00:00What have you thought about these first two series? Have you been particularly encouraged?
00:06Um, Mackenzie Gore looks good. Jack Leiter looks like he has the potential to be an ace.
00:11By the way, Mackenzie Gore, as you predicted, will in fact get the start tomorrow.
00:15Well, well, well, Kevin!
00:18I admitted that was going to be tough for me.
00:22Especially when they put Lats in the game.
00:24Yeah, that's, I do know Corey.
00:25Thank you, Boach, yeah.
00:27Yes, we predicted that. Based on kind of the way the rotation laid out, I'm very curious how they're going
00:33to get Rocker an opportunity.
00:35Right now, do you think that Sunday might be a good day to throw Rocker?
00:39Yeah.
00:40To kind of reset the roster? Because he hasn't thrown since early.
00:45He's just been doing the bullpens and stuff like that.
00:47Yeah, he hasn't thrown at all.
00:48So this is...
00:48Ooh, maybe Saturday.
00:49Saturday? Wouldn't that be a lighter day?
00:52Yeah, I wonder if they would flip that. I don't know.
00:54I wonder...
00:55Here's a question for Skip.
00:56Here's the way that I kind of, and Skip, Kevin, evidently really loves you not knowing.
01:02He doesn't, he's like, I don't want the opponent to know.
01:05He loves this.
01:05Well, like with Gore, they were like, oh, we'll figure it out when we get back to Texas.
01:09Yeah, okay.
01:12I might also be interested in watching Leiter's next one, but maybe that's in a, like, they're looking at these
01:17two going,
01:18and this is great, this is the future of our pitching staff.
01:22Our current pitching staff consists of two, you know, all-timers, but at the same time, the future of it
01:28is Jack Leiter and Mackenzie Gore.
01:30Let's let the home crowd see that immediately, and maybe Rocker's involved in that part of the conversation, too.
01:36But so far, I've thought that Leiter looks good.
01:39I'm very confident in what we heard before the season about him.
01:43Change-up looks nasty.
01:46That cutter that he added to it now gives him another direction to go with that pitch, so it's really
01:50nice things to see from him.
01:52And then Gore, fun stuff from him as well, so I like that.
01:57The Bats seem to have some life, and they're...
02:01They do.
02:02Do you remember when we talked, was it Brandon Carr, or was it a former player that called third down
02:11the money down?
02:12Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:13And there was some incentive in it, but it was Leon Lett.
02:17He was like, everybody wanted to hear their name on third down.
02:21That was the incentive, to hear your name on third down, that you got the sack, that you were that
02:27guy.
02:27You got to celebrate, you got to be happy for the next series because of that moment.
02:32And right now, it feels like, with the new lasso thing, that everybody's looking forward to being the guy that
02:37gets to do it.
02:38Maybe not Wyatt Langford, because Wyatt Langford's just like, oh, yeah, there's a little circle on my head.
02:42He does not seem to have the most interest in the world and outside nonsense that's not about hunting.
02:48But I think that so far, I'm seeing a Corey Seager I recognize, and I'm seeing a Jake Berger I
02:55wanted to see.
02:57Unfortunately, he broke his hitting streak yesterday.
03:01But then I look at the rest of the group.
03:03I needed Josh Young to have a couple of hits yesterday, personally, and he needed it, too.
03:09Did you see how much relief he had on his face when he had that single that went to the
03:13right side?
03:14Yes.
03:14I have no doubt.
03:15Yeah, he was just like, finally.
03:18So, yeah, I'm seeing some good things.
03:21I'm seeing a team that I think can be a winner this year.
03:24And early on, against the fastball, which obviously is going to be the most prevalent pitch,
03:31.453 slugging percentage last year against fastballs, woeful.
03:36.389 slugging percentage.
03:38That was third worst in the league.
03:41And you know what?
03:42You already see the four-seam fastball 32% of the time in Major League Baseball.
03:47So what happened last year against the Rangers?
03:48They started getting a higher concentration of fastballs, kind of the opposite of the Pedro Serrano,
03:54because the scouting report was they can't hit it.
03:58And if they do hit it, they're not going to smash it.
04:01And so that's been a really encouraging thing to start.
04:05Seems like we have a Smashburger out there right now.
04:07Yes.
04:07And that's a good thing.
04:08Indeed we do.
04:09I like this from the 7.85.
04:11McCutcheon brings that Austin Hedges fire back to the dugout.
04:14I like that.
04:16And plus, the other thing is, what a bonus, is also he's going to be more frequently contributing
04:23to the team on the field.
04:25So he brings a...
04:27And you're saying as opposed to Hedges.
04:29Yes.
04:30We all love Austin Hedges.
04:32That's fair, though.
04:33But I think you're right, and I was going to add that.
04:35Like, he brings that kind of vibe, and you need a vibe in your clubhouse.
04:40You absolutely have to have a vibe.
04:41But the guy can't be...
04:44He can't be the vibe and also not produce.
04:47Right.
04:48He's got to be able to...
04:49And he's producing.
04:50Because otherwise, you don't want to hear that vibe.
04:52Really shut the hell up.
04:53Yes, exactly.
04:55All right.
04:55If you were to rate the vibes...
04:59Stop it.
05:00You would be a raider.
05:00Man, I'm really sad that it took me so long to figure that out.
05:03So, another really encouraging thing.
05:06What do you think the OPS was for our top four hitters last year?
05:09Our best four hitters!
05:14OPS, 691.
05:16Whoa.
05:17That was close.
05:19697.
05:20Okay.
05:20Which is horrible.
05:22Especially for your top four.
05:24Horrible.
05:24And I'm still learning OPS, so that was pretty good for me.
05:28That was...
05:29I think that was good for anybody.
05:31I think that would be good for Chris Young.
05:34Well, maybe he should know the exact number.
05:36I don't know.
05:37But this year, top four, 847.
05:40It's early.
05:41It's early.
05:42That's true.
05:42But think about it.
05:43When you talk about it's early, also Wyatt is struggling early in the season.
05:47And so, to be 150 points up on last year, despite your young phenom struggling, I think
05:57that is super-duper encouraging.
05:59972.
06:00Kevin Pillar really must have been on to something.
06:02I don't think we disagree.
06:04We talked about that.
06:05When we heard Kevin Pillar say that, we were like, we get it.
06:08Did you say his name right, though?
06:10Kevin Pillar?
06:11There you go.
06:11I'm from Texas.
06:12Oh, okay.
06:13Pillar.
06:14I'm sorry.
06:14Oh.
06:15Pillar.
06:16No.
06:17Good enough.
06:18Okay.
06:19But yeah.
06:19Maybe, I mean, we talked about it before.
06:21We were like, you can see in the dugout, there's just not that connection amongst them.
06:25And I thought that was weird from a team that was mostly still made up of a World Series
06:30champion.
06:31Yes.
06:31Yes.
06:31That they just, like, I guess they all, once they got the championship, they all said,
06:36well, we all go our scatter and go our separate ways.
06:39But this group does feel like a team right now.
06:42Now, I've got some numbers from across Major League Baseball.
06:44To try and astonish you.
06:46And then we'll get to the Rangers' paces.
06:48And you're going to love the one for Jack Leiter.
06:50Paul Skeens.
06:51Going back to that very first game.
06:54He allowed five runs in the first inning of the season.
06:58And didn't even get three outs.
06:59I realize O'Neal Cruz played a part in that.
07:01Five runs.
07:02Do you know last year, he gave up three runs in the first inning?
07:06No.
07:07Total.
07:09So, in the first start of the season, he gave up more first inning runs than he did
07:17in all of his starts last year.
07:19Total.
07:19Dang, dude.
07:20That is crazy.
07:21Now, is Mike Trout back?
07:25Last year, played in 44 series for the Angels.
07:29Never reached base more than 10 times in any series.
07:33First series of the year for the Angels?
07:35Reach base 13 times.
07:37Nice!
07:38He is back!
07:39It's the start!
07:40For the next two weeks!
07:41You know...
07:42Maybe.
07:43It is tough for me to argue against that sentiment.
07:47Right now, he does have an OPS above one.
07:49But, it could be a countdown scenario.
07:52Now...
07:52That being said, though, we've seen him fill up the stat box before.
07:57That's what he does.
07:57And he still has that ability.
08:00It's just the health.
08:01Like, that's really it.
08:02Yes.
08:02His hands aren't gone.
08:03Yes.
08:04When you lose your hands in baseball, that's usually when you should go ahead and say,
08:08it's been a good run.
08:09But his hands aren't gone, and he still has power.
08:11Right now, the Colorado Rockies are 2-4.
08:15I feel like there's a decent chance they will not get above 500 all year.
08:21I'm going to start that again.
08:22A more than decent chance.
08:24Thus, I present to you perhaps the craziest stats of the day.
08:28Alec, listen to this one.
08:30Alec?
08:31If you listen to nothing else for the rest of the show today, listen to this stat.
08:35The Colorado Rockies have not been above 500 in 1,097 days.
08:41That goes all the way back to April 1st of 2023, where they were 2-1.
08:47That is the last time they have been above 500.
08:50You know what the record was that year?
08:52We're 59-103.
08:54Is that good?
08:55No.
08:57It's not.
08:58And so, you can just go ahead and extrapolate out another 360 days if we're not going to make it.
09:05So, we might do this again next year, and you're like, oh, we're up to 1,460 days.
09:09And the best shot Colorado's got is when they win one to start the season, and they're 1-0.
09:14So, this is the last time they were above 500.
09:16They were 2-1.
09:17That was three years ago.
09:19Three years ago.
09:22That's amazing.
09:23It is amazing and sad.
09:25All right.
09:26Let's talk about pace.
09:28Jake Berger.
09:29He's on pace for 54 home runs and 162 RBIs.
09:34So, even though you talked about the hitless streak coming to an end, still incredible.
09:39Corey Seager.
09:40Yeah.
09:41Corey Seager is on pace to hit 318 with an OPS of 1.156.
09:47Now, you might be like, that's fun.
09:49I could see it happening.
09:50All right.
09:51So, we need to up the game.
09:52Gotcha.
09:53Brandon Nimmo.
09:54Brandon Nimmo is on pace for an incredible 243 hits.
10:00I'll take it.
10:01Did you know, that would be 19 short of the record.
10:06For hits for a season?
10:07Yes.
10:08Michael Young?
10:09Ichiro.
10:10Oh, for the Rangers.
10:11That would be a record for the Rangers.
10:13Ichiro had 262 hits in 2004.
10:17So, even though Brandon Nimmo is off to this incredible start, that if it stood up, we'd
10:22be like, oh my goodness, it's the best.
10:2419 away from the Major League record.
10:26Kind of like Tyler Alexander.
10:28Alexander, he had one save before this year.
10:31Right now, he's on pace for 54 saves.
10:35Okay.
10:36Also, not a record.
10:37The record is held by Francisco Rodriguez, who had 62 in 2008.
10:44And I want you to think about this for a second.
10:46That number of saves is higher than the number of wins that the Colorado Rockies had in the
10:53last season.
10:54They had a winning record.
10:55Just think about that for a second.
10:59Now for Jack Leiter.
11:01Okay.
11:02Now I can get this something I can sink my teeth into.
11:04Obviously, we have manipulated.
11:07I have not manipulated any numbers.
11:09But at this point in the season, it's really fun.
11:11Jack Leiter is on pace.
11:14Go 32-0 with an ERA of three.
11:18He's also on pace.
11:20He's pretty high.
11:22I mean, hey, that means our offense is rocking and rolling.
11:26And we get a decision every single time.
11:29So we clearly put the runs on the board early.
11:31But here's the part that's amazing to me.
11:33So Jack Leiter, 32-0 with a three ERA.
11:37He's also on pace for 256 strikeouts.
11:40That would be pretty good.
11:42It would be pretty good.
11:43That would be just short of the modern MLB record.
11:47And when I say just short, it would be 127 strikeouts behind Nolan Ryan, who had 383 strikeouts in 1973.
11:59Now, if you go back to the 1800s, you know...
12:02Was that the year that the dude sawed off the leg of a table and was like, brought it out?
12:07And the umpire was like, you can't use that.
12:08He was like, I can't hit him with a bat.
12:10What's it going to matter?
12:11What's the difference?
12:12So, I mean, the old record belongs to, like, Barnstorm McGee in 1894.
12:18Rube Waddell.
12:19Yeah.
12:20Like, those numbers are ridiculous.
12:22There are people that have, like, 500 strikeouts in a season.
12:24But the modern record held by Nolan Ryan, 383, Jack Leiter after one start, on pace for 256, which would
12:32clearly be incredible.
12:34You think he'll do it?
12:34And another step in the right direction.
12:36I would take the under on that.
12:37But if Jack Leiter had 200 strikeouts this year, wouldn't you be like, okay, that's tremendous?
12:45Yes.
12:46No, no, it would be...
12:48Dude, that's the step right there.
12:50That means he pitched enough games to do that.
12:54And he pitched enough innings to do that as well.
12:56If he had 200 strikeouts this year, which I think he can.
12:59Yeah.
12:59He has the best stuff on this team.
13:01He really does.
13:03Right now, specifically.
13:05Maybe if Evaldi, like, comes back into form completely, then he's still that guy.
13:11DeGrom still has nasty stuff, too.
13:13Sure.
13:13But Leiter's stuff right now is sick.
13:16Last year, he had 147, 148.
13:22And so another thing is, not only, like you said, would he pitch more innings, hopefully
13:26the walks would be down.
13:30Exactly.
13:30Yeah, because you don't want him throwing 140 pitches a game.
13:33Yeah, and you're not going to get that many innings at that rate.
13:36Would he win a Cy Young if he went 32-0 with a three ERA?
13:40Yes, he would.
13:41And that would be a big F you to all the people that said pitcher wins don't matter.
13:45There's going to be...
13:46All right, I'm telling you.
13:47The Rangers have 36 wins this year, 32 of them more in Jack Leiter pitch.
13:51I would love to see this happen.
13:53I realize, like, it's not going to happen.
13:55But I would love to see Tarek Skubel be, like, 7-9 with a 1.8 ERA against Jack Leiter,
14:07who's 32-0 with a 3.0 ERA.
14:10Because, man, the next-level analytics people are going to be so mad when Jack Leiter wins.
14:15The pitcher wins!
14:17You're just like, he was really good.
14:19I'd be like, dude, it's 32 wins.
14:21Every time he went to the mound, the team was like, we're going to win today.
14:24People would be so freaking mad.
14:28And it's astonishing how many people are like, yeah, that ERA, though.
14:32Just like you said.
14:33It's a three.
14:34It's a three!
14:36That's a great ERA!
14:37And Valdi might have a three and a half this year, Kevin.
14:40Because last year was, like, insane, right?
14:42Yeah.
14:43You know?
14:43He might be that kind of guy by the end of the year.
14:45And we're going to go, was it good enough?
14:48Well, I mean, it wasn't the year before.
14:50You've got to be like, yeah, but him and DeGrom, what they did the year before,
14:53as Evan Grant was pointing out, kind of historic to do that.
14:57Can't expect that all the time.
14:59Although Kevin's like, no, I want our young players and our old players to all have ones.
15:03I realize the flaw in that hope.
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