Podcast Ep #369: MLB Draft Preview with Geoff Pontes of Baseball America

Special episode this week as Ian is joined by Geoff Pontes of Baseball America to preview the upcoming MLB Draft! We hit on a range of draft topics including the strengths and weaknesses of the class, how it compares to last year and who could fall from the top 10 to the Red Sox. Geoff also discussed why former Red Sox draftee Gavin Kilen is an intriguing target for Boston, what happened to Jace LaViolette this year and what the catching crop looks like. Before that, we also hit on a few other topics including the Futures Game rosters which feature Jhostynxon Garcia and the new Baseball America Top 100!

Love the show? Want to help us out while also getting exclusive goodies? Support the podcast by contributing to us on Patreon! Go to SoxProspects on Patreon for the details.

A special thank you to The Ludlow Thieves for our intro/outro song, All the Money. Check them out on YouTube and Spotify.

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Cup of Coffee: Mullins throws immaculate inning, Ehrhard homers for Portland

7/2 Cup of Coffee: On a strange day full of rain and extra-inning affairs, only one Red Sox affiliate played a regular nine-inning game. Hayden Mullins (pictured) threw an immaculate inning and Zach Ehrhard blasted a three-run homer in a Sea Dogs win. Aaron Brooks and Joey Gartrell led Salem to the win, combining for seven shutout innings while Natanael Yuten tripled twice. Both Worcester and Greenville were rained out and will play doubleheaders on Wednesday. Avison Pinto reached base four times in a win for the FCL Red Sox. In the DSL, Jakson Gamboa led the Red team to the win while a strong game for Justin Ogando wasn't enough for the Blue team. 

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Syracuse Mets (NYM) @ Worcester Red Sox (postponed)

The series opener between the WooSox and Mets was rained out and the teams will plan to play a doubleheader on Wednesday. Masataka Yoshida, who is slated to begin a rehab assignment with Worcester, will look to make his season debut on Wednesday. 

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Minor Notes: Yoshida set to begin rehab assignment; changes for Harrison and Tibbs

Worcester fans will see a familiar face when the WooSox return to Polar Park on Tuesday. All three pieces of the Rafael Devers trade had changes over the past week, and Kristian Campbell (pictured, left) officially made his debut at first base. 

Yoshida to begin rehab assignment

Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Masataka Yoshida is set to begin a rehab assignment with Worcester on Tuesday. Yoshida has been recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. The 31-year-old hopes to be back around the All-Star break, which begins on July 14. Yoshida figures to get the bulk of his at-bats as a designated hitter when he makes it back to Boston.

Campbell and Tibbs debut at first base

As the organization plans for both short-term and potentially long-term solutions at first base given the significant injury to Triston Casas, two players made their professional debuts at first base last week. Kristian Campbell played three games at first base and two at second base in Worcester's last series, and James Tibbs III made his first start at first base on Sunday for the Sea Dogs. Tibbs had played exclusively right field prior to last week's series finale.

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Cup of Coffee: Bello, Rodriguez lead the way for FCL Red Sox

7/1 Cup of Coffee: Boston's rookie-level affiliates went 1-2 on Monday. Jose Bello and Gerardo Rodriguez (pictured) played key roles in the FCL Red Sox' come-from-behind win over the FCL Braves. The two DSL squads, on the other hand, were held to just two runs on nine hits altogether.

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FCL Red Sox 4, FCL Braves 3

Jesus Travieso went four innings in his latest start for the FCL Red Sox, allowing one earned run on three hits, four walks, and six strikeouts. Jose Bello pitched well in relief and earned his first organizational win, walking and striking out two over three scoreless, no-hit frames. Juan Henriquez worked his way around some traffic to put up a zero in the ninth for his first save of the season. Gerardo Rodriguez led the way offensively, going 2 for 4 with one double and one RBI. Anderson Fermin drove in two runs as part of a 1-for-4 day. Justin Barry scored two runs, drew one walk, and stole one base.

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Cup of Coffee: Early fires six no-hit innings; Campbell and Tibbs play first base

6/30 Cup of Coffee: A near no-hitter from the Sea Dogs was the highlight on Sunday. Connelly Early (pictured) was dominant again for Portland, and he was supported by a Max Ferguson home run. It was another rough appearance for Tanner Houck, while Kristian Campbell got more reps at first base. Greenville got rained out, and Salem's offense sputtered in a doubleheader.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 6, Worcester Red Sox 1

The Red Sox tried a new approach to help out the struggling Tanner Houck, but the results did not improve. Jovani Moran worked a spotless inning as the opener, and then Houck came in to start the second. He kept the RailRiders off the board for his first two innings, but he gave up two home runs in the fourth. In all, he allowed four runs on seven hits over 3 2/3, walking one and striking out three. A double off the bat of Vaughn Grissom and a single from Corey Rosier were Worcester’s only two hits. Kristian Campbell went 0 for 2 with two walks while playing first base for the third time in a week. 

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Cup of Coffee: Tolle strikes out 9 in Portland debut; Sandlin also shines

6/29 Cup of Coffee: It was an action-packed Saturday for Boston's affiliates. Blaze Jordan and Vaughn Grissom both homered while Kristian Campbell played hero for Worcester, Payton Tolle (pictured) and David Sandlin struck out 16 of the 32 batters they faced for Portland, Noah Dean and Michael Sansone put together strong starts for Greenville, and Austin Ehrlicher impressed on the mound for Salem.

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 3 (10 innings)

Blaze Jordan and Vaughn Grissom enjoyed productive nights at the plate on Saturday. The former went 2 for 4 with a solo home run (his third at the Triple-A level) and one walk, while the latter went 2 for 5 with a double and another solo shot for his seventh home run of the season. Nathan Hickey also doubled as part of a two-hit effort. Kristian Campbell celebrated his 23rd birthday by going 1 for 3 with two walks, including the go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the 10th. Corey Rosier scored one run, drew one walk, and stole one base. Jhostynxon Garcia and Tyler McDonough scored runs as well.

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Cup of Coffee: Garcia homers and Soto dazzles in rain-shortened slate

6/28 Cup of Coffee: Worcester and Portland were the only stateside affiliates to complete their games on Friday. Greenville, Salem, and the FCL all had games either postponed or suspended. In the DSL, Dorian Soto and Juanyerlin Duran were dominant in victories. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 4, Worcester Red Sox 2

The WooSox got off to a hot start as Jhostynxon Garcia (pictured) launched a two-run home run in the first inning, but those would be their final runs of the game. Garcia finished 2 for 4, and Kristian Campbell went 1 for 2 with two walks and a throwing error. Tyler Uberstine allowed four earned runs for the first time this season as the RailRiders got to him for that amount on four hits and four walks over four innings. He did strike out five, but allowed a home run to Spencer Jones, who was making his Triple-A debut. Jordan Hicks followed and struck out two while working around a hit and a walk in his only inning. He topped out at 100 mph with his fastball. Alex Hoppe struck out the side in the eighth as the bullpen kept the game close. 

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Cup of Coffee: Harrison, Rivera make Worcester, Portland debuts; Clarke returns

6/27 Cup of Coffee: Thursday's slate featured a few noteworthy debuts on the pitching side of things and not much scoring for Boston's affiliates. Kyle Harrison, a key piece of the Rafael Devers trade, made his organizational debut in Worcester's loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Eduardo Rivera, who was recently promoted, made his first start at the Double-A level in Portland's loss to Binghamton. Brandon Clarke (pictured) struck out three over two innings in his first start for Greenville in more than a month. Down in the Dominican Summer League, Josue Brito went deep for the fifth time in 15 games.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 4, Worcester Red Sox 2

Kyle Harrison, acquired from San Francisco in the blockbuster Rafael Devers trade earlier this month, made his organizational debut in getting the start for Worcester on Thursday night. The 23-year-old lefty went four innings, yielding four earned runs on eight hits (including one home run), one walk, and four strikeouts. He threw 76 pitches (51 strikes) and induced 12 whiffs while averaging 94.7 mph and topping out at 96.3 mph with his four-seam fastball. Fellow southpaw Chris Murphy (rehab), Wyatt Olds, and Isaiah Campbell combined for four scoreless frames out of the bullpen.

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Cup of Coffee: Campbell debuts at first base, Aita dominates, Cespedes hits clutch home run

6/26 Cup of Coffee: Blake Aita turned in a fantastic outing to lead Greenville to a win over Rome. Salem had a well-pitched night as well, which was rewarded with a win when Yoeilin Cespedes crushed a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. The WooSox got shutout, but Kristian Campbell played first base for the first time. 

 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 4, Worcester Red Sox 0

The most notable part of an otherwise forgettable night for Worcester was Kristian Campbell making his professional debut at first base. Campbell worked at first base on the side with the major league staff for a little bit before being sent down, and now has his first game action under his belt. It was a tough night for Campbell at the plate, going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. Tyler McDonough, Blaze Jordan and Corey Rosier had the only hits for the WooSox, all singles. Robert Stock got the start on the bump and tossed 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He struck out six and only walked one. Jovani Moran allowed one run on two hits and a walk in 1 1/3 frames before Hobie Harris gave up a run in the eighth inning. Harris walked two and struck out two. 

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Cup of Coffee: Houck struggles in rehab start, Hickey homers for WooSox

6/25 Cup of Coffee: Tanner Houck made the second start of his rehab appearance in Worcester and was roughed up as the WooSox took the loss despite a big game for Nathan Hickey (pictured). Hayden Mullins and Noah Song pitched well and James Tibbs III reached base three times in a win for Portland. The Greenville and Salem bats turned in quiet performances in a pair of losses. Jorge Rodriguez's huge game led the Red Sox to victory in the FCL, while strong starting pitching performances propelled both DSL teams to wins. 

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) 6, Worcester Red Sox 5

After struggling in a one-inning appearance last week, Tanner Houck was hit hard again in the second start of his rehab assigmment. Houck allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings, throwing 49 pitches. Isaac Coffey's control was shaky in a 3 1/3-inning bulk relief appearance, walking six batters and allowing two runs but he did strike out six batters. Brendan Cellucci struck out two batters in a scoreless inning and Bryan Mata struck out a pair and walked a batter in two shutout frames. 

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Minor Notes: Tibbs and Bello enter rankings; Tolle promoted to Portland

In the wake of the Rafael Devers trade, the new-look Red Sox shuffled rosters throughout the organization last week. On the field, a combined no-hitter in Portland was the highlight of the week for Red Sox affiliates. 

Players acquired in Devers trade debut in Sox system 

Three of the four players acquired in the Devers trade made their first appearances in the Red Sox organization during the last week. James Tibbs III entered the SoxProspects.com rankings as the eighth prospect in the system and made his debut at the Double-A level. In five games with the Sea Dogs, Tibbs has gone 5 for 19 with a double and a triple. Jose Bello, ranked No. 45, threw two scoreless innings on Monday in his first appearance with the FCL Red Sox. Jordan Hicks began his rehab assignment on Sunday as he returns from a toe injury. He started the game for the WooSox and allowed two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Kyle Harrison has not yet pitched for the WooSox but he threw a bullpen on Saturday and is expected to start on Thursday this week. 

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Cup of Coffee: Jose Bello debuts, Jesus Travieso continues to shine in FCL

6/24 Cup of Coffee: Boston's rookie-level affiliates went 1-2 on Monday. In the Florida Complex League, Jesus Travieso (pictured) picked up his first professional win while recent trade acquisition Jose Bello made his organizational debut on the mound. In the Dominican Summer League, the Blue squad was yet again interrupted by lightning while the Red squad came up short at home.

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FCL Red Sox 6, FCL Pirates 2

Jesus Travieso secured the first win of his professional career on Monday. The 18-year-old right-hander allowed just one unearned run on four hits, three walks, and seven strikeouts over five solid innings. Fellow righty Jose Bello, acquired from San Francisco as part of last week's stunning Rafael Devers trade, made his organizational debut out of the bullpen and struck out three in two scoreless frames. Juan Henriquez gave up one run in the eighth, while Jeison Payano put up a zero in the ninth for his first save of the season.

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Cup of Coffee: Sandlin leads Portland to combined no-hitter; Hicks debuts

6/23 Cup of Coffee: David Sandlin (pictured), Christopher Troye, and Jonathan Brand combined to throw Portland's first no-hitter since 2023. That was not the only exciting performance of the day, as Jhostynxon Garcia and Payton Tolle shined as well. Jordan Hicks had a rocky rehab appearance, Corey Rosier belted a grand slam, and Enddy Azocar hit his second home run for Salem. 

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Worcester Red Sox 12, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 10

A grand slam from Corey Rosier and two home runs from Jhostynxon Garcia fueled Worcester in a slugfest. Making his system debut, Jordan Hicks lasted 2/3 of an inning, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk. It was his first appearance since June 1 after dealing with a right toe injury. A group of six relievers followed Hicks, headlined by Alex Hoppe who shut the door for his third save. 

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Cup of Coffee: Romero's slam powers Portland, Salem staff puts together a gem

6/22 Cup of Coffee: A stellar pitching performance by the Salem staff helped support an offense that scored just three runs and a big evening for Mikey Romero (pictured) highlighted the night across the Boston affiliates on Saturday with a grand slam. In Worcester, Kristian Campbell appeared in his first game since being sent down on Friday, and the DSL squads matched up against one another. Meanwhile, Greenville and the FCL squad were unable to come away with victories.

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Buffalo Bison (TOR) 10, Worcester Red Sox 6

The Worcester bullpen gave up six runs over the final three innings and the offense couldn't maintain its middle-innings production, falling to Buffalo. Worcester fell behind 2-0 after one inning and 4-1 after three before a four-run fourth, along with another tally in the fifth, gave Worcester a 6-4 lead. As part of the offense in the fourth inning, Vaughn Grissom and Trayce Thompson hit back-to-back home runs before Corey Rosier added a solo shot later in the frame. Following his demotion from Boston, Kristian Campbell went 0 for 3 with a walk in his first game in Worcester. 

Cooper Criswell started for the WooSox and allowed four runs on four hits, one of which was a home run, walking two and striking out four in five innings. Hobie Harris took the loss in relief as he allowed three runs over the following two innings while allowing a home run of his own. 

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Cup of Coffee: Romero homers in return; Fajardo debuts for Salem

6/21 Cup of Coffee: It was a busy day down on the farm, with all seven affiliates in action and nary a single rainout in the offing. Mikey Romero (pictured) returned from the injured list to power a Portland victory. Tyler Uberstine and Eduardo Rivera turned in quality starts for Worcester and Greenville in wins. Yhoiker Fajardo made his Salem debut but took the loss as the offense was stymied. The DSL teams completed a sweep, while the FCL Sox were knocked off by their cross-town rival.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

The WooSox fell into an early 1-0 hole but scored seven unanswered runs. Blaze Jordan continued to swing a hot bat, as the first baseman was 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBI. He is 8 for 16 through the first four games of the series. Jhostynxon Garcia made an impact on both sides of the ball, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored at the plate and cutting down the potential tying run at the plate with an outfield assist on a would-be sacrifice fly in the third inning. 

The offensive support was more than enough for Tyler Uberstine, who allowed one run on six hits in six innings. The right-hander walked and struck out three apiece. Somewhat incredibly, it was Uberstine's first winning decision since July 2022. Wyatt Olds, Alex Hoppe, and Jose Adames each went a scoreless inning out of the bullpen to preserve the win. 

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Podcast Ep #368: Devers fallout, and Back to Business

With a few more days gone by, Ian and Chris had a few more thoughts on the Rafael Devers trade fallout. With that out of their systems, there was plenty of other discussion on Kristian Campbell being optioned back to Worcester, some other minor league news, and another big crop of emails.

Love the show? Want to help us out while also getting exclusive goodies? Support the podcast by contributing to us on Patreon! Go to SoxProspects on Patreon for the details.

A special thank you to The Ludlow Thieves for our intro/outro song, All the Money. Check them out on YouTube and Spotify.

Got something to say? We love talking about what you want to hear about. Make sure to email us at podcast@soxprospects.com.

Twitter

@SPChrisHatfield

@IanCundall

@MikeAndrewsSP

@SoxProspects

Listen Links

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Cup of Coffee: Jordan stays hot in Worcester; Liendo finishes homer shy of cycle

6/20 Cup of Coffee: While the big club was off, all seven of Boston's affiliates were in action on Thursday. Blaze Jordan (pictured) and Corey Rosier were among the offensive standouts in Worcester's bounce-back win over Buffalo. Ahbram Liendo nearly hit for the cycle while James Tibbs III recorded his first multi-hit game at the Double-A level in Portland's loss to Akron. Blake Aita did not get much run support as Greenville fell to Greensboro. Yoeilin Cespedes and Fraymi De Leon combined for four hits in Salem's loss to Fredericksburg. Anderson Fermin enjoyed a productive day at the plate in the FCL, while both DSL squads came away with wins. 

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Worcester Red Sox 9, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4

Robert Stock emerged victorious in his 10th start (14th overall appearance) of the season for Worcester. The journeyman right-hander allowed four earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and one hit by pitch over six innings. He finished with 77 pitches (49 strikes) and induced 10 swings and misses. Wyatt Mills, the rehabbing Chris Murphy, and Austin Adams then combined for three perfect frames of relief to end it.

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Cup of Coffee: Houck rehabs for Worcester; Jordan goes deep

6/19 Cup of Coffee: Tanner Houck is back on the mound, as he made a rehab start for Worcester. Blaze Jordan continued his great season with a home run. Hayden Mullins and John Holobetz pitched very well for Portland and Greenville, respectively. Salem swept a doubleheader, with Shea Sprague (pictured) dominating on the mound in the second game. 

 

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Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 14, Worcester Red Sox 1

Tanner Houck opened up this game, making his first rehab start since being placed on the IL on May 14. He pitched the first inning, then walked the first batter of the second inning before being pulled. The righty allowed one run on two hits, throwing 32 pitches. He produced one whiff on a sweeper, and as Ian Cundall notes, his fastball sat 94-96 mph while mixing in a new cutter. Isaac Coffey struggled in relief, allowing four earned runs and getting just two outs. Jose De Leon wasn't much better, surrendering six earned runs in 3 1/3 frames. Hobie Harris and Jose Adames pitched well, each tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and no walks. It was a quiet night for the Worcester offense with just one hit, no runs, and eight strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings against a rehabbing Max Scherzer. Blaze Jordan provided the only run, belting a solo home run, his second with the WooSox. Vaughn Grissom also roped his 14th double of the year. 

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Cup of Coffee: Tibbs debuts for Sea Dogs; Soto homers twice in DSL

6/18 Cup of Coffee: Excellent pitching performances in the upper minors were a highlight of the night for the Red Sox affiliates. Richard Fitts threw five scoreless innings in a WooSox win and Connelly Early (pictured) struck out eight batters in six strong innings in a hard luck loss for Portland. James Tibbs III was 0 for 4 in his Sea Dogs debut. Franklin Arias and Nazzan Zanetello had great games but the Drive lost to Greensboro. Salem's series opener against Fredericksburg was rained out. Jorge Rodriguez delivered a strong performance in a win in an FCL Red Sox win. Dorian Soto ripped the first two home runs of his professional career in the DSL. 

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Worcester Red Sox 5, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 4

After struggling in his first two starts since being optioned to Worcester, Richard Fitts was lights out on Tuesday night. Fitts threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits and hitting two batters while striking out three. Chris Murphy followed him and allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout in an inning of relief. Bryan Mata allowed two runs on three hits in an inning and Alex Hoppe allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning. Isaiah Campbell earned his sixth save of the season with a shutout 1 1/3 innings. 

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Minor Notes: Devers blockbuster brings prospects to Boston; Murphy’s rehab rolls on

A big week across the Boston organization got turned upside down on Sunday afternoon as Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster deal. On the field, Roman Anthony made his highly anticipated big league debut. Outside of Anthony's debut, there was plenty of moving and shaking within the affiliates on the roster moves front. 

Devers traded to Giants 

In an earth-shattering move on Sunday afternoon, Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants. In return, the Red Sox acquired pitchers Jordan Hicks, Kyle Harrison, outfielder James Tibbs, and pitcher Jose Bello. According to reports, Harrison will join the WooSox, and Tibbs will report to Portland following the deal. Hicks is currently on the 15-day IL and has a 6.47 ERA this season. Harrison has posted a 4.56 ERA in 23 2/3 innings this season. Tibbs had spent all of this season in High-A after being drafted 13th overall in last year's draft and has posted an .857 OPS. Bello has been in rookie ball with a 2.00 ERA over 18 innings. 

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