Toeing The Slab with David Cone

David, Justin and James begin the show by showering some love toward the A’s as they run through their best stretch of baseball this season. The crew touches on the 156 pitch performance by Stanford’s Quinn Mathews in the NCAA Super Regional. The consensus? Not a good look by Stanford! With roughly a month to go until the All Star Game, who is worthy to start the game for both leagues? The hosts t...

David, Justin and James react to Aaron Judge going on the IL again. They also react to Jacob deGrom’s second Tommy John surgery, and whether the Rangers need more pitching to make a deep run in the postseason. Coney believes Alek Manoah getting fixed at the Blue Jays Florida complex is the best course of action for the team and player. Yankees Quality Control and Catching Coach, Tanner Swanson, jo...

David, Justin and James take a look at some of the pitching that’s dictating tighter than expected division races around the game as the season is a third of the way complete. The Mets and Phillies meet for the first time this week—which team can potentially hang with the Braves? The crew dives deeper into Sonny Gray’s season with the Twins. Could the Cardinals be in first place by July 4th? The h...

David, Justin and James are focusing on how relievers are still the group that offers teams the most promise. They dive into what is keeping the Blue Jays from taking off, and in the wake of The Athletic article documenting the split between Madison Bumgarner and Arizona, Coney identifies one team that may speak MadBum’s language. The crew gives their picks as to who is the best starting pitcher i...

David, Justin and James jump right into the controversy(?) from Monday in Toronto where Aaron Judge’s eyes were…wandering. The crew touches on the pitching injuries suffered by the Braves and Rays, and dissects why the Dodgers rotation is still keeping them as the class of the National League. The trio discusses the struggles of Alek Manoah, and wonders when is the right time for the Royals to tra...

David, Justin and James are back after Coney experienced baseball’s best current rivalry on Sunday Night Baseball: Dodgers-Padres! The crew dives into the Cardinals mess with catcher Willson Contreras, and David believes St. Louis pitchers need to take a harder look at themselves. The hosts wonder whether the Cubs pitching staff will continue to perform at such a high level. What’s wrong with Dyla...

David, Justin and James open the show touching on Bryce Harper’s return for the Phillies and discuss what April told us about where the game is going when it comes to pitching. The Rays are pitching and hitting at a superior level, so how would Coney game plan for the Rays lineup? Where will the Pirates be in two weeks? What to watch for with Justin Verlander’s debut for the Mets this week? Do the...

David, Justin and James are all over the rosin saga that has caught the attention of every team. How does MLB establish a firm level of an allowable substance for pitchers? David touches on his Sunday Night Baseball experiment with the rosin and alcohol. The group also dives into the Rays historical start, the toughest pitch-types for young MLB hitters, Shohei Ohtani’s pitching schedule and which...

David, Justin and James look toward Shohei vs Judge over the next few days in New York. Coney highlights the trend of so much young talent being given a chance by their respective teams. The trio talks about the best parts of Astros catcher Martín Maldonado being mic’d up on Sunday Night Baseball. Which pitcher’s “minor injury” has you worried more: Jacob deGrom or Corbin Burnes? What is right wit...

David, Justin and James are joined by HOF pitcher & FOX Sports analyst John Smoltz, who touches on the evolution of the strike zone, the starter/closer dynamic, Shohei Ohtani and whether he actually hates the current game of baseball. The crew dives into the latest and best pitch by Ohtani, who is must-watch two weeks into the season and why the Rays and Dbacks are playing well. Later, how long is...

David, Justin and James explain what jumps out to them from MLB’s opening week, what matters after a small sample size and what big trends may subside as the season progresses. The crew wonders if the Rays could be an elite pitching force even without Tyler Glasnow. They touch on certain pitching injuries to start the season, Kodai Senga’s debut, the Phillies rough start and David gives a refreshe...

David, Justin and James get you set for the very start of the season by giving their juiciest opening day pitching matchups. Once the games actually begin, David believes the balanced schedule is going to be just as big a topic as the new rules. The crew looks at three makeshift starting rotations for the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees to begin the season. Plus, surprise pitching staffs, Cy Young pic...

David, Justin and James look back at everything that made this year’s WBC the coming-out-party for the tournament, and what MLB can do to build on that momentum. Is there added pressure on the Angels to make the playoffs based on what we just saw from Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout? What does the Dodgers rotation depth look like in the wake of the latest Tony Gonsolin injury? Who are the trio’s pick...

David, James and Justin react to Team USA’s victory over Canada and wonder if anything can be done for American baseball fans to show the kind of energy we’ve seen from other countries in the World Baseball Classic. Was Mike Trout’s 3-run home run in the 1st inning the most meaningful homer he’s going to hit in 2023? The hosts touch on the WBC style of play and the best stories from the tournament...

David, Justin and James go over the gamesmanship they’ve observed with the pitch clock and whether it should lead to rules being tweaked. They feel not everything Max Scherzer is doing with the pitch clock is correct. The trio discusses how a six-man rotation would affect a starter’s routine. Each host gives their most important starting pitcher in the AL West and NL West. David believes Anthony V...

David, Justin and James are joined by the people who put the new rules in motion for 2023, Raúl Ibanez (MLB Sr. VP of On-Field Operations) and Joe Martinez (MLB VP of On-Field Strategy). The guests discuss what has stood out over the first week of games with new rules in place, whether tweaks will be made in-season, whether we can expect more rules in the near future and plenty more. The crew disc...

David, Justin and James are scratching their heads wondering why we are hearing from so many MLB owners at the start of spring training, which should only produce happy thoughts. David pays tribute to the late Tim McCarver, who was on the call for David’s perfect game in 1999. The crew each gives one starter and one reliever who they believe has the most to prove in 2023. The hosts respond to why...

Fresh off his Chiefs Super Bowl win, David is back with Justin and James and they react to the PECOTA projections that were released just before recording. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, each host gives the one pitch he has a crush on. The gang then reacts to the extensions given to Yu Darvish and Christian Javier, and whether new Astros GM Dana Brown will copy the model he worked with in Atlan...

David, Justin and James take a look at several promising pitchers who have the potential to elevate themselves and pitch like an ace in 2023. The trio discusses the current list of aces that MLB Network recently ranked on its “Top 10 Right Now” list and feel several names are misplaced, including Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, and possibly, Gerrit Cole. David believes negative comments had to be m...

With Spring Training around the corner, David, Justin and James each give their three most improved bullpens and/or starting rotations. The hosts discuss where the Rays starting rotation ranks among American League contenders and how that affects the state of The Opener. The crew discusses the inactivity of the Orioles this off-season and where they go from here. With Jazz Chisholm gracing the cov...

David, Justin and James react to the 2023 Hall of Fame voting results that led to Scott Rolen being elected into Cooperstown. The trio discusses how much the Twins rotation has improved after the addition of Pablo Lopez. The hosts close out the episode by wondering whether the Yankees have too many question marks attached to their roster heading into spring training. Longtime WFAN reporter Sweeny...

David, Justin and James discuss the concern over the news that Yankees pitcher Frankie Montas will miss time with shoulder inflammation and how nothing has gone right for Montas since he perhaps returned from the IL prematurely in July of last year. The hosts dive into some of the recent comments made by the ownerships families from the Reds and Orioles, and how the three model franchises (Dodgers...

David, Justin and James break down the state of the Dodgers pitching staff after they designated Trevor Bauer for assignment and wonder if 2023 is the first time in nearly a decade that LA is not the preseason favorites to win the NL West. Justin asks which NL starting pitcher will receive an extension first: Max Fried, Julio Urías or Logan Webb? The crew praises the Phillies acquisition of Gregor...

David, Justin and James usher in 2023 by taking a look at what may happen with Trevor Bauer’s immediate future as a MLB pitcher. David and James believe the poison of the entire situation will be too much for other teams to deal with if the Dodgers release Bauer. Justin believes Bauer will receive another chance somewhere because history has shown that you will get another opportunity if you have...

David, Justin and James fully cover the six year agreement between Carlos Rodón and the Yankees. David breaks down what makes Rodón an ideal fit for the Yankees at this moment in time. The crew goes over his increased K-rate the last couple of seasons, the range of fastball velocity he possesses, and David believes Rodón shouldn’t tweak anything that has brought him to this point until he has to....