Q - You are a huge Mariners fan. How excited are you about J. Rod?

A -  Monday during the home-run derby I kept reminding myself that most baseball fans probably hadn't really seen him yet. I've been hanging on to him every at bat. He's a generational talent. Everything he hits is smoked as evidenced by his elite 15% barrel rate. Even the outs have that sound. He runs like the wind and plays a solid center field. The plan originally was a corner spot, but he's done plenty well in the middle. A total superstar in the making who completely skipped AAA. 

Q - The Yankees have had a monster 1st half. Do you feel they are a lock for the pennant or should they consider making a move before the deadline?

A - The Yanks are a good team to be sure, but I'd expect them to try to add another starter if they find one better than Jameson Taillon or Jordan Montgomery. Both are OK, but there's a ton of pressure on Aaron Boone to complete the job here. I'm also not sure I'm 100% bought-into Nestor Cortes all of a sudden being an ace. I don't know what to say about the Cardinals cast-off Matt Carpenter. His career was all but dead when New York scooped him up and all he's done is put up a 1300 OPS.…that's not sustainable, obviously. At the end of the day they will be tough to beat, but anything can happen in the postseason. 

Q - What team has surprised you and which team do you consider most disappointing?

A - The team that has surprised me most has to be Baltimore. The Orioles came into this season with another dismal pitching staff on paper and then lost their "ace" John Means. Well they've gotten some decent pitching from that hodgepodge rotation and from the bullpen as well. Moving the left field wall back has turned Camden into a pitcher's park and it's served them well. The line-up isn't that bad either. That said, this club being .500 in that division is not something anyone saw coming. The White Sox have been the most disappointing. They've dealt with a rash of injuries, to be sure. I really thought they were ready to take the next step. I'll also mention Toronto. They just have not gotten the offense they thought they would. 

Q - Same question for fantasy players. Who has surprised and disappointed?

A - I'd say Nestor Cortes is right up there as a surprise fantasy performer. Matt Carpenter is a shocker. If I owned Bo Bichette I'd be pretty bummed about his first half. He doesn't have the power you might attribute to him so he needs to run. He had 25 steals last season, but only seven so far in 2022. The average has cratered into the .250 range and his whiffs have jumped about 5% which is actually pretty high. 

Q - Juan Soto is on the blocks with 2½ years of team control remaining for whomever gets him. It’s an unprecedented situation. Thoughts on how that might turn out? 

 A - The Juan Soto situation is fascinating because as you pointed out his contract isn't up for awhile. The Nats are rightly seeking maximum value and they'll get it. The Mariners have a loaded (#2 ranked) farm system. If they made this deal they would no longer have a loaded farm system. I doubt Seattle could get him to sign an extension and if he's seeking something longer than the 15 years he turned down I don't think that's wise regardless. If they pull the trigger the Mariners would have to win it all before Soto's deal expires. They also need to lock up Julio forever. Doing both is probably not in the cards. What should scare everyone is that the Dodgers have the #5 ranked system. I haven't seen them mentioned, but I would have to imagine they'd entertain the idea. Cody Bellinger is having another rough season. We should also throw the Yankees in the discussion because they're the Yankees. Overall the top farm systems mostly belong to teams far from contending. Bottom line? I expect Soto to land in LA, New York or Seattle. 

Brian Phillips hosts The Morning Show on WWCD 92.9 FM in Columbus, Ohio