Baseball and the Bible
Fun podcast discussing baseball and baseball training. We will also be getting into the Bible and doing weekly devotionals.
Baseball and the Bible
Keep Rising
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The journey of resilience and perseverance takes center stage in this powerful message about never giving up, even when we face our darkest slumps. Through the story of Cody Bellinger's dramatic fall from MVP to struggling hitter and his remarkable comeback, we're reminded that failure doesn't have to define us. Proverbs 24:16 anchors this truth: the righteous may fall seven times, but they rise again. What makes this possible isn't superhuman strength or willpower—it's our willingness to depend on God through every struggle. Bellinger's story illustrates a profound spiritual principle: even when we've achieved success, there's always room for growth and transformation. His willingness to completely rework his approach, to go back to basics and make fundamental changes, mirrors the spiritual humility we need in our walk with God. We're never too experienced, too accomplished, or too far along to need God's guidance and correction. The message challenges us to examine our own slumps—whether in our spiritual lives, relationships, or personal pursuits—and to remember that we don't carry these burdens alone. God is right there, ready to help us persevere, to give us wisdom to grow through our struggles, and to help us rise again. The call is clear: keep rising, keep depending on God, and never let failure have the final word in our story.
Welcome back to another episode of Baseball in the Bible. I am Riker Dotson here with my dad, Ryan Dotson, and we're back for another one.
SPEAKER_00We're back. Hope you enjoyed that intro there. Rock Chalowski, first pick of the 2026 MLB draft. So we're gonna we're gonna dive into that. It's all-star break. All-star uh break. Well, as this episode's airing, all-star break is over, and we're we're starting the second half, but we're gonna dive into all things, uh, all-star festivities, talk about things that have already happened in real life, but we don't know what's happened. But uh, but we're gonna cover the draft uh here to start because that's always exciting. That's always very fun to cover. A lifelong dream fulfilled for for a lot of guys. Um we're gonna go through the top 10.
SPEAKER_02Uh and then uh because we're biased, we're gonna go uh to the 13th pick.
SPEAKER_00We're gonna cover the 13th pick with the Cardinals head. But uh it's exciting things. So again, congratulations to to Rock. Um just a cool moment there getting his name uh read and selected first overall by the White Sox. Um we've got our own very uh very own rookie here hanging on the wall.
SPEAKER_02Um, by the way, as well as a little bit.
SPEAKER_00Finally made it to the wall, JJ Weatherholt. Um, but in honor of the draft, JJ was the seventh overall draft pick a couple couple years ago. Um, but he also just signed uh a new extension, and so we're happy to announce that JJ is a Cardinal, he's he's staying with us for the whole time. Yeah, signed an eight-year deal. Um the crazy thing is he's only 23, he'll still get another big free agent contract, but he signed as is kind of the the new norm. Uh the pirates did it with Connor Griffin, Tigers did it with uh McConaghal. Uh the teams are starting to wrap up these the guys that you believe are the franchise, uh wrap them up early, cut out some of their arbitration years, some of their free agency years, and so thankfully the Cardinals followed suit and inked JJ to an eight-year $112 million contract.
SPEAKER_02It's a lot of money.
SPEAKER_00It's a lot of money. But uh congratulations to him. So again, in honor of him, we're gonna talk through some of the uh the top ten picks. Yes. Um so we we just saw Rock Chalowski's shortstop out of UCLA coming into the draft. It was either gonna be him or the guy that went second. Uh they figured would be in that that top two picks, but uh considered to be the best quarter college shortstop to enter Pro Bowl since Troy Tulowitzki in 2005. Uh he was at or near the very top of draft boards from wire to wire. He hit 44 homers over the last two seasons for the Bruins and was a Golden Spikes Award finalist this year. Um so White Sox select Rock Cholowski shortstop with the second pick. The Rays selected from here locally Grady Emerson, um, who again a lot of people thought he might be the top pick, but uh he ended up going second um to the Rays. Grady Emerson shortstop out of Fort Worth, Texas Christian High School. Um he was the Gatorade National Player of the Year. He's a left-handed bat who can hit with more power to come, and he's a no-doubt shortstop. Uh the third pick was had with the Twins. They picked Von Lackey. Lackey, a catcher out of Georgia Tech. Uh he was in play at both one and two, and it seemed unlikely he'd get past this spot. One of the best offensive performers in all of college baseball. He finished his junior season with a 1.291 OPS. He's super athletic, especially for a catcher. Finishing the year with 20 homers and 15 steals. All right. The fourth pick, Jackson Flora.
SPEAKER_02I've heard I've heard all these names at some point.
SPEAKER_00Have you?
SPEAKER_02I've for sure I have.
SPEAKER_00Right-handed pitcher. I don't think you've heard of Grady Emerson, who's playing high school ball in Fort Worth Christian.
SPEAKER_02I might have because he's local.
SPEAKER_00I might have.
SPEAKER_02I watch Sports Center sometimes.
SPEAKER_00They're not talking about that guy. Giants selected Jackson Flora. Uh he's a pitcher out of UC Santa Barbara. Um Flora is the best arm in the class, according to this guy, and posted every Friday night for Santa Barbara, separating himself from the other pitchers in the class. An added bonus is he's local, having grown up in Northern California and as a Giants fan. The Pirates selected Derek Curio out of Louisiana State outfielder. This was um one of the first surprise picks of the draft. Um he's a lean left-handed hitter with plus bat-to-ball skills and a very advanced approach at the plate. How much power he grows into remains to be seen, but he can flat out play center field. So Derek Curiel. Sixth pick, the Royals selected Zion Rose, outfielder out of Louisville. Um this was another uh says here this was our first truly wow moment of the opening round. Um the Royals will clearly save money with this pick, um, but uh Rose is a very talented offensive player, a chance to be at least an above-average hitter with above average power to all fields. Seventh pick, Orioles select Eric Booth Jr., outfielder out of Oakland Grove High School, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Uh it's been uh a lot of bats mentioned so far. With the things shaking it up ahead of them, the O's were able to consider two of the top prep position players available. They opted for Booth, the center fielder from Mississippi, who has an excellent field to hit, even with an unusual setup at the plate. He can really run and will stay up the middle for a long time. The biggest question is where he will play. Uh the A's uh with the eighth pick selected Drew Burris, outfielder out of Georgia Tech. The A's uh were shopping for college hitters as they often do. Three of the last four years they've gone that route. Burris, don't be concerned about Burris' stature at five foot nine. The guy just rakes. His compact right-handed swing with an advanced approach gives him the chance to hit and with power. The ninth pick, the Braves selected AJ Gracia, outfielder of Virginia. Um hit 43 homers over three years of college, two seasons a Duke, and this last one at Virginia, and his approach should help him get to his power as a pro. And the tenth pick, the Rockies selected Tyler Bell, shortstop out of Kentucky. Um Bell is a switch hitter who came on strong thanks to excellent play in the best conference in the country. He did so while playing through a torn labrum and his non-throwing shoulder. So there could be even more in the tank. Uh it'll take some time for him to recover from the injury, but he has the chance to be a very solid all-around shortstop once he's healthy. And yes, because we are biased, we're going to skip down to the 13th pick. Um Cardinals selected Trevor Condon. I heard. You've heard of him only because I told you that they drafted him. Well, yeah, that's the only reason I've heard of us. I haven't heard of that. Out of Georgia, uh high school player, uh, player of the year in Georgia. Condon's combination of pure hit tool and 70 grade speed made him one of the most interesting prep hitters in the class. The left-handed hitter had been committed to Tennessee, but he's not making it to campus. All right, here's the comp that he's been getting. He's a left-handed hitter who has gotten some PCA comps. And like with PCA, there's raw power for him to get as he matures while being a plus defender in center field. I I saw an interview with him after he was drafted. He's got a lot of PCA vibes to him. So um PCA is probably the player that if he's not on your team, you can't stand him, like we can't. But if he's on your team, you love him. So I'm already liking this Trevor Condon young man. And uh out of high school, we'll see how quickly he can make it up. But I like the PCA comps, so I'm excited about Trevor Condon. Um and again, congratulations to all these guys. There's tons more. Um, the draft for baseball is long. Um but those top players, there's a lot of pressure on them, a lot expected, even you know, someone like Trevor right out of high school. Um, but we'll we'll see. The draft is so tricky. You know, that's why the draft the Weatherholt class, even a couple years ago, to have those three guys come out of the top seven, but with Connor Griffin going one. I think McConnigal was two or three, Weatherholt top seven. Um you know, just to have those guys come out and be be in the bigs that quickly is not is not uh normal. So we'll see what kind of class this is. Um but again, congratulations. This is a lifelong dream for these guys to get hear their names selected. Uh and either they'll go pro or they'll go to college. We'll see what they do, but we'll see what studs. No matter what, maybe not even the 11 names I just read. There's gonna be some all-stars as we're talking about the all-star game. There's gonna be maybe even some Hall of Famers that are in this class. We just don't know who they are yet. And that's the fun part to see who it is. So congrats, congrats to those guys. All right. And if you were one of if your favorite team is one of those teams, then good luck to you. Um, and that's one thing that happened.
SPEAKER_02On the topic of all-stars, yes, let's talk about the all-star game that happened. Let's talk about the all-star game. We don't know the results because we're filming before.
SPEAKER_00We don't, but we're gonna throw the results up right now. Uh-huh. Yeah. Congratulations to that league for winning the all-star game, and congratulations to this player for winning the MVP. Yeah, good job. Good job to that player. Um, we do know who's starting the game.
SPEAKER_02We do, and we will discuss that because that's the little we know.
SPEAKER_00We do know that. Uh, we do know that uh Christopher Sanchez for the Phillies uh will be starting um for the National League, and Dylan Sees from the Blue Jays will be starting for the American League. Um, and so those will be your two starters. Uh how they fared, we don't know right now, but we'll see. And again, we'll see who wins. We'll see who the MVP is, who has the big moment. It's in Philly. The whole weekend in the draft was in Philly. I think it's gonna be a fun couple days. Um and uh as again, as we're recording tonight, all the home run derby is happening this evening as we're recording. And so uh all-star game tomorrow, but would have already aired. So just a fun time of year, and uh we'll see who see who wins it uh for the midsummer classic and who has a great game. Some guys that aren't gonna be able to play Otani, there's you know, some others, I think Mizarowski, some other guys that you know happens all the time, but hopefully the stars show up and and perform. So uh before we get into the home run derby, I just we'll do a quick update on where we're at at the at the all-star break again as this episode's airing. The second half has started, and we'll you know, we'll get into trade deadline stuff and all that over the next couple weeks as we look at who's gonna be buying and selling. Um but just a quick update of the standings as we wrapped up the first half National League Central, Milwaukee at the break, up five games uh on the Cubs, eight and a half on the Cards, nine and a half on the Pirates in the NO East, uh Braves um had a big lead all throughout the first half, but it has definitely dwindled toward the end. Um two games up on Philly, four games up on Miami. In the West, the Dodgers are 11.5 up on Arizona, 12.5 up on San Diego. The American League East, Tampa is three up on the Yanks. Uh Red Sox kind of had a heater there at the end of the first half. They're still 10 out in the division, but very much in the wildcard race, wildcard race now. And the Central White Sox and the Guardians are tied, three up on the Twins. And in the West, uh Texas is a game and a half up on Seattle, three up on Houston. As we wrap up the first half, the wildcard Cubs, Phillies, Marlins, uh, and the Cards are one game out of that final wildcard spot. And then the AL wildcards, the Yankees, the Guardians, the Mariners, and the Twins are tied for that last wildcard spot. But Boston is only a half game back. And Houston's only uh a game and a half, Baltimore two games, Toronto two and a half, so a lot of a lot of action there at uh in that third spot for the AO wildcard. All right. So that's kind of where we wrapped up. We're starting the second half as this episode airs and see what see what happens.
SPEAKER_02And I'll say this I know we live in Texas, but Texas hasn't been playing good. So the fact that they're leading their division they haven't been playing that good at least.
SPEAKER_00But the the fact that they're leading the division is pretty I mean saying they haven't been they haven't played that good is accurate because I mean the whole division is well not the whole division, but them in Seattle are right around 500. So they haven't been playing that good. They've been okay, yeah. They've been just mid. So uh 49 and 47 is their record. And again, I do think there's more there. I also think there's more for the Mariners, but there there is a lot of talk heading into the all-star break of will the Mariners um not be sellers in the sense that they're tanking on the season, but they're looking their their offense has just been not good this year, and they have uh a lot of good starting pitching. And so will they trade Logan Gilbert? Probably not, but you know, what starting pitcher will they move to try to get a bat? Um so that'll be one thing that we'll be watching, but um you know, I think those two will be battle. Again, I I had Texas winning the division, Seattle in as a wild card in my yeah, but but not thinking they would both be around 500, so we'll see what it how it plays out. All right. Um again, as we are recording this uh tonight, and has already happened, is the home run derby. We alluded to it last week. We had four of the contestants now. Obviously, we know all eight. Um and we're gonna talk through them, even though again, by the time this is Aaron, you already know who won, but we're gonna talk through the eight participants and just real quick see who the the favorites are.
SPEAKER_02And it's obvious who the favorites are.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's obvious who the favorites are, and we'll see if that really came to pass. But um again, it's gonna be in Philly, Citizens Bank Park, great home run hitting ballpark. So excited to see the contest is on Netflix this year, which is new. Um again, they have a new format this year. You know what the new format is.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, so you have 20 swings in the first round, 25.
SPEAKER_00No more timed.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's no longer timed. You have 20 swings in the first round to hit as many home runs as possible. And then after your 20 swings, you go into a bonus round where you can keep hitting as long as you're hitting home runs. But the moment you hit a not home run, you're done.
SPEAKER_00Well, I think on your 20th swing, yeah. So like after you after your 19th, so on your 20th swing, if you hit home run on your last swing, you can keep hitting as long as you're if you don't hit a home run on your last swing of the water. So if you have on number 20, you don't get a home run, your your session's over. So and then the next round you go down to four people, it'll be 15 swings, and then the championship, the two people would be 15 swings, too. So we'll see. It's different. Um just maximize. I feel like it could make the thing longer because you're gonna be now guys are gonna be more selective, they're just gonna be sitting there waiting. There's no time, so they're not they're gonna be waiting on their pitch, and we'll see if that you know what that produces. So um, so the contestants are do you remember who they are?
SPEAKER_02Um, I know the favorites, I know four of them. You'll have to say the other four because I don't know. Okay, but I know uh Kyle Schwarber, Jay Walk, Jordan Walker, um Bryce Harper, uh Junior Cabanero. That's it.
SPEAKER_00Say him again because I wasn't really listening to you.
SPEAKER_02Junior Cabanero, Bryce Harper, uh Junior Cabanero, Bryce Harper, Jay Walk, Kyle Schwarber.
SPEAKER_00Correct.
SPEAKER_02I know those four.
SPEAKER_00And then Ben Rice, Jack Caglione, I forget that uh Caglione. Wilson Contreras.
SPEAKER_02White sock, white sock.
SPEAKER_00No white sock. Oh yeah, Murakami. Yes, you're correct. Yes, yes. Um and so again, when you're looking at the uh the predictions, uh again, Murakami was the last one added. Uh he has 20 home runs at the break. So you got you got Murakami, Jordan Walker, Jack Caglione, Camonero, Contreras, Ben Rice, Schwarber, and Harper. And so when you read through, if I'm going through ESPN's list here or MLB's list, most of them are picking Kyle Schwarber over Schwarber over Camanero. Again, last year at Truist it was Cal Riley over Camonero.
SPEAKER_02Camanero. Um they're in Philly. Those fans are those fans. Not much to be not much needs to be said about them. But it's Harper and Schwarber, so they already have kind of an advantage for them to be at home.
SPEAKER_00Yes. And again, I think both those guys will perform. I it would be cool if it w if it works out. I don't know if the if it will, but if it works out where they could be in the finals, that would be cool. Obviously, we want Jordan Walker to do well. But let's let's be realistic. Yeah, I mean, I think he could. I just you know, I do I just think the I think Shorber and Harper are gonna they're gonna be very comfortable, yeah, and and gonna perform well. But uh you could have a a dark horse again. Caglion, nobody's really talking about ton of power with him. Contreras Contreras. I mean he's got a ton of power. So there's you know, there's there's a lot of options there that you could go dark horses, you know, under dark picks. But I think Schwarber Harper Camanero makes sense again. All these guys are picking that and it makes sense that it'd be one of those three, but we'll pull for Walker and And just hope for a great show. So again, we're saying that now. And now we will say congratulations to this person for winning the home run derby. What a performance. It was the most epic.
SPEAKER_02It was amazing. And if it was underwhelming, you're wrong.
SPEAKER_00What a performance. Legendary performance by this guy.
SPEAKER_02This person put up. And the final was great.
SPEAKER_00I mean, we're just going to speak all of this into the yes, please.
SPEAKER_02And if it's not, we'll come to you about it.
SPEAKER_00So there's the winner of the home run derby. Right there. And we've got the winner of the home run derby, winner of the all-star game, MVP of the All-Star Game. So uh we're we're taking a glimpse into the future here. So all of them are predicted.
SPEAKER_02We have no clue who they are, but you do.
SPEAKER_00It's gonna be fun. And again, hope you guys enjoy it or have enjoyed it and uh ready for the second half of the season.
SPEAKER_02The season. Yeah, let's go.
SPEAKER_00It's a fun little thing as we wrap up before we get into our devotion uh next episode that will air next week. Yeah, we're going to um do a little gaming episode or wrap up season two. Uh yes, it's been a longer season, but yeah, wrap up season two as we head into to season three of baseball in the Bible, but we're gonna wrap up. How are we gonna wrap it up?
SPEAKER_02Um we're going to wrap it up with a gaming episode. As we were just talking about, the home run derby contestants are now fully out. So, irregardless of who actually won, me and dad will be doing the final test by playing them in the show 26 home run derby mode. So that will really just be able to tell who is uh the better the hitter.
SPEAKER_00Yes. We'll see if how we play it lined up with what happened in real life. All right so that'll be next week's episode. We're gonna just have a special gaming episode and uh see if how we can perform compared to the real so we use we'll use the eight the eight guys in the same format.
SPEAKER_02I'd be scared if I was being played by you for underwhelming performance.
SPEAKER_00Um, real quick, as we're talking about this, because it just came across again this game has already happened. We've already congratulated the winner and the MVP, but I just got the lineups, so we'll announce them even for us. This is Sonova. So on the American League, Mike Trout's gonna lead off. Alvarez Jordan will bat second, Shea Langaliers will bat third, Junior Camanero will bat cleanup, Bobby Witt Jr. bat fifth, Cody Bellinger bat sixth, Ben Rice bats seventh, Riley Green eighth, Ernie Clement ninth. All studs. And then for the National League starting lineup, Kyle Schwarber will lead off. Juan Soto second, Freddie Freeman batting third, CJ Abrams cleaning up, Max Muncie fifth, Ozzie Albee sixth, Brandon Mars seventh, Andy Pajas eighth, Drake Baldwin, ninth.
SPEAKER_02All of those powerhouse hitters.
SPEAKER_00Powerhouse hitters, but at first glance, I gotta give the nod to American League. Yeah, for sure. I think that lineup's a little more deep, but we'll see. We'll see how it plays out.
SPEAKER_02Maybe not, maybe not.
SPEAKER_00All right. Well, let's get into our devotion. And we just read a name that we're gonna use his devotion today. Uh all-star starting off all-star. Cody Bellinger, batting sixth in the American League All-Star lineup. Uh, right fielder for the New York Yankees.
SPEAKER_02Um, uh, I don't know if I've been shouting out this book like I should, but it's uh one minute sports devotions for young baseball players, get your own. Not written by us, but be supported. So um this is Cody Bellinger. Our verse of the week is um Proverbs 24 16. For through the right uh for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. But the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. Hitting slumps are brutal. One day you're seeing everything, and the next you can't buy a hit. But slumps never mean all hope is lost. Just ask Cody Bellinger. In twenty nineteen, Bellinger was nearly untouchable with twenty with a with twenty-four-year-old Okay, sorry, restarting that sentence. The twenty-four-year-old hit 305, slammed 47 home runs, and won the National League MVP. He looked like the next big name in baseball. Then came the slump. From 2021 to 2022, his numbers tanked. His batting average dropped to just 193, and the Los Angeles Dodgers let him go. It looked like his best days were behind him. But Bellinger wasn't ready to quit. He signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs and was determined to make real changes at the plate. After working with coaches to shorten his swing and prioritize contact over power, he started to see results. In 2023, Bellinger found his groove again and helped drive the club and drive the Cubs playoff push. After two rough seasons, he had re-established himself as one of the league's top hitters and was named National League Comeback Player of the Year. A comeback like that does not come easy. It takes grit, consistency, and a mindset that refuses to let failure have the final word. Proverbs 2416 lays out what godly resilience looks like. People who follow God don't just fall once. Like everyone, they mess up again and again, but they keep getting up. Not because they're stronger than any than everyone else, but because they trust God to help them. Depending on God means you don't let failure or sin define who you are. You keep moving forward because you're given, because you're forgiven, guided, and never alone. When life hits hard, you don't have to push through with your own willpower. God is right there with you, ready to help you persevere through any struggle and rise again. If you're in a slump with basket or with baseball, school, or a relationship, do not carry it alone. Talk to God. Ask Him for the strength to persevere and the wisdom to grow through it. Then take your next step forward, knowing He's still right there with you.
SPEAKER_00Alright. Wow. Keep rising.
SPEAKER_02Keep rising.
SPEAKER_00Cody Bellinger again as so many stories that we read. Um that's why it's just awesome. Same what we covered last week, just so many of these devotions are just about guys that we're celebrating and cheering them on at the All-Star Game, but it came with a lot of work and a lot of grind, ups and downs. Again, the cool thing to me about that is when he's talking about his swing and changing it to to more content, some of these things, some of these major tweaks that are happening, he's already a big leaguer. Yeah, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_02It's not like making huge adjustments.
SPEAKER_00Right. And so even at 10, 11, 12 people watching this, I think sometimes we can think um I'm good enough, I've made it. Yeah, I mean, if you're in the bigs and you're totally tinkering, you know, and sometimes it can go too far. You hear stories of that. I think it happened with Jaywalk early in his career, people were trying to mess with it too much. Um, your your natural swing is your natural swing, but just this idea that even a guy that was already had been super successful and then had to kind of go back to the drawing board and grind and work, and now he's paying, you know, it's paying the dividends again. And it's just it's cool. It's just it's it's the nature of baseball. You're never you never arrive. It's just like life. You never arrive at perfection, it's a constant push to be to be better.
SPEAKER_02Yes, for sure.
SPEAKER_00For sure. Whether you're 11 or you know, Cody Bellinger, uh, the grind, the work never stops. Right. So keep rising. All right, that's it. Um, we're gonna get out of here. Hope you enjoyed all the all-star stuff and join us next week for the special gaming episode. And uh pray us out, Riker. We'll get out of here.
SPEAKER_02I will. Lord, thank you for this day. Thank you for the podcast you have provided us with, Lord. I just pray that it would continue to minister uh to people, Lord. I just pray that um the people watching this would just realize that uh no matter how how down they feel, Lord, that you are with them and you will help them get themselves back up, Lord. I just pray that uh you would remind everybody watching this video that you are with them at all times, Lord, um, and that they are never alone. In Jesus' name, amen. See ya on the gaming episode next time. Adios.
SPEAKER_00Adios