So many teams had earned more respect and 3rd-party esteem when the playoffs began.
The Braves recorded one of the most dominant seasonsever.
The Orioles were closer and hotter than any young team I can remember.
So many dominant facets.
And that’s without consideringprobablythe most balanced 1-9 lineup outside the top seeds with the Blue Jays.
And then there were the Reds, Cubs, and Mariners all looking on the inside.
Only local, positive fans could argue otherwise and turns out they would be right.
Somehow, someway, we find ourselves with a Diamondbacks-Rangers World Series tied at 1 game a piece.
Somehow, someway, the 2023 playoffs have rebounded from 6 sweeps in the first 8 series.
Today’s show is our 11th in 3 weeks.
Some of us more positive than others.
Some takes we’d obviously like back.
But the overall body of work has made the last two weeks of playoff baseball very special.
If someone wanted to pump the Rangers extra hard, we’d consider the arguments.
But again - credit to the panel for not leaning into gimmicks for the sake of gimmicks.
For better or worse, we take these decisions pretty seriously.
Advantage Dbacks as they are scorching hot off game 2.
Then next matchup in game 4 is a test of bullpens.
The Dbacks are deeper, better, and don’t have any black holes.
Without being disrespectful, the Diamondbacks have a significant advantage to the Rangers after the 2 starting pitchers.
And even then, advantage still Diamondbacks.
He was fine in the WC round against Milwaukee and has slowly gotten worse along the way.
My baseball guy instinct says he’s got a lower back injury/tightness based on his lack of rotational extension.
Kelly pitched his balls off.
The leveling here is realistic even if recent history says we’re morons for thinking that.
And after that come game 7 - Max Scherzer vs. Brandon Pfaadt with both bullpens on full alert.
That has to be a substantial advantage to the Diamondbacks.
So as it stands right now Monday at lunch, the Diamondbacks have a bulk of the advantages.
As such I’ll spend some time later on why that could be wrong.
But let’s talk about two key players 1st.
Zac Gallenis much better.
Here’s astart from April.
The big thing here is his left hip.
The transition of weight to his front side is explosive.
You see the recoil on the nike swoosh above his left butt cheek.
Small potatoes but the nike logo isn’t recoiling.
That’s purely a physical wear and tear aspect, and I could be completely wrong in my assessment.
It could be shoulder, back, ankle.
But it’s clear that he’s not ripping and driving like normal.
This would be the best argument against a Gallen bounce back.
Couple other small things:
Corbin Carroll is worth $1 Billionaccording to Klemmer and I don’t disagree.
That’s over 15 years and worth $66M per year.
I think he’s the best young player in baseball and you’re not going to tell me otherwise.
*A billion is probably too much.
He’s got the nastiest slider and a great last name.
That guy rocks and I hope he gets another big moment this postseason for you to sink into.
Corey Seager is the best player on the fieldand that includes Corbin Carroll.
The humility and grace despite the overwhelming dominance.
Probably any shortstop in the National League.
Definitely a top 10 player and the only question we have is how much do you credit the shift?
Rule change advantage only goes so far though.
Seager could still hit .300 with 5 infielders and 4 outfielders.
The Baseball Gods Have Been Good To Usand I think that’s because Klemmer doesn’t believe.
He thinks it’s silly, which is fine.
It’s been awesome.
They giveth and they taketh and do so without hesitation.
And right now they’re giving us a good World Series with the potential to be great.
For that, I am forever in their service.
it’s possible for you to join me or maybe just check out the playoff coverage.
YouTube
Apple
Spotify
Thank you
