March 23, 2026

"2026 MLB Season & Hobby Preview" Hobby Quick Hits E225

"2026 MLB Season & Hobby Preview" Hobby Quick Hits E225

Opening Day is just about here so that means it's time for our annual MLB Season & Hobby Preview. Also: *New Product Release Schedule Follow us on Social Media: Website: https://www.sportscardnationpodcast.com ...

Opening Day is just about here so that means it's time for our annual MLB Season & Hobby Preview.


Also:

*New Product Release Schedule



Follow us on Social Media:


Website:

https://www.sportscardnationpo....com


https://linktr.ee/Sportscardna...




E-Mail us at:

hobbyquickhits@gmail.com

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sports-card-nation-podcast--4761791/support.

WEBVTT

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Robby Quick Hits, delivering that breaking hobby news directs. You

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want to know those hot Josh card shaft shaft, You've

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got your cover, your hosts, John new Name, Hey, everyone,

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welcome to episode two of Hobby Quick Hits. It is

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time for our annual Major League Baseball Season and Hobby Preview.

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We're going to go through both leagues, give you award winners,

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predicted award winners, players to watch, players to maybe on

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the on the downside hobby wise, and on the field

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Rookie of the Year MVP Cy Young will give us

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our out our six predicted playoff teams in each league,

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and predict even a World Series winner. So again, don't

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go to draft kings or fan duels with any of

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my dialogue, but might help you, you know, just it's

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fun to do. We do it every year. It's fun

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to see, you know what we got right and what

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we got wrong. We're gonna kind of a quiet news week,

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so we're just gonna do the product release schedule and

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then get right dive right in to the Major League

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Baseball Preview. I'm going to be doing the release calendar

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for this episode. Let's start with March twenty fifth, twenty

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twenty six Tops Major League Baseball and NBA Official Collectors Kid.

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I think you'll see those at collectors Club maybe Walmart.

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We have also on the twenty fifth the twenty twenty

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five Slash twenty six Panini Contenders, EuroLeague Basketball, twenty twenty

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five Upperdeck World of Sports Volume two. Let's go to

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the twenty six, twenty twenty six Top Series one Baseball

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Celebration Megas. Let's move to the twenty seventh of March

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twenty twenty six Leaf Pop Century twenty twenty five, Panini

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Silhouette Football, Pokemon twenty twenty six, Mini Portfolios, Pokemon Mega Evolution,

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Perfect Order, Blister Packs, Booster packs, Booster bundles, and Elite Trainers.

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Let's go to the end of month, March thirty first,

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twenty twenty six Onyx Vintage Collection Baseball, their hobby and

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their megas. Now onto March first, I'm Not Fooling twenty

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twenty five, Panini Prism, WNBA Basketball, twenty twenty five, Tops,

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Marvel Deadpool, Get out your checkbook for twenty twenty five Tops,

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Transcendent Collection Baseball. Also on the first, twenty twenty five

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Tops WWE Exalted moving to the second twenty twenty six

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Super Break Supercharged Edition, and one last one for the

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third twenty twenty six Panini USA Stars and Stripes Prism

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Baseball Hobby. So there's your releases for the next couple

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of weeks. And as you always know what I say,

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choose your weapon, happy ripping and now feature. All right,

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it is time for our tradition, our annual tradition of

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our Major League Baseball season en Hobby preview. Like I

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said in the intro, we're gonna go through and predict

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or give candidates for award winners, uh play division winners,

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wild card teams, Rookie of the Year's MVP Cy Young.

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If you are regularly listening to show, you're very familiar

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how we do it. We're not going to change anything,

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and it's always fun to look back and kind of

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see how what we get right and what we get wrong.

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As always the disclaimer, don't take any of the information

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I give you and bet your life savings on a

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sports bet. Uh you know, or if you do, that's

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of your own discretion. All right, So let's go with

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Let's start out with division winners in the American League,

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and uh you know, I still think Toronto wins the

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Al East. They've got some I know they lost Bashett,

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they added some other pieces that we'll talk about in

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a little bit, including Dylan Cease as a pitcher. I

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think this is the year the Royals really put it

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all together and win the Central. And I'm a believer

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in the Texas Rangers. I think de Graham is back

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to you know, healthy cy young contender de Gram and

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they got some young young hitters as well, added Brandon

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Nemo in the trade with my Mets. So I go Toronto,

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Kansas City and Texas let's go to the National League.

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And last year I did not pick my team. I

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didn't want to be a homer and I kind of

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knew they weren't going to win the division. Excuse me.

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This year, I'm picking them. I'm a believer. I think

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they've you know, if you would have asked me two

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months ago, I probably would add a different answer. They

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made some late moves, They've got some young guys playing

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very well, and I'm going with my Mets. They added

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Bashett Simeon. I'm not saying I'm buying fully in Kode Senghui.

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Kota Sengui looks like the Old Koda sung Guy, Nolan

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McLane Rookie of the Year prospect. But right at the

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front end of that staff, Reddy Baralta added via trade,

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although we had to give up Jet Williams. But I'm

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picking the Mets and I hope they do me justice

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as well. I'm also going with the Cubs. I don't

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think they're tremendous, but I think they still have enough

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to win the division that they're in. And you can't

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really pick against the Dodgers, right they continue to add

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pieces after they have already won two World Series in

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a row. I don't know where the money's coming from. Well,

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I do know where the money's coming from, but just

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continue to add players Tucker Diaz and the like. So

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let's go back to the American League and pick these

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three wild card teams. I think if it wasn't for

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the Blue Jays, the Yankees would win that division. So

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I'm going to take the Yankees as a wildcard team.

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Detroit A. J. Hinch is one of the best managers.

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He gets the most out of the least they've got schoolball.

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They've added to that pitching staff as well, with Valdez

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from Houston. I think they're a little light and hitting,

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but I think they're good enough to get it done.

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I think that third wildcard is going to between Houston

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and Cleveland. And I hate to pick two teams for

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one spot. Houston lost a lot, so I might lean

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Cleveland here. If I have to pick one, I'm gonna

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go Cleveland. Let's talk about an upstate art team, right,

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Chicago White Sox. I'm not I'm not saying they're gonna

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be a contender, but they're gonna be. And I got

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this is easy to say when they're the worst team

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in baseball, but they've added some young pieces. They have

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some young pieces already. I think they're moving in the

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right direction. Uh. So you know, beyond the uh, they'll

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be on the uptick. Uh, not just ready to compete yet.

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All right, let's go to uh the National League wild card.

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Uh and uh, you know, I did not pick the Phillies.

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And I know Philly fans are gonna throw daggers at

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me or put me on their dartboard. I think they

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just they lost too many pieces. Uh. You know, Zach

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Wheelers is probably not gonna be back in time. I

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think they're gonna be, you know, good. I just don't

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think they're gonna be great. But I really like when

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Arizona did with some of the pieces they added. Uh,

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And so I'm going Arizona Milwaukee. I know they you know,

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they traded Peralta, but they still got a great staff

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with Mizlowski and others and some young hitters, and so

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I'm gonna go with them. And I like the Rats.

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I think they're also on the rise as well. They

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got a great manager and Francona Hunter green Asy, young candidate,

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Elie de la Cruz potential MVP candidate. So I'll go

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with my three wild cards, Arizona, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, and much

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like the White Sox, keep an eye on the fill

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of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Again, they're not going to be

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competing for a playoff spot, but they've got a nice

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young team. You know, anytime you have Paul skiing, that's

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it feels like it's a potential win every time he

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takes the mound. They've got Barbara Chandler who's looking red

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to take, you know, get some accolades on the mount

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and others kind of Griffin on the infield, O'Neil Cruz.

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I think they play a lot better. I think they

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win quite a bit more games than last year. All right,

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let's go to cy Young. Let's start in the National League.

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This time. You got Paul Skeens, Yamamoto from the Dodgers,

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and Hunter Green and Christian Sanchez from the Phillies. Those

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are the four I would consider the front runners for

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that award. I'm going Skeens. And here's why. Yamamoto's good.

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The Dodgers are legit. He's gonna win games. Skeens is

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gonna win more games this year with a little more

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potent run scoring line up, and he wonted last year

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without that, so I think he's gonna be His numbers

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are gonna be similar, but I think he gets more wins,

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and now he has that reputation of being one of

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the best pitchers in baseball, so I think he's he

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gets it. But those are the other candidates. I like

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Hunter Green a lot as well. Sanchez still a good pitcher.

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I just think for this opposite reason the scheme, I

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think Philly may score less runs for him and some

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of those win totals will be lower. Not that he

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had a lie I think at thirteen last year. Let's

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go to the American League Young, and a lot of

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you know, some candidates here. Obviously you start with Terry Scoobel.

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You know, I think the only thing that's hurting him

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is like Detroit still have him on the trading block.

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Is he blocking that out? I know that arbitration hearing

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was contentious. I think eventually a change of scenery might

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be necessary for both parties, the Tigers and him himself.

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Garrett Crochet from the Red Soxes steadily becoming one of

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the best pitchers in the game. You got Jacob Deground.

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I talked about him with the Division Winners. I probably

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jinks him, but he looks very similar to the gram

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of Old. I'm not picking him to win it, but

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he's a candidate. I don't know if he gets enough

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innings pitched to get it or strikeouts, but he's in

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the mix and a sleeper. Cy Young in the American League,

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former Ranger, now the opening day starter for the Kansas

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City Royals. Cole Wagins keep an eye on him. I'm

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going to go with kind of the chalk here. I

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know it's easy to do, but it's hard to pick

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against chalk sometimes. And I'm going to go with Terry Scruble.

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I think he repeats as well. So I got repeat

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Cy Young Award winners. But some other candidates will be

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pushing them. So let's talk about let's go to Let's

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do MVPCE next before Rookies of the Year. So let's

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go with the Al. You know, Aaron Judges the defending champion,

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so he's got to be a candidate. Some other guys

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to keep a lookout for whole. Al Rodriguez, he's quietly

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sort of rebounded from a bad season a few years back.

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He's better than you think. We're better than most think.

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Guerrero Junior, the Blue Jays are going, you know, really almost.

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We're basically one out from being World Series champs. He's

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a big reason why. So he got to put him

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into consideration. And the guy I'm picking, it's not Judge,

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but the guy i'm picking five Tool. You know I

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love him if you follow my contact. I think this

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is he's had great years already. I think this year

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he has just one of those years that can't be denied.

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And I'm gonna go with Bobby Witt Junior for the Royals.

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I think they I think the team takes that next

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step and I think he takes that next step, even

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though he's already a tremendous player. I think he goes

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to that that next level. So Bobby Witt will be

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my pick. Let's go to the National League. Obviously he

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got the defending champions. Show Hey, oh Tani, a guy

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that's hard to pick, you know, if he's healthy, it's

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hard to pick against them, Jan Soto from my Mets,

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Paul skeins uh Uh Pirates, and another guy that I

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don't you know, he's if he stays healthy. He's healthy

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right now, he's another five tool superstar, and that's Ronald

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Lacuner Junior. I'm gonna go with the top two in

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my book here. I know it's hard for pitchers to

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win it, so I'm not gonna pick skiens Kuna is

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a sort of an injury risk, so I'm not gonna

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put my money there. And I'm gonna go show Hay

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slightly over Sodo and so that had a great year

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last year. I think the Mets win that division. Like

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I already said, I'm gonna go show Hay because I

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think you know, he's a he's you know, I didn't

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mention him in the Cy Young discussion. I think he's

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gonna pitch a lot more this year. I think he's

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gonna pitch in key spots, uh, And I think he's

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gonna be a very very good pitcher when he's on

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the mound. I don't think he'll win the Cy Young

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because I don't know if he'll get enough innings, but

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I think he pitches a lot more pitches very well.

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And you know, I may not have the same type

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of year hitting as he did last year, but he's

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still an incredible ballplayer. When you add the more pitching

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stats this year, I think it's gonna be hard to

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pick against them again. So I'm gonna go in the

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NL m VP race Otani over Soto, and I think

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the pitching numbers are gonna put him over the top there, folks.

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So we'll see how that really plays out. All right,

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Rookie of the Years, As we're coming down the home strups,

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let's start in the NL. Some really nice names here

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on the NL side of things. That's gonna be one

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heck of a race if all these players are in

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the BIGS, and I believe they will either start there

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or wind up there. Right. Connor Griffin from the Pirates

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shortstop looking very good in the spring. Gonna be hard

236
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to send him down. JJ weather Hope for the Cardinals.

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Another infielder with some multi position versatility. He's gonna start

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with the big club. My guy pitcher for the Mets,

239
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Nolan McLane still retains Rookie of the Year eligibility. Another

240
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Met Right, we got a youth movement, even though they

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traded some pieces away. Carson Bench tearing it up in

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spring training. It's gonna be hard to send him down,

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and even if he does, he won't be down for

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too long. And I really like him, kind of does

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it all and pretty good defensively. So all candidates, you know,

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I'm gonna go with Connick Griffin. I think he's gonna

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have a pretty good year. Carson Bench. If he plays

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and starts, he could be him Weatherhill Again, this one

249
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is too close to the calls they say in elections, right.

250
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I don't think McLane wins it. I think as a

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solid year, I think one of these positional players takes

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it all. Right, let's go to the American League. Four

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names there as well in my book. Kevin mcgonagal from

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the Tigers, another short stot, Carson Williams third basement from

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Tampa Bay, Kazuma Akamoto Japanese third basement, a little bit older,

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coming over and making his major League debut for the

257
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Blue Jays, basically replacing Bot yet there or at least

258
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in the lineup. And Samuel Bassallo, who got a taste

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last year with the Orioles catcher. He'll be probably alternating

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between catcher in first base and some big names there.

261
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I think some people may be shy to vote for

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Akamoto because of his age. I don't think that's necessarily fair,

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but I think there'll be some age biased there. But

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he's not super old either. If I have to pick one,

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I think some of these other guys will have some

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struggles this year. Carson Williams again very good talents. McGonigal

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might have some struggles. I'm gonna go. I want to

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say dark horse, but I don't know if he really is.

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But I'm gonna go with Samuel Bassallo from the Oriols.

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I know he batted one seventy last year with his

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cup of coffee, but I think he kind of puts

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it together. I think there's some veterans on that team,

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young veterans on that team that can help him. So

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he's a guy I will pick for American League Rookie

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of the Year. Let's just talk some players in general.

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Some guys I think are going to backslide, and so

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when we talk about hobby and buying cards, right, you

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have to be careful. To me, you have to be

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careful with some of these guys. I'm not col Rally.

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Cal Rally is very good, but there's no way he

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puts the year together that he did last year. I

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think that's just an incredible season of all time. I

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think he kind of comes back down to earth probably

284
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thirty home runs. I don't even know. If he hits

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forty again, you know, maybe it'll prove me wrong, so

286
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I'd be careful. I think some of the buzz wears

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off there kind of struggled in the WBC, including didn't

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get the start in the championship game, although I don't

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necessarily agree with that decision by de Rosa. Mookie bats

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had a bad year last year, some nagging injuries. He's

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getting older. Moogie Bets is still going to be in

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the Baseball Hall of Fame. I just don't think, uh,

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he's gonna have a great year again this year. I

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don't think he's going to be terrible. I just think

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we've seen the best of Mookie Betts. Maybe it's a

296
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by low candidate if he starts to struggle again, because

297
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like I said, he will be in the Hall of Fame.

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Another guy that sort of fits this bill. And I

299
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almost think every year is going to be the year

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he starts to regress and he proves me, continues to

301
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prove me wrong. The Ageless wonder right, Jose Ramirez for

302
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the inder Indians first ballot Hall of Famer. But when

303
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when is the year that you know, you start to

304
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see uh, you know, dense in the armor. I think

305
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it could be this year. And again, if that happens,

306
00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:54.839
it might be where you can sneak in there and

307
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get some nice cards of his as he gets ready

308
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for his Hall of Famer induction ceremony, which will be eventual.

309
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Another guy who had a great year last year. I

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should say he had a great first half and he

311
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did not have a great second half. And that's a

312
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little worrisome, and that's I think Pitchers started to figure

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his weaknesses out. He's going to have to go to

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the film room if he's going to you know, be

315
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the player people hope and think he is. And that's

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Pete Crow Armstrong of the Cup. Now, I'm not gonna

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say he's going to be terrible. He's got too much

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talent to be terrible. But I just think he's not

319
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going to be the player some folks think he is,

320
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so it might be an opportunity to sell early on him. Again,

321
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do what you want with this information. Another guy who's

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aging out, you know, it's Chris Sale, I think, and

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again he's going to be a Hall of Fame pitcher,

324
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but I think there's gonna be some regression, So again

325
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might be an opportunity to scoop up some nice Sale

326
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autos and rookies and that sort of thing. So those

327
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are my sort of backslide guys. Let's talk about some

328
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uptick guys, right. I know he has trouble stayed healthy.

329
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Corbyn Carrol I think can do that this year. I

330
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think that's the reason I picked Arizona as a wildcard team.

331
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People who have sort of jumped off to Corbyn Carroll

332
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ship if you will, it's a good opportunity to get

333
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some Carrol's probably cheap if the rebound is what I predict,

334
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DLL and cease. I think, well, got that big contract

335
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in Toronto. I think he's going to earn some of

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that this year. He will be better. How much better?

337
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I don't know a guy that would came back from

338
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injury struggled last year, but I still believe in him.

339
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He has some multi position versatility as well. For the

340
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Reds Matt McLane, I think he puts up some surprising numbers.

341
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I don't know he was gonna get a lot of

342
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hobby love per se, but I think he's going to

343
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be a rebound player. O'Neil kruz is you know, kind

344
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of we forgot about him because he hasn't had that

345
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big season. Is this the year? I don't know if

346
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this is the year, but I will say this, I

347
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think this is the year he starts putting those tools

348
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all together and having a better season, and we take notes.

349
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He's a good right now with good bylow Canada. As

350
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people have moved on to other guys and sort of

351
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forgot him. And one last guy in this category, Alie Rushman,

352
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I still like him. I think playing catcher every day

353
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sort of took some toe on him, wear and tear.

354
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I don't think he's gonna have to do this year

355
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do that. This year, I think he's gonna do some

356
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dh maybe a little bit at first base. I think

357
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him and Samuel Bassalo are sort of gonna take turns

358
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to prevent either one from having too much wear and

359
00:23:57.960 --> 00:24:00.920
tear on him. So I see sort of a bounce

360
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back year for a Ley Rushman again, another by low

361
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candidate for card card wise. So let's finish up with

362
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my World Series predictions. So from the AL I think

363
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I think I'm gonna man. I'm I'm gonna go with Toronto.

364
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I think Kansas City can make a run. I just don't.

365
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I think they are a year or two away from

366
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maybe being in the World Series. So I'm gonna go Toronto,

367
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and Man, I think it's gonna be the I'm gonna

368
00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:35.240
be a homer here. I think it's gonna be the

369
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Dodgers and the Mets, and it's hard to pick against

370
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the Dodgers, and I feel like I'm gonna hope it's

371
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the Mets, but I feel like if I pick the

372
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mec Mets, it will jink them and it won't happen.

373
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So I'm gonna go to Dodgers. So we're gonna get

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a World Series rematch, and maybe it's because I don't

375
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want the Dodgers to Maybe it's as simple as that.

376
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I think it's another six or seven game series, and

377
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I think the Blue Jays are going to lock in.

378
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Remember the agony of defeat last year and how close

379
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they were, And I think the Dodgers maybe get a

380
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little complacent of thinking, you know, because of who they are,

381
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they can just throw their jerseys on the field and

382
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just win games like that. And I don't think the

383
00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:22.759
Blue Jays have that fear of them. So I'm gonna

384
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go Blue Jays in seven this time in the World

385
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Series rematch. So there you go. Rookie of the Year candidates,

386
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MVPs Division winners, World Series pick Cy Young picks. Let

387
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me know what you think. Did I forget somebody? Elie

388
00:25:40.559 --> 00:25:43.680
de la Cruz is going to have a good year

389
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for the Reds. I know I didn't mention them really

390
00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:50.880
that much, but did I forget someone? Do you agree? Disagree?

391
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Let me know. Always appreciate the feedback.