a different ballpark. I don't
even know what the weather's been like. But even in
that ballpark there the way that sets up compared to
the way the Yankee Stadium sets up.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Who knows.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
It's like you know, you know what it's like sitting
on a t box and if of a whole fits
your eye or not, and if it doesn't fit your
eyes becomes more problematic as the one that if you
look at the fairway and it fits your eye and
all of a sudden you take a better swing. So
give him time to really adjust to the background and
the quirkiness of that ballpark.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
I do believe in that. I do believe that has issues.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
That you know, people never talk about, and if you did,
you think somebody's crazy. So give him a little bit
more time. He's got judge hitting behind him right now.
So that's conversation I think needs to stop. I think
it's more internal with him. I can't even think that
the size of the contract. I don't think that has
anything to do with that. I really don't. I mean,
the guy just warphed into the city last year. Like
(14:10):
it was nothing. He did all what he did all
last year, like it was a big old yawn. He
just he's got this wrapped up. So I just say,
give him time, let him adjust, and I think adjust
to the environment as much as anything matters.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, I'm with you on that, Joe.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I mean, we always try to look for ways to
get inside a guy's head and explain why he's hitting
or why he is hitting. And this is the guy,
as you mentioned, he got to New York last year
with the Yankees and just hit the ground running.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
There was no break in period.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
So you can't tell me that he's getting to New York,
you know, with the Mets, and now he's struggling.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
That doesn't make sense. Was it interesting?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
You know?
Speaker 1 (14:46):
The other day I was talking to Carlos Mendoza, the manager,
and I mentioned that Juan Soto has not done a
full blown, on full blown Juan Soto shuffle at all
this year, not once. So the body language just quite
isn't the same. He's not just to my eye, Joe,
he's just not feeling like the superman hitter that he is.
(15:09):
And Mendoza said, I've noticed that, and you know, I
believe the same thing that we're not seeing the body language,
the confidence that you always saw, you know, looking the
picture in the eye and doing that shuffle. And he's
done a semi shuffle, but not the full on Juan
Soto shuffle.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
So that kind of body language.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
I don't know if you looked at that as a manager, Joe,
but it's caught my eye.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
That's not quite the same.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
The thing that I really was curious, found curious was
when that article came out about him actually admitting it's
different without Judge hitting behind him, and that created a
way bigger, a much bigger stir than it deserved. It's
like everything else media wise today, that was like way blown,
way out of proportion. But I don't know to what
extent it might have gotten in his head a little bit.
(15:55):
Confidence is such a tenuous situation, and we live and
die by everybody does. Our whole world's always about confidence.
The economy is about confidence, confidence in the dollar or not,
regarding whether one investor or not, So it's it's it's
all about confidence. And I think that article demonstrated how
he was feeling. But then I think it might have
(16:16):
the reaction to that might have hurt him a little bit.
That's that's I thought that was kind of dumb actually,
not that he said it, but how the reaction was
and then how then maybe he processed it in the
wrong way, or who knows, he's going.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
To come back. He's gonna be really good.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
He's you know, the kind of hit or he is
is going to show up once again.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
We don't know why.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
There's a little bit less than maybe something's bothering that
he's not even talking about. And I wouldn't doubt that
either there might be something going on with a hand
or wrist or rib, something might be bothering him that
he's not fessing up to. If in factor's a diminished
bat speed, So just give him time, it's going to happen.
But all these little micro things I think have conspired
to make it a difficult start for him.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Well, next week, Joe the New York Mets go into
the Bronx Swan Sota returns to Yankee Stadium. Mets Yankee,
He's at Yankee Stadium. What do you think that scene
is going to be?
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Like left the bed on? I think he's gonna he's
gonna turn it on right there. I think he's gonna
have a good series. He will rise to the occasion.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
I believe.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I think the confines there is gonna be Like I said,
it's very It's a comfortable place for him to play baseball.
We'll see what happens between now and then, but by
the time he gets back there, I think he's gonna
be ready to go.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Well.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Aaron Judge is tied for the major league home run
lead with twelve and when we get back after this
short break, we're going to talk about somebody he is
tied with, and I believe it's one of Joe Madden's
favorite hitters. Welcome back to the Book of Joe Podcasts.
(17:55):
Joe Menon, I want to take you back, and why
not to your twenty sixteen Chicago Cubs, and that team
was the youngest team to win the World Series, especially
in a Game seven. And I look back on just
the plethora of everyday players, position players you had from
ages twenty two to twenty six right, just absolutely loaded
(18:16):
with young up and coming or even early established talent.
And when I look at those guys, Joe, the one
who now is at the top of his game is
Kyle Schwarber. Listen, we got Javey Baya is struggling, maybe
a bouncing back a little bit, becoming a jack of
all trades with Detroit. Chris Bryant his injury histories. We
(18:37):
know about Hore Silaira was on that team. He's hitting
two twenty one with the Angels. Anthony Rizzo doesn't have
a job. Addison Russell's at a baseball, Albert Almore at
a baseball. Wilson Contreras has been just an average hitter
for the Cardinals. And here's Kyle Schwarber better than he's
ever been, slashing two fifty two, four oh eight on
(18:57):
base percentage, five eighty five slug and his home run
the other night was number two ninety six of his career.
Kyle Schwarber, like Judge, is getting better through his thirties,
especially against left handed hitting.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
They used to own him.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Last year he hit three hundred against lefties. This year
he's hitting three to four. So, Joe, if you go
back and you look at your twenty sixteen team in
that version of Kyle Schwarber, of course, he had the
knee injury and didn't come back until the postseason the
World Series, but you knew what he was like as
a player, as a young hitter. Tell me what you
see now as Kyle Schwarber is just absolutely crushing it.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Watch him in the box.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I mean he's always kind of like got the same
routine going on. He walks into the box, he slides
his one foot front and then back, and then he
settles in whatever. But I'm telling you what, he cannot
be more calm getting in the box right now. He
walks in there like he's gonna sit down in his
favorite chair to get ready to hit.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
His confidence cannot be cannot be higher.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
And his comfort level with his mechanics and how he's
seeing things right now cannot be higher.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
That's what I'm seeing. So it's like of standing in.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
That box and he and he really feels extremely comfortable.
And it's highlighted by the fact the navigated a lefty.
When we first had him there, you wanted to hit
him lead off when we did, I thought that was
a very interesting concept. The problem with that was at
that time versus the left hand, it was very difficult
for him to really be successful. It's just just learning,
(20:26):
just learning how to do it, that's all. But then again,
if you're trying to win and you got other options,
it's it's difficult to just put the guy out there
against the better lefties at that time, so you're you're
moving it back and forth. And when you do that,
even especially to a young player, even though you know
it's the right thing to do, you can just you know,
nick their confidence just a little bit because they believe
they're better than that. Why am I not good enough?
(20:49):
How am I going to get to this next level?
There's a little pressure involved, so there's Wow. The underlying
dynamics involved in situations like that are so tumultuous, so
you just you can't measure all that. So my point,
but what I'm seeing is I'm seeing him walking in
the box. Wow loose. I mean you talk about tension free.
My god, He's he's got the most tension free approaching
(21:11):
at the plate right now. He's never in trouble. You
can strike him out five times and all he's going
to come back and he's now he's going to rip
you on the sixth time. So that's what I'm saying.
Has been a difference. And whatever they're doing there regarding
maybe it's just reps, but giving the information k Long
might be doing. Whatever it is, there's a better approach
versus the lefty. And they have a lot of lefties
(21:34):
that are in that lineup a lot, so maybe there's
a compilation of talking everybody whatever, but there's a different
mental approach. But more than anything, man, if you want
to look at somebody that has a tension free swing
that walks into the box like he owns it, it's him. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
I think the work with Kevin Long you mentioned it
goes back to Washington, and it really started then and
ever since Kyle and Kevin Long have been together here
in Philadelphia, they've got a routine going where, for instance,
when the coach does straight on soft toss, he may
sure he does it from an angle, from a left
handed angle.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Kevin's lefty.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Anyway, when he sets up the pitching machine, it's always
at the left handers release point.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
I think that's just a great idea where Kyle Schwarber.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Because you know, coming up through the system and growing
up in minor leagues, you're gonna see more right handers
than left handers. You're gonna see about seventy five percent
right handers. So what they've done is they've literally trained
his eyes to see that ball coming from the left
handed slot over and over and over again. He does
it every single day, takes it like vitamins. And as
you know, he's he's a guy who's dedicated to his craft.
(22:36):
And Kyle Schwarber wants to get better. You know, he
was embarrassed by his number of strikeouts a couple of
years ago, striking out more than two hundred times. He
made that a priority to try to get that down.
He's still going to strike out, we get that, but
he cares about that. He's not a guy who just
chalks it up to well, I'm going to take my
three hacks and if I strike out, I strike out.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
He wants to be a great player.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
And he's also as you know, Joe, he's a great
teammate and he's been a bunch of places, right. But
you talk to anybody who's played with Kyle Schwarber and
he's on their top five list of top five teammates.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Yeah, he was not raised by wolves. I mean, this
guy was raised properly and just is uh. The whole
time there with the Cobs, there was a lot of
real professional people around, whether the guys that were playing
at that time, the coaching staff and also the alumni
so he was a lot, he was around a lot of.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Greatness, and he's he's a great observer.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
He's one of those guys he doesn't just shoot off
his mouth and when he does speak, it's it's the
words are measured. He's just not saying things. Comes from
a blue collar situation where he grew up. I've been
to all of his back in the day, the different
fundraisers we had throughout Chicago. We all had different foundations,
and Sharps was about first responders. That's what his family is,
(23:45):
and I would obviously we'd all attend the event, and
I was so impressed by the authenticity of this particular.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Group of people they got together.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
You could see the fact that the influence from the
from the parents and through his wife and everybody else.
It was just it was just a real solid foundation
that he works from. It's just like he does as
a hitter. So he's not gonna be denied ever. Like
you said, the strikeout thing, I'm gonna fix it really
focused and today, actually this is going to be great
(24:18):
because our quote of the day is going to fit
into this.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
I just thought of that. But just tell him he
can't do something, Brother and he'll show you that he can.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
By the way, the last five seasons, the only two
players who have more home runs than Kyle Schwarber Aaron
Judge and Shoe Otani. Schwarber is third, and he's coming
up on career number three hundred, just four away from that, Joe.
We also have to talk about one of the quiet
trends in the game. It should be getting more attention,
(24:48):
but it's the Miami Marlins, so they don't get a
lot of attention. What they are doing on the mound
is stunning to me. We talked before about the Boston
Red Sox and how they ran away from fastballs last season.
It caught up to him in the second half of
the season, and they're throwing more fastballs this year. Part
of that is they do have Garrett Crochet right and
Walker Buehler, who should be throwing their fastballs. The Marlins
(25:12):
this year and I'm not using cutters here, just two
seamers and four seamers. The Marlins are throwing thirty five
percent fastballs. They're actually spinning the ball more than they
are throwing fastballs. That's the lowest since Baseball has been
able to record these things.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Since twenty fifteen.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
So I'll give you the three lowest fastball percentages, Joe,
the twenty twenty five Marlins, the twenty twenty four Red
Sox where just about thirty seven percent, and get this,
the twenty twenty five Chicago White Sox at forty one percent.
The Marlins are thirteen to twenty two. The last year
is Red Sox were eighty one and eighty one, and
(25:53):
the White Sox this year are ten and twenty six.
I mean, come on, and where the Marlins ranks in
terms of pitching staff Their last in the major leagues
and earn run average last and walks. They throw the
most pitches when they're behind on the count. And here
they are throwing thirty five percent fastballs. You look at
their starting rotation. Everybody other than Edward Cabrera is throwing
(26:17):
fewer fastballs than they've ever thrown in their life, including
Sandy al Cantre. I mean, you got a kid like
Max Meyer, He's thrown thirty five percent fastball. He's a guy,
the young player with a young arm. He's throwing it
as his foundation pitch.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
The slider.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
He's throwing that more than any other pitch. You know,
Connor Gillespie's throwing the change up more than he throws
any other pitch. It's unusual for me to see Joe.
One thing if I was starting to see results, but
I'm not seeing results. I'm seeing a team walking a
lot of guys and last in the major leagues in era.
It's just part of extrapolating a trend we're seeing, Joe,
(26:52):
where everybody's trying to shape pitches and mis bats, and
what you said earlier stands out to me. Just the
fastball command isn't there. Does that mean you're gonna have
command to your breaking It's just fascinating to me to
see the Marlins go this far in this direction with
such a young staff.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
Yeah, I'm sure on paper it looks really good to
throw those breaking balls, and I'm sure their their data
supports that attempt. But at the end of the day,
this is one of those things man that for me,
for us as coming up, and I still believe it
to be true. The number one thing I would want
all my minor league guys coming into the organization be
able to do is commander fastball number one, because everything
(27:31):
still works off of that when you're when you're able
to dot up a fastball, you know all the different
quadrants are, or just go to wherever you wherever you
dotted up the best normally when it comes to a fastball.
My experience growing up as a catcher, and then even
with different pictures with the Angel organization, primarily as they
catch them all the time, a lot of guys have
(27:53):
one spot they locate their fastball best too, and hopefully
a lot of times it's down in a way. Sometimes
it could be in elevated in sometimes it just maybe
have to top of the strike zone. We're like becoming
more of a trend, but you normally find a spot
that you really can and back again. You would have
bullpen sessions where you didn't move on to your next
(28:14):
pitch until you really found that slot where you could
command a fastball to that spot that you wanted to
and then everything works off of that. I don't understand
why you would think that everything works off a slider
or an off speed pitch and then the fastball is
held in your back pocket. Part of that also, and
you kind of alluded to it, is that's part of
why guys can't get into the third time to the
(28:34):
banding order or pitch sixth inning or beyond, because you're
showing all your stuff from Jump Street and you're not
taking the advantage of the ability. You're working on the
ability to get quick outs, quickouts in an any quickouts
early in the game. That then permits you to pitch
more deeply into the game and feel strong and be
able to do things in the latter part. I like,
(28:55):
for me, if I'm running it, I like fastball fastball command.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
First.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
Off of that, I like straight change up or change
up second. Those are the two foundation pitches I believe.
And then off of that, how does this sky's arm
work best? Some guys can't throw a natural curve. I
like the natural curveball. Third, and then after that, if
you can't really do that, then I do like slider
and the last pitch I would want to teach as
a cutter. And to me, that's like a poor man's
(29:21):
version of a breaking ball. If your hand, wrist, arms
just don't work well enough to throw those other pitches,
then we could go to the cutter and just try
to get the ball move a little bit at the end.
So that would be my order of preference in building
a young pitcher.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Coming to my organization. I would want him.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
First of all, let's see where that fastball is going.
And I would give you throw a change up. Throw Mikey,
do you throw a change up?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
No? But here let's work on different grips.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
And I want to give you a change up number two,
and then if you could spin a curve ball. Spinning
a curveball to me like probably the most effective pitch
of the opposite side hitter along with the change up.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
And what happens a lot of times.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
The demise of a lot of young pictures is the
fact that they can't get out the opposite side hitter.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
And to me, the change up and the curveball are
the two best way up. And there.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
I could go on and on about this, but I
believe in that I don't understand other than data that
looks pretty on a piece of paper, it's been not
supported in real life.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Yeah, I think you're onto something there, Joe, because we're
going through another iteration of how pitching is changing and evolving.
Because for a while there, as we know, when the
launch angle era hit for hitters, that high four steing
fastball really played right, getting a lot of swings and
misses and pop ups, top of the zone, velocity began
to increase and pitchers could live up there. Now what
I'm seeing is everybody wants to move the ball in
(30:36):
different directions. If you watch now, especially for starters, they
have separate menus of pitches for right handers and left handers.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
And everybody now wants to move the ball. Everybody has.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Alex Cord told me he has three fastballs. Now, you know,
the for seamer, the sinker, and the cutter. Everybody's got
three breaking balls. Everybody throws a breaking ball to a
right handed hitter or a left handed hitter. And I think,
just there's this approach now that let's move keep moving
the ball and shaping pitches on analytics and data and
spin rates and all these things. Not everybody can do
(31:08):
it that well, but people want to go into pitch
shaping I think more than commanding the baseball.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
And that's what I'm saying, Joe is really good.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Pitchers now are throwing just a whole suite of pitches
now that they would not have thrown before.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Even like Skeins.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
We talked about that Skins wanting to add a pitch
this year. See here's what I always wanted to do
too with But all my guys, you have all these
different pitches, right breaking balls. Let's says breaking ball specifically,
which works better against if your right hand? Which works
better against the lefty? Which works better against the righty? Fat?
I guess I would say that your slider works better
(31:45):
against the righty, and your curveball should work better against
the lefty. Like I said, change up, I like when
it works against both sides. James Shields outstanding, Kyle Hendricks outstanding,
Alex Cobb outstanding. To get underneath the right handed hitter.
Proliferation of elevated fastballs being thrown, which really causes I say,
right on right, you're trying to really get over top
(32:07):
of that ball. A lot of times that leaves a
hole underneath. You find where the hole is, and if
the holes underneath the right handed hitter, a right handed
changeup is devastating to that particular hitter if you if
you could move it down and down and in. Alex Cobb,
Kyle Hendrix, James Shills were really good at this particular pitch.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
So identify, just don't throw a bunch of pitches.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
What do I do well against the writing, and what
do I do well against the lefty. The cutter to me,
to me is more more, should be more of an
opposite side pitch, and I like it When it's elevated.
In Mariano Rivera, it was like a buzz stop. Left
handers couldn't get to it because it would just cut in.
It would be about bell time, maybe a little bit.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Better than that.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Nothing you can do with it, not a thing you
can do with it. So the figure that out first,
and I have to believe people are smart enough to
understand that. But that would be where I would begin
with all my pitches too, left you hit left, your
right handed pitcher versus the lefty versus writing, Where does
the shape of my break and ball work best against
these guys? And not try to force the round peg
(33:09):
into the square hole? Whatever? What works best? Based on this?
And how do I see the plate? How do I
see hitters? And then also just let's start getting deeper
into ballgames whatever? How do we get deeper into a
ball games? Is it even discussed? I could go on on, man,
these are the things that I'd like. I'm not around
enough to see it firsthand, which I really wish I was.
This is stuff that I see on occasion when I'm
(33:31):
watching a game, I like to be on the field.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
I like to.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
Scout, like use my scouting ie to really tell you
exactly how I feel. But this is what I believe
in right here. I would start from these premise and
then it would work from there.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
I almost think of it as designer pitching, right you know. Yeah,
people just want to design pitches, and as I said,
it's hard to do to execute it as good as
it looks on paper. But I think given the technology
and the tools, people are really into that now and
real quickly. Joe in twenty fifteen, so ten years ago,
hitters would see fifty seven percent fastballs. That number this year,
(34:08):
ten years later is down to forty seven percent. It's
the lowest percentage ever. So we'll keep an eye on
the Marlins. As I mentioned, the Red Sox did this
last year and their ERA went up a full run
in the second half of the season. The Marlins are
already starting from the worst ERA in the league.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
So we'll see how that develops when we come back.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
I am just about ready to write off the Baltimore Orioles.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
I want to see if Joe Madden agrees with me
on this. We'll do that right after this at.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
The Book of Joe Joe.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
I know you like the Baltimore Orioles, so do I,
but I can't. I got to tell you that they're
the most disappointing team in baseball for me this year.
There's no question about it. You look at their staff
era twenty ninth. In era they've allowed the most home
runs they're twenty eighth, and strikeouts their twenty eighth and
whip their twenty sixth, then strikeout to walk.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Right, They're just not getting it done on the mound.
We know that.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
And even offensively, this should be a much better team
their twenty sixth and batting average twenty sixth. Then on
base percentage you look at their record, they're thirteen to
twenty one, and you can say, well, it's early, right,
we talked about this at the start of this episode.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
It's early.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Well, there's only been eight teams in the history of
baseball that started thirteen and twenty one or worse and
made the postseason. And there's only been one who have
done that out of the very difficult American League East.
That was in nineteen eighty nine, Toronto Blue Jays. It's
happened once in the past twelve years. That's the twenty
four Astros. I think they're just about out of it, Joe,
(35:49):
I really do. I just don't see where this team
is going to get better, especially on the mound and
playing uphill in the American League East. I know you've
done it. It's a difficult road to go. Tell me
what you see. The Orioles and with their chance, are
getting back into this thing.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
In spite of their offensive deficiencies. That's one thing that's
something I think they can overcome. But the pitching deficiencies
are almost impossible. All the different injuries they've had, the
different guys they brought in that really have not performed,
that's the.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Tough one right there.
Speaker 4 (36:19):
To really flip a switch on that, it's going to
be very difficult, and that's to me, that's where good.
That's going to be the difference maker regarding whether they're
going to be able to get back into it or not.
The players on the field, these are young guys, you
know right now, they're probably we talked about confidence a
moment ago. It's definitely at a low point when you
have to score that many runs on a nightly basis,
(36:40):
or I haven't followed it closely enough, but to be
giving up leads, giving up leads late, we score some points,
and all of a sudden, here comes the other team
roaring back. Devastating I managed, you know, when you manage
in Midland, Texas, it's tough. When you score points and
the other team just keeps coming back. It really wears
down the offensive side. And I'm not pointing fingers. I'm
just pointing out that it seems to be what's going
(37:03):
on right here. So I don't know how they fix
their pitching. That would be the number one thing. Unless
they get some kind of consistency on the mound. To
think that they're going to be able to generate enough
offense to overcome any kind of pitching deficiencies right now,
nearly impossible if they can tried and true, I mean,
I don't even know. You probably know better that you
(37:24):
do know better than I. Defensively, if they're playing up
to their standards defensively or not. But those are the
two things that they got to start winning three to two,
two to one, four to three kind of games again.
They got to start winning those holding onto leads late
and all this stuff really speaks to pitching and defense.
So without having seen them often enough, I'm not disagreeing
(37:45):
with you. I think that they are in kind of
a deep situation. Trouble wise, it's hard to come back. See,
it's one thing to come if you're like if you're
behind in the division by five, six, seven, eight games,
like we were, but you're you're playing well, if you
have a nice record, if had a nice season, good
things have occurred. It's okay to you could understand why
team can fight back. But when a team is just
(38:07):
like underwater so badly to think that they're just going
to flip a switch and start playing good baseball, that's
a difficult part to wrap.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Your mind around.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Yeah, and I wonder Joe about the mindset, and you
kind of alluded to this. When you're not getting consistently
really good pitching and you feel like you have to
score a lot of runs, it's there's would seem to
me a lot of pressure, Like you go into a
series thinking we've got to outslug the other team.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
That's a hard way.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
I mean that all happened once in a while, but
to play five months of baseball like that, that's why
you know, I looked at the Atlanta Braves early. They
started zero and seven, and you know, a lot of
things were not going right for the Braves. But you
saw their pitching staff. You know, some guys that they
spin the ball as well as anybody. They've got really
good arms. You saw the potential there that they could have,
say a month like twenty and ten, which you need
(38:53):
to do when you start out so poorly. I don't
see the Orioles having a twenty and ten month because
I don't see their pitching being that being good enough,
that consistent enough. You know, well a series here and there, sure,
but they need to make up ground with some of
these months where they do play six hundred, seven hundred baseball.
Speaker 4 (39:11):
Yeah, it's hard to out slug your mistakes, it really is.
The other teams got, you know, pitching their flakers that
are playing.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
In the East.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
But although the Central is no walk right now, there's
some really good baseball going on there. There's nowhere to
hide when you get underwater like that.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
We've talked about this in the past with the Rays,
we were eighteen under one time, it was twenty three
and forty one. I think our record was believe that
or not, and I vowed we're going to get back to.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
Five hundred, and we did.
Speaker 4 (39:39):
We were like sixty four and sixty five and five
or something like that. Fought so hard to get back
to that point. But just like we talked about earlier,
when you fight that hard to get back, I remember
talking Alex Cob in front of his locker. We were
so jacked that we finally got back to five hundred
from eighteen under think about it, eighteen under five hundred.
He got back to five hundred within the same year.
(40:00):
But wow, does it take a lot out of it.
So yes, if they could somehow get that pitching staff
right it, if they could catch the ball consistently every night,
I believe that offense will pick it up enough to.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
Make some noise.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Well, Joe, I've been waiting to get to your final
thought here because you teased it. That was a great tease,
by the way, You've had me on the edge of
my seat here, So I want to know where you're
going here.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
Well, you know you're talking about Schwerbert, right, Yeah, And
the fact that when he came up, a lot of
asayers about him hitting left on left and he wanted
to sew badly. I can hit lefties. Just give me
a chance. I can hit lefties. I'm telling you I
could hit left these but I'd never doubted it. But
like I said, if you had alternatives, more had to
play as an example. So we're doing at different things
(40:48):
platoon wise. Okay, so this is from Albert Einstein. I'm
grateful to all those people who said no. It is
because of them. I did it myself. Kyle Swerbert in
the story Mike Trump.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
That is so good at Einstein, Kyle Schwerber, I always
had them peg.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
The same breath.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, great stuff.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
Joe.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
Hey, We'll see you next week, next time on the
Book of Joe Podcasts.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
Thanks Tom, We have a great day.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Book of Joe podcast is a production of iHeartRadio.
Hey Daron, Welcome back to the Book of Joe podcast
with me, Tom Barducci and Joe Madden. Joe, it's hard
to believe, but this weekend we are coming up on
(00:24):
the quarter pole of the twenty twenty five Major League
Baseball season. So I want your perspective. Can I still
say it's early or is that past its freshness date?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
At this point.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
There's trends that are definitely being created.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
When you're describing to me, always thought about it as
slow time, and then it turns into fast time. Spring
training a slow time beginning of the season's slow time.
Then all of a sudden, this hamster wheel starts spinning
and it becomes fast time, and all of a sudden,
before you know it, it's the All Star break. Yeah,
there's trends that are setting up, and you're looking at
teams like an alas the Al East is kind of
(01:01):
underwater compared to the Central as an example, and of
course even on the western side of things, the athletics
what they're doing makes that side even a little bit
more pertinent.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
But yeah, it's the.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Orioles having struggles last night, the watch the video of
the Angels and the Blue Jays how the Angels came
back against Hoffmann in the eighth inning as an example,
blue Jay's not gaining any traction once again. So yeah,
it's it's hard to think that if you aren't showing
signs of being like exceptional in a sense this year,
(01:32):
it's hard to think that all of a sudden, it's
just gonna happen coming out of camp. The fast starters
really always benefit on an annual basis, and there's those
anomaly moments, Astros coming back, Nationals coming back years ago,
the Rockies coming back. But it's hard to do that.
It's like an NBA game. Although your Knicks, the Knicks
(01:53):
did it the other night. They came back hard and
they held on and won it. But it's hard to
come back. It just is you expend a lot of
energy in the process and it's difficult.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
So I think there are that are sitting up right.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Now, absolutely, and I want to dive into individual trends here, Joe,
because I think the biggest story of this season so
far as we reach the quarterpole is Aaron Judge, and
we know he's been great, There's no question about it.
But he's gone next level this year. And they also
want to talk about vis A VI Juan Soto, because
(02:26):
it's clear to me at this point, Joe, that Mon
Soto misses Aaron Judge a lot more than Aaron Judge
missus Mon Soto. You look at that Yankee lineup and
it's top heavy. I mean, Bellinger really hasn't gotten on track.
Gold Schmidt is getting his hits, He's not necessarily doing
a lot of damage in terms of the long ball.
So behind Aaron Judge, you know, there's not a whole
(02:49):
lot of thump going on there in the Yankee lineup.
But right now, Joe, I mean, he's hitting four to twelve,
which is just ridiculous. His on base percentage is over
five hundred. It's five oh three, and he's slugging over
seven hundred, almost eight hundred.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Let me give you a couple of numbers here.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Joe's the guy who's managed for a long time and
done it well in the major leagues.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
How this is even possible?
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Aaron Judge is hitting five to twenty against fastballs, five
twenty against fastballs, and do you realize that Aaron Judge
is seeing an above average rate of fastballs. The percentage
of fastballs he sees is above major league average, and
he is seeing and this is unbelievable to me, forty
(03:34):
nine point eight percent of pitches in the strike zone,
which is more than he saw last year, more than
he's ever seen. I don't know why people haven't gotten
the message, Joe, you just cannot pitch this guy right now.
Tell me what you see and how you would approach
Aaron Judge.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
Yeah, I mean just talking about the fastballs. I'm sure
it has something to do analytically with these different groups
because they all bring from the same well. But it
sounds like, you know, let's challenge him with the fastball,
and let's locate this fastball in a certain area. But
the problem I ran into a lot the last couple
of years. It's just overall fastball command. Guys are throwing balls.
(04:13):
Baseball is hard, but it's hard for them to hit
the exact spot that they're looking for. I start right there,
so I'd have to look at it more deeply to
see how badly these different pitchers are missing their targets
while the ball's coming back to the middle or wherever,
wherever that hotspot is for him.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
That's the number one. Number two. Yeah, I listened.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
I watched a little bit of the game last night,
and how they rallied late was kind of exceptional against
the pitching that the Padres had, But it happens. They
just they strung together some singles and all of a sudden,
here we go. But why again, you said, listen, I'm
not denegrating anybody else on that team, but why would
you pitch to this guy?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Now?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
They were forced to in that situation. Later in the game,
I think they walked them. But yeah, there was an
intentional walk, I think as it turned out. But yeah,
it's listen, Analytics doesn't like the intentional walk. Analytics doesn't
necessarily like pitching around people. You. I've always got a
hard time from guys when I would do that. Even
it started like with Harper when we walked them so
(05:11):
many times back in once sixteen or sixteen, right, fifteen
or sixteen.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
And I didn't get any grief for that.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
But eventually it comes back to that these guys don't
like that putting another runnerund base, and that's when you
start treating everybody the same, just based on data. That
makes no sense to me. And that's what we were just
talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
The trends. We just opened up about trends. Trends exist.
Speaker 4 (05:31):
Guys get hot, guys get cold, guys get better, they
get worse. You know, something's bothered them. They're not talking
about all these different things. So there's no reason to
attack this guy, right I'd make Rice do his job.
I would make Wells do his job. I would Grisham
right now. I mean, Grisham's always been a fine outfielder,
but what he's doing right now again is like crazy good.
(05:52):
So I'd have to believe they're gonna regress it the mean
at some point here, but for right now, playing the Yankees,
I am not pitching to this dude.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
I'm just not.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
I mean, And if you're gonna say let's attack him
with the fastball, that's for those that really know how
to command their fastball.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
I think.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
So long answer, there's a lot going on there, but
it just doesn't make any sense.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
He's he's hitting like Bonds right now.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
He's just hitting like Barry Bonds and the kind of
treatment we had to give him back in the day.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
You're absolutely right, and I like your point about the fastballs.
I think that's a big part of it. You know,
Aaron Judge has always been one of the best high
fastball hitters in the game. And part of that to
me is, you know, he's six foot seven and pitchers
just don't elevate the ball enough to him. What they
think is top rail to him is actually in his
nitro zone. And the other thing I've noticed this year,
(06:41):
Joe is he did have if there was one hole,
and it's not really a hole, but one place where
you can keep him in the ballpark and turn him
into a singles hitter, is the pitch down in a way.
If you can dot that up down and a way,
he's not going to do damage. Well he is this year,
he's hitting everything. And you look at Aaron Judge in
his twenties. He was a two seventy six hitter in
his twenties, And I know batting average is not the
(07:03):
be all and end all, but just use that as
a rule of thumb. Two seventy six hitter in his twenties.
In his thirties, he's hitting three thirteen. He has become
a pure hitter, a great pure hitter, and not just
a slugger. We already always knew he was a great slugger.
He's hitting four to seventy three when he puts the
(07:24):
ball in play this year. Now, that's not sustainable. His
career average is three fifty. He hits the ball really hard,
so his ground balls, when he does hit them, they're
going to get through for hits. But he can't hit
four to seventy three on balls in play. But right now,
I I'm with you, Joe, you have to walk him.
I go back to a game where Alex Cora, the
Red Sox manager, had a base open with load Guerrero
(07:46):
up late in the game, decided to pitch to him.
Guerrero wins the game hanging breaking ball three to two. Now,
the pitcher, justin Slayton, did have moho and two. But
alex Cora I liked his answer. He said, you know,
if we're October, I'm walking him. But at this point,
I want to find out about my guys and I
want to trust him, and especially when the count got two,
then you're full green light and go after him. So
(08:07):
probably context matters too, but I think Aaron Judge right
now is just so good the best hit are in baseball.
I'm not tempted to try to get himself out. He's
not going to do that.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
You just got to get to oh and three and
really get him out. You know, oh and two doesn't
work sometimes. I understand Alex's point there, and I honestly
have to have had those same thoughts.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
The thing is that this is different.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
I mean, the Red Sox are trying to beat these
guys or within that division, Guerrero Judge whomever. These games
build momentum, where they take momentum away. I've always believed
in that too, when you lose close games late, give
up something late. And if you've had these like different
internal struggles within yourself as a manager, should I do
(08:50):
this or not? And then you choose to do the
one thing and then it turns out not very good
and even though you might have been leaning in the
other direction. That's the old Zim thing. If it comes
to your mind, do it. And I really try to
train myself to do that as I moved it a
little bit further along, because when you start having those
internal debates, man, it's it's not good. It's not good.
(09:11):
I think something like that. You have to make up
your mind before the game. And if his mind had
been made up before the game, as an example that listen,
I'm gonna but still early. I'm and to make sure
they're gonna try to give these guys every opportunity. But
you know, it's the same thing we said with Bonds
in this World series. I know it's a different time
of the year, but these guys are you're when you're
that good, you're gonna you're probably gonna bet wrong if
(09:34):
you're gonna bet that your guy's going to get this
particular guy in that moment, especially when they're playing as
well as they are.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
So I'm all about that.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
I I I don't I prefer not pitching to him.
And you know, you've got a guy like with a
lead control and command, whoever that guy is in today's game,
uh you know the Gram or somebody like that. Maybe
you let him roll with that fastball, try to dot
him up down in a way. But listen, my my
experience has been that with when you get guys out
(10:03):
there and today's pitcher just tries to throw as spin
and throw as hard as he can and not locate necessarily.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
That's where I have an issue.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Yeah, I'd agree with you on that.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
I think you trust your ace if you will or
maybe your closer, but anybody else, you just don't try
to attempt Aaron Judge. He's too good right now. As
far as onan soda, I want to get your take
on what you see, Joe. I'll give you just some
numbers here, because he still gets on base right even
when he's not going well. He controls the strike zone
very well. He just passed Mickey Mantle for the most
(10:33):
walks ever before the age of twenty seven, and he's
still getting on base for the New York Mets.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
He's just not doing any damage.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
What I see here is his bat speed is down
two miles per hour. His swing length is down. Those
are also those numbers, by the way, top five in
baseball in terms of the difference from last year to
this year. What I see is someone who is not
turning on the baseball and getting beat by velocity. And
(10:59):
that to me is shocking to see Wan Soto not
catch up velocity because I again high fastballs. He eats
him for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But last year at
this time he had twenty two hits to the pole
side and slugged over eight hundred. This year pul side
just fourteen hits and he's slugging five eighty five. Here's
the big difference to me, Joe. Last year against pitches
(11:21):
ninety five and above, he hit three forty seven and
slugged over seven hundred, one of the best in baseball
on elite velocity. This year, he's hitting one fifty eight
and slugging five hundred. He's three for nineteen. He's got
three hits against ninety five plus this year.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
I just see a guy.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
I don't see the swing that's changed, but I see
a guy that timing wise, similar to Aaron Judge last year.
First month of the season is simply not there. I
don't know why it's happening. It could just be the
ebbs and flows of this game. The baseball gods are saying,
you're not quite right. But it's strange for me to
see one Soto not on time. Tell me what you
(11:58):
see of mon Sota this first quarter of the season.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Yeah, I mean, I didn't realize those new eric those numbers,
but yeah, it's just obviously something is not right. Just
to to just interject, though, I'm watching Alonzo now, we're
talking about missing Judge.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
What about Alonzo?
Speaker 4 (12:14):
What this guy's doing right now is kind of almost
Judge like, so it's like he's already he's already He's
actually got Judge with him right now, it's just got
a different last name.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
I mean.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
The think big thing about Alonzo that really stands out
to me where I think Sodo has had an influence
possibly although they haven't played a lot together, is look
at a Lonzo's walks versus his strikeouts right now.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
It's incredibly best played discipline of his career right right.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
And that and I don't know where that has rubbed
off on him or not, or this is part of
his motivation from kind of being ostracized during the last
off season in regards to teams.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
Wanting him or not.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
So Soto's got that now. The thing about Soda and
I listen, I'm a Sodo guy, but you paid all
that money for a guy that's an on base percentage guy,
guy that does like to walk. So it's it's he's
gonna hit. He's gonna hit more than he's hit right now.
But I would keep an eye on the bat speed
thing that is an analytical component I like because it's
(13:10):
obviously he's not catching up the fastballs. Something's slowed down
a bit. In there, and there's no reason too. He's young,
he's not hurt. He's in a different ballpark. I don't
even know what the weather's been like. But even in
that ballpark there the way that sets up compared to
the way the Yankee Stadium sets up.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Who knows.
Speaker 4 (13:25):
It's like you know, you know what it's like sitting
on a t box and if of a whole fits
your eye or not, and if it doesn't fit your
eyes becomes more problematic as the one that if you
look at the fairway and it fits your eye and
all of a sudden you take a better swing. So
give him time to really adjust to the background and
the quirkiness of that ballpark.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
I do believe in that. I do believe that has issues.
Speaker 4 (13:48):
That you know, people never talk about, and if you did,
you think somebody's crazy. So give him a little bit
more time. He's got judge hitting behind him right now.
So that's conversation I think needs to stop. I think
it's more internal with him. I can't even think that
the size of the contract. I don't think that has
anything to do with that. I really don't. I mean,
the guy just warphed into the city last year. Like
(14:10):
it was nothing. He did all what he did all
last year, like it was a big old yawn. He
just he's got this wrapped up. So I just say,
give him time, let him adjust, and I think adjust
to the environment as much as anything matters.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Yeah, I'm with you on that, Joe.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
I mean, we always try to look for ways to
get inside a guy's head and explain why he's hitting
or why he is hitting. And this is the guy,
as you mentioned, he got to New York last year
with the Yankees and just hit the ground running.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
There was no break in period.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
So you can't tell me that he's getting to New York,
you know, with the Mets, and now he's struggling.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
That doesn't make sense. Was it interesting?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
You know?
Speaker 1 (14:46):
The other day I was talking to Carlos Mendoza, the manager,
and I mentioned that Juan Soto has not done a
full blown, on full blown Juan Soto shuffle at all
this year, not once. So the body language just quite
isn't the same. He's not just to my eye, Joe,
he's just not feeling like the superman hitter that he is.
(15:09):
And Mendoza said, I've noticed that, and you know, I
believe the same thing that we're not seeing the body language,
the confidence that you always saw, you know, looking the
picture in the eye and doing that shuffle. And he's
done a semi shuffle, but not the full on Juan
Soto shuffle.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
So that kind of body language.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
I don't know if you looked at that as a manager, Joe,
but it's caught my eye.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
That's not quite the same.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
The thing that I really was curious, found curious was
when that article came out about him actually admitting it's
different without Judge hitting behind him, and that created a
way bigger, a much bigger stir than it deserved. It's
like everything else media wise today, that was like way blown,
way out of proportion. But I don't know to what
extent it might have gotten in his head a little bit.
(15:55):
Confidence is such a tenuous situation, and we live and
die by everybody does. Our whole world's always about confidence.
The economy is about confidence, confidence in the dollar or not,
regarding whether one investor or not, So it's it's it's
all about confidence. And I think that article demonstrated how
he was feeling. But then I think it might have
(16:16):
the reaction to that might have hurt him a little bit.
That's that's I thought that was kind of dumb actually,
not that he said it, but how the reaction was
and then how then maybe he processed it in the
wrong way, or who knows, he's going.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
To come back. He's gonna be really good.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
He's you know, the kind of hit or he is
is going to show up once again.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
We don't know why.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
There's a little bit less than maybe something's bothering that
he's not even talking about. And I wouldn't doubt that
either there might be something going on with a hand
or wrist or rib, something might be bothering him that
he's not fessing up to. If in factor's a diminished
bat speed, So just give him time, it's going to happen.
But all these little micro things I think have conspired
to make it a difficult start for him.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Well, next week, Joe the New York Mets go into
the Bronx Swan Sota returns to Yankee Stadium. Mets Yankee,
He's at Yankee Stadium. What do you think that scene
is going to be?
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Like left the bed on? I think he's gonna he's
gonna turn it on right there. I think he's gonna
have a good series. He will rise to the occasion.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
I believe.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
I think the confines there is gonna be Like I said,
it's very It's a comfortable place for him to play baseball.
We'll see what happens between now and then, but by
the time he gets back there, I think he's gonna
be ready to go.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
Well.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Aaron Judge is tied for the major league home run
lead with twelve and when we get back after this
short break, we're going to talk about somebody he is
tied with, and I believe it's one of Joe Madden's
favorite hitters. Welcome back to the Book of Joe Podcasts.
(17:55):
Joe Menon, I want to take you back, and why
not to your twenty sixteen Chicago Cubs, and that team
was the youngest team to win the World Series, especially
in a Game seven. And I look back on just
the plethora of everyday players, position players you had from
ages twenty two to twenty six right, just absolutely loaded
(18:16):
with young up and coming or even early established talent.
And when I look at those guys, Joe, the one
who now is at the top of his game is
Kyle Schwarber. Listen, we got Javey Baya is struggling, maybe
a bouncing back a little bit, becoming a jack of
all trades with Detroit. Chris Bryant his injury histories. We
(18:37):
know about Hore Silaira was on that team. He's hitting
two twenty one with the Angels. Anthony Rizzo doesn't have
a job. Addison Russell's at a baseball, Albert Almore at
a baseball. Wilson Contreras has been just an average hitter
for the Cardinals. And here's Kyle Schwarber better than he's
ever been, slashing two fifty two, four oh eight on
(18:57):
base percentage, five eighty five slug and his home run
the other night was number two ninety six of his career.
Kyle Schwarber, like Judge, is getting better through his thirties,
especially against left handed hitting.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
They used to own him.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Last year he hit three hundred against lefties. This year
he's hitting three to four. So, Joe, if you go
back and you look at your twenty sixteen team in
that version of Kyle Schwarber, of course, he had the
knee injury and didn't come back until the postseason the
World Series, but you knew what he was like as
a player, as a young hitter. Tell me what you
see now as Kyle Schwarber is just absolutely crushing it.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Watch him in the box.
Speaker 4 (19:36):
I mean he's always kind of like got the same
routine going on. He walks into the box, he slides
his one foot front and then back, and then he
settles in whatever. But I'm telling you what, he cannot
be more calm getting in the box right now. He
walks in there like he's gonna sit down in his
favorite chair to get ready to hit.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
His confidence cannot be cannot be higher.
Speaker 4 (19:56):
And his comfort level with his mechanics and how he's
seeing things right now cannot be higher.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
That's what I'm seeing. So it's like of standing in.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
That box and he and he really feels extremely comfortable.
And it's highlighted by the fact the navigated a lefty.
When we first had him there, you wanted to hit
him lead off when we did, I thought that was
a very interesting concept. The problem with that was at
that time versus the left hand, it was very difficult
for him to really be successful. It's just just learning,
(20:26):
just learning how to do it, that's all. But then again,
if you're trying to win and you got other options,
it's it's difficult to just put the guy out there
against the better lefties at that time, so you're you're
moving it back and forth. And when you do that,
even especially to a young player, even though you know
it's the right thing to do, you can just you know,
nick their confidence just a little bit because they believe
they're better than that. Why am I not good enough?
(20:49):
How am I going to get to this next level?
There's a little pressure involved, so there's Wow. The underlying
dynamics involved in situations like that are so tumultuous, so
you just you can't measure all that. So my point,
but what I'm seeing is I'm seeing him walking in
the box. Wow loose. I mean you talk about tension free.
My god, He's he's got the most tension free approaching
(21:11):
at the plate right now. He's never in trouble. You
can strike him out five times and all he's going
to come back and he's now he's going to rip
you on the sixth time. So that's what I'm saying.
Has been a difference. And whatever they're doing there regarding
maybe it's just reps, but giving the information k Long
might be doing. Whatever it is, there's a better approach
versus the lefty. And they have a lot of lefties
(21:34):
that are in that lineup a lot, so maybe there's
a compilation of talking everybody whatever, but there's a different
mental approach. But more than anything, man, if you want
to look at somebody that has a tension free swing
that walks into the box like he owns it, it's him. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
I think the work with Kevin Long you mentioned it
goes back to Washington, and it really started then and
ever since Kyle and Kevin Long have been together here
in Philadelphia, they've got a routine going where, for instance,
when the coach does straight on soft toss, he may
sure he does it from an angle, from a left
handed angle.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Kevin's lefty.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Anyway, when he sets up the pitching machine, it's always
at the left handers release point.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
I think that's just a great idea where Kyle Schwarber.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Because you know, coming up through the system and growing
up in minor leagues, you're gonna see more right handers
than left handers. You're gonna see about seventy five percent
right handers. So what they've done is they've literally trained
his eyes to see that ball coming from the left
handed slot over and over and over again. He does
it every single day, takes it like vitamins. And as
you know, he's he's a guy who's dedicated to his craft.
(22:36):
And Kyle Schwarber wants to get better. You know, he
was embarrassed by his number of strikeouts a couple of
years ago, striking out more than two hundred times. He
made that a priority to try to get that down.
He's still going to strike out, we get that, but
he cares about that. He's not a guy who just
chalks it up to well, I'm going to take my
three hacks and if I strike out, I strike out.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
He wants to be a great player.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
And he's also as you know, Joe, he's a great
teammate and he's been a bunch of places, right. But
you talk to anybody who's played with Kyle Schwarber and
he's on their top five list of top five teammates.
Speaker 4 (23:06):
Yeah, he was not raised by wolves. I mean, this
guy was raised properly and just is uh. The whole
time there with the Cobs, there was a lot of
real professional people around, whether the guys that were playing
at that time, the coaching staff and also the alumni
so he was a lot, he was around a lot of.
Speaker 3 (23:21):
Greatness, and he's he's a great observer.
Speaker 4 (23:24):
He's one of those guys he doesn't just shoot off
his mouth and when he does speak, it's it's the
words are measured. He's just not saying things. Comes from
a blue collar situation where he grew up. I've been
to all of his back in the day, the different
fundraisers we had throughout Chicago. We all had different foundations,
and Sharps was about first responders. That's what his family is,
(23:45):
and I would obviously we'd all attend the event, and
I was so impressed by the authenticity of this particular.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
Group of people they got together.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
You could see the fact that the influence from the
from the parents and through his wife and everybody else.
It was just it was just a real solid foundation
that he works from. It's just like he does as
a hitter. So he's not gonna be denied ever. Like
you said, the strikeout thing, I'm gonna fix it really
focused and today, actually this is going to be great
(24:18):
because our quote of the day is going to fit
into this.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
I just thought of that. But just tell him he
can't do something, Brother and he'll show you that he can.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
By the way, the last five seasons, the only two
players who have more home runs than Kyle Schwarber Aaron
Judge and Shoe Otani. Schwarber is third, and he's coming
up on career number three hundred, just four away from that, Joe.
We also have to talk about one of the quiet
trends in the game. It should be getting more attention,
(24:48):
but it's the Miami Marlins, so they don't get a
lot of attention. What they are doing on the mound
is stunning to me. We talked before about the Boston
Red Sox and how they ran away from fastballs last season.
It caught up to him in the second half of
the season, and they're throwing more fastballs this year. Part
of that is they do have Garrett Crochet right and
Walker Buehler, who should be throwing their fastballs. The Marlins
(25:12):
this year and I'm not using cutters here, just two
seamers and four seamers. The Marlins are throwing thirty five
percent fastballs. They're actually spinning the ball more than they
are throwing fastballs. That's the lowest since Baseball has been
able to record these things.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Since twenty fifteen.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
So I'll give you the three lowest fastball percentages, Joe,
the twenty twenty five Marlins, the twenty twenty four Red
Sox where just about thirty seven percent, and get this,
the twenty twenty five Chicago White Sox at forty one percent.
The Marlins are thirteen to twenty two. The last year
is Red Sox were eighty one and eighty one, and
(25:53):
the White Sox this year are ten and twenty six.
I mean, come on, and where the Marlins ranks in
terms of pitching staff Their last in the major leagues
and earn run average last and walks. They throw the
most pitches when they're behind on the count. And here
they are throwing thirty five percent fastballs. You look at
their starting rotation. Everybody other than Edward Cabrera is throwing
(26:17):
fewer fastballs than they've ever thrown in their life, including
Sandy al Cantre. I mean, you got a kid like
Max Meyer, He's thrown thirty five percent fastball. He's a guy,
the young player with a young arm. He's throwing it
as his foundation pitch.
Speaker 2 (26:30):
The slider.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
He's throwing that more than any other pitch. You know,
Connor Gillespie's throwing the change up more than he throws
any other pitch. It's unusual for me to see Joe.
One thing if I was starting to see results, but
I'm not seeing results. I'm seeing a team walking a
lot of guys and last in the major leagues in era.
It's just part of extrapolating a trend we're seeing, Joe,
(26:52):
where everybody's trying to shape pitches and mis bats, and
what you said earlier stands out to me. Just the
fastball command isn't there. Does that mean you're gonna have
command to your breaking It's just fascinating to me to
see the Marlins go this far in this direction with
such a young staff.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
Yeah, I'm sure on paper it looks really good to
throw those breaking balls, and I'm sure their their data
supports that attempt. But at the end of the day,
this is one of those things man that for me,
for us as coming up, and I still believe it
to be true. The number one thing I would want
all my minor league guys coming into the organization be
able to do is commander fastball number one, because everything
(27:31):
still works off of that when you're when you're able
to dot up a fastball, you know all the different
quadrants are, or just go to wherever you wherever you
dotted up the best normally when it comes to a fastball.
My experience growing up as a catcher, and then even
with different pictures with the Angel organization, primarily as they
catch them all the time, a lot of guys have
(27:53):
one spot they locate their fastball best too, and hopefully
a lot of times it's down in a way. Sometimes
it could be in elevated in sometimes it just maybe
have to top of the strike zone. We're like becoming
more of a trend, but you normally find a spot
that you really can and back again. You would have
bullpen sessions where you didn't move on to your next
(28:14):
pitch until you really found that slot where you could
command a fastball to that spot that you wanted to
and then everything works off of that. I don't understand
why you would think that everything works off a slider
or an off speed pitch and then the fastball is
held in your back pocket. Part of that also, and
you kind of alluded to it, is that's part of
why guys can't get into the third time to the
(28:34):
banding order or pitch sixth inning or beyond, because you're
showing all your stuff from Jump Street and you're not
taking the advantage of the ability. You're working on the
ability to get quick outs, quickouts in an any quickouts
early in the game. That then permits you to pitch
more deeply into the game and feel strong and be
able to do things in the latter part. I like,
(28:55):
for me, if I'm running it, I like fastball fastball command.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
First.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
Off of that, I like straight change up or change
up second. Those are the two foundation pitches I believe.
And then off of that, how does this sky's arm
work best? Some guys can't throw a natural curve. I
like the natural curveball. Third, and then after that, if
you can't really do that, then I do like slider
and the last pitch I would want to teach as
a cutter. And to me, that's like a poor man's
(29:21):
version of a breaking ball. If your hand, wrist, arms
just don't work well enough to throw those other pitches,
then we could go to the cutter and just try
to get the ball move a little bit at the end.
So that would be my order of preference in building
a young pitcher.
Speaker 3 (29:34):
Coming to my organization. I would want him.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
First of all, let's see where that fastball is going.
And I would give you throw a change up. Throw Mikey,
do you throw a change up?
Speaker 3 (29:42):
No? But here let's work on different grips.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
And I want to give you a change up number two,
and then if you could spin a curve ball. Spinning
a curveball to me like probably the most effective pitch
of the opposite side hitter along with the change up.
Speaker 3 (29:54):
And what happens a lot of times.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
The demise of a lot of young pictures is the
fact that they can't get out the opposite side hitter.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
And to me, the change up and the curveball are
the two best way up. And there.
Speaker 4 (30:04):
I could go on and on about this, but I
believe in that I don't understand other than data that
looks pretty on a piece of paper, it's been not
supported in real life.
Speaker 1 (30:13):
Yeah, I think you're onto something there, Joe, because we're
going through another iteration of how pitching is changing and evolving.
Because for a while there, as we know, when the
launch angle era hit for hitters, that high four steing
fastball really played right, getting a lot of swings and
misses and pop ups, top of the zone, velocity began
to increase and pitchers could live up there. Now what
I'm seeing is everybody wants to move the ball in
(30:36):
different directions. If you watch now, especially for starters, they
have separate menus of pitches for right handers and left handers.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
And everybody now wants to move the ball. Everybody has.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Alex Cord told me he has three fastballs. Now, you know,
the for seamer, the sinker, and the cutter. Everybody's got
three breaking balls. Everybody throws a breaking ball to a
right handed hitter or a left handed hitter. And I think,
just there's this approach now that let's move keep moving
the ball and shaping pitches on analytics and data and
spin rates and all these things. Not everybody can do
(31:08):
it that well, but people want to go into pitch
shaping I think more than commanding the baseball.
Speaker 2 (31:15):
And that's what I'm saying, Joe is really good.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Pitchers now are throwing just a whole suite of pitches
now that they would not have thrown before.
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Even like Skeins.
Speaker 4 (31:25):
We talked about that Skins wanting to add a pitch
this year. See here's what I always wanted to do
too with But all my guys, you have all these
different pitches, right breaking balls. Let's says breaking ball specifically,
which works better against if your right hand? Which works
better against the lefty? Which works better against the righty? Fat?
I guess I would say that your slider works better
(31:45):
against the righty, and your curveball should work better against
the lefty. Like I said, change up, I like when
it works against both sides. James Shields outstanding, Kyle Hendricks outstanding,
Alex Cobb outstanding. To get underneath the right handed hitter.
Proliferation of elevated fastballs being thrown, which really causes I say,
right on right, you're trying to really get over top
(32:07):
of that ball. A lot of times that leaves a
hole underneath. You find where the hole is, and if
the holes underneath the right handed hitter, a right handed
changeup is devastating to that particular hitter if you if
you could move it down and down and in. Alex Cobb,
Kyle Hendrix, James Shills were really good at this particular pitch.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
So identify, just don't throw a bunch of pitches.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
What do I do well against the writing, and what
do I do well against the lefty. The cutter to me,
to me is more more, should be more of an
opposite side pitch, and I like it When it's elevated.
In Mariano Rivera, it was like a buzz stop. Left
handers couldn't get to it because it would just cut in.
It would be about bell time, maybe a little bit.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Better than that.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Nothing you can do with it, not a thing you
can do with it. So the figure that out first,
and I have to believe people are smart enough to
understand that. But that would be where I would begin
with all my pitches too, left you hit left, your
right handed pitcher versus the lefty versus writing, Where does
the shape of my break and ball work best against
these guys? And not try to force the round peg
(33:09):
into the square hole? Whatever? What works best? Based on this?
And how do I see the plate? How do I
see hitters? And then also just let's start getting deeper
into ballgames whatever? How do we get deeper into a
ball games? Is it even discussed? I could go on on, man,
these are the things that I'd like. I'm not around
enough to see it firsthand, which I really wish I was.
This is stuff that I see on occasion when I'm
(33:31):
watching a game, I like to be on the field.
Speaker 3 (33:33):
I like to.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
Scout, like use my scouting ie to really tell you
exactly how I feel. But this is what I believe
in right here. I would start from these premise and
then it would work from there.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
I almost think of it as designer pitching, right you know. Yeah,
people just want to design pitches, and as I said,
it's hard to do to execute it as good as
it looks on paper. But I think given the technology
and the tools, people are really into that now and
real quickly. Joe in twenty fifteen, so ten years ago,
hitters would see fifty seven percent fastballs. That number this year,
(34:08):
ten years later is down to forty seven percent. It's
the lowest percentage ever. So we'll keep an eye on
the Marlins. As I mentioned, the Red Sox did this
last year and their ERA went up a full run
in the second half of the season. The Marlins are
already starting from the worst ERA in the league.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
So we'll see how that develops when we come back.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
I am just about ready to write off the Baltimore Orioles.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
I want to see if Joe Madden agrees with me
on this. We'll do that right after this at.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
The Book of Joe Joe.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
I know you like the Baltimore Orioles, so do I,
but I can't. I got to tell you that they're
the most disappointing team in baseball for me this year.
There's no question about it. You look at their staff
era twenty ninth. In era they've allowed the most home
runs they're twenty eighth, and strikeouts their twenty eighth and
whip their twenty sixth, then strikeout to walk.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Right, They're just not getting it done on the mound.
We know that.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
And even offensively, this should be a much better team
their twenty sixth and batting average twenty sixth. Then on
base percentage you look at their record, they're thirteen to
twenty one, and you can say, well, it's early, right,
we talked about this at the start of this episode.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
It's early.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Well, there's only been eight teams in the history of
baseball that started thirteen and twenty one or worse and
made the postseason. And there's only been one who have
done that out of the very difficult American League East.
That was in nineteen eighty nine, Toronto Blue Jays. It's
happened once in the past twelve years. That's the twenty
four Astros. I think they're just about out of it, Joe,
(35:49):
I really do. I just don't see where this team
is going to get better, especially on the mound and
playing uphill in the American League East. I know you've
done it. It's a difficult road to go. Tell me
what you see. The Orioles and with their chance, are
getting back into this thing.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
In spite of their offensive deficiencies. That's one thing that's
something I think they can overcome. But the pitching deficiencies
are almost impossible. All the different injuries they've had, the
different guys they brought in that really have not performed,
that's the.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Tough one right there.
Speaker 4 (36:19):
To really flip a switch on that, it's going to
be very difficult, and that's to me, that's where good.
That's going to be the difference maker regarding whether they're
going to be able to get back into it or not.
The players on the field, these are young guys, you
know right now, they're probably we talked about confidence a
moment ago. It's definitely at a low point when you
have to score that many runs on a nightly basis,
(36:40):
or I haven't followed it closely enough, but to be
giving up leads, giving up leads late, we score some points,
and all of a sudden, here comes the other team
roaring back. Devastating I managed, you know, when you manage
in Midland, Texas, it's tough. When you score points and
the other team just keeps coming back. It really wears
down the offensive side. And I'm not pointing fingers. I'm
just pointing out that it seems to be what's going
(37:03):
on right here. So I don't know how they fix
their pitching. That would be the number one thing. Unless
they get some kind of consistency on the mound. To
think that they're going to be able to generate enough
offense to overcome any kind of pitching deficiencies right now,
nearly impossible if they can tried and true, I mean,
I don't even know. You probably know better that you
(37:24):
do know better than I. Defensively, if they're playing up
to their standards defensively or not. But those are the
two things that they got to start winning three to two,
two to one, four to three kind of games again.
They got to start winning those holding onto leads late
and all this stuff really speaks to pitching and defense.
So without having seen them often enough, I'm not disagreeing
(37:45):
with you. I think that they are in kind of
a deep situation. Trouble wise, it's hard to come back. See,
it's one thing to come if you're like if you're
behind in the division by five, six, seven, eight games,
like we were, but you're you're playing well, if you
have a nice record, if had a nice season, good
things have occurred. It's okay to you could understand why
team can fight back. But when a team is just
(38:07):
like underwater so badly to think that they're just going
to flip a switch and start playing good baseball, that's
a difficult part to wrap.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
Your mind around.
Speaker 1 (38:15):
Yeah, and I wonder Joe about the mindset, and you
kind of alluded to this. When you're not getting consistently
really good pitching and you feel like you have to
score a lot of runs, it's there's would seem to
me a lot of pressure, Like you go into a
series thinking we've got to outslug the other team.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
That's a hard way.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
I mean that all happened once in a while, but
to play five months of baseball like that, that's why
you know, I looked at the Atlanta Braves early. They
started zero and seven, and you know, a lot of
things were not going right for the Braves. But you
saw their pitching staff. You know, some guys that they
spin the ball as well as anybody. They've got really
good arms. You saw the potential there that they could have,
say a month like twenty and ten, which you need
(38:53):
to do when you start out so poorly. I don't
see the Orioles having a twenty and ten month because
I don't see their pitching being that being good enough,
that consistent enough. You know, well a series here and there, sure,
but they need to make up ground with some of
these months where they do play six hundred, seven hundred baseball.
Speaker 4 (39:11):
Yeah, it's hard to out slug your mistakes, it really is.
The other teams got, you know, pitching their flakers that
are playing.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
In the East.
Speaker 4 (39:18):
But although the Central is no walk right now, there's
some really good baseball going on there. There's nowhere to
hide when you get underwater like that.
Speaker 3 (39:26):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (39:27):
We've talked about this in the past with the Rays,
we were eighteen under one time, it was twenty three
and forty one. I think our record was believe that
or not, and I vowed we're going to get back to.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
Five hundred, and we did.
Speaker 4 (39:39):
We were like sixty four and sixty five and five
or something like that. Fought so hard to get back
to that point. But just like we talked about earlier,
when you fight that hard to get back, I remember
talking Alex Cob in front of his locker. We were
so jacked that we finally got back to five hundred
from eighteen under think about it, eighteen under five hundred.
He got back to five hundred within the same year.
(40:00):
But wow, does it take a lot out of it.
So yes, if they could somehow get that pitching staff
right it, if they could catch the ball consistently every night,
I believe that offense will pick it up enough to.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
Make some noise.
Speaker 1 (40:14):
Well, Joe, I've been waiting to get to your final
thought here because you teased it. That was a great tease,
by the way, You've had me on the edge of
my seat here, So I want to know where you're
going here.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
Well, you know you're talking about Schwerbert, right, Yeah, And
the fact that when he came up, a lot of
asayers about him hitting left on left and he wanted
to sew badly. I can hit lefties. Just give me
a chance. I can hit lefties. I'm telling you I
could hit left these but I'd never doubted it. But
like I said, if you had alternatives, more had to
play as an example. So we're doing at different things
(40:48):
platoon wise. Okay, so this is from Albert Einstein. I'm
grateful to all those people who said no. It is
because of them. I did it myself. Kyle Swerbert in
the story Mike Trump.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
That is so good at Einstein, Kyle Schwerber, I always
had them peg.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
The same breath.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, great stuff.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
Joe.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
Hey, We'll see you next week, next time on the
Book of Joe Podcasts.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
Thanks Tom, We have a great day.
Speaker 1 (41:26):
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