The 6-1-1 Podcast Ep. 4: Upton, Lowrie, Betances, and Young
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Hey, what's up everybody and welcome to a special edition of the 611 podcast. We're here at MLB HQ in New York City with members of the Commissioners and Ambassadors program. CHAP is a group of former players co-led by myself and my main man, young James Jimmy Rollins, who serve as ambassadors to represent the game and support its growth. Now today's episode is going to be a

a hot seat rotation of our cap members to get their takes on some of the best players in the game today. Now, without further ado, leading us all is Justin Upton.

Welcome to the podcast. Thanks for having me, fellas. So today we've got some great questions. We've got one big question for you today. What's the big question, Big Peace? Let me pull it up to that. Is it big because you're representing it? I mean, because you're presenting the question? It is because, you know, as a hitter, as a former hitter, you always want to know who's going to be the people to come up in the right spots when you need a run. But you missed a point. So if I asked, would it be like a small question? I mean, you know, you wanted to take it there, but, you know,

I was asking. I know how you think. Well, I mean, because you know what? You came up in big moments, dog. So it's – There you go with the size thing again. It's big. Okay. All right. You can't win for losing. You know what I'm saying? So it's just one of those things, I guess. Anyhow, I'll let you get back to it. What do we got for Jeff today, dog? But today we've got the question, right? So using today's current players, right, if you need a run in the top of the ninth inning,

Which three hitters of anybody, any team? No, no, no, no, no. Let's go bottom nine. There's no drama in the top of the ninth. Okay. Well, then we're going to change the question. We're going to change the question. It's the same question. This is to get that W. We're talking about the walk-off W. Right. All right. I mean, yeah. It has a little more pizzazz. Exactly. Who are you bringing to the plate? Who am I bringing to the plate? Top three to get this run across. In the game right now. This is easy. You need one run.

Right now, well, I'm leading off the inning with Otani. Okay. He's fast. He can end the game in one swing. And, I mean, he's fairly patient. Like, he can be aggressive at times. But he's a strikeout guy. Yeah, he's a strikeout guy. But here's where I'm going to change the game is Aaron Judge is coming up behind him. See? So, do you really want to mess around with – I mean, neither one of them you really want to mess around with, but –

It's the protection from Judge for me. Okay. All right, so they get by Shohei. They face Judge. Yes. Who's protecting Judge? Soto. You know what? You know what? You know, J-Up? What's that?

you all right with me, dog? You all right with me, dog? You see what he did? I mean, because managers, this is one thing they always try to do, the mix and match, right? You don't want to have lefties back to back. You don't want to have righties back to back if you can have that balance. And what he threw out there was a plate of beautiful. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, and Soto's the most patient out of all of them. So I know I have to get a run across, and I know he can, but...

The first two guys, if they're on, is trouble already. And then Soto's going to have a nice, patient at bat. And if you make a mistake, the game's over. I like that. I like that. I like that a lot. In that order. In that order. So because of the speed of Shohei, you want him going first. Because he can bop you. He can get on. He's a base. He's still a base. He's also going to give Judge better pitches to hit.

because he can steal the base. Right. So you've got to take that into account as well. And that stolen base is a threat. No doubt. So now there's a lot of stress for this pitcher. There really is. A lot of stress. Because as you say, you're talking about Judge getting better pitches, but Shohei's going to get better pitches because you don't want to face him. Right, you don't want to face Judge. Miss a Judge. You know, miss a 60-something home runs. Right. Yeah. And then you get – and that's – you know what? Do you feel that even more so let's say they get past Otani, Otani's out?

But then Judge comes up, Judge gets on with Soto behind him. Like, do you think they pitch Soto a lot more careful with Judge? I mean, he can steal bases, but, I mean, Otani's probably going to be the better base-stealing threat in that situation. Right. I think Judge is really the – he kind of holds it all together. He's a linchpin because he's patient, and it doesn't take a lot for him to bop you. Right. So he can bop you on a bad pitch. Right.

I guess Otani can too, but even if you're careful with him, and I know he's very patient, but it's that one that's just off that he might get to call him, but he can reach that and flick it out. So I feel like he's the linchpin to the whole thing because he protects Otani, he's very patient, but he can beat you on anything. And then Soto's there because I know that it's going to be a good at-bat, and he's

For power, he's a bat-to-ball guy with power. Line-to-line. Line-to-line, which is so beautiful. Okay, so we got the lineup. I'm going to make it freaky. Each pitcher gets one batter. I'm going to go different. Okay. No, no, no, no. I want to see the names. I want the names, but I'm probably going to go Burns against Otani. Okay. I'm listening. That's interesting. Okay.

How am I going to get Shohei Otani out? I have to crowd him. Burns with the cutter. It's a hard cutter. Lefties don't like... You're a lefty. You don't like that. No. And I want to be able to crowd him with the cutter and make him uncomfortable. I didn't see that. Because left on left, all it takes is a mistake. But...

When Burns misses, it's just going to be underneath him with the cutter, with the slider, curveball, whatever. The sweeper is what they call it now. Yeah, sweeper. Whatever that might be. But I want everything underneath Otani. I don't want – he can – you saw the homer he hit last week where he like butt out, flick it out of the yard. Like anything away from him he's comfortable with. So I want to make him uncomfortable with everything coming into him when I go with Burns. All right. Judge? Judge. I mean –

I'm probably going to... Anybody off the list, you know? I know. I'm probably going to... No, the guy is on this list. It's just I'm choosing between two of them. Do I go with Wheeler, who's got a mixed bag form? Mm-hmm. Or do I go tall guy versus tall guy with Glass now and just hope the angles get messed up? Right. And I'm sure they have some history. Yeah. I'm sure they have some history. Right. I'm probably going to... Yeah, I'm going...

I'm going glass now. - Isn't it crazy though? He knew exactly where he was going with Ohtani. Like, no, we're going Burns, 'cause I know how I want to pitch him. But with Judge, it's a little different. He's lights our power pole to pole. You come in, he can turn on you, you go away, he'll flip you out that way. - Yeah, you gotta have those guys that have that movement

And that's glass now. Like you said, creating angles. That's so big in being able to try to get him off his game. Wheeler would be another great choice because having faced Wheeler, man, you see what that sinker can do. And that movement. He's got so much movement. Everything moves. You feel like the four-seamer is a four-seamer. It's still running on size. Yeah.

It's never straight with Wheeler. That's what I like about him. I'm still going with – I'm creating angles with Glassnow. So if you're Wheeler, too. So are you busting him in with Glassnow? Are you trying to run something in with Glassnow and or Wheeler? Or are you trying to stay away? Wheeler's out of the picture for me now. Okay, so you like Glassnow. Okay, so we understand why you like Corbin. And now why you like Glassnow versus – If I'm the pitcher going out there, Glassnow with –

Judge. If I'm the pitching coach, I go out there. I'm going to... Whatever he feels comfortable getting ahead with, but then we're going to have to try to expand and finish up here. Because Glassnod has that extra little ride. It doesn't have to be a crazy high pitch for Judge to swing through it, but I need you to finish him up. And...

That's the only way you can really beat him because if you try to throw strikes and stay in the zone with him, he's going to hurt you. Right. So I need you to get ahead, expand. I know he's patient, but I also can't take the chance of him bopping me. So you're just going to have to be precise. Get ahead, be precise with your pitches, try to finish him with a cheese up top. Okay, so now that takes us. Okay.

Texas. I mean, probably the prettiest swing in the game right now. Yes. I'm a big fan of Juan Soto. He's got the best take in the game. He's got the best take in the game. Everything about him. So now we're there. And there's a name that isn't on here. That's who I'm going to. Scooble. I like him. Oh, man. That's a good selection. That's a good selection. I'm just throwing it out there.

- I really like that. - If you're gonna face Juan, you know, Scouble got that little funk to it. It's hitters don't pick it up. And he's not a guy you're gonna trick. You're not tricking him. He reminds me of Bobby Bray. He gets two strikes and gets even better. You know, guys that we've played with. So I'm just throwing it out there. You have your list. I threw a name out there. But it's your decision, coach. Come on, Skip. - I think I really, I like Scouble, but I'm not going Scouble.

My first thought was Snell. But even if you start getting those super nasty breaking balls, Soto, like, for some reason can spit on that. I don't know what it is. I'm just going to take my chances with Hayter. I like it. I'm just taking my chances with Hayter. I mean... Hard cheese. Hard cheese. Hides the ball, get that back towards you. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. He hides it well enough that I might be able to get some swings out of him. That was... The reason that I set my lineup that way is because...

I mean, they're all going to put together a good at bat, whether it's Hayter, whether it's Glassnow. I don't know that any of those guys could get, and vice versa. I don't know how the clash is going to go. You kind of threw me for a loop when I had to pick a pitcher for each one of them. If it was one, if I had to pick a closer to face all three of them. I think you get your run. Offensively, I think you get your run. But if I can match up, I think this is just a stalemate.

Well, the pitching beats hitting every time. So I think with that matchup, I'm going hater and I'm saying, hey, Soto, you got to barrel up 96, 97 miles an hour from the left side hiding in front of me. Right. I like it. I like that. I like it. There it is. Very nice. Very nice. 6-1-1 with J-Up. Appreciate you, dog. Yes, sir. Appreciate you, brother. Thanks for having me.

All right, everybody. Here at the 611 Podcast, our next guest right here, one of the great, not just baseball grinders, but one of the great baseball minds, Jed Lowry. Jed, and we've got you here for the perfect...

Oh, the perfect set of questions. The perfect set of questions. You can put your managerial hat on. And I'd be remiss. Did you wear the Stanford colors on purpose today? Is that what we got going on? I mean, you Stanford, Missouri State colors. Oh, okay. You kind of look like the tree thing that they run around with.

over there. It's the color. On that side of the bed. It's the color. It's the color. I mean, he has the color. I got the green. You got the green. I got the green. Yeah, so we got it. So we see. He's perfect. He's perfect. Exactly. He's perfect. I want to say we did this on purpose, but I don't know. We're not that good. But we can, though. We can. We can. All right. Because we need to show what's coming on. I mean, we got Stanford colors. We got that cardinal tree. Getting away with this story.

So you should feel right at home. Right at home. I do. Right at home. So now you get to put your managerial hat on. Okay. You ready? The question that we have for you. All right. You get to pick.

Any three current guys in the game today. Okay. You need one run. You need one run. Bottom of the knife. Bottom of the knife. Okay. Who are those three guys to get you that run? So, like, one, two, three coming up? Yes. Okay. Soto's leading off. Oh, okay. Okay. Because, I mean, the on-base, like, three. I mean, honestly, I would probably go Soto, Soto,

Actually, I'm going to take that back. I'm going to go Schwarber, Soto, Judge. Lefty, lefty, righty. In that order. Yeah, because I trust Schwarber to go up there, either get on base or hit a homer. And if he doesn't, I trust Soto to get on and then Judge to get an extra base hit. Okay, but Schwarber on base...

Does that become a liability? I don't, I mean... Or are you looking at the potential of him bopping versus him getting on base? Yeah, I mean, like, you didn't ask me the Dave Roberts question, right? Like, do I have a pinch runner, right? Right. Just these three hitters. Yeah, so, but still, like, I mean, just in terms of, like, in terms of value proposition...

and like getting one run, right? 'Cause Schwarber can- - Which need one. - All three of those guys can score a run with one swing of the bat, right? - Right, they're already in scoring position. - They're already in scoring position. And so I'm looking at the guys that have that ability, that have a high on-base percentage plus the slug, right? And so I think all three of those guys

scare pitchers enough to either pitch around them and put them in a position to get on base. Okay, so... And I trust... So, if, yeah, if Schwarber can't, you know, Schwarber doesn't get on base, even if he does get on base, I mean, I'm not looking for him to steal the base because the two guys, like Soto and Judge, can get that extra base hit. And even if it's a first to third...

Then you got Judge with first and third and nobody out. I like the way you broke that down, like you said. I like that. I'm not looking for Schwarber to sell a base because you want the guys behind to get pitched to. Leave that first base open, that gives them the option. Yeah, especially with Schwarber. If Schwarber, let's say Schwarber walks, right? Now the first baseman's got to hold him on. And you got the second baseman with the new rules, right? You got the second baseman to cover essentially the whole right side of the infield. Opens up holes for Soto.

Very nice. Okay, so then we get the judge. So, you know, traditionalists would think left, right, left. Sure. Because, you know, you present better matchup problems for a pitcher.

So you went left, left, right, which I find very interesting. What is your thought process going left, left, right, as opposed to flipping them? Yeah. Well, I mean, I think once again, if, if Schwarber gets on with that first, you know, first, then it opens up that hole on the right side for Soto. So now he can, he can take a bigger swing, right? Okay. Because I know my,

My miss, right, left-handed, how I'm probably sure the same. A little more hook. Exactly. It's the hook. Because now all of a sudden you can swing a little bit bigger, and if you miss, the hole is open. Right. And now it leads to that first and third. Because I trust Schwarber enough to be a good base runner. Which he is. He's a great base runner. He's not going to steal your bases, but he's a great base runner. So he's going to go first to third. Yeah. And I think to that point to where Jed's talking about with Schwarber on first –

even if Soto gets that rollover, more so in the hole, the second baseman's got a choice to make if he gets to that ball. And he tries to turn two. He's probably not going to be able to because he's going further in the hole. So he can get Schwarber at second, but now you got Soto on first with Judge coming up. And...

I mean, Judge can get you either way in how you want to do it. Yeah, and from a back control perspective, right? Like Soto has the back control. If the second baseman plays him in the hole, he's got the ability to hit the ball up the middle. So if they shift on him, then I would trust him to be able to recognize that and try to hit the ball more up the middle. Okay, so I like the way you're looking at it. A good base runner is not going to steal your bases. You're not in for that. A guy behind him who –

in my opinion, has the prettiest swing in baseball. And like you said, back control. He doesn't swing at just anything. Play discipline's crazy. Two strikes, even better, which is crazy. And then you got the big bopper judge right behind him. Right. Well, that's cool. I'm glad you have that. So now you're the manager on the other side now. Okay. You have to oppose them. Okay. Each pitcher gets one batter. Okay. So we're taking the three batter out. Yeah, exactly. Back to old school baseball.

You get three pitchers to oppose Schwarber, Soto, and Judge that are in the game right now. Okay.

And we have a list if you need. Yeah, I was just going to say. Can we get the list? Can we get the list? Perfect. We'll bring that over. Yeah, please. Okay. And there are going to be some names that you'll see, you'll recognize obviously on there that might inspire you to think of other names that aren't on there. Right. I want to see how you oppose your own lineup. So here's the list. But again, it can be anybody. Those are the only guys I get to pick? No, no, no, no, no, no. This is just a list to get the wheels spinning. Yeah. But if you have people out there.

outside the list. - One person on there that, or a couple people that I'd like are Scooble. - Yeah. - Hayter, for you know, the lefties up there. Plenty of righties. - Who, I'm trying to think who's-- - Chapman's still out there throwing 95, I mean 105. - I was just gonna say. - So you can't, there are guys. - And then who was it, Scott, that just got traded from Miami to San Diego, the closer? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - And he's an upper 90s lefty. - Yep. - I do love Mason Miller.

to face Judge. So I'll take Mason Miller with Judge. Okay, so... Now, why? Why are you taking Miller against Judge? Yeah, I mean... What matchup do you see, I guess, is the better question? Well, I mean, I think...

you know, statistically speaking, I'm taking the right on right and left on left matchups. Right. Cause I think especially with the, with the high spin rate, um, you know, guys now, like I, I'm just taking the, I'm taking the pitches that are going to break away from guys because of the high spin rate. And obviously Mason Miller is sitting a hundred, 101, um, with a good slider. Um, so I just, I think that's a, uh, you know, no matchup against judge is good, but I'm going to take the guy. I'm going to take the guy that has the high VLO with the high spin rate.

in that situation. So I'll take my chances with that. He's a young guy, right? Like, you know, I guess if we're talking about game seven of the World Series, is he, you know, battle tested in that moment? You know, no, but I'm going to take the I'm going to take the talent, right? I'm going to take the talent and and, you know, put him in that situation because I think he's got an opportunity to succeed. Understood. And then so we got Miller. Yeah. Miller against Judge.

Um, and then, yeah, I mean, I, I don't see a lot of lefties on this and, you know, I, I'm, I would be, I'd be more prone to put a guy that is used to coming out of the bullpen and blowing it out than a starter, right? Like there's a lot of starters on that list. So I'm, you know, I'm trying to think of the other dominant lefty relievers in the game right now. Like, you know, I know Chapman is throwing hard, but Scott is the one that, you know, comes to mind. Um,

No hater. Hater. I think, hey, actually, that's another. I just saw him pitch the other night. He's still throwing upper 90s. So I think, you know. Okay, so if I'm thinking about it, like, I'm probably throwing hater against Schwarber. I like that. And then Scott against Soto. And then Miller against Judge. Tell us the hater. Oh.

The Hader-Schwarber matchup. Hader-Schwarber. Yeah. And then a Scott-Soto matchup. Yeah, so I like the Hader. A little lower release point. High spin rate. Got that jumping fastball. And so, given that Schwarber is a little bit more of a...

I don't want to say free swinger, but he's going to take bigger swings than Soto. More of a swing and miss guy. Yeah, more of a swing and miss guy. Keep that thing hunting. Yeah, not that Scott is... We're splitting hairs with these guys, but if I'm looking at Hayter, he's going to be with that release point. He's going to have that more run, higher spin rate. The ball looks like it's going to rise a little bit more. So I think you could get...

Schwarber to chase that whole fastball up. I agree. Exactly. And then I think Scott a little more over the top with a harder slider down, I think is a better matchup against Soto. So that's interesting because Judge, you want to break it away. Yep. Schwarber, you want that ball running up under his hands. Yeah. He'll swing and miss at that. Yep. And once again to Soto, you're going with the good stuff, but breaking away. Right.

And that's a GM slash manager slash Stanford guy. It's a beautiful mind, man. I got to poke at him on the other side of the bay. You know, spent a lot of time in the bay, but he on the other side of the bay. But yeah, he came over to the East Bay and had a hell of a career there too, you know. Absolutely. Put down for the city. But, uh...

Jed. Yeah. It's been a pleasure, man. Thank you for having me. Thank you for coming out, man. You taught us something. It's always good to get perspective because as players, I think we all have our own way of running a game. Yep. And it's nice to hear what you have to say and the reasons why. So, appreciate you playing the game, brother. Absolutely, sir. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming out, bro. Yep. All right, Young James. Yes, sir. This next person here

I want to say this might be the first pitcher that we've had. It's not might. No, it's the second one besides CeCe. But this role of being a closer is different, completely different than being a starter. Exactly. Like starters have a sense. Yes. They have a sense. Closers, you got to kind of be like, you know, maniacal out there. You got to be a little insane. Those last three outs? Yeah. Which is why this is... As you said, it's a different mindset. But speaking of mindsets,

When someone looks at you, they don't think baseball. There's no chance. First of all, Dylan Batances, everyone. Dylan Batances. Welcome to the 611. We'll do things a little differently around here. I love that. No doubt. So, as I was saying, the first impression is not that you're a baseball player. Why baseball? Well,

First impression is basketball, right? So for me, I grew up playing basketball. I was just better at baseball. Baseball came easier. I could throw pretty hard at a young age. And, you know, basketball is tough, man. You got to be able to jump out the gym. And I feel like for baseball, it was just easier for me. I like it. I mean, I love playing basketball, too. But I had to guard dudes like Dillon. And then you realize you should do it in runs. And then I realized that when those dudes that are Dillon size...

Had the handles of a point guard. I was like, yeah, I might as well go ahead and stick to baseball. But, Ryan, you already said you was quick. You should have been. Hey, man, look, I was a defensive specialist, bro. Like, you know, they called me Handcuff Howard back in high school, bro. They used to put me on the best dude on the other team. I used to put him on lock. Dillon, was he guarding you?

Nah, he wasn't Garvey. He wasn't Garvey. Come on, bro. I mean, I played against Amari Stoudemire growing up, like Sebastian Toto. So those guys were like...

different level, but yeah, Ryan Howard had no chance. Before we slide to the baseball side of things, man, look, don't get it twisted, bro. I used to get down in the forest all the way. They called me the lumberjack down low, bro. I used to chop them trees down, bro. Chop them down. Chop them down, bring them down to my size, man. You see, you gotta get that apple there. Unless Doug got me out on the perimeter or something like that. I was a lot thinner in high school, so maybe. Oh, so was I.

So was I. So was I. Man, well, we'll never know. We'll never know. But, Dylan, we want to take you here and ask you, the big question here is,

You've got the bottom of the knife. Yeah. You get to choose from any players, any three hitters in the current game today. You need one run. And you need one run. I got three hitters. Three hitters you get to choose from in the current game. And how you line them up. And how you line them up. One, two, three. Bobby with one. Juan Soto, two. Aaron Judge, three. Wow.

yeah i like that please elaborate i like that elaborate i mean so let's go into it so we're going so why you chose that because so we got left left right no no i'm sorry right right right right we had some guy position players obviously that lowry had on had him on and he went

left left right with Schwarber Soto and judge right and Jay up Jay up went he went he went right right left right and you're doing the same thing so let's explain do I have the best lineup so far that's it's it's subjective I mean we had we had Shohei yep so I could put Shohei in there but I could definitely put Shohei I just wanted to put somebody that's you know like uh

somebody that is younger. Yeah. Like a rising star like Bobby Witt. And he can score in many ways. Exactly. He can steal bases. And Juan Soto, I mean, you know, you're talking about probably the best...

in the past five or six years. - Definitely a pretty swing, for sure. - He's gonna get on base and then Aaron Judge, I mean, he's driving the guys in at a high pace and hitting 330 something. I think my lineup is up there. I could've put Shohei in there, but I'll stick with my lineup. - I'm not mad at that. - Bobby Witt. - No, I'm not mad at that. - I love that. - Bobby Witt is in like close to 350, if not 350. He's gonna steal a base. You have Juan Soto.

that has great patience at the plate. So he'll draw a walk if he has to or, you know, drink a drive in Bobby. And then we got Aaron Judge who's the best hitter in my eyes. So, you know, I think my lineup is great. I really do like that Bobby Witt Jr. call. That slipped my mind. We've been so focused on the big three, the obvious big three. You know, and this isn't a slide to anybody. There's so many guys that will come up in that moment.

that we've seen come through time and time again but if we're going to pick three guys it just seems so obvious so the fact that you went outside the box yeah I love it because the kids hitting with 347 337 the first half 417 since the all-star break still in basis and if you're an offensive side of the ball there isn't anything he can hit the ball in the gap he could take you deep

You get him on base, he's still in. So, I mean, I love it. Very versatile. So that's the easy part, right? Yeah. And this is where, you know, we're going to really have you break it down. Mm-hmm.

you get one pitcher for each batter. One pitcher per batter. Somebody for wit, somebody for Soto, somebody for judge. And we have a list if you need it, but, you know. No, no, I don't need a list. Perfect. See, position players, we need that. We need a list. You know, we focus on who the hitters are. I mean, does it have to be a starter? It can be whoever you want. It can be whoever you want. I'm going with

three relievers. Money. Beautiful. And then why? You know, we're talking about how the matchup guys used it as a reliever. My relievers could get any of them out. You know, that's just my take. I mean, obviously, I picked a great, great lineup, but I'm going to go ahead and pick. Let me see. I know for Juan Soto, I want Clase. Ooh.

- We haven't heard that one yet. - No, we have not. - We have not heard Class A yet. Filthy. - Last four or five years, you're talking about, you know, they compared numbers to Mariano. Obviously, Mariano won four, about three World Series to that point, but numbers are very alike. So Class A, I'll take him for Soto, obviously Cutter, Lefty, which fair as well.

I got Miller, Mason Miller, facing Aaron Judge. Love him. Yep. We had that call. We had that call. Yep. And then with Bobby Witt, I wonder what's their matchup, but I'll probably go –

Durant with Minnesota. I wonder, because, you know, they're in the same division, so I wonder was there head-to-head, but hopefully Durant got him. If not, I failed at that one, but that's somebody that I... That's, I mean, on top of that, you're talking about 100-plus everybody out there. Right. Arms. Filthy movement. Right. Different movement, too. Different, different. And...

Okay, so you explained why you like Class A against Juan Soto. You like the cut. You want to try to crowd him in. You don't want to leave anything out over the plate. Yes. And then you still have that movement away when he needs to. That sinker, power sinker, cutter at 99. It's just crazy. Unhittable. He's unhittable. Mason Miller, I just picked him against Judge because I think he struck him out this year. I like that.

I like the matchup and obviously he's been super electric, been fun to watch him, you know, but

probably one of the most electric stuff out of the bullpen and then with the ran also a guy that throws above a hundred and has that splinker so I think if he goes up with the fastball splinkered down he has a good chance against Bobby Witt but you know we can pull the numbers hopefully I'm right you know maybe I don't think there's a right or wrong yeah you know that's the whole thing is very subjective and

I'm glad that we got to ask you this question because as position players, we don't think how to close a game. We know guys that we think are nasty, guys that we've seen have success. You're looking at it from the mound down. We're looking at it from the plate out. So when you're in that situation, you're coming up, you know, you have your selections. But as Dylan Potansis, you're facing that guy now.

He knows your job. Yeah. You know his job. What is something's going to happen? Most of the time, you guys are going to win. How are you solving that puzzle? For me, the biggest thing was what can I start this hitter out with? So

Is he going to be aggressive first pitch or is he going to take first pitch? So then I will try to, you know, maybe if he's if he's taking first pitch, I could throw my breaking balls a lot for strikes. So I would try to flip that in there. And then maybe, you know, if I can play the fastball up with that, I would try that.

see how he reacts to it. If he swings foul ball, I can now throw my spike curve ball right off that plane with fastball up, try to use that spike curve ball, same plane and just let it work. And a lot of times I got a lot of swing and misses that way. So that's the biggest thing for

if he doesn't swing at that fastball up, then what's that approach look like? If he doesn't swing at the fastball up? And it's a good take. Yeah, I mean, I can go back to the softer breaking ball and, you know, play it off that same plane and hopefully I landed outside in the outside strike zone. And then I could go back with the fastball up and hopefully I get a swing. I got to make sure that he sees the same plane. I can't just start like fastball down for me

Let's say I throw a fastball down and I throw a break more, he might not swing at that. But if I can start it a little higher and start the break more on the same plane, I feel like I have a good chance. Man, this is such a great thing about this game is that I don't think a lot of the people out there get to understand

the mental that goes in it, the cat and mouse that goes into the game, the chess that takes place between the pitchers and the hitters is because that's why I asked you about that, right? When you say, I'm going to throw this fastball up, if I can get a swing and miss or a foul ball, then I'm going to throw this pitch

right off of that, the slider, the breaking ball, right off of it on the same plane to trick his eyes to be able to have him go for it. Yeah, so he laid off the fastball up. So if I throw the breaking ball now on the same plane, well, he's like, oh, it's a fastball. It's probably off of that. Fastball, right. Now it's a strike, right? So, you know, like facing...

you and let's say we're runners on if they tell me, all right, Ryan's aggressive with runners in scoring position, then I'm going to try to bounce you a breaking ball first pitch and I'm hoping that you swing at it. Now I'm all one, right? So, you know, it just depends. That's the way I would tell it. It's a beautiful dance, bro. Yeah, and how much of it is this? You have that information, right? Ryan's aggressive in a situation or he takes in a situation. How much of that factors into...

I talk to Pedro a lot about this, what you have that day also. Because I don't, you know, I don't, I haven't thrown this, I'm fatigued, my breaking ball hasn't been as sharp now. I know what I want to do, but I also have to take into account where I am, you know, um,

that day on the mound, what is or isn't working? How much does that factor into now what you're going to do? Let's say something just hasn't felt right and you're facing a guy and the report says I need to do this, but I'm not there. Well, I mean, for me, obviously, the biggest thing is as a bullpen guy,

Whatever happens in the bullpen, you can't take it on the game. So I might have a shitty breaking ball in the bullpen, but when I come in, it might be on, right? But let's say in your scenario where it's like, man, it's flat on the bullpen and it's flat in the game, I'm going to try to use his aggressiveness but try to stay away from his red zones or like, you know, obviously if I can get...

I'm going to go back to probably something that is on the upper hand of the strike zone with my fastball. And I had two different breaking balls. At times, one of them will be off, but the other one will be on. So I'll just eliminate the one that's off that day. I'm like, all right, I'm not going to throw a slow one today. Obviously, Ryan won't know that yourself. Jimmy, you won't know that going in. But I might just eliminate it and go to the harder one early. Solid, man. Yeah.

In the mind of a relief pitcher. They're different. It's a different animal. They're different. There's no stretching out. There's no setting up hitters for the second at bat. It's all right now. Yeah, I'm giving you my all right there in that moment. Like the best thing that's coming out of the bullpen is when they open those doors, you literally feel like you're going into a boxing ring and it's just me and you. And the adrenaline you get off of that is no feeling like that. Because I started in the minors and

You know, I'm like, for me, it took, like, you know, I had to get guys on to get that extra gear. Right, right. Where out of the bullpen, you have it right away. And that was the difference for me. That's why I became so successful once I got moved to the bullpen. Let's talk about that. You know, a bullpen for the pinstripes where the great Mariano basically set the tone for any closer ever. But.

Is it different knowing that no matter where you are coming out that bullpen as a closer, you're stepping into that legacy of a great Yankee closer? I mean, best to ever do it to this day. I mean, you know, just watching him, getting a chance to play with him, seeing how he kind of went around his game, about his game, you know,

Just the way he's able to turn the clock, good or bad, you know, he kind of comes in the same routine every day. I feel like you following those footsteps kind of helps you out, but it's hard to fill in those shoes. I mean, you're talking about a guy that came in and had success right away. They won so many World Series. So if you can even have your name mentioned around him, you feel good about that. And, again, the chance to watch him was pretty amazing.

Dope. Dope. Man, nice one. Dillon, man, heck of a lineup. I love the strategy. I love the choices. On both sides. Offensively on both sides. On both sides. The way Junior was like, it's like, oh. This was great. We almost forgot about him. Yeah. But I like it. So, thanks for spending some time with us, man. Yeah.

You know, we're glad to have you here. Glad you're able to be a part of what we're doing with the 611. Obviously with CAP, this is our membership. It's a brotherhood. Baseball doesn't end just because we step off the field, you know? Thank you for having me. I love what you guys are doing and I'll continue to tune in. Yes, sir. Appreciate it. And we are greeted today with Mr. Nice Beard, Super Smile, Cashmere MLB Network.

the man is smooth smooth smooth like that forehead of his you feel me hey hey you know we shiny brothers together you know what i'm talking about cy chris young man thank you for being here you know what hey man this is a pleasure for me to be on the other side i'm used to i was just interviewing y'all boys during all-star game we were just talking about man you you guys are my idols

You know what I'm saying? So I appreciate you letting me come jump in with y'all. - Is that ageism right there? - I mean, yeah, you are older than me. Both of y'all are much older than me. - Much? - Much older than me. - Wow. - Y'all are officially-- - It started out as flattery and it just took a very long turn. - Real quick. - Isn't OG a compliment? Y'all are OGs. That's a compliment. - Okay, I understand that. How old are you? How old are you?

I just turned, I mean, I'm fresh 40. Okay, so you're in the club. You're in the club. Okay. I mean, I feel you. I hear you.

- Maybe it's our turn to be uncle, you know what I'm saying? - Absolutely, embrace it brother, embrace it. - I appreciate it man. - It's all right. - You know, but on the real though, CYU's smooth man. I watch you on TV, I'm a big fan of what you do. - Likewise. - The way you break it down. You know, very knowledgeable about the game, which is, we already knew this. You know, you're a first rounder. What pick were you?

16th rounder. 16th rounder. But, you know, I felt like a first rounder. In fact, if you get to the big leagues, you feel like one of the dudes. You know what I'm saying? It's a grind out there. I stand corrected. There was one in there. There was one in there. You know, I think you were thinking of the other Chris Young. He was a first rounder. There we go. Yeah. And he took my shine. There you go. Which is why you wanted to change your name when you got to the big leagues. You were talking about that. When he got drafted, my phone was ringing. I'm like,

Let's go. And so I make the phone calls and it's like, y'all just, y'all just pick me up. They're like, who, sorry, who is this? It's Chris Young. Y'all just drafted me in the first round. Let's go. Sorry, wrong number. Oh, wow. That's all right. Get them next time. We'll catch you 15 rounds later.

And then you'll both make it and have successful careers. So it's still a win. We all good. No hard feelings. We made it. I'm glad I brought the first round thing up. We would not have known about it. He was trying to jump straight into what we got known about. But no, we like to break it down. Absolutely. But, you know, for real though, like I said, I've been a fan. I'm watching. Bro, you're doing your thing, bro. Thank you. You're doing your thing.

no it's been it's been great bro i echo every sentiment that jimmy's what said man like i've enjoyed watching you do your stuff man so but today you got to put on your managerial hat which what you do what you do all the time so this is this yeah i said this is a walk in the park for you

And I don't know about that. It's a walking apart, bro. And you cover baseball, so, I mean, we got some help up here so you can make decisions. On the pitch side, because we're hitters. On the pitch side, but I'm going to let Ryan go ahead and set that up. Yeah, we're going to start it off with the hitters, okay? Bottom of the ninth, okay? You need one run. Okay. You get to select three hitters, any three hitters in the game today. Current players. Current players. Any three hitters.

Who you putting as your three hitters to get that run across? - In the order. - Run across. - In that order. - In that order. - Oh. - And in that order. - Oh, that, okay. All right, I think I'm going Moogun Lidoff for me. - Okay, another new name. - Okay, okay. - There you go, love it. - Moogun Lidoff for me. - I'm surprised it took him that long for Mookie to come up. - It was good for me, you know, that's my boy. Everybody else should have showed some respect. But, and then we're gonna go Juan Soto. - Okay. - Okay. - In the two spot.

And then I got to take Aaron Judge in the three spot. I mean, there it is. The two and three are solidified. They are solidified. It's that first guy that's been bouncing around. I mean, it's a win either way. It's a win either way. Now, why? Why Mookie? Why Juan? Why Aaron? Mook, I think...

There's probably some bias in there. Mook was the ex-teammate of mine when I played in Boston, and I've seen him come through in clutch moments, and I just know the level of competitor that he is. So this is not really digging into numbers or going through stats of any kind of situation. It's just

this is what the eye test, this is where the eye test comes into play and says, man, this dude is a coach player. I want him on my team. I love the energy that he's bringing. I know with the game is on the line, he'll come through for me. And you just can't keep your eyes off of what Soto and Judge have been doing this season. I understand they on the same team, but this is the best two, three combo that,

i've ever seen no offense to the philly boys or any other team that that had these powerhouses but what soto and judge are doing on just this season alone bananas it's absolutely unbelievable and and there's so many other names out there freddie freeman that you want to throw into the mix shohei o'tani that you want to throw into the mix and if you talk about leadoff hitters you can even bring a stephen kwan into the mix as far as a great leadoff hitter of guys that i would want to put in there but if you're only going to give me three

Sometimes you got to make those tough decisions. That is what it is. I like it. I like it. It took a while. I was wondering when someone's going to say Mookie. And it's not disrespect to anyone else. It's not a slight to who isn't putting it into this list. But we're going with what we like. And it's very subjective. You chose Mookie because you like him, ex-teammate. But

The dude can fucking play. Oh, he got hardware. He got hardware to back up what I'm saying. This is not just Phil. You're talking about MVPs. You're talking about guys who are doing things, especially at his size, that nobody else in the game is doing. So I love Mook just as a motivation to all players that it doesn't take just an Aaron Judge-sized player to go out there and be a superstar. You got players of all sizes in this game, and Mook is one of those guys who can jump out there, buck 85,

and soaking wet and absolutely catch you left center, right center, no matter where it is. And be the ultimate clutch player. And lean back on him. Got him back. I like that. Okay, so I like that. I love your lineup. Now...

You have to pick a pitcher to face each one of those batters. It could be a reliever. It could be a starter. But in the game today. And then tell us why you choose that to oppose each hitter. One pitcher per batter.

And we have a list up here if you need some. Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely. So I get three different pitches. Three different pitches. Now, they don't have to be. Old school baseball. They don't have to be on that list. I'm probably, I may not pull off that list, but I'm going to go Emmanuel Class A. Who is he for? He's facing Mookie. Okay. Oh, okay.

Class A is going to face Moop. And he's going to try to throw that sinker in up under his hands. And, I mean, he just ain't nobody hitting Class A. And good pitching should be good hitting. You don't know how that's going to play out, but that's what I'm going for. For Soto, oh, my goodness. This is where –

I probably got to go with a Frambois Valdez. Somebody like that. I think he'll go up and in. I like that. He'll come up. I know he's a sinker ball guy, but he still has the ability to come up and in under his hands, which I've seen Soto have.

a little trouble. Every blue moon, if he not looking for it, you can catch him slipping up in here a little bit. And you need somebody with a big breaking ball, a big snappy breaking ball that has some sweep on it. And it's only two hitters that I really think about. I think a Soto and I think a Yordan Alvarez to where you really need a lefty that can really run it away from you a little bit. And I think that curveball that Frambo throws,

He can have Soto looking a little uncomfortable. Okay. So I go with that. And then my last hitter is Judge. I mean, you know what? I mean, let's go Mason Miller. I like that. Let's go. I mean, Mason Miller. Mason Miller, Judge. Yeah. He's one of my favorite pitchers in the game right now. You know what? No.

Take that back. Scratch that. Take that back. Remix. I'm going to bring another starter pitcher into the equation. Okay. A starter? Paul Skeens, dog. Paul Skeens. I'm sorry. That's a first. Paul Skeens. I'm not saying I was a doubter when he came in, but the expectations were so high that you're like, you know what, man? It's really not fair to this kid.

to have these level of expectations on him. But to see how he's been able to come into the game, bro, he's way more than a thrower. And we were being spoiled by him 'cause we're so used to seeing all these throwers, throwers, throwers. Yeah, everybody throws hard. You watch him go out there and do his thing, bro, he got a little side slinginess to it, ball moving all over the place, the splinker is in play.

I think he's a guy who makes a lot of hitters uncomfortable and Judge hasn't had the opportunity to see him enough times to know the adjustment he needs to make on him. So if I'm just catching them fresh, early, huge advantage Paul Skeens right now. Yeah, I like that. I like the frame of Valdez because we know he has a good changeup. We know he has really three different breaking balls. He can throw them in different depths and different speeds.

But what we sleep on, he still throws 97 with movement. Yeah. I mean, just here. Yeah. I don't care if you lefty or righty. You're not comfortable. It gives you so much to think about, bro. Because like you said, you got 97.

And you got the splinker, you got the sweeper. Like, as a hitter, bro, it's so much to try to take in because you really have to try to focus on one pitch. Think about the starters you faced, Ryan. Who was a starter that was a true synchro baller from the left side?

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I could think of like a Johnny Venters from the bullpen, but as a starter, a lefty starter, that's something that you just not seeing on a regular basis. Somebody running that thing. That's what righties have to deal with all the time. Especially with velocity, with velo. Lefty's spoiled, man. Righties, we had to see that kind of stuff all the time. Righties always coming in. You ain't never had to experience this stuff, man. Y'all boys spoiled, man. It was hard on us in these streets, man. Hey, you know, I put in my work, young player, to be a switcher. Look,

I knew what I was going to be up against and what I didn't want to be up against. I said, I'm here from both sides. You're not taking me out this game. That's what you're not going to do. Well, I can tell you that, man, because I definitely had my experiences with Johnny Venters and they were not fun, bro. They were not fun at all. Zach Britton, you know what I'm saying? Oh, my gosh. Britton was tough. Britton had that little kind of like short arm hitch to it. I was like, bro, this ain't right. Some nasty boys out there, man. It was nasty. It was nasty. So,

To get it right, we got Mookie Betts, Juan Soto, Judge, opposing Class A. No, Class A for Mookie was, no. Class A for Mookie. Class A for Mookie.

Framber Framber for uh oh that's that's just for so every time you say that that's a nasty matchup bro yeah it is I don't think anybody can do we gonna put skins on the big stage you swapped out Miller Mason Miller I love them footballs games I love it you know what I'm saying let's challenge skins let's put them in the heat yeah early on dog I love it two big boys going at it because I'm some heavyweights right there oh man that's my CTV right there that's velo versus

- Wherever you throw it. Wherever you throw it, you know I can touch you. - Oh yeah. - You know, that's that big piece stuff. Like wherever you, pole to pole. - Every once in a game, try to run into one. - Nah, come on. - That's what it is. - You was doing more than that. - Every time Big Philly come up to the plate, I'm backing up three, four steps. - Am I right? You were the first fastest at 200?

- Yes. - And he was the fastest, so 300. - He's the fastest 300. - Judgey, yeah. - Yeah. - 100 and 200. - How does that make you feel? - 100 and 200. - 100 and 200. - How does that make you feel? When you the trophy holder, do you really pull for your peers like they come after you? Are you really pulling for them to be graded in? - Records are made to be broken. - Do you want people breaking yours though? - I mean, not really, but if you're gonna do it. But you know what though, to see what Aaron Judge is doing,

like when I had my season in like 2006 it was like video game type stuff yeah so it was like I remember going to Jimmy one time I think I hadn't hit a home run in like two weeks or something I was like bro I ain't got it no more but it's like to see what he's been doing and I think like what was it like last week or something like that he had hit like seven or eight home runs or something like that seven homers and eight games or something like that

So to be able to go on those kind of tears, bro, is so much. What does that feel like? It's fun, bro. It's one of those things to where when you walk up, when you show up to the ballpark, it's like it don't matter who's pitching. Don't matter what you're going to throw. Like, I'm getting it. Like, the ball is literally a beach ball. And you're just in a zone where –

bro everything you touch is is it's going on yeah see us mortals we feel that for for a week at a time he was sick it was when he was saying like we were familiar with that feeling like we're not i mean look bro we're not he get that blood that bad out he get that you know that shit here we go with this you already know don't throw it saucy get up there get up there feeling sexy bro you know big sexy jason giami told me he's like hey man

"What you doing up there, bro? Just keep being sexy up there." I was like, "All right, why not?" - What I love about it- - Did he tell you to do it in the leopard print thongs? - Bro. - Everybody don't know that story. - Nah, bro. You probably read between the lines. Sure, I'm sure that's what it was. But no, man, to see what Judge is doing, man, it's been so fun to watch. And then Soto right there with him, man. It's been great to watch the entire season. So CY, we want to thank you for coming on, man.

We should have had you on sooner, but it is what it is. I appreciate you guys having me, man. Anytime you guys want me to come to the 611, bro, hit me up. I'm in here. All of our other guests that were able to come out, having our matchups today, guys playing manager. That was fun. It was good because it was great to be able to see and hear the thought processes behind who they selected, why they selected them, and then who they would have opposed them.

- Right, they thought that was getting off easy. - Yeah, they thought it was gonna be easy. - Okay, no, that's fine. - They thought it was gonna be easy. - They thought it was gonna be easy. - They thought it was gonna be easy, but I learned something today. - But who wins? At the end, who wins? Who wins?

I think most of the time the pitcher is going to win. No doubt. If they hit their spots, they're going to win. But that's the beauty of it. It's very subjective. We don't know when special moments are going to arise. But the matchups we have will definitely. If we ever get them. If we can play like. I don't know what they play. PlayStation 25. I don't know. And put those matchups and bring them to reality. Bro, that's a whole show in itself. Man, I love it. I love it. Well.

That's our time for the 611 Podcast. This go around. Make sure y'all tune in.