00:00 (upbeat music)
00:03 - Joe and I, I don't know,
00:04 are we gonna disagree on this next one, dude?
00:05 Everyone is up Jack's Flaherty.
00:07 And maybe it's 'cause like you said,
00:09 I'm a Cardinal fan and I've seen him for what he is.
00:12 Thank you for appreciating that.
00:14 But I just, I have no interest in it.
00:16 God bless him.
00:17 Let him do whatever he wants.
00:18 Let them trade him in September and him falter in,
00:21 not Bailey falter, Jack Flaherty falter in the post.
00:24 It's finally, I don't believe Jack Flaherty.
00:26 Talk to me, dude.
00:28 - I mean, I don't know what more he has to do
00:30 for you to believe in him.
00:31 I understand like, I understand-
00:34 - He's not this guy.
00:35 He's not this guy.
00:36 - Well, he was-
00:37 - He's somewhere in between.
00:39 - At one point he was this guy for the Cardinals
00:42 and then injuries derailed him and confidence got shaken.
00:45 He might be the perfect case of change of venue.
00:48 Sometimes it's everything, a different voice in your head,
00:49 a different pitching coach, different staff.
00:52 What are you doing well?
00:53 What aren't you doing well?
00:54 What do we have to maximize?
00:55 I mean, you're looking here in the last couple of weeks,
00:57 but it's really been all season.
00:58 But the last three games in particular, 19 innings,
01:00 27 strikeouts, four walks, a 237 ERA.
01:03 The guy has been unbelievable.
01:06 And I understand you're waiting for the shoe to drop,
01:08 but we keep doing this over and over and over again.
01:11 And he's one of the most traded guys
01:13 that we've had in major league baseball.
01:15 The only thing I can say is the 3-4-6 ERA that he's got,
01:18 I'm looking at it right now.
01:19 The XERA is 2.5.
01:21 The FIP is 2.79.
01:23 The XFIP is 2.04.
01:24 He might be even better than you realize he's been
01:27 this year.
01:28 So I know that's tough for you,
01:30 being a St. Louis Cardinal fan
01:32 that has watched Jack Flaherty struggle
01:34 for the last few years. - A baseball fan.
01:37 - Look, is there gonna be some regression?
01:38 Probably.
01:39 But you got Jack Flaherty for nothing in a draft
01:42 or off the waiver wire in a shallow league.
01:44 I think it just ride this wave.
01:45 He's probably more valuable to your team,
01:48 the way you acquired him,
01:49 than he is via trade,
01:50 unless somebody really overpays for Jack Flaherty.
01:52 And they might, they just might.
01:54 - Okay, I will agree with that.
01:56 Here's the thing I'm gonna tell everyone out there
01:58 that'll listen.
01:59 That first bad start is the one,
02:02 'cause by the time you realize it,
02:04 no, 'cause here's why.
02:05 I watched Jack Flaherty pitch.
02:06 The Jack Flaherty you were talking about
02:07 that was so great,
02:08 but he threw first pitch strikes.
02:09 He wasn't afraid to do that.
02:11 Then you mentioned the confidence of it.
02:12 He was dancing around,
02:14 and then everyone was saying,
02:16 now he's starting to throw first pitch strikes again.
02:18 Watch these starts.
02:20 What happens when guys start swinging,
02:22 and then he gets afraid to throw strikes again?
02:25 That's the Jack Flaherty I know,
02:27 and that's the Jack Flaherty you will see
02:29 after the first blow up. - He's posting the highest
02:30 K per nine of his career.
02:32 - First pitch strikes. - Give this man some credit.
02:34 - Of course, of course. - Yeah.
02:35 11.97 K's per nine.
02:38 Come on, Maddie, believe. - First pitch strikes.
02:40 - Let's go. - Joe, you're smart.
02:41 You know baseball.
02:42 Before we get into Aniel Cruz,
02:43 and this is why we do this show,
02:45 first pitch strikes are always going to lead
02:47 in the percentage to the higher strikeouts, okay?
02:49 Jack Flaherty is not that K per nine guy,
02:51 and once he can't throw first pitch strikes,
02:53 or doesn't have the confidence in which to do so,
02:56 he will regress, I promise you,
02:58 and he will become like everyone else.
02:59 Yeah, he'll be okay.
03:00 He's not as bad as everyone thought,
03:02 but he's not as good.
03:03 (upbeat music)
03:05 (bells chiming)
