00:00Oh, man, on the baseball scene, Steve Molesky.
00:02What's up, Steve?
00:04He is a controversial figure because they had some of the ballads
00:09or some of their highest performing, biggest billing songs,
00:13and yet, Ed's not wrong, they got away for a while there
00:17from the horns that make them so famous.
00:20Yes.
00:23See, when they had the horns, they blew.
00:25They did.
00:26Oh, see?
00:27Oh, sorry.
00:29We should let Ed and Steve do this.
00:33Steve, baseball season is upon us.
00:36Meaningful games are being played right now.
00:38Are you invested in the World Baseball Classic?
00:42I am.
00:43I don't think it's going to prove once and for all who's the best country
00:47because of a lot of reasons, but, you know, each year it seems like
00:53more people get into this, and the Team USA is obviously the most loaded
00:57roster ever.
00:58So many players are invested in it, and so it's going to be fun to watch,
01:04and, you know, tonight's game could be a blowout.
01:07I think Brazil, you know, we'll see.
01:09On paper, it is going to be that.
01:11But, you know, Mexico might give them a tough time,
01:15and there are some tough games coming up.
01:17I just want to stick with this for a second.
01:19You said, Ohtani, obviously, he scored half the runs for Japan this morning.
01:26Do you think we'll ever see anything like him in a lifetime again?
01:29I mean, he's a number one starter.
01:32He's a premier power hitter.
01:33He can steal bases.
01:34I've never seen anything like him in my life.
01:37No, no.
01:38I mean, we see players now trying to emulate him.
01:43By that, I mean they're trying to do two-way.
01:46You know, you see it in college a little bit.
01:48Even in the minor leagues, I think there are some guys who do two-way performing.
01:53But the point is, just because you do it doesn't mean you're good at it, A.
01:59And, B, you're certainly not in his league.
02:01And, C, he's the best of the best.
02:03So, yeah, he's a unicorn.
02:06That is for sure.
02:08Jeremy, you're two-way.
02:09Why doesn't anybody celebrate that?
02:10I bring it up all the time.
02:11Nobody says anything.
02:12Anyway, hey, Steve.
02:13I'm just going to keep moving here.
02:15We were talking about Boz earlier today.
02:18And, you know, look, I play a lot of fantasy baseball.
02:21He's showing up on a lot of lists as a guy that they're saying you should go after.
02:25What are your expectations for Boz this year?
02:29My expectations are he fits in in that third slot in the rotation.
02:34And he and Bassett, after, you know, you've got top two at the top, Braddish and Rodgers, however you stack
02:44them.
02:45And I think after that, Bassett and Boz need to be not as good but better than back of rotation.
02:52And if that happens, you're going to have three or four guys that are above average.
02:57Now you can really make some noise.
02:59And, you know, you mentioned Dean Kramer, who's obviously a great innings eater and has been league average-ish the
03:04last couple years.
03:06And Eflin.
03:07So, you know, it looks good right now, knocking on wood a couple weeks before they play for real.
03:12Here with Steve Molesky talking some baseball.
03:15Steve, yesterday, Zach Eflin goes two innings, giving up no runs, striking out three.
03:20He says he feels he's ready to be one of five right now.
03:24That's a name you didn't even mention.
03:27That makes – how does that do to the depth of this rotation?
03:30Yeah, it's great.
03:32It's really good.
03:33And so I don't know how they're going to get six into five.
03:35But, you know, it's a nice problem to have.
03:38And Eflin is so encouraged by the back surgery and how he is doing after that, saying things like his
03:49mechanics changed because of the injury.
03:51And now he's back to his old mechanics.
03:53And his arm angle stays true.
03:55And he's getting a little more velocity.
03:57And we know he can sink the ball.
03:59So, a completely healthy Zach Eflin is a good pitcher.
04:04He just has been that throughout his career.
04:06He's got a top ten Cy Young finish on his resume.
04:11So, yeah, if you have three or four you like and then you don't even name him and he does
04:17what he can do, it looks really good.
04:22What about the – I mean, I know it's spring training and all that stuff and how much stock we
04:27put in things.
04:28But how do we like Kobe Mayer with third this year if we have to?
04:35Well, you know, I think with defense, Ed, I always feel like you need to see a player over a
04:41long period of time.
04:42You can't watch him for a week and decide to see a good defender.
04:45But Kobe right now, I think the hope on defense is be average, be adequate, make the routine plays.
04:56You're not asking him to beat Brooks Robinson.
04:58Just don't botch it up.
04:59And so, he had an inning or two in spring where it looked a little messy.
05:03But he's also had some really nice plays.
05:05He made that backhand play the other day.
05:07We know he's got a strong arm.
05:09So, there's a reason they took him off a third base.
05:11And the reason was they had a better player there, one.
05:15And two, his glove wasn't holding up.
05:18So, for a month or two, while they need him, you hope he can play a decent third and don't
05:25cost him any games.
05:26And, oh, by the way, he's swinging it pretty well.
05:29So, that's the hope.
05:31And they have other people, if it doesn't work out, this Weston Wilson is quietly having a strong camp.
05:36And he played for the Phillies, and Albert has really praised him.
05:41So, I think he's the long shot dark horse here, maybe, for that, if Kobe doesn't do what he needs
05:48to do.
05:48Hey, Steve, we're seeing some of the lists come out of the Orioles' farm system.
05:52How likely is it that you think we see maybe some of those guys up top?
05:55I know Basayo and Beavers are already here, but the Trey Gibsons of the world.
05:59And is there anybody you think we should be keeping our eye on?
06:03Well, I think Bradfield Jr. is waiting in the wings.
06:07And then the missing element with him is a little production with the bat.
06:12And I don't mean home run production, because we can't ask him to do what he can't do.
06:15But he just has to hit for a decent average and get on base.
06:18And then he can use the speed, which, you know, once he starts to burn it, goes first to third
06:24the other day.
06:25It gets everybody's attention, because he's just so fast.
06:28And he made a great play in right field.
06:29And so he's waiting in the wings.
06:32I really am excited about what will be the AAA rotation.
06:35Trey Gibson, Levi Wells, Nestor Hermann.
06:38At some point, Luis de Leon will move up from AA.
06:42And so will probably Jawan Watts-Brown.
06:46When that happens, you've got five top 30s right there that I named.
06:49They're all top 30, maybe top 20 Oriole prospects.
06:53And so that's a star-studded AAA rotation.
06:56You can, that's not even mentioned, holdovers like Kate Povich, you know, Brandon Young, guys like that who are there,
07:02too.
07:03So it's going to be fun to watch the AAA rotation this year.
07:08Steve Molesky.
07:09Steve, tell folks how to follow you online.
07:12Find me on my Substack, steveonbaseball.substack.com.
07:17And today I have a new podcast out this morning with Trey Gibson.
07:21I interviewed him this week from Florida.
07:23And he's a great guy to talk to.
07:25And told me about his ramp up to the season was a little different.
07:29It's why I could throw three innings in the first game.
07:31And he's got a couple new pitches.
07:33And he keeps, this guy's already a really good stud pitcher, but he keeps tweaking his arsenal.
07:39And he's got six or seven pitches now.
07:41So once he puts them where he wants to, he's another guy to watch this year.
07:47There he is.
07:48Thanks a lot, Steve.
07:49Have a good weekend, man.
07:49Thanks, guys.
07:50See you.
07:50See you, Steve.
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