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The Texas Rangers’ defense of last season’s World Series title did not go as expected in 2024. Still, there is reason for optimism for 2025, especially after getting a glimpse of their potential future ace making his MLB debut on Thursday night.

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman analyze Kumar Rocker’s performance and his nasty slider on display en route to the Rangers’ win in Seattle. The guys also talk about why Rocker could be the future anchor of this rotation and are excited about Jacob deGrom making his 2024 season debut on Friday night.

Also on this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, the guys talk about whether Aaron Judge’s recent slump is causing him to lose ground in the AL MVP race, the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves have some important series to play that could decide their postseason fate, and give their picks for this week’s edition of “The Good, The Bad and The Uggla.”

(1:22) – Flashback to Jake’s wedding

(3:16) – Brief information from the league

(5:15) – Aaron Judge is in a crisis

(15:26) – Mets have good chances for the playoffs

(19:13) – Kumar Rocker debuts

(28:30) – The future of the Rangers rotation

(36:50) – The Good

(41:34) – The Bad

(50:39) – The Uggla

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Follow Jake @Jake_Mintz

Follow Jordan @J_Shusterman_

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