The Pitch Clock: The Milwaukee Brewers have taken baseball by storm (feat. Aram Leighton)

The Pitch Clock: The Milwaukee Brewers have taken baseball by storm (feat. Aram Leighton)

[Music] Welcome to the pitch clock. Here’s the pitch, a two-part baseball segment combining a nostalgic baseball trivia game and an interview with an expert. This is the pitch clock. It’s time for another episode of the pitch clock. Hi, Roberta Taylor. We have another game. and we’ll get to our expert uh very shortly, but let’s get started on this. Taylor, what do we got going today? In front of you guys, you have the 2002 MLB Allstar game and the starters at each position. We’re going to do a new format for this game. Each guess you make is a half inning. So, we’re going to play nine innings. Chris is going to be the home team. Jeremy is the road team. The highest total after the nine innings is the winner. Um, so Jeremy, this is this is considered the top of the first inning. Your your guess. Um, in uh behind the dish in the National League, Mike Piaza, one point. That is correct. National League first base Rocky’s Todd Heldon. Yep. 1-1 after one inning. Nobody guesses Todd Helton more in these games than me. Yeah, for real. Uh, playing right field in the National League for the San Francisco Giants, Barry Bonds. Wow. That’s smart of you to realize that good outfield even though he was a left fielder. It is. It is Barry Bonds. I will say um the outfield isn’t really player specific. Okay. Position specific. We got that from Barry Bonds who was clearly a left fielder. Yeah, very good to know. Okay. Uh you’re up catching for the American League. Jorge Patada. Hip hip Jorge. Two two after two. um what we have listed as a left fielder but probably played right field in the National League for the Chicago Cubs. Sammy Sosa is correct. Um 2002 I’m just going to stay safe right field. Nice. Uh Mariners, whatever. You got it. It is correct. Each is the Mariner. And the Minnesota Twin playing center field is Tory Hunter. Was this the one when he robbed Barry? Was this in Milwaukee? No, but yes. My turn. Bottom of the fourth. Alex Rodriguez. Shorts stop. Texas Rangers. That is correct. Al 44 after four. This This one feels like first one to miss. Yeah, it does a little bit. Could do you. Our 2025 MLB expert for this week has actually joined me in studio. It’s Arm Leighton of Just Baseball. Thank you for joining me here in studio in Miami. This is an honor and it’s awesome to be here in person. This is gonna be a blast. And and where I want to start is with a team that if you’re not following Major League Baseball really in depth, the Milwaukee Brewers all of a sudden over the last month, month and a half, have been playing out of their minds on the type of pace that people thought the Dodgers would be on. They even swept the Dodgers in that stretch. Analytically, you would never think that this is one of the best teams in baseball. Can you explain to me how this is happening? Yeah, I I think they play old school baseball in a new school way, which which I really like because may there might not be something that jumps off the page with them, but you’d be hardressed to poke a hole in their game, whether it’s on the pitching side. Defensively, they’re fantastic. Offensively, I mean, they’re not going to light it up, but they’re still middle of the pack in home runs, and then they steal as many bags as just about any team in Major League Baseball. I think they’re the new gold standard really of of being efficient and analytically driven in ways that people outside can’t really see because we would have the same conversation about the race. Yeah. No, it makes all the sense in the world, right? Every team has access to the same data. are trying to find ways to not only interpret that data differently and be able to find players within the margins, but then also teach to what they believe the most important strengths are in developing their players. And now you’re you’re seeing it come to fruition with the Milwaukee Brewers and and literally they are the best team in baseball, which makes no sense. And ironically, the other one being the Tigers for the most part, same sort of deal. that back end of that bullpen last year. It was the reason they were able to go on that run and you’re seeing the Brewers do some similar things. But I I want to talk to you a little bit about the upcoming MLB trade deadline. Which team in baseball do you think needs to be the most aggressive at this trade deadline to turn themselves from a very good team into a legitimate contender? I look at the Chicago Cubs because I think it’s multifaceted too, right? with the second you traded for Kyle Tucker, you gave up some good pieces. I support that when you’re going all in to win the World Series, but you got to follow that up with more moves, right? They weren’t a Kyle Tucker away from being a World Series team. They’re really good, and I think they’ve got a shot. Any team can get hot and make a run, but the second they made that move, it was like, I think you got to do more now. And the pitching staff looks good. You know, Matthew Boyd has been a revelation. He’s been really fun to watch. But you look at that bullpen, you look at the rest of the staff. If you’re really trying to make a push in the postseason, you got to go for it and give that indication. And the Cubs also have one of baseball’s strongest farm systems with multiple top 100 prospects that are already on the 40man. Owen Casey, power hitting corner outfielder is on one of the best heaters also right now in AAA. Moises Bisteros, he’s catcher more bat driven, but he’s coming along defensively. Plenty of teams would love to have that guy. And then Kevin Alcantra, he’s a plus defender in center field. There’s some swing and miss concerns, but teams will take a chance on a guy like that with good power, can stick in center any day of the week. And those are all guys that are already in AAA. So, if you’re a GM acquiring those guys, you feel a little bit more comfortable about the proximity and also just the the hit rate there. Okay, I’m going to go I’m going to do it. Center field in the National League, Montreal Expose, Vladimir Guerrero. Yep. Good guess it is Vlad. Why am I so nervous about a couple Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soraniano. Nice call. Nice call. It is Alfonso Soraniano. What a moment he had, man. Not only that, but that he and A-Rod were the middle infield traded for each other. What? The following season? Yeah, it was 03, right? That’s crazy. And then they were like and then they’re like, “Now get in left field.” All right. Um, I’m gonna do my first pitcher here and I’m gonna take the Arizona Diamondbacks and I’m nervous, but I’m taking Randy Johnson. Jeremy’s gonna go scoreless. Yes. I was just like, let hopefully he goes to it. Yes, it did. I’m going to go with Kurt. Oh, wait. Who did you say? Kurt Schilling. My bad. I was just like, wait a second. Who did he say? That would have been a disaster if Chris Austin if I forgot which one he said. Well, I just thought you were going to skip it and then I was just going to go back to it. Yeah, make sure that I scored a run. That would have been smart of me. 65 Chris Cody in Okay. Um, he’s going for four in a row, folks. Oh my god. All right. Well, then I’m going to go Boston Red Sox pitcher for the American League, Pedro Martinez. Think about it. This has now turned into a disaster. It’s another scoreless inning for Are you kidding? Oh my god. Who would have been what? Left field. Y Boston Red Sox. Damn it. Wasn’t a left fielder. No, he wasn’t. You’re right. I thought he played some right field, too. No, not really. No. Manny Ramirez. Yeah. Yep. They try to they try to hide him with the green monster. Let’s go ahead and move forward here. Right. The number one name that seems to be on the trade market in terms of this guy’s going to be moved and he’s a great great great player is Yoheno Suarez. Which team do you think needs to acquire Yenho Suarez as a third baseman the most? And what do you think that the price tag in a general sense ultimately looks like? Suarez, I think, may be the most prolific power hitter to be traded at the deadline because I don’t think we’ve ever seen somebody with 35 plus homers moved before the deadline. So, but I look at the Mariners, man, he has familiarity there. They love him there. I mean, the fans, he’d get an all-time standing O if they brought him back in town. One, because I think they just would be so happy to get more offense there, but two, because he was beloved there. He’s been beloved everywhere he goes. And there’s not a lot of players that have the experience of having hit there for whatever reason. It’s hard to see in Seattle. I don’t know what the deal is. And I think that’s a guy that would really jolt that offense and plugs right in at third base for them. And that’s why I think the Mariners, though it’s uncharacteristic, could really push the chips. They’re in prime position for it. And it it it he is the type of player that totally changes your entire lineup. like putting him there and and hearing what those offers are probably going to look like. How could the Diamondbacks not make that move? So, I want you to give me, if you can, three to five other players that you think will get moved, why they’ll get moved, and ultimately a prediction of where they’ll get moved. So, I want to go a little bit edgier here, not the obvious players, right? The the rental is on bad teams. Of course, they’re going to get traded. Yan Duran from the from the Twins. I think this is a spot to to cash in if you’re the Twins. This core, it just it doesn’t seem like it’s totally going to work out. Durant’s dealt with some injury history over the last couple years, even as a prospect when he was a starting pitcher. I think this is peak of his value. Two years of control after this one. And another team that I would have said should probably go all in a little bit more is the Phillies. That core is not getting any younger. That’s true. Zack Wheeler is going to retire after 2027. Bryce Harper ain’t getting any younger. Trey Turner is not getting any younger. JT Romeo, Kyle Schwarber is going to be a free agent. And I look at that team, you got the starting pitch and Christopher Sanchez just went CG. He’s been unbelievable. But the bullpen, they they they signed David Robertson for a reason. 6 million the rest of the season, but I want someone that can lock it down. And I think Durant’s a guy that can really push them over the top. Are there any other guys that you’re focused on here? A surprise might be Taj Bradley from the Rays to That’s where I could see the Cubs get creative. Generally, they don’t go all in on rentals. They like to manage things a little bit more carefully. Look at the big picture. Bradley comes with control. So, you could make the case, hey, we’re we’re we’re adding our pitcher for this year. But at the same time, we’re we’re making an acquisition where if things go south for whatever reason, we get bounced in the first round. We’re not going to be upset that we moved assets for a pitcher here. So, I think that would be a really nice match made there. That’s the exact type of player you want to acquire. I want one more name from you. One more name with one more prediction of where they’re going to end up. This is the rental side. I just I think this is such a fun fit. uh is the Astros are probably not going to go crazy. Their farm system is probably one of the weakest in Major League Baseball, but I see Cedric Mullins is the perfect fit to make that team so balanced out there, right? He’s going to go get it in center field and I think he could be the perfect spark for them with the speed, sneaky power, and great defense up the middle. This has been tremendous, Arum. Thank you so much. Uh I’m definitely going to on our next episode of the Pitch Clock when we return check in and see how right you were or how wrong you were on these predictions, but I love the insight. I’m sure our fans are grateful for it and uh we’re gonna have you back in here at some point soon. This is this has been a lot of fun. Thank you. Hey everyone, go check out Just Baseball. What he and Jack do over there is tremendous. And you know, Ethan’s a part of it kind of, you know, whatever. We love you, Ethan. Back to our game with Chris. This is a disaster. So, I’m going to take I’m going to take one of I’m going to take one of those Phillies. Scott Roland. Yeah, it has to be. It is Scott roll. Okay. Thank god. The real question is is just like was this guy their shorts stop this early. Exactly. That’s the It’s the We’re having the same question and but I don’t think they had another All-Star shorts stop. So it just kind of has to be. I can’t figure who’s the Red Sox pitcher. That is true. I’m struggling as well. I can’t I mean there’s Look, there’s someone in my brain right now, but there’s no way. Couldn’t it have been the guy that you guessed for the other side? Was he there then? See, I don’t know timelines. Yeah, you’re right. It’s him. Yeah, it is him. It’s him, but I’m afraid you have confidence. I’m trying to follow your guys line of thinking and I’m Did Chris Cody just say that Randy Johnson was a Red Sox? Yeah, let him guess it. I was saying Kurt Schilling. Obviously, that’s who I was going to say, but no, that’s not my guess. Relax. I’m going to go Jimmy Rollins. Shortstop Phillies. It It took a while to get there, but Chris Cody does clinch the win, which I feel like if everything I said there was pretty spot on. What I said was is I was like it could be no more at third, which I don’t think that’s actually true cuz I don’t think they would start a shorts stop at third, right? Or Bill Miller. Bill, no way it’s Bill Miller. And he was a good third baseman. You’re not going to believe the name it is. Hold on. Hold on. And then I was going to say it could be Kurt Schilling cuz he played on the Diamondbacks and like he also was a Red. But it was Kurt Schilling when you guessed. I guessed Randy Johnson. Oh my bad. That’s right. There it is. That’s the part I up there. I heard Schilling though. Rare picture to start both sides. That would have been wild. I would have loved if you guessed. That’s why you said it. Oh, so you knew it wasn’t Mark Sherid, too. Is that what you said? It’s not text. So that’s why you’re like I think you It was so obvious you were I think you should guess the pitcher or the first base. Well, I didn’t think that you had any clue what the other ones were. And Rollins was ultimately the only one you felt confident with. I have I have a So the Yankees first baseman. It’s either Tino or Giani, but I think it’s Tino at that point, right? I’d go Giani. Giani. It is Giani. Okay, good. I’m glad I didn’t guess it. it. There’s no way the Red Sox pitcher is Dererick Low. It was Dererick Low. You got to be And was it Nomar at third? It wasn’t Nomar. This one is This one was by far the toughest name on Hold on. Don’t say it. I don’t have a shot. Give me initials. I mean, I know I’m going to get this. Think Think Toronto Blue Jay, too. Sh. Oh. Uh, Shay Hillenbr. Shay Hillenbray Hillenbr. I mean, you had to walk me there, but I still feel good about it. And is the Montreal Expo second baseman Brian Giles? No. No. Okay, good. Initials for the Expo second baseman JV. JV? I Wow. Give me another hint. Yeah. Anything else? Did he play for another team? Career 300 hitter, three-time all-star, silver slugger. What? Jose Viscayeno. No way. Right. First name, Jose Vedro. Oh my god, Jose. Nice little hitter. Nice little hitter. That guy that was like a like a Pacito Palanco type hitter. Shay Hillen. Like a guy that’ll bat like 290 for you. I can’t believe Jose Vidro. Shay Hillenbrand. Derek Low. [Music]

Chris goes for a 4-peat over Jeremy in Taylor’s Trivia, and Aram Leighton joins as this week’s analyst to talk Brewers and some names to watch at next week’s Trade Deadline.

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