Taking another swing at spring training without Holliday and Westburg

There are certainly reasons to be optimistic that the Baltimore Orioles won’t repeat a last-place performance in the American League East but losing two blue-chip, emerging players before March doesn’t lift hope. Luke Jones and Nestor take another swing at spring in Birdland with Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday injured before the team takes the field in Sarasota.

Nestor Aparicio and Luke Jones discuss the Orioles’ spring training and the impact of injuries to key players like Westburg and Holiday. They express optimism about the team’s improved pitching and offensive depth with the addition of Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward. Concerns remain about the bullpen’s depth and the health of key players. They also touch on the importance of leadership within the team, particularly with Alonso’s presence. The conversation highlights the need for a balanced approach to player development and injury management to ensure the team’s success.

• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Write and send letters to Craig Albernaz and Mike Elias about the press credential complications and related concerns (as a columnist).
• [ ] @Nestor Aparicio – Relaunch the Maryland crab cake tour within the next couple of weeks and coordinate events/coverage.
• [ ] Write coverage about the Orioles spring training developments, injuries, and related team analysis for publication/broadcast.

Spring Training and Baseball Season Kickoff

• Nestor Aparicio welcomes listeners to the show, mentioning the upcoming spring training and the absence of other sports events like the NBA All-Star games and Olympics.
• Nestor introduces Luke Jones, who will provide sports coverage, and mentions new sponsors Farnan and Dormer.
• Nestor and Luke discuss their excitement for the start of the baseball season, with Nestor being more optimistic about the Orioles’ prospects.
• Luke expresses his lack of interest in the Olympics and NBA All-Star games, preferring baseball.

Orioles’ Roster and Injuries

• Nestor and Luke discuss the Orioles’ roster, with Nestor expressing concern over players like Westburg and Holiday being question marks.
• Luke acknowledges the Orioles’ last-place finish the previous year but remains optimistic about their improvement.
• They talk about the addition of pitching relief and the importance of leadership within the team.
• Nestor mentions his frustration with not being able to attend spring training due to credential complications.

Leadership and Player Development

• Luke emphasizes the importance of leadership within the team, mentioning players like Pete Alonso and Zac Eflin as potential leaders.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the need for a mix of different types of leaders, such as those who lead by example and those who are more vocal.
• They talk about the impact of leadership on team dynamics and performance, using examples from other sports and teams.
• Luke highlights the importance of having established leaders like Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward to help younger players develop.

Injury Concerns and Player Health

• Nestor and Luke discuss the impact of injuries on the team, specifically mentioning Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman.
• Luke expresses concern over Westburg’s injury history and the need for the team to be cautious with his recovery.
• They talk about the importance of player health and the potential long-term effects of injuries on players’ careers.
• Nestor and Luke discuss the team’s approach to managing injuries and the importance of having a deep roster to cover for injured players.

Bullpen and Pitching Staff

• Luke highlights the importance of the bullpen and the need for the team to address potential weaknesses in this area.
• They discuss the potential impact of injuries on the bullpen and the need for depth and versatility in the relief pitching staff.
• Nestor and Luke talk about the team’s pitching staff, including the addition of Chris Bassitt and the potential of young pitchers like Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish.
• They express optimism about the team’s starting rotation but remain cautious about the bullpen’s ability to perform consistently.

Offensive Potential and Lineup Depth

• Nestor and Luke discuss the team’s offensive potential, mentioning players like Tyler O’Neill, Taylor Ward, and Gunnar Henderson.
• They talk about the importance of having a deep and versatile lineup to cover for injuries and provide consistent production.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the team to perform well offensively to take pressure off the bullpen and pitching staff.
• They discuss the potential impact of injuries on the team’s offensive performance and the importance of having a strong bench.

Team Dynamics and Culture

• Nestor and Luke discuss the importance of team culture and dynamics in achieving success.
• They talk about the role of leadership in shaping team culture and the need for players to buy into the team’s values and goals.
• Luke emphasizes the importance of having a cohesive and supportive team environment to help players perform at their best.
• They discuss the impact of off-field activities and interactions on team dynamics and performance.

Spring Training and Preseason Preparation

• Nestor and Luke talk about the importance of spring training and preseason preparation for the team.
• They discuss the team’s goals for spring training, including evaluating players’ performance and addressing any lingering injuries.
• Luke emphasizes the need for the team to use spring training as an opportunity to build chemistry and prepare for the regular season.
• They discuss the potential impact of spring training performances on the team’s roster decisions and game planning.

Future Outlook and Expectations

• Nestor and Luke discuss their expectations for the team’s performance in the upcoming season.
• They talk about the potential challenges and opportunities the team may face, including injuries, roster management, and competition within the division.
• Luke expresses optimism about the team’s potential to compete for a playoff spot and make a positive impact in the division.
• They discuss the importance of staying focused and committed to the team’s goals throughout the season.

Community and Fan Engagement

• Nestor and Luke talk about the importance of community and fan engagement in supporting the team.
• They discuss various initiatives and events aimed at connecting with fans and promoting the team’s values and mission.
• Luke emphasizes the role of the media in keeping fans informed and engaged with the team’s activities and progress.
• They discuss the impact of fan support on the team’s performance and the importance of maintaining a strong connection with the community.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Orioles spring training, Westburg injury, Holiday injury, bullpen concerns, Pete Alonso, leadership, Tyler O’Neill, Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Chris Bassitt, Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Felix Bautista, Heston Kjerstad.

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SPEAKERS

Nestor Aparicio, Luke Jones

Nestor Aparicio  00:01

Welcome home. We are W, N, S T. Am 1570 Towson, Baltimore. We are Baltimore, positive, positively coming at you on the eve of that, we haven’t had anything to watch. We have NBA, all star games. We have Olympics. Gonna have some spring training baseball here, and no tick tock, tick tock. So we’re talking baseball here. Luke Jones joins us now all of our sports coverage here as we enter spring training, brought to you by our newest sponsors. And I’ll get up here with wearing my really cool like day glow yellow shirt. Farnin and dormer. They are the comfort guys. You can find them out on our website or anywhere that good HVAC or plumbing, or I don’t think you need the air conditioning just yet, but if the heating has been a problem in the snow, make sure you reach to our friends at Farnan and Dermer. They will be there to help you. They are going to be sponsoring all of our sports coverage. And Luke Jones, of course, moving into the cockpit, we were slated to head to spring training next week for a couple of games, credential complications on my part, so I’ll be writing about that in my dear Craig Albernaz And dear Mike Elias letters at a columnist. But as spring training gets going here, Orioles picking up pitching, Orioles adding relief pitching, it’ll never be enough for this guy, because he’s always on the bullpen. We welcome Luke Jones, and he, of course, is a Baltimore Luke, what’s going on, man? Happy. Can I say start a baseball season for real? Like football’s over. It took us a week withdrawals. DTS, all that it’s baseball season, right?

Luke Jones  01:39

I think, yeah. I mean, I hope so, right. I mean, I’m not gonna lie. I said this to you before we even got going, coming out of the weekend that this weekend was a reminder, because I’m Look, everyone who loves the Olympics, God bless and Go USA like I’m not anti it’s just not something I’m terribly interested in, if I’m being honest. I mean, I’ll check out the hockey a little bit, and that’s about it.

Nestor Aparicio  02:04

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Be honest. You’re watching wrestling. You caught up on some wrestling this week, be honest.

Luke Jones  02:08

But there wasn’t, there wasn’t even a big pay per view this week with this weekend. So like I looked at that. I mean, the NBA All Star stuff was at a weird time Saturday. I mean, the format Sunday was interesting. I’ll give them that. It was maybe a little bit better, but still not something that was captivating. And as as nice as it was to see the Terps win a couple games, well, then they went to Rutgers and we saw how that went on Sunday. So we know the Terps have just been a disaster this year. So yeah, it’s bring on baseball season. The Ravens have set their coaching staff. We’re still, you know,

Nestor Aparicio  02:42

we can find something in baseball where I’m more optimistic than you are, which, that’s a fun role to play, but it’s like, kind of where we are. I am more optimistic about them. But then again, these headlines you write, I don’t know, you know this Westberg is a question mark. Again, there is a little bit of we already know, Richmond’s a question mark. Westberg’s a question mark. Now, holiday’s not a question mark. He’s just out. Um, dude. I mean, come on, damn. You had spring training. I didn’t had a fine mess in yet. You know, I haven’t even gotten a proper response from Katie Griggs yet. About my press credential?

Luke Jones  03:20

Yeah, well, and they’re coming off of a last place finish. I mean, it’s just the truth, right? And again, let’s, let’s clarify things here a little bit. I think I’m optimistic on them. I’m just not quite as optimistic. I’m not quite as ready to pencil them in to win 93 or 94 games that you sound to be, which look, that’s fine. I Right now they look like a wild card team to me, like, that’s where I look at them. Right now, I don’t think they’re the best team in the division, but do I think they’re better than they were last year? Yeah. And I think some of that was, how can it, how can it go worse than it did last year? I mean, like, honestly, well, we better be more

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Nestor Aparicio  03:57

hopeful about the offense. Of course. Of course. I mean, I saw Tyler O’Neill muscled up in the locker room, looking like he might hit 219 and 27 home runs and 87 RBIs. Maybe, maybe

Luke Jones  04:11

the difference is that this offseason was not centered around Tyler O’Neill being your top acquisition like it was a year ago, right? I mean, it’s you have Pete Alonso, who already, I mean, you’re already seeing the stories. And look, it’s early spring, right? Everything’s magnified. Someone hits a home run in live BP, or Trevor Rogers strikes out five of six guys in live BP, like, and like, it’s all fun. Like, it’s fine, right? I mean, as I just said, I’m desperate for some sports that are captivating me right now, because the Olympics doesn’t do it for dude. I tried to drag you to Florida next week. They wouldn’t have it, you know. But I think when you look at it, I mean Pete Alonso, look, if he’s going to be a guy that justifies $155 million contract, it’s going to be much more than just, hey. Hey, how is he interacting with the younger guys, and what’s his clubhouse leadership like, and but that was also part of why they signed him, right? They wanted another grown up, someone who’s been in the playoffs and someone who was known for being a leader in New York. I mean, we’ve mentioned, you know, in the aftermath of him signing back in December. I mean, buckshoe Walter had nothing but great things to say about him. You know, when they were

Nestor Aparicio  05:26

question, you just said they wanted another grown up. Yeah, who was the grown up last year?

Luke Jones  05:31

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I mean, they, I mean, they had Zac Eflin. They had, I mean, not enough, right? Enough, right? Well, I don’t know if it’s so. So if I ask

Nestor Aparicio  05:41

you, who’s the grown up on the ravens, what would you say? Roquan Smith? You’d say roquan Smith. You probably say Derek Henry. Yeah. I mean, you’d hope to say Lamar, but that you you hope to say Mark Andrews, but, you know, you’d hope to say Ronnie Stanley, you know, like, at some point, dude, the heart is the aorta, you know, like it is.

Luke Jones  06:01

It’s not that they didn’t have grown ups. Let’s be clear about that. They had Ramon Laureano, they had Ryan O’Hearn, they had Zac Eflin, they had Kyle Gibson in the on the 2023 team. They had Anthony Santander, who, until they did, right, but, but the point is, a lot of guys I just mentioned there more role players, right? I mean, and I know Ryan o’hern made the all star game last year, and I’m happy for him. I’ll root for that guy in Pittsburgh. Now, you know, he’s a good dude. Great story. All of that

Nestor Aparicio  06:29

they had to catch her two years ago. That had the face thing, right? Who was, like a real leader for them, right? Yeah. I mean, I as young guys, go, sure, but how? How much can you say Adley rutsman’s a leader when No, I meant, I meant the backup that year. Whoa. McCann, yes, you can. He was a gamer. So he was, he was a, you know, a clubhouse maybe a future manager kind of guy, right? Sure. No question about,

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Luke Jones  06:54

yeah, but, but that’s still different than when it’s one of your very best players. You know, in the case now of Pete Alonso, he’s not their best player. Gunner Henderson’s their best player in terms of just overall talent, productivity, all that, right? I mean, but who’s second? I mean, Pete Alonso better be in that, right? That right there, right?

Nestor Aparicio  07:14

He’s not second in potential, because holiday in rushman were going to the hall, sure. I mean, right? I mean, I’m just being honest with you, I love he’s a stab that they have brought a grown up. Everything you’re saying. I don’t like the fact that I’m not allowed to meet him and figure all that out for myself and report that to the audience that we have, and you’re allowed to, and I’m not. But I would say from the outside watching this, I’ve checked off on it already. You know what I mean? Because they didn’t have a grown up, I guess that was my point. I put you on the spot about it because you were like, well, it should, but he’s 24 years old, or whatever, right? It did put

Luke Jones  07:50

me on, you know, I mean, I didn’t know you’re gonna ask me

Nestor Aparicio  07:51

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that I put them on the spot about it. That’s why they don’t want me in the press conferences. Because I’d say to Michael ice, who was your grown up last year, and he’d say, well, we bought one. Sometimes that’s great. And sometimes when you lose Nelson Cruz, or you lose Nick Marco’s, or you lose Adam Jones, or you lose Anthony Santander, right? I mean, and whatever Mullins and Hayes, whatever that thing was, Mount Castle, they won games. And you’d say, well, who were the grown ups around? Then you would say, Kyle Gibson, I love that. I’ve been I’m 57 years old. I’ve needed grown ups around. Me. Still do on various days. And I also

Luke Jones  08:30

don’t want to overrate that, because in 2023 you know, Kyle Gibson, I mean, he wasn’t a Cy Young Award candidate or anything like that. You know, he was league average, or slightly below league average, or whatever he was, you know, I mean, so Well,

Nestor Aparicio  08:47

Brandon Hyde was big brother to a lot of those guys, tough ass, big brother kind of guy, right? That’s what he was.

Luke Jones  08:52

I mean, that was his role, but, but you need, but you also you need players who lead to, I mean, and look, I mean, we’re oversimplifying this a little bit, but, and it’s difficult to quantify, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

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Nestor Aparicio  09:04

But this is a segment about leadership and then buying it because they didn’t have

Luke Jones  09:08

it well. But my point is it’s more. You didn’t pay $155 million for Pete Alonso to lead. You paid $155 million because Pete Alonso’s you’re hoping he’s going to hit 35 to 40 home runs for at least, at least the first few years of the deal, and then we’ll see about that. But part of that consideration of why you go to 31 million per year rather than, I don’t know, 28 or you go to five years rather than four or four year, you know, five years rather than three with a higher AAV, is you do see some intangibles that are brought to the to the equation that you maybe were missing?

Nestor Aparicio  09:47

Well, that impact has to be felt the first 90 to 120 days, like beginning now and on June 10, we have to look at this and say, Pete Alonso, thumbs up. In regard. Are to changing the culture and the Albernaz now has a guy, a lean on guy, Henderson and rushman that the holidays, cowsers, they all see him as he’s going to be here. He’s our guy now. He’s our leader. Let’s get off the bus with him that first 90 days is incredibly important, that he’s not perceived as being whatever negative would be, including not a very good baseball player in the middle of May either right, he has to be that

Luke Jones  10:32

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they’re still right. And that’s that’s the point I’m trying to make here. Like you’re not paying you don’t sign that kind of deal with leadership being at the top of the list, but you’re hoping that leadership comes with that, and that’s where you say you’re willing to go an extra year, or you’re willing to toss in a little bit of extra money compared to what your predictive modeling might spit out in terms of what would be an appropriate contract offer. You know what I mean. So, so there is that part. You know, one thing that I, you know, I saw from one of, I think it was Jacob, Calvin Meyer from the sun, noted that gunner Henderson’s locker down in Sarasota their clubhouse, you know, in their performance center there, they’ve moved his locker next to Pete Alonso’s. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. And that’s not, let me be clear. That’s not me saying that gunner hasn’t been a leader. I think that’s young guy that is still developing into that role now placed next to the guy that’s fully established. Oh my gosh. We want that to be this generation’s version of Cal and Eddie, right? You know? And, you know, that’s a simple way of thinking about I mean, that’s two Hall of Famers there. You know, I’m not trying to

Nestor Aparicio  11:40

put that right. Every coach in the book that I’ve ever known has done that right? They put rod Woodson and Shannon sharp, they put Ray Lewis in the middle of it. And that’s what Brian did 30 years ago, because Ozzy, that’s what the where Bear Bryant would have done it, and that’s the way Sam or tigliano

Luke Jones  11:54

Did it now. And that wasn’t done because they thought less of Ray Lewis. That was man. We’ve got this young guy that already is a pretty darn good leader, but let’s put him with these 2v with these two vets, and we’re going to have next level kind of leadership from all of them, and

Nestor Aparicio  12:07

we’re still talking about it a quarter Exactly. So, so that’s the whole point. So, so yeah, and that was important, not leadership. That was imported wisdom.

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Luke Jones  12:17

Sure, it’s but it’s leadership, but also, you’re talking about Hall of Fame players there. And while Shannon Sharpe might not have been in his prime in Baltimore, Rod Woodson might not have been in his prime, although he moved to safety and that gave him a second act of multiple Pro Bowls, you know, in Baltimore, and even playing after that, but, but you look at it in terms of you get productivity at a high level, and you get leadership at a high level. And I think that’s what they’re going for with Pete Alonso. And honestly, now it’s to a lesser extent, because we’re not talking about someone who’s been a multi time all star, but I think they kind of like Chris Bassett in that way too. If you’ve seen some of the early comments and some of the early, you know, some things that Pete Alonso has said, things that Zach Eflin has said. You know, I mentioned effin being a grown up for them. I mean, eff was a grown up last year, but the problem was he was hurt right, and he wasn’t pitching well. So it’s difficult to lead when you’re not in front of things from a production standpoint. And that’s why I said, like, as much as you can love the James McCann type clubhouse guys, they’re still only going to take you so far when they’re not your very best players, you know? So that’s where I look at this thing and say, okay, Pete Alonso, he doesn’t need to be their best player. Like I said, Gunner Henderson is a better player than Pete Alonso in terms of ceiling, where they are in 2026 moving forward, positional value, all that that said, Pete Alonso has a more proven track record than anyone else in that lineup right now by by a pretty wide margin. So that’s why you get that. And if he’s going to give you leadership in the process and help take some of these guys to a different level, set a different level of expectation of be in line with the manager, Craig Albernaz, who, you know, it kind of this aligns with some of our previous segment talking about Jesse Minter and new coaches and all that you’ve got to have coaches slash managers and your leaders, your player leadership, in lockstep, because you lay out expectations, And then everyone carries that out, and that’s what they’re that’s what you’re trying to develop right now, is as much as, like, you know, you hear the highlights of so and so hitting a home run and live BP or inner squad games. You know all that. You know they’ll start spring games later in the week, and you know this coming weekend, great. But you know, you do like hearing that pi Alonzo is, you know, playfully Talking Smack with people and and getting people, you know, there’s competition, and you know, he’s talking to the pitchers during fielding drills and doing that kind of stuff, like, you know, in a positive way, like you like that. At the end of the day, though, he still needs to hit for a higher, you know, hit for the average that you expect, and hit home runs. And. Drive in runs and and do those things that if he does those things, and then you get the leadership with it, man, then you’re on to something. Then he’s done those things before, right? There’s no reason to think you want, I mean that you know a great example that to this day, Manny Machado still talks about the influence Nelson Cruz had on him and Jonathan scope and some of those guys on that 2014 team, you know, in hindsight, yeah, sure, the Orioles absolutely should have resigned Nelson Cruz, if you recall. They didn’t want to give him four years, and he ended up being really good for what, six or seven years after that, but just for what it was in 2014 There you go. You brought in a guy that was able to relate to some of the younger players on the roster, and, oh yeah, also led the American League in home runs that year. I mean, that’s the kind of guy they’re hoping Pete Alonso is going to be for this team where, okay, he might not, he might not Eclipse Aaron judge for Al home run lead. You know, Cal Raleigh. I don’t know if Cal Raleigh is going to hit that many again, but point is, he’s going to be in that stratosphere statistically, or you’re hoping, and you also hope that he’s going to be another leader for you, and then that helps your young guys. It takes some of the pressure off of them, and then they can lead in a more appropriate way. I mean, you need more than one leader. Let’s be clear about that, like talk

Nestor Aparicio  16:21

about westburg and some of the rest of these guys, because Westberg and holiday you can’t leave when you’re not in the lineup. Doll, sure, right? Yeah. I mean, same thing with rushman. You can’t be a leader when you’re not when you’re hitting 158 like, I and to your point, you can’t be a leader if you’re Kyle Gibson and you’re not even good enough to be my fifth starter.

Luke Jones  16:37

Yeah. I mean, like, there has to, and there’s different types, right? I mean, we can, you know, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken led in a way different

Nestor Aparicio  16:47

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from rich. Dower was a big leader on those teams. Rick Dempsey was a big, I mean, leaders, really, Dempsey, Dempsey Palmer was on that team, you know, Mike Flanagan was on that team

Luke Jones  16:57

you just mentioned. I mean, Rick Dempsey was a rah, rah guy and goofy, and, you know, did the thing with the tarp and waving towels and all that kind of, you know, the silliness. But he was also a rah rah guy, whereas Cal Ripken was a lead by example kind of guy. Cal wasn’t a guy who said a whole lot, but he his actions said plenty, and when he did speak those words resonated. You need a combination, right? Because everyone’s different. It goes back to my psychology that I was talking about with the Ravens coaching staff. I mean, it’s the same thing, like, yes, Craig Albernaz is going to be the manager. He leads as far as being the guy in charge in the dugout and on the field. But you still need players to carry that out. You need players to handle things amongst themselves. When you’re in the midst of a stretch where you lose seven of eight, which is inevitably going to happen at some point in time. You know, you hope not too many of those, but you know that, yeah, they’re going to scuffle it from time to time. I mean, even the best. Well, the one thing about

Nestor Aparicio  17:52

their pitching in the starting pitching is it fee and the fact that they have big potential bats that they’ll hit their way out of some eight to 4/5 inning deficits, and they’ll also pitch themselves into a three, two game in the eighth inning. That’ll give you know, wells a chance that, or you know, one of these guys that they’ve they’ve traded into the big sluggers. They have the big slugger they paid the money for the sluggers. They’re waiting to come on mayo, Heston kerstat. We’re talking about Heston kerstad again. They have all of these 20 to 30 home run potential guys as well, as a lot of 200 strikeout guys as well, and a lot of guys that are gonna hit closer to 200 to 300 and maybe not draw walks. So I mean, they’re a little wall bangerish for my tastes, without westburg and without holiday to me, you’re taking out real blue chip, all star caliber players to even start the party. So as maybe bullish as I’d like to be on them as an organization and giving them a chance that they’re not really willing to give me, I still see all of this is big home run potential, but they’re pitching, and the starting pitching, as I see it in, I think Rogers is in. Is you’re in love with Bradish, we all should be in love with, you know, the fact that they spent a little bit of money, they brought a grown up in last week. It looks like he can take the ball 28 times this year and give them something. We write off Dean Kramer, but they’re going to give him the ball. And it’s been okay. I mean, it’s been fine. I like to think that their pitching is going to hold them in enough and the big flies are going to happen enough that everything we talked about last year is back in play, except that the offense failed last year dramatically. Yeah.

Luke Jones  19:48

I mean, that’s fair, I think. And again, when we kind of, you know, when you kind of start the conversation saying, I’m not as optimistic. I mean, I’m certainly way more optimistic on them now than I was last. Last May and June and July and August and September. I mean, they’re in a better position. I like their lineup. I mean, holiday it’s a bummer that he’s not going to be ready for the start of the season. I do worry a little bit about what that means for him the first half of the season, knowing it’s

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Nestor Aparicio  20:17

a hand injury, dude,

Luke Jones  20:18

and that’s the thing. Like, look, let’s be clear. I want to be very clear on this, handmade bones have an excellent long term prognosis. This shouldn’t be something that like dogs him for multiple seasons or compromises his him reaching his full potential. But for 2026 obviously it’s going to take him out for opening day. He’s probably going to, you know, I think the earliest we see him is maybe mid April, based on how it looks now, I think they’ll try to slow play it, because he’s a young guy who’s now missing his entire spring. I think you you don’t want to rush him back. You the day before this happened, they acquired Blaze Alexander, who they gave up some you know, Kate Stroud was going to be a real piece in this bullpen, or had a chance to be. They gave up, you know, some other, you know, some other minor league town, they see him getting 300 at bats, especially, especially now, I mean, you know, I mean, he’s not, I don’t know 300 but I mean, now, with the holiday industry,

Nestor Aparicio  21:13

dude, he’s gonna get 100 before May 15. But he’s going, yeah, he’s gonna play.

Luke Jones  21:17

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And they like him, um, you know, so, so he’s a starter today, right? Right now? Yeah. I mean, I assume so. I mean, Wes, I mean, and let me be clear, what, when I wrote, When I wrote, and what I wrote about Jordan Westberg was not sounding the alarm about this specific injury. It’s an oblique that it sounds like he’s already a few weeks into recovering. He’s going to be held out for the beginning of grapefruit league games, as they should. And right now, there’s no reason to think he won’t be ready for opening day. That said, it’s a frustrating pattern that he’s now in. What’s frustrating me in two weeks? And let tell me frustrating about this. Yeah, well, and not just two weeks, but two months, right? Not not for this, but just like nothing else happens. What’s frustrating about this is, you look at him, he was healthy in the minor leagues, like there was none of this. There was none of this. His first calendar year in the majors. Remember, he was called up in June of 23 he platooned with Adam Frazier. And you know, he was an all star his first full year, right? I mean, look at his numbers. Look at the first half, first four months of his first full season in the majors. I mean, this guy’s an all star. I mean, on his way at that point, like you looked at the trajectory for him, and at that point, that’s when Adley rutchman was starting to really struggle. You were kind of looking at this, this thing saying Jordan Westbrook’s gonna be their second best player, you know, like, it’s gunner. And then Westberg was the guy

Nestor Aparicio  22:45

I think I said around that time. He looks, to me, to be a 15 year BJ, surhoff. He’s going to have a long game. You’re going to look at him and say that that’s, you know, that’s a really good baseball player there, because of the tools because of the makeup. Just, I just felt like that guy’s going to hit 260, to 290 for 20 years, you know, like,

Luke Jones  23:07

and, and let’s be clear, even last year when he was on the field, like, go, look at his numbers. He had really solid numbers last year for about half a season. But the problem is he couldn’t stay on the field. And to think like this all started when he got hit on the hand with a 95 mile per hour fastball, right? What the day after the trade deadline two years ago, and since then, it’s just been one thing after another. You know, I’m not saying that that pattern is going to continue, but the last year and a half has been really frustrating for the guy. And you know, to go back to our leadership thing, of all their young guys, he was a guy kind of viewed as, and I don’t want to say like, a rah, rah, Rick Dempsey type, but he was the guy that was kind of viewed as a little more mature than some of the other guys, not that the other guys were immature, but like, he’s the guy that you looked at and said, he acts like he’s 33 even though he’s only 26 or 27 you know, he’s the guy that really acts like, you know, he’s got a little more wisdom than what his his years would suggest. So that was another thing that hurt them last year, not just him missing the productivity, but where he kind of was in the leadership pecking order, which wasn’t like, Oh, he’s the only leader they have, but among the young guys, he was kind of viewed as their leader. So, you know, you look at this right now and you say, okay, he had the hand two years ago. He had the hamstring. Remember, he slid into, slid into the base at Yankee Stadium and hurt his hand, you know, which was a different thing than being hit by the pitch two years ago, and then He twisted his ankle. What was that last? Late August, September, whenever that was, you know, it’s tough. You get the point when I’m struggling to remember all the different injuries he’s had over the last year and a half and, like, that’s a shame, like, and, and that’s where I’ll go back to the point that I’ve made to you a lot last year, that I’ll continue to ask now, a handmade bone. That’s a freak thing. When you get hit by a 95 mile per hour of. Ass ball in the hand. That’s a freak thing like that. To me, isn’t like, Oh, you’re not in shape, or, Oh, what’s going on with your strength and conditioning program or, or is there something these guys aren’t doing that they need to be doing, or is there something that they’re doing that they shouldn’t be doing strength and conditioning wise? But when you see obliques and hamstrings and groin injuries and things like that. That’s where I do look at this thing, especially for guys in their mid you know, guys in their 20s, you know, it’s one thing that it’s a 36 year old guy who’s breaking down and all of that, like you get that right? Or even in the case of Tyler O’Neill, who’s just been injured his entire career, basically. But when you see someone like Jordan westburg, who did not have injury issues, and now all of a sudden, the last year has had those that’s where I do look at this thing and look, this isn’t me accusing their strength and conditioning guys of being incompetent or anything like that, but it does make me ask, are you guys being self critical, or are you looking at this thing? Are you being retrospective to say, hey, is there something that’s like a gap in our strength and conditioning in the same way that we talked about this with the Ravens a few years back, and the Ravens? Guess what? The Ravens made a lot of adjustments the last couple years. And while I’m not saying they’ve been the healthiest team up all along the last two, three years, but they certainly have been better in the injury department the last couple years compared to where they were in 2021 so that’s where, that’s my only point. When I say that with someone like Westberg, who now is having an oblique and hamstring issues and things of that nature. Guys with back issues, that’s where you say, hey, is there something that’s missing in how we’re our guys are training that we need to add or implement, you know, something that will cut down on some of the hamstring injuries, or cut down on some of these oblique issues that Adley rutschman had two of them last year. So that’s my only thing. But yeah, specifically with westburg, you kind of look at this thing and say, All right, you’re hoping you’re turning the page, and it’s a fresh spring, and you’re going to be healthy, and you had good numbers last year when you did play and and now, you know, you don’t need to be the second best player on this team. You can be the fourth or fifth best player in this lineup now. And that was the beauty of getting Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward and adding those guys to the mix. And, you know, takes the pressure off of Tyler O’Neill, who now feels like he’s going to be more of a platoon kind of guy with Dylan beavers and and maybe that keeps Tyler O’Neill healthy for the better part of the season, and he can be more productive that way. So you look at all that, but when you have a year like the Orioles had last year, where as much as we look at the underperformance, the injuries were a big part of what happened last year, they just were. That’s not to make an excuse, it’s just speaking reality. So when you see right off the bat, you’ve got holiday, albeit a freak injury, but an injury nonetheless, and you have Westberg already banged up, that’s where you look at this thing and say, All right. Like, is this going to be a repeat of last year, or is this like, hey, let’s get this out of the way. Now, spring training still or not, spring training opening day still six weeks away. Like, it’s fine, but

Nestor Aparicio  28:03

five weeks, yeah? Five weeks, yeah? No, I’m just saying, like, march 26 coming, yeah, yeah. I mean, I remember when it was April 6, it didn’t April 6 anymore of new day.

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Luke Jones  28:13

It’s about five and a half weeks. Yeah, so, so, yeah, that’s where you look at it. And I’m not sounding the alarm on West bird, but like I saw that, I’m like, oh man. Like, is this guy suddenly just snake bitten like he wasn’t, wasn’t a guy that had injuries in the minors or anything. Now suddenly he’s having this so you hope that it’s Hey, being extra cautious. Doesn’t matter if he plays on March 20. We want him to play on May 20 and play at a really high level. We want him to play on March 26 No, sorry, I think I said March 20, February 20. Sorry, I get my months confused here. Don’t want point is, you don’t care about the first few days of spring training games, but you want him to be ready to go by early March, 2 week of March. Get 234, weeks to be able to ramp up and be ready for the start of the season. If that’s the case, then yeah, well, we won’t even remember this, but What’s plan B there? Well, that’s, that’s what’s kind of interesting. I mean, obviously adding Blaze Alexander helped a lot. You know, with the Jackson holiday injury, which they got him the day before,

Nestor Aparicio  29:13

let’s say this holiday’s not going to take it at bat in spring training westburg. If he takes them, it’s down the line.

Luke Jones  29:20

It’s like, let’s say March 3. It’s down the line, yeah.

Nestor Aparicio  29:23

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What are fans gonna see when they tune in on mass, and for just $99 a year this week, what are they going to see in these spring training games and as a real lineup, not as a because it is problematic to have your infield taken away,

Luke Jones  29:38

yeah, yeah. I mean, for right now. I mean, I think obviously Blaise Alexander will be at second, or at least, I think that’s what we’ll see. And I think, you know, again, it doesn’t sound like westburg is going to be out terribly long so, but for the first week, 10 days, whatever it ends up being to me, You know what I’d like to see? He, take a long look at Kobe Mayo at third base. I mean, he, you know that that’s the position before he got to Baltimore and became an everyday player back in what, July, or August, or whatever it was. I mean, third was the spot he was working at the most in the minors. Look at that and, and part of that is also, there’s also the long term element to that, you know, if Kobe Mayo is working out at third base a lot, and, you know, looks competent there, looks solid there. You know, the big question for him has been his throwing, right? I mean, that’s, that’s been the inconsistent part of him playing third base, you know, I think by most accounts, the glove is okay. You know, he’s not a bad athlete, he’s a big guy, but he’s not a terrible athlete. He can run. We’ve seen that. We’ve seen him run the bases pretty well, actually. But, you know, I think there’s still for me, and it might be on hold for now, just to make sure that westberg’s oblique doesn’t linger and all that. I mean, I’m still looking at Kobe Mayo as someone that potentially could be traded right sooner than later, and that doesn’t mean by the end of spring training, necessarily, but where’s he going to play? Right? Because you have Pete Alonso for the next five years at first base, or at least, at least the next three years at first base, let’s say, and you’ve got pasayo, who, for now, looks like he’s going to be the guy that’s going to be the primary DH when he’s not catching so where does that lead? Mayo, so right now, you know, with Westberg being out for at least the start of spring, you could do that. I think the other interesting element, and this is kind of the piggyback off of the holiday Blaze, Alexander, thing is, you’re also of the thought, once Westberg is healthy, knowing that holiday is going to be out for at least the first cup week or two of the season. I do wonder if they put Westberg back at second and maybe Mayo at third, you know, maybe against left handers. That’s what you do. I don’t know. Um, you know. So it’ll be interesting to see how they work that out. Where does Jeremiah Jackson fit into that equation? I mean, it’s funny, he’s kind of the Forgotten guy. I mean, play pretty well for them in August and September. My where I take took pause and where I wasn’t surprised that they acquired Blaze Alexander is, if you recall, last year, and I know a lot of people weren’t paying attention because they were just playing out the string. I get that. But Jackson played a lot. But where was he playing? They played him in right field a whole lot. He didn’t play a whole lot at third base and second base, so that, to me, was a tell that he’s not really the defensive guy to be your true utility player, but with them having a couple injuries right now, that does open the door for Blaze Alexander, or not Blaze Alexander, for Jeremiah Jackson to get a few more reps at third or at second and see where he fits. Because, you know, I mean, go, Look he he hit pretty well, but there’s definitely some questions about his defense and where that plays in terms of him being, whether he can be a utility guy for you or not, or whether he’s a guy that might be more triple A depth at this point in time, which, hey, with injuries, you know, you’re going to need some guys like that. And you know, you mentioned Heston kirstadt A couple minutes ago, Heston kersta needs. He’s got an option left. I’m happy he’s healthy. I’m happy to see him on the field. I mean, there was so much talk, and still so much mystery, what was going on with him last year, whether it was something related to his myocarditis from years ago. By the

Nestor Aparicio  33:23

way, it is amazing in the HIPPA era, in the modern world, curse that whatever was wrong with him was wrong with him. Matt abigay, right now, whatever you know, okay, like it these two things do stay under wraps to some degree, like we don’t know when they’re not telling you, like literally, but it is strange that they, the modern sports allows for this to have fancy I don’t know what happened, and we’re not allowed to ask, yeah, well,

Luke Jones  33:51

no, we’ve asked plenty. It’s just they it’s been asked multiple times, what’s going on with it? Heston cursed. I mean, believe me, I know he doesn’t want to tell you, and that’s that well, and yeah, he was available. He spoke in spring training the other day. He said he’s feeling better, and he’s not ready to talk about it right now, which that’s his right? Oh, sure, that’s his right. And look, I don’t know if it was a physical thing. I don’t it might have been a mental health thing. I’m pure, I’m purely speculating there. I’m not saying that’s what it is. I don’t know if it was a hamstring pull. He’d tell you exactly. And that’s, and that’s my point. That’s where I wonder. That’s where I say, is this, was this more of a medical thing, like, going back to when he had myocarditis, you know, the summer that covid was raging at its peak, what right after he was drafted? Or was this a mental health thing? Because we’ve seen that with professional athletes as well, like, just like anyone else. So I respect that. I respect the fact that he’s not ready to talk about it now, maybe he will be at some point. But from a baseball standpoint, you’re now in a position where, let’s face it, I don’t know if there’s anything short of multiple injuries in the outfield. I don’t think there’s any path for Heston kerstad to be on the opening day roster, by the way. I. That’s a good thing. That means they have improved depth. So my point with that is he goes to triple A, find yourself as a baseball player again, because last year was a disaster for him on the field, not just in Baltimore, but he struggled horribly at triple A when they sent him back. So it’s great to see him back on the field. I like him personally. He’s a seems like a nice kid, seems like he’s worked hard, like all that, like his teammates, like him all that, but they’re in a position with him that, hey, let’s see him play. But they have Taylor Ward, they have Colton kauser, they have Dylan beavers, they have Tyler O’Neal. They have leoti Tavares, who’s going to be their backup center fielder. Most likely, you know, he’s going to be a bench guy for them. Most likely Jeremiah Jackson can play corner outfield. There is no spot for Heston kerstad barring I mean, I, I don’t know what he could do performance wise, to land on the roster that wouldn’t involve two or three guys being hurt. I just, I just don’t think they’re going to put that much stock and how he plays in grapefruit league contests. I just, I think he needs to go get his confidence back, and he’s got an option anyway. But that’s a good thing. It’s a good thing that we’re talking about potential guys that have played in the majors not having a spot, right? That’s a good thing. Especially, it’s a good thing if they have options. It’s not a good thing if you don’t have a place to keep them in the organization. That’s that’s a different discussion, but that’s a good thing. So the fact that they added Alonso, the fact that they added Taylor Ward, you know that first base is solidified, obviously, left field is solidified for this year. You know, Taylor Ward’s not under contract after this year, but they’re in a better spot. But part of their issue last year, we talked about this. You had guys that were just you crowned them, and then it’s like, Go get them, and we need you to hit, because we’re not sure about our pitching. They’re in a better place on on either side of that coin right now they’re off. Their lineup is deeper. It has more established guys in there, with Alonso and ward in there. And on the pitching side, you have more upside with with Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish and Shane Boz. And you’ve also added another floor guy in Chris Bassett, who I don’t think is going to be an ace or an all star or anything like that, but to your point, he has a track record that you should be able to count on him to take the ball 28 times and hopefully give you 180 innings, or whatever it ends up being. So if you can get that, then, boy, your offense is better. Your rotation feels and looks a lot better, and it has upside to be excellent if radish is healthy and if Trevor Rogers, it’s not going to duplicate a sub two era, but if he can still be a guy that looks like a number one or number two starter, and Boz has upside, that is that’s very comparable to Grayson Rodriguez, except he’s been healthy the last year and a half, unlike Rodriguez, and you’ve got the two, the couple vets and Dean Kramer as well, to kind of fill out the back of the rotation. Brings me to my big question, that still is a question the bullpen. That’s where, that’s where I’m still looking at this thing, and that’s where I’m still like, I don’t know, however, if your rotation is much better, that does put less pressure on your bullpen, and if your offense is much better, that does put less pressure on your bullpen. So we’ll find out. It’s not to say that the bullpen is completely stripped of talent. You know, I like I like the Helsley signing. I like bringing kittridge back. I’m very much intrigued by Tyler wells in the bullpen, which it feels like he should be able to be in the bullpen now without, you know, short of multiple injuries to your rotation, so we’ll see. I still think in June, we’re going to be talking about them needing to add to their bullpen, because I’m even though they’re not ruling out a Felix Bautista return late in the season, I’m certainly not counting on that. And even if it happens, what’s he going to look like at this point in time, after elbow and shoulder injury? So not counting on that. I have no idea what we’re going to see from yen yer Cano considering the last couple years his decline. You know, I like Albert Suarez as a possible bullpen arm, but probably more like a sixth inning guy, you know, a swing guy to to bridge the gap from your starter to the late innings? Well, that is

8

Nestor Aparicio  39:26

the interesting part of who’s going to be healthy and who’s not? Let’s say March 10, march 12, as to who looks good right now, because the bullpen, it’s not like you’re Colton cows or and you have potential and you know, we’re going to bring you North no matter what happens the next couple of weeks, rushman, whatever, bicyo, Bull pens here and now, but both ends, like I roll the dice as to who’s going to look good the next four weeks in the warmth down there to earn these positions. Because you say Suarez to me, and I’m thinking, I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe you can know the. Guys, and I’m like, maybe they can do better. Maybe they should do better. You know, you wanted them to spend a lot of money. They’ve sort of piled up some arms in some ways, somebody’s going to get hurt. They’re going to shut somebody down. Somebody’s going to emerge from something that we didn’t know from that’s spring training for pitching and relief pitching when you’re already up in the air as you don’t know what Tyler Wells is, although I said wells earlier, I meant ward. By the way, I’m getting all of my let’s see wards O’Neill’s. Who am I leaving out?

Luke Jones  40:34

Well, think about it. You You have Taylor Ward and Tyler wells, right? So, so it was TW for both those guys. So I got you and

Nestor Aparicio  40:42

Tyler O’Neill, yeah, you got a tailor, a Tyler, a Tyler a Taylor, and I hope they’re well dressed, at least. But for me, with the bullpen, that’s what I’m watching the next couple of weeks, because that’s where you really I think they’re out of bounds, and think that they’re they’re going to wind up getting paper clips and scotch tape for that the next three months. Yeah, that’s where

Luke Jones  41:07

8

I’m concerned. I mean, like, look, I feel a lot better about this rotation than I did a year ago at this time. I mean, like, big time, like, and I’m talking pre Grayson Rodriguez being shut down, right? Grayson Rodriguez was shut down. What was it? February, 27 March, 2, whatever, early in spring, early in grapefruit League.

Nestor Aparicio  41:27

So by the way, he is Tyler Ward now,

Luke Jones  41:30

yeah, but I look at, I look at their rotation, it has more upside than it did a year ago at this time. I mean, think about it, if we talked upside of the Oreo starting rotation a year ago, it was all on Grayson Rodriguez and okay, maybe Kyle Bradish is back by late July or early August. That was the upside. The rest of it was like, Can Can Charlie Morton give you one more year in the majors? Can Sagano be okay? Like, you know, like you had no upside, they have upside now, I mean, between Boz Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, there’s serious upside there. Now that doesn’t mean it’s all going to go perfectly, but there’s upside there. But then you add Bassett and what he’s done in recent years. I mean, he was a guy that would have been a perfect signing for the Orioles three years ago, like what he gave the Blue Jays man that would have really helped the Orioles the last three years, when we were talking about their rotation at various times. That’s why they brought efflin in. Was to be that guy, and efflin was that guy for two months after the trade deadline, that was exactly what but last year, not so much so. But you bring in Bassett, and now the pressure is off. Efflin, at least out of the gate. You know, whether he’s going to be ready for opening day or not. They can probably slow play him a little bit if they want to make sure his back is 100% you know, if he starts the year on the i l maybe, maybe say, hey, go make, go, make two rehab starts for the tides, and then we’ll figure it out. Someone will probably be hurt by then, you know, or we’ll go six man rotation for a little while. I, I do think that that’s a consideration for them as well, but so I like I let me in a perfect world. Yes, they would have gotten a top of the rotation guy. Fully hear that, right, fully buy into that. That said, I do like that where the rotation is much more now than I did last year, and I like their offense much more now than I did a year ago, even though I wasn’t, you know, I didn’t think their offense was going to struggle to the degree that it did last year, but that’s why you bring in Pete Alonso, that’s why you bring in Taylor ward. But bullpen, that’s where I still look at it. And I’m like, it feels short, but I’ll also remind you, and this is where I’ll you know, because I I was probably a little hot. I was higher on their bullpen at this time a year ago, than some people were. I remember saying that, and I was wrong, because this is where a reminder of what you spoke to and you were talking about it in spring. But it’s not just spring, it’s all the time. Bullpens are very volatile period. And this is where I’ll throw this out there, the Orioles bullpen before the trade deadline last year and, and I get it they, you know, they got rid of Baker. What was that early July, and some of those guys were a few days before the deadline. But you get my point here, their pre deadline bullpen era, 4.68 their post deadline bullpen era, which was Keegan, Aiken, yen, your canoe pitching poorly. And basically a bunch of guys where you’re like, Okay, go take the ball. You got a chance now, go get them. Kid their post deadline, bullpenny Ra, 4.34 so their bullpen era was actually better after the trade deadline than it was before, but that still wouldn’t be good enough. No, no, no, it’s not. But my point. Point with that was they spent a bunch of money on their bullpen, their bullpen at this time a year ago, you know, Dominguez was making, what was it? Eight or nine? Kittridge, Gregory Soto was making my I mean, Kittredge was hurt the first month, seven weeks of the season. Well, he was the hope this time last year. Yeah, so and he was unavailable. Now, he’s a guy now, man, he needs to be healthy. I mean that, and that’s where I’m a little nervous, like for me, I’d really feel better if Andrew Kittredge was more my seventh slash eighth inning guy, rather than right now he’s your eighth slash ninth on the Nights at helsley’s not going to be available. If you know, if Helsley closed out the two previous nights, and he’s not going to pitch a third night in a row, like you’re hoping it’s kittridge. Then, right? That’s a little light to me. I’d like kittridge to be I’d feel way better about this bullpen right now if they had someone that you could if you were, like, ranking your relievers, and you had Helsley at the top, and then kittridge, I’d like someone to slot in between those two guys, like someone that would be, he’s my definitive eighth inning guy, and he can close on the nights that Helsley needs a blow, you know, or Helsley threw 26 pitches the night before, and, you know, maybe he got a four out save. I don’t know. That’s the guy. I think they’re lacking right now, and I don’t know if they’re going to get that between now and the start of spring training. I mean, maybe they will, maybe they will, maybe they won’t, but if they don’t, I assume that’s what we’re going to be talking about in May and June, when we start looking towards the trade deadline and and what they need, that said, and this is where I will stick up for michaelias a little bit, even though I’ve been critical of how they’ve handled the bullpen the last two seasons or so, they also have some interesting young arms in camp. And there was a point in time when no one knew about Felix Batista, and no one knew about CNL Perez, and no one knew about yen your canoe when they traded for him, and no one knew about Danny coulomb when they got him on a waiver claim a few days before the start of spring training. And all those guys worked out really well for at least a period of time. You know, CNL, Perez, not so much at the end of his time with the Orioles. Cano, not so much last year. But point is, maybe they’ve got a diamond in the rough or two that they’re kind of looking at, that guys that are, you know, either at triple A in their system, or maybe a guy or two that they acquired on some you know, you know, Michaelia still works on the margins, right? I mean, the roster churn of the guys they bring in for cash and and, you know, minor league signings and, you know, they’ll trade some minor league guy for another minor league guy there. Elias has always worked in the margins in that way. I mean, same way Eric dicostal works the back of the roster.

Nestor Aparicio  47:42

Well, that’s how he found Cano. That’s how he found o’ Hearn. That’s how he found lauriano. That’s, you know, like he unearths. He is Moneyball. He read Moneyball. He grew up with Moneyball. He went to Yale wanting to be Moneyball, sure,

8

Luke Jones  47:56

but until you find that next guy, there is going to be a little bit angst about the bullpen. And that’s where, that’s where I am right now and that, and that’s, that’s the part of the team right now that’s holding me back the most in terms of, like, where do they rank in the division? But that said, I fully expect this team to be a winning ball club, and I fully expect this team to be in wild card contention, and like in the division mix. You know, I’m not picking them to win the division as they’re presently constructed. But that doesn’t mean I doesn’t mean I think Toronto is going to win 105 games, or the Yankees are going to win 103 games. Or, like, I don’t think there’s a team like that in this division. I think this Division’s pretty well open. And I’ll even say, like, as much as it feels like Tampa Bay’s fallen off every time we say that about the rays, that’s when the rays end up being better than everyone expects. So like, even them, like, even though I think the rays are look fifth best on paper right now. You know this, it’s the Al east, and I think this is going to be a really competitive, tough division, and that’s why I am glad to see the Orioles do as much as they’ve done this offseason, even if it’s not an off season that went perfectly in my mind.

Nestor Aparicio  49:02

He is Luke Jones. He’s going to cover baseball around here better than anyone. It’s all brought to you by friends at Farnan and Durham. Are there the comfort guys? I’m wearing the gear Luke’s wearing the gear. Sooner than later, we’ll have fake baseball than real baseball. It’s all real baseball. We’re examining the bullpen and the health of various players and getting them back on the field. Luke will be writing about it. We will be talking about it around here. We’re also going to get the Maryland crab cake tour back out the next couple of weeks. We had five in a row a few weeks ago, a couple Super Bowl. You can check it all out at Baltimore positive. 32 local charities, all of them worthy of your time, your energy, your listening, and all really around the beltway trying to help people right here in the city and the counties do good things. So I’m back out on the beat. We’re waiting for baseball to get going. We’re waiting for free agency and the Combine next week, and at some point the Olympics will end, and I will, like, fall out in my own place. I am Nestor. He is Luke. Baseball ahead. And we are Baltimore positive. Stay with us. You.