00:00All right, some trends, questions, hopefully answers, for the happenings in the first quarter of the MLB season.
00:10And I'm going to start with a Rangers one.
00:14Will the Rangers, do you think they can get up to four runs per game when all is said and
00:21done to finish the season?
00:22Which is still not great.
00:24No, I just don't right now.
00:28I guess it does kind of depend on what happens when Wyatt Lankford comes back, if he's good.
00:34Right.
00:34Because he was struggling before, yeah.
00:37Yeah, and there were signs of potential positivity existing.
00:41And we've known him to, when he finds his hot streak, he's hot.
00:46But I just don't see him having, I don't see this team having the ability to get back to that,
00:53or to get much higher than four, if even at four.
00:56No.
00:57And it's really disappointing because you had found yourself, and I realize they lost last night,
01:04but the Rangers, when they scored at least four runs, I believe they were 16-5 this year.
01:10And last year they were 81-23.
01:13So you're saying all we've got to do is score four runs, and you'll be effing awesome!
01:19Does anybody tell them that?
01:21Yeah.
01:22If you were Skip, I believe he knows.
01:24Would you walk in and you would say, guys, we've heard of the drive for five.
01:29But what about score for four?
01:33And all we've got to do, guys, all we have to do, history shows,
01:36that this team just needs four runs, and we're going to win more games than we lose.
01:43Would you tell the guys that?
01:44Would you be like, this is our calling card, and you just put on the shirt,
01:48you just put big fours on there, everybody walks around holding up four all the time?
01:53I don't know how many of the players are motivated like that.
01:57You know, everyone's different, so you have to work different angles.
02:01Yeah.
02:01I mean, that's...
02:03I'm just throwing out ideas, Kevin.
02:04Again, we are in anything-goes territory.
02:07True, true, true, true.
02:10All right.
02:11Is the American League really this bad?
02:14Going into last night's game, games, the American League was 36 games under 500.
02:22As we've continued to update throughout the year,
02:24every team in the NL Central has a better record than any team in the AL West.
02:29Is the American League...
02:31Will the American League really be this bad?
02:35And here's something I want you to remember.
02:37I mean, the front...
02:38Go ahead, go ahead.
02:3836 games under 500.
02:40Do you realize just the Yankees and the Rays combined are 26 games above 500?
02:46Can you imagine if for some reason you did not have those teams?
02:49This would be like the worst American League maybe ever.
02:52Are they really this bad?
02:54I think they are.
02:59And the reason I feel...
03:01All right, let's see.
03:02Runs per...
03:03Okay.
03:04Runs per game right now.
03:06Washington, 5.46.
03:09National League.
03:11Atlanta, 5.21.
03:13National, yeah.
03:15LA Dodgers.
03:16Ugh.
03:16Cubs.
03:17Uh-oh.
03:18Yankees.
03:19Hey!
03:19Expected, right?
03:21Yeah.
03:22Milwaukee, Pittsburgh.
03:23Like, the top teams that are scoring runs are all in the National League right now.
03:29The front-running team that you think is the favorite to win the World Series is the Dodgers.
03:35And doesn't it feel like when you've had dominance in sports like that, the other side has always been poor?
03:42Yeah.
03:42Like, you've always kind of looked at them and been like, well, they're not going to win the World Series
03:45or they're not going to win the Super Bowl.
03:46So, yeah, I think the American League is that bad right now.
03:49And like the top ten, I think there's three teams that are scoring, that are good scoring teams right now.
03:56That is not good.
03:57Why do robots love the walk?
04:00You know, right now, this is on pace to be the fourth highest walk rate per season since 1951.
04:13Really?
04:13If you had to guess, and I know it's really difficult because there's so many games and so many teams,
04:19how many walks do you think were on pace for more this year than last year?
04:24Um, 400.
04:272,000.
04:28Good God!
04:29I know, right?
04:302,000!
04:33Do you believe, I might actually have an answer for this, but do you believe robots like the walk?
04:39Oh, and why are robots involved here?
04:41Because they're ABS!
04:43They're creating the walk, okay, gotcha, gotcha.
04:45Are they?
04:46That's the question.
04:47I don't know.
04:47I don't know.
04:48But my first question was, did Bob walk like the robot?
04:54You know, did he...
04:55He's doing the robot if for some reason you're not watching this show.
04:59And if you're not, what are you doing?
04:59Then the other question was, did they program the ABS with the song Walk Like a Man?
05:05Okay.
05:05And that's what they want the robot.
05:07I have no clue why they like it.
05:08I think they're just being more fair, whereas there were strikeouts called on certain players
05:13that maybe umpires just had problems with, and there was a little more of a lenient strike zone.
05:19So, part of the reason is that hitters this season are swinging way less.
05:26Specifically, they're only swinging at 46%, 46.7% of all pitches thrown.
05:32Because they can trust the ABS system.
05:34I mean, there might be something to...
05:36Absolutely, I think there is something to that.
05:39Aside from the 2020 shortened season, this would be the lowest rate that people have swung at the ball since
05:462018.
05:48Now, Alex...
05:49Seems advantageous.
05:50That is.
05:50I don't want base runners.
05:51But if you want to throw less pitches, it's not working out your way.
05:55Here's what I want you to try to guess.
05:57Once again, both of y'all, I know, almost an impossible task.
06:00If you go at the current rate, how many fewer pitches will be swung at this year than last year?
06:11So you have to factor in every player, every game, all season.
06:14How many fewer pitches will be swung at than last year based on this current rate?
06:19You go first.
06:21Oh, wow.
06:22That's probably Spartans.
06:24That's tough.
06:27Hmm.
06:28I have no baseline to go off of.
06:32Exactly.
06:33I got an idea.
06:34Oh, I'm excited.
06:3620,512.
06:38Okay.
06:39Alec?
06:4215,836.
06:44Oh, you guys were way closer than I thought, because I would have no idea.
06:49About 10,000.
06:50Okay, so I probably should have done my math a little differently, and I would have gotten
06:54closer to that.
06:56But the 2,000 extra walks, you've got to put some numbers in there.
07:01That seems about right.
07:03Yeah.
07:03Wow.
07:03But yeah, about 10,000.
07:05Not fewer pitches.
07:06Fewer pitches swung at than last season.
07:09Did the World Baseball Classic take a bigger toll than we thought?
07:14I forgot to update these records.
07:16My apologies.
07:17But I'll tell you this.
07:18Here are the teams with the most players that were in the World Baseball Classic.
07:21The Mets, Mariners, Phillies, Red Sox, Royals, Pirates, and Brewers.
07:26All of those teams had at least 14 players in the World Baseball Classic.
07:31They're a combined 14 games under 500.
07:36You think it's because of that?
07:39Interesting.
07:40Yeah.
07:41I mean, look, only realistically, only the Pirates, Phillies, and Brewers are above 500
07:49or were above 500 prior to yesterday's game.
07:52And the Pirates and Phillies were like right there.
07:55Do you think that maybe the World Baseball Classic takes a little bit of a toll?
08:01I mean, I think that the Olympics definitely took a toll for the Stars and other teams.
08:07Now, while some teams thrived after it as well, but I think it definitely does.
08:12Playing extra games wears a body out and maybe adds some injury, especially when you're not
08:17with your team and you're not being kind of monitored and observed in the exact same
08:22way.
08:22I know they communicate every day with those guys, but it's a little bit different whenever
08:27somebody's watching and it's your millions of dollars.
08:29So, yeah, I definitely think that that has something to do with it.
08:32Are the Atlanta Braves the best team in baseball?
08:35They are on pace to go 108-54.
08:40You know what their preseason win total was projected at?
08:4486-1.
08:45Yeah, they're better than they were projected to be for sure.
08:48True, but are they the best team in baseball?
08:52No.
08:53The Dodgers are.
08:54I don't care where the Dodgers stand in the standings.
08:56I don't care what's going on in any way, shape, or form.
09:00It is going to be...
09:02I mean, the Dodgers have the best player.
09:04They have the MVP.
09:05They have the dude that they...
09:07They have a stack team.
09:10At some point, they're like, I guess we have to turn to Blake Snell.
09:13Like, that's just...
09:16Wow.
09:16What kind of stack team are you?
09:18So, no.
09:18They're very good, and their schedule has them where they are right now.
09:22But the best team is definitely them.
09:25The Dodgers.
09:27Did every other team in baseball miss out on this gentleman?
09:33Murakami sends this one high in the air.
09:36Back and go!
09:38Get out!
09:42Second home run tonight for Murakami.
09:45So, he didn't get a big contract.
09:49Murakami got a two-year, $34 million deal.
09:53To put that in perspective, that's less than you're paying Jock Peterson.
09:56I'm not paying Jock Peterson.
09:57Fair.
09:58Less than the Rangers are paying Jock Peterson.
10:01And right now, it's true, his batting average is lower.
10:05But keep an eye out on that.
10:07That has really picked up as of late.
10:09He's hitting .242.
10:10He's on pace to have a .943 OPS with 61 home runs, 115 RBIs, and he is 26 years old.
10:21That is fascinating.
10:22I mean, it's a really good season from him at 26 for sure.
10:25But I'm wondering, like, this is your first year, and you're on top of it.
10:31Right.
10:31What motivates you?
10:33Maybe his cards stay up.
10:36Maybe that's a positive.
10:38I hope so.
10:38But he didn't really, really get paid.
10:41I mean, I know that's a crazy amount of money.
10:43I'm saying for a baseball player, he didn't really get paid.
10:45But I'm kind of curious on where he motivates him and how he stays.
10:51When you're in America, do you go, you know what?
10:53I am now Americanized.
10:55And some things start to seep in.
10:56Or that discipline that you've always had sticks with you.
11:00The way he's playing right now is still pretty awesome.
11:03Does it irritate you at all, or do you think it's not right?
11:07I've heard some people say this.
11:08I don't believe this.
11:09That he should not be up for Rookie of the Year because he'd played professionally before.
11:14I think my understanding, was Ichiro Rookie of the Year?
11:18I believe he was.
11:20There you go.
11:21Because he was MVP.
11:21In your face.
11:23Okay.
11:24Whatever anybody wants to say.
11:25Yeah, I mean, I don't believe that.
11:26I mean, if it's your first season in the game, hell, sometimes they say you played 65 games last year.
11:34And that still doesn't qualify as a rookie.
11:36Yeah.
11:37Yeah.
11:38So yeah, baseball's weird, bro.
11:39I get what you're saying.
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