(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
On the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast,” hosts Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman engaged in a fun discussion about breakout performances so far this season by creating a unique belief scale to rate their faith in players.
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The concept was inspired by Kyren Paris and his impressive early-season performance, with both hosts pondering whether they believe Paris and others can maintain their current pace.
Here are the five levels of belief:
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Atheist: Total disbelief, firm conviction that the player’s early success is fleeting and won’t hold up in the long run
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Skeptic: Doubtful but open, acknowledging that the player might continue their performance but unconvinced until more proof is presented
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Agnostic: Neutral territory, neither believing nor disbelieving in the player’s potential to sustain their performance
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Believer: Optimistic belief, confident that the player’s performance is meaningful and will continue
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Evangelist: True conviction, so certain about a player’s success that they’re willing to proclaim it loudly and widely
Now let’s run through some of the players highlighted and how much Mintz and Shusterman believe in them.
Kyren Paris, Angels 2B/OF
Shusterman: Skeptic
“For how bad he was last year and for what his struggles, for what his limitations were as a hitter before, I need to see so much more to believe that he is an above-average hitter now.”
Mintz: Skeptic
“I might be a little closer to agnostic just because the physical changes are so drastic, but I’m not someone who ever prefers to opt out of a conversation … so I will say skeptic.”
Spencer Torkelson, Tigers 1B
Shusterman: Believer
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At this point, I think he’s probably a little too flawed to become a top-five first baseman in baseball. But I’m a believer that he can be a very important, good part of this Tigers lineup.”
Mintz: Believer
“I think next spring we enter the season being like, that dude’s the first baseman for the Detroit Tigers. He’s a good player. He hits fifth, and everyone’s happy.”
Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics C/1B
Mintz: Skeptic
“I remain a skeptic because I need to see him fail and rebound again. I need to see him get cold. I need to see pitchers adjust to his new approach, as they will, as they always do. And I need to see him readjust before I become a believer.”
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Shusterman: Believer
“Here’s a very simple way to put it: I think he will absolutely be a top-three hitter on this team by the end of the season, maybe even top.”
Pete Alonso, Mets 1B
Shusterman: Evangelist
“Everybody was overthinking Pete to a ridiculous degree. … We know what Pete is going to be at the floor. And if he is now reminding us of the ceiling, which we have seen at other points in his career, that should make a lot of teams, who should have paid this extremely low price for a very good first baseman, feel extremely foolish.”
Mintz: Believer
“I’m just a believer, and partially that’s because I want to give you space to evangelize.”
Hunter Greene, Reds SP
Mintz: Evangelist
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“All in, all in. Scream it from the mountaintops. Tell your friends, and tell their friends, even if they don’t want to hear it. Hunter Green looks so freaking good.”
Shusterman: Believer
“What he’s looking like right now, it’s like, yeah, of course. This is like what he’s supposed to be. He’s been working toward this, and he looks awesome.”
Ben Rice, Yankees 1B
Mintz: Believer
“I now think that Ben Rice is a big-league DH, for sure. His bat is going to play in the big leagues. Is he a star? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m ready to call him a star.”
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Shusterman: Agnostic
“I do not want to say that this guy is a fraud. But it’s so over the top right now that I also do not want to catch myself falling for it almost again.”
Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves SP
Mintz: Evangelist
“I’m, like, beyond evangelizing like for him. I’m a zealot for him. I’m willing to shed blood. I’m willing to put my life on the line. … He’s going to get Cy Young votes.”
Shusterman: Believer
“He is just the perfect story of everything you would bet on for that late-blooming superstar.”
To listen to the full episode and hear more from the hot start belief scale, tune in to “Baseball-Bar-B-Cast” on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
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