MLB: Leading Off June 21st, 2022 (Ep. 536)

An Yell's cruising, Let's play ball.

Welcome in everybody to Fantasy Pros.

This is Leading Off, brought to you by bet MGM, the King of Sportsbooks. It's me, Joey Pa Joe Piezappia with me today is Scott Bogman. Of course, it's you, all the Peanuts, all the Crackerjacks, all of our listeners, all of our watchers over on the YouTube channel Fantasy Pros MLB. If you haven't already made sure you subscribe because we not only do we have all the podcasts on there leading off every single.

Day, but of course we've also got all the videos.

We got the fun videos there. Bogman's gonna be shaving his beard again, I'm sure in the next couple of weeks we'll put that on video. We'll put the waiver wire, the buys, the sales, all that stuff. And last night, Bogman, we had a debut of a young Pittsburgh pirate. We're gonna talk about that's for sure. And also a lot of injury news people going to the IL. People start to come off the IL. This is like the biggest injury week. I've never had injury notes this long in a sheet before.

Yeah, lots of lots of injuries.

We're just getting that point where guys start to break down, you know, which is unfortunate and annoying, but it's at least it makes this part of the season, I guess interesting, with ads and drops and stuff like that.

And the Pirates are a completely different team.

I think they said twelve players have made their major league debut for the squad already this year, which is just crazy. And I mean, you can just take the miners the miners guys and replace the entire team by the end of the year. So you know, they've waited until twenty twenty two to call up all these players.

It's crazy.

Yeah, Well, if only they would play one hundred game regular season, like I've been saying for years, there is plenty of regular season baseball and then a giant tournament to get to the World Series.

My goodness, that would be free change stuff.

Joe, How dare I make baseball better by having more eyes on it and having more meaningful games and less non meaningful games that drag on and on and on. How dare I try to create more rivalries and division stuff? I know, I've got some nerve and look, I'm very happy to see Luie out here. We've got Josh here joining us live. I've missed you too, finally getting to catch the show live. We got JP over here. Finally he's not bored at work anymore. JP. Don't get fired for watching us, please.

Uh.

And that's the whole thing. Man, Let's let's go, let's let's hang out, let's talk some baseball. Let's start here, of course, with Anio Cruz stealing the show baby for Riby's. His season debut looked good for a lot of people, this first time they're getting to really watch him. I'm sure. And you know, I kind of have always felt the same way, WELLSHD, which is like, you know, good player, nice player. The size is something whenever you see a

I'm gonna make him six to seven.

I think that, Yeah, he's gonna have cool dreadlocks. But he's only he's gonna be six to seven and like a Bucks seventy five. Like that's you remember fat guy Skinny guy hockey on the original Nintendo.

My favorite hockey. Yeah, yeah, it was always.

I mean I would always either do all fast guys or all fat guys Like that was just the way to go.

So all fat guys, I feel like, never score on you. You just block it.

I think it's funny when you have three skinny guys and the one fat guy. I got no time for the medium sized guys. I think every team should have that one bruiser, you know, but can you stop all the little guys from running around? But that's that's definitely the Anio cruiz mode. There's no way about that. I do believe though. You know, whenever you have a hype prospect, whenever you have a prospect that maybe you think might you know, still have a lot of development yet to go.

I mean, the best time to trade a guy is like right before he gets to the majors, you know, because you're still getting that hype and you're like, any day now, any day now is gonna be up. And we've seen plenty of guys come up, fizzle and go back down the minors. I mean, Mike Truck did that his first year, you know, so plenty of great players

Well, that was just what I was wondering, Like, you don't think can get Corey Seeger for him?

Do you? I mean? Is that I don't think it's crazy? I mean I don't.

I wouldn't do it, and I know most people out there probably aren't gonna do it, But I don't think it's the most insane thing you've ever proposed here, Joe.

I mean, Marcus Simeon, Corey Seeger, any of those guys I would take if you can flip them for on your cruise. Cory Palanko's had a down start to the year. He's on the IL. That would be a great target in my opinion. That's another dude. Those are the kind of dudes that I would look to make that kind of a move for. And look, I'm not knocking on

Backs legend Richie Sexon Joe, You remember he played eleven games for the d Backs, hit his face on the scoreboard in like game three, and then threw out his shoulder and never played for the d Backs again. We trade like Junior Spivey and all these players to the and.

Red loved Junior. By fifteen, I was a Junior Spivey dork for sure.

I love that guy. Who's that all the time?

What a great name. Fun player to watch too. Garrett Cole was fun to watch. Took another almost no hitter into the eighth inning twelve strikeouts. Sara McClanahan was also good in that game, but no decision for him. But look, Garrett Cole look got back on track after a tough April. Hopefully, if you if you're throwing out trade offers in April for him, maybe you were able to steal them away. But you know, this was that whole thing with the stop and start to the beginning of the season, with

I mean on nowadays, there's no better.

There was one where I think Georgia was beating UAB like forty to nothing, and UAB kid got a pick and they have a big because of the dragons.

They have a big dragon skull on a necklace and he's.

Wearing it looking in the camera and the scoreboard says zero to forty. You know, Georgia is just smoking him. Those things they're cool and you know that they. I like him because it's a lot of you know, you get a lot of together in this, a lot of teammates stuff, or you're getting smoked.

Yeah, it's just embarrassing.

Maybe maybe you say the turnover chain and the jacket and you know, the wheelbarrow and all that stuff for it only if you're up, you.

Know, I think, yeah, but it's funny because then if you're up by too much, then you're rubbing it in and then whatever, who cares? You know what, you don't like it, stop it. I don't care about that crap.

You know, if you don't like it, if you're down four, nothing play better.

Yeah, I think if you're down there.

Nothing play better.

The only time you put the jacket on or you push somebody in the shopping car. Is if you've tied the game on a home run.

Tie, the game is fine. Tie. Yeah, yeah, you're still behind.

I mean, you know, Kevin Bigio could use a nice jacket. But still at the same time, all right, here we go, get ready, buckle in.

It's the injury notes. This is gonna be epic today.

So apparently they're saying there's optimism that many Machado might avoid the eyel To me, I think this is nuts. You've got the pitching to put them on the eye l and just let get one hundred percent healthy because there's gonna I'm telling you, and somebody who's had high endkles brains more than one in their lifetime, I'm telling you, there's a week.

Did you see the quote yesterday?

It was Manny Machado walked through the locker room with no limp at all. When a reporter tried to ask him something, he said, I don't have time to answer questions.

I'm too busy healing. So yeah, that's why he's.

So beloved by the media and teammates alike. I mean, you know, we sat here last week and we talked about him being twenty nine years old, and the pantheon that he's in right now, with the amount of hits and home runs he's got, and every single one of those players as a Hall of Famer. It's like Mantle, Aaron Poolles Cabrera, and yet nobody talks about Mandy because Mandy is.

Just unlikable, absolutely unlike. I don't like him.

Yeah, I mean I like him on my fantasy team, but I do not like watching him.

So Anthony desk Gilfani returned on Tuesday.

That's good.

Keer Myers going onto the aisle with a hip though Mandy Margo going to the aisle with the Nie Brain also said.

That's significant. They said, that's significant.

I'm sure it is also significant for the Rays. I got three notes alone. Wander Franco is going out of this week for triple A rehab, so that's good. So wander Franco coming back soon, so they desperately need him back. Speaking of shortstops, Tim Anderson activated off the il. That's good news. Tyler O'Neil goes to the tendail with a hamstring strain. Aaron Ashby told you this was coming. They were like, oh, maybe we're gonna avoid it. No, we're not.

I mean, let's start with the positive.

I'm happy that Chrisale is coming back soon because all those early drafts, which I hate doing early drafts, but all those early drafts I was taking Chrisale. Uh so I I'm just gonna be happy to get him back.

You know.

Look, with the Rays, someone was asking the chat before about Bruhan staying up. Breuhan's definitely staying up this one. With all these injuries that that the Rays have. Hopefully he starts to hit his own weight, which is what one five like, dude.

Is skinny, sounds lighter than on your cruise.

Right exct Yeah, so uh yeah, and he's what five eight, so uh like almost a foot shorter than on your cruise. So yeah, I mean let's let's let's get some something there. I mean, I'm happy that Tim Anderson's coming back. Uh sucks about Tyler O'Neill. The Aaron Ashby stuff really really sucks. And I just think back to a poll that the Welsh and I'm sure he's mentioned it here, uh, but a poll that to go with Spencer, Streider and Hier and Ashby and everyone was given how can you ask

You know everyone would take Strider now so.

Not always watched healthy guy.

Sure well sure, but I think even before this forearms train last couple starts for Strider versus the last couple starts for Ashby, you'd go Strider too, So no, I would, you know? So, uh that is that's just what I think of. So luckily, not too much here for my teams outside the positives, So don't have I have like one or two Machado shares. I have a couple of Marcos. But other than that, I've got guys coming back. I've got Tim Anderson, I've got Chris Sale, I've got uh Keir Meyer.

So what's annoying if you have Machado is if he doesn't go on the ie L.

Now you have this this dead spot.

There, so you can't put him on the eye there gonna I mean, just do it already like they're gonna do it, and then like a retroactor.

And that's just as a fantasy manager, that's a super annoying. I mean, they should have done it yesterday. I understand on a Sunday, you're it's always gonna be a little weird. The should have done it yesterday. Here's a fun question from Milwonkee fears about Braun falling into the you can't steal first Billy Hamilton career arc.

I mean it's legit, you know, it's a legit concern. So hopefully he can get it. He can write the ship and you know, the Rays are just letting him work through these issues here, so you know, I think he's got a better shot than Billy Hamilton. But you know, if you can't get on first, you can't steal second. That's the old trope. So this is true, This is true. Absolutely.

You know, I was just looking at some of the K leaders too over the last thirty days. It's the usual suspects, right, You got al Contra, you got Shane McClanahan, Corbin Burns, Bieber right after that. Maybe not the usual suspects, Severarino, Tyler Molly, who I keep telling everybody.

Like starting to put it together, Tyler Molly.

Put it together again. It's not the first time he's put it together, but yeah, he is gonna get dealt. Somebody's gonna come after this guy. Nick Povetta, no surprise there.

That's I mean.

Bassett has forty one k's and thirty four innings. Moreton has thirty eight and twenty seven innings. Over the last thirty days, but both have eras over five still over that span. I wonder if those are on their two guys that you know, if you had to pick, would you rather have Bassett or Morton rest of the season.

Mmmm, that's a good one. I think I'd rather have Batsett. I think both teams are solid. I just Charlie Morton's tentury history has always scared me, so uh, I'll go with Bassett there.

Yeah, I look at the run scored. This is a fun one too, Raphaeld Devers, Tommy Edmund, Goldschmid judge. You know, there's the guys you would think. Then there's Kyle Schwarber up there at twenty five.

He's third.

All he needed was Girardi to get fired. He's just to get fired and now he's on fire.

So still hitting two thirty over that period.

Your's on fire for Kyle Schwarber.

So yeah, another guy too, quietly been very good besides Cronenworth on the Padres just kind of mentioned him in passing his profar profar hitting two seventy seven of last thirty days twenty two runs scored. Dansby Swanson's been good to Marcus Simeons really pick things up to eighty two twenty run scored over his last month to two, so you know, there's a a lot of patience to practice. But that's kind of a quick glance in the last thirty days, which is always fun. Let's talk about this.

It's not good.

There you go. So are both of them dead? I guess that's the question. Or is their demise both greatly exaggerated?

Bot I mean Joe as as a guy that has gone to spring training, you know, every year, but this year, for the last twenty five years, baseball is never dead. When you oh and you see the people showing up at spring training and you just see the droves of people. It costs two hundred dollars to get into a Cubs game and sit in the grass, you know, to watch giants.

They'll play three innings before it right comes from Iowa.

Dude to one hundred percent. Yeah, the Giants won the win the World Series. Uh, you know, three of six years and you have to sell a kidney to get into that stadium to watch, you know, Darren rough play nine innings.

You know what I mean?

Like, uh, that.

Baseball is not dead, It's not even close to dead. It's losing. It's just losing a little bit of viewership on TV, but every live sport is losing a little bit.

So well, I think I think that's the whole point. It's like, if you're going to point to this, what you point to is that there's just so many more options and the on demand lifestyle of everybody that can do whatever. You know, we you don't have as much communal we have these x number of channels or this

You because you do like the NBA.

Yeah you had. Again, none of our teams are in it. We're just talking about two Randos two Randos series.

I mean, I like baseball better than basketball slightly, so I would say it's it's still the World Series for me. They're both fun though, like thirteen point nine verse fourteen, they're both doing all right, you know.

Uh so uh I do.

I do like the whole idea of baseball being dead and this being able, you know, you being able to throw up this meme because because it's true, So you know, I I think it's still baseball for me. Baseball just has a richer tradition in my eyes. But you know, it's it's tough to say, but I like watching the finals anything. I'm not a big hockey fan. The hockey finals, hockey playoff.

Hockey's amazing.

I've been watched awesome. Yeah, I can't get up exec I watched the cricket finals. I don't even know the sport at all, but It's fun to see all the pressure on the line.

I've tried. I can't.

I can't. I don't get it.

I don't understand.

I can't get it.

Josh Peterson got it. He got his World Series ring yesterday. Congratulations to him.

That's very pearls.

He wore pearls. I was curious, what's the last uh, you know, I was trying to find it here on Fantasy Pearls. I was trying to look at the splits and stuff. But I was trying to see, like, what's Peterson done in the last like, because he was just red hot there for a while. What's the last thirty days? You post slap? The post slap has been pretty solid since Tommy hit him in the face.

What do you think?

Just take a guess. How do you think things have gone for him?

He's he's hitting some he hit some bombs there. I don't know.

I feel like I haven't heard from him in a week or two though, So is it not as good as we think?

I'm not even sure it's pretty good.

I mean, he's got one home run over the last two weeks, so he might have slapped the power out of it.

But oh the power and the taste right out your mouth slapped.

Yeah.

By the way, where are all these screenshots and d ms and everything that Tommy Fam says he had?

Where are those? I got them. I got Jock.

Pulled up his stuff the next day and showed it all the next day.

Tommy Fam got nothing.

JP just nailed it. By the way, curling is a man. I'll watch curling all day long. Curling gives Bogman and I hope that we can be Olympic athletes that we look at. Those guys are like, why not us? I mean, curling is just spectacular. There's actually a curling club in central New Jersey. Then, you know, someday my kids are older, I think that might be my future.

There's not one in uh Montgomery, Texas. Just so you know. There's a lot of ice noting. I know either.

I just but I want to learn to speak German or some other language so I could scream at somebody when they're sweeping. That's the other like it doesn't sound right when you're just yelling hard hard or whatever they yell in English. No, No, I want to yell at in some exotic language because I feel like, you know, like just whatever they're screaming. That's that's the one that's the language you want to yell at and curling, and I.

Think that German does sound harsh when it's screamed.

So exactly, first of fifty wins the New York Yankees. Uh, I know everybody's really super excited about that. Congratulations to the Yankees on first to fifty. Are the Yankees, in your opinion right now the favorite to win it all?

Yeah?

I mean, how can they not be. They're fifteen seventeen. It's like the best start since two thousand and two or something. It's unbelievable, the streak that they've been on, and you know they're this team is just solid. It's built well all the way around. All the pitching is coming through right now, so you know, the injury bug hasn't hit them yet, so I don't think they're going to get through a season without it. But yeah, I mean they are clearly the favorite to win right now.

Mike Trout is on pace for forty home runs this season, career highs forty five, which you said in twenty nineteen. There's your fun factor of the day. You're question zero zero out.

Well, but I mean, look you had to know that was coming.

Oh yes, I mean I expect like ten maybe for the seat, not a donut. Like I expect him to steal at least ten at some point this year. Maybe he's gonna get him in bunches or something. But zero is just it's hard. It's hard to see, that's all. It doesn't matter. Mike Trout. You get forty nine Homers, you'll take it's gonna get fifty over Runner on the fifty, you take the over. The under, I would take the other.

You know what, on any player, I feel like I take the under because you pull a hamstring, you miss a couple of weeks, and you're just not getting it. So I think the under is just so easy to bet. There is it within the Roman possibility? Absolutely? Uh, you know what, I'll bet on it. I would bet on him to hit fifty this year.

All right, let's go here, you go, try out to fifty.

You heard it here.

Everybody hold Bogs accountable and Mayor loves when I talk about the Yankees.

I don't know.

I mean, he's a Red Sox fan, so he can't get enough it every time I mentioned the Yankees. But bro, they're up to fifty wins, bro, let's talk about it wins. Bruh, Broh, come at me, bro fifty. They in baseball history nineteen eighty six. Bo Jackson College Football's Heisman Trophy winner nineteen eighty five and the first pick by the Tampa Bay Bucks even though he told him don't draft me is in the NFL, but instead he signs with the Kansas City Royals on this day.

So a little bit of Bo Jackson history there.

Also, in nineteen eighty nine, the Yankees traded Ricky Henderson back to the A's Forget this package, Boys and Girls, Eric Plunk, Greg Carteret and Louis Polonia. Louis Polonia nineteen eighty nine, getting rid of Ricky Henderson who wanted out of New York and want to go back to Oakland and the fun part I remember, I think it was the eighty eight Don Russ Card of Louis Polonia had the giant Jerry curw was so good man that that was a stunning Jerry Crow. He had rock in there.

Top of the order. Dude, I don't remembers for Eric.

Plunk and Louis Polonia.

I mean he sounds like three creative players.

So well, Eric Plunk, you want to google Eric Plunk. He looks like your high school chemistry teacher. Swear to God, Look right now, I want the live reaction. Google Eric Plunk with a K. Eric Plunk absolutely was your guidance counselor you know, ninth grade chemistry teacher, something in that range. There he had the glasses and the whole thing. He pitched for a fair amount of years too, I want

All right.

Here he looks like he's part of the cast of Stranger Things here.

Definitely his dah totally stranger things, Eric Plunk. Greg Carteret had a mustache to you, a pretty good mustache. It people would probably envy nowadays.

Corbyn burns seven innings.

He was a stat hero. Ten k's, he was fantastic. Garrett Cole twelve k's over seven to one earned. Max Freed. That was the other lock yesterday, Max Freed. We wanted Freed, we wanted Darvish, we wanted to pay down a little bit. It still worked. McLanahan was still great. One earned over six innings, eight k's Logan Webb was strong those seven innings one earned and U Darvish of course only five k's but still seven strong innings. That's what you want.

It was like, so nineteen eighty nine, who is it that Alan and Ginter does all the specialized cards?

They should do, like a lunch order for Daniel Vogelbach and then a lunch order for on your cruise.

It's probably the same calories. Probably he probably is.

And yes, Eric Plunk, Jesse's one hundred percent right. Eric Plunk does have a tim Curry quality. He absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah, one hundred percent Tim.

One of the best movies, Diabetic Tim Curry.

Wonky Penguin got the trivia question correct. It was Lou Garrett first guy to ever have their number retired. Well done, Wonky. All right, here's there's stat zero's only one. It's Jose Barrios again.

So he was good man.

Seem like he was going in the right direction. How much do you want to shoot yourself in the face if you have Jose Barrios after this? Six earned runs, four innings. I one k one bugs what I mean? I just feel bad for the people who have him rostered at this.

I just can't imagine.

Like, first of all, when he started his breakout, was the first day I decided to bention like that was the first time when he started to come back and pitch. Well, now that I got him in the middle of the lineup, of course he does this.

I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with him.

I feel like, when it goes from so good to so bad, you almost have to be tipping.

But how has his team not been able to figure that out? By now?

If that's the issue, it can't be that so just I don't know what it is, grooving him or something, so h's It's just it's hard to figure out Josey Brios right now because it seemed like the issue was over and then he gets smashed again, So I don't know what it is, all right.

The other zeros were Nolan Gorman over three three, k's Vidal Bruhan over three three, k's Bobby Wit over five with a k A. Rosarino four Ward to two, Christian Yelich over four ward to Luke Voight over fourward too, Giancarlo Stanton over Fourward two, and Matt Chapman over four Ward two. Only three home run calls last night. It

I don't know.

I'm old, my eyes don't work as well as they should.

But not a lot of movement last night. It was a boring night in terms of home run.

So JP got Luis Robert Drew Bee and Walking Life both had Tyler Taylor.

Nobody had Kevin Bigio.

Nobody had Kevin Bigio, No, no, Kevin bgo's.

But you know we do have.

Luckily today we've got betting pros, and we've got bet MGM, the King of sportsbooks. Bet ten dollars win two hundred. When you go to betmgm dot com and see the king, I'm the King, Jerry leading off. That's a promo code, bet two hundred dollars. It doesn't bet two hundred, bet ten win two hundred. It doesn't matter what the outcome is. You're gonna get money just for participating when he used the promo code leading off. So download the BETMGM app

Is it even?

So that's what we got there tonight. Again looking at the DFS slate, you got Nester Cortez gonna be very chalky, as he should be. Tampa lineup is definitely hurting right now. Spencer Strider at eight point six is a nice secondary arm to go with Cortes. Take the over on his case two. Whatever it is for Strider, just take the over, Just.

Take the over. I mean that's what it's been right now.

Joe Ryan at eight point eight might be a sneaky play tonight as well, like that matchup. So you could also pick and choose with those two guys, or you can get Sean and I at nine K. You know my problem is again without Machado in that lineup, that's where things.

Get a little, you know, a little dicey there.

It was good for Darvish last night, but still and then of course you have Kevin Gosman going against Dylan c so that's got more outcomes in it potentially, which makes me kind of shy away from it. So I would go with Cortes and Strider. That's my perfect pairing. If I'm gonna go at it tonight on DK, if I'm gonna go aud on FanDuel, you can go with Cash game Nester Cortez at ten to five, Spencer Schreider

Alec Boom five or ten with a bomb versus Martine Perez, Nick Cassianos also hitting five hundred and six for twelve with a bomb in two doubles versus Perez DD five for fourteen with three bombs. First Martine Perez, So does it look like a great day for Perez?

Here?

Andrew vaugh who you mentioned before, three for three, a homer and a double versus Gossman, So that is interesting. And then Mike Trout thirteen for thirty five at three seventy one average, three homers, three doubles versus Marko Gonzales. Yes, I saw that. I saw what doctor Glennon said, and look, uh, the.

Crown is the only thing that can make a forty year old man look like a small child, like as soon as you put it on, because it looks like it's just a little too big for your head.

It's my birthday. Where do you want to go for lunch? But anywhere you want, it's your break. That's okay, I'm good, you know.

After that BVP number, I I'm going to fall into the trap on the Trout one. I had Trout last night didn't work. I had Goldchman. I'm taking him out officially. I'm going to put in Trout after the BVP talk because I forgot it was Marco Gonzalez tonight. At Marco Gonzalez fly ball rate is off the chart, So let's go at Trout. It's the it's the guy the show today bog and Likesmber fifty home runs. Let's hope he gets five tonight. Where are you going for your role?

It's called togetherness.

This guy used to do all the Dan and I would hold hands and pick the same guy many times.

It's called being right. Let's just go be right.

Mike Trout has zero stolen bases, but Joe has one stolen pick.

So right there, Mike Trout.

That's also one of the categories in those eleven by eleven leagues that people.

Like to play.

You know what you do when you when you have when you play a fourteen by fourteen league, it's called a points league. You just change it and you just give everything point totals. Stop doing stupid categories. Five is fine, six is acceptable. Once you gets past six, it's a points league. Stop trying to fool yourself. Stop because people will put the propecia in their hair and then the weird things in their head. They think like the keeps like it's gonna keep your hair.

No it's not.

You're just fooling yourself. You're just delaying the inevitable. Oh you got plenty up.

There who you can, oh already growing back for me? Yeah?

Yeah, please you Bogman. You know, broblem is like a werewolf by the time.

Come on, and you know what mister buzz is right.

Dan hated picking my guy, but he would do it sometimes, wouldn't he. He would still do it for the love of the bit. He'd still do it. So obviously, pay attention to a lot of these injuries. A lot going on here in terms of roster movement. And the thing is that opens up a lot in the DFS world too.

Smare loves the Yankees. He loves the Yankees.