Kevin Kiermaier Does It All For The Blue Jays | At The Letters

Hey, what's going on is in the cards for Wednesday, April 12. Arden fanning Ben Nicholson Smith, our producers are Christian Ryan and Nick at Gerard Ben, it's the morning after the Blue Jays' first home game in a renovated Rogers Center where we, well, not because we. I've been on tour with them, but we're Blue Jays fans and people in Toronto finally got to see these new-look Blue Jays up close, these revamped Blue Jays, they've totally overhauled the lineup, the shape of the offense is different uh, they're not going to try to just outplay Homer's opponents this year anymore, they're going to have an approach that they're going to shorten, they're going to go the other way, defense and baserunning, baby, uh, and what do they do?

They do it in the first game, they take five home runs from five different players and they take out a team that looks like the Blue Jays of old, yes, you will take five home runs at any time, especially from five different players, that's a great way. for the Blue Jays to start their home schedule and I think it really was quite an event at the Rogers Center. I mean, having a full house is always fun and it looked great. I mean, the stadium is the same Roger Center as us. I've been watching Blue Jays fans for 35 years.

It's one of the oldest facilities in baseball that's not going to change, but there were some significant changes to the stadium and I think that's a pretty key aspect of what it is. Being a Blue Jays fan means going there in person and really, for me, some of the things that stood out the most were having fans right on the wall of the Outfield watching it when it's empty, watching it in the newsroom. The drawings are very different than watching it when it's full of real people and it was great to see the fans against the Outfield wall.

There is no longer a 10 foot gap. That 10 foot space never served any purpose. It was just there, no one benefited from it. It wasn't an advantage to have it and now they just have that kind of enhanced intimacy that improved the closeness of the fans, just against that, the bullpens in the mix, it's really cool to see that I think the bullpens are going to be an incredible aspect. of what's going on there, so you know, I think really across the outfield level, that's the biggest change for me, watching the first day of the new stadium or the renovated Sir Roger Center stadium is just gigantic , honestly, when you think about it, because you sit there and look at the Outfield and say, oh, you know, it's like, they did a lot of work, but I don't know what that 30 of building the Outfield is essentially when you think about how big, the actual lower bowl is for the rest, so just because of how it's dwarfed by the size of the building, you don't really like realizing the extent of the renovation, how much work went into it, and then you start off like you hear about the renovation and it's like, right, like they've worked, you know, essentially for six months straight, like six days a week with 300,400 workers on site every day, you know, working long hours to, um, you know that? over two million pounds of concrete and you're restoring 18,000 seats and I mean, like a million pounds of steel being installed and you know, like 10,000 gallons of paint, like that's an incredible amount of work that goes into it. did there so you don't really even appreciate the scope of this I think just because of how big Roger's Center is and that also makes me think about what next offseason is going to be like because if we fast forward to December 2023 or maybe January In 2024, some of this will depend on how far along the Blue Jays are in the postseason, there will be a time when you can stand like on the pitcher's mound at the Rogers Center and look toward home plate and there won't be anything like that behind you. the entire lower bowl, all that stuff, all those seats, the entire 100 level, the clubhouses behind it, the facilities behind it, all of that will disappear as if it were empty and the Blue Jays will have a very finite amount of It's time to replace it with all kinds of new things that will go around the Lower Bowl, so the renovation is absolutely dramatic when you look at what happened at this point, but I don't even think we understand how. dramatic what's coming is going to be yes, there will be more to come, for sure the new seats or the seats on the 100 level will be replaced, there will be some Club seats down there, um, but even I want to say it's different, it's a different feeling, um, being in the stadium and watching this team play in a different environment and it's a different looking team, I think even if they went back to some of their old ways in the first game, although you know, going back to your old ways if it's hitting five home runs like that that's good, that's the kind of um, that's the kind of regression you want to be, you want to go back to um, the Blue Jays will appreciate it and yeah, it's still a team that's doing some things in different ways and For me, what stands out the most on that front is simply Kevin Kiermaier.

I mean, it's quite an experience watching Kevin Kiermeier play. I think especially defensively, you know, you're looking at a player that I was looking at this before we started. As you record this, there's a guy who has a couple of seven seasons of war, five seasons of war, like he's been an elite player in the major leagues before and what we're seeing from him now is absolutely an elite player, like he's not even like All-Star player, we're looking at an elite impact player now, is he going to sustain this for the entire season? Of course, no, he's not going to hit home runs at this rate, he's not going to drive or run at this rate, he's fine, he could miss some time. he's 32, he's not 25 anymore, um, but for him to even show over an 11-game period that he can play at an elite level because, again, that's what it is, it's like you know MVP production in the ballot of your number nine hitter who is making incredible catches. in the field that cuts balls like even that ball in left center field Spencer Torkelson hits it Kevin Kiermaier is like chasing him trying to get a play at second base after the game he was basically crushed because he couldn't catch Spencer Torkelson at second base with a ball that a lot of outfielders like that could be on the wall, they're picking it up.

Torkelson comfortably surrounds second base, that's the type of play we're seeing right now and again it

does

n't work. continue at this level, but it's been pretty impressive to watch, it's funny. I remember when the Blue Jays signed Kevin Kieremeyer this offseason. I wrote that I liked a deep dive into sports night and it was, I don't know, it was called that. what Kevin kieremeyer could bring to the Blue Jays and I broke it down, um, and the first section was defense and the second section was baserunning and then it was offense and then it was anything else, okay, but I said he had a purpose that I put defense and run bases as one and two because this was the idea with Kevin Kierma, the Blue Jays didn't like acquiring Kevin Kieremeyer thinking he was going to hit 400 or whatever he's hitting right now for 11 or 12 games, like I think the Blue Jays are probably very pleasantly surprised by that, but I don't think that's why they signed Kevin Kieremeyer, they signed him for the overall package and a lot of that with him is like his defense and his baserunning, and just We put ourselves in our position. like you know his media and other places like we just get too obsessed with what the guy's operations are, what his batting average is, if you're just a designated hitter, if you're a brand and a belt, okay, that's when you're well, what are your operations.

How often do you walk, how often do you slug with a guy like Kevin Kieremeyer? It's really a total package and I think you know, the Blue Jays were really looking to diversify the skills on their roster. um, they were looking to improve their base running. They saw his outfield defense improve, they saw how well-rounded Kevin Kiermaier was in those areas, some of the elite skills he clearly still has. Look at his stats this year. Do I think his offensive production will hold up over the rest? of the season no, I don't think so. I think his sprint speed and above-average starts will continue for the rest of the season.

Yes a lot. I think it will continue to be this good, so I think the Blue. The Blue Jays looked at the nine million dollars, is there something out there that they offered Kevin Carrick married for one year and said yes, he's going to exceed this salary considering all the contributions, considering the Warren number that you cited, which includes the value of defense and operation of the bases. he's going to beat the salary you know if he can be healthy after hip surgery and I think that's why they acquired him right yeah and he's already worth 0.7 War so you know he's close to making up for that contract if you make dollars for war, you know, within the first month of the season, so it's shaping up to be a big deal for the Chase and the impact deal.

This is what you know exactly what you might have expected. It's pretty much the best-case scenario version. by Kevin Kiermaier um and I think he was also half joking offensively, you know, after Tuesday's game, he said that he had made it a goal this season not to hit any home runs because that can keep him prepared. to the opposite field, making sure he's letting the ball travel into the Zone, looking good, not trying to you know how to cheat with the ball and really, you know, sell out for home runs, then all of a sudden he hits a home run, so you know they're going to take it, but it's not just that and obviously Tuesday could be the game of the year for Kevin Kiermaier, just like that, it's going to be tough to beat a home run steal versus a Sello swarmed and hit a home run, but it's not just that, and you know, I was even reflecting on the series in Kansas City that you and I were in Arden and there was a play in one of the games where he hits like a bleeder. up the middle like this little ground ball and ends up at second base with a double.

You know this is the kind of play that shouldn't happen in the major leagues, but it's what he's capable of doing because he's just out there looking. any advantage and because he's healthy because his hips are underneath him, he's able to take advantage of his speed and really play with a sense of abandon. I promise you I said it on this podcast during the offseason as just watching Kevin Kiermaier become a fan favorite. within the first month of the year because he's going to turn a single into a double at some point and he's going to rob someone of, you know, an outfield hit at some point and he probably would have said that during the first month I didn't think he was going to finish the first week, so I was talking to Kevin before the first game like in BP because I was like I was getting some thoughts from the outfielders about the New Dimensions and the walls, like how we're playing well because everyone came out in the afternoon.

Mark Butzinski, the Bluetooth Outfield coach, came out with the fun game of him and some throwing machines like Fireballs off the wall and I was like, oh, okay, yeah, the walls are a little hard and that's what it is. now the rebound is a little bit dead, but maybe that will change and oh, oh, there are around the bullpens, we have these new chain link fences with these studs and there are some interesting areas on the top of those chain link fences where some unexpected balances can be obtained. The illusions did all that work, then Bud walked all the gardeners around the wall and showed them various unique angles and things to look forward to, so he was talking to far, show and heal Meyer and the guys about this and Kevin says: "I just hope that at some point this season I have the opportunity to throw a ball over that eight-foot wall in the Center.

I just hope that opportunity comes to me at some point this year," he said. sometime. point in the first two innings of the home opener, well, that happened. I thought: are you kidding me? Baseball is stranger than fiction. Sometimes something like that would happen right away. I don't know how you would have set it up. Very likely, but to be like within the first two innings of the Blue Jay season playing before these new dimensions of Kevin Kiermaier's outfield also get a chance and then manage to steal a home run over the center field wall, it's just a matter of mind.

It's amazing that that actually happened, yeah it was such a cool moment after he said he was basically on cloud nine, you could tell he was really excited, as you would expect after a play like that, this is a guy who before Before the game started he was doing pull-ups. over the Blue Jays they crouch like he's clearly excited to be a

blue

jay um it was quite a scene down there and you know we're talking about the actual catch of course as we should but you know there's a couple of things in that yard on Tuesday I did notice and on that play where Kiermaier comes back to make that catch against Carpenter it's really interesting when you watch the replay you see Dalton Varshow running toward center field in case the ball had gotten away from Kiermaier.

Varshahe would have been there and then he would have cured Meyer. I think it was that same inning with Manoa fighting Springer or there was a home run to right field. Springer is against the wall. Meanwhile, Kiermaier with the high wall now in right field. the 12 to 14 foot wall here Meyer is running to right field and look, this is what they should be doing, they are major leaguers, their job is to hustle and go back, so I'm not saying it's that extraordinary. but at the same time I didn't see that every day last year and that's nothing against Oscar Hernández and Lourdes Grill Jr, who are good baseball players and are going to help the Major League teams win games this year , but it's a different style of play and It's worth noting that Farsho Kiermaier Springer, these guys are in it earlier this season, well, that's part of what Bud talked to them about before the game, was that we need to be our substitutes here in the outfield because you can get something. unexpected bounces that will be like Springer in right field with that Bullpen that closes in 359 Power Alley to right center, you might get a bounce that goes back to right center field and Springer might like it if we could write. of playing it square and trying to read it, but it can bounce sideways unexpectedly, effectively in a direction it's not moving and then it has to move and accelerate in that direction, which is why you'll see balls going right and left Kevin Kiermaier running in any direction and honestly it's like he's Kevin Kierma he would do this he would do this anyway I had one but I think this is for that story I did about him and I don't think I ended up using it but I remember I pulled this whole thing out like the his, all these clips of him, almost like he's running over the corner outfielders with Tampa because he just thinks he can catch everything from the foul to the foul line, like he honestly

does

, so he just chases everything. with their serious intent, but yeah, that's going to be more important now in the Rogers Center with those like ledges in the bullpens coming in because some balls may bounce laterally in a way that you don't expect, so it's like one of the Things that the Blue Jays went over before the game, that and also the point that, like balls, the walls are hard, like old walls, they give a little, so don't follow your program, I was like yeah, no.

I need it. be Congress on the fact that I can't hit that wall at full speed because I'm going to go down, that wall is very difficult there, so that was part of the kind of recognition that uh Mark Betzinski was broadcasting to his Outfield right before the game and it's interesting, you know, talking to people around the Jays and then asking AJ Hinch about this before the game, there's a sense that it's probably going to take a couple of days for these outfielders to get comfortable. probably no longer than that, which is interesting, I mean, it's one of those things that yeah, it's new right now, it's an adjustment right now, it's going to eventually become a slight advantage for the Blue Jays as new teams arrive and are familiar.

But these are great athletes and adapt quickly, so Advantage will probably last a day or two, Max. Do you want to make some great reactions to how the stadium is playing in the only game we've seen? with balls in play, uh, being hit toward that Outfield, I think we're going to see a lot of home runs. I think it's going to be a home run friendly Park, um, and it already was, and I think that's probably going to be the case to a greater extent. in 2023 and beyond, what about you? Honestly, the only one that stands out to me from the first match was the beshet to right center and Beau seemed to have been aiming for that all night with his swings, um and he and the look got it right, but In that case, I think maybe time it came off the wall last year, I don't know if it was caught uh I'm pretty sure it wasn't a home run last year at Rogers Center and it's probably one of those that was. like it was probably a home run at Yankee Stadium and like you know the Great American Ballpark or whatever, but I bet you in most MLB parks that's not a home run, but that's the only one from the opener That stands out to me. like a quote without quotes Roger Center Homer I thought the rest of them were pretty true.

Homer is like balls that were squashed and they're going to come out anyway yeah I mean we'll see how it plays out um it's obviously early um but it's a cozy setup. and maybe some of that is the seats right where you know you don't have that Gap, it's just all drawn out, which is cool again from a fan experience. I think also just seeing it, whether you're there in person or looking at it. On TV I think you can see better who needs a 10 foot gap between the wall and it's kind of funny because I literally never thought about that in all the years I've watched games at Rogers Center, it didn't even occur to me. that there was a gap between the fence and the seats and then you realize when they close it it's like, oh yeah, they should have closed it years ago, but better now than later, I mean, that was so they could turn it into a soccer field because they rotated things and that's why they had that and also for concerts and things like that it was more of a multi-use facility which made sense in the late '80s and early '90s, that's what people wanted, but it's 2023 now and it's a ballpark and people want a ballpark, and it's becoming about 30 percent of the ballpark now and after next winter it should be close to 100 percent of the ballpark, which would warn It's like reading anything in the balls. that we see at play right now and saying oh this will be a home or a happy place oh the offense will be this or it will be that, honestly I like just talking to people who have done this work with modeling. and in trying to project how it's going to play, you need two or three years of balls in play to really feel confident in saying okay, the stadium plays this way until you have the sample you need, that's how much data, not just one game and honestly not even just 81.

Honestly not even 81 games, we're talking data from three seasons before, like the people who actually make a living from this are going to be fine, I can say with certainty certainty that Roger Center plays this way. because like the Blue Jays have done like this work like these the walls the dimensions of the walls the heights the angles like that that's all that's not a mistake like that everything has a true purpose because that's because like the Blue Jays took distributions of batted balls and They overlapped them with different dimensions and different heights and things like that, but it's very difficult to take into account many other types of factors when you think about the open roof versus the closed roof and then what about the wind, you know, several months and when.

Do you know that the roofs open during the day and at night? What is the air temperature? How does that affect you? Do you know how much disgusting dirt there is? How many? What does that mean? Do you know how the network? The net is higher now in several places and the ball hits a net and dies automatically as if all of that influences it and a lot of those things are really difficult to explain in a model on a computer until the balls fly in the real world and in fact, Watch It Happen, so I think the Blue Jays feel like they've done the best job they can to make it neutral to what it was in the past, but ultimately, I mean, if you're working with a pretty imperfect system to do that, like me.

I think you know, I think ultimately you think there will absolutely be doubles that will now be home runs. I think there could be home runs that will now become doubles, so maybe that will counteract, um, but ultimately, we're just not going to do it. I know for years, for like three years, how this stadium is really played, so I would say just be careful, you know who can say and this stadium is this today, yeah of course there is no substitute for data we need more information there, but if there isn't that information, um. If I had to guess, I'd guess it'll be a home or a happy place, um, but yeah, that's a guess at this point, well, the other thing I've come to understand is that the size of the Outfield is a huge factor.

Also, this is a smaller field to patrol and the Blue Jays' field defenders, as you mentioned earlier in the podcast, have been doing much better, so I think the Blue Jays are really going to have a very high ounce over the average defensively this year. because as you know, Kevin here Meyer and George Springer Donald Marshall are just patrolling less ground, so it's like it's part of the Coors field effect, honestly, the Outfield is a huge man in Kansas City, you were there, that Outfield is huge , is so big. So at one point you could push the walls back to 500 feet, but then you're just creating more ground for your fielders to cover and they just don't like to cover as much, they'll have all sorts of doubles and triples landing right, so that's Part of why I think Outfield size is really significant in how a ballpark plays and how a team performs defensively from an outfield standpoint is related to how some of the best outfield defenders are ordered. in the MLB year after year it's almost always the fastest guys because speed is huge in outfield defense, like it really correlates very strongly and hey, what are we seeing from Kevin Kiermeier this year?

Absolutely Elite like 95th percentile sprint speed add above yeah you absolutely have to have that quick cure Maya right now has the health to cover that ground varsho young quick can cover that ground Springer gives you some good reads read on the right field making good decisions pitching better is very, very strong Defensive outfield the Blue Jays sprint speed leaders so far in 11 games number one Kevin Kiermaier number two Whit Merrifield number three George Springer fire shows at five so here Meyer Springer from our program in your top five like that is a point on which is huge make your three outfielders some of the fastest players on the team Point number two on that number one two three Curie Meyer Merrifield and Springer to the point which we were doing a few podcasts ago The Blue Jays lead the league in fast veterans, all those guys are like 33 34 uh Matt Chapman is also on the list and we should talk about Chapman too, he's a guy who's turning 30 at the end of this month.

The Blue Jays leave the league with those Speedy veterans, yeah Chapman has been great, I mean he's been a big Difference Maker for this team, maybe this is one of those walk years we've seen from guys like Marcus Simeon and Robbie Ray here in Toronto. He's certainly setting himself up to be like that so far, he was one of those five opening day homers. continues to hit, obviously we know about defense and again this is not going to hold up to the level he has shown so far this season but it doesn't have to be that way, he can hit 260 and still endure a five or six war season . ending up on MVP ballots like this is really impressive, it's a sign that some of those swing changes he made didn't look entirely comfortable at all times in spring training, he was still working on some things while making some adjustments with his step. but he's working, he's working very well right now and the Blue Jays have to be excited with what they're getting from Chapman.

It's another reminder about spring statistics. There's probably no shortage of people at the end of spring training saying, man, my Chapman looks lost. what's going on, he's in his head, the swing changes aren't taking and then literally from the first game he's been winning, although you know it's very interesting because, yeah, that's cool, you know, that's a great period, but you know some of the New Jersey guys on Jay's roster that didn't get a lot of reps in the spring, whether it's Alejandro Kirk or Brandon Bell, they're actually starting pretty slow and to me it's like at least Chapman is there , at least he was getting those reps.

Kirk, uh, you know, he's been, slowly, he's been showing signs of getting back um in all phases of his playing belt and he also had a three hit game in the opener on Tuesday which was a much needed sign for the Tiles. Even Chris Bassett, you know, was working on some things in the spring and that has continued to be an adjustment period for him, which we'll get to later, but you know, with the belt in particular. I think the lack of at bats that he had in the spring is really showing up now and of course he's 34 years old, you're not going to tell him that you need to have 70 jump bats and we're going to make this decision for you, you're not going to to dictate terms to a veteran you're signing to a $9.3 million contract, you obviously have some confidence in his self-knowledge, but in retrospect, he probably didn't need more at-bats.bat because he wasn't ready to start this year, that's pretty clear, so let's say you want to see the spring process instead of the right results because, yeah, the process with the bolt with the belt right now is like was swinging and missing a lot. in the zone, uh, outside the zone too, but like Swig and Miss, that's not good, that's not what you want to see in the future, it was interesting to see the X, they are the opposite camp, hits for the belt , uh, in the first home game.

I'm not smart enough to tell you if that just means that A is trying to do that or that B his bats are coming and maybe that's why the balls were going to the opposite field, you'll see defensive alignments against the belt all year long, where the outfielders are shaded to the right and that shortstop is as close to second base as possible under the new at-bat restrictions because that's historically how it is. how Brandon Belt has hit the ball and historically will play for those he should play for those Tendencies in the future, but I think that also gets to the point about Belt where it's like you have a substantial history here of this guy being good and having a good process and a good approach to that working for him, so I think he's earned a little more from Runway than for us to just write him off after six or seven tough games, for sure, and you know, I think in the spring It was the right decision to let him guide that process because he is the one who can best answer questions about what type of timing you need and where your pain is while recovering from knee surgery.

He says he feels good, are you going to trust him in that moment when you brought him here or with the understanding that he was going to be an important voice since he's not 21 years old although I hope they listened to a 21 year old too, but I think you know What I'm saying, in hindsight, you know clearly that he was striking out multiple times in every game until Tuesday, these were not high caliber at bats, he was striking out 60 of At that time, knowing what we know now, those at-bats bat should have taken place in the Grapefruit League, should have been taking place, maybe should have started the season on the IL, knowing what we know now, because it wasn't competitive. um but at the same time you have to give him a chance to figure it out and this is where you know when the Blue Jays faced the Angels this weekend you have three left handed starting pitchers of course you know that's not ideal.

I want Brandon Bell to be able to get in there against some righties. Get some time. Shorten his swing. He told Edie after Tuesday's game that he was deliberately trying to be a little shorter on the ball. Try to make more contact. UM and obviously it worked with that three hit game so this is a good hitter. We don't want to forget that in 2021 he hit 29 home runs in about 100 games, which is an incredibly impressive offensive display, so you're not going to be in a hurry to write him off, especially with a $9.3 million investment, but they needed to see some signs of life because there is limited time when you are trying to compete in each game against the best teams in the league.

Well, not the Tigers, but the Rays are coming to town, and you know, I think you need to find ways to produce as much as possible so you're not sending out the guy who's not feeling it offensively, clearly the belt was. But maybe this is a sign that he can make things work. That swing note is interesting because maybe that explains the two opposite field shots we saw in the first game. The important things for me are like the chase rate for him. down and over the course of his career he's been a guy that's very stubbornly hasn't chased, so I think you can have some confidence in that happening and then just doing damage with good pitches to hit in the zone is like not doing it. damage on those pitches at the plate that you're working on to be able to drive them and maybe some of the Swing stuff and yes, some of the wraps that he clearly needs will help with that.

The guy whose process I don't care about is Matt Chapman, who, yes, leads the league in every offensive category you can imagine and the results are incredible, but you look at how he's getting to those results, not just like balls dropping or finding spaces or it's like this guy is running everything he leads baseball in barrels he leads in barrels by appearances played he leads baseball and a hard hit rate second in baseball in balls hit 95 miles per hour or more with his bat and he's only second because Vlad is first, uh, so it's just the process on Chapman, he's so encouraging that he tells you that mechanically, that everything is good for him, he's seeing pitches very well, that he must have so much confidence in the box right now that tap your toe. which he added, I mean part of it was the match.

He wanted to use the whole field as he felt he got really happy at 22 and you can go back to an earlier stage of his career and he is much more of an all-field player. hitter uh and you look at the results so far like Quest is using the entire field more often and seems to be paying off like Matt Chapman at this point in the year as he already has four opposite field hits he only had 18 last year . Ben, all of last season, only had 18 and this is an everyday player. He already has four this year.

It took him 18 appearances played to get those four this year. It took him like 50 to get to four last year, so those signs. are beyond obviously the results are great those Matt Chapman process indicators are super, super encouraging yeah I'm sure when the Blue Jays look at the leaderboards of the baseball players who are making the best contact and come to Vlad. and Chapman and Beau at the top of those lists, that has to be very encouraging and you know, as for Chapman, they need some players who have career years, if you want to win this division, which should still be the goal even If the Rays are undefeated and you find out that ace pitchers said nowhere like Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen, you're going to need some pro gear and you know you can't just beat the Rays and the Yankees, with them, you know these years of career and no, they need some players to step up and maybe Chapman will be one of those players for the Blue Jays, they will need some of those guys, and Chapman is certainly capable of that, the incredible.

Something about Chapman too before we take a break here. uh, in fact I can argue to you that he has been unlucky this year. Matt Chapman leads the MLB and threw balls that didn't result in home runs. He has thrown nine balls that have not gone. Park to this point has hit three balls over 400 feet that did not leave the outfield and two of them were outs. He established two outs at 403 feet this year, so, I mean, only 36 balls have been hit at 400 feet or longer. didn't produce a home run in the MLB this season Matt Chapman has three of them, it's like he has almost 10 percent of those events, so if anything has been a little unfortunate, yeah, it's crazy, reminds me of Carpenter with the Tigers, who The other day you hit a 799-foot fly ball against Kevin Kieremeyer.

You're kind of a thinking man for the Tigers team, which has very, very few good things, that's pretty difficult, but yeah, for Chapman, good news. I'm sure the Blue Jays can reasonably expect more of those balls to fall as they go. We should walk away and take a break, but when we get back I have a few things I want to say about Dalton's fire show and then I should also summarize what the hell is going on with this starting rotation that has been the strange Achilles heel for the Blue Jays and much more when we continue with the lyrics, continue with the lyrics Arden blowing up Ben Nicholson Smith, thank you.

As always to our producers Christian Ryan and Nick Ondrad and thanks as always to you for listening, you can send us an email. It's on the cards for sportsnet.ca. Ben, Dalton's first impressions of our show because we covered the other two. new guys in Belton and Kiermaier in the first half and we'll have Chris Bassett a little later, but first impressions of Dolton VAR showing impact on the 2023 Toronto Blue Jays. I think it's been great, I think at this point, the Blue Jays are two of three with their position player additions, uh, those left-handed bats that they added belts to, obviously, a whiff at this point and, uh, clearly, Kevin Kiermaier has been a great addition and I think Dalton Varsho belongs to that category in which it has been seen. an impact player when he is hitting we see him put the ball in the air we see him make very good contact consistently we see him make a few bunts here and there a great base runner someone who apparently has very good instincts on the basepaths and in the outfield, where he just cuts balls to get to balls in the corners that I haven't seen.

I don't think any ball rattles around left field while opponents circle the bases varsho to me it seems like a Whole. -Star seems like someone you want on your team for years to come and that's what the Blue Jays wanted, they certainly paid a high price to get him because Gabrielle Moreno is also a very, very good player, but this has the makings of a trade in the win-win one, one where Arizona benefits and the Blue Jays I think are very happy with Altonvar's show and I think they should be because he's been tremendous so far with all the normal warnings just a week and a half into the season , is a small theater sample.

It is what it is, I'm adjusting my expectations upwards about Dalton varsho and I think I have to make a Mia culpa. I was low on the Dalton vars program and I messed up starting the season and what I missed was this is a player. that he's still developing and this is a player that's still improving, like this guy is 26, yeah right, he's two years younger than Kevin Biggio Santiago Spinal and Danny Jensen, so that's how the Blue Jays, as I mentioned in the first half, they acquired Kevin. Kiermaier because they believed he would raise the bar for outfield defense and bring in a lot of you guys who know the point guard like they acquired Dalton Varsho because the Blue Jays think he's a really good all-around player who's still on the rise and still getting better and, in fact, she has a much higher ceiling to reach during the four years of which she has the Club's control over him remaining and I think we are already seeing that development happen this year, as we are already seeing Dalton Varshall unlock some. of that previously untapped potential, he hit his first opposite field home run last week, uh against, uh, against the Kansas City Royals since 2021 and this is a guy who had 27 bombs last year, so he went over the wall in the opposite field for the first time in years.

He said that he achieved a new personal record in maximum exit velocity on opening day. He's put 25 balls in play this year and four of them are among the top 35 hit balls of his career, so there are four balls in play this year that are in the 95th percentile of his career, we're talking like a sample of his career of almost 700 goals in play, we are seeing different things from him that haven't been seen much before and that can extend to performance against left-handed shooters like Well, Dolan Varshall came into this here saying that in 2022 I got two shots happy.

He was just looking for that left-handed inside ball that he could turn on. I didn't stay with that pitch far and I trusted my hands on my bat. speed with which I can keep that pitch clean and live some of those singles and doubles to left field and now, since you're seeing a better approach against lefties, I already mentioned that opposite-field Homer who hit the first one since 2021, that's it. That's a great sign for him, we've already seen this here two walks against left-handed pitchers. He has two walks and 16 appearances against left-handed pitching this year. You know, when he walked.

Varsho had against left-handed pitchers last year. the year he had three in 129 appearances played, started with two and 16, I just can't like the state enough, like how massive some of these indications are for Dalton Bart's program to continue to develop and I go back to a statement appearance of guilt he had against Tyler Anderson. in the Angels series, the Angels threw three Blue Jays lefties to the Blue Jays and Varsha was there for two of those games and I remember Anderson took out Varsho with Cutters in each of his first two appearances played and then Don Marshall made the adjustment on the third plate appearance, he chased another cutter and made the adjustment and I know he did it because I talked to him about it and he told me the adjustment he made and it's just remarkable that he was able to do that within a one-hour period. minute. game within a played look and then he dismissed the next cutter and dismissed another Sinker really hard like with Anderson, it's really difficult for a left handed batsman to differentiate between a sinker and his cutter, they look very similar in his hand and varsho.

He made an adjustment on them, he threw some really tough pitchesright off the plate. He drew one of those walks against left-handed pitchers and he actually talked Anderson out of the game with that walk, so I think for all of those reasons and more, Don Varsho has been very impressive this year and I think that the Blue Jays have a player who is really blossoming and getting stronger and will continue to get better. It would be huge if he could continue that progress against left-handed pitchers. because this is clearly a question for the Blue Jays: What do they do when they're in their outfield on the days when you're facing a left-handed starter and you clearly cure Meyer or Varsho or both will have to be there and Kiermaier right now? you want his glove there you're happy to know take a little offensive hit um but there might come a time when his back gets cold maybe it's a guy who goes to the bench varsho slides through center field maybe you're playing with Whit Merrifield in the corner at that point, but then if Varsho is giving you some real production on the left, you feel more comfortable with that and I think that's a good point, you know his youth is there, 26 years old, this is a age at which guys take the step up, they've had some experience in the major leagues, Varsho certainly has that and if he can he can build on that to the point where maybe he's an average hitter or even a little below against lefties, but you feel comfortable having him there, it would be a good step forward for the chase.

He is a very smart and intoxicating ballplayer. I know this Strays guy gets into the soft science part. No, you don't really know the territory that you and I often tread, but he's just reading him into the tremendous fielder when he pitched. um I forget who he threw at the plate in the Royals series, but you look at the way he. he positioned himself behind that ball in left field, how smart and cerebral he was with the way he approached, the little curl he took at the end just to get everything he could behind that throw, it was the second more difficult shot. of his career, by the way, Dolivar didn't show a great throwing arm, but he positioned himself so well on that play honestly only to leave it all behind and throw out a base runner at home and take a run off the board again, as if the race prevention was important. a run prevented is just as valuable as a run produced, as you see in the verse show, do it smartly with bunt decisions too, as you mentioned, like those drag bunts to the first base side.

Nobody does it more than Dolan varsho in this game. 16 for 17 since 2021, part of that is his speed, he's super fast home to first so that certainly helps him, but part of it is just the moments he chooses to do it and I remember that one against Detmers in the Angels Series , where Matt Shotman just hit a grand slam, the place is not going to stutter on the mound, he should feel where he is like, oh geez, I just gave up like four runs with one swing, oh God, what's going on here? You know they still are. showing replays of the Chapman Grand Slam and fire show immediately, first pitch, drop, drop of the punt, what a perfect place for it, what a perfect time to do it, that executes it and then that versus out of the game again, varsho takes out a game holder. game with a smart, heady play like that bunt, just as the walk against Anderson got him thrown out of the game.

I just think little things like that are actually really big things. Well, I have a theory that it's easier to be a smart, heady player when you have the athleticism and health, of course, which he has varsho because he moves so well that he's able to get into good positions. I mean, you could be, say, Alejandra Kirk or Brandon Belt, someone doesn't have the foot speed of a Dalton VAR shows that you might know in your head that this is a good time to drop a bun, but if you don't you're sure you can beat him in the future, you probably won't, so varsho has the awareness he has the baseball IQ to make those decisions and he has the athleticism to back them up and put himself in those positions and execute, so it's really a great combination.

I think it's a welcome addition for the Blue Jays to have players who can. they can do that, they certainly have a lot of them, you know, George Springer makes some really good decisions, you know, obviously you have a guy like Kevin Bisio, who is considered a great baserunner, etc., and all that stuff. I can add Kevin Kiermeier to that discussion, of course, but you need them, it's a long season, you're playing a lot of close games, sometimes you'll hit five home runs, but sometimes you won't, and a play like that can make the difference between a win and a loss, yeah, it's been a much more aesthetically pleasing type of baseball, uh, to watch since the Toronto Blue Jays.

I'll say, honestly, the only place where that hasn't been true is starting pitching other than Kevin Gaussman, you know, there's not much to like about the way the Blue Jays starters have performed to this point, you know. I'll let you pick your chosen man, would you like to dive into Alec Manoa who looked really badass? In the home opener, would you like to go back to Chris Bassett, who continues to let you know how to figure things out with his mechanics and his Velo? Or do you want to see? You know José Perrios and you say that Kikuchi has a lot to choose from.

From there that's not where the Blue Jays want to be right, they want to keep things moving forward and really gaseman as we record this, it's about to start on Wednesday, but as we record this, it's had two great starts, um, and that's where you want I think it's interesting to start almost with Boysman in relation to Bassett because there's a contrast there. Kevin Gosman also had to make a lot of adjustments in spring training regarding the pitch timer, which would mean for him to start delivering it. with his rocking back and forth in the saddle heading into spring, if you had asked Arden, I guess we probably would have identified Kevin Gosman and Chris Bassett are probably the two guys who would have to make the biggest adjustments regarding the adaptation. to the shot clock, I certainly would have pointed out those guys.

He wouldn't have done it. I would have thrown Manoa in there just because he's one of the slower workers last year so I would have thrown Manoa in there too and he's been making some adjustments that are interesting too, just as a quick note of how in Kansas City he was throwing the ball out of the game to buy some time, at least I'm the one who says that Alec Manoa said he just didn't like balls, so let's keep in mind that that's what he said, but I think in a broad sense at least that is going to be attacked, which some pitchers use to get a few more seconds, I don't like this ball, reset the clock, get a new ball, but um, let's go back to Bassett and Gaussman, look at Gaussman, he's been able to make those adjustments very good.

Bassett hasn't done it so far and that is, by his own admission, that he is looking for the mechanics of it and that he has been having problems with the pitchcom technology that he has been trying to obtain. page like his receivers, you know Jansen and then Kirk, it's really been a challenge for him, the mechanical issues from what he's said publicly have contributed to a drop in velocity, which really isn't good because it's not like For starters, he's lost about a mile, a mile and a half on his fastballs, so that adds up to two pretty tough outings for Bassett and he's a little baffled by what we've seen so far.

Now his second outing was better, but again unlike Gaussman, he hasn't been able to make those adjustments, it's just been a longer adjustment period and it makes sense for him to have seven or eight pitches. On any given night, there is a lot going on. He said some technological hiccups with the pitchcom devices have been a challenge for him, but the Blue Jays really need him to figure this out and ideally it would have happened in spring training. Now, here they are, it is what it is, but it's a very important picture for this staff and they need me to fix it.

I'm not a golfer, I don't know how many Mulligans you get in golf, but I'm willing to give Chris Bassett another one. I know I gave him one for the first game at St Louis because, like you said, Villa were down, the execution was poor and St Louis just had a phenomenal game plan against him and they were super aggressive, a game that Mulligan I'm going to give another one for La just because of everything that was going on in Anaheim, um like. It starts with this Danny Janssen was supposed to watch that game and then Daniel Jason got a really bad stomach bug, so Alejandro Kirk finds out on the day of the game and you're there like you're catching them and you pass.

I told Kirk once in spring training, yeah, not much, I was working closely with Jansen in the spring exactly, I wasn't very familiar, they hadn't been working together all week, like Kirk had to catch his bullpens. Kirk has no idea what. Chris Bassett wants to do it on the mound like they didn't, you know they did, they had their pregame meeting and that's it, it's just not enough for any pitcher in baseball, but particularly one who throws eight pitches and is so demanding as Chris Bassett is. So, already behind the eight ball, now you need to go, like Chris Bassett in that outing, now he needs to call his own play because, like the catcher, he has no idea what he wants to throw and then Chris Bassett goes out to the mound. and finds out that his device is actually programmed for another pitcher on the Blue Jays staff and Chris Bassett will possess it and say it's my fault that he accidentally changed the programming of the device when he was attaching it to his belt because he saw Grenke was using it on his belt on KC and under was like, oh, like he wanted to wear it on my bills too instead of my glove and while he was attaching it to his belt, he accidentally pressed whatever the sequence of buttons was.

He changes the mode of the device to programming another launcher. Slim Bassett is going to press like the two closer button and he says curveball and he's going to press the sweeper button and he says four closers like he's calling pitches that Chris Bassett doesn't even throw and Chris Bassett throws a ton of pitches, so that's it. is what's happening and that's happening in real time on the mound as you get charged on automatic balls, the first batter walks and by the way, here comes the best hitter on the planet. In Mike Trout, try to execute the best hitter on the planet, when everything goes your way it's hard, but when everything comes your way it's even harder.

Mike Trout took Chris Bassett deep. Bassett took charge of this after the game, because of the mistakes and the way things went well for him, but after Trout showed up, once they settled the field he calmly, as if he had explained a little to Alejandra Kirk what the process was going to be going forward, was kind of a clear asset from that point. forward eight different pitches six swings excuse me The swinging strikes were six different pitches. I forget the total number of swinging strikes, but I think it could have been close to double digits, if not in double digits, tons of weak contact, more walks than you'd like. but also as a strike zone that wasn't allocated perfectly that day.

I thought Chris Bassett looked like Chris Bassett after Mike Trout came out and I would expect him to look more like him in the future given his extensive history once he figures it out. some of these mechanical things and also, his back leg stays curled more and is more directional towards the plate. I figured I'm just willing to give him Mulligans for those two outings just because of some of the exceptional circumstances. what he's dealing with, yeah, circumstances definitely contributed, I think, and he took charge of it like you say, but I think in some cases those were products of his own creation, you know, it's like I was left out of my job. . email and I couldn't find my passwords and I missed some important meetings or whatever the case may be, I mean, I think you know there's room to say, okay, we'll catch it next time, let's move on, but at the end of the day , How am I. responsible for those things, um, just like Chris Bassett is responsible for making sure that the calm on the field is there and that his mechanics are in line, so I think I would expect a recovery.

I would hope that these beginnings are not representative of who. He is and I think he'll probably be more like the pitcher the Blue Jays were hoping to sign because there's a lot going on, there's a lot of moving parts, so I think velocity is an interesting question. because at a certain point and it's not now, I think Chris Bassett deserves a little patience here, but at a certain point you'd really want to see him throwing harder if you're the Toronto Blue, he's chasing a drop in Velo for two outings. I agree that there are many mitigating factors.

You know you're not going to assume that Velo will never come back, but if it gets to four outings and Velo is down,you're probably looking at a drop. in speed and that's really not good, so I think the next two outings I'll be watching closely to see what that radar gun looks like to see how comfortable you are with its mechanics, how much comfort you can get with pitchcom because at a certain point He has to figure out those things that are part of the challenge of being a major league pitcher today - working within the constraints of the pitchcom, the gadgets and the pitch clock - and it's especially important for Basset, so figuring that out is really crucial. for him, that's absolutely fair about speed and the only thing you can look back on is like early April 2022, like The Veil wasn't there too and he came as the season went on, so you know that there's at least there's a little bit of precedent there that you know you can trust what he's telling us and see if that's going to progress and I think what's encouraging is that once he got past the first batteries really the first entry against the Angels, where he had someone who didn't know how to call his game and he was forced to do it once he got over that and they worked out the pitch com.

Chris Bassett could have been effective without top speed as if he still was. able to get a lot of swing and misses and a lot of weak contact without that from Primo, so I think that's encouraging for him going forward if even in the last few starts this month he's still 91-92. Yeah and Greinke is a great calm for him, I mean, that's probably where Chris Bassett's trajectory is going, um, but you'd probably prefer that to happen in the third year of the contract or that he's pitching 90 91 instead of the first year of the contract and you know, I asked around. a little bit, some executives with different teams were asked at what point do you start to worry or start reading the velocity and they said it's actually quite early, it's earlier than you might think, it becomes very predictive of what's coming in that season, so within you know, within a few weeks if you see a drop in velocity that is very predictive of what's to come for the rest of the year, that doesn't mean that's the case for all images, that doesn't mean that there will be no exceptions, but Generally speaking, if after a few weeks a pitcher's velocity has dropped, that means that this is likely to continue well, so what do you do well, sir, with the fact that Alec Manoa in 2021 and 2022 it was a 93-94 mile per hour type of fastball and in the Blue Jays' home opener and the outing before that, not opening day, by the way, opening day, Manoa was like 93- 94, but in his last two outings since manoa he has been like 91.92, what do you think of that?

I would put it in a similar category where I would say it's not good, it's not what you want to see, and yet Manoa as Bassett has very much earned the benefit of the doubt. I don't think anyone should panic here, but it's something to monitor and listen to him talk about. the media after his start in the first game he was clearly frustrated with his mechanics and said he was looking for it mechanically said that sometimes he was too much in mechanical mode on the mound not enough in attacking mode not enough in offensive mode of competition this is a challenge that we have heard some pitchers talk about this year, for some it has worked very well, like Kikuchi, for Manoa, at least on Tuesday, he felt that he had to think too much about the mechanics and he was not exactly where he wanted . being in the flow of the competition and the flow of the actual execution and lo and behold the results in terms of speed were not there, so for me I don't know if they differ on this, but for me I look at it and say it's not well, it's not what you want to see, it's not the end of the world either, it's something to monitor as they go, honestly, it's been a bit of a blow with Manoa because, on opening day, it was a real day of opening in St.

Louis The Villa was there, but his slider was not good, since his slider was hit against the Cardinals and then the slider from the second start of the year was much better, much more effective, but Velo was not there and then at home. The starter at Roger Center Velo wasn't there and I referred to the slider as if everything was fine. Manoa just couldn't control it like he was missing so consistently early with his slider, uh, extension side, so by which I mean, as you know, away from a righty and back foot to a lefty like he was missing so much that the Tigers hitters were just stopping spitting and just sitting on the fastballs and when those fastballs are 91-92, you know, Nick Maton ends up like Parker, a right-handed one like That's it, and I thought patience and The Tigers' selectivity was also great and they drew as many walks as they did against Manoa because they were leaving a lot of fastballs in hitable spots.

He would have understood if the Tigers were starting to get aggressive. against those pitches, but they really liked to work, they came up and they walked and they came this close to blowing that thing wide. It's a credit to Manoa that he actually only allowed three runs a night when he pitched honestly pretty poorly, um, but yeah. Honestly, you could see him fighting his mechanics on the mound with that slider, like you could see him doing different things mechanically and he's one of the best guys in baseball at making adjustments in the game, reading swings and reacting to what's happening in the game. a game. making little adjustments um, I think he just had a hard time on Tuesday, like finding it and then like you mentioned, he put two in adjustment mode instead of just okay, what do I have that's working and let's use it?

We will compete, we will fight, we will find. A way of maximizing my is what's really working for me today instead of trying to catch up on things that aren't working, so it's interesting because every time it comes out for it, it's something a little bit different that's been wrong, um and I. I can't really put my finger on exactly what's going on. I just know that, you know, his side session is going to be pretty tough when he throws it in between, you know, the home opener starting the next one, well, yeah, give him credit for sticking around.

In that game and competing and finding ways to keep coming out even when he didn't have the best things about him when he didn't have the mechanics of him, I think that's interesting as well. Manoah is someone we've only really seen as good because he's been so consistent. good as a Cy Young finalist major league pitcher in his first season and I think he has the right to overcome some things and develop on the fly as a young pitcher who is still 25 years old and really came through the top miners of the JS system went through the period from the JS system miners, um, and if he runs into some difficulties and has to solve some things in the majors, I think he has the right to that now, you would prefer that he do it with 93-94. um than 91-92, so it's worth monitoring and it would be a lot easier if you knew that guys like Kikuchi and Brios were providing a little more consistency in the rotation to go along with Gossman.

It's just a strange time of year with speed. because even Kevin Gausman's fastball velocity has gone down and down in his second start of the year, like there were times in that one where he was like 90 91. and like he hit 94 a few times um, but yeah. he was probably without it in front of me. I would say he probably averaged like 91 and a half or somewhere there and what was six scoreless innings, he struck out seven, yeah, it was a great outing for him and I would say with a hand. second outing and with Gausman High School and those were in Kansas City in cold weather, you know, it's not like it was below zero or anything, but it was cold in Kansas City and again executives from other teams or any team will tell you that.

It's harder, pitchers will tell you this, it's harder to completely let go and hit your top speed on a day when it's so cold, that's exactly what Kevin Gausman told me after that outing when I asked him about it and he He said, yes, he is kind. cold out there, I was like I knew I was sitting in front of the camera, well, like it was cold, man, it was cold in Kansas City and honestly, it was even colder in St. Louis on at least one of the days , if not in a couple of them, huh. it's yeah, some of the early season speed stuff like yeah, yeah, obviously you don't want to see it, but there may be some circumstances and mitigating factors that go into that, so I thought you put it well when you said what it means. something different for each caster, as if it were something very individualized from one image to another.

I don't think there's any reason for there to be much panic or alarm around anyone with the Blue Jays so far, if you look at it like it's a funny thing. José Perrios his speed is good his stuff is good he's moving like the veils there uh but if something like that of the five pitchers in the Blue Jays rotation he has to be the one that worries you the most in the future, yes, there is an I I think the concern is a little bit scattered at this point, um, not that it's necessarily well distributed, yeah, exactly, um, I don't know if there are deep, oh yeah, burios, actually, in the long run there should be, there should be a real long-term concern. burritos, I mean, and I understand why they made the deal at the time.

I get it, but he signed until 2028. He's making over 20 million a year, it doesn't seem like a good contract, that's the way it is, so you know. We'll see what happens, he's still young enough at 28 for Outlook to change that whole perspective, the Blue Jays are working behind the scenes to make sure you know that, so we'll see at this point, you know, we all know what it looks like . and you know, I think with burritos like you say, I mean, the things are there, he's sitting between 91 and 95 in a given start with this fastball and, you know, the curveball and the changeup are there, but he's someone who will see a lot. of left-handed hitters, we've talked about this before, but teams like to stack their lineups with lefties against Barrios, and he's just giving up a lot of hits, a lot of pretty solid contact, so I certainly don't have it. all figured out, but you know, you look at the results, you look at the way he's getting there and he looks more like a number five starter than a number two starter.

He's so baffling with Brios and I only remember the 22nd, right? like throughout the season, 15 different times the Blue Jays thought they had addressed it and thought they found what it was, whether it was leaning or it was something mechanical, it was lanes, it was uses, it was sequences and then every time. That didn't actually end up being the solution and I just remember riding those waves all year long, even talking to people and saying, "Okay, this is what it was," this was the problem and it's good from time to time. when, like I did. like 15 times last year and now I feel like I'm going to do it again this year, where it's like baffling Brio at times, where he splits Shohei Otani like he looks amazing with certain sequences for really good hitters and then it'll be like Luis Renifo who hangs back and leaves him a cookie and delivers a bomb or like Hunter Renfro will catch him with a very poorly placed fastball like they were, you know, and then there will be these weird like pitches that are off the plate that Bobby Witt Jr will throw like a couple of punches against Otani how to double Brios like a slider down the Zone like one of those balls that only Otani gets to um so he'll give up damage on those type of pitchers pitches but then He'll also let you know that a 92 mile per hour fastball isn't moving straight to a hitter-happy zone all the time and he'll pay the price for that too, it just feels like the margin for error is too small for him. um, and yeah, I wouldn't blame it on the Blue Jays if they look like they're trying to adjust anything right now, just trying to find that Eureka moment to get it back. to a place where you know he can get out of these exits that just spiral, yeah, and he has plenty of time left.

I think there's certainly no danger of him losing that spot in the rotation. I mean, it's obviously his. keep going for years, so you know, we'll see, we'll see what they can do to get better results, and he's a top five option for him, so he should be there and he should be. You know, we'll see, we'll see where he really goes. I certainly don't have the answers about what to expect. There's a nice, soft, uh, landing spot up next with the Tampa Bay Rays coming to town, uh, that's the challenge, right? and you know they don't play the Rays as much, they don't play the Yankees as much, but you still know, certainly this weekend is going to be a real test for the JS.

I'm very interested to see how. that series plays out, I think it's going to be really good, hopefully the dome will open at some point, maybe for a couple of those Day games, if the weather stays really nice here in Toronto, but it should be a lot of fun, I mean, the rays are really good. A really good team with great pitching and certainly the envy of baseball. I think because of the way they have been able to create some images. Who are you? You know the caliber of Ace Jeffrey Springs boom Drew Rasmussenlike along with McClanahan along with Glass Now it's an impressive group and it's amazing that they lose Zac Eflin to the DL, a blow to the rotation and that's okay, we'll just call Taj Bradley, one of the best starters in the minor leagues, as one of the best prospects in the game.

Yes, yes, it's amazing, very impressive and then they also got some hitters, Rosarina and Franco had a great year and Yandy Díaz contributed, so you know it's a really good team, it's a balanced team, certainly much better than the Tigers , the Blue Jays should. See the tigers opening the chase should sweep this series like I know you can't, you can't, it's not that simple in baseball, they might lose the next two, but they should sweep this series, yeah, two out of three is fine , I think I want to win every series, it's hard to accept that even the Royals Royals are not a good team and the Blue Jays, you know, they lost the game because of the rules, it's hard to win a series, it really is, um, yeah, but yeah, you know.

I've been trying to turn this into something kind of positive to end on, so we don't just end on a high note, huh, but I think that's fair, like the weekend series, Blue Jays versus Rays, two really good teams. , two good lineups, two. teams that if the Blue Jays sweep the Tigers, since you're 100 predicting they definitely will, uh, then, uh, and I imagine the Rays will go in like 13-0 trying to, you know, make history, uh, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, like the roofs open, good pitch or at least from the run, good pitch, you know, the ball flies everywhere, the new stadium, oh, forget about the open roof, see what some of them look like those spaces in the gardens with the sun, yes, man, that's how it will be. a good time, it would be a great series and I'm excited for the Blue Jays fans who are there in person to see the pace of play in real time because it's incredible, it's incredible.

I mean, in the time it took us to record this podcast, you could play seven innings. Honestly, the new rules are so good, yeah, you know what? Being on the sidelines, uh, for the last while, I haven't really felt that rhythm to play. When the Blue Jays have been here playing these three and a half hour games, like what was the ending in Los Angeles, oh, that was the difference, yeah. Those were the Blue Jays. They've played a couple of pretty long games, but yeah, I think over time you're going to see a lot more of those two-hour, 30-minute games, which is great for the sport, it's incredible.

Well, that will be all for us. I want to thank you all for listening. I want to thank our producers. Nick Andrew and Christian Ryan. This is Ben Nicholson Smith. I am Arden swollen. We'll talk to you next time on lyrics.