00:00You ready to do a way-too-early circle of trust, Seth?
00:02I am. I am.
00:04I'm very curious to see how you handle one particular player.
00:08I know. I can't wait.
00:10I'm shocked that you're even going to bring this up.
00:12All right. So let's do it. Circle of trust.
00:15When it comes to our favorite players, it comes down to one question.
00:20Can we trust you?
00:22See, if I can't trust you, then I have no choice but to put you right back outside the circle.
00:27Who's in? Who's out?
00:28It's the Payne and Pendergast, Astros Circle of Trust.
00:32Okay. We do this. We do it periodically.
00:35It's not a – we don't have a regular schedule for it.
00:37I don't know that we've ever done one this early, but the Astros are just so fun right now.
00:41And they were off yesterday, and I still want to talk about them even the day after there's not a
00:45game.
00:46We quit on it last year.
00:47Well, yeah.
00:48I don't think we did it. I don't think we did one in the second half of the season.
00:51We might not have.
00:51You know what? Nobody was clamoring for it.
00:54No.
00:55But here we go.
00:55I think people associate this with this show and the Astros Circle of Trust.
00:59We don't need to spend a lot of time on the easy decisions here.
01:02I'm just – I put in, out, and then those that are up for debate.
01:06Yeah.
01:06So, in, I think we can all agree, Jose Altuve, Jordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa, Hunter Brown.
01:12Those – is there any sort of discussion on any of those?
01:15No, no, no.
01:16I'm 100% in on all of those guys because of a combination of past track record playoff success and
01:23other things.
01:24Yeah.
01:24And a hot start.
01:25I mean, they're all off to pretty good starts, too.
01:28Out of the circle of trust right now, Yiner Diaz, Christian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Brian Abreu, Bryce Matthews.
01:38I agree with all of those.
01:40Yeah.
01:40Bryce Matthews I still am very optimistic about.
01:43Oh, for sure.
01:43But obviously he's very young.
01:44Yeah.
01:44So, he has to earn his way into the circle of trust.
01:46That's right.
01:47At some point.
01:48I cannot tell you how astounded I was when I saw your initial list of the ins and the outs.
01:54Yeah.
01:55And Mike Burroughs isn't on the definitive list of outs.
01:58He's in the debate bucket, Seth.
02:00I just wanted to discuss that.
02:01Yeah, I'm just saying that because I think a lot of people were waiting for you to say Burroughs and
02:06–
02:06Sounds like it's not a very long debate then, I guess.
02:08Well, I just – I'm just – look, what was your thinking behind him even being debatable?
02:13Uh, that he – that he – he got better as his start went on.
02:17Yeah.
02:17On Wednesday.
02:19I 100% agree with you on that one.
02:22Yep.
02:22But I also am still staring at a 5-plus ERA.
02:25Oh, it's true.
02:26His ERA – yeah, he gave up a lot of runs in that first game.
02:28Can't put an Astros pitcher in the circle of trust with a 5.5 ERA.
02:33He's out then, I guess.
02:35Yeah, he's 100% out.
02:37So, Burroughs is out.
02:37I'm encouraged by his last start.
02:39Right.
02:39But, oh, my God.
02:41Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:41It's got to mean something.
02:42What am I – am I – do I – maybe I have a type, Seth.
02:46I don't know.
02:46You're like – you're like the guy whose girlfriend is cheating on him.
02:51Yeah.
02:51And no matter how much his friends tell him she is, he doesn't believe it.
02:55Yeah, Mike Burroughs is that – yeah, Mike Burroughs is a whore, basically.
02:58And I'm like, no, he's not that bad, really.
02:59You start distancing yourself from your friends because they don't have your best interests in mind.
03:04Okay, yeah, yeah.
03:06I'm not going to return texts from Seth anymore because he's anti-Burroughs.
03:10All right, so Burroughs is out.
03:11That's fine.
03:12I can live with that.
03:14Christian Walker, in or out?
03:16Oh, boy.
03:17Boy, boy, boy.
03:19Christian Walker, hot start.
03:21Christian Walker, awful 2025.
03:24It's when a D student starts showing up to the study group and everything.
03:29And it turns out he's kind of smart.
03:30And he's – yeah, it turns out, like, hey, boy.
03:32He's contributing.
03:33Yeah, yeah.
03:34He's like the kid that all of a sudden discovers that, oh, okay, I kind of like these books.
03:40Yeah.
03:41Yeah.
03:41He's on the watch list for sure.
03:43If he continues – if he continues hitting a double pretty much every other time he's up at bat,
03:48then, yeah, he'll be in the circle of trust next week.
03:50But he's not in right now.
03:52Not just – yeah.
03:52Not in.
03:53So he is still out of the circle of trust.
03:55All right, Jeremy Pena.
03:57I think it's too early to put him in.
03:58He's been in and out of the lineup with injuries right now.
04:01Yeah, and so, you know, if you need to make yourself feel better about it, you can just blame it
04:05on injuries.
04:06Yeah.
04:06There is a – there's a grumpy old man in me that gets a little bit annoyed that it's a
04:10– the tip of his finger that was broken.
04:13The ring finger on his throwing hand.
04:15Yeah.
04:15That annoys me a little bit, even though I – if my brain takes over, I know that that's actually
04:20– all right.
04:21A lot of stuff can go wrong with that.
04:22Yep.
04:23But I'm like, that's not your glove hand.
04:24No.
04:25You know, it's not like you're worried about a baseball hitting it or something.
04:28All right.
04:28All right, Isak Paredes.
04:33Oh, you know what?
04:35I would put him –
04:36I still kind of trust him, even though his numbers aren't quite there yet.
04:39That's where – no, I think, and honestly, he is one of those guys that is exactly what you want,
04:46which is judgment at the plate, all of that.
04:48And I almost credit him with, over time, just if only by osmosis, that finally creeping into the rest of
04:56the team.
04:56Yeah, yeah.
04:57He's – you know what?
04:59Kind of like we used to do with Uncle Mike.
05:01Yeah.
05:01He's a professional hitter.
05:02Professional hitter.
05:03There's something steady and smooth about him that you just like and appreciate.
05:07And Isak has played very good defense this year so far, too.
05:11Oh, yeah.
05:12And going to second base.
05:14Yeah.
05:14When all the freaking nerds wanted to tell us, well, Uncle –
05:18I was at that game.
05:19They're reluctant to put him at second base.
05:20That was on Sunday.
05:22Amy and I had a real perfect view.
05:23We were on the right down the right field – right down the line there, right direct angle of watching
05:29Isak make all those plays.
05:31Turning double plays.
05:32Making a little short hop scoops at second base.
05:35Yeah.
05:35Let us in.
05:35I'm putting him in right now.
05:37You know, I'm disgusted with myself.
05:38Sometimes I listen to, like, the hardcore baseball nerds who will tell me why something can't happen.
05:42Yeah.
05:42Some of the hardcore baseball nerds back in the day tried to tell me why George Springer shouldn't move to
05:47center field.
05:47Yeah.
05:48And I'm like – I'm just like, why am I – what am I – am I this stupid?
05:51No.
05:51What?
05:52Oh, okay.
05:52Got it.
05:53No.
05:53Yeah.
05:53Parade is fine at second base.
05:55Okay.
05:55As far as the outfielders go, let's just bunch these together.
06:00I'm not going to bunch them.
06:01Like, we're not going to put them all in or all out, but just for sake of time, Cam Smith,
06:06Jake Myers, Joey Loperfito.
06:09I love – if we're talking about the outfielders as a whole, awesome defensively.
06:13Yep.
06:14But, yeah, we need to see more.
06:15Any of those –
06:16Loperfito would be an interesting – well, Loperfito's on my watch list, obviously.
06:19Does he get the Marisnyk designation?
06:22No, because he's been hitting the ball well.
06:24Oh, okay.
06:25Gotcha.
06:25Yeah, because – well, I've just – I feel like we use the Marisnyk designation just to put somebody in
06:29sometimes who we feel might deserve it, but just, you know.
06:32Cam Smith's the closest to deserving the Jake Marisnyk designation right now.
06:35Because of his defense.
06:36Yeah, because he's incredible defensively.
06:39Okay.
06:39I mean, Loperfito's hitting .317 right now, Sean.
06:42He is.
06:42You know what?
06:43You know what?
06:44He's still a part-timer, though.
06:45Yeah.
06:46Okay, you're right.
06:47So, we'll stick to the outfield as a whole.
06:48And he started off smoking hot.
06:50He was back at, like, 560 to start the season.
06:52Yeah.
06:52Yeah, let's – yeah, and he doesn't have a track record enough.
06:56Yes.
06:56With his current trip on the team.
06:58Okay.
06:59Okay, here we go.
07:00The last two.
07:02We treat the closers separately.
07:04So, for now, Abreu is out.
07:05The rest of the bullpen.
07:07Do we trust the slew of the Okerts, the Brian Kings, the Tangs, the – oh, Bluebaugh?
07:15Bluebaugh?
07:16Bluebaugh.
07:16Bluebaugh's got to be in the circle of trust, either individually or as part of a pack.
07:20Okay.
07:21Well, now we're coming up to a couple different – we don't like to lump everybody together,
07:26but I can't put the entire relief staff right now.
07:28They've got a 4.17 ERA.
07:30Okay.
07:31Somewhere thereabouts.
07:32Okay.
07:32So, let's leave him out for now.
07:33We'll leave him out for now, yeah.
07:35Okay.
07:36Last one.
07:38Lance McCullers.
07:40Uh, da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
07:43Ooh.
07:43I know what I think.
07:44I want to hear what you think.
07:46I very much want him to be in the circle of trust.
07:49I do, too.
07:52It's one start.
07:53You know what, though?
07:54What's our biggest concern with Lance?
07:56It's whether or not he gets injured.
07:58Yep.
07:59And, like, we almost have to set that aside because he could go 20 straight games without missing –
08:05he could go seven innings for 20 straight games.
08:07We're still going to be nervous about whether he gets injured or not.
08:09Yep, yep, yep.
08:10So, is he in or is he out?
08:13Oh, damn it.
08:16He's in.
08:16He's in.
08:17He's in.
08:18I say out.
08:19Ben, what do you say?
08:20Ben – no, Ben breaks a tie.
08:21Out.
08:22Oh, you son of a bitch, Ben.
08:24I never trusted you.
08:26I just can't.
08:27I can't, after one start, put a guy in who was banished to the bullpen at the end of last
08:31year.
08:32You know what I mean?
08:33Who's not been very trustworthy for the last four years.
08:37That's my old thing, Seth.
08:39You and I both want the same thing for Lance.
08:41We love Lance.
08:42I can't believe that – you know what, though?
08:43I still feel good about myself because I'm here stumping for Lance McCullers.
08:47Yes.
08:48World Series champion.
08:49Right.
08:49And, yeah, you're out here stumping for Mike Burroughs.
08:52Burroughs.
08:53But I went quietly into the night.
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