Transcript of PCA or Shohei Ohtani: Who Should Win NL MVP? (ft. Daniel Álvarez) | Pitch Clock

Hey Ethan, do we have the update on the scores yet?

Nah.

Great.

Should we fire him?

You should have fired me a long time ago.

No one else likes baseball. 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.

All right, I'm, I'm, I'm ready to win this game.

Yeah, I don't know what it's going to be, but the pitch clock is back. We're very excited. We'll have our MLB guest coming up soon, but we need to get back to it. That's for the listener to find out or the viewer to find out as we go along. As, as is the pitch clock. But I'm coming off a loss and I'm not feeling very good about it. I feel like the score is probably pretty close to it.

Pretty.

Yeah, it's—

you guys have been going back and forth at it for a few months now, for sure. Jeremy started off hard. Doesn't know Jeremy. No, I had a fair memory of Jeremy. Jeremy starting off hot, Chris Cody made a nice comeback, surged back, won a few in a row. Then Jeremy, you got hot there, you had that stretch where you won 3 or 4 in a row.

That's right.

And Chris has battled back nicely the past few weeks.

It's gotta be close.

The game's within at least 2 or 3.

All right, which is exciting because we only have 5 or 6 to go in the regular season. But just so everyone knows, this will continue all the way up to the World Series.

Yes.

So do not think that this is just coming to a close in a few weeks.

Yes.

All right, so we're gonna continue going back to some of the favorites. This is a game I've gotten a lot of great feedback on.

We're to go to StatPad, guys.

And so Chris Cody, you won last week. Would you like to go first or second?

Second.

Nope, first.

Jeremy. Okay, see ya.

I like to heckle Jeremy. All right, let's do it.

Here we go. So we're gonna play StatPad. This week's category—

now I remember what StatPadding is. Yeah, tell the—

for those at home, so there are 5 categories up on my screen, uh, 5 criteria for a player. You're going to name 5 players based on these categories. This week, the category you're trying to get is the most raw RBIs. Okay, the most RBIs.

RBI.

So I'll give you a player, you'll have to name me a player based on this criteria, and you're trying to get as many RBI as possible.

I think I'm following. Okay, go ahead.

And for those playing at home, we are playing the June 22nd edition of StatPad. June 22nd for those of you playing at home. So here's your first criteria: a Detroit Tiger between 2000 and 2026 that was awarded a Gold Glove at any point in their career. So they didn't necessarily have to win it that season or with the Tigers.

Pudge Rodriguez.

Okay, I think he played for one season in Detroit and it was the 2007 season.

I put that one because I can't think of another Gold Glover. I know that's bad, I probably should be able to, but I can't think of another Gold Glover.

So Pudge started off with 63.

That's not great.

Okay, not great.

All right, here we go.

A NL West second baseman between 2000 2026.

NL West second baseman. I got this one. Okay, nailed it. Yep. Jeff Kent.

Okay.

Oh, I got to pick a year now? So like what I think he had the most RBIs, essentially.

Um, '06.

'06. I know that part.

'68. You probably should have gone with his MVP season.

I don't know when his MVP season was.

Thanks, Ethan.

If I would have known that, I would have gone with it.

All right, this is any MLB shortstop from any team, but in the year 2015.

Xander Bogarts. I was gonna go Trey Turner, but I feel like that's a little before Trey Turner's time. Plus, he wasn't a big RBI guy.

Xander Bogarts, 81.

That's what I needed.

All right, we're gonna go to the AL West of first basement between 2000 and 2026?

You're going to love this because I always pull this one out.

Yeah.

Richie Sánchez.

I knew it.

5.

Ooh, dude. Nice answer. 121 RBI.

There it is.

All right. And finally, an Oakland A's this century who won a Gold Glove any time in his career.

Jermaine Dye. 2.

Okay.

86 RBI.

Oh my God.

Okay, so your total is 419.

So that's it.

Yes.

I feel good about those last two.

Maybe the most consistent voice we have heard this season on the Pitch Clock. You got Adnan Virk with the most guest appearances, but we have also had Phone a Friend with our friend who's joining us now. It's Danny Alvarez of El Extra Base. Danny, thank you for being here. I look forward to you eventually challenging us in one of our trivia games ourselves just to make us look stupid. We're not going to do that today, but we will have you back sometime soon because I want to dive now into this American League wildcard race. We've been talking about the National League quite a bit. Obviously, the Marlins are involved in that. And then you have a whole barrage of teams there playing really good ball. Then you have the American League wildcard where right now you have teams that are under .500. Competing for that final spot. And at the time of this recording, we have the Baltimore Orioles sitting in wildcard position, 3 games under .500. That is incredible to me that we're sitting here and talking about the Orioles as a potential playoff team. So, Danny, can you explain to me how the Orioles have ended up here alongside their RBI machine in Pete Alonso?

It's, it's insane. Well, first of all, thanks for having me. It's insane. Because there's no explanation for what the American League is. I don't know if it— I don't know if it's even real or not, because you can't explain how the Orioles traded a bunch of people at the trade deadline. And also the Detroit Tigers, for example, got rid of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize, and they have the same record right now, and they are fighting for a playoff spot. But that's baseball, you know. Obviously, you mentioned Pete Alonso. He's had an insane week hitting over .500. And that's why they brought him here. And the moment he clicked, Garner Henderson started looking a little bit better as well. They've always had interesting pitching arms, not the best quality in terms of rotation, and that has always been the issue. And it's— I can't explain why they were never more aggressive to get more.

I will never understand it.

Like, when they needed— yeah, when they needed to, to give them more, you know, support to that core with Rashford, with Gunnar Henderson, with Holiday, etc., etc. But at the same time, this is a young group. And as I mentioned last time with the Marlins, I think they have their own identity and having that veteran presence with Pete Alonso being that force in the middle of the lineup, it's huge for them. And the moment Alonso clicked with, you know, that ballpark, with that offense, although his— this great week for him was on the road. He— they were going to be fine. And at the same time, yeah, they're taking advantage of how— I hate to call it this way, but how mediocre the AL East is.

No, it is. It is. It's just— it's because the AL is in a mediocre league this year.

Absolutely. And it's— for me, I'm not a big fan of having a team with a record below .500 making it to the playoffs, especially. It's more frustrating when you see the NL and you see how the Marlins, for example, have been playing. And the fact that they would be really comfortable, a playoff team in the AL, it's something that I can't even fathom.

Yeah, it drives me absolutely up a wall. We could dive into that for 100 years, but we won't because I want to talk about one of the other teams in that NL wildcard race, because one of the stranger situations I've seen unfold in baseball this year happened on Monday night when Ketel Marte just flatly did not show up for the Diamondbacks in Boston against the Red Sox. And this is one of those times— I know I'm constantly timestamping the fact that this recording is a couple of days in advance. This time I actually should be doing that because potentially things have evolved a bit over the last 48 hours from the time we're having this conversation to the time folks are hearing it. But what unfolded on Monday with Ketel Marte and the Diamondbacks and Have you seen a situation like this play out before?

I don't remember a situation like this, at least being out that public or where the team wasn't aware of exactly what's going on, because I've seen cases of some players going into the restricted list because they had some personal matters, especially with international players. Like, you know, it happens a lot with players that have families in the Dominican Republic or Mexico or Venezuela. I can say, for example, Jose Alvarado a couple of times had to go outside the country and fly back home to solve some issues with, you know, family members. And he, he talked publicly about this. Um, with Marte, it's just weird because it's not the first time something like this happens. If you remember after the break last year, he didn't show up for the first game and went into the restricted list again, and, and they had, uh, some issues there with that. To see Terry LeVolo post-game being emotional and not being— not knowing for sure if the player was still in the city with the team, saying that something was on in the morning, you know, at the hotel. It's just so weird and bizarre. And when we just don't know because obviously it's a personal matter that can be something really serious, but at the same time, we just don't know.

The dimension of what that issue is. So it's such a complicated situation. It's even more complicated when you're talking about an All-Star and one of the best players, maybe the best second baseman in the league in Ketel Marte. So it's such a weird, bizarre situation. I just hope he's fine. I just hope his family is okay and that, you know, everything unfolds in a positive way, both for him and for the Arizona Diamondbacks as well. And it's a shame because, they're in the, you know, fighting for the playoffs. They're in a playoff spot right now. They've been, for me, one of the best stories in baseball this year. And with some individuals that are having great years, whether it's Corbin Carroll having another great season or Eduardo Rodriguez after, you know, a decade in the majors having the best year of his life.

It's amazing.

You know, so it's amazing. So seeing this, you know, It's, it's a little bit uncomfortable and it makes me sad at the same time. And I just hope the best for, for both ends.

Their first category: I need a Detroit Tiger between 2000 and 2026 that won a Gold Glove at any point in their career.

Can I go Ian Kinsler? Did he ever win a Gold Glove?

Yes, he is a 2-time Gold Glove winner in 2016 and 2018.

Okay.

He was with the Tigers on for one of those. Yeah.

So, you know, so 2014.

All right.

100th percentile answer. He had 92 RBIs that year. NL West.

Okay. NL West.

Second baseman this century.

And whoa.

Jeff Kent.

Yep.

2001.

99th percentile. 106 RBIs.

Had a bunch of good seasons. I feel pretty good. He did a lot of really good.

All right, next one. Any MLB shortstop in the year 2015?

Francisco Lindor.

Yeah. 51 RBI. All right, here we go. Next one. A first baseman from the AL West between 2000 and 2026.

This was my best answer.

Okay. I'll go. I'll go Rafael Palmeiro.

2000.

Hopefully he was there.

Nice call.

Thank you. I think he just won.

98th percentile.

Nice.

120 RBIs.

Oh damn. That's pretty sure that's like the same that I got.

So we're on the last answer. You need 51 RBI to beat Chris.

All right.

And your category is an Oakland Athletic.

Mm.

From the year 2000 to 2026.

Mm-hmm.

Who has won a Gold Glove at any time in their career.

So was hard.

I can't think of an A.

Come on, yes you can, dude.

I know, but I'm— that won a Gold Glove though is a tough part. It's a tough, it's a tough thing. It's not easy. How did you even think of one?

I was kind of just spitballing some outfielders I could think of.

Yeah, cuz it's like, I don't think Jermaine Dye won a Gold Glove. Is it bright in here? Everyone just got really quiet. —It makes me feel like Jermaine Dye won a Gold Glove, but then I'm afraid I'm— no, I don't want— because I don't want to do the same one.

I don't think anyone could know if he did.

Let's talk about the National League MVP now, because our producer Ethan Budowski has been literally screaming at me for like a month. Like, and I'm not— this is not an exaggeration. He has been screaming at me for a month about how Pete Crow-Armstrong should be the MVP over Shohei Ohtani. And then on Monday, Pete Crow-Armstrong hits 2 home runs, including 1 to start the game and a walk-off home run. 1 and gets to .3030 here in the middle of August and has been what I would say is the best player in baseball for a good month and a half to 2 months here at the very least. I think right now we would all say, you know, start your team with one guy right now and it's probably Pete Crow-Armstrong. But the question I have for you, Danny, is, is the NL MVP race over? Has Pete Crow-Armstrong already won the NL MVP, or will Shohei Ohtani stick around long enough to potentially take it back from him?

It's funny because I've been reading Ethan on Twitter and I feel like he's been screaming at me. Yeah, I know that he will be yelling at me at some point because I have a vote for NL MVP.

That's right.

So I, so I, so I can tell, hey, I'm going to vote for this guy or the race is closed. I don't— I mean, or has ended yet? No. I would say, though, the— it's, it's not impossible to beat Shohei Ohtani in the end, in the MVP race. And we've seen this in the past. We saw it with Aaron Judge in 2022 when he broke the AL home run record. And that was the narrative for, you know, for his argument to win MVP. I feel it's, it's a narrative. Thing in this, in this whole conversation again. And what PCA has been doing for the Chicago Cubs this year is just unbelievable. 30-30 at this point of the season, potentially 40-40. I mean, that's, that's really possible for PCA as well. Just the way he's playing defense, base running, every single aspect of the game, he's impacting it. And I just don't see how you, you don't recognize this and, and, and I can really see a scenario where he beats Shohei for NL MVP. Shohei needs to be back, come back and pitch again and add some more innings to have a stronger case. Obviously, what he does is, it's unique.

We don't see any other player hitting and pitching, but we have to recognize that it was a short period for him on the mound. And even though he's having a great year offensively, because it's still a great year, it's not as spectacular as it was the last couple. Yeah. Where he had a +54 home run season. So obviously we were spoiled by that. And that's what made his case, you know, unbeatable. But I think it's a way— it's a closer race this year. And it's going to be really interesting for us, the voters, who decide that, you know, to decide who's going to be the MVP at the end of the year.

We're going to definitely have you on again before the end of the season. And I'm going to even let Ethan walk in here and ask you that question himself so that you have to say to his face that you're voting for Shohei Ohtani if you indeed are. I think the big thing that is a shame for PCA is there are no more head-to-head matchups between the Cubs and the Dodgers to give him that fun little narrative of having a good series against that team.

Exactly. But he had a great series against LA.

Oh yeah. But it was early. You would love to have one of those in like mid-September when unfortunately it's the Marlins who are playing the Dodgers. But I want to get now to our Star of the Week. Let's wrap this up here. I want you to pick between two St. Louis Cardinals here because Alec Burleson, like all of a sudden he's just the National League RBI leader. He's over 90 RBIs at this point in the season, which is just like if I cold asked every single person in this entire studio, what sport does Alec Burleson play? I don't know if they would be able to tell me that he has a baseball.

And if And if you look at him, you'd probably say hockey, right?

100%. You'd say hockey. The name reminds you of Nate Burleson. You'd think he's a football player, but he's not. He's leading the National League in RBIs. But then there's also the Cardinals and there's Joshua Baez, who hit 3 home runs in his first 3 major league at-bats. So between those 2 Cardinals, who are we focusing on here, Danny?

Do we have— do I have to pick a Cardinal and solely a Cardinal? Okay. You want to—

you want to go off the board? You want to go off the board? Okay. Okay. Please bring it. Okay.

I want to go off the board because I feel that of all the stories and we mentioned the Arizona Diamondbacks, if I ask you who's on the top 10 of in WAR this year in the NL, you'll probably say obviously Pete Carlstrom, Corbin Carroll, Andy Páez, Shohei, James Wood, whatever. But number 10 is for me the probably the second best or third best catcher in baseball this year. And it's Gabriel Moreno, who is at the time we're recording this podcast currently carrying an 11-game hitting streak. He's hitting over .390 in that span. He's also probably the favorite to win a Gold Glove for the catchers this year. Also, although Joe Mackie's having a very good year, I think that eventually Yeah. And I think eventually he'll catch Gabi or Luis Torrens up. But Gabriel Moreno, man, I mean, if we, if we speak about value and how important a player is for a team, Gabi Moreno is the guy. So he's my star of the week. And, you know, I always have to plug in the Venezuelans at some point. But yep, Gabi, man, he's been unreal.

I'm glad that you admitted to your bias and I'm glad that you highlighted a player who deserves to be highlighted because we have not talked about him really, nor this Diamondbacks team enough. There's just not enough time on this show. We need, we need to make this 2 shows a week. But you know, that's, that's a conversation for another time. Danny, thank you so much. Thank you for constantly being my lifeline in our trivia. Thank you for running Alex Trebasse. Thank you for covering the Marlins the way that you do. Thank you for being a great friend and thank you for being here. All right, just for the drama, Jermaine Dye.

Jermaine Dye, what year?

That's who I picked, by the way. Hey, hey, he's locked in on Jermaine Dye as a person now. Yeah. How did we both of us? Eric Chavez, third base. Oh, I thought of it sitting here. I didn't think of it during it.

I know. Eric Chavez. I know, dude.

I was thinking this whole time Johnny Damon. Johnny Damon never won a Gold Glove.

Did Lenglet— did Lenglet win a Gold Glove?

I think of Johnny Damon as one of the worst arms in— like, he was not a good defensive center fielder.

And he played center field his whole career.

Lenglet was in 1-1, right? I think he played left field. So, main die. Late in his career. 2001. What did I say?

Chris Cody said 2002. Oh boy. Chris Davis, by the way, also never won a Gold Glove.

He was an— thank you for nothing. Like, that's not helpful. He's the guy that hit—

he's the guy— another good hitter.

He's the guy who hit .247 3 years in a row.

That was impressive, actually.

I remember that. Yeah, that was crazy.

I need to die. 2001. Where's Cody? In 2002, Jermaine Dye had 86 RBI. All he needs is 50 though. He had 59 RBI. Jeremy just gets over the line and wins.

Oh, thank God. I have a real question. We need a better poker face. I was insane.

We let him know that that was the right answer.

Well, no, once that was the case, I, can I tell you, I absolutely threw that out there hoping I would get you guys to crack up.

And you did.

'Cause I wanted to do something fair. I'm glad I didn't call Danny.

So the winner is Jeremy. Jeremy, you had 428. Chris Cody, you had 419.

Wait, you've been so shitty today that there's a chance the math's wrong.

Can you double check? No, the computer does the math. It's, it's, damn, it's a game.

I have one more silly question. Yeah. Did Rickey Henderson play into the 2000s? Oh man, I don't—

if he did, I don't think he played for the A's.

I can't believe we did.

Was my hint of like a random outfielder?

No, that helped. No, he was the one I was on.

Dude, Rickey Henderson played till 2003. That's what I thought.

Ridiculous.

Isn't that crazy? '79 to '03. But he played for the Mariners, the Padres, the Red Sox, and the Dodgers.

So he didn't play. He didn't play for the—

Eric Chavez was the answer. Chavez. I don't even know if he had big RBI years.

He must have. He was their Gold Glove. Yeah. Chavez is the one. I literally like, I actually spent all of that time like, I don't I don't think I know a single A that wasn't like Gianni.

Now he says A. Now he said A. Before it was a mistake. Ah, the Oakland A's.

Um, hey, feels good to win. You're back. Feels good. I'm back. You're back. Hey, maybe next week we'll know the score going in.

Don't get crazy.