September 5, 2024 • 31 mins
On this week’s edition of Inside the (Rob) Parker, Rob discusses Shohei Ohtani being on the verge of a 'historic' 50/50 season, why New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone could be fired if he doesn't make one key change heading into the postseason and all the boo birds in Chicago. Later, FOX Sports Radio MLB insider Jon Morosi swings by for a deep dive into all the current division leaders as the regular season winds down and we gear up for the playoffs. Finally, we’ve got appearances by MLBBro.com managing editor JR Gamble and analytics guru Anthony Masterson.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
From the berkshears to the sound from wherever you live
in MLB America. This is inside the Parker. You give
us twenty two minutes and we'll give you the scoop
on Major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame
voter number seveny Rob Parker.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome into the podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I'm your host, Bob Parker, and man, what a show
we have for you today.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We're going to do a deep dive about all the.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Teams leading the divisions in all of baseball with MLB Networks,
John Morosi will do that, plus fowle afare let's go.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Better to lead off it's getting robbed and keep them on.
Rob's hot take on the three biggest stories in Major
League Baseball. Number one show.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Hey Otani is on the verge of doing something that
no one's done in baseball.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
It's real simple.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Fifty home runs and fifty stolen bases coming into Thursday's
actually he had forty four home runs and forty six
stolen bases, and I know a lot of people are
ready to crown them the greatest player we've ever seen,
and he deserves as much credit as anybody. He's been
phenomenal phenomenal, especially the last couple of seasons. He's really
(01:29):
turned it on and it's gonna be the MVP in
the National League and all that. But I do have
to pump the brakes, and I'm going to pooh pooh
the fifty stolen bases. I'm sorry, I just can't the
pizza boxes take the fifty to fifty. Yes, with the
(01:50):
stolen bases, I'm sorry. The bases are too big. They're
closer from first base, closer at second right, so the
chance of you being able to have speed to steal
bases is way easier.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
It's just is a fact.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I mean, it doesn't mean that he's not a tremendous
base stealer, but I said this last year with Ronald
Lacuna when he was stealing all those bases, that I
just think that the base size and the idea that
the picture can't throw over more than twice is an
unfair advantage to the base stealer. So you know, people
(02:29):
will go crazy over it. And there's a big reason
why the base stealing part gives old Tani an advantage.
I give him the credit with the fifty home runs
that he'll get, but the fifty to fifty. I'm gonna
sit this one out. I'm gonna say my glasses are tainted,
and I'm not going to celebrate this as much as
(02:51):
other people in baseball.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Number two Aaron Boone.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Sometimes you just have to make the change. You can't
keep hoping and wishing that Clay Holmes is gonna turn
himself around. He has a league leading eleven blown saves
this season. Imagine if he only blew half of those games,
where the Yankees would be. And it's incredible when you
(03:19):
think about some of the injuries that they've suffered. Right
Garrek Cole missed most of the season, Stanton missed a
lot of the season. Other guys Rizzo was out, Lemayew
was out. This team still has the second best record
by half a game in the American League. They should
have a five or six game lead over Baltimore. You
(03:42):
can't give up eleven games. I get it, you can't
be perfect. This is not Mariano Rivera. But you can't
continue to watch the same thing and think something different
is gonna happen. That's what they say is insanity. And
Clay Holmes, I don't care how much they like him
and his teammates are pulling for him. He just has
(04:03):
not been a closer that you can count on. And
the Yankees haven't won a World Series since two thousand
and nine. Can you imagine they finally get there and
the reason they don't win is because they didn't replace
the closer and Clay Holmes does what he did all year,
which is cough up games.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
That would be a mistake. Is this on?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I'm telling you, Aaron Boom, make the switch. Find somebody else.
This doesn't make any sense anymore. Number three, the Milwaukee
Brewers fans had every right to boom manager Craig Council. Yes,
they had some success under Craig Council. He was a
fan favorite, but he bolted. He left the Brewers and
(04:50):
went to the rival Chicago Cubs in the division. He
took more money, more power to him. Nobody's mad at that.
But I think Brewers fans had every right to boom
because guess what he left Milwaukee and guess who's still
in first place?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
The brew Crew without Craig Council.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
So I think that they were justified and they had
a reason. Whenever you're left behind or somebody thinks the
grass is greener in another place, and I'm sure that's
what he thought by going to Chicago to Cubs. Bigger payroll,
more fans, you know, bigger brand, all that.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
But guess what.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
The Brewers got the laugh last last laugh and the
fans got the final boom. So I'm cool with it.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Left Ball.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
It was a big week in the big leagues.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Who's a.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Is it foul or is it fair? And now from
mlbdbro dot com, here's JR. Gamball.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
After entering the league with great fan and despite a
five hit day this week, Saint Louis Cardos outfielder Jordan
Walker has had a hard time building on his promising
rookie season. Is if foul or fair to say that
the Saint Louis Cardinals organization is handling Walker right and
(06:18):
giving him the best chance to succeed foul?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
That is a foul ball.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
Granted, it's been a rough season for Jordan Walker. Even
with that five hit career day, he broke out in
a big way and it was long overdue, giving us
a glimpse into the player he can be. But he's
still only hitting one seventy eight in less than thirty
five games and one hundred at bats. He's only got
(06:45):
sixteen hits and just one of them are homers. As
a rookie, they moved in from the infield where he
played third, to the outfield, and in four hundred and
twenty had bats. He still hit sixteen homers and batted
two seventy six and drove in over FBI. After starting
the season with a record hitting streak, they unfathomably sent
(07:06):
him down to the miners, reportedly to develop a better
power swing. We didn't understand why, but they're the professionals.
He came back up and finished decent, then started this
season with big hopes and expectations and never got it going.
(07:26):
They didn't waste time, the Cardinals, sending him down to
the miners early early in the season and keeping him
there for most of this season. I don't see how
any of this up and down stuff with the guy
who proved in his rookie season that he could handle
MLB pitching was a positive thing for his development. They're
also not utilizing his speed, and he has plenty of
(07:50):
that despite his six foot six, two hundred and fifty
pounds size. Why do you think they've compared him to
Dave Winfield, Dave Parker guys of that with multiple tools.
The five hits were a great night for Walker, but
you can't say the Cardinals and the way they've used
him haven't hurt his confidence. And now they have to
(08:11):
not only worry about his performance, but a mental state
that has to be a bit fragile right now, with
Walker always looking over his shoulder to see when he's
going to get sent back.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Down, it's time for the pocket protector centrum. The analytic
numbers you need to know, Well, maybe.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Anthony Masterson is his name, BS analytics is his game.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
What do you got for me, Anthony?
Speaker 6 (08:39):
There's a lot of talk lately about how close the
MVP races might be in each league. Now Las Vegas
doesn't seem to think it's much of a race in either,
with Aaron Judge and Shoho Tani massive betting favorites to win.
But how do the numbers stack up? In the Al?
The Royals, Bobby wit Junior is top two in nearly
every category, including wins above replacement at nine point six,
(09:00):
and his three forty average would be the highest of
any AL player ever to also boast thirty homers, thirty steals,
and one hundred rbi in the same season. He also
leads all shortstops with a plus seventeen outs above average
according to stadcast. In the National League, the Mets Francisco
Lindor has the closest shot to Shohey, ranking as the
top infielder in the NL at plus sixteen outs above average,
(09:23):
as well as the highest wins above replacement at seven
point two according to Fangrafts. He connected on his thirtieth
home run Tuesday to become just the second shortstop ever
with five thirty homer seasons, joining Alex Rodriguez. But let's
be honest, Judge and show Hey are putting together all
time seasons. Judge could a sixty homers again and near
the triple crown, while Shohe will likely be the first
(09:45):
player ever with fifty homers and fifty stolen bases in
a season. The fact that he's a DH be damned.
The argument is fun for the hot take shows, but
the MVP races are all but decided.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
It's the gambler here. Vice president then of operations for
mlbbro dot Com and executive producer of the MLB bro
Show podcast The Mixtape.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Every Friday. You heard that right, Every Friday.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
We bring you the best from the world of Black
and Brown baseball. We cover the seven point two percent
of melanated Major leaguers from soup to nuts, but with
our own cultural flair and unique voice, will take you
on a ride reflecting on the accomplishment, clutch moments, and
contributions to culture that the Bros continue to breathe into baseball.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
From Mookie Wilson to Mookie Betts.
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Doctor k to Doctor Styx, from Bro Bombs to stolen
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also bringing you segments like Classic Hits with David Gruff,
the Black Ace Report, the Rundown, the walk Off, and
Going Deep, just to name a few of the segments
that truly capture the voice of black baseball.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
If things get out.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
Of hands the Boss Rob Parker, he's kicking up dust,
we will gladly pay you on Tuesday from an MLB
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Speaker 1 (11:56):
When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this.
If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer
or broadcaster, old or new.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Now let's welcome into the podcast John Morosi, of course
MLB Network. He also is a contributor for MLB an
MLB insider for Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
John, what's happening, my man? How are you?
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Rob?
Speaker 7 (12:22):
I am outstanding. I hope you're doing great. What a
wonderful time of year we've got here. I'm actually here
in ann Arbor today getting ready for Saturday's game. I know,
the big noon kickoff there on Fox. So a great
time of year in both baseball and football.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Oh yeah, this time of the year, and basketball won't
be starting. We'll get geared up at the end of
the month, so everything will be going to the NHL everything.
It'll be September October some of the best months in sports,
no doubt about it.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
All.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Right, let's go with baseball.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
What about a month ago less than that, I think,
before it's all said and done and there's some tight
races and things going on. Let's start with the Al
East and the Yankees and the Orioles. Yankees are forty
and forty one in their last eighty one games. I
think that's kind of skewed a little bit because of
(13:13):
some of the injuries. They got off to a hot start,
but I don't think they're fading. I think they're where
we thought they would be this time of the year.
Speaker 7 (13:23):
Well, I think you're right, Rob, And you mentioned the
NBA a moment ago, and you think about how some
great NBA teams have been revolving around two players.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
I think the.
Speaker 7 (13:33):
Yankees are testing that hypothesis in baseball right now because
it's Soto and Judge, and you wonder about the depth
of the offense. And for that reason, Rob, I have
looked at the Yankees and compared them to the Orioles,
and I'm of the mind that Baltimore's got a better
chance to navigate the demands of the postseason because the
(13:54):
Orioles bottom third of their lineup or the bottom half
the lineup is better than the Yankees. The Yankee have
two extraordinary two of the five or six best players
in the world. In the case of Judge, I still say,
the best pure offensive player on the planet.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
And yet they're they're.
Speaker 7 (14:12):
In a spot where if one of those two is
shut down in the postseason and one of those two
is pitched around, where are the run's gonna come from?
Speaker 4 (14:19):
And so I think that's what I'm looking at with
the Yankees right now.
Speaker 7 (14:21):
The Baltimore Scott a little bit of a deeper group
of players, and it's gonna be I think, a tough
ride for the Yankees the month of October.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
It will be interesting.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
The one bat and the one wild card that I
will throw out there is John Carlos. Stan has had
a big home run bat in the postseason if he
can stay healthy. John, He's the one thing that I
always say, I've seen this guy over the last eight
or ten postseason games, and I think he has about
nine home runs or eight or nine home runs in
(14:52):
those ten games has been pretty incredible.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
That's a great point on Stanton, and I agree.
Speaker 7 (14:56):
He is a big moment guy, and he has shown
that he can get a in October. You think about
the amazing run that he had in the playoffs even
in twenty twenty for the Yankees back then, and you
look at the playoffs, look at the way that Diamondbacks
got all the way to the World Series last year, and.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
It was a lot of timely hitting.
Speaker 7 (15:16):
Yes they were a very good base running team, but
it was timely power and then.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
Really good starting pitching.
Speaker 7 (15:22):
And the Yankees have to hope that Garrett Cole of
October is the Garrett Cole that he's been in the past.
Certainly it's possible that he gets there. The one thing though,
you would look at and actually, in this respect, the
Orioles and Yankees are somewhat similar bullpen questions.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Clay Holmes has struggled.
Speaker 7 (15:39):
And Aaron Boonez talking about having to go with almost
a bullpen by committee at different times.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
So it's gonna be really interesting.
Speaker 7 (15:46):
This is the year, Rob We've talked in the past,
and will we ever see that amazing Yankees Dodgers batchup
in a World Series.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
I don't think this is the year.
Speaker 7 (15:55):
There are so many serious flaws with the top teams,
and I think that we could see a very unexpected
matchup in the World.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Series, and that would be a shame John, because I
really believe when it hasn't happened since nineteen eighty one,
that's first of all, long time number two. With the
names and faces on the Dodgers and Yankees, it would
have I think.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
What would shake MLB America.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
You know, to see Otani and Betts and Freddie Freeman,
but also Soto and Judge and Chisholm and Stanton and Cole,
Garrett Cole. I mean, there's just so many names both
of these rosters. It would be must sy TV.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
It would.
Speaker 7 (16:43):
And I think that as a sport, we and baseball
still keep looking for when will we get the next
moment that really elevates the game and takes to the
next level. I would say this though, I look at
the landscape of stars in the game right now, and
I believe that you could not ask for a better
(17:06):
constellation of talent than what we have right now. And
if if you as a baseball fan or a general
sports fan, if you're not enjoying Mookie Bets if you're
not enjoying Aaron Judge and Shoe Aotani and all the
great stars in the game right now. Bobby Witt Junior
what he's doing for Kansas City, and he's going to
be in the playoffs as well, more than likely. We've
(17:29):
got such a great group of talent right now that
I agree that the marketing the sport and bringing it
to the forefront is important.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
But the game is so.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
Good right now, Rob and with the rule changes that
have come into play, the game is so great that
I believe it should stand on its own two legs
and be a beacon of really great entertainment in our
sports landscape right.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Now, no doubt, an incredible, incredible amount of players. I
do want to get to the Al Central. And we
saw Kansas City. They had the unbelievable one hundred loss
season plus lost season last year, and then they made
an incredible run to first place and then a seven
(18:13):
game losing streak and they kind of fell back. But
tell me about the AL Central. The Guardians, the Twins,
and the Royals are all bunched up. It looks like
the Guardians are gonna win with a four and a
half game league coming into Thursday.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Where are you on the Central Well?
Speaker 7 (18:28):
I agree, I think that Cleveland is right now the
best team in the in that division. They've been able
to withstand the different runs that the other teams have made.
And one fun name to learn for all the all
the fans out there, John Kenzie Noel, who his nickname
is is Big Christmas.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
It's kind of great. It's a great nickname. He is
a major power bat.
Speaker 7 (18:50):
Now he will swing and miss I get that, but
he can hit some big old runs for you. He's
got a great personality. Jose Ramirez yet again is in
the MVP conversation as he always seems to be. And
speaking of which, Bobby Went Junior, My goodness, what is
he doing right now with the Kansas City Worlds.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I think he's making it pretty interesting.
Speaker 7 (19:10):
I think for a lot of the MVP voters out there,
Aaron Judge will has a great case and maywell win it.
But with Bobby Wit Junior, what he's able to do
thirty thirty and more, just an extraordinary player. Minnesota, I
worry about them a little bit. I know the Royals
have had a long losing streak. They really is coincided
with the injury to Vinnie Pasquentino. But the Twins, they're
(19:32):
hoping they get a big impact back from Byron Buxton,
from Carlos Correa during the course of the month of October.
They just put Max Kepler on the injured list today.
With the Twins, it's almost always this parenthetical here. If
they can get fully healthy, they can be a threat.
But I'm just not seeing them at full strength often
(19:54):
enough for me to believe they could be a serious
threat to get by Cleveland in the division right now.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
And we know, Rob, since as long as you and I.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
Have been covering baseball, when have we ever seen the
Twins going to Yankee Stadium in October and have success?
And if Baltimore wins the division, you may well see
a Yankees Twins first round series. And my goodness, what
a tough matchup that would be for Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Our guest, of course, John Morosi from MLB Network, also
a MLB insider with Fox Sports Radio. John, let's go
to the Al West, and we know we got the
Astros there and the Mariners. It's about five and a
half games separate the two teams in the AL West.
The Astros were left for dead earlier this season. But
(20:41):
before we go to the top of the division, I
want you to talk about the Rangers and the unbelievable.
I call it the the Bruce Bochie curse because he's
been to the World Series five times, he's won it
four times, but every season after he goes or wins
a World Series, his team does not make the postseason.
(21:03):
And that looks like it's going to hold up as
the fifth time with the Rangers. This year they are,
you know, under five hundred, a bad road team, twenty
nine and forty on the road. They're not going to
make the playoffs. Why do you think this has happening
to Bruce Bochi?
Speaker 4 (21:21):
You know, it's a great question, Rob.
Speaker 7 (21:23):
I think, first and foremost, any manager would love to
have the four World Series championships, even if it means
missing the playoffs the next year. I think you would
take no, no doubt he's going to be in the
Hall of Fame. I think that a lot of it
might be this that Bruce Bochi's teams have been largely
(21:45):
predicated on pitching, which is, by the way, a good
thing to have as the bad rock of your team.
But that has been the case going back to San Francisco,
and it's asking a lot of pitching based teams to
be really good in consecutive years. And you think back
to the Giants and Tim Linciccon had those several years
(22:06):
where he was as good as anybody in the game,
and then he fell off a little bit. You had
a young Bumgarner, you had Matt Kin who was an
ace at that time. Zito was kind of a little
bit of a hot and cold pitcher. And now with
the Rangers, Suerzer's season really has been a loss and
really hasn't done much in terms of his ability to
pitch is based on the injuries. So Max's season has
(22:27):
been a loss. I think that just the overall depth
of starting hasn't been as good or as consistent as
the Rangers expected it to be. The bullpen has been
I think a little bit of hot and cold too,
so they just had I think a number of reasons
for their inconsistencies.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
And then even offensively, we just saw Corey seger Land
on the il.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
So I think, if anything, rob it's just maybe an
exaggeration of what I would describe as the long standing trend,
which is it's really difficult to win the World Series
back to back years.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
We haven't seen it happened in a quarter century at
this point in time.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
And h and obviously we're not gonna have a repeat
champion this year either. Is the reason why that's been
the case now going back since the late nineteen nineties
and the Yankees dynasty.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, and in the National League, it hasn't happened since win.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
The Big Red Machine, right, Yes?
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Is that unbelievable?
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Seventy six extraordinary?
Speaker 7 (23:23):
That's how I'm glad I at least answer that question correctly,
rob off the top of my head. But that was
that's that is that is quite That is quite a
drought there in the nation in the league.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Wow, it is incredible. All right, let's switch over to
the National League.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
We want to get a deep dive into all the
divisions and what's going on. I know the Phillies, you know,
they're playing better of late, but they had a lull.
People kind of, you know, forgot about them because the
last two years they actually got off the slow starts
and then got better. This year they got off to
a great start, kind of had a lull, but they've
won eight of their last ten and they're kind of
(23:57):
back on track.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
How serious are.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
The Phillies, as you know, as far as getting to
the World Series, they have a really good team.
Speaker 7 (24:03):
Well, I think they've got as good of a chance
right now, Rob as anybody in the National League. And
you know, I'm sure we'll talk about the Dodgers in
the second here. And I love the Brewers too. They've
got a lot of youth, a lot of excitement. But
with the Philadelphia Phillies, you have one of the deepest,
most veteran lineups I can recall seeing at this time
of year with Harper. Now, Harper is limited, he's got
(24:26):
a bit of an injury going on right now. We
got to remember that. But Trey Turner Schwarber has big
home runs. He did it again this week with a
three homeer game against the Blue Jays. So I'm just
a big believer in what the Phillies do. I think
Rob Thompson's an elite manager, really good starting pitching staff.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
I think Zach.
Speaker 7 (24:42):
Wheeler is one of the better and Nola as well.
I think it's one of the better duos you see
in baseball. In terms of a postseason rotation. I will
say this, let's see what their lefties can do with
Christopher Sanchez and Rangers swat As, I think they will
go as far as those two lefties can really support
those the two writers I mentioned moment ago, but I
think right now, Rob I've got with the Phillies is
(25:04):
having as good of a chance as anybody else to
come out of the National League this season.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
And I guess the Brewers really didn't need Craig Counsel.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
I'm just saying, I mean, wow, no, what a year
they've turned in after losing their managers to the arch rival.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I mean, I think that's been pretty impressive.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
And they were without their closer, Devin Williams is one
of the best in the game for most of the season,
and it didn't stop the Brewers.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
And let's think about this.
Speaker 7 (25:31):
They traded Corbyn Burns, They've lost Brandon Woodro for the season,
so it's gonna it's been names like Colin Ray to
Bias Myers, But when you have a minute, it's a
new name for maybe a lot of fans nationally. Go
check up Tobias Myers's numbers as the starting pitcher of
the season in the National League. One of the better
rookie pitchers anywhere in baseball this season, and speaking of rookies, Rob,
(25:52):
it's been a rookie dominated starting lineup. You've got guys
like Jackson Shurios, Bryce Terrang has been really important, Joey Ortiz,
who they got in that deal for Corbyn Burns. So
they've done a really good job of remaking this team
on the fly.
Speaker 4 (26:08):
A great first year.
Speaker 7 (26:09):
Manager in Pat Murphy, who I think really vibes well
with this group of players. It's interesting because Pat for
a long time, of course great college baseball coach at
Notre Dame and LSU, but he's become I think a
really strong major league manager. In year one, I would
expect Rob, we will see Pat Murphy be named National
League Manager of the Year in his first season after
(26:32):
taking over for his former protege in Craig Counsel.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
What a unique storyline that would be.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
No doubt.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And finally, let's go to the NL West the Dodgers.
The Dodgers were weird as well. They've won seven of
their last ten. They're looking better of late, but at
one point they they were winning and they had one
of the best records in the NL, but it just
didn't feel good.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
All the injuries.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
I'm sorry, with the injuries to their pitching out, I
don't know how to get there.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
I don't know how to.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Get to the World Series because they need tape and
glue and icicle sticks to hold that rotation together.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Do they have enough pitching is the question?
Speaker 7 (27:12):
Probably not to win the World Series. If I'm being
honest with you, I just I don't. I don't see it,
And that's It's not Dave Roberts's fault. I want to
get out in front of that story right now. And
if if they bow out in the first round again
or the second round and it's because they don't have
enough pitching, I don't want to hear anybody lend me
Dave Roberts.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
This is not his fault.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
Okay, they have They have played fifteen straight postseason games
without their starting pitcher getting it out in the sixth inning,
the sixth That's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
That's unbelievable.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
That goes back to the twenty twenty one Division Series.
Fifteen playoff games in a row. So I love their lineup.
They've got great professionals up and down. They've got multiple
feature Hall of famers on this team. It's all true,
but their season starts will Game one of the Division Series.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
That's it. Everything up until.
Speaker 7 (28:03):
Then, obviously Otana going from fifty to fifty, which is great,
But everything before then is a dress rehearsal for Game
one of the Division Series. And whenever they play that game, Rob,
they're gonna be dealing with the team that, comparatively speaking,
has nothing to lose, and the Dodgers are going to
be facing the pressure of the world to get this
(28:24):
thing done. Sure it could work out for Yamamoto and
glass Now and Flaherty and Kershaw and Stone. I mean there,
you can convince yourself that they've got a chance, but
I do not see enough sure things there, especially when
you consider the total scrutiny that that team is gonna face.
So I think right now, Rob, it's a much more
(28:46):
likely situation that the champion of the National League is
not the Dodgers than it would be the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
His name is John Morosi, one of the best in baseball. Man,
thanks for the deep dive in as we are in
the final month of the season, and man, I can't wait.
October will be here very very shortly. Thanks John, We'll
do it again. We appreciate you so much.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
Thanks. Rob. Always join the conversation my friends. Keep up
the great work. You always do an outstanding job Rob
across media. So look forward to our next conversation.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Now bring in the closer. Here's why MLB is better
than the NFL or NBA, and it isn't even close.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Reason number four hundred and fifty five why Major League
Baseball is better than the NBA and better than the
NFL poof positive is today Thursday, the opening of the
NFL season. It's not that the game isn't important or big, Yes,
the first game of the year Thursday night. It's just
(29:54):
that opening day has a different meaning in baseball compared
to other sports. Just does because it's twofold, the sport
is back. But also for a lot of people when
opening day comes, it's the changing of the weather that
we're going from winter to finally spring and nice weather.
(30:17):
It's a whole combination and teams when it comes to
opening Day. I worked in Cincinnati. It's a holiday in Cincinnati,
New York, LA, where people are so gung ho and
geared up for that opening Day. And remember it's only
one of one hundred and sixty two games and yet
(30:37):
Opening Day has a special meaning. You can't go anywhere
without people saying Happy Opening Day to you. If you're
in a baseball community, it is a mini holiday all
over baseball America. In the words of New York TV
(30:59):
ledgend in the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your
time this time until next time.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Rob Parker out he can't Gavin. This could be an
inside of Parker.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
See you next week, same bat time, same batt station.
From the berkshears to the sound from wherever you live
in MLB America. This is inside the Parker. You give
us twenty two minutes and we'll give you the scoop
on Major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame
voter number seveny Rob Parker.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Welcome into the podcast.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I'm your host, Bob Parker, and man, what a show
we have for you today.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
We're going to do a deep dive about all the.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Teams leading the divisions in all of baseball with MLB Networks,
John Morosi will do that, plus fowle afare let's go.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Better to lead off it's getting robbed and keep them on.
Rob's hot take on the three biggest stories in Major
League Baseball. Number one show.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Hey Otani is on the verge of doing something that
no one's done in baseball.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
It's real simple.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Fifty home runs and fifty stolen bases coming into Thursday's
actually he had forty four home runs and forty six
stolen bases, and I know a lot of people are
ready to crown them the greatest player we've ever seen,
and he deserves as much credit as anybody. He's been
phenomenal phenomenal, especially the last couple of seasons. He's really
(01:29):
turned it on and it's gonna be the MVP in
the National League and all that. But I do have
to pump the brakes, and I'm going to pooh pooh
the fifty stolen bases. I'm sorry, I just can't the
pizza boxes take the fifty to fifty. Yes, with the
(01:50):
stolen bases, I'm sorry. The bases are too big. They're
closer from first base, closer at second right, so the
chance of you being able to have speed to steal
bases is way easier.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
It's just is a fact.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
I mean, it doesn't mean that he's not a tremendous
base stealer, but I said this last year with Ronald
Lacuna when he was stealing all those bases, that I
just think that the base size and the idea that
the picture can't throw over more than twice is an
unfair advantage to the base stealer. So you know, people
(02:29):
will go crazy over it. And there's a big reason
why the base stealing part gives old Tani an advantage.
I give him the credit with the fifty home runs
that he'll get, but the fifty to fifty. I'm gonna
sit this one out. I'm gonna say my glasses are tainted,
and I'm not going to celebrate this as much as
(02:51):
other people in baseball.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Number two Aaron Boone.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Sometimes you just have to make the change. You can't
keep hoping and wishing that Clay Holmes is gonna turn
himself around. He has a league leading eleven blown saves
this season. Imagine if he only blew half of those games,
where the Yankees would be. And it's incredible when you
(03:19):
think about some of the injuries that they've suffered. Right
Garrek Cole missed most of the season, Stanton missed a
lot of the season. Other guys Rizzo was out, Lemayew
was out. This team still has the second best record
by half a game in the American League. They should
have a five or six game lead over Baltimore. You
(03:42):
can't give up eleven games. I get it, you can't
be perfect. This is not Mariano Rivera. But you can't
continue to watch the same thing and think something different
is gonna happen. That's what they say is insanity. And
Clay Holmes, I don't care how much they like him
and his teammates are pulling for him. He just has
(04:03):
not been a closer that you can count on. And
the Yankees haven't won a World Series since two thousand
and nine. Can you imagine they finally get there and
the reason they don't win is because they didn't replace
the closer and Clay Holmes does what he did all year,
which is cough up games.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
That would be a mistake. Is this on?
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I'm telling you, Aaron Boom, make the switch. Find somebody else.
This doesn't make any sense anymore. Number three, the Milwaukee
Brewers fans had every right to boom manager Craig Council. Yes,
they had some success under Craig Council. He was a
fan favorite, but he bolted. He left the Brewers and
(04:50):
went to the rival Chicago Cubs in the division. He
took more money, more power to him. Nobody's mad at that.
But I think Brewers fans had every right to boom
because guess what he left Milwaukee and guess who's still
in first place?
Speaker 2 (05:06):
The brew Crew without Craig Council.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
So I think that they were justified and they had
a reason. Whenever you're left behind or somebody thinks the
grass is greener in another place, and I'm sure that's
what he thought by going to Chicago to Cubs. Bigger payroll,
more fans, you know, bigger brand, all that.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
But guess what.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
The Brewers got the laugh last last laugh and the
fans got the final boom. So I'm cool with it.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Left Ball.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
It was a big week in the big leagues.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Who's a.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Is it foul or is it fair? And now from
mlbdbro dot com, here's JR. Gamball.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
After entering the league with great fan and despite a
five hit day this week, Saint Louis Cardos outfielder Jordan
Walker has had a hard time building on his promising
rookie season. Is if foul or fair to say that
the Saint Louis Cardinals organization is handling Walker right and
(06:18):
giving him the best chance to succeed foul?
Speaker 2 (06:22):
That is a foul ball.
Speaker 5 (06:25):
Granted, it's been a rough season for Jordan Walker. Even
with that five hit career day, he broke out in
a big way and it was long overdue, giving us
a glimpse into the player he can be. But he's
still only hitting one seventy eight in less than thirty
five games and one hundred at bats. He's only got
(06:45):
sixteen hits and just one of them are homers. As
a rookie, they moved in from the infield where he
played third, to the outfield, and in four hundred and
twenty had bats. He still hit sixteen homers and batted
two seventy six and drove in over FBI. After starting
the season with a record hitting streak, they unfathomably sent
(07:06):
him down to the miners, reportedly to develop a better
power swing. We didn't understand why, but they're the professionals.
He came back up and finished decent, then started this
season with big hopes and expectations and never got it going.
(07:26):
They didn't waste time, the Cardinals, sending him down to
the miners early early in the season and keeping him
there for most of this season. I don't see how
any of this up and down stuff with the guy
who proved in his rookie season that he could handle
MLB pitching was a positive thing for his development. They're
also not utilizing his speed, and he has plenty of
(07:50):
that despite his six foot six, two hundred and fifty
pounds size. Why do you think they've compared him to
Dave Winfield, Dave Parker guys of that with multiple tools.
The five hits were a great night for Walker, but
you can't say the Cardinals and the way they've used
him haven't hurt his confidence. And now they have to
(08:11):
not only worry about his performance, but a mental state
that has to be a bit fragile right now, with
Walker always looking over his shoulder to see when he's
going to get sent back.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Down, it's time for the pocket protector centrum. The analytic
numbers you need to know, Well, maybe.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Anthony Masterson is his name, BS analytics is his game.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
What do you got for me, Anthony?
Speaker 6 (08:39):
There's a lot of talk lately about how close the
MVP races might be in each league. Now Las Vegas
doesn't seem to think it's much of a race in either,
with Aaron Judge and Shoho Tani massive betting favorites to win.
But how do the numbers stack up? In the Al?
The Royals, Bobby wit Junior is top two in nearly
every category, including wins above replacement at nine point six,
(09:00):
and his three forty average would be the highest of
any AL player ever to also boast thirty homers, thirty steals,
and one hundred rbi in the same season. He also
leads all shortstops with a plus seventeen outs above average
according to stadcast. In the National League, the Mets Francisco
Lindor has the closest shot to Shohey, ranking as the
top infielder in the NL at plus sixteen outs above average,
(09:23):
as well as the highest wins above replacement at seven
point two according to Fangrafts. He connected on his thirtieth
home run Tuesday to become just the second shortstop ever
with five thirty homer seasons, joining Alex Rodriguez. But let's
be honest, Judge and show Hey are putting together all
time seasons. Judge could a sixty homers again and near
the triple crown, while Shohe will likely be the first
(09:45):
player ever with fifty homers and fifty stolen bases in
a season. The fact that he's a DH be damned.
The argument is fun for the hot take shows, but
the MVP races are all but decided.
Speaker 5 (09:58):
It's the gambler here. Vice president then of operations for
mlbbro dot Com and executive producer of the MLB bro
Show podcast The Mixtape.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
Every Friday. You heard that right, Every Friday.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
We bring you the best from the world of Black
and Brown baseball. We cover the seven point two percent
of melanated Major leaguers from soup to nuts, but with
our own cultural flair and unique voice, will take you
on a ride reflecting on the accomplishment, clutch moments, and
contributions to culture that the Bros continue to breathe into baseball.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
From Mookie Wilson to Mookie Betts.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
Doctor k to Doctor Styx, from Bro Bombs to stolen
bases to Black Aces. We're live at the ballparks and
also bringing you segments like Classic Hits with David Gruff,
the Black Ace Report, the Rundown, the walk Off, and
Going Deep, just to name a few of the segments
that truly capture the voice of black baseball.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
If things get out.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
Of hands the Boss Rob Parker, he's kicking up dust,
we will gladly pay you on Tuesday from an MLB
bro doubleheader today. Remember the heart of the game lies
in the diversity of the game and the spirit of
black baseball that dates back to the Negro leagues. I
the Gambler, your friendly neighborhood diamond checker, making sure that
(11:23):
you stay on top of the game. And in touch
with the soul of MLB. Fuckle up for a wild
baseball journey, showing respect to the Ogs and highlighting the
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the best starting five in the business. Listen to the
(11:46):
MLB bro Show podcast the Mixtape on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this.
If I'm writing, I'm ripping. Let's bring in a writer
or broadcaster, old or new.
Speaker 3 (12:06):
Now let's welcome into the podcast John Morosi, of course
MLB Network. He also is a contributor for MLB an
MLB insider for Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
John, what's happening, my man? How are you?
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Rob?
Speaker 7 (12:22):
I am outstanding. I hope you're doing great. What a
wonderful time of year we've got here. I'm actually here
in ann Arbor today getting ready for Saturday's game. I know,
the big noon kickoff there on Fox. So a great
time of year in both baseball and football.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Oh yeah, this time of the year, and basketball won't
be starting. We'll get geared up at the end of
the month, so everything will be going to the NHL everything.
It'll be September October some of the best months in sports,
no doubt about it.
Speaker 4 (12:49):
All.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Right, let's go with baseball.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
What about a month ago less than that, I think,
before it's all said and done and there's some tight
races and things going on. Let's start with the Al
East and the Yankees and the Orioles. Yankees are forty
and forty one in their last eighty one games. I
think that's kind of skewed a little bit because of
(13:13):
some of the injuries. They got off to a hot start,
but I don't think they're fading. I think they're where
we thought they would be this time of the year.
Speaker 7 (13:23):
Well, I think you're right, Rob, And you mentioned the
NBA a moment ago, and you think about how some
great NBA teams have been revolving around two players.
Speaker 4 (13:31):
I think the.
Speaker 7 (13:33):
Yankees are testing that hypothesis in baseball right now because
it's Soto and Judge, and you wonder about the depth
of the offense. And for that reason, Rob, I have
looked at the Yankees and compared them to the Orioles,
and I'm of the mind that Baltimore's got a better
chance to navigate the demands of the postseason because the
(13:54):
Orioles bottom third of their lineup or the bottom half
the lineup is better than the Yankees. The Yankee have
two extraordinary two of the five or six best players
in the world. In the case of Judge, I still say,
the best pure offensive player on the planet.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
And yet they're they're.
Speaker 7 (14:12):
In a spot where if one of those two is
shut down in the postseason and one of those two
is pitched around, where are the run's gonna come from?
Speaker 4 (14:19):
And so I think that's what I'm looking at with
the Yankees right now.
Speaker 7 (14:21):
The Baltimore Scott a little bit of a deeper group
of players, and it's gonna be I think, a tough
ride for the Yankees the month of October.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
It will be interesting.
Speaker 3 (14:32):
The one bat and the one wild card that I
will throw out there is John Carlos. Stan has had
a big home run bat in the postseason if he
can stay healthy. John, He's the one thing that I
always say, I've seen this guy over the last eight
or ten postseason games, and I think he has about
nine home runs or eight or nine home runs in
(14:52):
those ten games has been pretty incredible.
Speaker 4 (14:54):
That's a great point on Stanton, and I agree.
Speaker 7 (14:56):
He is a big moment guy, and he has shown
that he can get a in October. You think about
the amazing run that he had in the playoffs even
in twenty twenty for the Yankees back then, and you
look at the playoffs, look at the way that Diamondbacks
got all the way to the World Series last year, and.
Speaker 4 (15:13):
It was a lot of timely hitting.
Speaker 7 (15:16):
Yes they were a very good base running team, but
it was timely power and then.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
Really good starting pitching.
Speaker 7 (15:22):
And the Yankees have to hope that Garrett Cole of
October is the Garrett Cole that he's been in the past.
Certainly it's possible that he gets there. The one thing though,
you would look at and actually, in this respect, the
Orioles and Yankees are somewhat similar bullpen questions.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Clay Holmes has struggled.
Speaker 7 (15:39):
And Aaron Boonez talking about having to go with almost
a bullpen by committee at different times.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
So it's gonna be really interesting.
Speaker 7 (15:46):
This is the year, Rob We've talked in the past,
and will we ever see that amazing Yankees Dodgers batchup
in a World Series.
Speaker 4 (15:53):
I don't think this is the year.
Speaker 7 (15:55):
There are so many serious flaws with the top teams,
and I think that we could see a very unexpected
matchup in the World.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
Series, and that would be a shame John, because I
really believe when it hasn't happened since nineteen eighty one,
that's first of all, long time number two. With the
names and faces on the Dodgers and Yankees, it would
have I think.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
What would shake MLB America.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
You know, to see Otani and Betts and Freddie Freeman,
but also Soto and Judge and Chisholm and Stanton and Cole,
Garrett Cole. I mean, there's just so many names both
of these rosters. It would be must sy TV.
Speaker 4 (16:42):
It would.
Speaker 7 (16:43):
And I think that as a sport, we and baseball
still keep looking for when will we get the next
moment that really elevates the game and takes to the
next level. I would say this though, I look at
the landscape of stars in the game right now, and
I believe that you could not ask for a better
(17:06):
constellation of talent than what we have right now. And
if if you as a baseball fan or a general
sports fan, if you're not enjoying Mookie Bets if you're
not enjoying Aaron Judge and Shoe Aotani and all the
great stars in the game right now. Bobby Witt Junior
what he's doing for Kansas City, and he's going to
be in the playoffs as well, more than likely. We've
(17:29):
got such a great group of talent right now that
I agree that the marketing the sport and bringing it
to the forefront is important.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
But the game is so.
Speaker 7 (17:39):
Good right now, Rob and with the rule changes that
have come into play, the game is so great that
I believe it should stand on its own two legs
and be a beacon of really great entertainment in our
sports landscape right.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Now, no doubt, an incredible, incredible amount of players. I
do want to get to the Al Central. And we
saw Kansas City. They had the unbelievable one hundred loss
season plus lost season last year, and then they made
an incredible run to first place and then a seven
(18:13):
game losing streak and they kind of fell back. But
tell me about the AL Central. The Guardians, the Twins,
and the Royals are all bunched up. It looks like
the Guardians are gonna win with a four and a
half game league coming into Thursday.
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Where are you on the Central Well?
Speaker 7 (18:28):
I agree, I think that Cleveland is right now the
best team in the in that division. They've been able
to withstand the different runs that the other teams have made.
And one fun name to learn for all the all
the fans out there, John Kenzie Noel, who his nickname
is is Big Christmas.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
It's kind of great. It's a great nickname. He is
a major power bat.
Speaker 7 (18:50):
Now he will swing and miss I get that, but
he can hit some big old runs for you. He's
got a great personality. Jose Ramirez yet again is in
the MVP conversation as he always seems to be. And
speaking of which, Bobby Went Junior, My goodness, what is
he doing right now with the Kansas City Worlds.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I think he's making it pretty interesting.
Speaker 7 (19:10):
I think for a lot of the MVP voters out there,
Aaron Judge will has a great case and maywell win it.
But with Bobby Wit Junior, what he's able to do
thirty thirty and more, just an extraordinary player. Minnesota, I
worry about them a little bit. I know the Royals
have had a long losing streak. They really is coincided
with the injury to Vinnie Pasquentino. But the Twins, they're
(19:32):
hoping they get a big impact back from Byron Buxton,
from Carlos Correa during the course of the month of October.
They just put Max Kepler on the injured list today.
With the Twins, it's almost always this parenthetical here. If
they can get fully healthy, they can be a threat.
But I'm just not seeing them at full strength often
(19:54):
enough for me to believe they could be a serious
threat to get by Cleveland in the division right now.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
And we know, Rob, since as long as you and I.
Speaker 7 (20:01):
Have been covering baseball, when have we ever seen the
Twins going to Yankee Stadium in October and have success?
And if Baltimore wins the division, you may well see
a Yankees Twins first round series. And my goodness, what
a tough matchup that would be for Minnesota.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Our guest, of course, John Morosi from MLB Network, also
a MLB insider with Fox Sports Radio. John, let's go
to the Al West, and we know we got the
Astros there and the Mariners. It's about five and a
half games separate the two teams in the AL West.
The Astros were left for dead earlier this season. But
(20:41):
before we go to the top of the division, I
want you to talk about the Rangers and the unbelievable.
I call it the the Bruce Bochie curse because he's
been to the World Series five times, he's won it
four times, but every season after he goes or wins
a World Series, his team does not make the postseason.
(21:03):
And that looks like it's going to hold up as
the fifth time with the Rangers. This year they are,
you know, under five hundred, a bad road team, twenty
nine and forty on the road. They're not going to
make the playoffs. Why do you think this has happening
to Bruce Bochi?
Speaker 4 (21:21):
You know, it's a great question, Rob.
Speaker 7 (21:23):
I think, first and foremost, any manager would love to
have the four World Series championships, even if it means
missing the playoffs the next year. I think you would
take no, no doubt he's going to be in the
Hall of Fame. I think that a lot of it
might be this that Bruce Bochi's teams have been largely
(21:45):
predicated on pitching, which is, by the way, a good
thing to have as the bad rock of your team.
But that has been the case going back to San Francisco,
and it's asking a lot of pitching based teams to
be really good in consecutive years. And you think back
to the Giants and Tim Linciccon had those several years
(22:06):
where he was as good as anybody in the game,
and then he fell off a little bit. You had
a young Bumgarner, you had Matt Kin who was an
ace at that time. Zito was kind of a little
bit of a hot and cold pitcher. And now with
the Rangers, Suerzer's season really has been a loss and
really hasn't done much in terms of his ability to
pitch is based on the injuries. So Max's season has
(22:27):
been a loss. I think that just the overall depth
of starting hasn't been as good or as consistent as
the Rangers expected it to be. The bullpen has been
I think a little bit of hot and cold too,
so they just had I think a number of reasons
for their inconsistencies.
Speaker 4 (22:42):
And then even offensively, we just saw Corey seger Land
on the il.
Speaker 7 (22:46):
So I think, if anything, rob it's just maybe an
exaggeration of what I would describe as the long standing trend,
which is it's really difficult to win the World Series
back to back years.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
We haven't seen it happened in a quarter century at
this point in time.
Speaker 7 (23:02):
And h and obviously we're not gonna have a repeat
champion this year either. Is the reason why that's been
the case now going back since the late nineteen nineties
and the Yankees dynasty.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, and in the National League, it hasn't happened since win.
Speaker 4 (23:16):
The Big Red Machine, right, Yes?
Speaker 2 (23:18):
Is that unbelievable?
Speaker 4 (23:20):
Seventy six extraordinary?
Speaker 7 (23:23):
That's how I'm glad I at least answer that question correctly,
rob off the top of my head. But that was
that's that is that is quite That is quite a
drought there in the nation in the league.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
Wow, it is incredible. All right, let's switch over to
the National League.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
We want to get a deep dive into all the
divisions and what's going on. I know the Phillies, you know,
they're playing better of late, but they had a lull.
People kind of, you know, forgot about them because the
last two years they actually got off the slow starts
and then got better. This year they got off to
a great start, kind of had a lull, but they've
won eight of their last ten and they're kind of
(23:57):
back on track.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
How serious are.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
The Phillies, as you know, as far as getting to
the World Series, they have a really good team.
Speaker 7 (24:03):
Well, I think they've got as good of a chance
right now, Rob as anybody in the National League. And
you know, I'm sure we'll talk about the Dodgers in
the second here. And I love the Brewers too. They've
got a lot of youth, a lot of excitement. But
with the Philadelphia Phillies, you have one of the deepest,
most veteran lineups I can recall seeing at this time
of year with Harper. Now, Harper is limited, he's got
(24:26):
a bit of an injury going on right now. We
got to remember that. But Trey Turner Schwarber has big
home runs. He did it again this week with a
three homeer game against the Blue Jays. So I'm just
a big believer in what the Phillies do. I think
Rob Thompson's an elite manager, really good starting pitching staff.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
I think Zach.
Speaker 7 (24:42):
Wheeler is one of the better and Nola as well.
I think it's one of the better duos you see
in baseball. In terms of a postseason rotation. I will
say this, let's see what their lefties can do with
Christopher Sanchez and Rangers swat As, I think they will
go as far as those two lefties can really support
those the two writers I mentioned moment ago, but I
think right now, Rob I've got with the Phillies is
(25:04):
having as good of a chance as anybody else to
come out of the National League this season.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
And I guess the Brewers really didn't need Craig Counsel.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
I'm just saying, I mean, wow, no, what a year
they've turned in after losing their managers to the arch rival.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
I mean, I think that's been pretty impressive.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
And they were without their closer, Devin Williams is one
of the best in the game for most of the season,
and it didn't stop the Brewers.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
And let's think about this.
Speaker 7 (25:31):
They traded Corbyn Burns, They've lost Brandon Woodro for the season,
so it's gonna it's been names like Colin Ray to
Bias Myers, But when you have a minute, it's a
new name for maybe a lot of fans nationally. Go
check up Tobias Myers's numbers as the starting pitcher of
the season in the National League. One of the better
rookie pitchers anywhere in baseball this season, and speaking of rookies, Rob,
(25:52):
it's been a rookie dominated starting lineup. You've got guys
like Jackson Shurios, Bryce Terrang has been really important, Joey Ortiz,
who they got in that deal for Corbyn Burns. So
they've done a really good job of remaking this team
on the fly.
Speaker 4 (26:08):
A great first year.
Speaker 7 (26:09):
Manager in Pat Murphy, who I think really vibes well
with this group of players. It's interesting because Pat for
a long time, of course great college baseball coach at
Notre Dame and LSU, but he's become I think a
really strong major league manager. In year one, I would
expect Rob, we will see Pat Murphy be named National
League Manager of the Year in his first season after
(26:32):
taking over for his former protege in Craig Counsel.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
What a unique storyline that would be.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
No doubt.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
And finally, let's go to the NL West the Dodgers.
The Dodgers were weird as well. They've won seven of
their last ten. They're looking better of late, but at
one point they they were winning and they had one
of the best records in the NL, but it just
didn't feel good.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
All the injuries.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
I'm sorry, with the injuries to their pitching out, I
don't know how to get there.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
I don't know how to.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
Get to the World Series because they need tape and
glue and icicle sticks to hold that rotation together.
Speaker 2 (27:09):
Do they have enough pitching is the question?
Speaker 7 (27:12):
Probably not to win the World Series. If I'm being
honest with you, I just I don't. I don't see it,
And that's It's not Dave Roberts's fault. I want to
get out in front of that story right now. And
if if they bow out in the first round again
or the second round and it's because they don't have
enough pitching, I don't want to hear anybody lend me
Dave Roberts.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
This is not his fault.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
Okay, they have They have played fifteen straight postseason games
without their starting pitcher getting it out in the sixth inning,
the sixth That's unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
That's unbelievable.
Speaker 7 (27:44):
That goes back to the twenty twenty one Division Series.
Fifteen playoff games in a row. So I love their lineup.
They've got great professionals up and down. They've got multiple
feature Hall of famers on this team. It's all true,
but their season starts will Game one of the Division Series.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
That's it. Everything up until.
Speaker 7 (28:03):
Then, obviously Otana going from fifty to fifty, which is great,
But everything before then is a dress rehearsal for Game
one of the Division Series. And whenever they play that game, Rob,
they're gonna be dealing with the team that, comparatively speaking,
has nothing to lose, and the Dodgers are going to
be facing the pressure of the world to get this
(28:24):
thing done. Sure it could work out for Yamamoto and
glass Now and Flaherty and Kershaw and Stone. I mean there,
you can convince yourself that they've got a chance, but
I do not see enough sure things there, especially when
you consider the total scrutiny that that team is gonna face.
So I think right now, Rob, it's a much more
(28:46):
likely situation that the champion of the National League is
not the Dodgers than it would be the Dodgers.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
His name is John Morosi, one of the best in baseball. Man,
thanks for the deep dive in as we are in
the final month of the season, and man, I can't wait.
October will be here very very shortly. Thanks John, We'll
do it again. We appreciate you so much.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
Thanks. Rob. Always join the conversation my friends. Keep up
the great work. You always do an outstanding job Rob
across media. So look forward to our next conversation.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Now bring in the closer. Here's why MLB is better
than the NFL or NBA, and it isn't even close.
Speaker 3 (29:33):
Reason number four hundred and fifty five why Major League
Baseball is better than the NBA and better than the
NFL poof positive is today Thursday, the opening of the
NFL season. It's not that the game isn't important or big, Yes,
the first game of the year Thursday night. It's just
(29:54):
that opening day has a different meaning in baseball compared
to other sports. Just does because it's twofold, the sport
is back. But also for a lot of people when
opening day comes, it's the changing of the weather that
we're going from winter to finally spring and nice weather.
(30:17):
It's a whole combination and teams when it comes to
opening Day. I worked in Cincinnati. It's a holiday in Cincinnati,
New York, LA, where people are so gung ho and
geared up for that opening Day. And remember it's only
one of one hundred and sixty two games and yet
(30:37):
Opening Day has a special meaning. You can't go anywhere
without people saying Happy Opening Day to you. If you're
in a baseball community, it is a mini holiday all
over baseball America. In the words of New York TV
(30:59):
ledgend in the late Bill Jorgensen, thanking you for your
time this time until next time.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Rob Parker out he can't Gavin. This could be an
inside of Parker.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
See you next week, same bat time, same batt station.
Host
Rob Parker
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