Ben & Woods On Demand Podcast
Aug.15th Padres Roundtable
"My dad works in B2B marketing. "He came by my school for career day "and said he was a big row as man. "Then he told everyone how much he loved "calculating his return on ad spend. "My friends still laughing at me to this day." - Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to linkedin.com/results to claim your credit. That's linkedin.com/results. Terms and conditions apply. Linked in, the place to be, to be. - This season, the W is going to new heights, and that means the queens are ready to take it to court and the court. Welcome to Queens of the Court, an Odyssey original podcast. I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoops, and I'm Jordan Robinson. All WNBA season long. You can count on us to bring you interviews with some of your favorite WNBA stars, analysis of all teams, and hot takes you can only find in this courtroom. Listen to Queens of the Court, a WNBA podcast presented by AT&T on the free Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. (upbeat music) (applause) - It's that time, prior faithful. Time to discuss everything going on with the Padres. We've gathered the entire 97-3, the fan crew together to bring you the most in-depth discussion on the priors in our weekly Padres Round Table, presented by San Diego Round Table Pizza. Here's your host, Ben Higgins. It's been a couple of weeks, but we are back on the 97-3, the fan Padres Round Table. It is brought to you by Round Table Pizza. It's Pizza Royalty, I'm Ben Higgins, and we got the whole crew here today. Annie Halberin, Tony Gwen Jr., Stephen Woods, Craig Elston, and Chris Elo. Hey, not much has really changed in the last couple of weeks. Oh, no, wait, everything has changed about this season once again in the last couple of weeks. So, as I skidda started, and we were just talking about this on our show, so I thought I'd throw out the topic to the entire crew, and Chris, we can start with you today. Something about the Padres seemed to change at the All-Star Break. They've now won 19 in our last 22 games. Well, what was it? What's the difference? What's the magic secret sauce that has turned things around this season, in your opinion, for the San Diego Padres? Well, first of all, Ben, thanks. And thanks for not throwing me off the panel today. I thought I'd be of very little use to anybody since there's nothing to complain about. (laughing) I will do my best to answer your question, and I don't really have a great one. One of the things they've happened to run into a bit of a softer patch in their schedule after they got done with Baltimore and Cleveland, and they certainly took care of the Pirates and the Nationals. I don't really know. I mean, to me, it's just continued consistent play that has started to finally pay off for them. And I think the confidence grew after that first road trip, and they've just been able to pile confidence on top of confidence. And I think one of the real big games of this stretch was actually one that they lost on the Sunday in Baltimore when they spotted the Orioles. So I think it was 6-0, got back to 6-5. Manny hit a missile into the gap, and Mullins tracked it down and saved the game for the Orioles. But I think the Padres, after that game, they got on the plane home and said, "Man, we not only can win any game, we can even overcome six runs "against the best team in the American League." So I think confidence would probably be the number one thing that they gained on that first road trip. - Craig, there really wasn't a switch flipped. I mean, Xander Bogart's came back, obviously helpful, but it's not like there's some moment you can necessarily point at with this turnaround. - Well, you know, it's a story in multiple parts, for sure. And Chris talked about that opening road trip. That road trip began by being defined by great starting pitching. They got right out of the gate from Waldron to King to Sees to Vasquez, outstanding starting efforts. They even won an out of major game on that road trip. That got things going in the right direction. Then the deadline, of course, gave them the reinforcements they needed, truly needed to stabilize this pitching staff and make it a real weapon. But if you're gonna just say one thing, Jackson Merrill, is the one thing that stands out to me across the 22 games, the heroics contributing to every win in some form or fashion. And while it is a team game where so many guys have been great, if you had to pick one thing that I would put as the picture, it would be Jackson Merrill. - Well, you brought up on our show just a great point that, you know, it's kind of chicken in the egg, but winning was the only thing missing from the San Diego Padres. And now that they're winning, it makes it a lot easier to win. - Yeah, I mean, it's funny. We sat in here, I think it was the last round table I was on, it was before that road trip. And we were talking about the Razor's Edge and how this team was just right there on it. And now they've gone from the Razor's Edge to being the Razor. I mean, just the hottest team in baseball. Just slicing and dicing people, being stubborn, you know, refusing to lose. And think about, you know, five, six more wins last year. Nobody would have been upset. You get in the playoffs and you let the chips fall where they may wear a playoff team. And we didn't get there. And now with a 95% chance to make it, I sure like what I've seen. It all, they're all kind of running together for me since the break, man. I remember the first one was seven, nothing lost, I think, to Cleveland. I'm like, oh boy, here we go. And then we just went on this insane tear. It's been incredible. And the thing is, is like, yeah, Jackson Merrill, obviously a catalyst, but Donovan Solano, a catalyst. You know, Luis Arise has his days. Manny Machado has his days. Every single player from the lemon, they're squeezing it and it's just perfect. It's just been amazing. Tony, they're leading the league in batting average since the break. They've also given up the fewest runs since the break. It's a pretty good combination if you want to win games in base. Great recipe to win games. I think everything that you guys said is true, but everything that you guys said has also happened before the second half began. And I say that to say, it was just a matter of time. And this is what Mike Child has really been saying the entire time. Like, establish who we are. Start to try to be consistent. And in baseball term, in a baseball environment, this is like the perfect cook up, right? It just put it in the oven at the beginning of the season. And now we're at the, almost the quarter, the quarter of the season left. And it's starting to show you what you've made. And I think this team is gelling at the right time. And you know, like I said, this team has been playing, it has shown signs of all of this. Jackson Merrill has won games a few games in the first half on his own. He's been doing this all year. He just happened to put it together in like a four game span where those hits came at the right time. But all those signs have been there. It's just been a matter of time for these guys to start doing what they're doing. And there's one other factor of, Annie, that we don't talk about a lot, but it's always important in baseball. It's that dirty little word ends in UCK in baseball. It's luck. And the Padres have had some good luck, you know, when O'Neill Cruz throws one away at the end of the game. Breaks have been going, they've made a lot of their own breaks. But Jackson Merrill has to have pitches to hit out of the park when he hits them in their clutch situations. You don't get a pitch to hit out of the park. You don't hit out of the park. Breaks have been going the Padres way as well. Absolutely. A lot of their wins lately, and especially the ones against the Pirates, there was a moment where they capitalized on an error from the Pirates. And that's what you want to see from a team that expects to be in the postseason and a team that wants to take advantage of a little blood in the water, and that's what they've been doing. And I agree with all those points. I think that they just continued their belief in what they had at the beginning of the season and the processes that they put in place. And then I think they got Zanderback, the trade deadline, acquisitions back, and they had a little bit of success and then kept it rolling. It's our Padres Roundtable presented by Roundtable Pizza, Commercial Free. It's pizza royalty. So with all of these wins, we've been left in a very unusual position as Padres fans and Padres media. And that is kind of looking for things to worry about. [LAUGHTER] And the topic that you were this week, as Mike Schilt had in one of his post-game news conferences, was bullpen usage or perhaps over usages? So let's do short essay question. Craig, we can start with you this time. Analyze Mike Schilt's bullpen usage. Would you like to see him do anything differently going forward or is he pretty much nailing it? I think he's pretty much nailing it. We actually went through this the last couple of days on the Deep Dive Hour on Annie and Elston. And while there is definitely advantage to certain relievers getting days off, Tanner Scott pitches much better with a day off over the course of the year. So does Jeremiah Estrada. So does Robert Suarez. When you actually look at it and kind of map it out on the grid of, OK, here's the guys he has. Here's when they've pitched. Here's the number of pitches that they've pitched. I think Schilt makes a pretty iron-tight argument that they've both been responsible in the way that they are trying to look after the arms overall and that they've been aggressive in deploying those arms to convert them into victories. I think he's done an outstanding job. I understand a little bit why he was defensive. And really, you don't want to burn out those guys, for sure. But when Jason Adams throws 10 pitches and then comes back and throws 15 pitches in two dominant innings, it's not the same as throwing 28 pitches and then going back out there the next day. And he recognizes that and so does Ruben Niebla. Tony results-wise, you can't really complain. I mean, you know, he's getting great results out of this newly designed bullpen that AJ Preller put together for him. I think he's done a masterful job all year long. I mean, go back to before the trade when that bullpen was very inconsistent at best. Outside of Suarez and at the time, Estrada, everybody else, you didn't know what you were going to get. And yet, he kind of pieced, milled it together early and then he got the reinforcements. And, you know, when you get reinforcements, sometimes, you know, managers, you got to learn your guys. You know, there are some guys who are just better when they're used more often and they want to be used more often. And there's guys that you got to give some time to. And I just think he's kind of done such a terrific job. And you got to remember, he's also doing this while managing two starters innings that haven't exceeded, have already exceeded where they've been at any point in their career. So he's done an excellent job of shaving off innings from some of those starters, kind of piece milling the bullpen. And now he's got a plethora of arms that he can go to. Not everybody's throwing the ball excellent right now, but there's a lot to like about the way Mike Shield has managed his bullpen. And, Annie, he certainly embraced the news to the point. He even called one of his wins an AJ game when they used Perez and Adam and Scott and Suarez. And, well, no, they was the game that didn't even need Suarez. There was all the... - The knowing. - The knowing. - The knowing, all the new guys. I mean, he's really embraced the newcomers to his pen immediately. - Yeah, absolutely. And they fit in really well. I mean, sometimes you can get those guys in. I remember the first day that they made those trades, the other guys in the bullpen were a little worried. What's this going to mean for me? How is this going to affect? And then quickly kind of said, "Oh, wait a second. "This is all going to help us, right? "This is all going to be a good thing." And kind of embraced all of that. And now it seems to be working out pretty well and you have an even stronger bullpen. And I think Mike Shield's done an excellent job. I think he would also admit that, and if he wouldn't, then the clubhouse certainly did on Tuesday night that they needed a blowout. They needed a laugher. And they needed to give this bullpen a little bit of a break. And that's what Zander Bogart said on Tuesday night. We got to go out in the first inning and score six runs. That's what Jerkson Profar has been saying is we got to give this bullpen a little bit of a break. And so for them to do that yesterday, I mean, while it wasn't going to go to those guys anyways, but you gave them two days off and now you start that 18 games in 18 days. - And with that whole interaction between Kevin Ainsley, the UT and Mike Shield after the game the other day, kind of boils down to, you know you can't use your best relievers every single day. And Mike Shield basically going, duh, yeah, I do know that, but it's okay. - Yeah, you're doing okay here. And the temptation I think for every single manager is like, man, I got a chance to win this game. And there were a couple of moments early in the season where you had a chance to win a series. It's 4-0. And you're like, I'm still going to Robert Suarez, which I think anybody on this panel also would have done why risk it. You got a chance to win a series. The thing is about this team, and there's, you can look around in baseball at over usage of bullpen. You have to have the talent to be able to overuse your bullpen. I mean, there's a lot of overworked bullpen right now. You go up and down the line, and you're like, I can't even believe the selection that I have to choose from. I've also loved how he's done it. I think he's done a phenomenal job doing it. I know there's a tremendous amount of communication between those guys. You're not just gonna throw somebody out there willy nilly. If the guy's even half-assed going, I mean, maybe I can give you one? No, you're done. And I think he's done a really good job this year at managing those bullets. And Chris, he's had different relievers step up at different times. There was a point where Jeremiah Strata was the highest leverage guy outside of the ninth. And then Adrian Morihone had a really good stretch. Now he's got some of the newcomers. That's part of this is that you need, you need everyone to kind of ride the wave of the season to get through a bullpen in all 162 games. Yeah, I'm a fan of Kevin Aces coverage of the team. I wasn't a fan of this direction of questioning. And I totally understood when Mike Schilt found fault in it. But here's the thing to me and Tony and I talk about this. And we all talk about this. A manager always looks good when he's got bullpen guys who come in and do the job. Because no matter what decision he makes, it works. So he looks great. And this is, to me, is a product of what AJ Preller has done by building this insane bullpen where Mike Schilt can hardly go wrong. You know, Hwang, I don't think anybody even knew he was acquired in the Tanner Scott trade until he got here. And somebody said, well, we better make a locker for this guy. Nine innings, no runs. Jason Adams, seven plus innings, no runs. Martine Perez. How are you? I mean, I don't know. AJ Preller's just hit the jackpot this year. And Mike Schilt is, he hasn't screwed it up, right? I mean, he's got great options and it's working. We're talking about this morning. It's actually more difficult to come up with round table topics when the team is playing well. That's right. Then when the team is playing poorly. So I want to thank Chris. You sent me one this morning. And it is a good, it's a good topic to discuss. Louisa rise leading the league in batting again. He's sitting 307 after two more hits against the Pirates on Wednesday. And he could be getting a third straight batting title. But if you look all the way at the end of his stat column to the war category, 0.1. You know, some metrics will call him basically a replacement level player. If you talk in that clubhouse, though, they will talk about the value of Louisa rise. So, Annie, the question here is how valuable is Louisa rise and how much do you want to invest in a future when he becomes a free agent after next season? Is he someone that's worth paying to keep around on the San Diego Padres? I think he is. I think he's really helped change the complexion of the strategy that they're employing this year. I think that he's someone who brings a lot of energy. In fact, Tanner Scott said that when he was traded early on in the season from the Marlins to the Padres, it really sucked for them. It was a guy that brought energy to the field every single day. And he said it was a big blow for them at the time just to lose him. So, I think that he's someone that just absolutely, like he has his discipline, he has his routine, he sticks to his plan, brings a lot of energy to the guys, gets really mad when he doesn't come through, wants to compete, wants to win. I think you invested in him. I don't know how much that is. Is it 15 million? Is it something like that? I don't know, but I do think that he helps this team, for sure. Craig, you and I tend to lean more toward the analytical, especially in the newer metrics of baseball, which tell you that he's not that valuable. I can't really make that argument, though. I hear what Annie says. I hear what everyone in the clubhouse says. And I feel like whatever those war numbers say, Lisa rises a valuable player, especially to this team. Well, his one tool, he does better than anyone, essentially, which is bad to ball, get hits. He's the best at the league at it. Yesterday, we put up his baseball savant sliders page, when we were doing the deep dive. And it's just amazing because he's got bars that are all the way to the right, bright red, and he's got bars that are all the way to the left, dark blue. He's one of the worst in the league at Chase percentage. He's one of the worst in the league at walk percentage. Fielding, base running. He doesn't bring value to a team that it can be defined, all right, analytically, in several of these categories. But you can't define the energy he brings. Every single thing Annie said was right. - It's not just energy, he comes through. He comes through and brings guys in. - Of course, and Chris and I were talking about it in the elevator, the same thing I was saying yesterday, like it feels like you're nitpicking. If you say anything about a team that's 119 of 22, a rise could stand to Chase a little bit less and pursue balls in the zone because he's gonna hit 450 on those balls in the zone. He's swinging at stuff in the other batter's box right now. But he's also playing with a torn ligament in his thumb. So I'm gonna give him a 100% pass for the rest of 2024. - Tony, when we talked about Louisa rise, when he first came and compared his numbers to your dad's numbers, you said glowing things. Now, I thought your dad obviously did so many other things well also. And that led him to the Hall of Fame, obviously at the end of this career. I don't know that Louisa rises a Hall of Famer, no matter how many batting titles he wins, but I know that you see the value that he brings to this team. - Without that, I think this is where the analytic community gets it wrong because it's a lot more than just what the numbers are telling you. I mean, he sets a tone every game hitting in that lead-off spot, whether he's chasing or not. He's seeing a ton of pitches even in those cases. He's also the best in all of baseball at hitting pitches outside the zone. It's not even close. - It is. - And so, I don't take a weapon or something that makes somebody special away from him. You do your thing. And I think one of the other cause and effects of this is that that lineup up and down, especially and he brought this up for what their team approach is, they get to see it highlighted every day of every game, every at bat, he's up. So even when there's a slight disconnect, one of his at bats can get you right back in the flow of things. And I don't think the Padres are where they are. If AJ Preller didn't go out and make that trade. And so, what that number is, if you are, you know, when you should keep him, I don't know what that is, but he's definitely a guy you wanna have on your ball club. And he's playing, as Craig said, with a torn ligament in his thumb. - Selling a little or a lot. Shopify helps you do your thing, however you cha-ching. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the launcher online shop stage to the first real-life store stage, all the way to the, did we just hit a million orders stage? Shopify is here to help you grow, whether you're selling scented soap or offering outdoor outfits. Shopify helps you sell everywhere. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system, wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify has got you covered. 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Welcome to Queens of the court and Odyssey original podcast. - I'm your girl, Cheryl Swoops. - And I'm Jordan Robinson. All WNBA season long. You can count on us to bring you interviews with some of your favorite WNBA stars, analysis of all teams and hot takes you can only find in this courtroom. - Listen to Queens of the court, a WNBA podcast presented by AT&T on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. - My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big row as man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laughing me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B. But with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get a $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to linkedin.com/results to claim your credit. That's linkedin.com/results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be, to be. - Yeah, in woods, I mean, you still play adult league ball. - Yeah, I'm hitting about 200 right now. So I gave up baseball 'cause I hated the feeling even with an aluminum bat facing 65, the one that stings at the end of the bat. I can't even imagine wooden bats, guys throwing a hundred and trying to play with a torn ligament in your thumb and still hitting the ball and trying to put a bat on that ball at this level. - It's like, it's just the most frustrating, hardest thing to do. Sometimes it's very unrewarding and panic-inducing and to have a guy that is like the best at it on your team. And I always go to like, all right, bottom of the night. Tyler Glass now is in, he's going for a CG and he's unhittable. Louisa Rice is getting a knock off him, I think. I mean, really-- - More importantly, who asked those guys, who would they rather face in those moments with a runner on? You gotta keep a hit from getting on the outfield grass. - He's gonna be him every time. - He'd be the last one that they would pick, right? If you're a pitcher, you're like, that's the last dude because I know I can throw a slider at his hip. I could throw a change up away and he's gonna get me, man. And he's gonna get me every time. And he's just one of those guys where you watch him and it's a marble, if you've ever hit at any level, you look at it and you go, how, how do you do it? How do you ready and load it? And yeah, man, he looks, he takes some swings where he ends up facing the pitcher with the bat in his hand and you're laughing, right? And you're like, but he spoiled that pitch and he's waiting on his pitch. And when he gets his pitch, you know, like you said, if it's in the zone, man, he pounds it and I love the guy. I really do, my kids love the guy. They love the energy he brings. So I'm the clubhouse, yesterday, smiling, happy, like just always smiling and happy and working. You know, I've heard from his old manager, best guy I've ever been around. Hardest worker I've ever seen. Love that. - You know, just a button that I think, 'cause I just want to make sure I say that I agree with all of you. I hope they keep Luis around. - Yeah. - And for a really long time, I agree that his value doesn't show up. I was just trying to describe where that value doesn't show up. - But when push comes to shove and contract time comes and whether that's at the end of next season or contract talks during this off season, there is a number and you do have to be somewhat disciplined. He's not a guy that you can just break the bank for. If it means a Jackson Merrill long-term extension or keeping a rise, there's some tough decisions that are coming up. - I think the league has already told you that that's not something you're going to have to worry about. I mean, he's won a batting title in two consecutive years. They've moved him to a different place. So I think the market is already going to tell you kind of like, I don't think you're going to have to, you know, break the bank in order to keep them. - I agree. Chris, your topic? You get the final word here on Louisa Rise. - Well, I'm the oldest guy on the panel and you know that I want all analytic people off my lawn. (laughing) And my scarecrow to scare them off the lawn is Louisa Rise. He's the perfect example of why analytics make no sense to me because he's a 0.1 war. I just know what I see with my eyes. And I think we all know what we see with our eyes. You put a ball anywhere near the strike zone and he's a good bet to get a hit on it. I'd sure like to see him walk a little more. I'd like to see him take a few more pitches in the lead-off spot. But as Tony said, this is what he does. And he does it better than anyone in the major league baseball. Stephen Quandz, the only comparison right now. And he's a, he's, I think a poor comparison. So I can't break the bank for Louisa Rise if I have to keep Jackson, Merrill, and all kinds of other things. But I agree 100%. They just wouldn't be there without him. And I just think along the lines of a pitcher. And I just finished my warm-up tosses at the beginning of the game and it's a fresh mound and I'm all set to go, oh no. - Here's this guy. - He's a rise already. - Here's this guy. - I just, where am I gonna throw the ball? - Well, you like it? - No, he's gonna get it. He's gonna hit it hard somewhere. You like it too. - And I'm already under stress. - You like it too. And like you said, they just let him be him. You know, they haven't tried to change him. There's so many players in the big leagues and you can speak to him more than me, Tony. But, and I hear a lot with pitching, right? There's a lot of guys like, hey man, when he came to this organization, they said, what are you doing? Throw this more and wild success. Like, this is what I wanted to do. They wouldn't let me do it. And now I had to change who I was as a player. And I didn't like it and I didn't succeed. The potteries got Louisa Rice and said, you go there and be Louisa Rice. - We need you to be you. - We're gonna leave, we're gonna get off your radar, right? Just go do what you do. And I think that's a testament to the organization as well. - So at 97-3, the fan potteries round table presented. You commercial free by round table pizza. It is pizza royalty. So, can't really find any bad problems. We're left with good problems. And one good problem that the potteries have right now is Donovan Solano. Might be one of the hottest hitters in baseball, but there's no spot for him most days in the lineup. You know, once or twice a week, maybe against a lefty, a pinch hitter, he's coming through every single time they need him. Craig, is there a need to get Donovan Solano more at bats in playing time? Or are you absolutely fine with how he's being used right now? - I want him in the lineup against every left handed pitcher. - Yeah. - And I want him there for a pinch hit and perfect. Done. As long as they're playing him against all the lefties, which means that you're sending one of the guys or which is a tough decision. - And it is. - One day it's giving a rise a blow, one day it's giving Croninworth, you know, a day off. But nonetheless, it's getting Solano's bat in there. That's maximizing your efficient use of him for this team. - Yeah, Tony, I mean, you had to play off the bench for some of your big league career. It's not easy to do. He's doing a great job of it. It's almost like, let's not tinker with this too much. It's working so well. - Yeah, I mean, yeah, there's just not enough spots in the lineup to get him in without taking someone out. And I think managers, or good managers, are always cognizant of the fact, you know, there's a reason why the guys are in the roles that they're in. And I think Donovan is in a perfect role for him. You mean, rather, I don't know that it has to be every left-hander, depending on how Luis and Jake are swinging the bat. It can be. The good thing to know about Luis is that it doesn't really matter. He's proven whether he's sitting for six straight days and give him a start then, or sitting for five more days and get him a pinch hit. He's good. He's efficient. And he's figured out a way which is the hardest thing to do in that particular role. He's figured out a way to keep his rhythm and remove all the doubts. 'Cause, you know, typically, I was just having this conversation with Tyler Wade the other day. Like, when you aren't playing, then you aren't getting live at bats. In your mind, it's like, man, am I gonna be right with his time? And you have to be able to be mentally strong enough to remove those thoughts and just go compete. Because mechanics go out the window when you haven't swung a bat or you haven't been in a game for four or five, six days. And so he just does a good job going out and competing. And I think they're using them exactly how they should. - Yeah, all the bench guys are. Tyler Wade disappeared the beginning of the second half. This guy, I forgot he was here. They didn't use him, you know? Solano had that stretch where it was like, where is he? You know? But we've talked about it on our show, Benny, about, you know, he's 36 years old. Keep doing what you're doing with him. And he was so good the other day when he spelled Manny. You know, you get that win. You didn't have to use Machado at all. And he picked it up with the glove. And I don't think he actually got any hits that day, but he actually played really well defensively. And everybody's contributing. But yeah, Tyler Wade's a really good example yesterday. Gets to start it short, gets a couple knocks, almost goes yard. And it's all those guys. And every time you see him, you know, there was like a stretch of a week. He didn't do no pinch run, no nothing. And I was like, is he hurt? What's going on? Is he in the dog house or something? No, but they've used all these guys really well. And Shilt spoke about it yesterday. And I watched them. I watched their pre-work yesterday. And what I, all I know is all these guys are out there busting their tail, it was cool. - And Annie, he seems to be another one of those. We hear it a lot. Glue guy. I mean, Solano, Peralta, Arise. I mean, there's so much glue on this team. - So much glue. - Sticking his gloves and big throw. I'm stiffing glue like elementary school right now. I'm so into it. It looked like Lloyd Bridges and their plan right now. - I mean, it's really true. I think when you have those role players and guys off the bench, you hit on maybe half of them for like pockets of the season. And the potteries have been hitting on all of them for most of the season. I know David Peralta kind of got off to a slower start. But look what he's been. - Look at him now. - The last two months, right in Tyler Wade, two for four, hadn't had a start in a week. Another guy that like flits around the clubhouse and everybody loves and brings a lot to the team. Donovan Solano, I love the fact that they've got a 36 year old and a 37 year old in David Peralta who are off the bench and don't ever seem like they, like they get up and they take their ABs and they do a good job. They have success. - Workman, Lillian Brace. - Lillian Brace. And I feel like as they go down the stretch of what will probably be a lot of pressure filled games in September and obviously if they get into October, you're gonna find roles for these guys. Like you're gonna find places that you need them, whether that's spelling a guy, bring him off the bench, defensive replacement, whatever it is. - Think about the knock he got for crony. And, you know, when they pinch hit for crony and crony, his first guy off the bench, running out there, give him a big hug, that's different than we've seen here. - That's what I wanted to bring out. I like that even though J. Crohnworth is coming out, a little bit of a slump, six game hitting streak, had the three run home run. Mike Schiltz been unafraid to use Donovan Solano, even to pinch it for his number three hitter. And as long as he's unafraid to do that, I think that's good usage. Now you pointed out oldest member of the panel. Craig, I think you're second, you got the second honor. It's nice to see someone with silver hair still doing things on the big league level in Major League Baseball. When the hack comes off Donovan Solano, I'm like, I like that this guy is still-- - It's still, it's still, it's still, it's still. - That's great, it rings a lot of experience. - He's great, he's right here. - I thought you were talking about me for a second there, but then I realized I'm not on the Major League level. - Wow, wow, okay. - I just want to tuck in one thing, 'cause Craig said as long as he's batting against lefties in every game. And Craig and I both have spent a lifetime playing Stratomatic Baseball. And I guarantee you that Donovan Solano's card against left handed pitching is far superior to J. Croninworth's card against left handed pitching. So if I was playing Stratomatic, Solano would be in, and Croninworth would be out. But this is not Stratomatic, and Croninworth to me is too much heart and soul of this team to take him out too often. I would, I'd rather, I'm willing to go one for four and leave Solano on the bench, just so Croninworth can still be a part of this team. But I do want Donovan to get his at bats, if it's once a week, twice a week, fine. But if they had a stretch, let's say, playing four straight left handed pitchers, I can't use Solano all four of those games. - Well, you could, you could just bench a rise once. - No, I can't do it. - And that's a little rise once, and then Solano won. - No, I mean, like I said, good problem to have. It's our pot raise round table, presented by round table pizza, it's pizza royalty. So now I have to even dig even deeper. Now I'm looking at future good problems. And the future good problem here is, Mike Schild has gotten pretty consistent with his lineups of late. - Oh, I love it. - That's a guy who has moved a full digital score keeping, a nice little cut and paste. - Yep, I see that. I see our post on 97-3-5-20. - Do you honestly just push a button and your lineups show up now? - I take my pin, I circle it, lasso it. - Boom. - Boom. - But, good pace. - Future good problem then, Tony, is the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. - Yes. - Who, you're not simply slotting him into David Peralta's slot in the lineup, and batting him seventh when he comes back, right? - It would be the longest lineup in baseball history. - Well, how do you make that adjustment if and when Tatis comes back, considering how well the lineup is just chugging along right now? - The lineup's gonna have to give you to Tatis. - Somewhere up. - Being somewhere-- - You're not gonna be able to cut a base that day. - No, I think now, I mean, you can slide him in that two spot. You can, you got options in terms of where you put him. I think Manny's really settled in nicely where he's at. I think Bogi's really settled in nicely. I think it's in that two spot that we're looking at. - Everyone's settled in nicely though. - Yeah, but, you know, it's Tony. So, you know, somebody's gonna have to be unsettled before a little bit and move. And I just think that two spot is probably where I'm looking. - Craig, and you gotta think about the righty lefty combinations. Jirksen does a switch hitter helps you, but you don't wanna get all righties in a row. So, you gotta separate Manny and Xander and Tatis somewhere. - I mean, I think it's pretty straightforward. I think Tony's exactly right. Tati goes in the number two spot. That's gonna slide pro-farta three. Pro-farta is just having that year, and he's a switch hitter. So, that means Croninworth probably drops down behind Bogart's to the sixth spot. And now you've got that insane depth lineup that you've been talking about 'cause now Jackson Merrill's hidden seventh for you. So, I mean, you're talking about a lineup that's just gonna be crazy deep and crazy good every day. - Does anyone think that Tatis should be batting first when he comes back? Or does everyone leave a rise where he is? - Tatis swings at more pitches than a rise does, doesn't he? - Yes. - And he doesn't walk a ton of years. - Yeah, I think it's a wash there. I think you got a guy who sets the tone a little bit differently than Tati. You know, when Tati was hitting in the lead-off spot, it didn't feel the same way that it does with Luis hitting there. And I think it gives Tati more freedom. I mean, it's hard to lead off. I don't think people understand, like being the first guy up there and trying to collect data for your teammates, at least that's the idea. I don't know how that happens all that much. That's a tough spot, especially when you're coming back. So I say, Tati, he's in that two spot. I like Proff. He's earned the right to be in that three spot at this point. And then I just think it could be a help for Krone to slide down into that six spot. And now Jackson gets to continue to do what he continues to do, which is just play free. - Like you can go Manny for, you could go Krone fives and or six, Jackson seven. You can go left, right, almost down the whole way if you want. - And one thing I hate is an argument where I know the evidence is not on my side, but I just know you're wrong. And for people to, not you in particular. - I like that too. - I like that too. - But when people say, well, look at 2020-- - How does that work with the Shelly at home? - 2022 when Tatis was out and how well the Padres play. And then Tatis was back in 2023 and they didn't play well. Now he's out now and they're playing well again. And they see correlation there. And they say, this is a better team without Fernando Tatis Jr. And I say, well, record wise, you're right, but I know you're wrong. I know you're wrong about this. - Yeah, correlation does not equal causation here. And this team is better with Fernando Tatis Jr. in that lineup. I don't know what the numbers say. I don't, you know, I don't even look at that. I don't know. I'm sure you're right about all that in the record, but he is a dynamic player. He's an excellent player. You want him in there and you want him to be able to help this team. And I think one tenant of Mike Schiltz identity, right, has been no matter what, I normalize everything. So it doesn't matter where you're playing, what you're doing, road, home. If a herd of elephants, you know, went on the field, he'd just be like, okay, yeah, kind of weird, but make the play around the trunk, you know? Like he's just like that. Like it's very normalized. So even if he has to move that lineup around, I think they treat it very like less, nothing. This is winner's fine solutions. - Chris, you're not one of those people, right? To think that they're better off without Fernando, right? No. - What? - I just want to make sure. - They're the ones that aren't you. - Not that old, all right, I was making sure. Not that old, fine, just making sure. - I'd have nothing more. - We're all happy having that, all right. All right, I need a volunteer. We got our, it's back, the draft. Our round table draft is coming up. Before I read the question, does anyone want to volunteer to go first and last in the draft today? Tony's gonna go first, takes the easy spot and who wants to go last? - I always go last. - He'll go last, all right, we'll figure it out. All right, today's round table draft. And remember the rules, you can't pick anyone who's already been picked, even if you disagree with, you would like to take them, they're gone, they're off the board. Here's the question, you have $100, but you have to bet it all right now on one team to win the 2024 World Series. Who are you picking and why? - Oh, what is this? Like, (laughing) - And so, Tony gets to pick the Padres. - Fine, exactly. - And then the rest of us have to pick someone else. - Right. - Oh my God. - And, yes, for a volunteer, I put my hand. - Yeah, you did, yeah, you did. - I am short-circuiting the Homerism for five of us. - I'm gonna clip your question and our audience, or without the contact. - If I had just asked that question, and we all said six Padres, that would be really homaristic and really boring radio. So, we're making it the draft. - I'll use my Homer pass. Let's go say it a little harder. - Yeah, yeah. - And a hundo. - And what? Just how they're playing. - I think they have the got, one of the things that happens in the playoffs is that your guys have to perform. And when they don't perform, you lose. Just as we've seen the Dodgers go through this last year, we saw the Braves do the same thing. I think that Manny, Totti, Bogey, who am I meant, Jackson now, I think these are guys that are all guys who do their best work when the lights are at their brightest, including Luis in that fashion. So, and they got the kind of staple of bullpen arms that you need to do it. So, that'd be my case for them winning the World Series. - Well, I'm gonna let you go second, 'cause I don't want you to be sitting there when the Dodgers and the only team will win. - I wouldn't pick them anyway, bro. - I wouldn't pick the White Sox. - Go ahead and take them. You can't pick the pod right now. I can do it. Just light it on fire, just light the money on fire. - I do that a lot, actually. I like the odds here. So, I want a big number. So, I'm gonna go with, maybe a surprise pick for you guys. I'm gonna go with the Seattle Mariners. - Okay. - How about that? - I'm gonna make 100 bucks is gonna make me a decent amount of money. They've got really good starting pitching. They've got Randy Rose Arena. They've got Julio Rodriguez. They got Cal Raleigh. They have a, we have a pretty sour taste in our mouth after last season. You know, and I think that's helped this team win a lot this year, the embarrassment. Last year, all the expectations. The Mariners, man. That's why we are Simpatico with the Seattle fans. There's been a lot of similarities in the organizations. And talking to Brett Boone last week was talking about basically five number, interchangeable number ones. Well, one of those guys is gonna go to the bullpen. You know? And so, they've got the arms in the arm barn to get it done. I know the odds on that. If I bet 100, I'm probably winning. How much? - I'm getting good money on that one. - Yeah, I'm getting good money on that one. So, that will be my thing. - Can you, can the baseball world and can the media world handle the kind of attention that would be on-- - And Eddie Vettercup, the geographic rival that we've been waiting for. - It'd be so tough. - The Mariners, Padres, for the whole world to enjoy. - The earthquake would happen, it was. - The big one would take days. - We're gonna be some folks of these guys. - FC Barcelona and Madrid would have to, you know, step aside. - I'm gonna, I would make some good money on that. So, I'm gonna take the M's. - All right, Annie, there are some big names out there on the board for you to choose. - Okay, I'll go with the-- - Not the Padres in the Mariners. - Not the Padres, not the Mariners, although I liked both of those answers there. I'll go with Phillies, I'll go with Phillies. I know that they're not doing well post-all-star break, they're in pretty much a slide here. But I think they still have a good team. You know, they've got a good bullpen, they've got a good starting staff, they've got good hitters, they've got guys who have been there before who get the grind of it all. So, I think the Phillies, I think, could still have some surge here at the end and some surge going into the postseason. - I'm gonna steal the fourth pick here before everyone else goes and I don't know why, but most years the Houston Astros do really well in the playoffs and boy, they've been playing really good baseball since their slow start. They have come on extremely strong and I think they're gonna be a team. No one is looking forward to facing in October and whether you like them or not, whether you hate them from the cheating scandal, they have proven themselves several times over the last five or six October's that they are always gonna be a team to beat. So, they're still on the board. I'm gonna take the Houston Astros. In the beginning of their season what they, you know? - Dead and buried. - Yeah, dead and buried. - It's a good story, too. Craig, everybody's gonna last. - Look at us all avoiding the NLS team. - Oh, yeah. - And here I was prepared to say Astros. (laughs) That was gonna be my pick to continue with the theme but the second scariest team in baseball, right? - I'm in Vegas. - And I just looked up the World Series odds and I'd get plus 2,000 on Arizona, which is similar to the plus 2,500 on Seattle. - Not bad. - And, I mean, right now. - Right now. - Yeah, right. I mean, thanks to Google. I mean, you know, it was maybe, I don't know which book you go to but it had the pods at 1,600. - I don't remember. - Yeah, and it had the doubt. - Oh, your guy told me something. - Yeah, I mean, let Epe know which way it's going. But, I mean, I think they are a team that has come together. They're dangerous in all facets and you have to look at them as a scary team and I think from a value standpoint, scarier than the Dodgers or the Yankees. - Well, Chris, we've had five picks and still sitting out there are the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Orioles are still sitting out there. I mean, teams that were considered the absolute favorites for much of this season, who are you going to wrap up our draft with? - Braves were also considered the favorite at the beginning of the season. A couple of things I find very interesting about the season in its entirety is that each of the last six full seasons of baseball, we've had three or more 100 win teams, each of the last six full seasons, going back to 2017. This year, we're likely to have zero 100 win teams. So if that doesn't open up the whole scramble for the World Series, I don't know what does. But I'm just going to play the odds and what's been left given to me. I am not going to pick the Dodgers because I don't want to be vilified more than I already am. - I'm smart. - I am not going to pick Juan Soto because that I couldn't stand if that ended up happening. So I can't go there. - He'd eat a little crow to do that one. - What's that? - You'd have to eat a little crow to do that one. - I would too. But you know, Padre fan really wants to see him get the World Series this year. So I will go again, you know, the last two years it's been five seeds, six seeds. This year a higher seed's going to win. So I'll go with the Orioles. Learn from their mistakes of being swept last year in the first round and things go their way. Wouldn't it be delicious though? A Padre's Yankees World Series, not only for the '98 rematch but the stories because the Yankees won't get there without Juan Soto and the Padre's won't get there without all the players they trade to get, you know, from Juan Soto's trade. - Folks, you guys are going to be like ha ha, yeah, yeah. - The ultimate win win win trade scenario would be those two teams facing off in the World Series to determine who actually did win the trade finally at the end of the year. - Yeah. Major League Baseball will never let that happen. - That's good. - They're going to go for Padre's mariner. - They'll go for Yankees Dodgers, you know that. All right, it is time for the seventh inning stretch. We'll take a brief break from baseball with our off topic question for the day. I'm in the middle of a San Diego staycation. I don't know if you heard, we're staying at the Lafayette in North Park a couple of days. - Take a question today, Annie, what is your favorite vacation destination? - Staycation or vacation? - Anywhere, vacation destination. Go anywhere you want on vacation. It's on the company, Odyssey's paying for it. - Totally. - I will go to Hawaii, I will go to Big Island. I will say, you know, out there paddle boarding with the Dolphins, lovely time. - Tony, you were just in Tahoe. - What? - It sounded like it was nice, but what's your ultimate favorite vacation destination? - Yeah, give me back to Quai. - Quai, oh, we got two boys. - I don't know about, don't know about swimming with the Dolphins or doing any of that. - Tony won't go near the one. - You don't have to do that here. That's the great part. - It is the beauty. - Yeah, give me, give me Quai. - People don't understand. They say, you're from San Diego, why would you ever need to go to Hawaii? It's totally different. You were just in Hawaii. I was just there and your answer to him. - Also my answer is, this is Hawaii, this is the Hawaii Department of Tourism. - Hawaii Five O's. - Odyssey can save money by sending us all on the same flight, you know? - It's the most, I mean. - We can be it. - We can do this as we can all go. - Yeah, no, we were in Honele Bay and it's just the most magical. I was telling Tony yesterday when I went up to say hello before the game. It's the only vacation that I've ever gone on where I didn't want to leave. I always am ready to come back and get back to business and I was so depressed on the last day. I didn't even want to get out of bed 'cause I knew we had to leave the next day. I finally relaxed and everything was totally present. Then I went, I got a pack and I got a leave again and then I go back and talk on the air and I just, it was so magical. So Kawaii, hands down for the rest of my life. - Craig? - Do I only have to pick some will you said Ben? Or can I pick some will you? - The place you have to go. - Yeah, I picked some will you want to go. I'm picking some place I kind of want to go. - All right, I want to go to Fiji. - Fiji. - Send me to Fiji. It's only a couple hours farther on the flight. - For tropical people. - I heard it's great. - I heard it's great. - I heard it's great. - Chris. - Cleveland. - No. (laughing) - The ultimate contrarian. - No, I'm not gonna be contrarian, believe it or not. - Toledo. - Here's the thing, my wife loves to travel far. She thinks that it's not a vacation unless you've been on that plane for at least 15 hours. So any of those destinations are out. I've had it with Africa, Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, China, I've been lucky to get to go to a lot of places. I can't stay on the plane that long. And the most relaxed I've ever been on any vacation was Kauai. Unbelievable. Three years ago is the best week and a half ever. - It's unreal. - I don't know how to explain it. There's something, and it's not Hawaii 'cause I've been there and I like it, but it's Kauai. 'Cause I think that's just another level of relaxation. - So I love the islands too, but I think you guys are all missing a major part, at least for me, of travel. That is the food. And Hawaiian food's fine, a lot of fish. It's just kind of repetitive. I don't like spam, so I'm not eating the sushi. My ultimate travel destination is Italy. I wanna go and eat Italian food. I wanna go to Lake Como. I've never been there. I have been to Rome. I've been to Florence. It was amazing. I wanna see the rest of the country. I wanna eat my way through Italy on my ultimate travel destination. - You gotta do what you say, Paris, if you're gonna say food. - Paris would be good. Paris doesn't give big enough portions, Craig. Little French food. - I want big croissants. - I want big croissants. - Big ol' side plates. - No, I love eating Italian food. Italy is gonna be my travel destination. - Who for ever? - Probably me going Italy is if I just ate Italian food. I would sleep the whole time. - The whole time. - The carbs would just have me. - I'd be drunk on the side. - I'd be drunk on vacation. - You walk, eat. - You sleep. - That'd be a good one though. - All right, last few minutes. I wanna look a little bit ahead. We've all been so impressed by what Jackson Merrill has done in his rookie season. It's hard to, when you compare numbers, you immediately go to some of the greats of all time. I mean, Ken Griffey Jr's rookie season. People who ended up as Hall of Famers. So, the question here is, what do you think Jackson Merrill's career arc is going to look like? Craig is rolling his eyes. - I mean, I don't know. I know you don't know. That's the job here. It's speculation, it's guesswork. - I don't ever want for him not to be on our team. He's made such an impression on me. And I've said this, but we haven't had a round table the last couple of weeks. So, I'll say my bold outlandish thing about Jackson Merrill. The player he reminds me of is Pete Rose. That's who he reminds me of. Charlie Hussle. - Without the crippling gambling. - Take away all the bad stuff. I'm only talking about it. Yeah, I'm only talking about it. Between the white lines and by that, I mean the-- - I get asked to eat it by both parts. - I agree as much as HBO documentary. - I hope not. - Jackson Merrill and the piece of-- - The kid in the case of Jackson Merrill. - Yeah. I don't know. - But listen, we all know, Pete Rose did some terrible, terrible things. But the hit king was defined, he came up as a rookie of the year for a Cincinnati Reds team that didn't even want him to be there. Jackson Merrill is in a way better situation, but both came in with a confidence that some people thought was a cockiness, but he loves the game. I kept thinking about Merrill saying, "I just love playing in a great baseball game." And that reminded me of Pete Rose Game 6, 1975 World Series. They lose the game to Carlton Fiskin. He's like, "That was a great game." - Great game. - Let's go get him in Game 7. And so I'm just talking about the best aspects of one of the greatest players in the history of the game. - Tony, I think this is such a hard question because when I was dreaming on Jackson Merrill when he started this season, pretty much who he is now is who I hoped he would be in a few years. So now what do I do? - True. - I mean, I thought, will he ever get to be the 15 to 20 homerun guy probably in a few years? Well, he's there in August. And now what, so where, I mean, guys get better. They get more experience. They get bigger, they get stronger, they get better at this game. Where's he going, Tony? - This is a, these are always tough questions because the league is so difficult. And for as many great stories as there are, there are a ton that, yes, the flash, and then you don't see that guy moving forward. And so, I mean, Jackson, should he stay healthy? I think this is what you should be expecting. This is the type of player I think he's going to be. I don't know that he's going to advance until 25, 30 homer guy. I don't, but, and I don't know where he's going to end up defensively when it's all said. And then I know he's playing the spot now. I know probably in his heart of hearts, he wants to find his way back to the infield. But how will he progress defensively as a center fielder moving forward? There are, because his situation is unique in the standpoint of he came up to fill a spot and then like took off. Like, I don't think even the Padres imagined him playing at this level this soon. So, I'm going to say, should he stay healthy? This is what can expect from him. I don't think there's a ceiling that's even higher than this form, but I think, you know, 280, 300, it's a pretty damn good ball player, I'll just say it. Chris, I think that power aspect is very intriguing about what else there may be in there with Jacksonville. Not that he needs more, or should he even be trying for more than he's got at this point right now, or as Tony said, just kind of be this player going forward. No, he told us that he hasn't really tried to hit a homerun all year. Yeah, he just happens and that's just the way he goes. I just want to remind everybody that the guy from ESPN still has him six on the rookie rankings. - Really? Something bad. - Yes, that irks me so badly. - Sorry, I have to date a day later in the match. - No, but it was-- - He doesn't think this way. - All right, Bradford, do little. - Oh, man. - Who I believe, who I believe somebody wrote back to me and said, "Hey, Bradford, do more." - Yeah, yeah. - Anyway, look, I went to piggyback a little on Craig. The Charlie Hustle thing's a really cool comparison 'cause he seems to have the same reverence for the game that Pete Rose did. He plays it the right way, he cares about it, he appreciates it, it's like what can he do for the game, not what can the game do for him? So, and in an era of look at me guys, he is the complete opposite of that, which is another incredible trait about Jackson Merrill. So I like that. The other part I like is, hopefully he'll just stay in San Diego. So let's be the next, you know, Mr. Padre and have 20 years of, you know, 20 years of this in a Padre uniform. That's what I'm hoping for. - Annie, Jackson Merrill's career. - I mean, I would never want to put a ceiling on it, but every time I talk to, and I think this guy's a limit for him, every time I talk to guys like Xander Bogart or Manny or whoever have been in the game for 10 plus years, jerks and there's ups and there's downs, man, and you know, and so how can predict what those might be for him? I also think a big part of his success this year and I think he'd have it no matter what, but it's great that he was allowed to be a rookie. I mean, yes, this is a team that has aspirations and he's part of a team that wants to compete, but he was given the runway to be a rookie and not to be the big superstar quite yet. He just built himself into that, you know, he was getting a little bit of that cushion. So who knows? I think he could be, end up being one of the absolute tremendous players of our game and it's gonna be fun to find out. That's for sure. - I needed to say, it's an all-star. Like he's gonna be a multi-all-star-time one down. - Exactly, but he's the type of guy that if he's healthy, he can get the double digits in that. - What'd you get the last word here? - Let him be Jackson Merrill, man. He's not, yeah, in a different era, certainly Chris, but he's also not just some boring eyewash guy. He's got a lot of flair, he's got a lot of swag. He's attracted the eyes of many, many six and seven-year-olds who now wanna wear number three. You know, I'm getting requests from parents. Hey, can I put in a request for number three? And there's a reason for that. I mean, he does everything the right way. Let him be Jackson Merrill and see where that goes. - I think, go ahead, Tony. - We're real quick and I think this is important. You know, we harken back to the beginning of the season where people were clamoring to move Jackson up into that top portion of the lineup. This is why you don't because he's been able to just, as Annie said, be a rookie, he doesn't have to be the guy. It's a lot different expectation for Jackson Merrill than it was for say Fernando Tatiz, Jr., who was really expected to come up here and be a savior of this organization. So I think he's been allowed to just be Jackson in a 2021 year old kid. - I think we got 90 seconds left, so I just wanna ask you, Tony, because I don't wanna temper any expectations on Jackson, but some of the things that other guys learn in their first three or four years that helped them take that next step, he already seems to know that calmness, that confidence, that usually comes with success is born with it somehow, and he already has it, but that means he doesn't, he's not gonna find it and click to a next level. - Right, and so you know, that's what I think attracted to Jerrickson's, the man he's when he was in spring and spring training is like, the same way that it did for when Tati was that guy coming in. Like there's just something about him that stands out and you recognize it real quick when you're around him. So yeah, this guy is the limit for him, but you know, I think it's been aided in the fact that he's just been able to go out and be him. - All right, coming up for the San Diego Padres, 18 games in 18 days will be six or seven in when we talk to you on the next round table next week. Padres will be back home after a weekend in Colorado with a very big home stand, Minnesota Twins and four against the New York Mets. One of the only teams that could theoretically kind of catch the Padres from behind, and they'll be looking to do it after they swept the Padres earlier this season. So that'll be a big topic next week. That's it for us. Thanks for joining us on our 90-73, the fan Padres round table, presented by round table pizza. It's pizza royalty for Annie Halberin, Tony Gwen Jr., Stephen Woods, Craig Elston and Chris Ello. I'm Ben Higgins, have a great rest of your day. Thanks for joining us here on San Diego's number one sports station, 97 through the fans. How long, everybody? 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