The Pomp and Joe Show 2-16-2026
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What is discussed at the start of this section?
And he went to a fairly small prep school too. It's not like he was facing the best of the best necessarily either. And at showcases, when he was facing better pitching, he showed all the tools that the hitting wasn't great. It was a real question of could he hit real quality pitching like you're going to see basically every night in pro ball, at least in terms of quality of stuff or even just pure velocity. And I've mentioned a few times that He does have that arm bar. I can't do it and probably stay in the video here, but his hands are so far back, he almost locks that elbow. It's really unusual for hitters to do that and have even the success that he's had. I've just kind of given up and been like, doesn't matter.
Because it hurts your barrel control or it hurts your hit tool, right? It's okay for power, but it's bad for hit tool, right?
Yes. You're going to be longer to the ball. So you may obviously generate even more speed as you're getting to the ball, but you are now much longer. And guys who are there, it is, I mean, I say lock. Obviously it's not truly locked, but just try it, right? Try to actually straighten your arm completely and then essentially release to start a normal swing path, you lose time. You are less flexible at that point. You just see very few, not zero, but very few big leaguers who do do that and have success. The majority of guys who have that will end up having to change it at some point or they will not have success. That is a case where I'm completely comfortable at this point saying he is an outlier. He's so athletic.
His understanding of the strike zone is beyond belief, particularly for a guy coming out of Mississippi high school. To see him do this at low A and then better at high A, which is where I first caught him, and then get a double A. And at that point, you're like, what the hell? What do we have here? Like somebody said, it sounds like you're describing Willie Mays. I'm like, Willie Mays at shortstop.
It was the last literal, the last two seconds. That was a lot, Bob, but that last part was the key. Willie Mays at shortstop. I didn't know what the hell Keith Law was talking about for a minute there. What's that called, Limits? It's called the Rates and Barrels podcast on The Athletic. But the last little bit was a mouthful. Willie Mays at shortstop. Earlier in that interview, Keith Law of The Athletic, and that's an athletic podcast, by the way, said that, and a lot of people agree with this, this is the best baseball prospect since Mike Trout. And, well, first of all, Bob, please, how are you? I'm sorry for skipping that part. I'm glad you had a nice weekend and your basketball team always right there and at the end almost pulled maybe one of the best comebacks of ninth grade basketball in quite some time.
We had a great time, man. We did. Anytime you take on Aliquippa, what did you say, lose once by 28, come back and almost beat him? That's saying something. They're really good. It was fun. How are you, Limits? Ain't chicks excited and very scared. How are you guys? Good, but that's normal, right? Pretty much. For me, too. So let's just dive in here because I think, listen, Steelers quarterback is always the biggest story in Pittsburgh sports in a way, but it's sort of on the back burner at the moment. So the biggest story in Pittsburgh sports to me, maybe even including that, honestly, because I think we all kind of know what's going to happen there, is Connor Griffin. Like, we just had and have a generational superstar with the Pirates.
His name is Paul Skeens. And now we're being gifted with perhaps another one? This is Crosby and Malkin potentially, Bob. This doesn't happen. There are drafts where the first pick stinks, let alone the first two. The Penguins got Malkin with a generational player on the second pick after Ovechkin. The Pirates get this guy with what, the ninth pick? Seventh. Ninth overall. It was a ninth overall. I thought it was seventh, but you're right. The point is all these teams passed on him. Maybe because they were looking for college pitching and people closer to being in the majors.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is discussed at the start of this section?
0:00–10:26
2
How does Connor Griffin's potential impact Pittsburgh sports?
10:26–53:34
3
What are the implications of Jack Sawinski's assignment?
53:34–1:10:03
4
How do the Pirates' recent moves affect their future?
1:10:03–1:16:26
5
What are the key statistics compared between McCutcheon and Parker?
1:16:26–1:17:04
6
How do injuries impact player performance and team dynamics?
1:17:04–1:18:09
7
What strategies are discussed for the upcoming trade deadline?
1:18:09–1:18:41
8
How is curling perceived as a sport and what are the experiences shared?
1:18:41–2:30:12
Speakers
10 identifiedMore from The Pomp And Joe Show
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