The baseball season is back, and so is the Tipping Pitches way of previewing it: by drafting the most GIF-able players in the game right now. Alex and Bobby invite a roster of a guests to pick opposite them, welcoming on Jane Out, Stephen Hesson, Bekah Ansbro, Clinton Yates (by absentee ballot), Sarah Langs, Jake Mintz and Jordan Schusterman, Matthew Ritchie, and Shakeia Taylor to talk about their players to watch this year.
Follow Jane on Twitter @JaneOst_
Follow Stephen on Twitter @TangoGolfKilo
Follow Bekah on Twitter @BekahAnsbro
Follow Clinton on Twitter @clintonyates
Follow Sarah on Twitter @SlangsOnSports
Follow Cespedes Family BBQ on Twitter @CespedesBBQ
Follow Matthew on Twitter @mkrwrt
Follow Shakeia on Twitter @curlyfro
Links:
The 2022 All-GIF Draft
Join the Tipping Pitches Patreon
Tipping Pitches merchandise
Songs featured in this episode:
Sheryl Crow — “Soak Up The Sun” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions”
Episode Transcript
[INTRO MUSIC]
Tell us a little bit about what you saw and, and, and being able to relay that message to Cora when you watch Kimbrel pitching and kind of help out so he wasn’t Tipping his Pitches. So Tipping Pitches, we hear about it all the time. People are home on the stand, what Tipping Pitches it’s all about? That’s amazing! That’s remarkable.
BOBBY: Alex, the baseball season is here. It is here, here–
ALEX: Against all odds.
BOBBY: –it’s here. It is fully here. If you weren’t ready for it too bad because it’s here, it’s coming. And I’m speaking mostly, to myself. I have not emotionally processed the fact that I am about to internalize 162 at minimum more New York Mets games. You’re going to internalize and ingest about 10 Oakland Athletics games? 10?
ALEX: Yeah, but might be–
BOBBY: Over under, 10.
ALEX: That might be, that might be, that might be pushing it. Here’s the thing, right–
BOBBY: Yes.
ALEX: –is like when–
BOBBY: Yes.
ALEX: –the games get going–
BOBBY: Just when I thought I was out–
ALEX: I know.
BOBBY: –they owe me back in.
ALEX: I mean, this year is going to be harder than ever, right? Like, in, in the past, the A’s have been fun bad. And now this year, they’re gonna be like, bleak that, you know. Like existentially–
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: –like kind of questioning my life choices.
BOBBY: So–
ALEX: That, more so than usual, I would say.
BOBBY: You know, about as well as anyone that last year, anytime I was in public, wearing anything New York Mets, and someone said, hey, let’s go Mets! Whether that was at a game, on the subway, on the street, whatever, I would point at them, and I would say that’s right, this is the year. Do I just run that back? Or am I going to need to think about something different? What do you think? What, what is your take on it? I’m going to let it marinate, I’m not going to decide right now what I’m going to do. But I wanted to hear live on air, live to tape on air, what you think I should do this year? Should I point at them and be like, this is probably not the year.
ALEX: Right, well, I was gonna say, it didn’t work, right? Like all the good manifesting we did.
BOBBY: We did our part [2:19]–
ALEX: For nothing, you know. Exactly.
BOBBY: We did our part, Billy Eppler. Where were you at the trade deadline saying this is the year, you weren’t there. You weren’t there, you were trading four guys for Darin Ruf, or you DFAed? Student WFAN Mets talk.
ALEX: I think you start lowering the bar a little bit, right? So like this may not be the year but Pete Alonso 40 home run season.
BOBBY: That’s too, too many words. Hey, this is the year is perfect.
ALEX: Max, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, best one-two punch in baseball, am I right
BOBBY: Gonna be the greatest over 40 pitching duo ever.
ALEX: Those two [3:02]–
BOBBY: And these are adding qualifiers.
ALEX: –that Citi Field are pretty crazy.
BOBBY: Hey, we’re selling a lot of tickets. The thing about this as the year that was so great is that people could interpret it any way that they want it to. Hey, this is the year that we think baseball is fun again. Hey, this is the year that the Mets win the NL East. Hey, this is the year that the Mets win the World Series. Hey, this is a year that the Mets really turned the stink of the Wilpon franchise around. Like however you wanted to take it, you could take it. And so whatever I do this year, has to kind of live up to that ambiguity standard. So I think that, here, here’s what, here’s what’s the leader in the clubhouse right now. And are Tipping Pitches Mets fan contingent cohort in Slack and on Twitter. I, I encourage you to reach out to me and let me know if you think that this is a good one. If you would like to hear me say this to you. If you say hey, let’s go Mets, you see me on the street. I’m gonna point at people and I’m gonna say in a similar tone, Hey, keep the faith! Say hey, that’s right, let’s go Mets, keep the faith.
ALEX: Yep, a little, a little sadder.
BOBBY: Right!
ALEX: You know, an acknowledgement of pain–
BOBBY: I have to tone it back a little bit. Right, yeah. Of what happened last year about how it all went to shit.
ALEX: Yeah, but, but I like it. I do, uhm, I, I liked your note about being able to interpret the phrase kind of however you want. And, and then it got me thinking I wonder if there was anyone last year who didn’t make the connection, right? Who, who didn’t make the connection that you are a Mets fan talking to another Mets fan saying this is the year. And maybe instead like perceived as a threat, right? Like a stranger passed them on the street and pointed and said this is the year. And so now they’ve just walked around for months looking over their shoulder wondering when this is finally going to happen.
BOBBY: Well, I’m going for them like John Wick like the Baba Yaga.
ALEX: Right, exactly. Doesn’t matter where you go, he’ll find you.
BOBBY: Nah, dawg, I never was the first I was, I was never the initiator. I would only say–
ALEX: Right, right.
BOBBY: –this is the year if someone said let’s go Mets to me. Keep the faith is leader in the clubhouse. How about, hey, we got to start somewhere.
ALEX: You can’t get back on the horse until you fall off, am I right?
BOBBY: Hey, it’s gonna happen eventually, most likely, statistically speaking before I leave this earth, not sure about you stranger. Start talking about that.
ALEX: Hey, it, it could be the A’s at least.
BOBBY: That’s pretty good, actually.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: That’s pretty good. Maybe I’ll mix it up, maybe I’ll have a couple of different responses this year.
ALEX: Yeah, we should, I mean, you should do some A B testing, right? Like throw a few out there.
BOBBY: Okay.
ALEX: Gather the responses see sort of what the reaction is overall.
BOBBY: I like we’re headed that. This is why we work so well together. Collaboration is important in podcasting and in life. Speak of collaboration, there’s a lot of collaboration going on on this podcast. We were joined by so many guests by Stephen Hesson, Jane Ost of Batting Around. By Clinton Yates’ text message–
ALEX: By proxy.
BOBBY: –or right in selection by Bekah Ansbro of the Tipping Pitches Slack to help us make the TV community selection. By Sarah Langs. Jake and, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman, Cespedes Family BBQ. Matthew Richie, Shakeia Taylor, and of course each other. You know, it all starts with, it all starts with you and me, Alex.
ALEX: Well, you’re my favorite guest every week, Bobby.
BOBBY: I want to choose you in the GIF Draft. I’m just going to be videoing you all year. My GIFs out of you. It would actually be better if you were videoing me because I have more emotive reactions while [6:32]–
ALEX: You do, yeah.
BOBBY: –baseball than you.
ALEX: The amount of GIFs I could get out of your frustration when Stevie is barking in the background, you know, like–
BOBBY: Oh, yeah, dude. Yeah, dude. She’s got to chill out. Her and I had a talk, after last week’s episode. Though, people seem to enjoy her contributions to the pod, more Stevie–
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: –they said–
ALEX: Right.
BOBBY: –more Stevie. To that I say the barking is annoying after like an hour, okay? It does get annoying after an hour. I love her a lot, but she’s kind of annoying. This is the Tipping Pitches 2023 All-GIF Draft. This is something that we’ve been doing for six years. This is the sixth installation of the Tipping Pitches, All-GIF Draft. That’s pretty exciting. We don’t really do that many things for six consecutive years. But this is one of those things. And I feel good about it, wrote a newsletter about it. About how much I love doing the GIF Draft, because it is just a statement of purpose for the podcast and for the things that we love to talk about for the sport. So if you’ve never heard a GIF-Draft, what we do is we invite our friends on, we draft our team, they draft the guest team. And we talk about the players who are most likely to produce the viral moments GIFs throughout the 2023 season. We don’t really have a mechanism for scoring this draft. It’s not really about competitiveness, it’s about verbalizing our appreciation for this sport and for the players who make it as fun as they do.
ALEX: Yeah, absolutely. And I, and I really enjoy this exercise because it’s maybe the only time that we talk about baseball here on this podcast. And–
BOBBY: You always say that.
ALEX: –so I think it’s a really good–
BOBBY: Come on. We’re, we’re, we’re Seminole minds of the baseball internet.
ALEX: Well, I know, but with, with no Tatis the rule changes to talk about. I mean, it’s kind of what do we really do, anyway.
BOBBY: I’m gonna buy [8:20]–
ALEX: [8:20] my GIFs.
BOBBY: –’cause I brought it up multiple times throughout the separate recordings of [8:24]–
ALEX: Oh, I know you did. And on Twitter and on, and on on our Spotify poll, and, and in person.
BOBBY: We worked it out in therapy, who are, people, people saying we need to work it out in therapy on the pod. Some things we need to keep for ourselves, everyone. Some things we need to have on our own. Not everything needs to happen on mic. I, I like how do you, how do you feel about doing like a week long live stream of just you and me hanging out? We can’t leave, we have to be by each other side. Tipping pitches top Patreon tier $200 a month and we do a live stream.
ALEX: Jesus. That kind of scares me a little bit, I’m not gonna lie.
BOBBY: Why? Because of this reminds you of college? Take you back to that dark place?
ALEX: Yeah, well, I’m also. I’m also just like, I can’t even stand to be around myself that long, you know. Like, God forbid we charge people for it.
BOBBY: Yeah, I would love to be around you for that long, just for the record, whether of these days.
ALEX: I mean, it’s, it’s like happened before, right? I mean, we’ve had weeks where we’ve been like, oh, yeah, I, we’ve been together 17 straight days.
BOBBY: Okay, here we go, All-GIF Draft 2023, off to the races. Before we go, I am Bobby Wagner.
ALEX: I’m Alex Bazeley.
BOBBY: And you are listening to Tipping Pitches.
[9:39]
[Music Theme]
BOBBY: It’s the 2023 Tipping Pitches All-GIF Draft. We’re joined by honestly what I would call in the podcasting world, a crowd. We got a lot of people on this Zoom right now. Alex Bazeley–
ALEX: Dream blunt rotation right now.
BOBBY: Alex Bazeley was the final person into the Zoom. He was laid by like seven minutes, he was still rolling the blunt, I guess. But now that he’s here we can all start passing it around. We are joined by Jane Ost and Stephen Hesson of the Batting Around podcast. Which is, you know, our frequent collaborator on silly ideas such as this one. So we–
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: –thought that it would be appropriate for you guys to join us for this episode. Thank you for being a part of this.
JANE: I’m glad I could finally be here for one, I, I couldn’t make it last year’s. I had to have Stephen represent us, but–
BOBBY: Stephen who did you select last year?
STEPHEN: I did, I did us pretty well last year. I picked Shohei Ohtani.
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: heard of him.
STEPHEN: Meanwhile, you guys, you guys picked Nick Castellanos.
BOBBY: [10:43]
STEPHEN: [10:43] after me.
BOBBY: He had some good moments, you know.
STEPHEN: Yeah, I think he did.
BOBBY: How about the sliding catch in the World Series?
STEPHEN: Pretty good!
BOBBY: If we were drafting sound bites, you know. Like interview–
JANE: Oh, yeah.
BOBBY: –clips. You still, he would hold down for us.
JANE: Take time.
BOBBY: Yes. We are also joined by Bekah Ansbro, the representative of the Tipping Pitches community. To help us select first overall, the leader in the poll that we put out to the patrons. Hi, Bekah, how are you?
BEKAH: I am well, this is my podcasting debut. And I am–
BOBBY: Overall? Or just–
BEKAH: Overall.
BOBBY: –or just on this pod?
ALEX: Wow!
BEKAH: [11:17] my voicemails. Yeah. So–
BOBBY: That’s true.
BEKAH: –excited to be here, live.
BOBBY: It’s great to have you. We’re honored that you, that you joined us to make the selection for the Tipping Pitches community. But we would like to draw the red carpet for our guests to make the first overall selection. Because it’s only fair, they are joining us so kindly. So I turn it over to you, Stephen Hesson, you’re going to make the first selection for Batting Around.
STEPHEN: I need you to know that this is absolutely agonizing today. I was hoping, I was like, coming up with a few ideas here and there. And I was hoping that a few people would have gone before me so that I’d be able to clarify, like, okay, cool, like, he’s not an option, I’ll go here.
ALEX: You might be the first person who’s interested in trading down in the All-GIF Draft. You’re like, no, I’ll take the fourth round pick.
STEPHEN: Totally, truly,’cause I like being the, I like being, I like coming out of left field. I like being that wildcard. I like other baseball metaphors for being a weirdo. That’s between two, I think, you know what, lastCastellanos year you picked Nick Castellanos right out from under me. And you were gloating about it, ’cause you knew that I was going to be posting a lot of Nick Castellanos GIFs on online. Because he was a Philly, and he was hot, and he was fun.
BOBBY: Yeah, I mean, we were gonna make you do our work for us.
STEPHEN: Bobby, I’m–
BOBBY: Oh, no.
STEPHEN: –I’m gonna snipe you.
BOBBY: Oh, no.
STEPHEN: With my first selection, in light of recent events, and news, and rule changes, I am going to select, with the fir- my first pick, Max Scherzer.
BOBBY: Okay.
ALEX: Oooh, ohh.
JANE: Good call. He was, he was on my shortlist, too.
BOBBY: Near and dear to the hearts of, nearly everyone on this podcast, Bekah–
BEKAH: Yeah.
BOBBY: –Washington Nationals fan. Me being a Mets fan, Jane wearing a Mets hat, you are an honorary Mets fan right now.
JANE: Yeah, absolutely.
BOBBY: And, Alex, I believe you selected Max Scherzer in the very first All-GIF Draft that we did. Which was, which was just you versus me. You selected him as kind of like the serial killer of Major League Baseball. To, to–
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: –draft some GIFs of him muttering curse words under his breath to himself as he’s delivering a pitch. So Stephen, you alluded a little bit to the, the pitch clock.
STEPHEN: Yes.
BOBBY: Is your selection of him primarily based around the shenanigans that he will no doubt get into this [13:43]?
STEPHEN: Am I, am I allowed to talk about this?
BOBBY: Yes!
ALEX: Yeah!
STEPHEN: This banned topic?
JANE: Oh, wow. Wow.
BOBBY: Oh, I didn’t even think about that. So okay, wait, this actually gives me opportunity to–
JANE: [13:53] apply too, yes.
STEPHEN: I’m so sorry, Alex.
BOBBY: The topic was banned by Alex, as is my right, I put up a little cheeky little poll in Spotify to see if the listeners agreed with the banning of the topic, and you know what they didn’t.
JANE: Wow, wow.
BOBBY: So democracy in action one week later. Stephen, I, I do think you are allowed to talk about it. It’s only Alex and I with each other who are–
STEPHEN: Fair.
BOBBY: –banned from speaking about–
STEPHEN: Fair.
BOBBY: –the pitch clock.
STEPHEN: So–
ALEX: We just can’t respond to anything that you say, unfortunately.
JANE: Because I have a lot of things to say about Tony La Russa’s managing style. About individual players and their NFT’s. I know that that one’s from last year.
BOBBY: Yeah, yeah.
JANE: But it’s carrying over and I still have a lot to discuss about that.
BOBBY: Stephen, would like to talk a little bit about Max Scherzer in your selection?
STEPHEN: Yeah, so I think Max Scherzer is one of those players, that’s kind of always going to be a consideration for this because of just how he plays, how he emotes while playing or doesn’t in a very fun and interesting way. He’s a fucking phenomenal pitcher. He’s on a big team that gets a lot of attention.
BOBBY: That is right.
STEPHEN: It’s going to be good this year.
BOBBY: That’s Right. I don’t feel that strongly about that second part, but that’s okay.
JANE: The Mets get a lot of attention even when they’re bad. It’s just–
STEPHEN: Arguably more attention.
JANE: Yeah, exactly. So–
STEPHEN: Yeah, so–
JANE: –no matter what, this would be a good pick, I think.
STEPHEN: Yeah, I think this would be a good pick in a vacuum. But what, what pushes it over the top for me is, the man is like a fucking psychopath, specifically, toward this pitch clock. We’ve already gotten some shenanigans in Spring Training with him. Manipulating it to his advantage and sometimes to his disadvantage. Both of which were very funny. And, yeah, I’m excited to see this play out over the course of an entire season. It’s, it’s, I, I don’t think that I can go wrong here.
BOBBY: What is the platonic ideal GIF that Max Scherzer would create for you this year? Is it like slipping off the pitch clock, you know, like–
STEPHEN: No, I think–
BOBBY: –being ejected for arguing about it?
STEPHEN: I think maybe like him quick pitchi- like, like, like, running down the clock and then quick pitching the batter when he’s not ready. And then just kind of like staring dead eyed into the middle distance like a shark as he is wants to do a heterochromatic shark. He’s great. I’ve always liked him. I’ve always found it to be a bummer when he has been on not one but two of my division rivals. But yeah, that’s my pick.
JANE: I think the–
BOBBY: I love it.
JANE: –I think my favorite type of Scherzer like GIF, or type of like Scherzer moment to captures, when he’s just like, snarling while he’s, you know, while he’s, I mean, it used to be when he was like reading signs from the catcher or something. But now they guess, I guess I don’t have that with the pitch calm. But I still think there’s plenty of like good snarling that we could get out him–
STEPHEN: Oh, yeah, we could get–
JANE: –this season.
STEPHEN: –like him unintentionally violating the pitch clo- getting like a pitch clock violation.
JANE: That’s true.
STEPHEN: And then like screaming and obscenity. That–
BOBBY: Yeah.
STEPHEN: –that screamed obscenities are always great as GIFs.
BOBBY: He’s also going to be wearing hid the pitch calm this year, he will get to have his own pitch calm on the mound. Which it could lead to like a, you know, how like a 7-year old gets mad when they lose in a PlayStation game and chucks the controller against the wall.
JANE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
STEPHEN: Yeah!
BOBBY: If it doesn’t work, you know he might just launch one into the stands.
ALEX: I, I have visions of him doing the like LeBron. right? Where he, where he kind of acts like he’s out of breath. And he like needs to wait a second.
JANE: Totally.
ALEX: Saunters up to the rubber and then like you said Stephen, quick pitches and like point two seconds and catches the batter off guard. Like it’s gonna happen by the time April is over, I have a feeling.
BOBBY: Definitely, definitely. Okay, we’re up, the second overall selection, the first selection for the Tipping Pitches podcast team, that guy turn it over to you. The polls are in–
BEKAH: [8:13]
BOBBY: –we have our result. A last minute neck and neck photofinish. Who is it going to be?
BEKAH: We are going to be taking Seattle sweetheart, Julio Rodriguez.
STEPHEN: Ahhhh.
ALEX: Yes.
JANE: Very good, very good.
STEPHEN: Very good pick.
BOBBY: The community does, they never let us down. They never let us down.
BEKAH: They don’t, it was a great pick.
ALEX: No.
BOBBY: Bekah want to talk a little bit about Julio? So Julio was chosen both for this first overall pick for our team, as well as the player with the best vibes and our Tipping Pitches end of your Patreon survey that we sent out to people. So as the voice of the Tipping Pitches community on this episode, can you speak to a little bit why we’re all so obsessed with Julio?
BEKAH: Yeah, I mean, I think picking him for the best vibes was the right answer here. And it kind of translates over to GIFs pretty well. Outside of his just incredible baseball ability. I think it helps that he’s on a fun team like the Mariners. So we’re gonna get him being a little goofy if we have another what was at the All-Star game where he was messing with Liam Hendrix I hope we get more of that, that, that made for some good content. So I think, I think that Tipping Pitches community did well with this one.
ALEX: That’s been a really big thing that we have, I think realized as we’ve gone through this draft is the importance of the surrounding cast of characters.
BEKAH: Yeah.
ALEX: Right?
BOBBY: Right, yeah.
ALEX: You can exist in a vacuum and be a great fun player, but having people that you can kind of play off of, right? We picked a White Sox players in the past like Tim Anderson because that’s a similarly sort of young and fun team. And Julio I feel like, like you said, he’s got J. P. Crawford around him, right? He’s got other Mariners players that I’m familiar with aswell.
JANE: They play in the division of your favorite team, you should [19:55].
BOBBY: This was, uhm, this was like, you sort of open my eyes to this concept of needing either like a Robin to your Batman or sort of like a wider cast for creating GIFs when you selected Adrian Beltre way back when the day. Because what what Adrian Beltre GIFs fee without Elvis Andrus trying to touch his head all the time. Like he’s just couldn’t–
ALEX: Right.
BOBBY: –create such viral moments necessarily.
ALEX: The John to his Paul I’m [20:20].
BOBBY: Right, exactly. Well, I mean Beltre is great on his own too when he picked up the batter’s box and moved it so that it, it could be so he couldn’t get, I don’t know weren’t by the umpire for it. But that idea of being around other players who you can create viral moments with, I think is not to be ignored in–
BEKAH: Yeah.
BOBBY: –the GIF draft. And I mean, Julio is like he is the face of baseball kind of right now. He is the, the player that I think that MLB is most actively invested in getting as many, getting in, getting in front of as many people as possible. Maybe him and Soto I think that mantle was held by Tatis a few years ago, but obviously some things have changed. So I can’t say anything more–
JANE: Yeah. yeah.
BOBBY: –about that. Oh, it’s all banned? I will violate the banned topics? But Julio is like a. a fan favorite across all of baseball. And the fact that the Mariners was such a feel good story last year. I think vault him sort of into this range. He’s also like, good at the actual sport, you know. Like he’ll make, like highlight catches too, home runs. He’s a very fun player to actually watch play baseball to. Okay, Jane, your up.
JANE: Alright.
BOBBY: Third selection, first in the second round.
JANE: Alright, so we just had the World Baseball Classic. It was incredibly exciting. There was a ton of great moments from that. I in fact, got so excited watching Puerto Rico versus Dominican Republic that I smashed my TV right after the last pitch. But based on how fun that was, seen Edwin Diaz get that last hi- you know, pitch to get that upset. I’m going with Edwin Diaz for the best, best GIFs coming up this year.
BOBBY: Okay.
ALEX: Is he gonna play?
JANE: We did something happen right after that last pitch?
STEPHEN: Oh, Jesus, Jane.
ALEX: I don’t, I , I thought this was a bit at first.
JANE: It is a bit, come on.
STEPHEN: It’s a bit!
JANE: Come on, it’s a bit. Yes, of course Edwin Diaz.
BOBBY: The longest moment of silence in the history of the podcast.
JANE: I know [22:30] God, I’m sorry. I think it was just too, too hurt for Bobby.
BOBBY: Yeah, too close to home.
JANE: Too close to home for Bobby.
BOBBY: Too close to home.
JANE: That it just bombed. No, but someone that was, I do want, my real pick. So if I was picking this to win whatever this GIF was, I would pick Shohei Ohtani. It was, it was Stephen’s pick first overall pick last year.
BOBBY: Yeah.
JANE: I think it’s a no brainer that that’s what I’d be going with. But I’m here to help people with their sleeper GIF picks.
BOBBY: Yeah.
JANE: Alright? And in your, your leads, Shohei’s probably already taken. Juan Soto’s probably already taken, a lot of these guys already taken. I’m gonna give you one that’s probably fine under the radar. Luis Arráez?
BOBBY: Okay.
STEPHEN: Fuck, yeah.
BOBBY: I love it. Close to home pick for you, too.
JANE: It, it was not, not so much anymore, because he’s–
BOBBY: Yeah.
JANE: –now in Miami. Which I do think was a good trade. Miami fans have fun watching him try to play second base again. But during the World Baseball Classic if it were not for an incredible home run of Grand Slam by, by that twink Trea Turner. That would have been like the Luis Arráez game. The Venezuela-US one where he somehow pulled out some power that we’ve never seen. He’s never hit two home runs in his life in a game before. He hit two big like overhead home runs in that game. And I, I was, I was hoping that that would springboard a little bit more attention to him. Because, I mean, you won the batting title last year, you know, took it away from, took the Triple Crown away from Aaron Judge by doing that. But he’s always extremely fun guy to watch. He dances around in the batter’s box and like, you know, a way kind of like what people love about Juan Soto. You know, where he, he’ll like, you know, just spit on a pitch as it goes by and dance around a little bit or shake his head like no, no. Really, really fun guy to watch. He’s a short king. He’s got a, got a boyish little charming face, ton of fun. Hopefully and Miami, he can, he can stay healthy because he has the knees of a 50-year old. And, you know, help their offense a bit and not be too much of a butcher back at second base. But Luis Arráez, that is my pick and that is my sleeper GIF draft pick to help you win your GIF draft leagues.
BOBBY: I love imagining that like there are leagues have GIF fantasy players all–
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: –around the world.
JANE: I’ve got, I’ve got–
BOBBY: –who are just waiting on this.
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: This very valuable information.
JANE: I’ve had, I’ve had a rise in my Keeper League for years, you know?
BOBBY: You know, you note that he is maybe a question mark defensively a second base?
JANE: Very, very much so, yeah.
BOBBY: That can make for a good GIF. It doesn’t have to be a positive–
JANE: It could.
BOBBY: –way you could, you could bobble it off your own face, you know.
JANE: It could, yeah.
STEPHEN: I was about to build off that, like yeah, I think this is a, this is a great pick, because you got the good and you got the bad, and you got the, the emotion the, the [25:37].
BOBBY: [25:37], yeah.
JANE: Yep.
BOBBY: Thoughts on Luis Arráez, Alex? You have been noted, a noted Miami Marlins defender over the years. You’re a fan of their pitching rotation. And so every year you try to tell me, you know, sneaky good and then you just like talk about Marlins players for five minutes and my brain just shuts off. But, do want to make the case for why the Marlins are actually gonna win the NL East?
ALEX: No, I don’t.
JANE: No.
ALEX: But I will, what makes Arráez so interesting, right, this is the kind of player that just doesn’t exist anymore.
JANE: Exactly.
ALEX: He has more walks than strikeouts in his career, right? And again, it’s like a bit of a volume shooter where he puts the bat on ball so much. The opportunities are just there for more GIFs, right?
JANE: Yeah.
ALEX: As you mentioned, I think I, I don’t want to defend the Marlins. And I don’t think Luis Arráez as either. But that’s okay, because I think those opportunities give rise to, pun intended, you know like–
BOBBY: Boooo!
JANE: Yeah, you’re talking like watch a Yankees fans over here.
ALEX: Boooo!
JANE: Megan rise puns.
STEPHEN: Oh, God.
ALEX: I don’t know, I, I love the take–
BOBBY: Wait, we reclaim–
ALEX: [26:53], yeah.
BOBBY: We should reclaim all rise for Luis Arráez.
STEPHEN: Yes!
JANE: I think so.
STEPHEN: Let’s go!
BOBBY: Yankees fan just be so mad.
JANE: Before he got traded there was a company up here making Arráez 316 T-shirts because he hit for 316 when he won the batting title. But I like some, some Arráez, you know/the Bible/Stone Cold Steve Austin I think is pretty good too. But–
BOBBY: Yeah.
JANE: –yeah, just as long as you can just make Yankees fans a little bit more, more upset.
BOBBY: Perfect.
JANE: I mean–
ALEX: He’s, he’s also I don’t know what number he’s gonna wear on the Marlins, but he’s number two on Twins, right?
BOBBY: Right.
STEPHEN: Yes.
ALEX: So we can kind of read two birds one stone.
BOBBY: Greatest number two to ever be associated with Miami Marlins? Perhaps.
JANE: Yeah.
ALEX: That’s my [27:38], perhaps.
BOBBY: This is one of my shortstop, dawg. Marlins don’t have anyone to play shortstop this year.
JANE: His knees would just fucking explode if you tried to put them at shortstop for, for more than about two innings.
BOBBY: Good luck to him, he definitely is a throwback type of player.
JANE: I love him, yeah.
BOBBY: I think this is a good selection. Now that we’ve sufficiently pissed off the Yankees fans as is our wants.
JANE: I pissed [28:04].
BOBBY: We’re now gonna–
JANE: [28:05]
BOBBY: –we’re now gonna reel them back in, just like we always do. Because Tipping Pitches is a Yankees podcast, with the fourth overall selection in the 2023 All-GIF Draft. We’re gonna select Nestor Cortes, the starting pitcher.
JANE: Love it.
BOBBY: For the New York Yankees. Man, this guy is so much fun. God dammit, he’s a lot of fun. And I hate it when the Yankees have players that are more fun than the other players.
JANE: I know.
BOBBY: Like–
STEPHEN: It’s bad.
BOBBY: –it’s impossible to root against this guy. He’s so sweet. He like is just exuding joy and love of the game on the–
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: –on the field. I know that they’re trying to change the balk rules, too, which I’m also not allowed to talk about, I guess. I know that, this was a wild band by you, dawg. Like we just are not will gonna talk about this year. But I know that some stuff with his delivery might be sort of in flux this year. Whether he’s actually allowed to do some of these things that he does. But either way, he’s going to find a way to be funky and weird out there. And it’s just impossible not to root for a guy like that. And from the GIF perspective, he is doing things that look different than every other player on Major League Baseball field. And he’s also like as sneaky great athlete, like the way that he feels the position, the highlights that he makes in the field, covering first base, that sort of thing. And he’s a, a little bit of a prankster, too. He like pulls positive personality traits out of New York Yankees players. Which is–
STEPHEN: [29:29]
BOBBY: –it’s hard to do.
STEPHEN: That is magic.
BOBBY: So he might not Have quite the supporting cast that someone like Julio Rodriguez has in terms of likeable players. But he makes them seem likable, which is honestly more impressive. I feel like, I feel like we’re doing the Tipping Pitches community right. Bekah, what, do you ever take on Nestor?
BEKAH: No, I agree with everything you said. I do have to backtrack for a second. I just appreciate that even though Alex showed up late he did seamlessly fill in the Miami Marlins role. Right before you got on, we pointed out that Stephen Jane have on there NL East hats and I have on my NL East sweatshirt. And we said who’s taking the Marlins? No one volunteered! Will did we know!
JANE: Yeah we, yeah we [30:09], so you’re gone?
BEKAH: No, but Nasty Nestor is a great pick. I mean, I hope that they don’t change the bulk rules, but Manfred’s doesn’t like to have fun. So it wouldn’t be surprising. But I, I think the, the moustache helps.
STEPHEN: Thank you!
JANE: Yeah.
ALEX: Yeah.
STEPHEN: I was waiting for someone to mention the mustache.
JANE: It’s true.
STEPHEN: Am I really gonna be the first one?
BEKAH: Don’t worry about Stephen, you’re absolutely right, the mustache does help
JANE: No and, you know, I don’t think that new, any new rules are really gonna hurt him too much. He’s not a guy that like, you know, relies just like on vote like a ton of velocity or anything. He’s a crafty guy, you know.
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: Yeah.
JANE: He’s not like–
BOBBY: He does–
JANE: –he’s, he’s, he’s not built like you, you’d expect a starting pitcher to be built like these days. He’s like, kind of a crafty guy. I think. I think he’s, he’s a fighter. Oh, yeah.
BOBBY: He’s fairly flexible and adjustable.
JANE: He’ll get it. Yes. Right.
BOBBY: He said, change the rule that changes his delivery, like he’s not gonna have a problem with that.
JANE: Exactly. And–
ALEX: He will literally throw it the other hand if he has to, you know, like–
BOBBY: That would be sick.
JANE: Yeah. And, and, you know, you mentioned the cast of characters around him and gave me an idea we should do like a she’s all that sort of thing. Where Nestor Cortez has to make Josh Donaldson seem likable. Like by the All-Star game, can you make Josh Donaldson like get a positive media hit in there about him?
BOBBY: If he can, we might have to just like elect him president. Because that–
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: –would be really–
JANE: Bringing the country together?
BOBBY: Truely a feat.
BEKAH: I do you appreciate that the two picthers taken are kind of polar opposites. We have scary Max and happy Nestor.
STEPHEN: Yeah.
JANE: Totally, totally.
BEKAH: Totally givable for very different reason.
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: I think that those guys would have a fun time hanging out personally.
ALEX: Yeah.
BEKAH: I think so too, Max is like–
BOBBY: I think that they would really respect each other’s past.
BEKAH: –a good time on his off days. Yeah.
BOBBY: Max looks like so much fun on his off days.
BEKAH: I know.
BOBBY: He’s just wearing all like slinky athletic wear, dude is wearing shorts everywhere.
JANE: Yeah.
BOBBY: I love that guy.
BEKAH: I would like to see him get ejected for pitching about the pitch clock when he is not pitching.
BOBBY: Max?
BEKAH: Yeah. [32:24] Mets pitchers–
ALEX: That’s good.
BEKAH: –to get called on it, and Max just starts John at the umpire.
BOBBY: Okay, the pitch clock, which I am not allowed to talk about.
BEKAH: You can talk about it.
ALEX: Right.
BOBBY: Just gonna keep talking about it. If I were to ask a question about the pitch clock, this question would be. For argument’s sake for Nestor Cortez.
ALEX: Right, hypothetically speaking.
BOBBY: It’s when your wind up starts, right? So he can do all his funky little pauses and shenanigans. It’s just he has to start the wind up by the time the pitch clock has ended, right? He doesn’t have to release the ball by then.
BEKAH: I mean, I like to–
ALEX: I think it’s when you lift up your lead leg.
BEKAH: –answer your question but you can’t talk about it.
BOBBY: So Alex, if you were to answer me, it would be, the answer would be this.
ALEX: I think in theory, it would be when you would, generally speaking, lift up your lead leg–
BOBBY: Okay.
ALEX: –the pitch clock would hypothetically stop.
BOBBY: Okay, great. Thank you, for hypothetically answer that question that I didn’t ask.
STEPHEN: I, I am so excited to, to track your podcast throughout the season. And just see like how long you guys go talking, like, like, continuing to talk about all the rule changes, but constantly like framing them and, and talking around that they are technically banned even though–
BOBBY: Yeah.
STEPHEN: –you’re still talking about it.
JANE: I’m gonna be documenting all of your violations of this and then filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of all the listeners.
ALEX: On all of our listeners?
STEPHEN: Jane, will do, will do.
ALEX: Yeah, leaving the investors.
JANE: Yeah. I’m in a civil litigations class right now. I can, I’ll learn a couple of things in 10 weeks, I’m gonna I’m gonna sue you.
BOBBY: Bekah, you’re in law school too, you can defend us.
BEKAH: I’m not a good lawyer.
BOBBY: Well, you’re the only lawyer we got, so.
STEPHEN: Jane, we just, we just watched Brockmire, we can take them to kangaroo court.
JANE: That’s true, that’s true.
BOBBY: That is true. Kangaroo Court is the appropriate place to litigate this, I think.
BEKAH: You know, the Tipping Pitches fan union is already mobilizing and [34:05] three minutes of just like a bleeped out section in this episode, there might be some issues.
BOBBY: Yeah, exactly. We have, we’d have demands from management and we must be met at the table. By like May 1, we’re gonna, the whole podcast is going to be spoken and like that 1990 like video games speak. Like, you come to a pitch clock violation. You have the choice of bringing up the pitch clock violation.
BEKAH: Yeah, just talking like [34:31]–
JANE: [34:31]
BOBBY: To your left, you see the angry listeners. To your ight you see a boring podcast. Which way do you choose player? Jane Ost–
JANE: Yes.
BOBBY: –Stephen Hesson, Batting Around podcast. Thank you so much for joining us, this was so much fun.
JANE: Thank you.
STEPHEN: It’s always such a pleasure being here.
JANE: Yup, love it.
BOBBY: And Bekah Ansbro, you did us a solid by being the voice of the Tipping Pitches community. Thank you so much.
JANE: Well done.
BEKAH: Hey, you know what, anything to keep the community together. You know, we’re, we’re not looking too kindly upon you to right now so.
BOBBY: We’re on a hot water.
BEKAH: I came here to let you know that more than anything.
BOBBY: First round is already blood in the water, okay?
One from Jansen. There you go! Left field, we got a tie ballgame! Julio, oh, baby, what a moment! Tie ballgame at 7-7!
BOBBY: Okay Alex, number three. You know we were supposed to be joined by Clinton Yates. This is a Tipping Pitches first, Clinton is famous for these Tipping Pitches firsts. Last year he selected Buck Showalter, a manager. Testing the limitations of the rules of this event. We weren’t even sure if you were allowed to select a manager until Clinton did it and we’re like you know what? Good idea. I guess you’re allowed to select a manager. Clint was supposed to join us, but then something came up and he was not able to. Yet he still wanted to get his pick and so Clinton Yates has a write in pick this year that I am going to share in his stead. Clint is picking Triston McKenzie, who he thinks is finally settled into being a big league star. And he expects his smile and infectious energy/line to be off the chart. This is a great pick. Has, has sticks been selected for? I don’t think he has.
ALEX: I don’t think he has, no, which, you know, I think you can attribute to it being his first couple of years in the league. So getting his feet under him. But–
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: –it’s, it’s very clear that like, he is at the point now where he’s ready to break out, right? And again, just another really enjoyable player to watch that does not look like the average Major League Baseball player in 2023, you know. And I really appreciate that. I did see an alert from about 20 minutes ago that he was pulled from his Spring Training start, so we’re connected.
BOBBY: Oh, no.
ALEX: See how this we may have more information tomorrow. But barring anything major, this is a great pick from Clinton. I mean six, he’s, he’s that dude. Cy Young 2023, here it comes.
BOBBY: Five picks so far, three starting pitchers. Usually not the route that everybody goes.
ALEX: No.
BOBBY: But I guess that’s just how the draft boards shaken out this year.
ALEX: Yeah, man, the starting pitchers back on top. And everyone wants to talk about offense.
BOBBY: You know why? Because everybody heard my rant about pitcher wins.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: That’s why. They’re like pitcher wins, we better get some starters in the All-GIF Draft. The triumphant image of the pitcher realizing that they’ve locked down the pitcher win for the day.
ALEX: Right, exactly.
BOBBY: Thanks for a great GIF.
ALEX: They just hit their, they just hit their contract incentive for 15 wins.
BOBBY: It’s all about getting these players paid, man. You know, that’s our, that’s our vibe. Okay, we’re up to pick number six. Our selection in the third round. Would you like to do the honors?
ALEX: Ofcourse. That is the, that is The Once and Future King of Philadelphia sports. One Trea Vance Turner.
BOBBY: Vance?
ALEX: Vance.
BOBBY: Wow. Vance. You pick Vance joy guy?
ALEX: No, no. Is that a thing?
BOBBY: What big Vance Joy guys?
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: Not that I’ve ever met, but you know, I keep asking around.
ALEX: Trea Turner feels kind of tailor made for this. And I don’t know that, has he been picked before? Maybe he would–
BOBBY: Not to my recollection.
ALEX: –maybe he went the last couple years? I don’t know. But it feels like the last couple of years he has been turnout GIFs to the point where it would be a dereliction of our, of our duties if he was not represented here in the draft. Obviously, I feel like the one that everyone’s mind jumps to is his slides at home plate, right?
BOBBY: Right.
ALEX: Like that’s the, that’s his tool that, that stands out. But–
BOBBY: Do you think that he decides ahead of time? Like the before the game starts when he’s going to do that kind of slide? He’s like, today’s one of those days.
ALEX: That’s a good question, but I, I would hope that it’s not, that it’s more impulsive than that, you know. As he scampering down the third base line.
BOBBY: Great [39:10].
ALEX: I want him like, like reading the field, as it happens.
BOBBY: He is a bit of a scamper.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: That’s how I would describe his running style. Yeah, the, the slides alone are reason enough to select him. But he also is a very aesthetically pleasing baseball player. And that’s not just even a comment on his boyish, charming good looks. It’s, he does the things that are fun to visually watch while playing. He has that one hand swing where he lets go with his- with his guiding hand at the end of his swing, just very aesthetically pleasing. He’s obviously fast. He plays a middle infield position. He is now going to be on a team with some people who seem to be friends with him. So we are having that boosted effect of him getting to hang out with Bryce Harper, who has been selected in this draft many times. And Kyle Schwarber, J. T. Realmuto. I don’t know if any of these people are friends with a very boring Zack Wheeler. But, you know, this is a good team who’s going to be in the spotlight a lot. And Trea Turner is kind of the, the central new piece to this team. So it’s a, it’s a good pick. I’m complimenting our own pick, but I’m complimenting it because you were pushing for it, so.
ALEX: Yeah, I feel good about it too. And we need at least one Philly representative, I feel like. I do feel like that is a–
BOBBY: I don’t feel that way.
ALEX: –unintended, unintentional mainstay.
BOBBY: I don’t feel that way.
ALEX: Well.
BOBBY: Oh, okay. We’ll come back in just a second with our next guest, Sarah Langs.
Turner, to left field, and deep. [40:44] it back, it is, gone!
BOBBY: We are on to round 4, 2 23 All-GIF Draft. We have the pleasure of being joined, for the first time for the GIF Draft by Sarah Langs, MLB Network reporter, researcher, overall baseball Twitter star and legend, Sarah It is our honor. Thank you for joining us here on the pod.
SARAH: Oh my goodness, one intro, thank you so much. This is awesome. I, as you referred to tweet a lot about baseball, yes. But also have really tried to keep track of those really good GIF moments. So I feel like this perfect and I was thinking back to moments from last year as I, as I was kind of preparing for this when you reached out. So uh, this awesome. Thank you.
ALEX: I, I love the varying degrees to which people like do their own preparation for this, right? Like some people again, like we’ll go listen to last year’s, we’ll go through like the pitching ninja, Twitter will create like a big board with picks and, and backup picks. That process is arguably just as fun to me as, as sitting down and making the, the picks themselves, and, and ruling names off the list. But we’re so glad you could join us. You’re an oft requested guest by many of our listeners.
SARAH: Oh my goodness.
ALEX: We’re, we’re glad to finally make it happen.
SARAH: Oh my gosh, thank you. Yeah, I mean, I will say I’m, I’m proud to say this is probably the least preparation I had to do for podcasts.
ALEX: You’re good.
BOBBY: That’s right.
SARAH: That’s a good thing, because usually it’s like, hey, who’s gonna lead the league in homers and I have to go through FanGraphs and go through zips and everything. This is, hey, who are the most fun players in baseball? That I thought, I think.
BOBBY: I mean, that’s why we made it, it’s because we wanted to make create the least amount of work for ourselves. So you are reaping the benefit of Alex and I laziness from 2018, it’s still paying dividends. Okay, I gave you a quick briefing of who’s already been selected. For the listeners sake, I’m going to run through those names and who selected them. Very quickly right here and then I’ll turn it to you, Sarah. The selection so far have been Max Scherzer made by Stephen Hesson of Batting Around. Julio Rodriguez, made by the Tipping Pitches Patreon community selected by Bekah Ansbro. Third overall was Luis Arráez, select by Jane Ost of Batting Around. And we select a Nasty Nestor Cortez, and then fifth overall, Triston Mckenzie, selected by Clinton Yates, in a write in ballot this year, because he was unable to join us unfortunately. And then six- six overall, we selected Trea Turner, he have the beautiful, gorgeous, aesthetically pleasing slides and that wonderful one hand swing. So you have a quite a selection to follow up, so we turn it over to you Sarah Langs, seventh overall pick in the 2023 All-GIF Draft, who are you going to take?
SARAH: I do want to say, I thought Julio would be the number one overall pick. And I was hoping I might have that pick and had to take him. Max is a great choice, too, I love that, obviously everything he does on the mound. But I thought Julio was like far and away number one. So I love that we have some intrigue here. I’m going to surprise, nobody who follows me or knows the players I talked about most and take Juan Soto who is a very fun and exciting player. Of course that also celebrator as we saw in the WBC, even though the that they didn’t have a great WBC. He did, he yet close to .500 in a couple of home runs. And we saw him celebrating with Julio in the outfield when Julio made that great catch against Puerto Rico after the other play [44:42]. He’s a really fun player visually, and they feel like that will be on display in a big way. Not to mention the back, the Padres had they’re really fun sort of finger pointing celebration. And he is a big part of that. And maybe I’m slightly biased here also by the fact that the Brooklyn Nets Mikal Bridges was talking again last night about how much he likes to imitate that celebration. Talking about how he watches baseball and he loves that Padres celebration. That is a big on Manny Machado on Juan Soto thing.
ALEX: You, you brought up the World Baseball Classic and it’s something that, you know, we’ve never really ha- got the opportunity to do the draft sort of amid or on the heels of the World Baseball Classic. And it almost feels a little bit unfair because it’s like, I mean, unfair but it’s also a perfect preview of the season, right? Seeing the almost like the MLB GIF draft combine, right? Like we get to, we get to see it all out on [45:44]
BOBBY: Yeah, bro, they did the World Baseball Classic for us. That’s definitely why, just for us to do the GIF draft, yeah. So that was a great selection, he’s been taken quite a few times at this point, because he’s been in baseball for so long now despite the fact that he’s only like 24. Langs, for you, how has Soto age? Like, how much has he changed as a persona from when he came up and he was a young fresh face with the Nats in 2019? How has your love for his game and his playing style grown over the years? And I guess what do you expect from, from him in San Diego this year? Because those, that’s a team With high expectations, the first time that they’ve been projected to actually win that division, basically ever? Like since we were projecting team wins. So a lot of pressure, but also you know that Soto loves and thrives on pressure.
SARAH: He does, and you know, I’m gonna answer the second question first about the expectation. I wrote a story probably a month ago about how I expect him based on a burst to be the monster that we’re inducing in 2023. I think one factors went into last year. Obviously there are a lot of intangibles that I can define, nobody can define with stats, but being traded rumors all that going on, it’s certainly not easy to play through. So that may have had some sort of effects. But if you look at stuff like expected SAP, Juan Soto also had some unlucky breaks. If you look them down, now, they expected that which are based on contacting me, we’re still not in the [47:20] were used to pram. But they do show us and he was better than the backup. Like a baseball card might tell you, which is very important. It also tells us if you look at his baseball [47:33] and page, he didn’t make as much or contact or as much line drive contact as he normally does. This is an outstanding hitter. So to your first question, he has certainly gotten better since he’s been in the league. Nut what has amazed me from day one is that plate just one. When we saw it in the minors, then we saw when he debut in 2018. And if anything is even gotten more discerning. So I think knowing that that is the baseline, you can have a lot of faith, that a really great hitter who still compares to Ted Williams at this age and moving forward, it’s going to be really good again this year.
ALEX: Actual talent on the baseball field is something that I think often gets underrated in the, in the GIF draft, right? But, but like Soto is the perfect example of like, he’s going to do something no matter no matter what, right? Like it, whether he succeeds or fails, he’s going to wow you. And also he’s probably going to succeed most of the time, which–
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: –helps us case.
BOBBY: The baseline, so like the baseline GIF of him that, that gets circulated and share that it’s so fun every time is him just spitting on a pitch that’s like, right on the borderline, and him knowing that it’s on the borderline and turning and looking at the picture. And be like, you know, that was on the borderline. I know that was on the borderline, and I still spit on it. Which I love and it happens, you know, dozens of times a week for him, because he’s so tremendous. But then I think like the ceiling with him too is really great. Because you think back to that 2019 wildcard moment of him just being overwhelmed with joy and exuberance after he, after the error in right field with Trent Grisham and he’s rounding second he still gets thrown out somehow, but he’s celebrating while he’s getting tagged out. So he has both like a steady baseline of what he creates from a GIF perspective, obviously as a player too. But then also a very, very high ceiling that he can reach at times, too, because of his you know exuberant personality.
SARAH: He does, and you know, I’m glad you mentioned that with 2019 because my sort of go to GIF with him naturally thing on my phone on Twitter. You know, if you click GIFs and I was like, what’s your most recent rose use? Somethin like that. I think this one still ends for me. It’s him standing in left field in Houston in 2019. Putting his hands up the sky and celebrating [49:59], as the game was ending when they won the World Series. And I think 2019 was really important moment for everybody in baseball. And around baseball to see that not just this young player who was such a great played since [50:15] saturates her. But then he does have that personality that’s out there on the biggest stage. And it was there from day one, but seeing it on national game in World Series games, in that moment, where he had to home run off clean curse on Game 5 of [50:32] I think that that’s where you really see that emotion. And going back to the [50:39]. I mean, that’s where we got to see a lot of this too. So I do wonder this wrath would have looked different if it was done three weeks ago. Like I wonder of Trea Turner was more on the mind. Because of everything he did, even know that wasn’t even his slot.
BOBBY: Yeah, Man, he had a great WBC. So I’m just really, I’m quaking in my boots with him being against, back against me in the NL East this year, as a Mets fan. But he’s a tremendous player. Very fun to watch, which is why we selected him. Okay, Alex, it’s time for us to, to do our deed and, and select eighth overall. Langs with you here, baseball savant wizard that you are, we decided that we would hew our pick towards that and select Oneil Cruz. Who does things on a baseball field that like maybe literally no one else has ever done, you know. And I think sometimes, like the baseball savant screenshot doesn’t always necessarily translate to the play being that visually noticeable. Like sometimes a guy cracks one- 110 off the bat, but if it’s a ground ball, and these, these like the, the fielder fields it cleanly, it can be hard to tell that that was a sensational exit velocity necessarily. But what’s so amazing about Oneil Cruz is that it pretty much always looks unbelievable too, everything he does. The way the ball jumps off of his bat, just the arm strength, the height of him on the field, in the middle of the diamond. Being able to make these plays with these super long arms and just unbelievable twitchy athleticism. And he’s just a remarkably noticeable baseball player on the field. And so I think that that was what kind of got him on our long list. Alex, you had him, you actually were the one that had him on your long list, and I had left him off. So do you want to wax up poetic a little bit about kind of one of the few things that’s fun to watch about the Pittsburgh Pirates?
ALEX: Yeah, I mean, he feels like he is the perfect kind of candidate for this draft, right? Because he’s got the loud sort of tools. he’s got the swagger on the baseball field. Obviously, it hurts a little bit that like he’s not necessarily in an environment that you know that with a rising tide that kind of lifts all the boats. But he–
BOBBY: Put him on, put him on the Padres, bro.
ALEX: Yeah, actually. But like, no matter, because he’s got the, the tools, he’s gonna have the standout plays, right? And like you mentioned, Bobby, I think it’s kind of interesting, because sometimes, those don’t necessarily translate to like that wow moment, right? It’s like he just hit the hardest baseball that we’ve ever tracked. And it was a single to right field, right? You know like, okay. But I’m still gonna watch the ball come off that bat 100 times.
BOBBY: Sometimes he hits it off the end of the bat. and then like, bounce, one hops the wall. And I’m like, what is–
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: –happening here? I just don’t understand.
ALEX: Right, and they, they ask him about it after the game, and he’s like, yeah, I didn’t realize I actually hit it that hard. And I’m like, what? Sarah, I’d love to hear your perspective on him again, being someone who’s like, so immersed in a lot of these stats and like looking at different ways to sort of think about baseball players. What kind of stands out to you about Oneil Cruz?
SARAH: I mean, as you guys said, it says measurable tool. So it’s [54:00] that trains but for this draft, another part of it that I really like is pleased [54:08]. And you have that beautiful background, in the visual of any GIF that comes out of a home game ranch, you’re probably gonna get some home runs into the Allegheny, we’re gonna have boats going up to that or maybe a dog jumping into water, whatever it might be. So I feel like that’s kind of part of it to the aesthetics. But as you said, I mean, he’s been the majors for basically a year now. If you count like two games at the end of ’21 last year. He already has the hardest hit bomb [54:42] which shook a lot. [54:45] knew and had the individual hardest hit balls in every season under [54:52] and oh no crews came and said, nope, I’m gonna go back. And then, yeah, the hardest throws we’ve seen fun shortstop and everything he does is kind of at the top of the leaderboard like that. I also think that because his biggest moments are very event based, big home run, big throw something like that. That also translates really well to be, you know, not necessarily going to be the, you know, base [55:24], double walk off, double, triple, whatever, it’s going to be a very discrete event for him given this team and everything else, which I think translates aswell.
ALEX: I liked that you pointed out where he actually plays too. Because I feel like that’s something that actually does not come up very often when we’re talking about GIFs. But like is huge, right, in like setting the environment. And as you mentioned, PNC is a gorgeous setting, right? I mean, you could drop any player in there and I’d watch him hit baseballs all day. Except for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but like otherwise–
BOBBY: You’re going so hard at the Pirates but, you know–
ALEX: I know, really for no reason, we did just draft on the players.
BOBBY: It’s directed at Bob Nutting, it’s not it has nothing to do with Oneil Cruz, it’s not his fault. I’m, yeah, I’m excited to watch him all year. I, of course, there’s going to be growing pains as there is with any young player and he has a lot of swing and miss in his game that are not going to be made into GIFs. but that doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this podcast. This podcast is about the highlights. It’s about the ups not the downs. So, Langs, Juan Soto, great choice, we got Oneil Cruz. Thank you so much for joining us on the 2023 All-GIF Draft. it’s been such a pleasure to talk to you.
SARAH: Of course, thank you guys for having me. I love this and I can’t wait to see the full list.
Off pitch, and a high fly ball to deep right field! Juan Soto, has left the yard! First time in a Padres uniform! The Soto Shuffle make his way, all the way around to tie the score one to one!
BOBBY: Alright, it’s a yearly tradition. They’re here to do the GIF draft. They’re here to make fun of us for not being as good at the GIF Draft as them. It’s Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman, of Cespedes Family BBQ. Hello, gentlemen, it’s nice to share a Zoom link with you.
JAKE: I am a year older, a year wiser, and a year kinder, and I have no intention to make fun–
BOBBY: A year less handsome–
JAKE: –and a year less–
BOBBY: –than me and Alex.
JAKE: –handsome than you and Alex, and that is true. But I have no intention to make fun of anyone. I will not demean for your inability to properly cover the sport of baseball, Jordan?
JORDAN: Yeah, no, I agree. We’re just here to make good picks and get better. So that’s really what this is about.
JAKE: Yeah.
JORDAN: And–
BOBBY: One, one pick at a time.
JORDAN: –as always, we feel confident in our board. And we look forward to finding out who will not be available for us to select. I actually feel like the last few times we’ve done this. You know, we make a board and we’re like, oh, these guys will be have been taken and then you give us all the names and it’s like, oh, actually, they’re still available. And then we’re like, oh crap, we have so many options. But as I understand that we always do this, Jake and I are drafting together. We have crafted our board together but we get to take two picks in total?
BOBBY: Yes, that’s right.
JORDAN: Okay. Got it.
BOBBY: Okay, I’m gonna give you the, the lowdown of who has been selected already and who selected them. You have not heard this information yet. So we’ll see if anybody on this board was on your board. First overall pick, Max Scherzer, made by Stephen Hesson of the Batting Around podcast. Julio Rodriguez, second overall, made by Tipping Pitches fan community via Bekah Ansbro, friend of yours. She came on to represent the Patreon. Luis Arráez, third overall, made by Jane Ost. Nestor Cortez by the Tipping Pitches podcast. Triston Mckenzie by Clinton Yates via write in, because he was unable to join the Zoom.
JAKE: That is the most–
BOBBY: First time–
JAKE: –Clinton Yates thing I’ve ever heard in my life. My man, my man sent a telegram. Hey, can you come on the pod? No, but I can write you a letter.
BOBBY: Last year was the first time a manager had ever been selected when Clinton took Buck Showalter and this year was the first time someone ever picked without actually coming on the podcast–
JORDAN: The fuck!
BOBBY: –is famous for first
JAKE: But he’s allowed to do that, because he nailed the Buck pick.
ALEX: I know, it was an amazing pick.
BOBBY: It was unbelievable. Then we took Trea Turner. Sarah Langs, came on and took Juan Soto. And then we most recently took Oneil Cruz. So that brings it to you guys for the ninth overall selection in the 2023 GIF Draft.
JORDAN: Okay, so to be clear, we’ll pick and then you’re gonna pick another one, correct?
BOBBY: Yes, that’s right.
ALEX: Yes.
JORDAN: Okay.
BOBBY: One second, Jordan and I need to just do a quick bit of texting.
JORDAN: Yes, yes I think–
BOBBY: This is how the magic happens.
JORDAN: I, I like, I like your pick, I like your picks here. Here’s a word, not yet, we’re, we’re not gonna take- so last year, I believe we took Jazz. And we still love Jazz, and we’re gonna leave Jazz on the board.
JAKE: Because we–
JORDAN: So Jazz is available.
JAKE: We nailed that, like we won.
JORDAN: Yeah.
JAKE: We did it.
JORDAN: Yeah.
JAKE: Right?
JORDAN: And, and honestly, he’s like still our franchise. Like I still believe in Jazz, but for the purposes of like interesting podcast content, we’re not just going to repeat all the things we, we, we love Jazz for. So we’re gonna skip him. And I think the first pick is like such a no brainer. And the fact that we’ve still, you know, gone now while without watching him, we’re taking Tatis.
BOBBY: Nice.
JORDAN: As much as, see–
ALEX: Hell, yeah.
JORDAN: –what when you think about what you’re looking for in a, in a top GIF draft player, you’re looking for someone who is going to be, there are going to be a lot of cameras on him at all, all the time, right? So you need not just the regular broadcast angle, you need additional broadcast cameras being devoted to this player at all times while they are in the game. And Tatis is just he is that and because we haven’t actually got to watch him play baseball for a year. I think we are forgetting the kinds of highlights and the kinds of emotions that he makes us feel while he is on a baseball field. And I think that he is perfect for this, Jake?
JAKE: The Padres are going to be hyper relevant whether they are good or they are bad. And that is another big reason why Tatis was so high on our board. And Jordan you make a great point, when he comes back at the end of April, he’s going to be everywhere. Like they’re gonna be videos, pictures, GIFs, even maybe? And so even though he did take, you know, trouble bob was a lol or cluster bebble. dabble, dibble. Like our program has no issue with cheating. So we’re fine with Tatis.
BOBBY: Okay, nice.
ALEX: Well the–
BOBBY: The discussion of Fernando Tatis Jr.’s suspension is a banned topic from this podcast. So we are in accordance on that front.
JORDAN: That’s fine.
BOBBY: Last week banned a bunch of topics, including rule changes, Tatis Jr., including Tatis Jr. discourse, so I had a tough time talking on this show so far, but that’s okay.
JAKE: I heard about the rule change discourse banning of the discourse discourse. And I think I would have recommended to banned certain parts of it. I would have banned the bases.
BOBBY: Yeah, but then you would have just been, that would have been you would have cut the legs out of that bill so to speak. Alex was going full stop. He passed the, the whole new deal not half.
ALEX: I, I only allowed bases I’d like to point out.
BOBBY: Yeah, that’s true.
ALEX: I, I want to hear more bases.
JAKE: Oh, cuz you liked them big old bases.
ALEX: I do like the big old bases.
JAKE: I need James Carville to say that out loud.
BOBBY: You guys, now that I’m thinking about it, you guys have actually seen the bases, the bigger bases.
JAKE: Yeah.
BOBBY: How much bigger are they?
JAKE: They’re big, they’re big.
JORDAN: Yeah.
BOBBY: They’re so big, right?
JORDAN: They’re so big.
JAKE: But they’re also not that big, I think. Like, if, if you were at, if you were like on the press box level or like in the upper deck, they’re just bases, man. They’re just bases. They’re, they’re bigger, but, nah!
JORDAN: I, so yeah, we’re happy with Tatis here, he’s amazing. He is also like there’s always spicy potential for like, remember when him and Machado were like screaming at each other in the dugout. Like, there’s–
BOBBY: Yeag, that was sick.
JORDAN: –all kinds of [1:02:59] like in the dugout, he’s a good like when he pops out with the bases loaded, he could get really mad, he could get. Like, there’s, there’s a lot, there’s a lot here, so anyway–
BOBBY: Tatis [1:03:09] my dreams, screaming at Manny Machado on live television.
JORDAN: So, I, I we, we, we are very excited to have him back in our lives. So Tatis our pick, we kick it back to you.
BOBBY: Alex, I’m gonna let you do the honors on this one, it’s, it’s, he’s a teammate of Tatis Jr. internationally. And he’s near and dear to New York Mets fans heart.
JAKE: César Valdez?
BOBBY: Yeah, no, you actually, you nailed it.
JORDAN: Yeah.
ALEX: No, it’s Starling Marte, Slack fan favorite.
BOBBY: I, I can’t even begin to tell you how, how thirsty the Tipping Pitches Slack is for Starling Marte. This man walks into the outfield and people are losing their shit.
ALEX: Yeah, I think I’ve seen him with his shirt all the way unbutton more than I have like, not, you know? Yeah, I really respect the, the tenacity of our, of our fans to, to find the horniest photos of Starling Marte. And oftentimes, that may translate to GIF form. He’s such an exciting player, I think and can make things happen on the bases, in the outfield, at the plate. And again, he’s just having the time of his life out there. And it shows so clearly, and again, it helps that he’s a snack. Bobby, what do you think?
BOBBY: For me the thing was Starling Marte is that he goes from completely relaxed to like explosive play so quickly. Like he looks like he’s just chillin in a men’s league 80% of the time. And then the rest of the time, he’s like leg in a single into a double. Or he’s stealing the base. Or he’s maybe not as good in the outfield as he was five years ago, but that okay, because Billy Eppler turned Brandon Nimmo into Mike Trout, you know. So I, I really love Starling Marte. I have grown to love him over the last year as, as he’s become such a key cog in the New York Mets. But he’s fun, he’s like, laid back swagger personified on the baseball field. And I think that he’s a, a sleeper pick for the GIF draft.
JAKE: He’s also in the running for the hottest bald man in New York.
BOBBY: That’s right. Who else is in that race with him?
ALEX: Yeah.
JAKE: Who else is–
ALEX: Him and Eric Adams?
JAKE: Him, Eric Adams. I guess–
BOBBY: Fat Joe.
JAKE: –Larry David when he’s in town.
BOBBY: Steve Cohen.
JAKE: Not in the running. The Starling Marte pick also for you Bobby feels like a post facto excuse for losing to the Padres. Because if I remember correctly, so much of the end of the Mets season was, where if we had had Marte would have been [1:05:57]–
BOBBY: [1:05:57], he, he did end up playing.
JAKE: I know he did.
BOBBY: And he was good.
JAKE: But he, he didn’t play all three games, I believe. And I think that he didn’t–
BOBBY: Yeah.
JAKE: –play down the stretch. If he had played down the stretch, they would have beat the Braves and they wouldn’t head to play the Padres, right?
BOBBY: Yeah, that was the take.
JORDAN: Yeah.
BOBBY: Here, here’s how the Mets would have beat the Padres. They, if they didn’t suck ass in all three of those games that would, that would–
ALEX: Yeah.
JORDAN: That would have been sick.
BOBBY: Absolutely, totally put up a full stinker.
JAKE: Why, why didn’t they think of that?
BOBBY: Three straight games.
JAKE: Why didn’t they think of that?
BOBBY: They should have thought of that? Yeah, I don’t know, I don’t know.
JAKE: Also, it would have helped if anybody had shown up for Game 3. One of the most embarrassing fan performances of all time. Don’t tell me about the ticket- like the place was sold out in the first few days.
BOBBY: I know, I was there.
JAKE: It was tough.
BOBBY: First game was one of the bleakest moments in my life. Alex can tell you.
ALEX: So, so tough to watch.
JORDAN: My only Starling Marte take is that he, he’s one of my favorite career trajectories just because he went Pittsburgh, Arizona, Miami, Oakland in front of eight people. And then he’s like, now I’m on the Mets, and everyone thinks I’m the coolest person in the world.
JAKE: Also–
JORDAN: Hell, yeah.
JAKE: –behind Nelson Cruz about as redeemable [1:07:08] sky.
BOBBY: Yep.
JAKE: As it gets.
JORDAN: Oh, yeah.
ALEX: Yeah.
JAKE: And in some ways–
JORDAN: Top tier suspension acting like it never happened.
JAKE: Image rehab, like it’s perfect transition from Tatis, ’cause Tatis can learn a lot from Starling Marte, just be hot and people will forget that you ever cheated.
JORDAN: I know I’m sure changing because he was beloved in Pittsburgh and was very good there. But as far as the national audience goes, nobody knew shit about this guy until suddenly he was like the most important player for 100 win team in New York.
BOBBY: Remember when the A’s traded for him like two years ago? And now the A’s are what the A’s are.
JAKE: They gave up–
JORDAN: Yeah.
JAKE: –Jesús Luzardo, who is the [1:07:48]–
JORDAN: Remember when the A’s for–
ALEX: Heard of him.
JORDAN: –2020 postseason. Alex, you remember that?
BOBBY: Yeah, that’s sick.
JORDAN: Alright.
ALEX: I actually don’t, honestly.
JORDAN: Okay.
JAKE: I’ll take your word for it.
JORDAN: Alright.
JAKE: You know who remembers at? Rick Renteria.
JORDAN: Yes. Wow.
BOBBY: Good times.
JORDAN: God damn. They won that series. God damn! Alright, let’s move on.
BOBBY: Yes
JORDAN: Our pick, our second pick, our back to back, our wrap around whatever.
BOBBY: The 11th overall selection.
JORDAN: Jake, I’ll let you, I’ll let you do this one.
JAKE: I don’t particularly follow WWE, okay? But I understand it, I appreciate it for the theater of what it is. The peep the, the, the members of WWE understand that sports or entertainment, okay? Even baseball, baseball fans are not picking between baseball and soccer. They are picking between baseball and going to the movies. Baseball and seeing a show. Baseball and sitting on their phone. And there is one man who understands that baseball is entertainment in a WWE way, and his name is Josh Naylor. And we will be selecting Josh Naylor of the Cleveland Guardians.
BOBBY: Good one.
ALEX: Stellar pick.
JORDAN: We feel good about Cleveland. In general, a lot of good options I think on, on Cleveland’s team. With respect to Clinton Yates’ Triston McKenzie write in. Plenty of other Guardians, I would have picked before Triston, who I love dearly. But, but either way, Josh Naylor is, is a great one. And we were lucky enough to have Andrés not the end game for Cleveland on our, on our podcast recently. And just the way that he talks about Naylor, the way that his teammates talk about him. But the reality is, the whole reason we’re taking him is that when he’s playing a game, he’s a completely different person in a very entertaining way. And that is what is required for a draft like this. And for a team that is never short on emotion and reactions. This is, this is an easy one for us. So we will, we’ll go ahead and be very happy with our Josh Naylor selection.
JAKE: This is a man who head-butted Terry Francona after hitting a walk off home run last year, okay? Francona’s wearing a helmet and Naylor’s not, and he takes Francona’s head and slams it against his own, alright? This is a man who, I described him to Andres not lecture and said, I said, man, Naylor’s unhinged, and he was like he’s unhinged between 7pm and 10pm. In a way that I think is a pitchery. Like–
ALEX: Right.
JAKE: –in the way that–
ALEX: It feels Scherzery.
JAKE: Exactly, it’s exactly what I said. Scherzery, right? We don’t see that with position players, really that often. But Naylor is that kind of guy. He is screaming, he is yelling. Remember he was rocking the baby and pissed off all the Yankees fans?
BOBBY: Do I remember, how can I forget?
JAKE: Yeah, he’s emotive in a way that ballplayers are not emotive.
BOBBY: He’s like pure aid when he’s on the field.
JAKE: Yeah.
BOBBY: And then he’s just like a normal guy the rest of the time.
JORDAN: Correct.
BOBBY: He seems as though he cannot decide not to do the things that he’s doing on the field. Like that’s just the only way, he knows how, and it’s really funny. He’s also just like, he’s a very rollercoaster of a player as a player, too. Like he’ll make a, a wild error, or he’ll hit an explosive home run or he’ll get thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Like any of these things are possible with Josh Naylor just because he’s that kind of player.
JAKE: Correct. We feel really good about this. I also liked the addition of Josh Bell to this team. Because Josh Bell is the antithesis of Josh Naylor. Where he is very calm, steady presence. He doesn’t get too high or too low, and they’ll be splitting time at first base in DH. And so I think it’ll kind of elevate Naylor’s outrageousness, because he has a more steady presence right next.
ALEX: Right, Josh Bell kept playing like the, the straight man.
JORDAN: Correct.
ALEX: Josh Naylor [1:11:39].
BOBBY: Right, Josh Bell is the Joe Davis, and Josh Naylor is the John Smoltz.
JAKE: No comment.
JORDAN: Do we get to hear your next pick?
BOBBY: Yeah, yeah.
JORDAN: Or, or we’re gonna jump out of the pod? Okay, go ahead.
BOBBY: Of course, of course. No, we’re just gonna make it by ourselves after you guys leave. Not to get any commentary on it. Okay,
ALEX: You guys missed two selfconscious last year.
BOBBY: 12th overall, 2023 All-GIF Draft. We’re gonna select the third baseman for life of the Boston Red Sox, Rafale Devers. Who, you know what is he the most baseball player baseball player in baseball right now? He just does all of the baseball guy stuff. He has the fat lip, he has to relax energy over at third. He has that swaggy baseball stance. He just looks like a guy who was born out of the womb just like in the batter’s box. I just can’t, I don’t know how to describe it. Also, he’s fucking amazing at hitting. He’s just an awesome baseball player. And now that he’s just going to be the most beloved Boston athlete most likely. Unless Max Jones really turns it around in the next couple of months. I think he’s, he should be at the center of the conversation in baseball.
JORDAN: Totally with you. I mean, he’s been one of my favorite players since he, since he showed up. Yeah, he’s the best. And now, not that he wasn’t already comfortable. But like, I hope, you know, it’s one of those things where it’s like, I hope that he is even more comfortable and empowered to just continue to be his goofy self. In a way that like, I hope like I know, our friend Joon Lee wrote this thing about how it’s like okay, like now Rafael Devers is like in theory like in charge you know.
ALEX: Right, like the ‘guy’.
JORDAN: Which is kind of weird, right? Because we still are thinking about him as this you know, 19-year old kid who was wearing braces and is you know, mashing home runs off Aroldis Chapman, whatever. So I, I like, I understand that storyline from the standpoint of his contract and who’s left on the Red Sox and all those things. At the same time, like I do not want him to ever change. I want him to be like he is everything that, he has- it’s like 95% as good as Juan Soto is in the box, from the standpoint of entertainment in between pitches. How he’s reacting to things is, is just a rifle so I love the, I love Rafi so much, so great pick, he was on our board for sure.
JAKE: You bring out the chewing tobacco, the fat lip, and I, I said this before, but I, I don’t dip but Rafi Devers is the one guy who makes me want to. And I think that’s accentuated by his baby face like he has these fat cheeks.
BOBBY: Yeah.
JAKE: Right? Like these big little pinchable pillows up there.
BOBBY: Yeah.
JAKE: And then he’s got a third cheek, down by his lip. Where the [1:14:24]
BOBBY: Mini me cheek.
JAKE: Yeah, it looks like a cheek, like if you can see pictures of him, it looks like he has three cheeks and one is under his mouth. He has so much, I, I think it’s like his bizarre dip gum concoction.
BOBBY: Yes.
JAKE: That he puts on his mouth.
BOBBY: Yeah, he does, so disgusting.
JORDAN: He must have, yeah, he must have got some tip from Tito at some point.
JAKE: It is in–
JORDAN: I know they–
JAKE: Yeah.
JORDAN: –didn’t overlap, but still–
JAKE: It’s–
JORDAN: [1:14:48] definitely phone numbers?
JAKE: It must taste absolutely like, ahhh. But it’s good to know that our heroes have flaws.
BOBBY: That’s right, that’s true.
JAKE: No one wants–
ALEX: It’s so impressive that he’s able to actually play baseball game while concentrating on that, right?
JAKE: Yes.
ALEX: Like it’s whole other thing that needs its own focus, I think.
JAKE: You’re right, so I wrote this whole thing like a month ago about Zinn and how all these ballplayers are switching to Zinn from dip, because they don’t want to have like mouth cancer. And some of the people I talked to were like, I don’t understand guys ever play with dip in. Like, I just dip in the dugout or I dip like, in the clubhouse or whatever. And Rafi Devers, like, oh, sorry [1:15:28].
BOBBY: Maybe it’s like his timing mechanism, you know. Like, that’s the thing that he has to–
JORDAN: No, to your point, though, the fact that he dips as often as he does, probably gets him less screen time that he normally would.
BOBBY: Yeah.
JORDAN: Because I know that broadcast don’t necessarily want to be zooming in on the third cheek as often as some other players who are smiling with their pearly whites.
BOBBY: Yeah.
JORDAN: But at the same time, he’s one of the favorite players. So I love the pick.
JAKE: Glorify it, baby, it’s okay.
BOBBY: Also, the, the nice thing about Rafi is that he also, like you said, Jordan, he’s like a goofy guy who likes to hang out with his teammates. So I feel like by picking Rafi we also get a little bit of Kike Hernandez, you know. We also get a little–
JORDAN: Oh, hold on. We’re not just getting the whole team. Yeah, but that’s true, that’s true.
BOBBY: We’re not actually get the whole team, but you know any–
JORDAN: Yeah.
BOBBY: –any Kike GIF is a Rafi GIF too. Like–
JORDAN: No!
BOBBY: –each other. They’re playing, they’re playing on the same side of infield.
JORDAN: You have how many other picks in this draft, go ahead take Kike. I mean, come on!
BOBBY: I mean–
JORDAN: Maybe we will.
BOBBY: You’re not gonna get [1:16:35]
JORDAN: Maybe we will.
BOBBY: So–
JORDAN: Maybe you will, but this is just such a, you are so close to a good GIF draft experience with us, and then at the very end, you were like, Oh, I get this guy, I get his whole team too. Alright to turn we got the Padres and the Guardians?
BOBBY: Except one.
JORDAN: My God.
BOBBY:
Well, you already have Juan Soto, because Langs selected for the guest team. So–
JORDAN: Yeah, get out of here.
BOBBY: I already do have Juan Soto.
JORDAN: No.
ALEX: We’ve let them take this over again, second year in a row and we already being–
BOBBY: No, I’m not letting this happened. What I’m saying is we talked about it early in the show before you guys were on that part of what makes a good GIF is being a good teammate too. So spending time with your teammates, playing pranks, having viral moments with them. If your guy isn’t that GIF, then it counts as your GIF too.
JAKE: I just don’t think it’s like a Red Sox plus, that’s my point. Like I don’t think the Red Sox are, are more likely to have high jinks than the Guardians.
BOBBY: One I think the Red Sox are but I do think Kike is. Who is now sharing that side of the infield with him. God damn, let me get my point.
JAKE: Bobby, you can’t just be calling in that in front of two members of the Jewish community, please it’s [1:17:40].
JORDAN: Bobby, we have to go record our own podcast that you don’t produce, sadly. So–
BOBBY: That’s right, I, I also have to go move my car, so.
JORDAN: Well this is fun. Bobby, we love you. Alex, we love you. Thank you so much for having us again on the, on the GIF draft. I feel confident in our selections once again.
JAKE: Yeah.
JORDAN: I look forward to coming back and dominating it again in 2024.
BOBBY: Thank you guys.
ALEX: Thanks guys.
Fly ball to deep left center field. Devers has hit it out! The rookie takes Chapman the other way to tie the game.
BOBBY: Okay, we are very pleased to be joined once again by Matthew Ritchie, our fellow New Yorker now. Who is starting up a Diversity Content Fellowship at MLB which is super exciting. Dude, welcome to New York City. You’re not in the studio with us here, but you are in a semi dark hotel room, presumably in Manhattan that MLB has you posted up and until your lease starts. What’s up man? It’s great to see you.
MATTHEW: It is, it is great, yeah. No, I’m working off of lighting, so I had to like try, I can’t, I couldn’t have any backlighting because all the lights are behind me. So I was like, you know what, [1:18:59] total Aaron Rodgers dark chamber.
BOBBY: Yeah. Bane mode.
MATTHEW: And then, and then just get to, get into it. This is how, this is how I get into the mode for, fo,r for, for GIF Picks.
BOBBY: It’s great to see you dude. We’re happy to have you back on the show. Listeners will remember that you came on. I don’t know like eight months ago now to talk about your thesis?
MATTHEW: Yes.
BOBBY: Are you happy to be out of the darkness of the thesis era?
MATTHEW: There, I, there’s nothing better than the post thesis bender that there were, there was like, there was like a week in Chicago that I don’t remember ever stopping moving or stopping being in different bars/areas of the cities. So I’m just trying to recreate that feeling for sure.
ALEX: Right. The rest of life is just trying to chase that high, I guees, right?
BOBBY: Well, This is the next best thing.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: Matthew, this is the next best thing, draft in the Tipping Pitches 2023 All-GIF Draft. So you’re coming right after our mutual friends Jake and Jordan from Cespedes Family BBQ. They did wonderful selecting Fernando Tatis Jr. and Josh Naylor. So we turn it over to you to make these lucky number 13 selection in the 2023 All-GIF Draft. Who is it going to be?
MATTHEW: My selection for the All-GIF Draft of 2023, with the 13th oick is Miami Marlins superstar, Jazz Chisholm Jr.
BOBBY: Jazz.
ALEX: Let’s go!
BOBBY: Alright, speak on it, what’, what’s, what’s the deal with Jazz?
MATTHEW: I feel like Jazz has kind of forgotten when he’s, when he’s sort of think about it. Because we didn’t see Jazz for a lot of last year. But whenever we did see him you got to remember he’s literally the, might be the coolest baseball player on the field. And I think there’s also a fantastic opportunity for GIF usage this year, because we’re getting the throwback Marlins jerseys. We’re getting the teal which is just better it’s, I think it’s just as good as their city, they’re like Red City connect jerseys. But the Jazz looking like he should have been on the old World Series team in the teal sliding around the field. Him roaming center is another great opportunity. Like when he, when he–
BOBBY: I forgot.
ALEX: This is going to be an adventurer.
MATTHEW: When he, when he robbed his first home run and you, and you get that GIF from him celebrating after he robbed his first home run that’s, that’s the payoff.
BOBBY: Great call.
MATTHEW: I’m, I’m, I’m betting, I’m betting on a like a quasi Gold Gloves season for Jazz out there. That’s, that’s–
BOBBY: I like it.
MATTHEW: –my hot take, I think Jazz might, Jazz might be in like the top like 5% of outs above average up there. I’ll say it in [1:12:52].
ALEX: Wow! Scorching hot take.
BOBBY: Top 5% outs above average. So, so you think his transition to center is gonna go much better than, than your friend Jake and Jordan’s pick of Fernando Tatis Jr.?
MATTHEW: I, I just feel like, Tatis? Where, Tatis get to a bad rep, because he’s not great defensively.
BOBBY: Yeah.
MATTHEW: But, I don’t know, I take that.
BOBBY: That’s most likely ’cause he can’t feel ground balls or throw accurately at first base. Which is important for shortstop.
MATTHEW: Half the battle which is–
BOBBY: Yeah, exactly.
MATTHEW: –I think putting, he’ll be, I think he’ll be fine and right. I think it’ll be either like, just as good as Juan Soto is in right field, honestly.
BOBBY: Yeah.
MATTHEW: Which is not necessarily a compliment or, or a, or like a derogatory term. But, but no, I think Jazz, I honestly think Jazz has enough like, natural ability just to like be an athlete on the field. Because I’ve seen, I’ve seen people, I’ve seen like, my buddy James Ingram, he was a catcher. He was, he was traditionally a catcher, and then they put him in centerfield for like the last two years of his career at Johns Hopkins and was, was just a natural out there. So it’s, when some guys just have it, I feel like I’m going from second base to centerfield, isn’t it? I mean, yeah, you got to track fly balls and everything, but I feel like jazz just has that, has that natural ability to translate a lot, a lot quicker than, than, than some people, than other people weren’t.
BOBBY: He does have a sort of intuitive style athleticism to his game, right?
ALEX: Exactly. Yeah, it almost seems like there’s maybe a bit of suspendisse in him where he might make really good plays. that might be opportunities. Because he didn’t make the easier plate, right? Like a diving catch, because he took a bad route to a fly ball and then we’re like, wow, look at that. And it works, because he’s putting himself in those situations, right? Yeah.
MATTHEW: Exactly. I mean, like you also have a lineage of infielders becoming outfielders. Like everyone’s, everyone’s like the best right fielder in baseball is just raring to play second base at every, every time. Because Mookie Betts he’s like, I love second base, but I’m also one of the best right fielders in the game. And then you’ve got a lesser known one, Adam Jones was a shortstop in the Mariners, in the Mariners org. And then they were like, centerfield and then became a very talented, very underrated–
ALEX: Yeah.
MATTHEW: –centerfielder for a while so, I mean–
BOBBY: That’s right, gotta get that Orioles chat in here.
MATTHEW: I, listen un- unbiased, I just–
BOBBY: Got to keep that brand strong, baby.
MATTHEW: Well, I gotta, I gotta pump up Baltimore while we’re, while I still can. I’m still, I’m still contractually unobligated deal. But, but yeah, I think that’s all the say Jazz will be fine out there, honestly.
BOBBY: I agree. I love, I love pointing out the jerseys because reminding us that the Marlins will be employing those throwback jerseys this year. Makes me think about how great it would have been to see Jazz and Dontrelle Willis on the same team.
MATTHEW: Oh, my goodness.
BOBBY: Like can you just imagine if we had a time machine put those guys on the same team. That would have just been an absolute blast, all of those Marlins players from that kind of 2000 to 2005 era. I feel like Jazz would have fit in more seamlessly with that kind of Marlins team than with the like clean cut Derek Jeter style Miami Marlins.
MATTHEW: Yeah.
BOBBY: But I mean, I know Jeter is not there anymore. And maybe that, that is the point in Jazz’s favor for getting to continue to express himself on the field the way that he loves to and loves to be vocal about. And of course, it stars on the rise. I mean, he’s on the cover of MLB: The Show. He clearly is a player that the league is invested in as a whole to. So that’s a point in your favor in terms of the GIF draft, also is like the, the people that they want to be stars, they will circulate media about them. And those media are sometimes GIFs.
MATTHEW: He’s just so GIFable, he were like, like, I know, I know, he’s, I know, you can say that about any of the top guys, but, but Jazz, Jazz loves the camera. And the camera loves Jazz. And even when he’s playing, even in like the natural actions on the field, is always an opportunity for him, for him to pull out 5, 5 to 10 seconds of, of good content. And I feel good, I feel very good, I feel very good about that thing.
BOBBY: He has a very expressive face, you know.
MATTHEW: He is.
BOBBY: He wears his emotions, he doesn’t try to hide them on his face very much. Alex, I forgot to ask, when we’re talking about Jazz’s natural athletic intuitive ability, and being able to switch to the outfield, we’re talking about being able to track fly balls. Wherever you at? How was your outfield game? You know, you’re a second baseman, do you think you could seamlessly switch to centerfield?
ALEX: You know, I kind of could have. I had, I had, I had the arm when the, when the like torn ligaments or whatever it is that I have in there weren’t flaring–
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: –up, you know?
BOBBY: Yeah, yeah. I was horrible in the outfield.
ALEX: Yeah, I think they give me a shot.
BOBBY: Just could not track a fly ball to save my life, this was not my game.
MATTHEW: I, I still have this theory, you could put, you can put seven eight shortstops out on the field, and just, just play, just, as long as they’re good enough–
BOBBY: Yeah.
MATTHEW: –you can really just put them anywhere, and they’ll figure it out. And so–
BOBBY: And the one position that you can put them at is catcher, right?
MATTHEW: Right, right. Have I, have I ever told you guys about, about like my first, first couple months at Hopkins?
BOBBY: No.
ALEX: No.
MATTHEW: They, so it was like the fall. And you know, I’m having a fall and they’re like, when the assistant coach comes up to me. I was like, hey, so we want to see what you look like it catcher and see if you can like- to see you there’s like an avenue to get you into the, to get like get you to the like, potentially get you in the lineup earlier than. Because they’re like upperclassmen, and so I go, I, I spend like 45 minutes doing like a catching session on the field. And then I catch like three bullpens. And then like I’m doing throw downs, blocks, and then it was never brought up again. We, we did it, we did it, it was one day. And then that was it. Then it was never brought up there was the coaching staff was ever like alright, well, we’ll, we’ll think about it, we’ll talk about it. I just [1:28:27]. And then never put on the catcher’s gear ever again.
BOBBY: They weren’t even like, let’s get in the film room. They were just like, we saw everything we need to see
MATTHEW: And they were like, that’s not like, you know what, whatever. We’ll nip this in the bud so quickly.
BOBBY: Your primary position was third?
MATTHEW: Second.
BOBBY: Oh, second.
MATTHEW: Second.
BOBBY: Nice.
MATTHEW: I started, I started my career at third sophomore year, but then was second. Those fake junior and senior years that were COVID and COVID truncated.
BOBBY: Right, yeah. So it doesn’t matter what position that you, doesn’t matter what position it says next to your name and the lineup and you got 438 OPP though, that’s alright. Career OPP.
MATTHEW: I gotta take that out. I gotta take that, I gotta take out the Twitter bio. Too many people reference it now. it’s now, it, it did its job.
BOBBY: Cool dude. Yeah, yeah. It’s associated with you now, now you just take it out, people already know.
MATTHEW: It’s crazy because I put it in there because I was like writing about baseball non professionally. And so I was like, oh, I need you guys to understand when I talk about baseball, I know–
BOBBY: that game recognize game.
ALEX: Right.
MATTHEW: So you click on it, like if you click on my profile, be like oh, what’s, what’s this guy’s fucking blubbering around about? And then you see, 438 career OBP, you know, I’m not fucking around. I know, I know–
BOBBY: That’s right.
MATTHEW: –I know what I’m talking about. The plate disciplines speaks for itself. It’s not, it’s not, it’s not like I’m just blowing [1:29:41].
BOBBY: You think the game, you understand the council situations, come on.
MATTHEW: I just, just the smartest player inside the lines. Everyone, everyone knows, everyone knows that.
BOBBY: Okay, Jazz Chisholm. 13th overall selection. Alex, who are we doing? What are we doing? We got 14th pick. Who’s gonna be?
ALEX: I think we know who it’s gonna be.
BOBBY: He’s already mentioned.
ALEX: He’s already mentioned.
BOBBY: By Matthew Ritchie.
ALEX: That’s the one and only Mookie Betts.
BOBBY: That’s right.
MATTHEW: It’s a great pick.
BOBBY: I fucking love the Mookie takes infield, still.
MATTHEW: That’s so funny.
ALEX: I know.
BOBBY: That he has, like there’s like a club you that has to have his infield glove ready for him to take ground balls is so funny to me. Anyway.
ALEX: Easy pick in this draft, he’s gone before. And while we are reticent to pick repeat players and repeat years, just for a little diversity sake. It’s impossible to let this go by without at least mentioning Mookie Betts. I mean, the man is a one man show, right? On in like one of baseball’s biggest markets, right? Where all eyes are trained on him. And he’s so flashy. he’s having so much fun out there. He’s a multi sport athlete as well, you might see GIFs of him, you know, on the bases or on the lanes. And you never really know, right? Again, you said he’s, you know, he takes the reps at second just because he likes to have fun. When they trade for Tim Anderson at the trade deadline, that’s gonna make it even more fun when he’s got that, that squad with him. So yeah, it’s–
BOBBY: Just breaking in the pod.
ALEX: It’s fucking, it’s Mookie.
BOBBY: [1:31:20] at a time, I liked that.
MATTHEW: That was, that’s, that’s a neat little prediction that you snuck in there. I kind of like it.
BOBBY: It’s cool, ypu know. Everybody’s predicting Ohtani to the Dodgers. No, you guys aren’t thinking–
ALEX: I know.
BOBBY: –thinking hard enough. it’s gonna be [1:31:32]–
ALEX: Tim Anderson was talking about how much fun he was having with him on the, on the WBC team, and how he was learning a lot from him. I don’t know, man. I think, what’s going on?
MATTHEW: I think, I think, I think Mookie was also just angling for every black player to come to the Dodgers. lLke, yeah, it’s like Cedric Mullins is like whenever I was like, whoa, alright. Slow your role here, Marcus.
BOBBY: Mookie, I love you, but you’re hurting me, come on. Come on!
MATTHEW: I was like, I was like, I was like that, that’s not, that’s not allowed. I would love to see it though.
ALEX: Yeah.
MATTHEW: I would love, I would love to see that, but I was like, hey, I see what you’re doing. I know what you’re doing.
BOBBY: Yeah, he’s a recruiter. He’s gonna be there for a long time. So he might as well recruit as many people that he likes to hang out with. Mookie is awesome. I love, I love that Mookie sometimes it seems like he can’t even control his emotions. Like after he makes a big play, like he surprises himself. So I think of a lot of the highlight catches that he’s made in the outfield. Particularly like in the 2020 playoff run where he was, the spotlight was so hot on them. In the World Series, diving catches, sliding catches, unbelievable throws. Like that back right field camera angle of him throwing people out at third base is iconic. And it’s, it’s weird to say it’s like kind of nerdy and cheesy to say that like making the right throw to the right bag is a highlight. But he is like, to me the epitome of a fundamental player who also plays with swagger and flash. And he’s just like, is unbelievably solid and fun and cool. And it’s hard to like remain keep that persona for as long as he has. And if anything, he’s just getting cooler, like he’s, he can be on the cover of GQ if he wants to. He, you know, he can literally do whatever he wants to. And like you said Alex, in the biggest market, or one of the biggest markets, and you know, he’s also pretty good at baseball. He like was almost MVP last year.
ALEX: And, and had a down year, right? Like.
BOBBY: Who won MVP last year in the NL?
MATTHEW: Goldie.
BOBBY: Goldie. That seems right quietly. That’s someone who will never be taken in the GIF draft is Paul Goldschmidt. The exact–
MATTHEW: It’s only, it’s only Goldie doesn’t move the GIF needle.
BOBBY: He is the maybe the most boring, really good player in baseball.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: And I think that he takes pride in that. But Mookie is the exact opposite side of that coin. So Mookie Betts, happy to Have him, happy to have him.
MATTHEW: Great pick, that’s a great pick.
BOBBY: Matthew Ritchie, we are happy to have you here with us on this GIF draft. Do you wanna let people know where they can find what you’re going to be doing?
MATTHEW: What? What am I going to be doing? I don’t know, just follow me on Twitter while it’s still exist.
BOBBY: That’s right.
MATTHEW: @mkrwrt, otherwise, otherwise, I don’t, I’m not doing, I’m really not, I really don’t do anything anymore. Like, like, I’m not not doing, not doing anything cool. I mean, I’m doing things, I’m doing things that are cool, but I’m not doing like cool things that aren’t baseball.
ALEX: Right. I mean, we should tell you that Rob Manfred does loyally listen to this podcast. So I wouldn’t say anything that you don’t want your potential employer, you know.
BOBBY: Boss’ boss’ boss’.
ALEX: Right, exactly.
MATTHEW: Yeah, the, the head honcho. No, no, no, no, everything’s great. Everything’s great, everything’s perfect. No, but if you like Mets and Yankees coverage, sometimes I will be the person providing that for MLB. So, if you sometimes want to know what’s going on with the Yankees once every couple of weeks, follow me there. Sometimes we know what’s going on with the Mets, I’ll be, I’ll be your eyes and ears, sometimes.
BOBBY: If you want to hear overwhelming praise of Cedric Mullins all season long, he’s also your guy, so.
MATTHEW: I feel I, I, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta check and see if I’m allowed, if I’m still allowed to do that. Because I was, from the past–
BOBBY: [1:35:26] a little burner action going.
MATTHEW: Oh, gosh, imagine, that so much, that’s so much effort. I would need another two factor identification for the stupid fucking [1:35:36]. Like, I just can’t, I just can’t think of that.
BOBBY: Yeah, it cant’ be, it can’t be text message now, has to be a authenticator app because of Twitter glue.
MATTHEW: Yeah, obviously, the authenticator apps are pretty viral.
BOBBY: I agree.
MATTHEW: I’m kind of, I’m kind of addicted to them.
BOBBY: I like that. I would love an authenticator.
ALEX: You’re like just creating accounts just so you can set up two-factor.
MATTHEW: My, my, I put a, I put a, I put a authenticator on my, my Club Penguin account from like, like, 11 years ago. I was like, I was like, I just need to, I need to, I need to make sure it’s locked down even if the servers aren’t.
BOBBY: First Club Penguin reference on the pod. I love it, I love it. Great break for you.
MATTHEW: The birds Club Penguin reference on the pod.
ALEX: We don’t really dabble in, in that I would, I would say here in Tipping Pitches.
BOBBY: I mean, I was in Club Penguin. I was on Club Penguin servers. I was running around, you know. I was having insults hurled at me like everybody on Club Penguin.
MATTHEW: You were in the streets.
BOBBY: I was, I wasn’t these snow, snow covered streets of Club Penguin. What a pleasure, thank you for joining us. This was great.
MATTHEW: Thank you again, as always happy to be on. Appreciate you guys.
There’s a shot past first, way down the line. It’ll bring it another run, Troy is in the score. Garcia digging for a third. Here’s the long long throw and a tag! And he is out at third! Mookie Betts guns him down! A long distance–
BOBBY: Alright, we got the closer with us, Shakeia Taylor, she’s back, All-GIF draft. So excited to do this. What’s up, Shake, how are you?
SHAKEIA: What’s up? How are you? I’m so excited to be back. This is kind of the beginning of baseball season for me now every year, so I’m hype.
BOBBY: The honorary third mic of this podcast as, as awarded by both our listeners and Alex’s mom. So we’re happy to have you.
SHAKEIA: Alex’s mom is the MVP by the way.
BOBBY: That’s ture, she’s like the executive producer in the honor–
ALEX: Right, a shadow producer, exactly.
BOBBY: We’ve had many picks in this GIF draft, I think this is the biggest and best one yet. You are picked number 15 and then we will close out after you with pick number 16. So we turn it over to you, who’s it gonna be this year? Who is, who are you going to give the honor.
SHAKEIA: With the number 15 pick in the Tipping Pitches All-GIF Draft, I am choosing Emmanuel Clase.
BOBBY: Nice.
ALEX: Hell yeah.
SHAKEIA: A closer for the closer. I think he’s great, obviously I am super biased, let’s get that out of the way first, go Guards. Uhm, but I really liked what I saw from him last season especially with their run in the playoffs. They obviously went way further than anyone expected. He’s got an ERA of what, like 1.3 something. Like–
BOBBY: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: –thick, so I’m super excited for what I’m hoping he brings the season. When I’m hoping the Guards bring the season, And I’m pitcher bias completely like big fan, and normally I would choose a starter but I really, really liked Emmanuel Clase so much that I decided to go a different direction this year.
BOBBY: First reliever selected.
ALEX: First reliever.
BOBBY: We’re a lot of starters taken so you, you, you check that box too. Clase is unbelievable player. He’s like one of those players that if you put him in a time machine back to 1950 they would have just like bannded the sport of baseball because they’re like this guy’s a which. Like he’s throwing 101 mile an hour cutters that move like seven inches, just like how’s this guy doing any of this?
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: And so for the purposes of the GIF draft, I mean you’re gonna get a lot of GIFs of his like the pitching ninja style GIFs of like, how did this pitch do what this did? But then you’re also just gonna get the flat out batter looking embarrassed while trying to make contact with this pitch GIF, which is an underrated one too. I mean, Alex, we’ve picked some relievers over the years, but Clase has never been one of them. I feel like Devin Williams was the one that we came back to a lot. But I think it’s a great pick.
SHAKEIA: I almost pick him.
ALEX: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: Almost picked Devin Williams, actually. But I decided to go with the hometown bias. So one time I get to be a homer.
ALEX: Yeah, well in Guards games are going to be big for the guest team in Triston McKenzie starts. I mean, that’s, you guys got the one two punch right there with McKenzie and assuming he’s not, I don’t didn’t really see an update on his injury. But assuming he’s not out, I mean, him in Clase–
BOBBY: Three Guard’s there. Josh Naylor taken as well.
ALEX: Naylor as well. Yeah. Wow, This is [1:40:16]–
SHAKEIA: Wow, let’s go! I’m very excited about that. Because you know, I’ve had to listen to people make fun of my team. Well, my whole life. So even when they win people make fun of them. So this is nice that people are like picking, aside for me, picking Guardians players. I think we have finally gotten used to that name, right? We Have been seamlessly calling them the Guardians.
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: I actually wasn’t until just now that I was kind of like, oh, that felt really natural. Like I didn’t have to pause, like think about it, yeah.
BOBBY: The Guard–
SHAKEIA: That was my moment too.
BOBBY: –expectations high for the Guards this year. Like that, I think that a lot of people feel like this is a sneaky team on the rise as evidenced by both just people picking them to win this division. But also here in the GIF draft, three players for one team is, is nothing to be trifled with. I wonder, we don’t have really stats on the GIF draft like a history on the GIF draft, but we could probably go back–
ALEX: Is that, is that predictive at all?
BOBBY: Is that a, maybe! What if it is, what if this is like the most predictive preseason?
ALEX: Right. Should we get like expected GIFS in here, you know? I know, I know we have some fans would be go crazy on that.
BOBBY: GIFs above replacement?
ALEX: Exactly.
SHAKEIA: That’s actually kind of perfect,
BOBBY: I love Clase, he is, he’s just a really cool player to watch, too. Like he is a very powerful pitcher to watch on the mound. Like he has a command of his appearances. And also, you know, the way that the Guardians have used him too is that he usually is the closer but if they, if they need them in a high leverage moment, there’s going to be a lot of him squaring off the best, against the best hitters in baseball. So Emmanuel Clase, great pick, as always Shakeia.
SHAKEIA: Thank you.
BOBBY: That leaves us to make the Mr. Irrelevant selection in the 2023 All-GIF Draft. Which I think is a very funny thing that we’re about to do, which is choose the greatest baseball player, maybe who has ever lived as Mr. Irrelevant in the GIF draft, his name is Shohei Ohtani. Alex, Shohei Ohtani.
ALEX: Heard of him.
BOBBY: Have you heard, have you heard much about this guy?
ALEX: Familiar. He was just playing a few weeks ago, I think.
BOBBY: Oh, really? Was that in Spring Training or?
ALEX: Something like that, yes. I think it was overseas, I don’t know, I didn’t really. No, he’s Shohei Ohtani, I mean, it’s, it almost, I almost feel bad for letting him fall this far, which I know that was in part because we just wanted to get a new mix of names in there. But like–
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: –we can’t not pick it. We can’t let the draft finish without picking him. It’s just not pos- I mean, he is the platonic ideal of GIFs in my head, I think. Because he’s so endearing in the dugout around his teammates. He’s clearly having so much fun out there. Like put aside the baseball stuff, which he–
BOBBY: –Huge caveat, put aside the baseball–
ALEX: It’s huge caveat.
BOBBY: –where he’s one of the best pitchers and hitters of this century.
ALEX: Literally the best athletes on the planet right now. Yeah. And provide does double duty there, right? Like at the plate.
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: And on the mound. But just his overall presence, I think is so, I don’t know, it’s, it’s like infective almost, you know. Like, yeah, I’m, I’m at a loss for words, honestly. I want to, I want to throw back to you, Bobby.
BOBBY: I think that it’s a testament to how like almost mono cultural in the baseball world he has become, that he even felt this far. I think a year ago, he was like it within the first five picks or so. And I think we were even choosing him a couple years ago as well. But now he is like everybody knows about him. And so no one thinks it’s cool to select him. But also at the same time, he is kind of undeniable as the superstar of the baseball world. You know, a couple of weeks ago on the pod, we did this 30 most famous people in the baseball world, the 30 biggest celebrities in the baseball world, the A-Listers. And we put them in number one, and we did not feel any type of way about that. More famous than A-Rod, more famous than Jeter, more famous than Papi. Because he is this international global sensation. And that was super duper on display in the World, World Baseball Classic. Where during the games that were played in primetime for Japan and the rest of Asia. I mean, there was like 10s of millions of people watching these baseball games. Like way more people watching these games, than–
ALEX: The Angels games.
BOBBY: –series, Game 7, obviously the Angels games. So he’s huge, he is just an unbelievable star. He, I, I wish, I hope that we get to know him even better over–
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: –the coming years. Because I feel like we know him the player. We get these trickle of anecdotes about him, about he’s, he’s this funny, silly guy. And I just feel like there’s this weird vacuum situation going on in Anaheim that kind of sucks some of the shine out of what he’s doing. And whether that means the Angels actually make the postseason this year, or whether that means he moves on and goes to a different team, and then re acclimate himself to a new fan base and a new city. I, I’m looking forward to his star growing even brighter, which is kind of hard to imagine with what he’s accomplished thus far.
SHAKEIA: I actually think with Shohei kind of a given at this point, right? Like, I watched my Twitter timeline when the World Baseball Classic was going on. And there were people who I have never seen talking about baseball, talking about it. People were tuned in and it’s like, I feel like Shohei has the appeal that people want it, Mike Trout have. No disrespect to Mike Trout but like Mike Trout is kind of unto himself, if you will. Like people admire him, they think he’s great. But Shohei’s got that like that youthful enthusiasm. He’s got that appeal to different people around the world. I think just kind of become a given. People don’t choose them because they just assume, right? Like–
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: –he’s there, he’s already picked.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: I think a lot of people thought that he would be taken already and so came in with, with a spill prepared about a different player and so chose someone else. But you know, Stephen has to be made the first overall pick and he chose Max Scherzer because of the shenanigans that he will no doubtedly pull with the pitch clock this year and the pitch calm. He even said I would have chosen Ohtani except I chose him last year. So this guy is ubiquitous. The thing about Ohtani that I’m really, I really love observing, participating in and watching grow is like just the fervor of the fandom. Like he is like a boyband, you know. Like he is people lose their shit when they see this guy. He’s like Beatlemania, except for baseball. And I don’t, I feel that, and I don’t even know how to verbalize it. When I see him, just this smile creeps across my face, and 10 seconds later, I realize I’m watching him play and I have this gigantic smile on my face. When he was doing his postgame interviews for Fox, for the World Baseball Classic. I mean, like, the questions were dumb, and it was like a kind of clunky TV broadcast, but I’m still sitting there, like a kid who’s watching, you know, a movie for the first time. Like it’s, it’s unbelievable what he is doing. Everybody is just so smitten with him right now. And, you know, he’s just, he’s going to continue to produce on the field too. So I, I, I think he’s a fitting selectio, and it would Have been a mistake to let him go completely undrafted. I think we probably would hurt about that, Alex.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: From, from, from listeners in the Tipping Pitches community.
ALEX: Absolutely. Well, I also appreciate about the Fox broadcasts that they had what was effectively an Ohtani cam on him the whole time, you know.
BOBBY: Right, yeah.
ALEX: Like, like, especially in the championship, obviously, right? It was like, oh, he’s walking to the other end of the dugout right now. Is he gonna go to the bo- you know. Like–
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: –which again, I think just heightens those opportunities, right? You’re gonna see him do something, even if it’s like, throwing sunflower seeds at his teammate or picking his nose, I don’t know. Lke, we’re gonna get it all, the good, bad, and the ugly.
BOBBY: One thing about Ohtani, I feel like we are past the point of national broadcast needing to be like, this guy’s amazing. You know, like, about like, we know, okay, we, we get it. We can like, elevate that conversation a little bit. We can move past this initial layer. I feel like we talked about a little bit last year, but national baseball broadcasts are becoming so self conscious about the idea that no one likes baseball. And so I feel like constantly when you’re watching a national broadcast, they’re just telling you, here’s what’s actually cool about baseball, it’s like, oh, you might think that baseball is boring, but Shohei Ohtani is not boring. And it’s like, we need to have, stop having this like weird meta, you need to like–
SHAKEIA: Yes.
BOBBY: –this guy conversation with him. And we just need to just appreciate him while we still can without like telling each other how much we need to be appreciating him.
SHAKEIA: I think what they’re not doing is talking about the game. I think you can appreciate Shohei by talking about the game, right? Like–
BOBBY: Randy Wilkins was pointing that out on Twitter during the World Baseball Classic final. He said something very similar, yeah.
SHAKEIA: Yeah, like we, we’ve in your stories by all means, that’s what we watch for. But talk about the game and get away from the weird superhuman unicorn. Like superhero, he’s a mutant, like–
ALEX: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: All I [1:49:24] very weird. Like–
BOBBY: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: –keep talk about the game in a very normal way. And people will respond to that. Because folks want to learn about him in a way that isn’t so weird. I said weird a lot there but I mean it, it’s all [1:49:37].
ALEX: It is.
SHAKEIA: Yeah.
ALEX: Yeah. [1:49:39] dude.
BOBBY: I mean, affter the game they like, yeah. After the game they we’re like, so Shohei, what planet are you from? And it’s like, how–
ALEX: I know.
BOBBY: –supposed to answer that? Like I don’t, it’s, it’s, it’s weird, it’s awkward.
ALEX: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: In America, turns of speech don’t always translate well to everyone.
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: RIght.
SHAKEIA: And so if like you can save a planet or you from someone take that literally. And then you’ve got a whole nother conversation happening. Please don’t do it, just be normal. I like that he’s exciting and I like that they’re excited. But you don’t have to do the extra, I don’t think it needs any more sauce. Shohei is the sauce.
ALEX: Right, like he’s, he’s speaks for himself. Exactly, yes.
BOBBY: It feels a lot like when, when, you know, you’re at like a bar and they’re trying to like, elevate the cheeseburger. You know, they’re like, here, we’re gonna go, we’re gonna like scrape some raclette onto your cheeseburger. I’m like, no, cheeseburgers are pretty perfect food as it is. Like, you don’t need to try to do all this crazy ass shit to make me like a cheeseburger. Like I’m probably just gonna like it if it’s just the beef and the cheese, you know? Like that’s Ohtani to me. I mean, of course, on the field, he’s going to do things that almost no one else can do to. So inside the lines, outside the lines as a star, I, I feel great about him.
ALEX: Yeah, 100% Shakeia you had an honorable mention. Do you want to drop that in here, right now before we, before we wrap up this GIF draft?
SHAKEIA: Now that I am on the spot, I will. My honorable mention was Randy, Randy Arozarena. Uhm, I think his well his enthusiasm, I’m all about enthusiasm in 2023. Like his enthusiasm is infectious. Watching him play is just baseball joy. You can tell he’s having a good time, he’s loose. People get behind him. The boots are hilarious.
BOBBY: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: Now granted, he’s not on a team that I wouldn’t necessarily want to clock in for day in and day out as far as watching goes. But I think he’s worth it, I think he’s so much fun. And I had a tough, tough time choosing between him and Emmanuel Clase. But I thought it was Arozarena would have been chosen already, which is hysterical to me.
ALEX: Yeah. Well, he’s definitely a guy who like, appreciates a good bit, you know. Like, on or off the field, right? He’ll get into character, you mentioned the cowboy boots, and like, he does the whole get up. And you’re gonna see those photos on opening day or whenever, whenever he rocks it. But again, he’s like electric in the field, too, right? He’s got that sort of Griffey esque, like going to go all out for the play, like no matter what it is. And that’s, I mean, I still remember watching the World Series with him a couple of years ago, right? And like that, the stolen and him stealing home, right?
SHAKEIA: Yes.
ALEX: I was like, I didn’t even know that was allowed. You know, in that, like, I didn’t know you could do that anymore. Yeah, he’s a firecracker.
BOBBY: He has this crazy, like sense for the moment, you know. He has a composure when a huge thing happens that I just don’t understand ’cause I don’t Have that kind of composure. If I made that catch at the wall in the World Baseball Classic, semi final, I would not have the composure, to stare at the camera, to know where that is. Like, cross my arms and stare at the camera, like I would just be like losing my shit, you know? And that would be funny in its own right, but it’s like Randy is such a, he’s like a theatre actor. Like he knows where everything is.
SHAKEIA: Well that’s cool, right?
BOBBY: Exactly.
ALEX: Absolutely.
BOBBY: Super cool.
SHAKEIA: It was giving Derrick Rose, remember, Derrick Rose–
BOBBY: Yeah.
SHAKEIA: –hits the buzzer beater. I was at that game and he just has a straight face while his team is excited around him. I love stuff like that, that’s, that’s just cool. Like you know, I knew I could do it.
BOBBY: Dame Lillard when he was–
ALEX: I was thinking about the Damian Lillard GIF.
BOBBY: –Trail Blazers the GIF of him, you just like yeah, that is true. I mean, it’s just, I wonder if he practices stuff like that, you know. I’d love to talk to Randy and be like, did you think ahead of time that you were just going to cross your arms and kind of just mean mug towards the camera?
SHAKEIA: [1:53:46] in the mirror.
ALEX: I know, that would be far cooler. You know, trying different. let me, right, which side is my better side, right shoulder, left shoulder, you know?
BOBBY: Yeah, that would be a good this is Sports Center commercial. Remember those Sports, Sports Center commercials that they used to do is Randy Arozarena. practicing how to stare at the camera after making a home run saving catch. Were given away few ideas, man.
ALEX: I know, fuck it! Let’s do it!
BOBBY: Shakeia Taylor, it is always our distinct pleasure to talk to you on this podcast for the GIF draft or otherwise. You’re doing wonderful things to the Chicago Tribune, is there anything specifically that you want to highlight or talk about anything that you’re working on that people can find?
SHAKEIA: Uhm, yeah, actually, I recently published a story on the making of storylines, the feature in MLB: The Show 23, with the Negro League history. That was such a cool story to write. It was something cool to unravel. I think, Tipping Pitches listeners will enjoy it, particularly for the historical aspect. But also just the cool factor of something that has sort of been hidden or lost to younger generations being put out in such a cool way. That is probably my most recent super fun story that anyone related to baseball would enjoy.
BOBBY: Amazing specific plug. That’s how it’s done right there ladies and gentlemen. You plug the specific story that you just wrote that you think the audience is gonna want to go read. Because people are definitely gonna go read that, it’s a great story. Shakeia Thank you, this was so much fun.
SHAKEIA: Thanks for having me know you guys are my faves.
So here we go. Clase’s ready, his one to pitch to Jake Cronenworth. Got him! Clase strikesout the side of the ninth inning! And the American League wins the All-Star game for the ninth consecutive season.
BOBBY: A massive, massive, massive, massive thank you to Stephen Hesson, Bekah Ansbro, Jane Ost. Clinton Yates, Sarah Langs, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman. Smaller thank you for them though, because they’re so rude to us whenever–
ALEX: I know.
BOBBY: They’re trying to big time us on our own fucking podcast, like these guys!
ALEX: They’re not getting invited back next year.
BOBBY: They’ve gotten too big.
ALEX: I’ve been waiting to talk with you about this, but, yeah.
BOBBY: Oh yeah, oh, you go to Sirius XM and you get this podcast and you to so many pods and everybody loves them. Oh, you get your heads just got too big, Jake and Jordan. You just can’t, we can’t have it. Matthew Ritchie, and Shakeia Taylor. This was, this was a fun one. This was a fun, it was, it was a bear. It was a bear to schedule and to pull off, I guess eight rounds of the GIF draft. Which is, which is as big or bigger than ever. Next year, should we just do like the full 27 rounds? We’re just drafting like–
ALEX: Draft 40 man rosters.
BOBBY: Alright, next up, I don’t know. Luis [1:56:41], sounds good, he caught that bat that one time.
ALEX: I liked Jane suggestion of maybe turning it into a Keeper League or something like that. You know, like, I’d like to talk dynasty value for a guy like Scherzer, you know. Who’s, who I’ll take in a redraft, right? But maybe the long term value I’m, I’m less certain on.
BOBBY: Coming the end of the road there. He’s been–
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: –he’s been around the block a few times.
ALEX: Exactly. I’m gonna keep going until like a fantasy site has, has picked this up.
BOBBY: Oh, yeah.
ALEX: And created an actual draft mechanism at that point, I think we can retire.
BOBBY: Frankly, the intellectual property is ours though. So better be getting dividends.
ALEX: Taking GIFs, yeah.
BOBBY: On that, just saying, just saying. just saying. Thank you to all those people. Thank you, everybody for listening. I’m excited, against my better judgment. The 2023 baseball season, it’s gonna be weird probably!
ALEX: Yeah, it’s gonna be weird. It’s always weird. That’s why we’re here, right? If baseball was normal, I think we’d be out of a job.
BOBBY: Are we, would you describe this as in a job?
ALEX: Well, after putting together things like the All-GIF draft, yes, yes, I would.
BOBBY: Okay, sounds good. Thanks again to everybody for listening. We’ll be back next week when we will be talking about Major League Baseball games that are happening.
[1:58:14]
[Music]
[1:58:32]
[Outro]
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Hello everybody, I’m Alex Rodriguez, Tipping Pitches, Tipping Pitches. This is the one that I love the most, Tipping Pitches. So we’ll see you next week. See ya!
Transcriptionist: Vernon Bryann Casil
Editor: Krizia Marrie Casil
Tipping Pitches 
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