[SPEAKER_02]: All right, welcome back to another baseball America fantasy podcast.

[SPEAKER_02]: This is your host, Jeff Ponce.

[SPEAKER_02]: Alongside me, my co-host, Dylan White, the biggest Blue Jays fan, you know, native of Toronto.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's going on, Dylan.

[SPEAKER_02]: How you feeling about those Blue Jays in the world series, huh?

[SPEAKER_00]: Still riding the contact high from all that champagne that was

[SPEAKER_00]: being popped up on the celebration.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think I'm actually the second biggest James fan behind your son, but maybe the biggest fan in Toronto.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I know we tuned in for all those games.

[SPEAKER_02]: Just throughout the run, it's been a really fun season.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think in a fun team to follow.

[SPEAKER_02]: I obviously get to cover them year round, handle them for the handbook, as well as all the in-season updates.

[SPEAKER_02]: probably get a little bit more love from the blue jays fan base and I do any of the other fan bases that I cover no no disrespect to the Cubs Cardinals or Astros, but you know the jays they're just kind Canadians and they show some love and interest they're always in my chats and I'm very much appreciate it so.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I got a little soft spot for the J's at this point too.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think like when you cover teams and you know people within the organizations and you report on different parts of the organization and they do see some success.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think the other part of the two is like I've.

[SPEAKER_02]: I've sort of been beaten the drum on this farm system and in this organization for the last couple of years that I think things were better than they might have seemed on the surface, and bigger investments have been made into player development of the last couple of years.

[SPEAKER_02]: The right people have been put into place.

[SPEAKER_02]: And we've seen big improvements on the bat speed front with a major league team and the minor league teams.

[SPEAKER_02]: Certainly the pitching development, which I wrote about kind of in depth,

[SPEAKER_02]: about what Ricky Mindhold and Justin Lear have been able to do with that group and that's something that does touch on, you know, create a savage and some of these other guys that have come through the system or at least were in mildly camp or they had their hands on and training sessions.

[SPEAKER_02]: They're just a very streamlined sort of focus on striking throwing your best stuff and challenging guys in the zone.

[SPEAKER_02]: And it's worked, you know, all throughout their different levels.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's even showed up in some of the stat cast out of stuff that we've looked at with a pitching certainly wasn't proved and was performing well.

[SPEAKER_02]: The hitting actually, especially within the top 30 performed really well for the jays.

[SPEAKER_02]: I was pleasantly surprised about that.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I think there is a lot of good things and a lot of good feelings around the team right now.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm glad that they were able to get some success because,

[SPEAKER_02]: I think people kind of forget it's a big market.

[SPEAKER_02]: They represent a whole country at this point.

[SPEAKER_02]: Do I'm sure there's probably some mariners fans in Vancouver over the border as proximity, right?

[SPEAKER_02]: But, you know, the majority of Canada and, you know, Toronto is a big marketplace.

[SPEAKER_02]: And they spend, and they're aggressive.

[SPEAKER_02]: They've been really aggressive in the free agent market in the trade market the last couple years.

[SPEAKER_02]: They're willing to take on salary.

[SPEAKER_02]: They're willing to pay up and sort of that.

[SPEAKER_02]: Second tier of free agency.

[SPEAKER_02]: And they've chased a lot of the top to your guys and just haven't been able to close in the Otonis or the Soto and, like, you know, I guess,

[SPEAKER_02]: But he and I'll be a Lanzo as well.

[SPEAKER_02]: So there were different ones that they were in on.

[SPEAKER_02]: So kind of interesting.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I think there's still potentially some money to be spent next off season, and you could even see a bounce back from Anthony Santander who you really didn't get any people forget.

[SPEAKER_02]: He had 40 home runs in 2024.

[SPEAKER_02]: What's the hell, Lanzo?

[SPEAKER_02]: He's not that old.

[SPEAKER_02]: So in our return to form,

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, maybe he's not going to hit 40, but like a high 20s, 30 home run season and just a solid year from him.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think really lengthens that line of we've already seen the strengths.

[SPEAKER_02]: They're interesting to from the sense that like I know I talked with this with JJ, but like.

[SPEAKER_02]: Ernie Clement is kind of like, you know, a late career breakout, like a late bloomer.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's kind of the same with Nathan Lucas.

[SPEAKER_02]: They have like a ton of control with those guys.

[SPEAKER_02]: Both guys are under team control until 2028, 2029.

[SPEAKER_02]: So they're going to have them for the, you know, the majority of their productive years and they're almost kind of valuable trade assets now too because, you know, even if they're more platoon or role type players, they're really good platoon or role type players that add a lot of value on both sides of the ball.

[SPEAKER_02]: So kind of interesting how the team was built.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I picked the jays to beat the Dodgers when we we did predictions on the prospect podcast with JJ, I felt like I had to.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know how confident I am in that decision.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not throwing any money on it, but yeah, are you the same or you, or are you going to like do the reverse, do you think and pick the Dodgers?

[SPEAKER_02]: Hope the jays went.

[SPEAKER_00]: basically.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I can't lose.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think it'll be a good series.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think it'll be a good series.

[SPEAKER_00]: The jays have always had their backs to the wall.

[SPEAKER_00]: It seems like the Toronto fan base.

[SPEAKER_00]: is notoriously kind of woe is me.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's over just like always nothing good ever happens.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so like seeing all these comebacks like we felt that way before the season ended and then they did the four in a row and got the the home field advantage number one seed and then now you know we're down to you know and then

[SPEAKER_00]: come back and and win it and you know we're losing the last game and come back.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think it's it's been very exciting.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's been very exciting.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think now it used to be that the stadium would go really quiet if we're losing going into the like late things like it's over.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's no no chance for coming back, but now it like it feels like we all kind of think that's going to happen something's going to happen.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you know when you have George spring or anything

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, we saw it firsthand when Vlad showed up in an Austin, Matthew's shirt, everyone freaked out.

[SPEAKER_02]: And it was like, no, that's a statement.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's like, I'm here to break some curses, you know?

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not here to worry about bad juju.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like, I'm the first breaker.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm the bringer of good vibes, flag or arrow junior.

[SPEAKER_02]: our hero.

[SPEAKER_02]: All right.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we're going to get into the second half of our show from last week talking about way to early ADPs from NFBC, draft champion leagues part two today.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to be talking out for you.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to be talking starting pitchers.

[SPEAKER_02]: We got more draft data.

[SPEAKER_02]: Our friend James Anderson over at Roto Y.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're talking in in wrote a little bit about his DC.

[SPEAKER_02]: And so you pulled in some of that ADP data, so we got a little bit more perspective on where some of these prospects are going in some of these drafts.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm in the midst of a very early mock draft prospect mock draft put on by tool shed and Mr. Eric Cross.

[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of big names are in this one, Chris Clegg, or Paul League, of course, that Eddie the Welsh James Anderson, you know, back from thine to dug out, you know, my good friend Tim Canac, who I did a podcast with a couple weeks ago, Ross Jensen.

[SPEAKER_02]: and a bunch of those stat the scout line guys as well.

[SPEAKER_02]: And of course, Chris Blessing.

[SPEAKER_02]: So a lot of big names, a lot of guys that you know, heavy hitters been around for a while.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we're about eight rounds in right now.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think in a couple of weeks, we'll probably it's a 33 round draft.

[SPEAKER_02]: So we're like a quarter of the way through just about more or less.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're about halfway through round nine.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I guess you have about a quarter of the way through.

[SPEAKER_02]: So a lot of picks still to be made.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's all prospects

[SPEAKER_02]: Hosted Japanese players are eligible.

[SPEAKER_02]: So, was it more a comedy?

[SPEAKER_02]: Came off the board, a little while ago.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're eight rounds in.

[SPEAKER_02]: I went for, I have the turn.

[SPEAKER_02]: I always end up with a back end to these drafts.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think I've ever been in any expert mock where I've picked like a buff 10.

[SPEAKER_02]: I swear to God, Dylan, I gotta go back and look at all of them because I'm sure in fan tracks, I probably can, right?

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm gonna go back and look.

[SPEAKER_02]: I wanna see if I have ever picked a buff 10 in any of these.

[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe I wanna Welsh your drafts because he's a good guy, he isn't shut me out.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm picking at the turn, pick at 15.

[SPEAKER_02]: in the first went for Valentino Eldridge.

[SPEAKER_02]: Come and pack one, Joe Slar.

[SPEAKER_02]: I love Joe Swar.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's going to be a hit.

[SPEAKER_02]: Joe Joe, kind of a sexy young double up there, which is creepy out of context.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then I went for older prospects with some injury history, chased a loter in the fifth followed by Marcelo Meyer.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then I got my pitching double up in Parallis and La Grande or La Grande.

[SPEAKER_02]: I've heard it said both ways.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, I kind of like it got a lot of power.

[SPEAKER_02]: AoE's power arms apparently is what I'm going after.

[SPEAKER_02]: But you're hard right now.

[SPEAKER_02]: You savage, littler, you know, early, totally, yeah.

[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of them, a lot of them, I liked it.

[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of, my, because it was like 75, 76, some sort of pixel overall, getting those guys that late where I know they're going to be on the fourth year in a major, major week futures.

[SPEAKER_02]: Exactly.

[SPEAKER_02]: I understand health is an issue, but like, the risk is kind of baked in in the 70s.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm like fine, you know, and because it's not service time, myor is eligible just eligible because I think he's got 127 it bats, so he just sneaks under that 130 limit.

[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, playing it's sneaky there.

[SPEAKER_02]: All right, so we've got through the intro here, let's get into some of the outfielders still.

[SPEAKER_02]: Talk to me about the first outfielder off the board prospect outfielder off the board in terms of ADP that you're seeing in these early DCs.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, it's a perfect segue from we were just talking about.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's chased a loter in the 19th.

[SPEAKER_00]: the outfielders don't seem to be as sexy as the infielders like the last week we talked about key show in Bessaya, Carter Jensen, Weatherhold, Connor Griffin.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's like chased a lot or is the first one off the board.

[SPEAKER_00]: I like him, average, he played at the end of the season, reasonable power,

[SPEAKER_00]: He's on the 40 man like he said so like he's probably going to get quite a bit of run that they did the guardians did say they're going to look for outfield help.

[SPEAKER_00]: in the off season.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I don't know if it's going to push him back, but I think the main thing is the injury risk.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think it's a good spot.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's totally fine.

[SPEAKER_00]: I know that there guys like like Lars Nuthbar, I think stands around here, Ben and Tendi, who should get full time at bats, will your brayou, remote lorry, and our kind of all of this area.

[SPEAKER_00]: So you know, I don't hate it, but I probably go the safe route there instead of taking the ladder.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, I mean, I'm just so intrigued.

[SPEAKER_02]: I understand what the injury history is.

[SPEAKER_02]: I also understand what my personal connection is with this player haven't seen the original breakout in the Cape Cod League where no one knew who this guy was going in.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I mean, some of the names that you mentioned, like Ben and Tandy, I don't know.

[SPEAKER_02]: I would much rather play the risk game with the lottery in the 19th, but, you know, when these DCs that is risky, and you do have to make sure that you have a viable ban shops, as a replacement, because you're not, you're not in a backup round yet at that point.

[SPEAKER_02]: Right.

[SPEAKER_02]: You're like, yeah, till and you're like, fifth outfielder, maybe even fourth out fielder looking, you know, in round 19.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't dislike it, though.

[SPEAKER_02]: And even with Stanton, there's a good chance that Stanton misses more games than DeLauder next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's possible.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's possible that he's finally healthy for a full year or for enough for the full year and it's minimal.

[SPEAKER_02]: sort of damage an injury.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I don't know if I dislike that one so much, but I can certainly see what the risk is.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's a risky prospect at for I talked about just drafting in the mock.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think if you're chasing batting average, then he's the guy you might want to take because he could probably be 27280 and like the

[SPEAKER_00]: Will your braio, Lars Nupar, Ramalorena, like I was saying, or probably like 250.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so he might be one of your guys who want to take to like maybe booster batting at Raja.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I, it's totally a just final pick.

[SPEAKER_00]: I have no problem with it.

[SPEAKER_00]: Just doesn't really suit my build in the DCs I'm doing right now.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think there's pop there too.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like if he's healthy, there's 20 plus home or power.

[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, sure.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, and he would probably hit it at the top to line up.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's just a matter of health.

[SPEAKER_02]: in everyday play or for him for the the guardians this year and you know maybe a rookie the year candidate had not been heard again but he has always heard he's been hurt like his the last six years it feels like all right who's the next name you want to discuss.

[SPEAKER_00]: It just a couple of rounds later, like Dylan Beaver's, one of the top Robosco guys last year got a taste of the Orioles, do like a lot, power, speed, averages well.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think the concern that people have, why he's maybe going later than to a lot or other than pedigrees.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's kind of a platoon bat, so there's a question of whether he'd get full time at bats, but I like this pick.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think I like bevers better than the lotters, because I'm leading robots get more and I think there's maybe a better chance of

[SPEAKER_00]: Sticking maybe in the in the in the season for the or sticking with the club for the whole season more.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if he's going to get more played playing time or played appearances, but I, I don't know.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not really convincing myself as I'm talking about it, but I I do know like a lot of the better track record of.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he goes being on the field.

[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, sure.

[SPEAKER_02]: Otherwise, I don't think it's terribly close, but Beavers has made gains of the last couple of years.

[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I think there's a lot or still there's more upside, but there's more downside that he would place 40 games again, right, and then it's one of my, uh, well, and a DC that's not that valuable, especially with a, a prospect because.

[SPEAKER_02]: I feel like I've taken shots on prospects that maybe start the season, but with like an expectation that maybe the first couple of weeks or like maybe starting the first week, like they break can't right during Walker few years ago.

[SPEAKER_02]: You ride it for a few weeks, but then you get in a point where you're like, I don't know, the slumps come in or it's already started to hit or they're not hitting.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I agree, like I think the versus probably going to be in every day guy more or less.

[SPEAKER_02]: And especially the strong side platoon, opportunities to get in later in games.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and I think he may see more left these next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: We just need to see how the Orioles play that.

[SPEAKER_02]: But certainly like big skill gains, all that sort of stuff.

[SPEAKER_02]: And it wasn't a bad sample in the majors either.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm going to interrupt you instead of letting you ask a question.

[SPEAKER_00]: The next couple guys, you know, depends on on which draft you're looking at, but Owen Casey's kind of going in the 27th for the Cobb slugger had a taste of the other majors for a bit.

[SPEAKER_00]: Always pops on Rob was just because he's so young and has so many good EVs, especially for someone so young, always young for the level.

[SPEAKER_00]: Not sure how much playing time he's going to get, but, you know, the upside is tantalizing.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then another guy who's got a common around that same area, 29th round is Justin Crawford.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm curious about your take, because I know he's kind of polarizing.

[SPEAKER_00]: He has a good batting average.

[SPEAKER_00]: He steals a lot of bases.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's just his ground ball rates are like 60% or higher and have been for like the last three years, but he's like on the cusp of the majors,

[SPEAKER_00]: the fillies, you know, Schworber's a free agent and Castellano's they're saying is gonna be gone and so there's like some outfield spots that are probably available.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm wondering how much play he gets and let's run against and what you think.

[SPEAKER_02]: It's possible.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's not a terribly good outfielder.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think that's one of the big misconceptions about Crawford is like defense, please not create.

[SPEAKER_02]: He almost has an unwillingness to change things about a swing, so like he kind of leans into the ground ball rate and all that sort of stuff one knock I've heard from scouts and analyst frankly is like do we hit a point where.

[SPEAKER_02]: those like blue singles and ground balls down the line and like just seeing high singles is there a point where that stuff doesn't play in the majors right where the infield single some of that stuff like is just taking away because these guys you know let's split second that you get and AAA is gone.

[SPEAKER_02]: He makes a lot of contacts he can run.

[SPEAKER_02]: The EVs aren't like awful

[SPEAKER_02]: but the angles are terrible and I don't see him changing like remodeling his swing.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm kind of out, like especially when we're talking about Casey who, I think he's just playing time with Casey.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like he's got the greatest outfielder, but he moves well enough.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's got a big arm out there and it's enough contact and approach with like,

[SPEAKER_02]: big EVs and really good angles.

[SPEAKER_02]: So like I'm inclined to lean into a player like that, to go after a guy like that versus a speed guy where I'm not so sure that he has the defense to keep, like it's a very different body and different EVs.

[SPEAKER_02]: But there's like some miles straw elements to this.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're like, he needs to just have the runway where it seems like we're gonna play miles straw.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're gonna play Justin Crawford.

[SPEAKER_02]: And we're going to give him the green light and he's going to steal 40 bases.

[SPEAKER_02]: That's where he's valuable.

[SPEAKER_02]: But unlike, like, unlike maybe like a Chandler Simpson, I don't think he's as good of a hitter as Simpson is.

[SPEAKER_02]: And he's not as fast.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's not as good of a base runner as Simpson.

[SPEAKER_02]: Mm-hmm.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.

[SPEAKER_00]: So, kind of like a Malik Smith.

[SPEAKER_00]: If you remember here, I'm for a couple of years.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but Malik Smith was better on the outfield.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like I, I feel like yeah.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I'm not, I'm not real into it.

[SPEAKER_02]: And some of the feedback we've got has an effect from Scott's analysis.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just on like the top 30 and top 10 work that we're doing right now, because the animals are gonna stop popping out next week.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know, man, it's not great.

[SPEAKER_02]: And the other one that you have right here behind him in the 29th round, is another very risky pick.

[SPEAKER_02]: And that's Spencer Jones.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I can kind of understand the mentality a little bit behind taking Jones at this point, but there's no guarantee that he's going to see a ton of major league time next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: And especially if he's still with the Yankee's organization,

[SPEAKER_02]: His swing and miss is historically bad.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like it is, I think it's worse than Joey Gallo.

[SPEAKER_02]: The angles are really good.

[SPEAKER_02]: The approach isn't good anymore.

[SPEAKER_02]: That's the other thing is like, the angles are good.

[SPEAKER_02]: He likes to swing it and he hits it harder than just about anybody else, right?

[SPEAKER_02]: But,

[SPEAKER_02]: It reminds me of, um, what's the guy from the reds?

[SPEAKER_02]: RSD's like a coin.

[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, like I almost feel like it could be like that.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like he's gonna come up and have a crazy run and it could help somebody will like, a league because he like goes in some silly run for two months and hits 20 home runs and then he's so bad for two weeks that you never play him again.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like he could be useful like that in a DC.

[SPEAKER_02]: I would like him better on like a basketball league.

[SPEAKER_02]: where his bad week, he's not going to be in the lineup, but I still don't see the Yankees rolling a player like this out every single day, you know.

[SPEAKER_02]: There's guys in their lineup now that have significantly better contact to the fans get on for their strikeouts.

[SPEAKER_02]: His slumps are so bad.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like his peak serves high as anybody, but his slumps are as bad as anybody.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like where he's almost an auto out, and then they'll sneak in a hard hit ball here and there.

[SPEAKER_02]: What is your take on Jones?

[SPEAKER_02]: Because I do see the upside, but even at this point, which I understand it's a 29th round, so it's not like a starter, it serves around.

[SPEAKER_02]: But in a DC, like you need guys that you're like, I'm gonna get innings and I'm gonna get it bats from these guys and rounds 25 to like 35.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then you could start to take your shots in my opinion, like 35 to 50, 36 to 50.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think, so I think there is upside.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's definitely justifiable.

[SPEAKER_00]: So that's the how I see it.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you just explained all the risks associated with that.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, they have the JSON to Minga's thing where he didn't really play by the end of the season and like his defense was bad.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so like, like, you know, what kind of another top prospect is just going to language on the bench.

[SPEAKER_00]: So anyway, they're going to either play him or they don't.

[SPEAKER_00]: So if they don't, is he going to stay in the AAA for another full year at 24 and then like his trade value is going to drop substantially and all that.

[SPEAKER_00]: Or they're going to play it or else they're going to lose kind of like his value is trade value.

[SPEAKER_00]: So there's a chance it gets traded and then he says he's on the white socks or some some team that he's going to have full time if that's like he could that's a great that I mean get there now runs right yeah I mean that's the kind of situation he sort of needs.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, he kind of needs like, you know, a bottom tier team, where, you know, he can kind of just be the the donkey who hits 30 home runs and, you know, runs at 2 20 batting average and walks the town news WRC plus is good at the end of the season, but it's just not a player that's going to be on like a team that's playing games in October, I don't think.

[SPEAKER_02]: Cause it's just a player like that is just very, very tricky to rely on.

[SPEAKER_02]: So, but I mean, like, where he's going, like, it's after Jordan Walker, I would take Jones over Walker at this point.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm kind of just out on Jordan Walker.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then what Tyler Freeman, which, I don't know, I mean, I could kind of see the upside with a guy like Freeman, but still the upside is obviously much higher with Jones,

[SPEAKER_02]: Any other closing thoughts otherwise I'm going to say what's jumping to a break and we'll finish off out field is when we come back what do you say.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I have no closing thoughts.

[SPEAKER_02]: All right, we'll be right back.

[SPEAKER_02]: All right, and we are back.

[SPEAKER_02]: We are talking way too early prospect 80P's in draft champions leagues over on NFBC, Jeff Ponce, Dylan White.

[SPEAKER_02]: We just talked to Hanfield about fielders.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to jump into some of these back end names now.

[SPEAKER_02]: Kevin Alcantara in the 31st, Colby Thomas in the 34th, Manuel Rodriguez, favorite of ours in the 35th.

[SPEAKER_02]: And George Valera, late season hero, George Valera,

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I could take a flyer on the layer there.

[SPEAKER_02]: I understand the upside with a manual of Rodriguez.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'm kind of out on Kevin Alcantar, like this is its eighth handbook.

[SPEAKER_02]: We're going through this just historically.

[SPEAKER_02]: The amount of guys that have made the handbook eight times, only one is the nine that's far as Whitley, which is also not a great distinction.

[SPEAKER_02]: Eight times, it's just there's not a lot of like full-time position players, so like history's really much, very much not in this side.

[SPEAKER_02]: A major leader with loud tools, I understand the power and speed combination.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's another guy that maybe needs a trade, because I think KC would be the one to get the playing time overall, Kantara.

[SPEAKER_02]: If Tucker does not resign with the Cubs,

[SPEAKER_02]: Colby Thomas, there's just too many mouths to feed in that outfield, and it wouldn't be shocked for the next couple of years.

[SPEAKER_02]: They may be out of free agent or two.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then a manual order is just another guy that can't stay on the field.

[SPEAKER_02]: But the production hasn't always been good the way it has been with Chase the Latter and there's still major swing and misconcerns I think with Rodriguez.

[SPEAKER_02]: I like a more as a by-low in a dynasty league in a DC I don't think I'm going to let somebody else draft them as much as I do like the player sort of in theory.

[SPEAKER_02]: What's your take on those guys?

[SPEAKER_02]: I think it would probably personally rank it right now.

[SPEAKER_02]: Probably Valera, Alcantara Rodriguez, Thomas, but I can see the upside of Rodriguez over Alcantara, too.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, Alcantara Rodriguez and Valero all sort of in the same boat with very, very

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think I go Valera first, just because they are batting him second in place.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so like you're bad, but like you see a bunch of rise in a week and you're like, final play Valera, you know?

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, exactly.

[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't see, I mean, Emmanuel Riga's or Alcatara.

[SPEAKER_00]: hitting the high in the order for their teams.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think Valera is number one, for sure.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really like any of these guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: Omega Rodriguez, like you said, I like as a player and I like you know B.B.

[SPEAKER_00]: Liggs in the DC which is batting average league.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not a big fan, especially in his like rookie season.

[SPEAKER_00]: You know, he may grow into a nice slugger, like 240 with 30 homeruns and handful of steals, 15 steals or so, but I don't think

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm probably passive on all those guys because if you kind of slide to the right and look at pictures or pictures I'd rather take and then like in field there's we were talking about like eight and Miller is kind of in that area like I I'm much prefer that.

[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, the layer is probably only one of those guys I take, but you know you can't really go wrong in the in the 30s it's you just can't go wrong you know 10 10 rounds in a row.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, last couple of names here that went 37, around 38, Max Clark, which I literally liked that 37.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think that could pay off.

[SPEAKER_02]: Frankly, that's laid enough to take your shots.

[SPEAKER_02]: Zach Vene in around 38, no thanks.

[SPEAKER_02]: I just, I don't, I don't think he's going to be in the mix there.

[SPEAKER_02]: It wouldn't shock me if he's with another organization.

[SPEAKER_02]: And then another draft Walker Jenkins went in the 38th, which I prefer to Vene.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I think like Max Clark is a, that's a decent Hail Mary to take sort of in, you know, the closing rounds of the draft with some upside 40 man roster guys going to have to be on it and I think there's a good chance actually no is Jenkins a year away from the 40 I think he's a year away from the 40 I'm miss speaking here.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think he could be up though still.

[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, he was up in AAA for like a decent sample like a month.

[SPEAKER_02]: So he's back in AAA, St. Paul, Minneapolis, short, short.

[SPEAKER_02]: For Rod, this one's cities, right?

[SPEAKER_02]: I think he's a guy I could debut next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think Clark's gonna debut next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I think they could both debut pretty early.

[SPEAKER_02]: The Tigers, the Tigers, I think need that.

[SPEAKER_02]: boost of Clark and McGonaga on that lineup.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think we saw the lack of firepower one through nine, and it would really like to that lineup and improve them defensively in some spots.

[SPEAKER_02]: Jenkins, for me, the twins are rebuilding.

[SPEAKER_02]: Jenkins, for me, makes a ton of sense to be up.

[SPEAKER_02]: Be the star, try to get that pick, and see what happens.

[SPEAKER_02]: Because it performance has been good.

[SPEAKER_02]: And he's got some AAA experience.

[SPEAKER_02]: And with that team, why waste the bullets, right?

[SPEAKER_02]: Like if the guy's healthy and on the field.

[SPEAKER_00]: So you think he jumps to many of our regains?

[SPEAKER_00]: Like he passes them on depth, sir?

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think if they were both ready, I think there's a chance they would go Jenkins first.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I think both is totally reasonable.

[SPEAKER_02]: Like I said, they're rebuilding.

[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, they sold Carlos career for more or less, like, just take his contract take this guy off for hands and send us, you know, your worst player.

[SPEAKER_02]: That's more or less what they did.

[SPEAKER_02]: All right, we talked enough outfielders here.

[SPEAKER_02]: Another one's Josh Bias who went in the 40th.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think there wasn't James is DC.

[SPEAKER_02]: I really liked that pick.

[SPEAKER_02]: He is a 40 man guy.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think he's going to get added no doubt.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think he's a top owner prospect.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think the contact gains and approach gains have been very real.

[SPEAKER_02]: We've seen it kind of tick up for a few years in a row and just took a drastic step this year.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's got huge power, he's got speed, he's got defensive ability.

[SPEAKER_02]: And it's an outfield where I think there could be some shakeups.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think there could be some players who were traded out this offseason as they really leaned their rebuild.

[SPEAKER_02]: We could see whether Halt would see Bias.

[SPEAKER_02]: very, very early next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I think that's a great value pick, um, whoever got them or they got them.

[SPEAKER_02]: All right, let's talk a little bit about pitchers.

[SPEAKER_02]: We maybe don't talk about all these guys, but let's maybe talk about, you know, the pitchers that were taken before round 20.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think those of the most interesting ones, everybody else, I think is just high prospect flyers.

[SPEAKER_02]: So let's, let's go

[SPEAKER_02]: before Shane Bieber, before Nolan McClain, which does surprise me a little bit.

[SPEAKER_02]: So let me post that question to you.

[SPEAKER_02]: Would you prefer Schlittler or McClain for 2026?

[SPEAKER_00]: For 2026, I think it's McClain.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think he threw more ratings last year.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I just kind of feel he's safest to like a approach to 100 innings.

[SPEAKER_00]: And you know, I know you love McLean.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so I I I love Schlittler too, but I just I just I don't know.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's I I'm fine with either of them, but I probably leave McLean.

[SPEAKER_02]: I'd like to have both of them in my rotation on my, on my fantasy team.

[SPEAKER_02]: I would lean McLean.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think he has more varied out-generating skills in terms of the ground balls, the swings of this, all those sort of thing, a really deep arsenal of good pitches.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's a super-athweet.

[SPEAKER_02]: And full-time pitching really just took like a fish to water.

[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it took off.

[SPEAKER_02]: We was always pretty good.

[SPEAKER_02]: It was a two-way player early in this pro career.

[SPEAKER_02]: Throughout his amateur career was a multi-sport guy.

[SPEAKER_02]: We first got on campus, Oklahoma State.

[SPEAKER_02]: So I think there's a lot to that story.

[SPEAKER_02]: A lot of context that you could see how much he's gained.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I think the home park may be matters a little bit too.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I think pitching there versus Yankee Stadium.

[SPEAKER_02]: You know, your mistakes are not as magnified.

[SPEAKER_02]: The next name is Jacob Missier Rowski.

[SPEAKER_02]: He went after McLean, but before Pablo Lopez.

[SPEAKER_02]: So let me ask you, would you rather have Missier Rowski versus Pablo Lopez who is dealing with some some injuries?

[SPEAKER_02]: So there is some risks they would Lopez, I suppose.

[SPEAKER_00]: I, I, I'd go Pablo Lopez.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think that would take

[SPEAKER_00]: I think the injuries are like hamstring and ankle.

[SPEAKER_00]: There's only that.

[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't really, you had a shoulder thing at the end, but then you had an MRI and there's no like no structural damage at all.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I think he's probably a go.

[SPEAKER_00]: In fact, I think a lot of lobe is probably a sneaky value because people are scared of the injuries.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, Miss Yuresky, I'm still worried about the control.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm still worried about the high, the high walk rate,

[SPEAKER_00]: I like kind of having a low whip, especially in the early and the early picks.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't really want to like Dylan Sees who kind of have like a 1.3 whip, like those types of guys I want the really low whips because, you know, once you get into the jrags, once you fill out your back, your back 50, you're, you know, you're having your 1.4 whips and stuff.

[SPEAKER_00]: So I like to have a nice whip base and so Mr. Usky just scares me.

[SPEAKER_00]: Um, with that, and so I don't know, Pablo, but I mean, I, I obviously, Mr. Oscar could be ahead of all these guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I think Chase Burns was later could be ahead of all these guys.

[SPEAKER_00]: It's, uh, it's kind of just pick the guy, your favorite guy of the, of these kind of these top guys.

[SPEAKER_02]: The next one I wanted to call out.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think this is really interesting.

[SPEAKER_02]: And that is Hurston Waldrip goes

[SPEAKER_02]: in the 11th before Chase Burns and Baba Chandler in the 12th and Trayus Savage in the 15th.

[SPEAKER_02]: Now, granted, you savages performance in the ALCS's second start.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think it happened by the time that pic was made.

[SPEAKER_02]: I would take you Savage Burns and Chandler above Waldrip, and I think I would probably take

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I agree.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't, I don't, uh, Walter's not my guy at all in the other draft.

[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, he went later.

[SPEAKER_00]: So like that 11th, it's kind of an anomaly when the 16th later.

[SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, he had a terrible beginning this season.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's some talk like he talked to Sean Murphy and Triple A and he like changed his approach.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then he kind of finished strong.

[SPEAKER_00]: And, you know, he was kind of highly touted coming in.

[SPEAKER_00]: in after his draft season and he's on the brave.

[SPEAKER_00]: And so I think there's a lot of kind of that is residual in people's heads that he's going to be an excellent pitcher.

[SPEAKER_00]: He just, it hasn't happened yet.

[SPEAKER_00]: But I'm a bit, I'm a bit.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's a riskier pick that he's going to kind of actualize into what like J.S.

[SPEAKER_00]: Burns, Boba Chives, I know the McClaying can actually have been showing.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's definitely a riskier pick.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he's behind his savage for sure for me and the bottom of those guys.

[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, um, I tend to agree with you there.

[SPEAKER_02]: I just, uh, I, I understand it to an extent with Waldrup, um, but I just, even what we've seen in the majors for me, I would much rather go with Burns, Chandler Savage, that all have much better fastball quality.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I would say, like, just savage has the better splitter between him and Waldrip, right?

[SPEAKER_02]: And the Bubba Chandler's change up is really, really good.

[SPEAKER_02]: Jay's burns the sliders, really good.

[SPEAKER_02]: So even like the secondary side of things, I don't even think he has the best secondary.

[SPEAKER_02]: So don't quite understand the pick unless the guy who made it was a huge brave fan and then my apologies, sir.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't mean to be a jerk here.

[SPEAKER_02]: couple more names I want to throw at you doing.

[SPEAKER_02]: So this is picks in the 17th, 18th, 19th, around and give another for some line up, Jonah Tong, Conley, early in Parker, Massick, and Peyton, totally for 26 for me.

[SPEAKER_00]: very funny because in the DC, I mean, we, me and Brad's lack.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're taking those guys, and we're trying to figure out who to take.

[SPEAKER_00]: So Rob was got love's tongue.

[SPEAKER_00]: I love tongue.

[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't have the greatest.

[SPEAKER_00]: He had a nice debut with any kind of Peter doubt.

[SPEAKER_00]: He's not a assured of a spot in the meds rotation.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm sure the meds are going to spend or whatever.

[SPEAKER_00]: And he may be the odd man out.

[SPEAKER_00]: Peyton, totally love, love the staff, love with you when he came up.

[SPEAKER_00]: Didn't love the video up, put into the bullpan.

[SPEAKER_00]: Don't love that the red socks have a lot of

[SPEAKER_00]: possible rotation guys, but he's like one of my favorites as well.

[SPEAKER_00]: And then Messick is kind of also a robust guy who kind of snuck in under the radar and he probably performed the best maybe out of all those.

[SPEAKER_00]: And in the Guardians, so we were like, how do we want to pick these guys?

[SPEAKER_00]: And we took all three of them back to back to back to back 1892 and we went tall and Messick totally.

[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't think Tully was going to come back and then he did and we're like, we know what we might as well finish the the the trifecta is that the right order I don't know probably not caught only early was gone by then he's probably more sure to being in the red socks rotation than Tully is but I like totally stuff better I think you do too I could be wrong waiting to hear your thoughts but yeah those are the three we took with it's it's

[SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, it's like, who do you want?

[SPEAKER_00]: They all have amazing upside.

[SPEAKER_00]: They all have their their downside or their potential risks.

[SPEAKER_00]: So it's kind of like, Messick doesn't have the higher upside.

[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's kind of a floor guy.

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe his whip's not going to be the greatest, but he probably.

[SPEAKER_00]: Nine times out of ten as.

[SPEAKER_00]: it's going to be the second or most innings of those three.

[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.

[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe that's that's wrong.

[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like I'm talking to myself.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think it could be probably doesn't have much upside would probably line it up for next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: Connie early, who I think is just in their red socks rotation.

[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think it's a question about that left handed.

[SPEAKER_02]: Really good stuff across the board.

[SPEAKER_02]: We saw some good starts from him.

[SPEAKER_02]: I have tong and totally pretty close because I think the both of good fastballs, tong has the good change up, there's some, you know.

[SPEAKER_02]: There's some question about the breaking stuff.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think it could improve.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think it could come back even stronger next year and kind of knows what he needs to do now.

[SPEAKER_02]: Young pictures getting their Keith kick in the first tastes to the big leagues is a lot more common than it seemed this year.

[SPEAKER_02]: We had a lot of guys who had success early.

[SPEAKER_02]: Totally another guy where a great fastball might be the best, certainly the best fastball this bunch, but maybe one of the best fastballs and baseball enough secondaries and they kept improving.

[SPEAKER_02]: I think we'll see those improve next year.

[SPEAKER_02]: That'll be a big step forward for him and Messick is like you said, I think it's a back end of the rotation.

[SPEAKER_02]: Deeper Lee guy where he's going to get you innings.

[SPEAKER_02]: He's kind of maybe.

[SPEAKER_02]: better and so points league was where innings are and quality starts are big a big part of things.

[SPEAKER_02]: But isn't necessarily going to be great in a road league where I think the ratio is probably going to be more like a 1, 2, 8.

[SPEAKER_02]: to like one three four sort of whip and you know a three nine five to like four twenty sort of ERA like somewhere in that range.

[SPEAKER_02]: But you know it could give you 175, 180 innings and there is some value and certain leagues for guys like that.

[SPEAKER_02]: But among this group I think I would probably have him last.

[SPEAKER_02]: Just

[SPEAKER_02]: based on what the upside is.

[SPEAKER_02]: But I think all of these arms are very interesting.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I just lean early, because I think there's upside there with maybe a higher floor and a little bit less risk than the other guys.

[SPEAKER_02]: Just in terms of how it was roll was used and how he was using the playoffs as a starter.

[SPEAKER_02]: Even if it wasn't a great start, I still think that that's the team telling you something.

[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm gonna listen.

[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I agree.

[SPEAKER_00]: I agree.

[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely early is just to pilot the top one.

[SPEAKER_00]: I'm actually looking at the board.

[SPEAKER_00]: We took Tong and then we took GLABER actually and then Messick and totally came back.

[SPEAKER_00]: We're like, ah, do we take the second one and then we took Messick and then totally came back.

[SPEAKER_00]: So that wasn't three and a row.

[SPEAKER_00]: It was three at four.

[SPEAKER_02]: Well, that is pretty fun.

[SPEAKER_02]: Well, there we go.

[SPEAKER_02]: We've been through all the positions in this prospect ADP series of episodes here on the baseball America fantasy podcast.

[SPEAKER_02]: I am Jeff Ponds, that's doing white.

[SPEAKER_02]: I want to thank everybody for tuning in.

[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see you guys next week.