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00:00And so we're talking MLB awards futures.
00:03We're starting with the AL comeback player of the year.
00:05Now, a lot of times you get really good odds
00:08and you're able to really get some bank coming to you
00:11at some point in the season,
00:12almost like a tax return, if you will.
00:14Let's talk some names here.
00:15There are more than these,
00:17but these are the three that stand out.
00:18Shane McClanahan, pitcher for the Rays.
00:21I'm just, I'm all over him for a myriad of reasons.
00:23We'll get into it, Joe.
00:24Jacob deGrom, a public name.
00:26A lot of people will revisit his greatness.
00:29And Mike Trout, you want a public name?
00:31There it is.
00:32So let's start with those three names
00:33and look at the amount of traffic
00:35that those three names are bringing into the book
00:37and how we can try to navigate that, Joe.
00:40Well, Shane McClanahan likes Sandy Alcantara
00:42returning from Tommy John surgery
00:44and a little bit more removed.
00:45So Alcantara pitched the entire 2023 season,
00:48whereas McClanahan only had 21 starts.
00:50So he's got even more of a window of recovery.
00:53So I think that's clearly why he's at the top.
00:55Then there's Jacob deGrom,
00:56who did come back towards the end of last year,
00:58made a few appearances,
01:00and obviously in terms of names and star power,
01:03a pretty big one,
01:04and you're getting a four to one return on him,
01:06which is really intriguing.
01:08Texas looking for him to lead that rotation.
01:10Gone are, you know, the Max Scherzers of the world
01:12and some other names that have been
01:13in that rotation in the past.
01:15So really they need deGrom to be deGrom again.
01:18And I think maybe we're so removed from Jacob deGrom
01:21being so dominant that maybe, just maybe,
01:23it's time to look back at that investment.
01:26And then there's Mike Trout,
01:27who is obviously very tempting.
01:30And I think there's some value
01:31with the Angels offense this year.
01:33And I know that sounds like a weird thing for me to say,
01:35but if you look at the lineup, you know,
01:36they bring in Soler, right?
01:38Who's going to hit behind Trout.
01:39Trout probably earmarked hit three, maybe two.
01:41Rangifo went healthy.
01:43Again, another good player here.
01:45Chanal, Hoppe.
01:46These are all guys that could possibly take a step forward,
01:48but it's that temptation of Trout,
01:50but the realization that it doesn't matter
01:53if he moves to left field,
01:54doesn't matter if he plays a DH.
01:55You just don't know how many games
01:56you're going to get out of him.
01:57So for me, it does come to one of those pitchers.
01:59And I'm going to go with Jacob deGrom,
02:01because I think that's the story and the narrative.
02:03And remember, when we're talking about these awards,
02:07they're media awards.
02:08They're narrative driven.
02:10And for a big star that hasn't done much,
02:12who was the best pitcher in baseball
02:14for about a three-year window,
02:17and he has been basically irrelevant
02:19for about a three-year window,
02:21it's a nice story to have a comeback situation
02:24like Jacob deGrom.
02:25Now, can it sustain?
02:26Can it last?
02:27I don't know.
02:28The only thing that hangs me up with McClanahan,
02:30to be honest with you,
02:31is what does this new ballpark situation look like
02:34for Tampa Bay?
02:35Because he's not going to be
02:36in that pitcher's paradise anymore.
02:38This is going to be a different scenario,
02:39playing in that Steinbrenner field,
02:41playing outdoors, the humidity, the rain.
02:44Like there's going to be a lot of effects,
02:46you know, physically to the baseball in that place.
02:49And I just don't know how it's going to play.
02:51I think McClanahan is going to be great.
02:52I'm excited about him.
02:53It's funny to me that he is so much further in ADP
02:56ahead of Santee Alcantara.
02:57I don't quite wrap my mind around that.
02:59But at the same time, Matt,
03:01I think it's a very encouraging list.
03:04I'm going to go with deGrom though,
03:05because I think that's the biggest narrative.
03:06Where do you want to go
03:06with the American League comeback player of the year
03:08if you had to put an early wager on it?
03:11Well, while the deGrom number is near and dear to my heart
03:14and speaks to me,
03:15I think it's your Met fandom that's coming in there.
03:18And I like what you're saying about the elements.
03:20A lot of people don't think about it.
03:22And that's what I love about this show and this network
03:24is you get that higher order thinking.
03:26Who really thinks about humidity
03:27and gripping the ball and all this thing?
03:29Well, that's why this home road splits.
03:30And that's why you go and you look at those things.
03:33Now you know an information is power.
03:35For me, it's McClanahan.
03:36And to your point about the difference
03:38in the atmosphere and the environment,
03:39there's a six man rotation
03:41and then there's Fairbanks in the back end.
03:42That gives you what I call win equity.
03:44That means we can go out there
03:46and just be dominant or commanding enough for six innings.
03:50See, that's the thing in baseball now.
03:51And that's where my betting mind is going.
03:53The good teams are playing six to seven inning baseball
03:56and then turning it over to a bullpen.
03:58And that's what I'm looking for that win equity,
04:01things of that nature from a wagering standpoint.
04:03So that's why I like McClanahan's number.
04:05I saw it at plus 350, but like I said,
04:07you can cash out and just keep looking at different books.
04:09Keep looking at different apps
04:11because there's a lot out there.