00:00Jaron Duran in particular, Rich, I mean, I've been as critical as anybody.
00:03His numbers on the year are bad.
00:05Well, he's hitting 189, and he's your leadoff hitter.
00:07But when he has a night like that, I get sucked back in.
00:10You forget that in 2024, this guy was a top-10 MVP candidate.
00:14He was eighth place in the MVP voting.
00:15He was an all-star.
00:16He had 285.
00:17He had 14 triples.
00:18He had 21 homers.
00:19He had 48 doubles.
00:20He had a great year.
00:21He had a nine war.
00:23And I know you always love the war numbers.
00:24Oh, I'm all about war.
00:26Who want to go to war with, according to Johnny Gomes?
00:28He's got – obviously, he just took a shot at Michael Hawley, so you're down on him.
00:32And I get it.
00:33Hawley's our buddy.
00:34But when he's like this, he is back to all-star level.
00:38He's got two years of control.
00:39Oh, God, Ken.
00:40Ken, stop.
00:41I'm not going to extend him.
00:43He had one game, and you're saying he's at all-star level?
00:45No, no, no.
00:46He's been dog turds for, what, a month now?
00:49When he plays like that.
00:50And actually, he did have a few – he got a couple homers that won games for you
00:53because they scored, like, so few runs.
00:55He had a few nights, a few weeks.
00:57Stis, what did you say about your phone?
00:59When he plays good, he's good.
01:01That's the point.
01:02And so I have wanted to trade him.
01:05But now, should I second-guess that?
01:08No.
01:09You trade him.
01:10Come on, Ken.
01:11Please.
01:11No.
01:12No.
01:12This is out of the game, man.
01:14You need outfielders.
01:14He already got me going.
01:15We just easing into the show.
01:17Come on.
01:18That – 2024 feels like 10 years ago.
01:22Honestly, and that was the outlier.
01:23That was his outlier.
01:24He's in his prime.
01:25He's 29.
01:26That's his prime?
01:2729 years old in baseball?
01:2829 is your prime, right?
01:2829?
01:29Yes.
01:30No, no, no, no, no, no.
01:31That is at the peak of you going down to the backside of the back bowl.
01:35Okay, fine.
01:36But you keep – I'm not saying you extend him for 10 years, but you don't trade him.
01:39You trade him now.
01:41Ken.
01:41You trade him now.
01:42You get whatever you –
01:42Please, sir.
01:43Anything you can get for him.
01:45Try.
01:45Did you see what he did last night, those two catches alone?
01:47Do you trust that he can consistently do that?
01:50No, because he hasn't done it in two years.
01:53That fall off Salvi Perez with 101.9 miles per hour, 364 feet with backspin.
01:58Oh.
01:58And he's going back on the track and pulling that sucker in.
02:00Well, now that you say that, what was I thinking?
02:02Of course you keep him.
02:03Oh, jeez.
02:03The backspin.
02:05I mean, he's in the ball with backspin now.
02:07This is the girlfriend who has cheated on you with every single person that you know who has talked trash
02:13behind your back, wrecked your car.
02:14Oh, come on.
02:15But yesterday, she showed up with a bag of Taco Bell, and all of a sudden, all is forgiven.
02:19I swear, I'll never do it again.
02:20Yeah, I'll never do it again.
02:22I'll never do it again.
02:22She's the greatest girl ever now.
02:23Take me back, okay?
02:24Please.
02:24Ken, come on.
02:26And I don't know if –
02:27When he said Fenway, he peeks inside the monster there and says hello to the camera.
02:29That's kind of charming.
02:30And Ken, this is one thing that I can safely say about Ted, because I definitely know it about me,
02:33is we don't play radio.
02:35And I hope you're not playing radio here and really thinking that this is a comeback after one game.
02:40It could be a comeback story.
02:42Oh, gosh.
02:42I mean, he had – his last couple games, four walks.
02:46I love that.
02:47His last four games, he's hitting .357, three doubles and a dinger.
02:52And his defensive numbers, he's a three outs above average this year.
02:56He had a down year last year.
02:57He was minus four.
02:58He's in his head.
02:59Ted, you know this as much as anybody, mental health and the importance of it.
03:02Big, big time.
03:03He has not been flawless this year.
03:04Again, I know you're down on him because he ripped Holly.
03:06But he's off social media.
03:09Like, you don't like social media during the show.
03:11He's off social media.
03:12So, is he, though?
03:13Do we know that?
03:14No, he's probably got a burner account.
03:16For now, for now.
03:17Do we trust that he won't react to the next time a fan says allegedly something to him that sets
03:22him off?
03:22No, no.
03:23But to me, it's even less about that, Ken.
03:26It's just that this is somebody who's been in the – didn't we read that list?
03:29It was the top – the lowest 10 OPS in the league.
03:32There's three of them.
03:33And he's right there near the bottom.
03:35I just think that Jaron Duran – if you're sitting here getting excited about it, there's nothing more that I
03:40would love, Ken, for you to be right.
03:41I would love that.
03:42I would love if this was the beginning of a big turnaround.
03:44God, it would feel fantastic.
03:46And you know what?
03:46To be quite honest, it's great having Chad Tracy on the show on a day like today.
03:50All right.
03:50Because you put together two pretty damn good wins.
03:53Did you hear the Tracy train gushing about Duran last night?
03:55Here he is.
03:56It's like a love affair.
03:57Give it to me.
03:57Let's hear it.
03:59It's, you know, obviously, like, this game was kind of different in terms of its multidimensional aspects.
04:04But you've seen more walks recently.
04:05Are you seeing kind of the swing decisions type in from him?
04:09Yeah.
04:09Yeah, I think – I don't know what the number is I was counting before today.
04:12But he's been on base like eight or nine times in the last four days, which is awesome, including a
04:16few walks.
04:18So, yeah, the swing – it's always that with Jaron.
04:20And, like, if he stays off some of the soft below and gets himself in a good count, he becomes
04:23really dangerous.
04:24And take the walk and pass the baton, and he's doing that right now.
04:27Really dangerous.
04:28The word in there, it's just two letters, and it's very powerful.
04:31If, if, if, if.
04:33Well, he's done it for four games.
04:34If he does this.
04:35He's hot.
04:35Hey, I'm on Ken's side here because if Ken didn't believe in a comeback, I would not be here right
04:40now.
04:42That's a good point.
04:43I like that.
04:43I know.
04:44So, I like just four-game samples.
04:45I love where you can just take, you know, any sample you want.
04:49And it's only 162 games, but let's look at the last four games.
04:52Well, okay.
04:53He's had a body work.
04:54He had two pretty good years before this year.
04:56I mean, last year was a 4-7 war.
04:57Not horrible.
04:58You know, hit 250, 13 triples.
05:00I was –
05:01Don't you like his – don't you – on the field, aren't you impressed with his –
05:03I like the makeup.
05:04I like the makeup of the player.
05:05I like the energy.
05:06I like when – you know, look, I like the guy can – it runs like the wind.
05:11I love his athleticism.
05:13I like the profile of him being the, you know, leadoff hitter.
05:17But you just can't depend on him.
05:19You can't – my old coach, Bill Parcells, he always said this, this.
05:22He goes, guys, I want to know what to expect from my players when I go into a game.
05:27Great players.
05:28You can't have a great game one time and then a crappy game.
05:31You got to be great every time.
05:32You average players, hey, I expect you to play up to your abilities every single –
05:36you don't know what you're getting with this guy.
05:38You can't count on him.
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