MLB: Leading Off July 8th, 2022 (Ep. 548)

Devers Station, Let's play ball. Welcome in everybody to Fantasy pros.

This is leading off, brought to you by bet MGM, the King of sports Books. It's me, Joey p Joe Pizzavia with me as always is the Welsh and it's you.

It's a fun Friday. The All Star Game voting comes to an end today, so if.

You want to get in on that, now is the time to do it and right the wrongs of the people who vote for the players just on their own team that they see every day.

I know, Welsh, you're not a fan of that.

I'm not a fan of the fact that we're not gonna see Jordan Alvarez start this game and we're not gonna see Jose Ramirez likely start this game either, if the percentages hold true.

Right now, silly?

Well, okay, who is the placement on both of those guys? Who's over them?

I can stomach that one, I get it, But the other one is Devers who look at himself and night. We're gonna talk a lot about raviol Devers having a great season, but Jose Ramirez, I mean, that guy's been the one man show for Cleveland.

But what do you do what do you do. Like, my complaint is the absolutely silly, ridiculousness of letting fans have a decision, because fans are always a disappointment everybody. They make the worst decisions the years of no mar Garcia Para getting it. I mean, it's always from basketball to baseball. Fan voting into All Star Games is stupid and it takes away from like, you know, earned guys,

It doesn't played. It's crazy.

Well, I remember going to the ballpark and it was so exciting thing to get the little ballot and you punch out the little baseball hole and you'd stuff your ballot in there. It was a very exciting thing because it was the internet. That's this is how you voted for the All Star Game. You literally had a ballot and you put it in there, and that was very fun. It's right now, no one in an Anut and Manny Machada or tied fifty to fifty right now in the National League.

So that's gonna be an interesting That's good.

I mean, at least for the most part, it sounds like it's like the right guys, that's what you want.

It is. It is. Nothing's perfect, nothing ever will be.

You know, we're all gonna sit back and we're gonna watch this game, and we're gonna really analyze it and break it down. We're gonna watch this highly competitive All Star Game. It's gonna be such a great time. Let me ask you, Joe, do you actually watch this game? Uh?

I typically do watch the first couple of linings of the All Star Game. I don't watch it like I used to it when.

I was a kid. Man.

This was a big deal because you got to see a lot of the americaning players and I used to watch the Yankee the Yankees quite a bit, but you know, to see all the stars. At one time, it was it was much more of an event and there was much more National League versus American League vitriol that doesn't exist nowadays because if interleague play and all that stuff like it just doesn't happen. So back in the day, in the eighties as a kid, I mean even in the nineties, All Star Game was fantastic.

It was it was musty television for me.

And now it's you know, you know, you get really jazzed about the guy who like take his hat off, like oh, that's my player, that's my dude, you know, and you get excited about it.

But I don't feel like it's there was fun.

Composition stuff like yeah, I don't know. There was something about like, you know, some of the players having like intersquabbly type of things, like it was fun seeing like Tory Hunter take a home run away. But I'm just an All Star Game guy, Like it's NBA Baseball votball way down here. Like All Star Game.

I told you the only way to fix the Pro Bowl is to have the two best Madden players on the planet play with those two rosters, and then I would have all the guys that they drafted on either side and just video their reactions to what's going on in all the trash talking.

I think that would be musty television. I would watch that. I would watch the.

Two best Madden players in the world play those two rosters and have all the guys yell and scream at each other from either side of like like benches where they were just sitting there and then maybe yelling at the guy because they used him wrong or stuff like that.

I think that would be hysterical fun and nobody would get hurt.

And look at this what is up with Wonky? What is this snark?

Here?

Look at this comment? Up next, Welsh tells us why the Home Run Derby should be a contest of who can take the most walk? What's with this snark? What did I do to you? Wonky? Am I not on your side? You don't like on this show?

Now that I love the I still like the Home Run Derby that I still always watch.

Them, of course, because that is actually a fun thing.

And I like the evolution of the derby over the years has been very good too. Like I like the time limit things, and I like all of that, and it becomes more of an.

Athletic feat and he doesn't.

Yeah, these guys, they add more time. I like skills competitions. See that's the differy too. I like skills competitions. They also did they they're bringing it back, not that anyone cares, but the airson A Fall league they had a home run derby years and years ago where they put up different obstacles around the field and they gave points. It was actually a hitting derby. Now they think about it and you would get points by hitting certain things. I

Let me tell you, dude, the Dunk Contest this year was the worst thing I ever saw. I those the worst dunk contest in the history of dunk contest. The Derby's gotta beat by a long shot. Josh Donaldson's lambs Boston, sending the Yanks to their sixtieth win. That's right, Mike Mayer, that's for you. The Yankees have won sixty games. Rafield Devers, though, continues to own the Garrett Cole with two more home runs. Unbelievable. We'll get more to that a little bit later in

Tony Gonsolin can't be stopped. Seven frames went over the Cubs. I mean, what can you do?

I mean, Tony Gonsolin's era is the best in baseball. He's got a perfect record. It can't go anywhere but down. This is all I keep saying. We'll see what happens.

It's one of those things why we might all die on a hill. By the way, just pointing that out, that's okay, we'll die.

It's the hill. I'll die on this hill. Congratulations to Atlee Rutchman.

He got his first home run at home in Camden Yard, so hopefully many many more Welsh. How'd you feel about Spencer Stryder's twelve k's against the Cardinals yesterday?

My guys, Spencer, Hey, let's the heat check Spencer Strider, Aaron Ashby, let's do that heat chill it and it continues that I got again. Yeah, I'm gonna do that.

No.

So, Strider is phenomenal. If he can keep the if you can keep the walks down these type of strikeouts. I believe he hit his k prop before the third inning came through. I mean he was. He's an absolute stud and he's moving into that. Shane McClanahan, you just take it, you don't even think about it, and you go, he's a budding star here.

You know.

He's kind of to me, it's kind of like a Dylan Cease light. But he's actually having a lot better early success than Cease had to go through. I'm I'm very all in on Spencer Strider.

And look he's saving their bacon too, because uh look, Freedom Morton have been good, but Anderson right have not been lately, so having having Strider be that guy has been outstanding. Also, Trevor Williams combined for a two hit shutout, another shutout for the Mets, who lead the league and shut out all the teams. Jabir Bayez hit a home run.

His eighth of the year.

Hooray wow shot.

Unfortunately, though the White Sox, Dylan See has a wasted good performance for him. He struck out eight in that loss to the Tigers. I mean, you gotta beat the Tigers right now. If you're the White Sox, these are the games you gotta win. Speaking of the Tigers, Miguel Cabrera was added to the American League roster for twenty twenty two and Albert Poohols for the National League roster in the I don't know what we're calling this the old fart addition to I mean, these are two first

Are they telling us that that Miguel Cabrera is walking away? Is this like an indicator yet?

I mean, I think they just had to find somebody like to justify because like, what do you what else are you gonna do otherwise, by the way, you're gonna just have like poolholes and little cart like waving to everybody going by, like they had to have another whatever they're calling their legacy guy. He's perfect by it. But I mean it does kind of spark up a little bit. But there's no way, there's no way that like even Baseball would let Miguel just go without kind of a

Yeah, I look, I don't know, man. I mean, he's got a lot of salary left to get paid.

There's another reason he could just keep behing and just make that money.

That's what I thought too. Now, Look, sometimes guys go away, they're like, you know what, I just don't want to do it anymore, you know. I mean, he's he's made hundreds of millions of dollars.

Yes, it'd be nice to make some more, I'm sure, but you know it just look, I want those guys there. It's fun, but it's just it's a little weird, you know.

I don't know. That was a strange thing we.

Got to talk about injuries last night, scary moment on the field in all seriousness, Jerks and Profar ran into I should say c J Abrams and Jerk and Profar ran into each other and definitely took a knee there to the head area. Profar got back up, started to walk off, and then as he was walking off collapsed. He's being evaluate at the hospital. Obviously some sort of concussion issue. So no update on that yet.

Kind of scary that we don't have a scary stuff. I just want to point out, you know, well, no, you totally understand that, but like there's something, you know, like, hey, it was just you know, looks like it's a mild concussion. We're just gonna be monitoring. There's just like no update. That always kind of weirds me out coming off the night of an injury like that.

Yeah, also injury, Yes, Jay brustol gaderall exits with an injury against the Cubs, and Mike Soroco, who's coming back from that Achilles' injury, has been shut down from throwing after being hit in the knee by a comebacker in batting practice.

So sometimes when it rains, it poors, well, she when it rains, it pors. Speaking of rain, it is pouring on Garrett Cole.

Whenever Redfield Everes comes to bat, he has a three or four batting average with six on runs and fifteen RBI. After the game, here's the quote from Garrett Cole. He's just been able to hit everything. I mean, there just hasn't been a mishit roll over one time, nothing line out one time.

I mean, you're.

Supposed to fail seven out of ten times in this gig. I don't know what the deal is. And he said at the end of it all, I'm open to suggestions.

I'm open to suggestions. You know what's funny he had yesterday, you know, especially if we're gonna play the games that we do, like the Home Run Contest, and you want to check out BVP. He was one of the best BVP options. But you're like, that's Garrett Cole, you know, like you just you talk yourself out of like taking those really great hitters against really great pitchers even in BVP situations, thought about it, didn't do it owns him.

Well, you could see the especially the second one, the frustration on Cole's face where he's just like I can't He's just in awe because he made a good pitch. Tevers just took him deep again, and it is.

It is wild sometimes how that happens where you know, it's even more strange in those moments, like Joe McEwing used to own Randy Johnson. That kind of stuff was always hilarious, Like whenever you see, like Joe McEwing was on a team, Randy Johnson's out there, Joe McEwing.

And be leading off and you guess hee, Randy Johnson was just so mad. I actually owned it.

I actually think that's something really special to baseball in like just every regional market, like for the Diamondbacks, as I'm a fan, Andre Ethier absolutely owned. But everybody has that. Like you could go to everybody and you know, whatever team you follow, and there's gonna be not only great players, but I love the obscure randomness. Some random dude out there just absolutely owns the team, hits four hundred every time he comes into the stadium. That was Andre Ethier.

Here's a question for you too.

If Profar is out for an excepted period of time, will San Diego call up Ruiz that's from hell or high water?

I think that's a really, really great call. I mean, I think it would be there's some extent playing time on some other spots, but that's what everybody's been trying to do. When can we get his story up there? Yeah, I think it's possibility. Guy is stealing, he's hitting homers. I think he doesn't have a whole lot left to prove.

All Right, it's official. The World Baseball Classic is coming back in twenty twenty three. Welsh I know you don't care about the All Star Game?

Do you care about the WBC? And again we're back to another year.

We're going to have an awkward offseason for pitchers and hitters, and that is That's the one thing is like, man, after last year, after COVID and then last year with the labor agreement, and now WBC three years in a row, forget like spring training is such a cluster f I can't even handle it.

It is gonna be. I mean, I'm selfish, and yes, I do like it because it comes to Phoenix and I've been to some WBC games. I'm met Javier Bayez there, I met Carlos Korea. I think it's actually pretty. I love the concept of it, but in person, I also also like watching the games, but I do hate like it taking away from players being on teams, maturation time, stuff like that. I don't love that. But I love the competition. I kind of love the uh, you know,

There's no good time. That's the thing is, like, there's no good time to do it.

You can't do it in January because guys aren't ready, and then you can't do it in the middle of the season because you know, don't want anybody get hurt.

What about if you did it right around Arizona Fall League, Like, I know guys want time off, but do it just right after the season. Just throw it in right after the season.

Can you do that?

Or do you worry about guys and we're just gonna get buried by NFL.

I don't think. I guess there's a ratings wise that's a problem. Now, Look, I like WBC, there's no good time. You gotta just do it spring training.

But I'm just telling you what again, we're gonna have the same head eggs we've had the last three years, which is the stop and start of all of this. So it's it's gonna be it's gonna be ragged, man, I'm telling you right now, another crazy year of this.

That is insane.

It is. It's very obscure, but it's so relevant because they pick Jeremy Jeremy Frank who did at MLB random stats picks with runners in scoring position, and to have the guy be the most proficient hitter and pitcher with runners in score position. That actually might be my favorite, most random stat that I've seen in quite some time. I love.

It's just it's mind blowing. Also, what it reminds me of is Mark McGuire should be in the Hall of Fame.

I mean, it's just so dumb. I mean, he is, he is so important to me. Two, I mean it's just so dumb.

It's ridiculous anyway, also dumb and hilarious. I saw this tweet and I had to bring it up because this is a fun fact. Uh, there was a picture they had of that day in the seventies where people weren't getting you know them major bats.

I don't even know if they do that anymore. They were getting full out just thirty two twenty eight bats.

Like just just thirty two ounce bats. Here's your bat, here's your bat.

Here you go, here's a real bat. Could you imagine nowadays the carnage in the stands if you gave everybody a real bat?

Oh my god, you give you give third Rowe or third deck Mets fans a bunch of full sized bats? Are you kidding me?

Hey, guess what.

It's also five dollars beer night. I don't think.

Well, that's the thing. Like back then, beer were like two bucks and they gave real bats out and there was no carnage. I can't even fathom if they did that. Nowadays you see people all I can't tell you how many.

How annoying it is when you see so many of these videos of people getting in fistfights at sporting events nowadays, and I'm sure that always happened, and now we're just videoing them all Like I'm sure it always existed, but I don't know.

Man. As a kid, I went to a lot of met games.

I don't remember ever seeing anybody get into a physical altercation. I once at Yankee Stadium I saw it, but again that was in the bleacher creature area.

So I got. I like to pretend in like the twenties or whatever, you know, whenever thirty sport that they're just like take off their gloves and be like, no, sir, to slap them with the glove, and it would just be like a very gentlemanly fight. Like I like to pretend it would be something like that, and not you know, these dudes in bel Bonto just falling over standss.

You imagine like Yankee Red Sox game nineteen seventy eight and it's bat day, like I mean, and and people walked out alive.

That is that is incredible and just a fun fan.

Back in my day, we were tougher, we had back my day.

Take a back. You know what, here's a helmet day the same day, so at least everybody has a fair chance.

Maybe that's a good point. Maybe less fighting in the stands, maybe just a little bit less fighting in the stands when everybody's caught a lethal weapon.

Maybe maybe everyone behaves a little bit more. I doubt it.

Nineteen ninety seven, This Day in Baseball. I remember this distinctly. Sandy Almar had a thirty game hit streak to end the first half of the season and then in a two run homer in the front of his hometown crowd, Jacob's Field. This was the same game where Randy Johnson was thrown behind guys, which was hilarious. That was the whole you know, John kruck thing. I believe it was Krucking and Larry Walker. I remember it was the cruck or the Larry Walker one.

Which year it was.

It was one of those two, and Sandy Almoar ended up getting the MVP. This was in ninety seven. I remember that one.

That was an awesome, fun contest for sure.

And we're gonna get a lot more All Star memories this Day in Baseball the next week or so.

Also, here's your trivia question. Here you go, Mookie Betts recorded his nineteenth career your multi home run game out of the leadoff spot, tying with which player for the most all time home runs in the leadoff spot nineteen. Here's your hint. It's not Ricky Henderson go there, you got.

A weird I got a weird one, and my memory might be misremembering. No, Alfonso Sriano go out of the leadoff spot?

Was it a fun right?

You are right?

Finally, finally, Block is right twice a day and Welsh is right.

Nailed that one, and I got it before any of the comments came up that one did. That was the tides just coming down to my brain and giving me that one I needed one.

I love this one because yesterday a lot of people thought Soriana was the answer to the Truvier question, and.

It was, oh, you're right about that, really good, so.

I thought, I was like, oh, this will be fun. No one will get this because everyone will be thinking of other people. My head would have gone to Ricky Henderson right away.

Ricky makes it, you know. The other one like a newer one. George Springer. I bet your springers pretty high on that list because he's hit a ton of lead off bomb Bybee.

Might be all right. Let's get to the stat heroes from yesterday. Trevor Williams seven Squirrels innings Mets. Twitter was just so miserable yesterday that Trevor Williams was. They were like, why don't we just joke this up to a loss?

It's terrible. Why we'veld throw this guy out there? Seven shoutout innings later, there we go with a W ten to nothing win. Spencer Strider terrific, six scoreless, twelve k's, two walks, Joe Musgrove zero earned seven innings, six k's, four k's for Bo Brasky uh and then he had Dylan Cease was good, Tony Gonson was good, Rapfield Devers was great, two dingers for him.

JD. Davis not special, but he was good.

Last night three for four, Mookie Betts with two home runs, Aaron Hicks at a home run.

He was one of our lineup builders.

This week we had Josh Donaldson two for four with a home run, Derek Hall bounce back after an over with two for four with a home run.

So I'm sure that Mike Mayor very happy. Jose L Twovey one for two with a homer. Three Ribies having a great season. I think he's not the one seventeen or something crazy it Why do you see something crazy like Hosey? What's hold a l two v's number of home runs it's something absurd.

I think I want to I'm gonna take a guy. I think it's more like fifteen. But let's take a look here.

I want to see that because I think what I'm playing up to, he's got that many. In the meantime, I got it right here.

He has no. Seventeen seven seventeen six stolen bases as well, which six stolen bases is God? If I always forget God, I forget. Altuve had a streak of six years straight thirty or more stolen bases, six straight years, and he's up to six, which is the Hyatin twenty nineteen, and he's you know, might be pushing the twenty eighteen number. Wow, six straight years of thirty stolen bases.

Guys, the guy's tremendous player. And I know a lot of people don't like him anymore.

I don't care. I like him.

Uhaneo Surez two for three with a homer, Dono Vincelano three for four with the homer, and Carson Kelly two for four with a homer. Garrett Cole's line without Raffi Dever is actually really good. Last night, it was like six score listenings with seven k's and three walks and three hits, but unfortunately Garrett Cole gave up five and runs all courtesy.

I like it, if we do, if we'd measure that, let's measure that the rest of the year. What's Garrett Coles without.

We're like Garrett Cole's line against the Red Sox without Rapfield Evers with Raffield Nevers and I was like, that's very funny, but it's just just really just owns him.

Uh.

Here's the hitter losers from last night.

Jared Duran over four with four k's, Jackson Winsky over seven, day with three k's, Kyle Farmer over seven two k's and hit by a pitch, and Matt Carpenter over five with Maryfield over five two k's each.

With Murfield was started to turn things around now in an oh for five. Don't like that at all, No bueno. I don't like that.

Let's go to the home run board and it was my bad yesterday I uploaded the wrong one. This one is correct today. High covees at thirty three. High Cubbies getting all the praise. By the way, Go Cards got his free hat coming to him for the fantastic photoshop earlier.

The week the on Ryan Fitzpatrick's body.

Joey Fitzpatrick.

Joey Fitzpatrick. There you go, so hi, Kubby's still at the top of the board. Welsh. You know what time it is.

It's time for betting, bros. With betmgm, the King of sports Books. Bet ten dollars win two hundred on any game, regardless of the outcome. When you sign up today and download the bet mgm app, or go to betmgm dot com and enter the promo code leading off again. You know, if you're out of your fantasy leagues, you're getting bored, Go play a little betting side of things.

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Leading off is the promo code. It's one word, bet ten to win two hundred, doesn't matter with the outcome. You just got to get in the dance. And that's bet MGM, the King of sports Books. Take my crown off. Let's talk about today. Jose Ramirez total basis against Kansas City is at plus one oh six at the one and a half. Shane McClanahan high number Welsh eight and a half against the Reds, though I think he can get over this what do you think?

So I'm glad that you stopped on this one because this one I want to to stop controversial because well I picked him up. But here's something that got has me a little bit. This line has moved, and it's moved it seems quite a bit. It's moved to seven and a half over on Draft Kings and it's currently even money for seven and a half. So eight and a half number was early. Fandel had eight and a half and look at that Juice to Hell under eight and a half, and in DraftKings it is now seven

Yeah, I like, man, he's been so good.

Pablo Lopez strikeouts, but's four and a half on DK. I think you smash that over against the Mets minus one twenty five and Mookie Bets who's been hot one and a half total bases against the Cubs tonight plus one oh five, getting plus money there?

What else you have Welsh in terms, there's a lot of stuff out there. Man, it's a good night.

Yeah, yeah, McClanahan, I'm gonna hit Nestor Cortes five and a half.

I like that.

Tim Anderson for total basis, Tim Anderson has just a nutty track record versus Trek Scuble, hitting over five hundred with five doubles and a homer. I believe, if I'm looking at this correctly, more than because he's got da da da. He has seven total hits and six of his hits against Google Lifetime are of the extra base variety. So I really like that one, and I believe it's pretty good money on that. So Tim Anderson, those are my three Cortes, McClanahan, Anderson. But I also like Gilido

Last five starts for McClanahan, nine strikeouts, seven eight ten ten in the last two.

So just that line movement, you see that type align Yeah.

Bit all right.

When it comes to DFS today, Nester Cortes at ten point one is a nice start here, Charlie Morton at nine point two. There's a lot of four outcome games, a lot of games like Wheeler against the Cardinals and Wayne Ryan.

I don't want to get involved in that. There's a lot of that tonight.

Just stay away like Bassett first, Pablo Lopez, yeah, gross, Lucas Giolito, last two starts very good seven point ak on DK. He's an outstanding choice with Morton or Nester Cortez as a secondary arm on DK. If you want to play him on fanduels a torn and play you candid eight point eight two.

He's pretty cheap.

Otherwise, you could play the all day slate on FanDuel and get McClanahan. It's eleven to five, but you got to play the all day slate, not the regular seven

Well, I mean the best BVP play of the day if again, you know, I know people either live or will not touch that whatsoever. But one of the best plays is Jordan Alvarez. Reese Hoskins is also up there for you, by the way, But Jordan Alvarez against Blackburn lefty on right, He's got three career homers against him, hitting three hundred. It is also Jordan Alvarez great guy to go into the weekend with. So that's what I'm

All right, you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna letter ride with Austin Riley. He's been so good, he's been out of his gourd.

We did it.

Our total base we had our total base marker. We got last night. We did because they went into extra.

We did give me Austin Riley for the weekend. He's just red hot. Let's see what he does. So Alvarez for Welsh, Riley for me, and Rowdy Tellez from Mike Mayor so because he likes to be contrarian. So I'll get after a very red hot June. It has been a slow July for me. I don't think I have a home run in July. Maybe I have one. So I got to get back on this board. Got to get things going here. We've got a long weekend of baseball. Anything you've got your.

Eye on here, as we're getting closer and closer to the All Star break, anything is catching your eye, I.

Mean, you know, potential shutdown stuff. Obviously, I want to look at the injured guys that are going to be coming back. I'm really focused in on Jacob de crom and keeping an ear to the trade market because you've got a lot happening right now. You know, the draft is right around the corner. Sometimes you're going to get trade talks picking up as owners and just players are all around in the same space. So what do you know,

Well, I definitely want to do that with you in the weeks ahead.

We're definitely gonna cover that with Welsh because he's got a wealth of knowledge to bring to that. We also have the Futures game happening too, which is another fun part of you know, it's funny everything surrounding the MLB All Star game is great. The Futures Game is great. Home Run Derby's awesome. It's the also game itself.

You know, he kills too. I have a friend who's a promoter and he's going out to the Futures Game because he's got some clients that are going to be there. He's going to be a Welsh of Knowledge. That's funny. That'll be running some signing Jordan Walker, Corman Carroll, his clients, Juri Perez, and he was kind of like, why are you not out there? And I was like, I know,

But it is.

It's pretty loaded with a few pack they did just release the rosters. There's a couple names that they threw out there. But it's loaded. So everybody should be paying attention because there are some guys that you will be drafting and playing with in the near future.

Yes, and the Welsh of knowledge. Hashtag Welsh of Knowledge is trending on Twitter right now. It's the number one thing.

Of course.

Of course that'll do it for us, but the story of the game goes on for the Welsh. I'm Joey P. We'll see you next time. Kids, have a great weekend, everybody,