Dallas Braden

More than 80% of Major League pitchers doctor the baseball in some way

What percentage of non-athletics pitchers in general do you think are doctoring the ball in some way, shape, or form? I would say probably somewhere in the north of 80%... In terms of guys that just like that would use pine tar or something of that nature.

The Oakland Athletics can go deeper in the playoffs this season than they did last year

There's no reason that the Oakland A's, there's no reason that the Oakland A's can't make a run deeper into the postseason than they did last year... Matt Olsen very well could lead the league in home runs. Baseball. Fuck the league. Baseball. He very well could lead baseball in home runs.

Walker Buehler is going to light the league up during the 2021 season

Why not walker buehler... I think that dude is gonna light some shit up this year if I'm being frank.

The Dodgers and White Sox are the strongest candidates to reach the World Series

I believe the Dodgers are going to be there. I believe the White Sox are a team that is being strongly considered. I just, I feel like if they can handle business in their division, I like, man, I just like how they're built.

For many players, using steroids was simply a 'business decision'

This is a business decision and you've got to—you got to—you got to think about a few things here... am I okay with being able to look the man in the mirror... look my friends, family, fans, whatever. Can I look them in the eye and be okay with making that decision? And if at the end of the day, you can check all three of those boxes, that's a business decision regardless of who's in front of you.

MLB owners are stalling to play the smallest amount of games possible in 2020

We're going to play games so that we can get the TV money, but we're going to play the smallest amount possible. Because this is all about a business decision from the owners' perspective. So we're going to play the minimum available. 50 games.

Managing will be more important than ever in a 50-game season

This will be interesting because this will probably be the hardest season for a manager and the most that managing will come into play a game to game because like you said, first sign of trouble we got to win this game. It's not going to be like a Sunday in the middle of July where you hey, we can let's get the fuck out of Cincinnati we can lose this game and recoup tomorrow.

A player could hit .400 in a shortened 50-game season if they just practiced bunting every day

You need to shitcan BP and you need to just be wearing out the left side, like just play pepper all day long. You hit .400. You want to hit .400 in this 50-game season? That's how you hit .400, bro. You wear out the left side.

The Red Sox would rather play the Yankees than the A's in the playoffs

If you're the Boston Red Sox, I think you would rather play the Yankees... the A's just represent an air of the unknown. Billy Bean doing his weird shit every few years... you just haven't seen these guys with the repetition that you have seen the arms for the New York Yankees.

The biggest risk for the Braves in the playoffs is their youth and young rotation

For the Atlanta Braves, I think the biggest thing to question with them would be their youth. How is the youth going to respond? The young rotation as well.

Brian Snitker is the playoff manager I trust the least

I was going to go with Snitker, Brian Snitker... He's got his work cut out for him. He's steering a young ship. Like I said, he's got to manage a young pitching staff.

I am a proponent of bunting because it applies pressure on the defense

If you were a manager, would you bunt? Yes. You look at it as giving away outs. I look at it through a different lens. I'm applying pressure. Make them make a decision. I'm forcing you to play the game... Pressure.

The Cleveland Indians will win the 2018 World Series

I think it very well could be the Cleveland Indians from the American League... and the Dodgers... I think it's going to be the Cleveland Indians.

The Oakland A's will make the Wild Card in 2018

The Oakland A's will happen to creep into that Wild Card spot in the AL. The Oakland A's will be playing meaningful and potential postseason baseball come the finish of... late September.

I could have made a comeback as a right-handed pitcher because pitching is in my DNA

I can pitch because that's just something that's in the DNA, you know what I mean? Like loyalty, royalty, and pitching. ... Just throwing right-handed, that would be the achievement.

Unwritten rules are necessary to provide policing in baseball

For the most part, what I believe unwritten rules do are provide a sort of policing that players on the whole can either understand at the minimum, even if they're not on board with. They kind of have an idea of why this is happening. Why am I getting drilled right now?

The 2017 World Series baseballs are 100% juiced

There is zero chance these balls have not been altered. You got guys talking about it. The guys who rub these things up are telling you they feel different. They look different... You can't even get ink to set in these things because they're cue balls, bro.

The Astros will win the World Series in seven games

It's going seven, Cat, and the Strohs are taking it in seven. All right, the Dodgers bounce back after a day off... But H-Town rises above in seven. They do it at Chavez Ravine out here in L.A. Strohs in seven.

Bryce Harper is currently the face of baseball

The face right now you would like to think would be, in my opinion, it's Bryce Harper. Unfortunately, there's not one that you can latch on to... Mike Trout is the football fan face of baseball.

The Home Run Derby can mechanically ruin a hitter's swing

I believe there are some things to it mechanically as well. Guys get into a groove mechanically and are able to repeat and put on this certain launch angle, and then shit changes when you get back into the ballgame and you're facing change-ups with depth. You're facing sliders that are bouncing.

The Dodgers will represent the National League in the 2017 World Series

Right now, I think you have to like the Dodgers and what they're doing. I feel like the Nationals could compete, but we're talking about the ultimate dance here, so I'm going to take the Dodgers from the National League.

19% of current MLB players use steroids

I'm going to say... 19% [of MLB players use steroids]. They have a drug testing problem and they have a penalization problem. Chemists are starting to get one step ahead and start maintaining that one step ahead of the drug testing.